New Look spring patterns!

This week has been a good one for me so far!  I still haven't finished my first project for the year yet, but I'm still working on it!!

I noticed that the New Look spring patterns are out!  YAY!  Considering that I am working on a New Look pattern right now, I was curious to see if there were any other patterns that sparked my interest.  I love how affordable New Look patterns are.  I am a big coupon lady, but even if I don't have a coupon, I don't get too upset by the amount one of these patterns costs.

As a side note, is there anyone that has a hard time shopping without coupons?  I don't mean on sewing stuff, but things in general like grocery items, or even clothing.  I definitely have a hard time shopping if I don't have my coupons in tow.  It pains me to know I could be saving more money.  In fact, I will usually forgo buying anything at all.  Call me crazy, or thrifty, I like to get the best bang for my buck.

Okay, back to the topic at hand.  Here are some of the patterns I noticed that I thought were lovely:

 Sometimes simple is beautiful.  I love this dress because it is simple.  The sleeves and neckline are great, and this is something you could probably dress up or down according to the occasion.  The bag is a little much for me, but I like the dress.

Here is a great jacket.  Looking in my closet I have noticed that I don't have many jackets at all.  I might have one or two that I really love, but why not add one to the mix?  I like all the views on this one except E.

I like this whole outfit!  The tunic top is usually always my favorite, but I also like the interesting V-neckline with the accent on top.  The bit of elastic in the middle just above the waist is also a nice touch.  But most of all, I like the slim-fitting pants with the zipper on the bottom!  

Here is another easy breezy look for spring/summer.  I like the slight gathering on the bottom of the pants.  View A and C are my favorites for the top, though I would probably leave off the pockets.

I fell in love with this style of dress last year on my birthday!  Of course I bought mine instead of sewing it, but I loved it nonetheless!  

So, those are my favs for me, but there are also some adorable patterns for the little ones that I must show you:

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This is such an adorable baby dress!  Even though the sizing isn't for my sweetie, I'm sure it could be tweaked to fit.  Too cute!

I think this dress is cute too, but after looking at the line drawings, I think the reason it works is because the details get lost with the print.  I'm not so sure what the dress would look like in a solid color.  But I do like the bag!  My little one is all about bags right now, and she loves loading them up with whatever she can find!

Now this pattern had me at "hello!"  I love the handkerchief style headband and dress with applique.  Even the neckline is interesting!  Besides that, it is toddler-sized!  I will have to check this one out when I head back to Joanns.

Okay, last but not least (and I'm sorry I am not listing any patterns for little boys),

For this dress, I really like the panels on the bottom half of the dress.  It reminds me of a certain skirt I made last year that looked like petals!  

Overall, I think there are a lot of nice patterns from New Look's spring collection.  There are still more to see if you are interested, just click here.

Stay sew-filled!

New Kwik Sew Patterns

I got this email yesterday about new Kwik Sew patterns, so I headed over to the website to check them out.  Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed in their new stuff.  Not that I use Kwik Sew patterns a lot, but I have found the Kwik Sew book Sewing for Children to be wonderful and I just assumed that some of their designs would be a lot nicer as well.  There are really only a few things that stood out for me:

First is a pair of shorts.  I saw these and thought they are just so cute!

Kwik Sew 3854

I really like the button detail to these shorts, and the way the seaming at the top continues into the pocket construction.  My only dislike is the length.  I couldn't wear shorts that short, and I don't think they would look as good if I added length to them.

Kwik Sew 3849

Now this is more my style.  I like simple tops that have length to them, much like a tunic.  I think I like the one on the left (View A) a little more than the one on the right because of the classic appeal with the pin tucks on the upper top of the shirt.  Lovely!

Well, that is all I liked.  The rest of the collection are all simple pieces that you could really get from any of the Big 4 pattern companies without paying an arm and a leg in the price.  When I saw this pattern, I just had to say "Really, Kwik Sew??"

Kwik Sew 3843

I'm sure someone will be buying this pattern, but it won't be me!  There seems to be a whole geometric theme going on at Kwik Sew, because they had a pattern similar to this last fall/winter.  I guess it did well, since they introduced this one.

Overall, not the best collection I have ever seen, and I don't think I am motivated to buy anything from Kwik Sew just yet. 

What do you think?  Are you a Kwik Sew fan, or what do you think about their collection??

Stay sew-filled!

New Vogue favorites!

By now I am sure that most of you may know that Vogue has released their Early Spring patterns.  After looking over all they have to offer, I found myself gushing over quite a few styles.  In fact, I may give Vogue a try this year!  I have NEVER sewn one of their patterns before, but I think I would do ok once I got going!

Here are some of my favorites:

Vogue 1233

I LUV this dress!!  It reminds me a little of the trench dress I bought from Mccalls new patterns (6279) a couple of weeks ago, except it has more of a classic feel.

Vogue 1228

I'm not exactly sure why I am drawn into this one, but I think it has a lot to do with the neckline and the sleeve style.  This kimono style dress is more fitted in the bodic and loose on the bottom half, which seems like it will match LOVELY with this pear-shaped lady!

Vogue 1225

This style is a winner for me, except for the pockets.  It looks like they get in the way of the beautiful drape of the dress!  I'm sure that is easy enough to adjust.

Vogue 8706

This one is obviously a stunner!  I really like the mock wrap front, and the side gathers.  I wouldn't even know where to wear this to, but I could come up with something!

All of these styles makes me anticipate what else is coming out!  Though I know I should be thinking about what I have on my plate right now, I can't help but get wrapped up in the new pattern releases.  Well, that is all for now.  The snow has cleared up here and life looks like it is getting back to normal.  In fact, my hubby is firing up the grill tonight!  YUM!

Stay sew-filled!

Crazy Lazy Days

Since it's been a while since I have updated you all, I decided that I'd better post something.  This past week has been a little topsy turvy for me in more ways than one!  First, I live in Georgia, and if you watch the news, you may know that there was a pretty bad winter storm in our area.  It snowed like crazy Sunday night, and then rained on top of the snow. Since the temperatures were below freezing, that combination created blocks of ice on the road, making driving anywhere especially dangerous.  So, pretty much from Monday until yesterday, our little world has stood still.  My hubby didn't have to work, and schools have been closed, etc.  All from a little snow, rain, freezing temperatures, and ill preparation from our DOT (dept. of transportation).

Of course the week started with excitement from all the snow, and my son got to go outside to experience it firsthand (my daughter was running a fever so she could not), but being kooked up in the house with two kids, and the inability to get out is wearing me down some.

Not to mention that my daughter, who is 18 months, going on 19 months, has been waking up multiple times during the night when she used to be a sound sleeper.  It turns out she was teething, but long after her teeth are now in, she is still not allowing me to get much sleep.

I say all of this to say...

OK, so I haven't been sewing! LOL!  What can you do?  Life happens sometimes, right?

But I did at least create a muslin of my skirt, and it was a little snug, so I was thinking about decreasing the seam allowance to add a little more ease rather than adjusting the whole pattern.  I know the fabric is a knit, but I don't want to end up with a skintight skirt.

So I don't know when I will finish my first simple skirt (and it is so simple, judging by how quickly the muslin went together) but all things considered, it will get done.

Stay sew-filled!!