Pin Tree Tutorial

If you follow Jennifer on Instagram or Facebook, you know she has been a busy bee crafting up a storm for her upcoming Holiday Show in her home in Wilton, CT. She gets lots of requests on how she does her pin trees, so here is a quick tutorial.

Dump all varieties of sequins in a large plastic container. This is so you can have it in your lap and ready to go anytime.

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Grab yourself a Styrofoam tree in any size from a local craft store, pearlized pin heads, so you don’t have to spend extra time adding a seed bead or pearl which gets time consuming, but you can if you like; and start pinning! Jennifer starts at the bottom and works her way up, but do whatever is comfortable for you.

I’m Jennifer’s assistant, also a Jennifer, and I like to do the trees with just sequins and plain sequin pins. In fact, its my favorite project to do on a road trip. My husband appreciates it because I can still talk to him while he drives, instead of zoning out on my phone or reading a book or magazine! Here is a tree I was working on last week while we drove to Asheville, NC.

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If you are planning on doing a lot of trees, order your pins from China on Ebay to make life easier. Also try using Styrofoam balls and 1/2 circles for a fun platform. You can find sequins at any craft store, but again, if you are making multiple trees it is cheaper to order in bulk off a site like Cartwight’s.

Here is a display of trees Jennifer did recently. Don’t they look amazing on display? We hope you enjoy the trees as much as we do. Let us know how it goes and give us a holla in the comments or tag us on social media. Thanks for stopping by!

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Instagram Inspiration – Kids’ Edition

Thanks for sharing all these amazing creations with us on Instagram! We love seeing them.

Nostalgia should be arriving in stores this week. Keep a look out and lets us know what you are making.

magicvalleylastella: cute romper in Priscilla from the Crazy Love line.

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nelliejanes: Another darling rumpers with a cute ruffled tush in Jessica from Caravelle Arcade.

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twinklestardesigns: Loving the button details on the back of this dress in Isabelle from the Good Company Line.

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gillietime: Maggie in green is perfect on this sassy little one from the Circa line.

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tillis.pretties: we could dance all night is this twirly skirt in Jill from Lucky Girl.

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feelingpeachycreations: Loving the sequined hanger and this romper in Daisy from the Caravelle Arcade line.

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izzynivydesigns: Chic boho dress in fabrics from the Caravelle Arcade line.

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lolly.and.me: we think this dress in Lindsey in yellow from the Circa line fits this girls sunny personality perfectly!

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applesandsoda: another amazing romper in Charlotte from the Beauty Queen line.

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sweetlittleshandmade: Loving this baby wearing momma doll sporting a dress in fabric from the Jenny Eliza line for JoAnns.

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Sequined Trees Tutorial

The holidays are around the corner and Jennifer has been busy in her studio making magic for her upcoming Holiday Show. Sequins and glitter are a big part of a Sis Boom holiday and we’d like to share a simple sequined tree tutorial. These can be made into a small shadowbox display, as Jennifer has done, or made into a garland or hung on your Christmas tree. The possibilities are endless.

Paint cardboard tree ornaments, Jennifer found these at Michaels, in any color desired. Let dry.
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Paint the entire tree with a generous coating of Mod Podge. Sprinkle on sequins like confetti and the let dry for 3 hours. To get the desired effect, fill in areas with more Mod Podge and more sequins. Let dry overnight.

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Jennifer placed hers in a wooden lantern to create a Sis Boom holiday room complete with Sis Boom fabric wall paper, a dollhouse sofa, small hand wrapped gifts and a beaded chandelier. Just darling!

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Instagram Inspiration

Some of you have dug deep into your Sis Boom fabric stash and brought out some Sis Boom classics! I love taking a stroll down memory lane with you. Thanks, as always, for sharing with me on Instagram. It really brightens my day!

Have you heard? Our newest line, Nostalgia, has shipped from the factory. Please check online and in your favrotie local fabric store for it starting next week. I can’t wait to see what you’ll be making with it.

sewshabbydesigns: lovely Bible cover in Jenny Eliza fabric exclusively at JoAnn Fabrics.

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megsbrill: fun tie in an oldie but goodie, Lisa from the Poodle line!

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red_eyed_studio: lovely quilt in fabrics from the Crazy Love line.

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onebusysloth: how stunning is this little makeup bag in Valentina from the West Indies line?

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melissajanehandmade: lovely bag with Loopy Vintage Floral from the Flower Power line.

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stitchingirl: love all the hexies in lots of Sis Boom fabric. So colorful and a great way to use up favorite scraps!

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tamaraharrisondesigns: amazing fabric flowers using Sis Boom fabric from Tamara down under in Austrailia. Psst… guest blog tutorial on how to make these lovelies by Tamara coming soon to our blog. How lucky are we?

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hand_made_by_laura_jane: amazing details on this tea set using in Taylor from Circa.

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Guest Blogger – Baby Hobbes Designs

Chicago blogger and seamstress extraordinaire, Merav of Baby Hobbes Design, and her lovely daughter, Hobbes, are back for the this second story on our series of transforming the Sophie. Enjoy!

Sis Boom Sophie, Part II-Sewing for an indecisive month

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Hi again and thanks for joining me for Part II: Sophie Tunic Sewing for an Indecisive month.

I just adore the relax fit and ease (I like to call it dress-ability) of the Sophie. I consider it a win in our house when Hobbes can come out of her room dressed in the morning without asking, OK, yelling for me to help her get dressed. And that’s such a nice break for me, since most mornings I am chasing my 19 month old son around the house.

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After sewing the original tunic (Sophie Tunic Part I), my wheels were still turning and I just had see how the Sophie Tunic worked as a dress. Because Hobbes is petite at 41 inches, I decided I wanted to add an external casing and create a waist line on the dress. I used Sis Boom beautiful Daisy in Blue, it’s my favorite print from Caravelle Arcade.

Remember how I mentioned that you can get creative with your keyhole, I am just swooning over this combination.

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And check out the back:

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I must stop and mention my friend Julie Crigger’s amazing ability to match Sis Boom’s fabrics with her gorgeous hair pretty. My heart melted when I received this Silk Sari Tie-back, created especially for this look. You can find her shop Little Sparrow Bow here.

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I really love how the Sophie Tunic transformed. Keep reading to find out how I achieved this look.

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Before you can start the transformation, you need to figure out the length to extend the pattern. For mine, I needed to add 4-5 inches to the tunic to get the length above the knees. I also wanted to allow for an approximately extra 2-3 inches so the dress can have a pillow-effect over the waist-with kids, it kind of happens naturally that dresses rise up. I concluded that 7 was my magic number and crossed my fingers!

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To adjust the tunic into a dress length, I first eliminated the flaps (Please skip over page 11-12 in the Sophie tunic directions) and added 7 inches to the bottom of the pattern. See picture below.

When drawing the extension, start at the external arm hole and drew down a straight line, keeping the angle and curving at the bottom.

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Once you have your dress sewn per directions (skipping the flaps) go ahead and hem the bottom of your dress by folding it up 0.5 inch then pressing. Fold again another 0.5 inch up, press and sew your hem closed.

Now we can begin making the external waist casing. There are many different ways to create casing, and you can choose to make it thinner or ticker then mine. You can even use pre-made bias tape for the same results, just remember to adjust your elastic size so it will fit inside your casing once it’s edge-stitched on. For my dress, I had a specific look in mind. I wanted to sew it in a way that only the blue from Abby in Blue and the rings will show up.

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I choose to cut a 3 inch strip by the salvage width. I will later adjust it around the dress and cut off the extra fabric.
Go ahead and fold in half, with the right sides together sew along the strip. You don’t need to finish the ends.

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Flip your casing right side out. As you can see from the picture below, to achieve my design, the seam will run down the right side of my fabric-in the middle. I figured it wouldn’t be as noticeable once it’s cinched in.
You may choose to have your seam on the side or hidden underneath. Now iron your casing and set it aside.

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Place the finished dress on a flat surface as seen in the picture below. With a ruler, go ahead and draw a straight continues line, marking the placement of the casing. I choose to mark the line 6 inch under the bodice facing, to create a drop-waist and allow for the pillow-like effect.

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Once you made your marking, go ahead and pin your casing to your dress. Be sure you are only pinning through one layer at a time. As you can tell from the picture below, I started pinning from the dress front right edge. Since I cut my casing at salvage width, I left some of the excess fabric on the edge. Later I will use this fabric to close my casing.

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Go ahead and edge stitch the casing. Remember to leave 1.5-2 inch opening on either the top or the bottom of your casing. This opening will be closed after the elastic is fed through the casing.

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Once your casing ALMOST sewn all the way around, go ahead and trim the remaining fabric, tuck under and sew your casing closed as pictured below.

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You are almost done!!! Remember that 1.5-2 inch space we left? time to get your elastic out. For my dress, I used a 3/4 inch width elastic, measured out to 19.5 inches-Hobbes waist is 20.5. For this dress design, I didn’t want it to be to tight-just to have enough pull to cinch the dress to the body. I inserted the elastic, catching the two ends together and sewing with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Now all that is left is to sew your casing closed.
YOU ARE DONE!!!
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What did you think of the Sophie Tunic transformation into a Dress? I love finding patterns that allow me so much versatility, especially sewing with October’s weather indecisiveness.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments here, or stop by and say Hi to me over at Baby Hobbes Design
You can also follow me on Instagram @Babyhobbesdesign
Beautiful Sari Tie-back made to match Daisy in Green, by the talented Julie Crigger over at Little Sparrow Bow
Lastly, my genius friends Thomas and Tiana over at TK Photography Chicago for their amazing ability to capture my design creations and beautifully feature their movements and elegance. I couldn’t be more impressed! Oh, and thanks for letting Hobbes and her little brother have some fun in-between takes.

Instagram Inspiration: Sis Boom’s Got the Blues

So many blue stunners have been popping up on our Instagram feed this past week, I just had to share them! What’s your favorite blue from Sis Boom? Jennifer has designed so many over the years. As always, thanks for sharing. XO

billyandrose:a sweet little blue floral summer dress in Lindsey from the Circa line.

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paisleyavenue: adorable bloomers in Jill from the Lucky Girl line.

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jaed92: we are drooling over this romper in Isabelle from Good Company.

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hickitypickity: a bubble and twirly dress look amazing in Caravelle Arcade fabrics.
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micki_rose_handmade: loving this style of romper in Isabelle from Good Company!

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millaruby This sweet girl is rocking a dress made in Daisy from the Caravelle Arcade line.
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lovebdesigns a bib & burp cloth bundle in Jessica from the Caravelle Arcade line.

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Guest Blogger – Baby Hobbes Design

Chicago blogger and seamstress extraordinaire, Merav of Baby Hobbes Design, is back for second review our patterns and fabric. Merav is a self-taught seamstress and has her darling daughter, nicknamed Hobbes, modeling the Sophie Tunic in this guest post. We love how she used the Abby fabric for the Carvelle Arcade line on the bias.

A Perfect Pattern For An Indecisive Month: Sis Boom Sophie Tunic Part I

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October has always been a difficult sewing month for me. I am not ready to commit to styling Hobbes with the long sleeve warmth of Winter, we have quite enough snow-covered months ahead of us; but the summer heat and the spaghetti strap dresses are now behind me. After receiving another beautiful mix of Sis Boom prints that included Caravelle Arcade Abby in Blue and Daisy in Green, I decided to capture October indecisiveness with a new to me pattern that allows me to change my mind too. Well in lengths that is!

Sis Boom’s Sophie Tunic offers four different sleeves styles that include short and long, cuffed and a cap sleeve too. It also outlines a few different hem lines so you can shorten your top, or create a tunic length over leggings top. You can even get creative with your keyhole, with options for contrasting fabric overlay and different keyhole closures.

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For my first Sophie look, I made Hobbes a simple tunic. I wanted to sew it in the patterns’ purest form to highlight an incredible aspect of design manipulation we may often forget about: Cutting pattern pieces on ON THE BIAS:

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You have to be very careful when you are cutting on the bias, or your garment may move or even stretch in the wrong direction. With the Sophie pattern, I was careful to cut it diagonally along the grain, however, because the pattern design includes flaps on the bottom ends of the tunic, I knew that my fabric wouldn’t pull.

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Before I cut however, I decided to redraw the pattern piece on wax paper so I would have the finished outline of the top. I did this truly to make fabric placement easier, as I wanted my keyhole to lay perfectly on the cream section of my Abby in Blue Fabric.

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One of my favorite features on this top is the pleat on the sleeve. Just one little inverted pleat and the tunic has a soft and airy feel to it. I choose to sew my tunic with the cap sleeve, imagining it would look sweet over a long sleeved knit top or layered perfectly under Hobbes collection of faux fur vest.

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I really enjoyed the simplicity of this pattern and already have mountains of ideas for my next few. It really is a great pattern to showcase a very bold print. And the versatility is endless. Join me Friday, for Sophie Tunic Part II, a different spin on Sophie.

Here is a sneak:

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I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, come say hi to me over Baby Hobbes Design
You can also follow me on Instagram @Babyhobbesdesign
Special thanks to the amazing duo Thomas and Tiana over at Tk photography
Beautiful hair pretties by the talented Julie at Little Sparrow Boutique

Are You Ready for the Nostalgia Line?

Shae from Saflower Photography and Saflower Designs wrote a lovely and informative post on Pattern Revolution yesterday on how to best photograph your boutique creations, fabric and patterns. If you’ve ever wondered how to best photograph and style your creations, run, don’t walk over to her post and read it now!

We are honored she made a dress in Sis Boom’s newest line, Nostalgia shipping next month, with amazing lace trim and button details for her daughter. Seriously, how amazing are these photos and the dress on her cutie patootie daughter??

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She also used Nostalgia fabric to create this to-die-for dreamcatcher. Find the free tutorial over on Pattern Revolution.

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We hope you are in love with Nostalgia as much as we are! What are you going to be making when it drops next month?

Instagram Inspiration – Kids’ edition

So many sweet handmade items for kids. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that you create these amazing things with my fabric. Thanks, as always, for sharing with me on Instagram.

handmadeby3littlebs: lovely long sleeved romper in Melody from the Beauty Queen Fabric line.
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summer.lillies: suspender skirt combo with in Jessica from the Carvalle Arcade line.
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miss_oliviamayrose: this blue-eyed cutie is wearing a romper made with Jessie from Good Company.

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hickitypickity: Judy always has an amazing eye for layering fabric. This tiered dress is made with fabric from the Good Company line.
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stitchbyzura: a stunner in Maggie from the Circa line.

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bugandsquish: we are uber in love with these rompers in Jessie from Good Company and JoAnn from Crazy Love.

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primabellecreations: sweet dress in Taylor from the Circa line

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Instagram Inspiration – Kids’ Edition

Happy first day of October! Stay dry and safe, my east coast friends! Looks like we are in for a bit of rain and maybe a hurricane. Eeek!!! Where ever you are, I hope you’re working on something fun and happy for your home or someone you love. Please share with me on Instagram. I look forward to seeing what you’re doing every day.

whatbellewears sweet little shorts in Vickie from the Good Company fabric line.
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hickitypickity: Judy wows us again with this stunner with fabric from the Caravelle Arcade line and tulle.
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doremicreations: You are my sunshine…happy little yellow dress in Lindsey from Circa.
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Indiana.blue.surf: It’s spring down under in Australia and these adorable beach dresses made in Caravelle Arcade fabric trimmed with gold are perfect for the warm days ahead.
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kayracreations: lovely twirly dresses in the Vickie fabric from Good Company.
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butterflybees: Darling Jeanine Jumper in Melody from the Beauty Queen line.
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lilbubscouture: another stunning romper in Daisy from the Caravelle Arcade line.
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catchingviolet: This lucky birthday girl is wearing a dress made from Austin and Lilly from the Circa line.
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