Guest Blogger: Sis Boom Sally for Summer by Jeanine Thomlinson

Jeanine runs our Facebook Sis Boom Pattern Co page and knows our patterns inside and out. If you have any questions about our patterns or sewing in general, hop over to our FB page and ask away. Jeanine and the rest of the lovely ladies are super helpful. Hope you are having an amazing May where ever you are. Color Brigade is on it’s way and should be in stores soon. Give us a shout on Facebook and Instagram when you have it in stock, and we’ll let the world know!

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I am in LOVE with the Sis Boom Sally pattern! Of course this is no surprise as my favourite make and wear dress is the adult version, the Sis Boom Angie.

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The cutting and sewing of this dress is 2 relaxed hours. There are no closures, the back has elastic, so it is nice and simple. The kiddo can pull it on and off without any fuss at all. The sash is optional. but I love the look the sash gives it!

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Perfect dress for twirling and playing and tea parties!

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Guest Blogger: Baby Hobbes Design and the NEW Sally Dress Part II

Merav of Baby Hobbes Design is back with Part II of her take on the new Sally dress, this time with long sleeves. Sally is the perfect year round dress and super simple for the beginner sewist. We hope you give her a try and don’t forgot to share your creations with us on Facebook and Instagram!

Sally Part II, Long Sleeves for the Win

I am so happy to be back with part II of the Sally Dress tour, and this time I am here to share with you an easy trick for a year-round dress. I am always in the market for new and easy beginner patterns-and, as we discussed in last week’s post, Sally is just that! But how about Sally with sleeves?

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I adore the tank style, pull-over Sally dress! Here in the Windy City, we are still in LONG sleeves for a few more months. And a versatile pattern means ‘A Win’ for me-to sew year round.

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This week I let Hobbes play around with my beautiful Sis Boom fabric collection, and I was in heaven when she pulled out Caravelle Arcade’s Jessica in Blue and Beauty Queen’s Katie stripe in Pink. My head (and heart) went straight into Valentines mode, and we decided this will be her dress for our big Valentines fundraiser next month.

You are going to love how easy it is to take Sally and change her up to meet the demand of the weather. To achieve this look, you will need the Gabriella Fae pattern for its bodice and sleeves. Also, if you are a sucker for lace like me, check out my November Blog here for adding these pretty darling details.

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Once you have both the Sally and Gabriella Fae bodice pieces cut out to size, go ahead and follow the steps here in order to change the arm cycle of Sally to adjust for the sleeves.

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Looking at the pictures above, from left to right. First, cut your pattern size in both dress bodice to size. Next, lay the Gabriella Fae front bodice on top of the Sally front bodice. Match the shoulders at the arm cycle edge. For this quick transformation, I am not changing anything else in the pattern–just the curve of the arm. As you can see, I shaded/colored in the difference in arm curve directly on the Sally for easy cutting. Once you have your markings on the front (repeat with the back bodice), go ahead and cut off the markings so your Sally can accept Gabriella Fae sleeves.
***Please note that you can do this trick with most of your patterns. Always remember to change the arm-cycles and note the difference in the shoulder alignment.

Next, sew your sleeves. You may choose to follow the Gabriella Fae directions to add your sleeves. Because I have experience sewing that pattern, I decided to change it up a bit and add a pleat at the top shoulder instead of a gathered puff. I’ll be honest, it was an experiment, but I had nothing to lose–it’s all in the pinning.

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It’s so easy to add this small detail. First, fold your sleeve in half and stick a pin in the top middle. Then, starting from the edge, pin your sleeve to the bodice until you are at the halfway point/reached your shoulder seam on the bodice. Then move to the other side of the sleeve, starting from that end, pinning till you reach the middle of the bodice.

Looking at the pictures above, from left to right: grab your excess sleeve material in the center (bout 3-3,5 inches) and make sure that the sleeve is pinned perfectly up to the shoulder seams. Next, you will want to flatten the access sleeve and perfectly align it with the center seam on the shoulder. Pin in down and check it on both sides to make sure the pleat center is aligned with shoulder seam. Once you are happy, sew it up to the bodice.

Once you have added on your sleeve, continue with the Sally directions. Just remember when you are sewing your front and back bodice closed, you are starting at the sleeves and sewing down.

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And that’s how I got Hobbes this new Sally. It’s an easy beginner, pullover darling dress pattern.Now show me how you transform your Sally dress. Get your copy of Sally and Gabriella Fae here.

Special thanks to my talented friend Julie over at the Little Sparrow Bows for her perfectly made to match hair halo.

Like my backdrop? Temperatures have been in the teens here and I just didn’t have the heart to ask Hobbes to pose outside. Loving my new Big Time Prints (formally Bubblegum Backdrops) for a quick and warm photo-shoot.

Till next time, happy sewing!
~Merav @ Baby Hobbes Design

Guest Blogger Tamara Harrison

We are truly lucky to have the uber talented Tamara Harrison show us how she creates her AMAZING fabric flowers. Tamara lives in West­ern Australia and combines her love of jewelry making, millinery tech­niques, and floristry skills into a stunning wedding business. We fell in love with her flowers when they showed up on our Instagram feed and she graciously agreed to do a guest blog post.

Be sure to visit Tamara at:
www.tamaraharrison.com.au
Instagram
Facebook

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When people ask me what I do, I usually say, ‘I make pretty things’, this is often met with ‘what do you mean, what kind of pretty things?’, so I show them my website or Instagram feed and get an ‘OOhhhh, OOooooo, Ahhh I seeeee’. I have to admit, I LOVE this response because of the joy and curiosity it brings.

Arriving here at the ‘I make pretty things’ place has been a culmination of being trained in Floristry & Art, owning floral design shops, making hundreds of wedding bouquets, lecturing in the subject, coming in and out of the creative terror zone and combining all those skills with new ones to make amazing things for events and home.

I am inspired by all things around me and I constantly have to ‘get the creativity out’ otherwise I go a bit batty (It’s true!).

My latest ‘pretty thing’ has been to use my french flower making skills to design fabric flowers. I have become quite obsessed with making them and how beautiful they look in Sis Boom fabric.

Here are some stages of construction. Each flower takes several hours to complete.

Images 1 & 2: Cut out your petal shape in 5 or 6 sizes small through to large. I cut approx 8 in each size (I may not use them all in 1 flower).

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Images 3 & 4: Paint with a fabric stiffener and allow to dry completely. I use my own special formula but watered down craft glue works really well (as long as it dries clear).
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Images 6& 7: Using hot brass flower making tools stretch and shape each petal until it looks three dimensional.

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Images 8, 9 & 10: Take a small handful of craft flower stamens and tightly twist a wire through the middle, bending the stamens in half to form a cluster. Sort your petals from smallest to largest. Starting with the smallest petal, take some clear drying craft glue and attach. You can sew your petals on if you prefer.

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Images 11, 12 & 13: Keep gluing your petals gradually increasing them in size, Make sure to overlap with the previous petal. If in doubt grab a real rose and have a look at how nature arranges them!

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Image 14: Hang completed flower somewhere to dry overnight.
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Image 15: Arrange your flower by fluffing up the petals and say WoooHoooo I’ve done it!!

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You can then attach a clip, brooch backing or stem depending on how you’d like to use your amazing bloom!

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Guest Blogger: Baby Hobbes Designs

Chicago blogger and seamstress extraordinaire, Merav of Baby Hobbes Design, and her lovely daughter, Hobbes, return for their fourth blog post. We are thrilled to have them back. Enjoy their review of Gabriella Fae made with Sis Boom’s new line, Nostalgia and Merav’s lovely lace embellishments.


Nostalgic About My Gabriella Fae

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My best friend since Middle School is Gabriela; well now she goes by Gabi. She transferred into our school in 7th grade and quickly became my bestie. We did everything together-her parents used to call us “an old married couple” because we were inseparable. Though it’s been almost 15 years since we lived in the same time zone, I cherish our friendship and reminisce about our endless days together. One of our favorite past times was to wander around mall (yes, we were in the burbs of Long Island) while talking about clothes and the new style trends.

These days, my partner in fashion is my little 3 and a half foot tall Hobbes. We shop for fabric and talk about how to compliment and mix print. When Sis Boom Nostalgia arrived, with it’s soft pastel hues and large, bold flowers, I knew I wanted Hobbes to be involved in the dress making process. This time around (and with direction) she choose the pattern and the fabric placement. I was ecstatic when she chose Sis Boom Gabriella Fae; it reminded me of my favorite past time with my dear friend, Gabi. Kind of makes me nostalgic!

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(Hobbes switching the Nostalgia fabrics in and out of Gabriella Fae waistband placement)

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I was delighted when Hobbes chose for us to sew the Gabriella Fae PDF dress pattern. The Holidays are approaching and I wanted her to have a new dress for our Thanksgiving table. The scoop neck, empire bodice and the zipper back, along with the Nostalgia fabrics and the added lace trims (see how-to add the lace trim below) helped shape this dress into a One Of A kind, special occasion dress.
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(Since Hobbes measures the same in chest/waist and hips, I chose to shorten my zipper to end at the gathered skirt)

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I love that this patterns sports sleeves in multiple lengths-perfect for year round dresses. We chose to sew long sleeve, leaving an inch off so we can add the 1 and 1/4 wide lace to the sleeve edge. The dress can be sewn in multiple lengths too. If you have your kid handy, you can measure down from the waist to your desired length. For my daughter, with a waist 21 and height 41.5, I chose to cut the 3T in the fully lined flat bodice and 16 inch length for the skirt.

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The dress bodice can be made using 2 different cuts. One is a smooth outer layer, like the one Hobbes and I made cut in order to add trim in the center. You can also chose the second option for a gathered front bodice for the perfect ruched look. There is even an option to add a bow at the waistband. So many possibilities!

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To create the trim for a flat bodice overlay and the sleeves, please follow the instructions below:

Looking at the picture below, and starting from LEFT:

After you cut your flat bodice piece, measure how wide of an overlay you would like. For Hobbes size 4 bodice, I cut roughly a 2 and 1/4 piece and added an inch to the length. Make sure your design is centered.
Next, fold your edges under-1/4 on each side. Find the center of your bodice and place the overlay on top. Pin in the center.
Cut two strips of lace-I like to cut about an inch longer so I can then match the curves on both sides. Tuck the lace under the folded edge, 1/4 of an inch on each side. Pin and sew.
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To add a lace trim around the sleeves, see picture below. Staring from the LEFT:
Take your raw end of your sleeve, right side up. Lay your lace piece right side down. Pin and Sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Fold over the lace, so that the seams are under. Press and top stitch 1/8 of an inch to tack it down.
*I added the lace before I sew the sleeves closed. It’s much easier that way. When you do close your sleeves, make sure you match the lace and the sleeve hem.

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There you have it! Now you can embellish your Gabriella Fae’s sleeves and bodice just in time for the holidays. I hope you love it just as much as Hobbes and I do. And if you are sewing with your mini-me, share your pictures here.

Happy Sewing,
-Hobbes and Merav @ Baby Hobbes Design

As always, I love hearing from my crafty friends. Follow me at Baby Hobbes Design on Facebook or Instagram for updates, pattern review, One of A Kind dress-sales and giveaways.
Special thanks to my friends at TKPhotography Chicago for these gorgeous card-ready photos.
And if you don’t own it, get your copy of Sis Boom Gabriella Fae Here

Guest Blogger: Monique Reynolds

Meet talented quilter and Etsy Shop owner, Monique Reynolds from California. Visit her Etsy shop and follow her on Instagram. We adore the bag and quilt she made with the newest Sis Boom fabric line, Nostalgia. Have you seen the fabric line in quilting and fabric stores by you? Give us a shout!

I began sewing as a newly married wife in 1992 to make curtains for my home. I found I loved combining colors and patterns within a room, so I started sewing for each room. When my daughter was born in 1997 I made my first bed quilt for her & drew up my own design for it. Friends and family encouraged me to go into business making quilts & I didn’t think that was possible until I found out about Etsy. I opened my shop in August 2008 with purses & scarves and started getting requests for quilts. I custom made them with the customer’s fabric choices and soon added that option to my shop. I realized I could make something like a quilt with patchwork on one side, minky on the other that was more affordable and added that item to my shop. Having the support of Jennifer Paganelli trusting me to sew from her new fabric lines has helped me tremendously in getting my name out there to others who are in love her fabric as well but don’t want to tackle quilts. Today I have over 1,000 sales and love that I get to sew every day!

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Sis Boom Guest Blogger: Sarah from Piccolo Studio

Meet the talented Sarah from Piccolo Studio. Follow her on Instagram and visit her Etsy Shop. Sarah’s quilt was made with Sis Boom’s newest line, Nostalgia. NOW in stores. Check your local fabric/quilt store for availability.

My studio is on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South of Adelaide in South Australia. It is home to some of the most spectacular beaches, wineries and scenery. I live there with my husband Peter and 3 children Abby, Cooper and Hannah all of whom helped with my beach photos (hence the little fingers and toes you can see peeking out under the quilt).

I have never really considered myself a quilter, more a lover of beautiful fabrics. I strongly believe that everyone in the world should own one fabulous thing that is beautiful, practical and made just for them. Fabric is my medium of choice because I love the tangibility of it, it holds memory and smell and can physically comfort when needed. Quilts eventually became a natural way for me to make beautiful things that fitted in with my beliefs, and I haven’t looked back since my first one over 9 years ago. My work will always be about the fabric first though – no fancy piecing here! I love using simple shapes and basic fussy cutting to make quilts that are beautiful because the fabric is beautiful, not because, I as a quilter, am technically brilliant. I love working with beautiful florals,they remain my first true love and it is why I was so excited to see Nostalgia by Jennifer Paganelli. I have a desire to use fabric and not have it sitting on a shelf to look at although cutting into beautiful ranges can be difficult! I need to know I have exactly the right pattern in mind before I start. I have a real passion for handmade and what it represents for me and my family.

Finally I also have a passion for colour and pattern, life should be as full of it as possible! My favourite part of my job with Piccolo Studio is always the custom orders, and I love working with families to create the perfect nursery or bedding set. My mama throws are becoming more and more popular too which is a joy because it is lovely seeing a mum spoiling herself. I always try to work with classic fabrics that wont limit or date so they can be loved forever.

Now about my Nostalgia quilt – I have used every fabric in the range and I love how it turned out. I used the Fat Quarter Fizz pattern (free to download) by the Fat Quarter Shop and had her long arm quilted by Quilting in the Vines, a business local to me. The backing is a perfect pink damask and I have machine bound in a mint fabric I had in my stash.

Photos were taken by me with the help of my 3 children at our gorgeous local beach, in Port Willunga. It is such a beautiful place and I took the photos about an hour before sunset, in my very last photo you can see the light hitting the water, it is a truly spectacular place to visit.

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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.

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

Sis Boom Guest Blogger – Rachel Hodges

Today’s guest blogger is Rachel Hodges from beautiful New Hampshire. When these stunning photos popped up on our Facebook newsfeed, we had to know more about this talented seamstress and her lovely models. If you’re ever in New Hampshire, do yourself a favor and spend part of your day at the Saint-Gaudens Park where these striking photos very taken. We hope you are as inspired by these photos as we were!

My name is Rachel Hodges and I was born in the Philippines to missionary parents. I grew up in Southern California and New Hampshire. I currently resides in Hinsdale, New Hampshire with my sweet husband, wild little children, and scheming mini poodle. I am a homemaker who takes online college courses when I can. I sporadically maintain a blog. Late at night, after the children have been tucked into bed, and with my husband snoring loudly beside me, I diligently write my first romance novel. Sewing keeps me sane.

My mother taught me how to sew when I was eight. One of my first projects was a cloth doll with embroidered hair, face, and ruffled dress. It was a deeply satisfying feeling to hold the doll, which seemed almost to have a life of its own, and realize: “I caused this to exist.” Thirty years later, I still experience that sense of wonder when I hold up a finished garment and marvel that, just a few hours ago, it was a crumpled pile of scraps on my sewing table.

It brings me joy when I can combine sewing with my other loves, which are family, deep friendships, amateur photography, and places that hold meaning for me. Saint-Gaudens Park in Cornish, NH has long held a special place in my heart. My husband and I went there on our second date. Surrounded by the breathtaking views of Mt. Ascutney, beautiful sculptures, and the neoclassical architecture, we realized we had each found “the one.” So, when I had sewed new clothing for my dear friend, Sarah Cadreact, and her two daughters, I knew just where I wanted to photograph them. Our daughters played together and ran all over the beautiful place while we chased them, snapping pictures. When they had tired out, Sarah posed in her two new dresses, looking absolutely lovely. We were having such a great time snapping pictures, we almost failed to notice her baby rolling down the hill, or our two preschoolers teetering on the edge of a high brick wall. So, we only got a few good pictures, but we had a marvelous time!

Pattern Credits: Sarah’s dresses are Sis Boom’s Carolina Mae and Sew Serendipity’s Monique Dress. Baby Grace’s dress is Scientific Seamstress’s Portrait Peasant. Lily and Zoë’s pants are Scientific Seamstress’s Easy Fit Pants. Zoë wears Scientific Seamstress’s Simply Sweet top and Scientific Seamstress’s Stripwork Jumper. All fabric by Sis Boom.

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Guest Blogger Edwina Foskew Tell and Nostalgia

Today’s guest blogger is Edwina Foskew Tell from Western Australia. We sent her a package of the Nostalgia line debuting this November and told her to create something wonderful. We love her stunning chair and hope you do too!

I’m Eddie… I’m a fabricphile … work full time as a Nurse at nights, but my dream is to own a fabric shop/quilt retreat/ coffee shop selling only the loveliest fabrics (no muddy reds and browns) and teaching quilting and serving home made cakes…. and nice tea in fine bone china cups….

I’m married to Ian, we have 4 children: 15, 17, 18 and 25 and 3 grandchildren…. 3 dogs, 3 Devon Rex cats and a ferral Australian cat who was sent home from work with me one morning after I had worked a nightshift in ED. I co admin The Real Quilters of Australia (and sewers) … and ‘own’ the Nanny Gruff page…. which isn’t kept up to date because I’m too busy.

We live in Rockingham, Western Australia …. just 10 minutes walk to the white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean and a 30 minute walk to natural bush and wild kangaroos…. Its a wonderful country… vast. You could fit the whole of Europe into Australia land wise… and the population is relatively tiny. Australia is a red brown and blue green country… very different to the greens found in the England I grew up in.

I make ‘useable’ quilts… ones that can be taken to the beach, to a barbie, sat in front of a bonfire with and dragged around the house then thrown in the washing machine… week in week out…. not ‘works of art’ …. but I DO love making them in fabrics which are works of art in themselves (and Minions… the grandees love Minions).

What else can I tell you? Quilting is my ‘therapy.’ Its my ME time… and along with the medications it keeps me sane …. almost. I love sharing my skills with others. I love the social aspect of quilting… and yes, sometimes getting together to quilt is sometimes an excuse to simply chat and eat chocolate cake.

People ask me to make them a quilt…. and my stock answer is, sorry I don’t have time… but I will teach you to make your own. Many have taken me up on that offer and have gone on to become quilt addicts too… only one person as far as I can remember didn’t finish hers!

When I was given the opportunity to work with the wonderful new Nostalgia fabric I wanted to combine my love of quilting with my new love of reupholstering chairs. It seemed natural to make a quilt and use that as ‘fabric’ …. I love wonky blocks and crazy quilts… and with the stretch and positioning of fabric in upholstery, I wanted a ‘design’ that wouldn’t loose anything when it was stretched and pinned to the chair. I also wanted to showcase the entire fabric line range. I think I achieved what I set out to do!

It was an honour and a privilege to be allowed to work with Nostalgia before it was launched.. but I need MORE because I have so many things I am going to do with it when it arrives! Pretty things.. with ruffles and vintage lace… and quilts. I have a million ideas flying around in my head…. but I shall have to wait for Nostalgia to arrive in November to be able to satisfy my need to create …

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Chair 2

Here is the amazing quilter and upholster Eddie and one of her adorable Devon Rex kitties. Thanks Eddie for an amazing chair and post!
Chair 1