Uncategorized – bigflynotions

Happy Birthday Sofiona

November 6, 2019November 6, 2019Posted in Uncategorized6 Comments

Welcome to my stop on the Sofiona Designs Blog Tour. We’re helping the amazing Sofiona designers Sherri and Trisha to celebrate a huge milestone – – – a whole year of beautiful designs, spot-on drafting, superior instructions, and just all-around rad members of our sewing community.

Check out some of our amazing sponsors helping us to celebrate!

Raven Day

Today is all about the Raven. I sewed the dress version with the elastic waist, long ruffle, and back tie. This ruffle with a little lace has my heart!!!

Check out the line drawing from the Sofiona website for some of the other options:

Raven line drawing from the Sofiona website

I love the elastic casings for the waist and sleeve cuffs. They sew up so quickly and are easier for my sweet pre-schooler’s independence (and my sanity!). My daughter is just under the size chart for the waist but shortening the elastic inside the casing means I can’t even tell!

The Fabric (and a coupon code)

The Raven can be made by light to medium-weight wovens or light knits. This pattern later inspired the Sofiona Rhubarb pattern drafted specfically for knits. You can see my Rhubarb dress here.

Blush - Yarn Dyed Linen Cotton - 1/2 metre

While the Raven can be made in knits, I chose to use this gorgeous linen sponsored from The Fabric Snob. I’m completely obsessed with this blush color right now.

My first order with “the snob” was fabulous. I had a few questions that were quickly answered in the group from knowledgeable admins and fellow “Snobs”. Shipping to the US is a flat rate OR/ FREE for orders over a certain amount. The quality and color of everything I ordered is absolutely divine and the exchange rate is an extra win.

The Fabric Snob is giving 10% off orders from the entire shop Nov 4-10 with the code SOFIONA. Jump for joy:

A21 and the Balsam Bag

One of the things I love about Sofiona is that they donate a portion of their earning to A21, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking. To read more about the charity and Sofiona’s dedication to their mission, please click here. In addition, all profits from Sofiona’s latest pattern, the Balsam Bag, will be donated to A21. If you’ve been waiting to sew a bag, here’s a great reason to dive into it!

Balsam Bag Line Drawing from the Sofiona listing

More Sofiona Inspiration

Each day this week, two bloggers will pair up to showcase one Sofiona pattern. Follow along to see your favorite Sofiona patterns sewn “as is” by one blogger and a clever “hack” by the other.

Monday 4 November: (Starry Night): That’s Sew Venice, By Dagbjort
Tuesday 5 November (Moss): Sew Cucio, It’s Liesel
Wednesday 6 November (Raven): bigflynotions, Made by Kates
Thursday 7 November (Railway): Stitched by Jennie, PACountryCrafts
Friday 8 November (Fireweed): Wonderfully Handmade, Sewcial Science

Some of our favorite Instagrammers will also be sharing their Sofiona makes this week and they’ll be doing the same pairing up to showcase one pattern. Follow them for more inspiration:

Monday 4 November (Arctic Fox): Tine, Sara
Tuesday 5 November (Lynx): Meghan, Amanda
Wednesday 6 November (Rhubarb): Ummul, Noortje
Thursday 7 November (Aurora): Kimberley, Jenny
Friday 8 November (Juniper): Anna, Emily

Join us in the Sofiona Designs Fan Group on Facebook for more fun and to share your favorite Sofiona makes!

Sponsors & Prizes

Finally, a huge thank you to ALL the sponsors for joining in our Anniversary Celebration! Please participate in the Rafflecopter below for an opportunity to one of the two prize packages listed below valued at over $150 each and join us in the fan group for daily giveaways next week.

Prize Pack #1

Minerva Crafts £100 mystery pack (you choose the colour)
Sew Weighted Bakery ($15 CAD)
Queen Clocks (Sewing Themed Vinyl Clock)
Dutch Labels ($100 USD)
Sofiona Designs ($50 CAD)
S Renee Designs (Digital Sewing Planner)

Prize Pack #2

JJ Labels ($30 USD)
Shear Perfection ($50 CAD)
Sitka Fabrics ($50 CAD)
Sew Cute ‘n Quirky (30% off a pattern weight set)
Sofiona Designs ($30 CAD)
S Renee Designs (Digital Sewing Planner)

This post is affiliate-free. I received the pattern in exchange for sewing it up and telling you about my experience but my thoughts are entirely my own. This is a fabulous pattern by one of my favorite shops.
Check it out!

Dream Tee from Amelia Lane

November 1, 2019October 31, 2019Posted in UncategorizedTagged curvy, Dolman, dream, knitLeave a comment

I had so much fun testing the new Dream pattern from Amelia Lane Designs. Our community knows ALD owners Mya Jones-Bohman and Colleen Cameli for their fabric but the Dream tee and dress is their first venture into patterns. Mya designed and drafted the pattern and ALD hired a professional to digitize and grade according to the size chart.

The Options

The Dream Tee is a dolman with:

Two hem lengths: tee and dress
Three sleeve lengths: short, elbow, long
Two necklines: scoop and plunge

Inclusivity

This pattern’s inclusive size range makes it more than worthy of its name. ALD covers sizes 00-34 (71 inch hip) and was thoroughly tested throughout the range. You know the plus sized patterns that don’t fit the upper range like the lower? Not the case here. I really appreciated that I didn’t even need to make any adjustment for my upper arms.

Fabrics

You can get away with using all your favorite knits. And ALD knows fabric! I sewed versions in ITY, rayon spandex, dbp, and this grey ALD waffle knit. Basically, anything drapey goes. Some testers were discussing using a CL for the pattern. I’m not a fan of the boxy look on myself but it would technically work.

There are other helpful hints throughout the tutorial. For example, I took Mya’s suggestion for elastic in the shoulder seams for the rs and waffle.

Get Your Hack On!

The pattern is a terrific wardrobe builder. As a basic pattern (my dress is a front, back, and neckband), it is suitable for beginners. As a solid basic pattern, the Dream Tee is super easy to hack. Check out the ALD Blog for an entire series of ideas.

How to Buy

The link to the pattern is here.

Pattern release price is $7.99 through Tuesday 11/5 (retail will be $9.99 following that).

As a tester, I received this pattern in exchange for my time and feedback towards the successful final product. I also accepted ALD’s offer of deeply discounted fabric for my final (the grey waffle knit). My opinions here and throughout social media are entirely my own.

VIA!

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019Posted in UncategorizedTagged Girls, Knits, sofilantjes1 Comment

I recently helped test the Via Top, Tunic, and Dress pattern from Sofilantjes Patterns that is currently being released as part of the Street Style Bundle over at Project Run and Play.

I normally sew more fitted bodices for my daughter so it was fun to try out a more straight fitting style and the seaming is perfect for color blocking (though I chose to use a singular color).

I found the pattern pieces and instructions easy to follow. I really like when designers include blending paths because my kiddos are rather slender for their height and blending across more than 2 sizes can be a chore.

The hardest part was finding appropriate fabric. Via calls for French terry/summer sweat with min 30%, max 50% stretch. I am realizing how heavy my stash is on drapier fabrics with more stretch. Luckily, I had a few options for miss 4. She chose this blue cotton French terry I had been saving for joggers for myself (mom life, huh?). We added this fun DBP for the neckband and cuffs. These were fussy cut scraps from this dress.

Because of the fabulous seaming and using just one color, I definitely wanted to topstitch to help draw attention to the pattern’s lines. I used a navy blue to contrast. Looking back, I wish I had stitched the reverse side but I was in auto-pilot mode listening to podcasts.

We had a blast taking these pictures. This flood wall was built to help protect the local shopping district and has a bunch of child-friendly graffiti art.

Sewing for Fall

October 10, 2019October 10, 2019Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

I got a head start sewing fall wardrobes this year. It was still 90+ degrees when I photographed most of these long sleeve loves. Good thing, because fall came virtually overnight.

I made myself a fall dress using this lovely Art Gallery cotton lycra. I used the Bella Sunshine Designs (affiliate link) Emmaline bodice and popped on the Sahara skirt. This pattern is so lovely. Fits like a dream and super fast because you’re using bands instead of lining. BSD is actually running a mash contest right now. Check out more details here. Hey, I recognize that lady!

My son got several pair of Railway Joggers. I love Sofiona for their terrific fit and superb contruction. There are always fabulous design elements that give even basic things like pants a little extra style. Isn’t he the coolest looking little dude styled up in this P4P free beanie and sneaks? I used a sweater knit for the hat and the joggers are actually an old sweatshirt of mine. I love how they have just the right amount of structure.

Check out little dude in his Hip 2 B Square top (affiliate link) from Goober Pea Designs. Yep, this hat gets around! I had some scraps from Simply By Ti’s striped cotton lycra and it was a great feature fabric for this pattern.

Don’t worry, Diva Girl was NOT left out. By any means. This dress hound settled for a skirt and a top. The skirt is Arcus (affiliate link) from Sofilantjes and made from FT scraps with a DBP waist. The top is a 3/4 sleeved Maggie (affiliate link) from BSD in baby FT.

Image may contain: 1 person, shoes, child and outdoor

I also recently made her a long sleeved Rhubarb dress from Sofiona. This is made from Art Gallery CL. I think it was 100 degrees this day in the park but she had so much fun all dressed up and playing in the stream. Oh child!

Pre-school Dress Love

October 9, 2019October 9, 2019Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

I used the popular Every Which Way Dress from Duchess and Hare to make my daughter a few dresses awhile back. I’m so happy I am finally remembering to share them!

I made the dress with a collar and a vintage length and I adore the result. The way the dark chambray mixes with this gorgeous floral makes the pattern sing.

My miss has grown a full inch over the summer though so I decided to make an extra long skirt for her second one and wanted lots of twirling fullness so added to the width as well.

Both versions are totally twirl-worthy!

The main fabric on both dresses is quilting cotton. I love using quilting cotton because it is so widely available locally and there are tons of adorable prints and is often at a lower price point. I rarely iron either, I find that simply hanging the dress and hand pressing out the wrinkles while wet mostly does the trick. Phew, this mom doesn’t have time to iron everyday wear.

These two dresses are worn for school, play, painting, for life. I imagine they would constitute as church or other dress up wear for other little ladies but She lives for pretty dresses so why not enjoy them daily? I imagine this pattern would be super spectacular in special occasion fabrics too!

Back to School with BSD

August 24, 2019August 20, 2019Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today I’m guest blogging for Bella Sunshine Designs as part of their Back to School Blog Series. I made the cutest dress, please come check out the full post here.

Sew Americana 2019

June 26, 2019June 25, 2019Posted in UncategorizedTagged dress, holidays, Knits, t-shirt12 Comments

The 4th of July in 1776 was when the United States adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring ourselves as idependent but unified colonies. It is pretty spectacular to sit with this thought.

It is a national holiday so many American families celebrate with cookouts, parades, and fireworks. And, we wear a little (or a lot!) red, white, and blue.

This year, my kiddos are ready in advance and have already worn their patriotic outfits a few times. Shocker, I’m sort of the WAIT-AND-SEW-IT-AT-THE-LAST-MINUTE kind of momma. I’m also quite miserly with my fabric usage (hoarding IS a hobby!) so am pretty thrilled to have eeeked out both outfits from just one (ONE!!!) yard from my stash.

Patriotic Pearlie Dress

I knew I wanted my daughter to wear a dress with the top as the stripes and the bottom as the stars. The Pearlie from Peach Patterns was such an easy decision. I’ve made tons of this dress before —- check out here and here so I had the pattern ready to rock and roll.

The non-fussy dolman sleeves are fabulous and I just love a good curved hem. As soon as this pattern released for ladies, I was in heaven. We even have matching Pearlies that we (not infrequently) wear together.

Red (White and Blue!) Ringer Tee

The Ringer Tee from Brindle and Twig was a new-to-me pattern (and FREE!). I didn’t have time to muslin it for my lankey dude so just blended between the two sizes I thought he might need based on the measurement chart. BINGO – the fit is exactly what I wanted for him. His dad used to wear a few very old and super soft ringer tees so this is completely nostalgic in all the right ways.

I added a pocket from another designer’s pattern and I’ll lower it a touch if I use it again but he loves any spot to sneak a car. My typical placement rule of thumb is 1/3 to halfway up the height of the armscye and centered vertically if you were to quarter the bodice piece.