Final Warp & Weft Sewing Society Post

One of my favourite online fabric shops is closing its doors.  It's been a wonderful experience to be a part of the Warp & Weft Sewing Society and have the opportunity to create with the beautiful textiles made available through Esmari's shop.  I wish her the very best as she moves on to other endeavours and look forward to what she will bring to the design world in the future.

For my Warp & Weft Sewing Society project, I made these adorable coveralls for the newest member of our family: my cousin's new baby girl born last month.  I cannot wait to see her try it on Christmas Eve.  The fabric selections are Essex Linen and Enchanted Forest Tiny Floral, both of which are no longer available, however, there is still some inventory left as part of the huge clearance at Warp & Weft.

Sew Sweet Handmade Clothes for Girls Book Review

Recently, I had the pleasure of reviewing the Sew Sweet Handmade Clothes for Girls book by Tuttle Publishing.  Having throughly enjoyed the other titles by Tuttle Publishing in my sewing book collection, I was excited to dive into this one.

As described by the publisher:
"Author, Yuki Araki is one of the most recognized names in the growing sewing-for-children movement. The mother of two daughters, Araki has become a DIY sewing favorite because she knows what young girls want. They like to wear stylish clothes that also let them play with ease. Moms adore the relaxed aesthetic of Araki's simple mix-and-match play clothes and accessories, and young girls are happy wearing them because they're both cute and comfortable.

Best suited for girls from two to five years old, the sewing patterns in this Japanese sewing book are simple, casual, and look good on any girl. Araki provides westernized patterns in four sizes, plus diagrams and instructions for twenty-two pieces. Simple lines give kids room to move, and the classic styles look good on any frame."

Five and Ten Designs Sale

It's Black Friday, and that means there's a Holiday Thank You Sale at Five and Ten Designs.  These sales are rare, so this is a great time to get the Volume One & Two eBooks at this discounted price.

Bubble Pocket Shorts Pattern Re-release

The Bubble Pocket Shorts pattern is back!  So, what's changed?

• More sizes!  Now includes sizes 6 months - 12 years.
• Pattern sizes are colour-coordinated and have individual line styles, so you can print in black and white OR colour
• Clear instructions for printing only the sizes you need using PDF layers
• The update no longer includes the sailor version, but you can still get the original pattern at no extra cost if you purchase this updated version. Just pop me an email and request it (eleganceandelephants@gmail.com).

What hasn't changed?

Super cute, unique shorts with big pockets!

Warp & Weft Sewing Society

For this month's Warp & Weft Sewing Society project, I enjoyed sewing one of my favourite original designs using some beautiful prints from the Bungalow Collection by Joel Dewberry for Freespirit Fabric.

I couldn't wait to sew up a pair of the newly improved Bubble Pocket Shorts in Bungalow Swallow.  The deep purple print is so lovely and paired with some tights, it's a perfect outfit for fall.  Empress Grass was used for the waistband facing to compliment Bungalow Swallow.  

The new Bubble Pocket Shorts pattern is scheduled to re-release on Friday, November 21.  

This post is sponsored by Warp & Weft and the fabric used was complimentary.  

All opinions, as always, are my own.

Betty Skirt Tour

Today, I have the pleasure of participating in the Betty Skirt Tour.  This pattern is designed by the Shaffer Sisters, of whom I am a big fan.  You may have seen them on Project Run and Play or the beautiful creations they have made with some of my designs.  Their sewing always demonstrates their amazing skills and eye for detail, so I wasn't surprised by the high quality of their first pattern. 

Coming Soon

I {Heart} Marcel Marlier Sewing Series and Giveaway

Have you heard about the I {Heart} Marcel Marlier? It's a delightful sewing series hosted by both An from Straightgrain and Suz from Sewpony.  Admittedly, when they approached me to participate, I was not very familiar with author Marcel Marlier.  While I'll let you read more about him on they're blogs, I will say this, I love what I have seen of his books, and the illustrations are full of inspiring vintage outfits.  The main character is an adorable little girl (whose name changes depending on which language you are reading), however, rather than creating an outfit inspired by her, I chose to make something for my son instead.  I noticed the little boys' shirts in the drawings below, and saw a resemblance to a pattern I've been wanting to try for some time (Charlie by Zonen 09).  

E & E Patterns Fall Collection Tour

The Hemlock Top is in Europe today with stops in Germany at Annika's blog Näh-connection and in Portugal where Marta blogs at do guincho.

These vivid colours and fun print on Annika's Hemlock Top are so perfect for her little girl.  More details and photos at Näh-connection.

And Marta has taken a different spin on her Hemlock Top and made it a dress.  It looks great and so very flattering on her daughter.  For more about her pattern re-mix, head over to do grinch.

E & E Patterns Fall Collection Tour

When I sent Sanae (Sanae Ishida) and Terri (Sew Straight, & Gather) their choice of patterns from the Fall Collection, I couldn't wait to see what they'd make with them!

Sanae made two outfits for K, in warm, fall colours with her usual chic style.  See more at Sanae Ishida.

And Terri did a mash-up of the Hemlock Top and Magnolia Skirt in some awesome fabrics from l'oiseau.  See more of her cute outfit at Sew Straight & Gather.

Use coupon code TOUR to get $1 off all Fall Collection pattern until Friday, October 24.

E & E Patterns Fall Collection Tour

Two absolutely adorable outfits to share today made by two incredibly talented ladies.  The first is over at Sweeter Than Cupcakes where Courtney has remixed the Hemlock Top into a dress.  Now, I think I'm going to have make one!  It turned out beautifully!

And then RaeAnna at Sewing Mama RaeAnna has mixed and matched some awesome stripes and solids to make a Ponderosa Dress.  Can this photo be any cuter?!

Psst!  All the Fall Collection patterns are $1 off until next Friday, October 24.  Use coupon code: TOUR.

E & E Patterns Fall Collection Tour

Over the next couple of weeks, selections from the E & E Patterns fall collection will be touring some of my favourite blogs.  Rachel from Stitched Together made both the Hemlock Top and Magnolia Skirt, and as you can see, she did an incredible job!  Head over to Stitched Together to see more of her lovely creations.

Five and Ten Designs Volume Two

The Volume Two ebook was released last week, and today, I'd like to share a little more about my second contribution.  This vest has got all kinds of stylish details: the faux fur trim, toggle buttons, and inseam pockets.  And for comfort, it's quilted for warmth with an added zipper shield.  

Warp & Weft Sewing Society Wildwood Blog Hop

Welcome to the Warp & Weft Sewing Society Blog Hop featuring the Cloud 9 Wildwood fabric collection by Elizabeth Olwen.  

Wildwood is inspired by long walks through the forest, searching the forest floor for rare flowers and interesting leaves and forms and reveling in how timeless it feels. One of the themes that inspires Elizabeth Olwen throughout her work is that of the fairy tale — the fields and forests of a British landscape, the places that wild-at-heart maidens run away to when they’re going to be married off to someone they don’t love, the sound of fallen leaves crunching as a horse gallops through. A ‘wild at heart’ spirit. A sense of romance. The wild forest. ‘Wildwood’ speaks to these foresty areas and their uncultivated nature.

What a pleasure it was to be surprised with two beautiful samples of this collection with the challenge of creating something with them for my children.  Knowing the inspiration of walks through field and forest, I knew a cape for Anja was a perfect choice.  Pairing Wildflower with some navy blue velour in my stash, a 'Little Red Riding Hood-esque' cape was created.

Five and Ten Designs Volume Two

Five and Ten Designs is back with a whole new set of designs and this time, it's all about outerwear for girls AND boys!  With the Volume Two ebook, you get the same clear instructions with step by step high resolution photos to guide you through ten completely different outerwear designs, all from the same pattern block.

 1 PATTERN BLOCK 

5 DESIGNERS - 10 PATTERN ALTERATIONS

Five and Ten Designs is a collaboration between five indie sewing designers all of whom love to sew for children. Each look is unique to our styles, yet, connected by the original block pattern.  It's a sewing experience with endless possibilities! 

Origami Oasis by Tamara Kate

It's my pleasure to share what I've made with some of fabrics in Tamara Kate's new collection for Michael Miller, Origami Oasis.  When I had the privilege to view the designs I was completely blown away by the beautiful artistry and the bold colours.  You can read more about Tamara Kate's inspiration here, but we also spent a fun afternoon making origami animals as she did the day she dreamed up these designs.  

New Fall Patterns Release/Sale and L'oiseau Fabrics Discount

The Fall patterns are now available at the new E&E Patterns Shop!  To celebrate this release, ALL patterns in the shop (including the Hemlock Top, Ponderosa Dress, and Magnolia Skirt) are 10% off the regular price.

E&E Patterns News

There have been some changes around here: a new look, new upcoming pattern collection, and a new shop!

The E&E Patterns shop offers all the newest Elegance & Elephants patterns in one convenient place.  There are also bundle discounts for those who'd like to purchase more than one pattern.  The coupon codes are located in the 'Sale' section in the shop.

Ponderosa Dress Tester Photos

The release of the E & E Fall Collection is very soon, but before that happens, let's see what some of the amazing testers made with the Ponderosa Dress pattern.  

Maria (Creative Needle & Threads)

Sew Fantastic Blogs at Näh-Connection

Have you heard about the series Sew Fantastic Blogs over at my favourite German blog, Näh-connection?  Annika has been interviewing bloggers from all over the world to go a little deeper into their experiences with sewing, photography, blogging in general.  I've found it fascinating to read more about some of my favourite blogs and have discovered new ones.  I hope you'll come check it out.  Today's guest is yours truly.

Hemlock Top and Magnolia Skirt Tester Photos

The much anticipated E & E Fall Collection will be released later this week and to give you a taste of the possibilities, here are just some of the wonderful results the testers had with the Hemlock Top and Magnolia Skirt patterns.

Stephanie (Big Little Photography)

Warp & Weft Sewing Society

E & E Patterns Fall Lookbook

The E & E Patterns Lookbook is finally here!  Take a look at the first three patterns in this collection below.  More information to come, but for now, here's a taste of what's coming next week.

Patterns now available in the E&E Patterns Shop.

E & E Fall 14 Lookbook

Kids' Choice Winner - Gracious Threads

If you followed along with the Kids' Choice series back in May, you may remember the many cute outfits that were made.  Jess from Gracious Threads submitted an adorable look that ended up being one of the lucky winners of a gift certificate from L'oiseau!  Here is what she made with the fabric she won.  Isn't this coat lovely?!

Hello all! My name is Jess and I blog over at Gracious Threads. This spring I won a $50 gift certificate from L'Oiseau Fabrics as part of the Kid's Choice contest that Heidi hosted. I was thrilled to win and can't wait to show you what I made with my winnings! 

After spending a long time browsing through all the wonderful Euro fabrics that L'Oiseau Fabric stocks, I chose two Stenzo poplins. If you haven't worked with poplins before, they sew up like a dream! They are a tightly woven fabric, so a bit heavier than your average quilting cotton. They press well, and wear exceptionally well. 

The pattern I chose was Ottobre 1/2013 #31: The Passenger Trench coat (hint, L'Oiseau carries copies of the magazine too!). This is not a pattern for a beginner, however! I've been sewing for a long time, and the number of pieces, and some challenging techniques, had my on my toes. 

I sewed up size 110 with 116 width for my petite and thin almost 7 year old. The only change I made was to make it northern Canada friendly by quilting a layer of fleece to the lining. While not warm enough for playing outside, it will be perfect for dashing to and from the car for church and other times she needs to dress up. 

I love how everything looks so finished and neat inside! 

  

Thanks for having me and hosting such a fun contest! 

Knock it Off Roundup and Prizes

Thank you so very much to each of these talented guests for being such a huge inspiration throughout the series!  They've shown us how it's possible to create designer outfits at home for so much less while still maintaining a professional looking result.  From stencilling to colour-blocking, piping to painting, these ladies did it all and more!

If you missed any of their posts, click on their blog names to catch-up:

Feather's Flights

Mama Says Sew

nest full of eggs

Daisies and Dresses

Frances Suzanne

Näh-connection 

Sweeter Than Cupcakes

Dandelion Drift

Sew Straight & Gather

Thread Riding Hood

Handmade Frenzy

Clouds Full of Rain

Mingo & Grace

Dotta.

The sew-along submissions were also an amazing source of inspiration!  Thank you so much to everyone who submitted an outfit or garment, all of which were obviously made with love (and skill!).  The randomly picked winners of the Gold Star Tools gift cards are:

Annie (Peaches and Bees) who wins a $100 gift card.

Amanda (lilypadmontana) who wins a $75 gift card.

Congratulations to you both!  Please contact me at: eleganceandelephants(at)gmail(dot)com

so I can pass on your information to Gold Star Tools.

Knock it Off - Dotta.

The last day of the Knock it Series is here already and we wrap things up with another jaw dropping re-creation.  If Jo from Dotta. hadn't labeled her photo so well, there's no way I would've been able to tell which was which.  This is some seriously amazing work!  Go see more at Dotta.

All the guests have done an amazing job, and I'm sure they've inspired you!  Look forward to a round up of their looks tomorrow.

We will also have the exciting announcement of the winners of the sew along tomorrow.  You still have time to submit an outfit to the Knock it Off Flickr Group.  Two entries will be selected at random to receive $100 and a $50 gift cards from Gold Star Tools.  The sew-along will close tonight at 10pm PST.

Knock it Off - Mingo & Grace

Farrah from Mingo & Grace is with us today with her amazing graphic sweatshirt.  Can you believe that nowadays, it's possible to make a sweatshirt like this yourself?!?  Am I ever inspired!  You have to head over to Mingo & Grace and find out how Farrah did this!

Keep uploading your knock off outfits to the Knock it Off Flickr Group.  Two entries will be selected at random to receive $100 and a $50 gift cards from Gold Star Tools.