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Today marks our halfway point for our sew-a-long!  Who's ready to get into the nitty gritty of the pattern?  I know these next steps are often the ones that get the most questions!

 Let's get those 2 front bodice pieces ready.  Yesterday we finished the button tabs, with or without embellishments.  Take those pieces and place them on top of each other, lining up the button tabs and pin in place.  

Start at the finished edge of your embellishment and measure over 3/4in and place a pin.  If you didn't add an embellishment, measure over from where you sewed the tab.  Do this down the entire front of the piece.  

Now take your ruler and measure over 1 in from where you placed your first pin.  Again, do this all the way down the front of the piece.  If you are doing a size 2, like me, you will only have 2 rows of pintucks.  If you are doing 3 and up, you will have 3 rows, so repeat this whole process one more time.

Once you have the left piece done, do the same for the right piece.  

Both pieces are now done.  It's time to take your left piece over to your iron.  Fold with wrong sides together along where you placed your row of pins, starting with the row closest to the armscye.  Iron and then take over to your machine.  Sew with a 1/8in SA.

Repeat this process for the remaining rows on both front pieces.  Once done sewing head over to your iron and steam the heck out of those pintucks you just created, pressing the pintucks towards the armhole.  Pintucks are COMPLETE!!  See, not as hard as you thought!

Grab your back bodice piece and with right sides together, match the shoulders.  Sew with a 1/2in SA and finish the seam with your choice of finishing.  I like to use my serger.  Don't mind my pink serger thread! :)

Time to move on to that collar.  Take both collar pieces and place right sides together.  Pin along both short ends and along the curve.  Sew along pinned areas with a 1/2in SA.

Clip your SA.  I like to use my pinking shears.  These things are older than me and were passed down to me from my mother when I started sewing 2 years ago!  I LOVE them so much!  I think every sewist needs to have a pair in her sewing arsenal!  

Once you SA is clipped, turn right side out and iron iron iron!  Make sure to use your favorite tool to get in those corners and make them look pretty!  Go ahead and topstitch that collar!  Take your time :)

We now need to find the middle of both the back bodice and the collar, so fold both pieces in half and place a pin at the fold.  Line up those pins, placing the collar on top of the bodice.  Continue pinning around the entire bodice.  Once pinned, sew the collar onto the bodice using a 1/4in SA.

Our collar is now attached, but we need to enclose that seam.  Take your 1/2in bias tape and starting at one end of the collar, pin with right sides together.  

Once pinned all the way around, sew with a 1/4in SA.  Clip your seams once more.

It's time to enclose that seam.  Take your bodice wrong side facing up and fold your bias tape down over the raw edge.  When you do this the bias tape will not be visible from the right side.  Pin in place all the way around.  Make sure your collar is up  and out of the way, and you are not pinning into your collar!  Sew that bias tape down.  

Flip your collar down and you are done!  Stand back and take in all that hard work!

Come back tomorrow when we will be working on flutter and long sleeves!!!  If you need to catch up, check out Day 1 and Day 2!  

Today is day 2 of our sew-a-long and we should already have our fabrics and notions ready to go!  If you didn't already, make sure you wash all your fabrics before you move on to today's tasks.

First things first, print the pattern out.  I am going to let you in on a secret.  I despise taping and cutting out patterns.  It is my least favorite part of sewing, but it's got to be done!  If you are like me, this can be just at time consuming as picking out fabrics!  I am super slow at this step!  But just be patient and it will all come together nicely!  

I like to use a glue stick instead of tape!  I realized last year that I was going through TONS of tape and a light bulb went off!  I have been using glue sticks ever since!  So easy and quick!  One you have everything taped, or glued together, cut out the size(s) you will be using for this project.  I will be using the size 2 this go around. My little lady is a petite thing, so you may notice I sometimes have to take a bigger seam allowance when I am sewing  Please make sure you are following the instructions in the tutorial!  Use a 1/2in SA unless otherwise noted in the instructions!  

We now have our pattern cut out and ready to go!  This is normally where I stop a project for the night. HAHA  After printing, gluing, cutting, 5 hours has probably gone by because my kiddos like to be crazy when they see Momma's working!  But don't stop!!  We only have a little bit left, I promise!

Start pinning your pattern pieces to your fabric following the instructions on the pattern pieces.  If you are cutting button tab ruffles, make sure to check the tutorial for the measurements!  

Everything is cut and I am anxious to get sewing!  Let's get started on that button tab!

Take your front blouse or dress pieces and iron to the wrong side 3/4in on the inner edge.  Repeat for the other piece.  Then you are going to do this all over again, ironing another 3/4in, enclosing that raw edge!  

Take those front pieces over to your machine and sew away!  Make sure you are lining up your presser foot with the inside edge, not the outside!  Do this for both pieces.

If you are not adding a ruffle tab, then you are done for today!  GO YOU!!!  If you are doing the ruffle tab, then keep reading!

Take your ruffle and fold it lengthwise with wrong sides touching.  Iron it flat.  Do this for both ruffles and then take both of those pieces over to your machine and run a gathering stitch 1/4in away from the raw edges.  Gather your ruffles the same length as the button tab piece.

I decided to not do ruffles but to add this sweet lace I found in my stash!  I did not ruffle it, but cut it the same length as the button tab.  Whether using ruffles, lace, ric rac, pom poms, etc., these next instructions will be the same for all of them!

Place the raw edges of your embellishment of choice along one raw edge off the button tab.  Pin in place and sew using a 1/2in SA .  This is really important so your button tab fits properly on your shirt and looks tailored!  Iron seam to the wrong side and repeat for the other side of the tab.  

Once both sides are done give it a good ironing and then grab the left blouse piece.  Place the tab directly on top of where you sewed earlier.  Pin and place and topstitch on either side.

You have now completed the button tab on the Josephine!  YAY!!!  Sit back and admire your work!  Check back tomorrow when we tackle those pintucks and we create our collars!  If you missed yesterday's post, check it out here to catch up!

Welcome to day 1 of the Josephine Sew-A-Long!  First this is first, take out your pattern and get acquainted with it!  Today we are going to be doing my most favorite part of any project, picking fabrics!

Before we dive into fabrics, you are going to need to decide on your options.  Are you going to do a dress or a blouse, long sleeves or flutters, ruffle button tab or plain?  

Picking fabrics can be fun, but for those who don't have a clear vision of what you want, don't fret!  Sit down with you fabric stash, or head out to your local fabric shop and look around.  Find something that speaks to you!  With this pattern, you can use a wide range of fabrics, from cotton, to chiffon, to silk, the possibilities are endless!  

I am in the process of sewing my daughter a back-to-school wardrobe capsule, so I knew I needed to chose a fabric that spoke with the rest of her capsule. In the end, after much deliberation, I chose this sweet teal and white polka dot.  In my eyes, you can never go wrong with a polka dot!  It is a timeless pattern!

Once you've got your fabric squared away, it's time to think about notions!  Make sure you have some matching thread and bias tape.  If you want to make your own, check out this tutorial from last month on using bias tape makers

.

You are also going to need some buttons.  Grab 5-6 for a blouse and 6-10 for a dress.  And don't forget to grab a 4-6 for the sleeves if you decided on long sleeves.

So now we've got everything ready for tomorrow, snap a quick photo and post it here in the Violette Field Threads FB group!  Get that fabric washed and dried and ready to go!  Tomorrow we print and tape the pattern together, cut out our fabric and get sewing!!  Check the schedule below for the breakdown of what we are working on everyday!  See you back here tomorrow!

We are so excited to be featuring our Josephine Dress and Blouse Pattern as a $5 weekend special!  

The Josephine is one of our favorite patterns.  We love the timeless look paired with pin tucks and a ruffle button tab.  The collar is darling, and the optional waist sash is the perfect accessory to complete the look.  

Josephine can be a dress or a top.  It also includes multiple sleeve options.  The sleeve detail are just darling.  Add buttons on the cuff for a very special look.  And the flutter sleeves are perfect for warmer weather!  This is the perfect pattern that can transition across all seasons and all age ranges!

The Josephine a beautiful dress!  We love it as a top too!  It is great paired with Whitney Trousers or Hazel skirt! 

Josephine has had some great updates recently that we are eager to share with you!  It now includes: Finished measurements, fit guide, mannequin sketches, larger tutorial photos and new inspiration photos.  

And not only is this great pattern our $5 sale, it was also the winner of our FB sew along poll!  You asked and we listened!  Starting Monday August 17th, we will be sewing the Josephine pattern together!  Make sure you check back here for more information.

Because of the sew a-long, you can get Josephine on sale now through Sunday!  We would love for you to join us, so please head on over to our Facebook Group so you can stay in the loop on what's happening!

Happy Sewing!

We have been running a super fun promotion this week and tomorrow is the final day to be a part!  What is a pattern without fabric?  They go together like peanut butter and jelly.  So this whole week we have been teamed up with Hawthorne Threads to provide an outstanding offer to our customers.

Thats right, buy patterns and receive free fabric!  All you have to do is order the minimum amount of patterns from the Violette Field Threads shop. Then we will send you a gift card to Hawthorne Threads Fabric Shop within 24-48 hours. It is that easy!!  

If you are not already familiar with Hawthorne Threads then you are in for a real treat!!  They are an outstanding online fabric shop.  They carry nearly every fabric line available and keep a large stock of each.  They also offer Tiered Pricing to help with your budget when ordering a few yards at a time. They also stock paper patterns and Aurifil, our favorite thread on the market! 

But our FAVORITE thing about Hawthorne Threads is their amazing in house fabric designs that you can only find in their shop!  They have come out with some absolutely STUNNING lines and we cannot wait to see what it next!  Here are a few of our favorites so far:

We used this beautiful collection on our most recent pattern releases Rosemary & Matilda!  It was perfection!! 

We have also had the opportunity to use the Calliope line for our Gemma Pattern Release last Fall!  That is one thing we really enjoy about their fabric lines. They print their own, so the line does not quickly go out of stock, even when it is very popular!

They have so many other lines and we cannot wait to use more on our upcoming projects!  We are really loving the Norwegian Woods line for Fall!!  

So do not delay!!  The FREE fabric promotion ends at the end of day Wednesday 7/12/15.  What pattern and fabric do you plan to use?  Let us know below!

With the end of summer comes back to school and fall.  We know that for some summer is still in full swing, but cooler weather, shorter days, and football games are quickly approaching.  

We are so excited to be bringing you the first 2 patterns of our fall collection.  Please welcome Matilda and Rosemary.

Paired together, these patterns give a gorgeous vintage feel.  Wear them separately and they are equally adorable

Matilda is the perfect traditional peasant dress.  This dress features a gathered waist with a very full skirt, perfect for twirling.  You little lady will adore this dress because it is not only comfortable, but fun to wear.

With three sleeve options we have all the seasons covered.  Flutter, short cap, and 3/4 length sleeves are all included.  We are sure there is something for every occasion.  It's the perfect dress for an outing to pick apples, or to play outside.

The Matilda dress comes in a size range of 12M-10 years!  A perfect dress suitable for little ladies as well as young girls.

Rosemary is the epitamy of vintage.  This vintage inspired pinafore comes in sizes 12M-10 years and is the perfect layering piece for fall.  It looks darling over the Matilda dress, but we think this could become a very special look if paired with jeans and a cute top too.

The fold-over collar and pin-tucked bodice are darling vintage accents we just can't get enough of.  

The pleated skirt come in two lengths, long and short, for two lovely looks. And the side ties are so sweet.  Who doesn't love a good bow!

During testing, our amazing testers shared with us their love of these patterns, but also their own ideas on how it could be worn.  We quickly realized that Rosemary is even more sweet layered with a slip.  So along with this pattern you will receive a slip pattern that can be worn underneath this darling pinafore!

We adore Rosemary and Matilda paired together.  There is something sweet and stunning about this combination.  We would like to thank our wonderful testers for all their hard work and amazing ideas on these patterns!  

Visit our shop to purchase your copy of these patterns today!  Get the bundle  or buy Matilda or Rosemary on the website now, and use code "school" or 15% off your purchase, even on the bundle!!!!  And if you spend $30 at the Violette Field Threads shop you will get a $10 Hawthorne Threads Gift Certificate!  Spend $50  and you get a $20 gift certificate!  You can't beat free fabric!

Thanks for stopping by and happy sewing!

(special thanks to Bliss Salon and Day Spa for helping to style the littles!)

This post is sponsored by Art Gallery Fabrics.  All fabrics used in this post were provided by Art Gallery.  All ideas and opinions are my own

As sewists we can all agree that we absolutely positively have a love of fabric!  Fabric is what binds us {and our garments}, and when we find a fabric that we love it’s hard to stop us from sewing up everything we can get our hands on, or stashing it away and treating it like a prized possession! 

When I saw Art Gallery's newest line, Curiosities by Jeni Baker, I got a little giddy and may have sat staring at my computer screen for a few too many moments, dreaming up what these fabulous fabrics could become!  If you’re anything like me fabric often speaks to you.  Sometimes you look at it and immediately know what it will become.  Sometimes you buy it because you {know} that down the road there will be the perfect project for it.  This line, I knew instantly what it would become!  It didn’t speak to me, it screamed REALLY REALLY LOUDLY!

Jeni Baker’s line is described as this: “Inspired by the many small wonders in life, Curiosities invites you to explore the world around you. A sophisticated color palette with a vintage twist transports you to a whimsical garden. This collection is dedicated to Jeni's bunny George, who is ever curious.”  This whimsical line caught my eye immediately.  I adore the color palette, and with two colorways, I think this is a line that everyone will be able to find a fabric they love!

For me, this line and both colorways, give the perfect transition from summer to fall.  With greens and blues that speak summer and water and beach, leading to pinks and oranges and browns that say fall and changing leaves and crisp autumn weather.  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on these and maybe give them a little bit of a snuggle before I sewed these beauties up!

Art Gallery fabrics are by far some of the nicest quality fabrics I have worked with!  This isn’t the first time I’ve had the pleasure of sewing up some of their yummy goodies, but believe me, their products do not disappoint!  Not only did they graciously send me over some beautiful woven cottons, but they even sent some super soft and cuddly knits! 

With school starting soon {gasp, is summer already almost over????} I knew I should sew up some pieces that would be transitional pieces for the coming cooler months.  I started with the Madelyn Shirt.  This knit or woven top features an adorable woven collar and button loop back, and if you ask me does not get enough love!!!  This was my first VFT pattern I ever sewed over 2 years ago! 

Now, if you have a “threenager” like me, there is no way button loops were going to work!  A modified back to the rescue!  I make this gorgeous top in knit Candied Lollies Mint with Firefly Jar Dark collar.  I think it’s the perfect top and the fabric look gorgeous together!

This top is perfect for the hot summer days we are still having here in Michigan, but will be perfect paired with a cardigan come fall. 

For the bottoms, I went with the newer Allie Shorts minus the bow.  I adore these shorts and love the bow, but I knew for a versatile everyday look, I needed to leave the bow off.  These shorts are sewed up in Caught Snowflakes Navy, and I think they look wonderful!  You can’t go wrong with navy shorts!  And if you missed it, they follow one of the hottest summer trends, so you can’t beat that! 

I decided on some cute mint green buttons to play off the mint in the top, and I’m really pleased with how this outfit turned out!  I look forward to the cooler weather so I can add a cute little sweater, tights, and some boots!  My little lady will be ready for fall!

I knew that top #2 needed to be the Lilly Belle Pinafore.  I made one recently and this top is quick quick quick to sew!  If you are an instant gratification type person like me, this is the pattern for you!  You can add the bow, or waterfall ruffle, or leave both off like I did!  And this top is even reversible!  2 for 1!!  Can’t beat that!

I chose Candied Lollies Orange for the main side, with Caught Snowflakes Blush on the reverse.  I haven’t added buttons to the reverse side yet since I only had 2 of these fabulous wooden buttons, but when I get back to the store and buy 2 more, you better believe I’m adding them!  My daughter LOVES this top and I adore the beautiful lines it creates when she dances and twirls!  And while some pinafore patterns lack in the coverage department, this pattern leaves your little lady fully covered and looking beautiful!

When the weather starts to change, I will put a long sleeve tee underneath and call it good to go!  Maybe even a wrap ballet sweater!

The best option to pair with this top was obviously the Lilly Belle Leggings!  My daughter already owns 2 pairs of these leggings, which she’s been wearing for going on 2 years now, and they are still my favorite leggings on her!  I decided on knit Firefly Jar Dark!  This was the perfect fabric to showcase the delicate firefly pattern!  You could easily to add accents to these pants by sewing the ruffles in a second fabric, but I thought this fabric needed to be front and center! 

My daughter loved these pants and didn’t want to take them off because they were “so comfy”!  I love this pattern because for my tiny daughter, these cropped pants are actually full length.  These will fit her for years to come!

The great part about the Curiosities line is that everything goes well together!  I am not one for “matchy matchy”, I’d much rather have things “go together”.  This line allows you to mix and match effortlessly even if you have trouble combining fabrics, without it looking silly!  I decided to show you all how easy it really is.  You have seen outfit #1 and #2, so take a look at outfit #3 and #4!

I will be honest, I didn’t even think of mixing and matching until all 4 pieces were finished, and then the light bulb went off!  Silly me!!!  All 4 pieces look amazing together, and all 4 pieces will work well into the fall!

I truly loved sewing with these amazing Art Gallery fabrics, and I really wanted you to get a chance too!  Art Gallery graciously sent over FOUR fat quarter bundles for me to give away to our amazing fans!  Enter below for your chance at winning one of these bundles!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you again to Art Gallery Fabrics for sponsoring this post and providing all the fabrics!  Make sure you head on over to their website to take a look at all the wonderful fabric lines they offer!!  They have tons of fabrics to choose from.  They definitely offer something for every taste! 

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!!!

You asked and we listened.  You’ve been begging us for patterns for the under 2 crowd for a while now, and we finally felt like the time was right.  Please welcome our first baby pattern to the VFT family.  Introducing Baby Clara. 

This is the same pattern as the original Clara Top and Shorts that was released a few weeks ago and includes all the pieces you originally loved!  The ruffled bodice top, bloomer, and knit shorties are all included in sizes that will make your little ladies look just as lovely as your bigger girls!

Baby Clara will include sizes 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-18, and 18-24 months!  Now all your girlies can have this adorable set in their wardrobes!  We are loving the look of this top on these little ones.

With the Clara Set receiving so much love when it was released, we knew this would be the perfect pattern to start off with for our youngest fans!  Our testers have been busy perfecting this pattern for our little loves, making sure sizing and fit was just right.  It was love at first sight!

There’s just something perfect about a tiny little thing in a sweet fluttered bodice!  We are so excited to be releasing this, and hoping that this is just the first of many baby patterns that Violette Field Threads will be releasing. 

Just like the girls sizes, Baby Clara includes both the woven bloomers and knit shorties options!  Both options look great on these little ladies!

Get your Baby Clara top and shorts pattern for only $6 or get the bundle of both baby and girl’s Clara patterns for $12!   These sale prices are good for 48 hours, so get it while you can!!  As always, we adore seeing what you make!  So please share share share!  We want to see your Baby Claras so make sure you tag us on Instagram and post to our FB group!  Make sure to pick up your copy of Baby Clara today!  

A special thanks to all of our wonderful testers who helped perfect this pattern!  

{products for review and giveaway were provided by Clover}

You walk into your local sewing shop and start browsing.  You are immediately overwhelmed by the amount of little tools they have.  You see helpers for this kind of project and tools for that, and you think to yourself, "do I really need that?"  Well, I am here to answer that question once and for all!

Bias tape makers have been around for a while now, but the real question is do we really need them?  Do they make enough of a difference to spend extra money on them, especially when we could just put those few dollars towards that gorgeous fabric we've been swooning over?  Or maybe you'd rather just buy your bias tape.  Maybe the whole process of making your own is just too tedious and you end up with a pile of half useable bias and a whole bunch of burnt fingers!

I will admit, I love the look of homemade bias tape, but I do not always want to go through the process of making my own.  Often times I will search through my stash to see what pieces of premade tape I can use so I don't have to make my own.  I just do not enjoy the whole making your own bias tape experience.  My fingers get burnt, my tape never looks great, and it is always lopsided or off kilter.  It just isn't worth it.  Until now!!  Listen, these little tools have changed my entire outlook on the whole bias tape making process!  Not only am I a homemade bias convert, but I bet by the end of this post you will be too!

So let's start at the beginning.  Clover sent over 2 different size bias tape makers for me to try, which meant I needed 2 different size bias strips of fabric.  I was working with the 3/4" and the 1" bias tape makers.  You want your strips to be double the width of the maker, i.e. if you are using the 3/4" maker, cut your strip 1.5" wide.  If you are using the 1" maker, cut your strip 2" wide.  Get it?  Easy peasy, right???

I decided to go with a classic grey and white stripe, because I love the look of striped bias tape and you can't buy that in the store!  I got all my materials ready to go and began cutting!  I used this tutorial to cut my bias strips because the way she does it is genius and she makes it so simple and easy!  I know I know, the tutorial is for an envelope pillow, but take my word on this one.  The video shows a great way to make your strips and you won’t be pulling out your hair or cursing while you do it, I promise!

So my strips are cut and I have both sizes ready to go along with my little gadgets.  Using the bias tape makers are very simple.  Take the maker and place your strip right side down.  Insert the pointed end into the back of the maker.  You will notice there is a little open “u” shape on the back.  That is where your fabric goes.  Keep pushing that fabric in until it comes out the other end.  There is a little slot on the top of the bias tape maker where you can insert a pin, awl, etc. if you need to help move the fabric along. 

So now your fabric is in the bias tape maker and you are ready to go.  You will notice the fabric is already starting to fold!  This is the beauty of these little tools!  It really does the work for you!  Now grab that iron and steam steam steam as you slowly pull the bias tape maker along your fabric!  You will notice there is a little handle you can hold onto.  Definitely use this!  The maker itself is metal and can get hot from all that steam, so that handle comes in handy!

So now you have your bias tape done!  You can fold it over again and steam the heck out of it and voila!  Double fold bias tape in seriously a quarter of the time, no burnt fingers, and it looks like a professional did it!

I went ahead and did the same thing for both strips!  Just remember, your strip needs to be double the size of your maker!  I was in awe of how quick and easy using these little gadgets were that I just couldn’t stop!  I decided that the grey and white stripe were so pretty, but I needed some color in my life!  Bright yellow bias tape???  Yes please!!!

 I will be honest with you all.  I was very hesitant to use these.  I kept thinking there was no way these were going to work and that they would be a waste of my time and money.  But I was so so wrong!  These bias tape makers are absolutely amazing!  I’ve used a lot of sewing tools in the 2 short years I’ve been sewing, but these in the top 5 list of tools!  Quite possibly the top 2!!! 

These are easy to use and provide amazing results!  I’m pretty sure I need every size now!  And while I knew I would use these two sizes the most, I’m pretty sure I can find a use for every size Clover makes!  So if you’ve been on the fence about these and just didn’t want to spend the money, I’m telling you to SPEND THE MONEY!  They are 100% worth it!  A quality product that produces great results and is fast and easy! 

Now that your bias tape is all ready, all you need is a pretty pattern to use!  The Haven Dress pattern is the perfect summer pattern to try your new bias tape out on!  So gather up all that homemade bias you just made and get to sewing!

So here’s the best part!  Clover graciously sent over not one, not two, but THREE sets of these bias tape makers!  That means two lucky readers are going to win their own set of bias tape makers!  Make sure you enter below for your chance to win!  And check out Clover’s website and take a look at all the other cool sewing and crafting tools they have!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!