Sewing Knits: Banana Dress Pattern Review + Time Saving Hack

Have you ever had a pattern on your to-try list and when you finally do you wonder why you waited so long?  That's me with today's project.  Not only did I discover a new knit-friendly pattern to love, but I also did a minor hack to make it even faster to do.  Check out the Banana Dress Pattern + Time Saving Hack!

The knit dress pattern is from the Ottobre Design 4/2014 issue, which uses a little gathering on the sides to give it a pretty shape:

It looks lovely from the back too:

I'm also totally in love with the fabric I used.  It's called Frolicking Hedgehogs by Sahara Fabrics.  The moment I saw it I knew I had to buy it.  Obviously I'm a huge hedgehog fan (my own shop's name is The Green Hedgehog after all!), but the gorgeous Fall colors make it even better.  I've seen a serious shortage of autumnal colors & festive prints in the stores this year (why is neon in-season right now?!?), so knit fabric like this is such a great find:

The round angled pockets add a nice and practical detail:

The placement and size are just right for little hands:

The key difference between my version and the pattern the rounded neckline.  The pattern featured a hood and placket front (as seen here).  I decided to skip the hood and fiddly placket binding to save time and use less fabric.  One yard was all I needed for this dress version.



To do my simpler neckline, I just ignored the placket cut lines at the front and used my design ruler to extend the rounded shape up there to match curve of the rest of the front neckline.  I didn't bother with the hood piece either.  For the finishing, I measured the width of the neckline and cut some rib knit 2 inches high by the neckline minus 1.5 inches to make a binding.

I made some coordinating leggings using Simplicity 1511 with some buttery velour rib knit I'd had in my stash for ages.  I wish I could find more fabric like this somewhere to make a bunch of soft, stretchy stuff!

This dress & legging pattern combo is a great blend of cute and comfy for active girls.  The fabric is the perfect weight for the cooler weather coming too.  I'm definitely going to make more of these.  It's a great silhouette for solid or fun print knits and sews up pretty quick too.  Big thumbs up!!

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Christmas in July Hedgehog Ornament FREE Pattern

Usually I'm totally last minute with holiday crafts (as in, I barely get any done during the appropriate season).  Not this year though.  I'm part of the Christmas in July Ornament Blog Hop put together by Deb at So Sew Easy, so I'm months ahead this time around:)

My ornament tutorial uses one of my favorite themes: Hedgehogs!! Plus it's easy to do as a non-holiday mini plushie too.  Just skip the holly leaves and little hedgie is now a fun pet toy or mini softie for the kiddies.  

Materials:
- Felt in tan, brown & green
- Red mini pom-pom
- Small round black bead
- Polyfil
- Sewing notions: matching thread, scissors, hand sewing needle, pencil/knitting needle, filament thread/fishing line, embroidery floss

Start by downloading my FREE Hedgehog Ornament PDF pattern HERE.

Cut out the pattern pieces and cut the following:

Tan felt - two bodies, one ear
Brown felt - five 1 inch wide by 4 inch high strips (cut one within the curved line on pattern)
Green felt - two holly leaves

Place a brown strip over the back end, so that that points are just to the right of the tan back end.  Stitch together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Overlap another brown strip over the stitching of the first and stitch down the same way. Continue with the next two strips in same way.  Now add ear, placing at a slight angle, stitching over the last row.

Then add the last, curved brown strip.

Turn hedgehog wrong side up and trim the strips down.

Flip spines inward as much as possible an place the other felt piece on top, pinning around the edges.  

Stitch together with a 1/8 inch seam allowance all the way around (leaving a 2 inch gap for turning on the bottom).

Turn right side out, using a pencil or knitting needle to push out the pointed nose.  Fill with polyfil until suitably rounded, then slipstitch gap closed.

Hand sew pom pom nose and holly leaves & berry beads in place.  Do the same with the eye if you have a small black bead or button.  I was sure I did and then couldn't find one so I used a dab of Beads In A Bottle dimensional paint instead.  Backstitch a little smile on with embroidery floss.

Use filament to create a hanging loop at the top and the holiday hedgehog is now ready to hang!

And to make a festive felt tree to go with your DIY felt ornaments, check out this how-to for making one from So Sew Easy:

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too-

Click HERE to check them out!

A New FREE Pattern: Plenty of Pockets Duffel Bag

With school starting up, now is a great time for making a new bag.  My latest creation was designed with that in mind: the Plenty of Pockets Duffel Bag.  A fun and practical bag that is amazing for organizing on the go!

Two tall rows of pockets on the outside, a drawstring closure and adjustable straps make this bag versatile for all occasions and great for carrying everything.

The roomy interior has another full row of pockets on the inside for even more organizing:

I used fabric from the adorable Woodland Picnic collection by Timeless Treasures to make it. I'm a hedgehog fanatic (which explains the name of my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog), so I was wild about these prints as soon as I saw them.  These are perfect prints for fall, but the bright colors work well for the rest of the year too.  I designed the bag to have a layered look so all the prints could get equal attention - there was no way I could choose just one as the main feature! 

The handy size makes it great for the beach, traveling, sleep overs, or as a backpack for school.  Keep small stuff in the lower pockets, tall things in the higher ones and big stuff inside - all nice and neat.  The entire bag and its straps are padded for added support and comfort too.

Want to make one of your own?

  

Click HERE 
to get my FREE downloadable pattern for making the

Plenty of Pockets Duffel Bag!

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too-

Click HERE to check them out!

Guess Who's In Stitch Magazine? My Fuzzy Hedgehog Duo.

I've been so excited about this for months, it's been hard to wait to share this - my Fuzzy Hedgehog Tote and Pillow patterns are in the Fall 2012 issue of Stitch Magazine!

I came up with this design as a special item for my daughter's birthday last year.  Some of you may remember this hot pink hedgie pillow from the post I did of her cupcake party pics:

I did a little redesigning to create a fun, fleece tote bag project for the School Days section in this new issue of Stitch:

They asked me to do the original pillow style too, so both versions of the hedgehog are included:

And besides being in the issue on newsstands, the pattern itself is available as a free download (the instructions are all in the magazine).  Digital versions of the entire issue are available here.  There are loads of fun projects & wearables in it.

I have to say, I kind of feel like a sewing rock star when I walk past the magazine section at Joann's these days.  I get to see this and the summer issue of Quilts & More (which features my Fresh Start bag) sitting right out there.  This must be how celebrities feel when they're in the check-out line.  Except no one else knows it's me...but it still feels great.  I almost had my husband take a picture of me standing there and pointing to them like a crazy, but I'm saving up that level of crazy for next time.  No matter what, it always feels amazing to see my name in print next to the words "Designed By":)

Here Come More Projects To Dream Up!

As though I don't have enough crafting that I want to do (in the limited amount of time I have to do it in), I caved and bought some super cute fabrics online that are just begging to be made into some fun new items. And here they are - ta da! I got these from a great Etsy shop: Lucky Kaeru and she was so awesome fast I ordered it Saturday and had in Monday! I am going to try to get the toy project and clothes for me finished before I start working with these, but it'll be tough to wait.

I'm way in love with the snail one (Robert Kaufman's Creatures & Critters) - it's not even funny how much I like this print. Definitely need to make some wearables for the kiddies out of this one and I may have to get the other color combos.... The one on the left is Michael Miller Kid Cut-Ups which I'd been eyeing for a while. The one on the right is a a Japanese import by Minny Muu that has a constant stream of script all in French. Since I was a French major, this was a need to have fabric. It'll be educational for the kids, right? Hehe. I've seen a few hedgehog Japanese imports that are way cute (I have a thing for hedgehogs and had one as a pet back in the day), but I can't bring myself to pay the pricier yardage until I have a definite project in mind for the hedgies. Oh the possibilities with all of these...