Owly Baby: 2012

November 29, 2012

DECEMBER SALE

The holiday spirit always fills me with hope and joy. I love the smell of Chex mix, the sparkling lights on the Christmas tree, wrapping up gifts in unique ways and hearing the classic Christmas songs on the radio.

In honor of the season please enjoy 50% off all sewing patterns in this month of December.

Use the code: DECEMBER12 in my Etsy store for 50% off all pattern purchases. Shop HERE.

Happy shopping AND sewing!

November 21, 2012

Play Date Dress Sewing Pattern!

It's (finally) ready for sale!

Play Date Dress Sewing Pattern

This sweet dress is perfect for birthday parties, play dates and everything in between. The vintage style details will please the little princess in your life.

This dress features:

a slim fit bodice
ric rac trimmed collar
front bodice placket
optional darts
optional side zipper
optional apront

Level: Recommended for the intermediate sewist.

Sizes: 6m, 12-18m, 2t, 3t, 4t, Girls 5.

The pattern is a PDF document that will be emailed to you within 24 hours of payment. You can print the pattern pieces at home - then cut and sew immediately!

Thanks for your support! Now, off to have some turkey!

November 2, 2012

Ole Artisan Bazaar, Friday, November 9

Owly Baby will be at St. Olaf College on

Friday, November 9 from 9am -3pm

selling handmade women's clothing, children's clothing, accessories and Christmas items

Here is a small preview of the items for sale - LOTS of women's clothing and scarves - great for winter and Christmas gifts!

This shirt also in women's sizes

Heart cords for the little ones, snakeskin leggings for the women...

Zip pouches, i pad sleeves - great stocking stuffers or teacher's gifts!

I hope to see you there!

October 15, 2012

Pattern testing in progress!!!

Thanks to all my lovely pattern testers! Happy sewing!

We're going to take a break and (probably) a nap!

October 2, 2012

:: on the worktable ::

On my worktable....

Remember this dress?

It now fits the next littlest girl in my life. That realization pushed me to finally. finish. this. pattern. already. I've been working steadily and it should be ready for testing next week.

If you're interested in becoming a tester, please put your email address in the comments list and I'll make up a list and email you the document as soon as it's finished. The sizing is as follows: 6m, 12-18m, 2t, 3t, 4t, 5. I would like at least one tester for each size.

Thanks so much!!

Happy sewing!

Shorts on the Line - FREE PATTERN!

This is a repost from the SHORTS ON THE LINE series.
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Hi everyone! I'm Becky and I like to sew. I blog at Owly Baby and sell children's sewing patterns at Owly Baby.com.

I'm so excited to be a part of the Shorts on the Line series that I've made 3 pairs of shorts in one week! This doubles the amount of shorts in my wardrobe. A bit of selfish sewing makes me feel pampered!

In order from left to right -

The SWEET SCALLOP SHORTS from Pattern Runway on Etsy (for sale HERE).

My very wearable (4 days in a row!) turquoise tester/muslin cuffed shorts. (self drafted pattern)

My super stylish leopard cuffed shorts. (self drafted pattern, FREE pattern link below)

SWEET SCALLOP SHORTS (pattern: Pattern Runway)

The fit was great on the Sweet Scallop shorts from Pattern Runway. The instructions were very clear and included tips on fitting and choosing the right size. The cutting and sewing diagrams were very helpful and I learned how to sew a single welt pocket. These shorts would be great for a motivated beginner or intermediate sewer.

I didn't think the welt pockets would go well with the casual look I was going for, so I did make a few adjustments. I didn't apply any pockets to the backside, I shortened the overall length 1" and added the scallop shape to the back of the shorts. I redrafted the back hem facing and added a drawstring waist instead of a side seam invisible zip.

scallops hem on back

I love the scallop shape at the hem and even though they are drawstring shorts (and feel like jammies), they still feel nice enough to wear out for errands and playdates. I do have to wiggle a little to get them over my hips, and in hindsight I should have added .25" on each side seam because I did remove the side zipper, but it hasn't overly strained any of the seamlines yet.

The fabric is a Lisette Twill from JoAnn's.

CUFFED SHORTS - FREE PATTERN from Owly Baby

Now, on to the turquoise testers and fancy leopard shorts. Lucky readers, you also get to join in the sewing shorts fun. I'm sharing my pattern with you for FREE! It will fit anyone who wears a Ready-to-Wear size 4 (store sizing). For reference, it should fit a 29" waist, 37" hip. It is a self drafted pattern that is not entirely perfect - I've only used twice, but I have been wearing my shorts non-stop! They fit great on me, so if you're around the same size - I hope they will work for you.

First zipper and belt loops!


The center back seam has been modified - shallower curve. The back legs will also "hug" closer to legs than shown in this muslin.

I've also written up some instructions for you to follow that include helpful links on how to sew single and double welt pockets, AND how to sew a fly zipper. This was my first time sewing using a fly front zipper AND a welt pocket (and belt loops!). If I can do it, you can too! Click below for the FREE PATTERN and instructions.

Cuffed Shorts Abridged Instructions

FREE Cuffed Shorts Pattern Pieces (Size 4 RTW)

This pattern is for personal use only.
Copyright Rebecca Ruud, 2012. All Rights Reserved.

This leopard fabric has definite stretch, refuses to be ironed and snags easily.

It was horrible to work with but it feels wonderful to wear!

In short (pun intended): I've been wearing my three new pairs of shorts non-stop! They were totally worth the effort and I loved learning how to put in the fly zipper. I am now putting in fly zippers in EVERYTHING!

I hope you're inspired to join the Shorts on the Line Sewalong and win some fabulous prizes!

Happy sewing and shorts-wearing!

VERY Helpful links:

Adding a fly zipper: http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3831/video-an-easy-flat-fly-front-zipper

Sewing single welt pocket:http://fashion-incubator.com/archive/how-to-sew-a-single-welt-pocket/

Sewing double welt pocket: http://fashion-incubator.com/archive/welt_pocket_construction/

September 17, 2012

Spiderweb Block tutorial and template

I've been slowly catching up on my sewing projects. Preschool has started and so I have a few extra hours a week to work. This is my first spiderweb block for Lee in my Bits and Pieces quilting bee group. I hope to finish the other block tonight! The finished block measures 10 3/4 inches.

The block Lee designed for her quilt and her tutorial can be found here: Naturally Neutral and Webby Quilt.
I've made a free template based on her instructions that you can download and print HERE.

I'll show you the process of making this quilt block - if you scroll down really fast, maybe it will look animated!

print out the template on 8.5 x 11 paper

cut along the dotted lines

Fold along these two lines. It just occurred to me that I can put the fabric on the reverse side and eliminate this step!

Pin your solid color fabric in the center, leaving at least 1/4" fabric allowance on each edge.

add various sized strips to each side to cover the paper all the way to the edge.

press the paper and fabric to make it behave.

trim along all edges, right up to the paper.

it's looking pretty!

repeat three more times

play around with your triangles until you have them arranged just so

with the paper still attached, sew the triangle blocks together, then remove the papers.

viola!

I should mention that you should use a small stitch width so that the papers are easy to rip off of the fabrics. I used two different ways to sew the strips together, 1. sewing the papers and strips together (like paper piecing) and 2. just sewing a bunch of strips together and then placing on the edge. The second method was easier, but I liked sewing to the paper for stability and for using up my really small scraps.

Happy sewing!

July 23, 2012

Fabric Destash Sale!

I've just realized I have more fabric in my closet than I could ever hope to sew! Please help yourself to some fabulous fabrics, help me raise some funds AND clear out my closet!

DESTASH SALE

You can save 10%

on your fabric purchase by using the

coupon code: OwlyBlog10

Here's a preview of the fabrics up for grabs: