Sewing In BeTween: Yes Sir - we are back at Hump Day!!!

You made it through hump day, so it's all downhill from here. AND on top of that its Labor Day weekend which means the end of summer cook outs, pool parties and no school/work for most people on Monday. Our week is trucking along pretty well. Tomorrow is Project Runway which is of course my Mommy TV watching guilty pleasure. Did you see it last week when Tim Gunn (who I ABSOLUTELY adore) saved Justin. Did you not almost cry?? It was amazing. I so agreed with that call. The group went glamping and had to be inspired by nature for their garment. Here are the final two. You have Justin's

that incorporated hot glue (huh? but thumbs up for creativity). His inspiration was the water foaming in the stream. I believe it was Heidi who likened it to a foaming Va-jay-jay....wow....yeah well still giving it a thumbs up for creativity. The other designer in the bottom 2 was Karen and here was her look

Ok, I appreciate that she dyed what looks like a sheet and went for an ombre effect. But, I mean, come on, you are on PROJECT RUNWAY! You need to do more than gather a rectangle to a belt at this stage of the game. So, I was fla-fla-flabbergasted when they sent Justin home. I mean, he put out effort and took a risk that didn't work. I personally would rather err on the side of creativity than win on the side of blah and safe. So, I was stellar thrilled when Tim stepped in and saved him. Yay! So, tomorrow night I will definitely be tuning in to see what's next! (all pictures from projectrunway.com and are their property)

So, that brings me to tonight's design. Our designer in the spotlight is Go To Patterns. I am all about a pattern that gives me a bang for my buck. I featured Funktional Threads Rachel a few days ago and this one is another one of those that gives you an arsenal of looks for one price. Between the two of these patterns, I think you could outfit your child in a different outfit every day for maybe a month? Go To Patterns can be found at http://gotopatterns.com/. They have patterns for boys, girls, women, bags, accessories, toys and they are really GOOD patterns. Have you ever bought a pattern that burned you because it was poorly written or drafted - you aren't going to get that with their patterns. Today's dress is the Go To Signature dress. This dress can be a tunic, knee or maxi. I think it basically has every type of sleeve option ever invented. You can shirr it, add an elastic casing or leave it loose. You can have inset seam pockets, exterior pockets, fun patches. *WHEW* are you tired yet? You won't be because while the finished product looks like you just bought it from the store, it doesn't take you a ton of time to sew one up. I cut it and had it sewn last night. No kidding (remember, I told you I was behind this week :) ) Check out the collage on this dress from their page

Aren't they all cute as a button?? And before you get all crazy nervous about knits - DO NOT FEAR THE KNIT! Knit is nowhere near as scary as you think it is. Really I think the hardest part of this pattern is probably setting the neckline ribbing, but that isn't bad as long as you make sure you get a knit with enough stretch and recovery and you don't freak out the first time you do it because you think there is NO way this is going to fit all the way around. And I like the way this pattern handles the neckline. It has you only sew one shoulder seam and then set your neck. I like it. And your next comment about the knits is probably where do you find super cute knits? Yeah, yeah...its hard to find good quality knits at the local big box fabric stores. I feel you. Although, I have to tell you JoAnn's and Hancock have both had some very nice knits lately and JoAnn has a 60% off fabric coupon through tomorrow (Thursday). The knit from this dress is a very nice one from Hancock who also has some nice knits. Yes, knit is more expensive than woven, but also remember you are getting 60" width rather than 45" so you are actually getting more per yard. Also, at the end of the day - Kids <3 Knits. Don't get me wrong, I love a beautiful woven outfit with piping and rick-rack and all the trimmings but I about die when she goes out on the playground with it on. Don't lie, you do too. We all have all of these beautiful dresses that we are terrified to put on our kids! But, also, typically if you give your child a choice of what to wear they gravitate to the knit. As a matter of fact, look down at yourself right now - bet 95% of you are wearing knit (I have on a tshirt and woven khaki shorts, so Im 50% knit :) Don't let me know about your unmentionables, this is a G rated blog! So, where to find cute knits 100% of the time? Check out Girl Charlee at http://www.girlcharlee.com/. Look at this sample from their page - can you say super cute?

and I really like the Etsy shop Eurogirlsboutique https://www.etsy.com/shop/EuroGirlsBoutique?ref=l2-shopheader-name. They have bundles and yardage. Look at some of these cutie pies -

So, now you have no excuses. Go get this pattern, get some knits, (get a serger if you can - you dont HAVE to have one, but it makes sewing knits so much easier. AAANNNDDD...if you can, get a Babylock with jet air. I get NADA from any of these folks. (though, if Steve Jeffries from Babylock would like someone who owns pretty much EVERY Babylock product to pitch his wares, I am SO his girl. Babylock, for the love, Steve, for the love). Babylock just released their new Ovation serger at their Tech week this week. Swooon

No, really though, you can always grab a ballpoint needle and your machine's zig zag stitch and do just fine.

Tonight's dress was photographed over two venues. Im sure you have figured out most of our pictures are taken at around 7am before school in our yard. Well, she was slightly crabby this morning AND I wanted to try to mix up the pictures some, so we went downtown to our local University's art school's sculpture garden. The only comment I have with this dress is I think I did a size too big. The neckline and the armscye are a little gapey (she wore a cami under it) which means I am probably safe making this in a 10 which also means this pattern will last longer for us (hip hip hooray!).

Here we go - The Go To Signature Dress by Go To Patterns - Maxi length option, flutter sleeve option, in seam pocket option, elastic casing waist option. Fabric Turquoise and white zebra interlock from Hancock Fabric http://www.hancockfabrics.com/Turquoise-and-White-Zebra-Print-Knit-Cotton-Interlock-Fabric-Fashion-Knits_stcVVproductId153250349VVcatId538899VVviewprod.htm with turquoise ribbed knit for the neckline