Winner, winner, Chicken Dinner!

We have a winner for our Jocole blog tour contest!!

Congratulations, Jessica!! Someone from Jocole will be in touch with you about how to redeem your TWO free patterns!!

Thank you everyone for entering. I have loved reading your comments and will be responding to them over the next several days!


Have a great week!

Where the Wild Things Are...A Jocole Blog Tour Post

Well, you probably have noticed I haven't been able to sew or post as much as I did last year. This is for several reasons.

1.) Two kids in middle school involved in several different things equals crazy schedules.
2.) Honestly, my sewing mojo has taken a hit since my mom got sick. I really kind of feel just blah a lot lately. And its not really just sewing, its pretty much in most areas of my life. I am really trying to get back into a groove, but it has been really hard.
3.) Finally, sewing for a developing tween is hard.

Let's focus on number 3, shall we?

So, why did I title this post 'Where the Wild Things Are?', well it serves several purposes. First, middle school is definitely a phase in the lives of our children where things go wild. Hormones are raging, attitudes are fierce, moods are all over the place, and different body parts are growing all our of sync with each other. You get braces and acne, body hair and awkwardness.

Last year, when I was sewing all of her clothes - she fit pretty standard into a 12 all year. She just started developing in the bust but stayed pretty true to fit. Now, her sizing is all over the place. Most of her major measurements put her in a women's clothing category (bust, waist, and hips), but height (4'9) and general proportion (torso length, inseam) keep her in a child size. So, how do you handle fitting a woman-child? I got to face this question head on when I was asked to participate in the Jocole pattern blog tour.

If you haven't heard of Jocole patterns, let me happily introduce you. Jodi Jean Baird is the owner of this amazing line. She has a background in fashion designs and drafts and digitizes all of her patterns. She has an amazing line of patterns ranging from NB all the way up to plus size womens. Many of her patterns are basics that you can mix and match and use over and over again in your wardrobe.

As my daughter's tastes are taking a turn toward the grown up, she has started turning her nose up at the fluffles and ruffles and voluminous frocks of elementary school trending more now toward streamlined silhouettes. She is also very self-conscious both of her developing bust line and her currently round tummy. (Both of my children tend to get a little round in the belly before they have a major growth spurt and slim down.) So, when Jocole asked me to review some of their patterns, it was a definite in my book.

I decided to use two of the newer adult patterns -

The Ladies Peplum Top

and 

Ladies Skinny Pants

On first glance, you might think - how can I make this for a 4'9 11 year old? Jocole has great instructions on how to lengthen AND shorten all of these patterns. And these pants have a super secret. Fits all sophisticated like, feels like jammies. Nice, right? I made the peplum top out of a fierce liquid spandex I found in the Joanns remnant pile and the peplum is a black sequin layered on top of the spandex. The pants are leopard knit with the skinny pant secret knit waistband. You can make these out of pretty much any fabric and you use knit as the waistband, And these can be made in any length from shorts to full. I ended up shortening the bodice of the peplum top and using the ladies petite length for the pants. And what we ended up with is a rocking outfit that is wild, rock n roll and all tween girl. And the flattering fit of the peplum covers her tummy and the lean skinny fit of the pants make her legs look thin and a million miles long. Not to mention since the fall air is making its way in, she can rock her boots with them. Now, I want a pair! And the great thing with this pattern is I can make them for her AND for me! 

Check out where the wild things are indeed

It was awesome to have a fun photo shoot with her where she felt good about herself and felt pretty. These years are hard on pretty much everyone who goes through them. I am grateful to have a skill that I can use to help her feel good and know that she is always beautiful. She truly is a special spirit and it is humbling to watch her grow into this amazing young woman. 

Jocole is such an amazing pattern company to work with that they have offered a prize for my readers. In two days, we will draw for a winner of two Jocole patterns (might I suggest the Ladies Peplum Top and Skinny Pants??)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Jodi, Kara, and the Jocole family for inviting me to be a part of the pattern blog tour! If you have any questions about adjusting these patterns or others for a tween - feel free to ask. I am learning in a trial by fire manner!

Electric Youth - Project Run and Play Week 1

Project Run and Play is back and that means another fun round of friendly challenges and competition. Week 1's challenge was to be inspired by an 80s cartoon and fashion a look based on that. Well, I am a child of the 80s, so this was right up my alley!

I watched all kinds of fun shows in the 80s - The USA Cartoon Express, Reading Rainbow, and of course I can't talk about shows from my youth without digressing a little bit about the Bozo show and the Grand Prize Game.

Yes, I know it wasn't a cartoon, but I sent in postcard after postcard trying to be the at home player. Did I ever get picked? Nope....*insert sad face*....Alas, that is probably something more for therapy :)

So, what was my 80s cartoon fashion inspiration?

Yes, I know it is totally cliche to pick Jem and the Holograms, but it was my show. I mean what was not to like? Business by day Jerrica and rock star by night Jem. It was awesome. However, my palette inspiration came more from their arch nemeses The Misfits. 

I mean, look at those colors! Love, love, love and we all know they were the Misfits and we know they're gonna get us. 

So, without futher ado - my current day look using some Jem from my Electric Youth!

And while this was supposed to stay away from being costumey, I mean, how could I resist at least ONE with the pink wig?? Am I right?

So, this outfit came about from the bones of the Love Notions Mallory Dress 

You can find this pattern here https://www.etsy.com/listing/199046482/love-notions-mallory-dress-pattern?ref=sr_gallery_7&ga_search_query=mallory+pattern&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

Someone had mentioned they turned this dress into a skater style by using the back piece as the front as well and just dropping the neckline. So, I did that and then measured the neckline and took 75% of that measurement to cut a neck binding at 2" x 75% of the neck measurement. I used a neon green performance knit fabric with a fluorescent pink fishnet overlay. I did the sleeves in just the fishnet alone and then did two pick ups on the front of the overlay to break up the line of the overlay and give the skirt some texture. To bring in the zebra, I self drafted an Obi belt using the measurement of the front side to side measurement of the front to make the front panel. I then made the straps of the belt long enough to go around the back and then back over the front to tie into a bow. 

Overall, it was a fairly quick sew and the result is something current but very fun. I love the electric look that the fabrics have. 

And, really, shouldn't we all have an Electric Youth??

This entry will be linked up to Project Run and Play for their week 1 blog sew alongs. Check out the contestants and the other blogger entries. It is such a fun contest and an amazingly talented group of people!