We’ve got a ton of new fabric coming in and it’s time to say goodbye to the old. Yep, we’ve refreshed our Sale section again which means incredibly savings for you!
Hundreds of bolts of fabric are now on sale including Summersville, Monsterz, Alegria, Walk in the Woods, and Flea Market Fancy. We’ve been emptying bolts and making room on the shelves. Don’t miss out on a chance to snag some great fabric at really low prices!
Happy Sewing!
Jen & Janet
You should know that I feel guilty about not sewing more often for my boys – so when I see a pattern that they would actually like (and that I actually want to make), I grab it up! The Long Board shorts pattern from Make It Perfect was no exception. These looked like comfortable shorts that even my 10 year old would wear!!!
So I grabbed the pattern as soon as I could. There are two sizes to the pattern – I opted for the “big” (6-10) since my boys fit in that age range. They do have a “small” available as well for sizes 0-5! The pattern hung on my peg board, just waiting because I had to wait patiently for Lucy’s Crab Shack by Sweetwater to be released. Taylor wanted “Hawaiian” shorts and their Aloha print would be exactly right for his long board shorts.
Once I had the fabric in hand, I got to work tracing the pattern onto freezer paper. The pattern sheets are heavy white paper which makes tracing them SO much easier. It only took about 30 minutes to get everything traced and ready to cut. I found the pattern fabric requirements to be generous but I was happy to have some of this navy blue left over to go in my stash (which is heavy on aquas and light on darker blues.) I opted to go up to a size 7 but keep the length of the short at a size 6. The shorts are plenty long and the fit is generous enough that he’ll be able to wear them for a good amount of time. (And since we can usually still wear shorts until about Thanksgiving, that is a good thing.)
The hardest part in making these shorts was finding ribbed knit for the waistband. I have plenty of regular interlock on hand, and because you add elastic to the waistband, I considered using it instead….but I just really wanted that ribbed look at the waist (even if it’s covered by a shirt!) I considered hacking apart a very large waistband from a thrift store or Walmart but decided to drive down to Joann’s first….and they had ribbed knit. I bought 1/3 yard – which is actually enough for 4 waistband for my boys.
Anyway, back to the making of the shorts. The pattern was really easy to follow and well written. All the pieces worked together just like they are supposed to and there was no guessing as to what to do next. The shorts also went together very quickly – I’d say about an hour the first time and even faster the second – which makes me much more likely to make them again. My favorite detail is the angled pockets on the front. Although I think the knee patches are fun also (and practical because my boys do wear their knees out first!) I was pleased when I finish. Even my husband said they are good shorts.
The real test would be if Taylor liked them….and he more than likes them, he LOVES them. He wore them 4 days straight before I made him pick something else to wear so I could wash them! And best of all, when my ten year old boy saw them, he liked them and requested a pair of his own…only without Hawaiian fabric. 
The Long Board shorts from Make It Perfect gets my highest recommendation! Haley has even requested a pair. And I think made in girly fabric and cut just a couple inches shorter so it’s at the knee (with no knee patch) they will be perfect for her also! I’m also thinking that next summer I can use them for swim shorts (if I can find the right fabric!) Anyway I hope to get a few more made before school starts. How do you think they’d be in grey corduroy for school?
-Melanie
So back in February (February!!) I started Swooning. By the time I got done with all 9 blocks, I was worn out and quite frankly, a bit tired of looking at them. Even the motivation of having an amazing quilter waiting for my finished top could not get me moving again. Until last week that is!
After weeks of carrying the blocks back and forth from the shop, I finally got it sashed and made a back. You would not believe the relief I felt to have the silly thing done. A happy dance was most definitely performed and a beer drank in its honor!
I give you my finished Swoon top ……
(Sorry for the less than stellar photo. Was in a rush to get it in the mail and did not get a pic that really does it justice.)
Wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with the back. Tried a couple of different options but we’ve been selling out of a lot of the prints so my options were limited. So I took the fabric that we had a lot of and just mixed in some of the leftover prints to give it a bit of flair.
I always learn something with every bit of sewing I do. With this back, I learned the dangers of choosing a backing fabric that was linear in nature. I had to piece it and when I cut the fabric, I did not think about having to keep the linear look across the entire back. Once I got the lines matched up, I lost a good few inches off my finished size. I ended up going back and adding the strips of snow to make it a bit longer and give at least some overhang. I will definitely pay more attention next time when choosing my fabrics!
I packaged this baby up and sent it off to the wonderful and amazingly talented, Lisa Sipes to quilt. So excited to see what she’ll do with it!
And of course, the week I finally get this quilt-along behind me, I just into another … the HexyMF over on Fat Quarterly!! Lord, help me! This quilt scares me but I am determined to conquer it. More to come soon!
TGIF!! What a week it’s been around Lola Pink. BERNINAs, Block of the Month pickup parties, quilt classes, birthdays! So much fun packed into one week!
Have you stopped by the shop lately? Just wanted to remind you that we have a sale going on through Sunday. We’ve been clearing lots of bolts left and right! Don’t miss out on some serious bargains on your favorite fabrics PLUS use the codes below to save more!
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So yesterday, I proudly showed off my first Wiksten Tank. Today I give you my first Wiksten Tova …
I love this pattern. The instructions were so easy to follow and everything worked the way it was supposed to. My go to tunic pattern has been the Schoolhouse Tunic for ease and style. The Tova though has that little something extra that takes it from looking homemade to something special. I’ll revise the post when I can get a good shot of me wearing the Tova. It goes perfectly with a pair of jeans or shorts.
And don’t even get me started on the Daisy Janie fabric … seriously, hands-down some of the best fabric I’ve worked with when making clothes. It sews beautifully and gets so super soft after washing. My love for Tilly deserves a blog post all of its own. So far I’ve made 3 items and will hopefully get a chance to snag some more before it’s gone. (We’re down to only a few prints remaining! – and it happens to be on sale!)
Be sure and check out the Wiksten Flickr Pool so many great Wikstens sure to inspire! These were definitely my first Wikstens … I have plans for many, many more!
I love the Wiksten sewing patterns.
I first saw the Wiksten Tova tunic popping up on Pinterest about 6 months ago and at the time couldn’t justify spending $30 for a pattern ~ so worth every dime! It wasn’t long after I got my pattern in that the Tank starting popping up and of course I had to get that pattern too. Only this time, I noticed that they sell them as PDF downloads and for much cheaper … nice!
I ended up making the tank first since I figured I could knock it out pretty quick. You have to print out quite a few pages from the PDF and piece together the pattern. Looked a bit daunting but it actually went together well. Very clear instructions!
I made it with the Fig Tree Quilts Spouts in Ocean fabric from their California Girl collection and absolutely LOVE how it turned out. When I find the time, I want to make about a dozen more. So easy and so cute .. my idea of a perfect pattern!
Want to see more tanks? I searched Pinterest and found quite a few versions.
Check back tomorrow and I’ll show off my Tova. I love it just as much and just so happen to be wearing it today 
And the winner is ……. comment #46 Mickey Kelly White/Harleywife!!! Congrats Mickey!! Thank you to all who entered. You are all winners in our book.
It’s been way too long since we’ve had a giveaway on the blog. I say it’s about time we get to it!!
As soon as we opened the box and saw the Cut & Sew fabrics by Robert Kaufman, we started thinking pincushions, ironing board covers, sewing machine covers… NOW!! Or why not take it a step farther and really makeover your sewing room and use these fabrics as curtains? Would look amazing! (I typed this post yesterday and today we had a lady come in to the shop and buy 6yds of the green thread fabric to use as curtains in her sewing room – going to be so cute!)
To get you started, we’re giving away a Cut & Sew fat quarter bundle (8 prints in all) and a copy of Jaybird Quilts Biscuit pincushions pattern.
Entering is easy .. just simply leave a comment below and you’re entered! Want extra entries?? You can either follow our blog posts, become a fan on Facebook, or signup for the newsletter. Just make sure you leave a comment for each extra entry.
A winner will be drawn Thursday, June 21st at 4pm CDT (which just so happens to be my birthday!)
Hope y’all have a great week!
Jen
