Tuesday, September 29, 2015

EYMM Zander Hoodie Blog tour












Phew is all I can say!  Have you ever committed to something and then have just about everything that could go wrong go wrong?  I'm sure we all have at some point, well anyway that's how this blog tour was for me.
When Kymy announced this blog tour I was like "Yes!  My son needs a new sweatshirt, I have the fabric, I'll even make one for myself and it will be sooo much fun!"  Well in the weeks leading up to the blog I've had three out of five kids sick, including high fevers and asthma attacks, high school and elementary school shenanigans to deal with,  secular work fiascoes and issues with my blended family that are so complicated I can't even begin to get into here....
BUT, I did manage to finish this just barely and my son did get an AWESOME new sweatshirt in his favorite colors with a super fun lining.  No I didn't get one done for myself but sometimes you just need to accept what you did accomplish and not dwell on what you didn't.
Enjoy the pictures and at the end there is a giveaway!

Now onto the pattern...the Zander hoodie is a lined sweatshirt or vest with a slightly over sized hood and asymmetrical zipper down the front.  I originally helped test this pattern so I've made it a few times before.  I would consider it more of an intermediate level compared to some other EYMM patterns.  This pattern is available in sizes 3 months to 18.  The directions are clear and offer lots of color photographs to help you through difficult areas.  I did the 4/5 size, which is great because it offers room for growth or layering.

I used a lightweight navy french terry for the outer and lightweight cotton jersey for the lining.  I accented with a red zipper and red ribbing for the wrist cuffs and waist.  My son's favorite part was the zipper because his favorite color is red.
I'm glad he enjoyed the zipper since it only took me four tries to get it lined up perfectly,  no joke, that's when I realized that perhaps I wasn't completely concentrating on my sewing.....
My advice for the zipper is first of all pin and check to see if the waist ribbing and pockets are lined up correctly BEFORE you sew and clear your mind before you start ;)
He was also pretty excite about the race cars on the lining fabric.  This is a great way to make something like a sweatshirt fun for a four year old boy who doesn't always want to wear a sweatshirt.
 So after  I finished I had to convince my four year old that it was time to take pictures, this is when the difference between boys and girls becomes extremely apparent.  I tell my daughter it's photo shoot time and we're going to take pretty pictures and generally she gets excited.  In contrast I had to bribe my son and even at that I only got a few good pictures before things deteriorated quickly first with the dog becoming part of the blog (haha Disney channel reference)  and then with my son attempting to give me some sort of GQ pose, then dirty looks and finally licking the tree.  Yes licking the tree, that's when I gave up.
A boy and his dog in a blog....

I'm not sure if this is I'm a serious model look or I'm plotting my next public fit to get back at you mom for making me do this....


Ummm yeah, I don't even know what to say.....


You made it to the end!  Congratulations!  Leave a comment below with your email address and your choice of Zander or his and hers and one person will be chosen randomly to recieve a free copy of EYMM's Zander hoodie or His and Hers Hoodie.




2015-hoodie-tourweb
Make sure to visit the other stops on the tour to see more versions and hoodie inspiration!�Many�are giving away a copy of the pattern! (Psst ... check out the awesome savings listed after the tour links!)
*NOTE* The links below won�t show the tour posts until 7am PST on their day of the tour, BUT you are welcome to click through and check their blogs out at any time.
9/25
9/26
9/27
9/28
9/29
Hop over to the�EYMM shop and use code FALLHOODIES2015 to save 50% on either hoodie pattern! Coupon is good for�Zander's Hoodie & Hooded Vest (newborn-18tween) or�His & Hers Hoodie & Hooded Vest (adult XS-5XL)�and�expires�11:59pm PST on Sept. 29.
*NOTE*�These two patterns are INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED sewing level, as they include zipper installation and some unique assembly techniques.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

EYMM Second Anniversery Tour








  Join EYMM and 24 fellow bloggers as we celebrate the first 24 months of our pattern shop with a huge sale and giveaway!  We will be featuring 8 different patterns for women and girls, as well as having a Manic Monday sale and a huge site-wide sale.  There is also a great giveaway at the bottom of this post. Don't wait because you don't see sales like this often from EYMM and it will be over before you know it!
*NOTE* The links below won't show the tour posts until 11am PST on their day of the tour, BUT you are welcome to click through and check their blogs out at any time.


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This blog contains affiliate links
Sooo, it's been awhile since I blogged but I was asked to participate in the EYMM's second anniversery blog which makes me really excited and helped me get off my lazy summer booty and blog again.  It feels good to be back.

I sewed the beautiful Calla Lily skirt for myself and the Calla Lily skort for my daughter.  This is a knit skirt that is shorter in the front and longer in the back with a unique crossover look in the front.  There are three waistband options; regular, yoga fold over style, and elastic. It's available in sizes XS-5X for women and Newborn to 18 for girls.

I chose to go with the regular style waistband.  I kept the length according to the pattern for both my daughter and I.  The girls version of the pattern includes a skort option and a fishtail hem option.  For my three year old I included the shorts under her skirt since we are still working on sitting like a lady. For myself I used the Everyday Essentials pattern by EYMM to make a mid thigh slip for a little more modesty, I found the skirt to be a little sheer for my taste. The Get Moving leggings pattern can also be added to the waistband of the skirt for both women and girls for more coverage or to transition into cooler months.


The fabric I chose, OK actually my daughter chose, is a thin drapey knit.  I was really happy with her fabric choice, I was a little worried I would be trying to convince my daughter we didn't need pink kitty cat matching skirts in the middle of a fabric store while my little diva was sitting on the dirty floor bawling and my four year old was running around pulling bolts of fabric down and making forts.  I got very fortunate and she found the navy stripes, touched them and proclaimed they were very soft and she wanted them.  Phew crisis averted!  
I did a contrasting band because I wanted a fabric with more recovery and stability than the striped knit had, no fear of these skirts falling off.
I always have found EYMM patterns to be very true to size, no alterations needed at all even for my daughter who often times needs length needed.

I went for a lettuce edge for the hem of the skirt, I like the way it looks as a contrast to all of the stripes and it's so much easier than actually hemming.  Honestly I hate hemming knits so I will avoid it if at all possible. If you don't want to a lettuce edge, rolled edge, you can leave it unhemmed if you carefully trim away the seam allowance or if you do a regular hem I strongly recommend using wonder tape.

I like to style my Calla Lily skirt with a jean jacket or chambray shirt, I love the way it looks and it's a perfect layer as we transition into fall.



My daughter was thrilled at our matching skirts but then my son was feeling left out so I made him a quick t-shirt and used the Boy's Silhouette reverse applique pack to add a cool dump truck with the leftover skirt fabric.

He LOVES!

We had so much fun with this photo shoot and it's great to be able to make mommy and me matching outfits.  I'm so happy my kids think it's fun to dress alike, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!
They can be so sweet together sometimes, and look at how pretty the skirt is with the slight breeze!




To celebrate their second year anniversary EYMM is having a big sale! 43% off of everything, coupon code is below and don't forget to check out the other blogs on the anniversary tour and see all of the amazing things they've done with EYMM patterns.


                                        

Not only is there an AMAZING blog tour going on but 1 lucky winner that leaves a comment below between now and 8.3.15 will win a FREE EYMM pattern of their choice!!!!  Which one would you pick? Then hop on over to EYMM to check out the awesome SALE, and an even bigger celebration giveaway with over $1000 in prizes.  There will be 40 winners in all.




Until next time....
Don't you just love the way the Calla Lily skirt looks from the back as you're walking!