Roly Poly Pinafore: Blog Tour

Hey, it's my turn to roll on the Roly Poly Pinafore Blog tour!  I'm super excited to be a part of introducing you to this adorable pattern by Rachael of Imagine Gnats.

Back when Rachael was first working on this pattern, I got to be a lucky pattern tester.  I was pretty much the worst pattern tester ever, which is extra awful because I rely so heavily on MY pattern testers.  But I just didn't really have any feedback to give besides, "it's perfect.  do it."  Because it was.  Perfect.  

This is the version I made for testing purposes.  And also for purposes of cuteness.

 

I have a whole ton of cutesy juvenile printed quilting cottons from Back In The Day when I was into that sort of thing.  I'm not as much anymore (not that there's anything wrong with that!), so they just gather dust.  I figured if I was ever going to use this print, an adorable top for a 1 yr old was the place it should be. 

 

But for my Roly Poly Pattern Tour Roly Poly, I wanted to make something a little more special.  A friend of mine just had her fourth daughter (actually two friends of mine just had their fourth daughters within a week of one another.  What are those odds?) and I needed a baby gift.  Roly Poly to the rescue!

So, my very favorite thing about reversible clothing is that you can "waste" one side.  You see, before I acquired this little gem of knowledge, I never liked reversible clothes.  That's a whole lot of extra work and I'm always going to prefer one side and use it exclusively anyway.  But then one year I wanted to make my daughter a birthday shirt.  But I didn't want to waste a whole sewing project on something she'd wear on exactly one day of her life.  Lightbulb!

And that's the beauty of reversible clothes: One side is the cute fabric that you want to feature 99% of the time, the other side is pumpkins and ghosts or reindeer and holly or "happy 1st birthday", or "I lost my first tooth!" or "I can poop in the potty!" or any other fabric/sentiment that will rarely be necessary.  It's also perfect if you want to personalize something with a name but still want to be able to pass it down to siblings, like I did here (modeled by my daughter.  Baby Harper will probably need a couple more days before she fits into this).

 

My one little mod to the pattern was to add a small little ruffle cap sleeve to the strap with contrasting fabric.  I love me a good ruffle.  After they're said and done, that is.  Making them is a different story altogether.

This picture is really a gratuitous elbow dimple shot posing as a requisite back view.  Pantless is definitely my preferred way to style this top, but you could really pair it with anything.  

 

And I'm not sure what's up with the Bieber hair here, but you can see the ruffles in action.

 

So grab yourself a copy of this (perfect) pattern already!  It really is a fun and simple pattern, and the possibilities for cuteness abound.   The hardest part will be deciding on what fabric to use.  You can buy the Roly Poly Pinafore here and if you need a little inspiration, check out all the beautiful versions in flickr.  

Be sure to visit all the lovely ladies in the Roly Poly blog tour too!

5.13 Jill Made with Moxie / Stephanie The Crafty Kitty 

5.14 Stephanie NeurosesGalore / Cherie you & mie

5.15 Ari Max California / Caila Caila Made

5.16 Veronica SewVery / Tara Girl like the sea

5.17 Nancy owen's olivia / Adrianna Crafterhours

5.20 Ajaire Call ajaire / Sarah EmmylouBeeDoo

5.21 Laura Craftstorming / Jessica a little gray

5.22 Frances Miss Matatabi / Nicke kiss kiss quilt

5.23 Amy formwork design / Kat Sew Chibi

5.24 Joanne Rose & Dahlia / Amanda Kitschy Coo

5.27 Celina Petit a Petit and family / Delia Delia Creates

5.28 Christy a.Amelia handmade / Carolyn Fake It While You Make It

5.29 Bonnie Fishsticks Designs / Maria La Inglesita

5.30 Jane Buzzmills / Kate Things for Charlie

5.31 Polly Jack & GeeGee / Molly Rose & Odin

Thanks for letting me roll, Rachael!

Announcing: Skirt Week 2013!

It's tiiiiiiiiiiiiime! We're rolling! The pools are open and you have between now and midnight EST on June 7 to get your skirt entered! (Did you miss last week's post on Skirt Week Inspiration?)

Wait, what are we talking about? If you weren't reading last year -- or the two years before that -- it's time for SKIRT WEEK! This year that means that just after Memorial Day we'll start a two-week-long parade of beautiful and inspiring tutorials and guest posts. During THE Skirt Week, will include voting for each of the categories. There will be two winners for each category-- one chosen by voters and one chosen by a panel of fabulous crafty-blog judges. Eight winners!

So, what are we asking our judges to look for when they choose top skirts? Just like last year...

Wearability, craftsmanship, overall appeal and fit. If those sound subjective... it's because they are. This isn't scientific. It's fashion. There's nothing perfect about it. Above all else, make a skirt YOU love! And if you're ready to share it and throw your hat in the ring, we'd love for you to join us. Is it possible that a super fantastic skirt isn't recognized in the process? Yes, it is. No contest is perfect. Life isn't perfect. But let's have fun anyway, mmmkay?

So, here's the nitty gritty. Also known as THE RULES.

When:

• Enter NOW! Get your skirt in there by 11:59 PM Eastern on June 7, 2013.

What:

• A skirt you made for yourself or a child. As many as 3 per category
• One beautiful photo submitted per skirt entry. We reserve the right to remove additional photos from the pool
• Skirts made since July 1, 2012

Where: 

• In the Flickr Pools. Choose the category you feel is most appropriate. Some skirts are kinda full and kinda a-line. Pick the best fit. Likewise with an older child. You might decide it'd fit better in the adult categories. Up to you.

How:

• Unless it's a children's skirt, photo should be of the skirt on your body. (Borrow a neighbor! Use the timer!)
• If it IS a children's skirt, we'd love to see it on the kid. But we'll still accept it if it's not. Kids don't like to be still and 3 month olds don't stand up, we get it
• Photo should show the skirt well and be cropped square
• Photo description should include your name and a description of the skirt, pattern and fabric information as well as a link to your blog, if you like
• Photo must be a single photo (no collages) of a single skirt
• Majority of the effort in your skirt(s) must have been made by you, i.e. using thrifted or upcycled fabric is fine as long as you're cutting it apart to start with just fabric
• You are welcome to use any pattern, tutorial, or even knock-off a favorite skirt from a store.  Just give credit where it's due

General disclaimer: We aim to be fair, and as such, will adjust the rules if needed to best support the spirit of the competition.

Whew! Rules. Glad that part's done. Are you ready to get going? You'll find the pools here:

A-line                       Straight                     Full                   Children's

If you'd like to read all about last year's skirt week, you'll find it here.

If you'd like to cheer folks on, please do! Who doesn't love a compliment? Comment in the Flickr pools, pin 'em, repin 'em, tweet their links, whatever floats your boat! We'll be watching out for hashtag #skirtweek in all o' them places that do hashtags. 

It's not often that we stop to ask you to share, but PLEASE SHARE! Every year we get sad comments and e-mails after Skirt Week ends from people "who wish they'd known, and when will you do it again?!" We only do this once a year! Share with your peeps, pleeeease!

Would you like to add buttons to your blog? That'd be lovely.

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We'll have more info soon on just who the amazing sponsors (some spoilers now up in the sidebar!) are and later on who all of the fantastic judges are. Ready to roll? Can't wait to see what amazingness you create this year! START. YOUR. SEWING! (Oh! Any questions? )

Hey June Pattern Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway, we loved hearing your comments about how you know spring has sprung where you are.  Unsurprisingly, the most common indicator of spring is allergies.  Me too, people, me too.

And now for our winner!

Congratulations to Kelli!  Thanks for playing along!

1,001 Ideas: Skirt Week - Tutorials and Inspiration!

It's coming! It's coming! It's really really coming! Skirt Week is coming! We'll be running our fourth year of Skirt Week fun beginning in late May-- so that means, of course, go ahead and get sewing! Details on timing and really, really (REALLY!) amazing sponsors are coming soon, but for now, let's brainstorm a little.

There are times when you're overloaded with ideas and things you'd like to try, and times when you need a little creative inspiration. In the case of the latter, we have a board full of how-tos and awesome tutorials found here:

We've also asked some skirt making and loving experts to join us in pinning eye candy and inspiration for women found here:

and for girls here:

Thanks to our ongoing pin contributors! including:

Corinnea & Jessica - Created Blissfully

Susan - Living With Punks

Jessica - Happy Together

Kristin - Skirt as Top

Caila - Caila Made

Kirsten - Kojo Designs

Shannon - Little Kids Grow

More next week with allll of the particulars. In the meantime, get sewing! Spring and skirt weather are here! (Or, down under friends.... show us your best skirts with tights!)