Twinkle Toes and Company

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} I’ve been eyeing The Eli Monster’s Patterns for awhile.  Really, drooling over them would probably be more accurate.  The Eli Monster's style is quite different than most patterns I've seen for sale lately, and for some reason I've just never jumped on The Eli Monster band wagon.   I’m happy to say that I’m firmly planted now. The Admiraal is a double breasted dress with a pleated  skirt.   I fell in love with the double breasted fitted bodice and the shaw collar.  It is beautiful and classy with a style you don’t see very often. I think it's important to note right about here just how vital making a muslin (or two...or three) i...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} My kids seem to go through pants, shorts, capri's etc. like they're made out of paper.   They either hit a growth spurt and all of the sudden are waiting for flood or they come home from an activity or playing outside with holes in the knees.   It doesn't matter how often I buy them pants,  it always happens!   So, one of my goals this year is to make the kids pants.  If I can make them to fit their skinny frames perhaps I can keep up with their growth spurts/crawling around/sports accidents.   You can stop laughing.  Logically I know that won't happen, but if I can realistically make  a pair or two when they need them ...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.}   This last fall I had the opportunity to do a pretest  for the Perfect Play Henley.  Just the pretest version has become my younger three kids favorite shirt.  *NOTE*: this is the pretest version.   They love that they can "match" and yet not look identical at the same time.  I love that I can add some extra details and make it "girly" for my very girly daughter and "cool" for the high schooler who typically wouldn't be caught dead in mom-made clothes.  He actually wears this top regularly.  When he first wore it to school he kept getting asked what store he got it at because it was so "cool"!  I *may* have been a tad bit tickled that he was ...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} Remember when the clothes you wore were so fashionable they weren't comfortable? Yeah, me too. Thankfully, the Boho Babydoll pattern isn't one of those! It's beyond comfortable! Miss. Thang has been asking for a Maxi skirt for a long time.  Typically she gets whatever dress or skirt I happen to be testing or I think is cute.  She rarely gives specific requests, I just hadn't found the right maxi yet.  And then the Boho Babydoll-Youth entered the picture. The Boho Babydoll-Youth comes in several different lengths.  Miss. Thang is wearing the slight high low maxi here with 3/4 sleeves.  We LOVE the high low!  It's just high enough in th...

The Be Inspired Skirt by Ellie and Mac  is every little girl's dream of the perfect mermaid tail. This skirt and shirt was made as a present for one of her best friends.  Thankfully she's the same size!   The Be Inspired is a great pedal skirt.  And, while it gives the illusion of a mermaid, the actual pencil skirt isn't so long that she can't move in it.  In fact, we had a hard time getting her to stop moving and dancing in it so we could take pictures! She kept dancing and twirling and loves it so much that she has asked for one for herself.  It's a good thing it's already started!  The pedals were really easy to cut out, and the fact that you don't have to hem them makes them perfect!  The tutorial on how to gather them is great and easy to follow.  Then, when it comes time to attaching everything else together, including the shorties under the skirt the sewing goes really smooth! Did I mention those sho...

Emerson and Maya...a match made in sewing heaven! Jennifer Jeremiah with Petite Stitchery did a beautiful job drafting both of these patterns.  As a tester, sometimes I get the opportunity to see glimpses of the process a designer takes in drafting a pattern.  The Emerson is one of those patterns.   Jennifer had a vision for the pattern, and it looked beautiful on her.  However, it wasn't coming across the same way when sewn by the testers.  So she performed some amazing "CPR" and out came a beautiful top!  She worked tirelessly to create the best pattern she could and I truly believe she did an excellent job! I adore the sleeves on this Emerson!  The sleeves can be made with a bell sleeve, a plain sleeve or up to three flounces.  While I really like all of the sleeves, my favorite is the bell sleeve! The fit of the Emerson is spot on and looks fantastic with the "V" in the front and the back of the shirt.  The V lends an ...

Swim season is right around the corner.   In our case, we're headed faster than most because we hit warm weather pretty early. So the excitement about the Bahama Mama is real in my house! A swimsuit and rashguard all in one?!?!  Count us in! The Bahama Mama comes in three sleeve lengths, cap, short and long sleeve.  All of which are perfect for playing at the river or beach...or just outside in the sun! The Raglan style sleeve makes assembly quick and easy.   There are two zipper lengths that can be used.  I used a 9" zipper here.  However, a 12" zipper can also be used for ease of access or for nursing moms. At first Miss. Opinionated Teen was a tad worried about the rear end coverage.  (The "opinionated" was a bit understated in this conversation.)  When I was fitting the muslin, I didn't put in the elastic so the fit wasn't quite the same.  However, the coverage is perfect, just make sure to measu...