Wednesday, August 24, 2016

At School and Play; a Sis Boom Blog Tour


September is just a few short weeks away, and for us up here in Canada, it means the beginning of school! I'm thrilled (and a little nervous, I'll admit) to be a part of Sis Boom's At School and At Play blog tour. 
Keep reading to the end of the post, as there's a giveaway!
The Sis Boom Leighanna is one of my favourites for several reasons. First, no closures. Second, easy fit. Third, can be sewn in woven OR knit. Finally, it's a really fast sew. This one only took an hour and a half, and that is from cut until finish, plus I forgot to stop the timer when I paused to pull out my eldest's tooth. I had the timer going, because I'm horrible at estimating time. Anyone else?
One thing I did differently this time around, is add elastic to the short sleeves. It is in the pattern, but I've never done it before because both of my girls HATE exposed elastic. So, I decided to add a casing, and include a mini tutorial for you in case you'd like to do the same!
Begin by following the pattern directions until the step where you iron the hem of the sleeves on page 12. Press the sleeve hem as directed, and proceed to the step where it tells you to draw the line with disappearing marker or chalk. Here's where it changes a little.
The pattern tells you to measure up 1 inch above the hem line and draw a parallel line across the sleeve on the wrong side. Instead, measure up 1 1/4 inch, and draw the line. Next, cut two pieces of single fold bias tape the same length as the width of the sleeve. Have double fold but not single fold? No worries, just press it open with an iron, voila, single fold bias tape (that's what I did). Since I used 1/2 inch elastic, I just made sure my bias tape was just a bit wider. If using 1/4 inch elastic, you'll want bias tape that is about 1/2 an inch wide.
Line the bias tape up with the line you drew, between the hem and the line, and edge stitch along the edge of the tape all the way along. Do the same to the other side of the bias tape. Repeat on other sleeve.
Use a safety pin or bodkin to feed the elastic into the casing slowly. Once you've got the end lined up like in the picture, stop. If the end comes into the casing, just feed it all the way through, pull it out and try again. Then stitch down the end, within the seam allowance. I like to give it a couple of runs back and forth, to make sure it's tacked down good.


Then, feed the bodkin/safety pin out the other end and tack that end down the same way. It should look like this.
 

Repeat with the other sleeve, and follow the rest of the directions on the pattern and you're done!
I love how the sleeves look with the little gather, and now my little is actually happy wearing it!
You can get any of the Sis Boom patterns in their shop or their etsy shop and they're on sale RIGHT NOW for 40% off until September 4th using the code BACK2SCHOOL! They've also got a sew-along happening in their Facebook group if you want to join in. Any back to school Sis Boom sews that are sewn between August 1 and September 10 can be entered into the album here. Three winners will be chosen and awarded pattern of choice!
And now for the blog giveaway! Comment below your favourite thing to do in free time (when you aren't sewing) for a chance to win a free copy of the Leighanna pattern. Don't forget to check below for more blog posts with giveaways!
***Edit to Add: This giveaway is closed. ***
Welcome to the Sis Boom Blog tour!

We are excitied to announce that our bloggers EACH have a pattern giveaway on their posts! Everyday something new; so be sure to follow along with this tour!

August 22 Paisley Roots / August 23 Cookies n' Bees  /  August 24 Tina Sew Tiny  /  August 25 Screeching Dinosaur  /  August 26 PearBerry Lane  /  August 29 Troosp To Tots  /  August 30 A Crazy Craft Lady  /  August 31 Glitter in My Coffee  /  September 1 Sunflower Seams  /  September 2 Adventures with Bubba and Bug

33 comments:

  1. I love hanging out with my family when I'm not working or sewing. Knits still intimidate me, so I think it's great this top can be made with both knits or woven.

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    1. I was intimidated by knits too, so I began with some stable one's with very little stretch, and treated them like wovens. Depending on the pattern, you can replace wovens with knits surprisingly often. Thanks for reading!

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  2. I love this post, what a great way to showcase the pattern!

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    1. Thank you, and thanks for reading!

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  3. I'm an avid reader (or, used to be anyway), especially of long sci-fi/fantasy series--I hate it when stories come to an end! But most of my free time goes to sewing these days, it's been too long since I picked up a book.
    Cute fabric choice with those little critters. :)

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    1. I find myself in the same predicament, I'm still recovering from the Harry Potter series (I'm a huge fan). Thanks, and thanks for reading!

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  4. ADORABLE!!!!!!! (don;t pick me for your winner though!) This makes me want to sew a leighanna!

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    1. Thanks! I really love the Leighanna, and with the gathered sleeve it's even cuter.

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  5. I love reading my favorite books when I'm not sewing. Love the Leighanna in knit!

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    1. I'm also a book lover. Thanks for reading!

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  6. I love to coupon! Saving money is a thrill. I have been on a break because I have been sewing more!

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    1. I've wanted to try couponing, but it just doesn't have the same effect up here in Canada. Thanks for reading!

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. When I'm not sewing, I like to spend (waste?) my time playing Words With Friends. I like to tell myself it's "educational" when I learn new words and their meanings. I'd truly rather be sewing though!

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    1. I'll admit words have a bit of a soft spot in me, I used to read the dictionary for fun, lol. Sewing is my new vice though. It's fun AND productive! Thanks for reading!

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  9. So cute, I love the fabric you used. My favourite thing to do in my spare time when it's not sewing is reading! Mainly mysteries, but I also love young adult books.

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    1. Thank you! I love to read as well. Thanks for reading!

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  10. Baking. Very cute top and thanks for the tips!

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    1. Thanks! Glad to be of help. Thanks for reading!

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  11. Well, it would seem that my favorite thing to do with my free time that isn't sewing is entering contests on blog tours! Lol

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    1. I really enjoy them too! Thanks for stopping in!

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  12. I love to read books when I am not sewing!

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    1. Book lover here too! Thanks for stopping in!

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  13. Such a cute top and a great tutorial! Yay for your first official tour! Isn't it see fun to get to know people a little better? You'll be hopping on everyone you can now. ☺️

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    1. Thanks! I've really enjoyed it and am definitely hoping to do more in the future. Thanks for reading!

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  14. Love this! This is an awesome top for any occasion. The fabric is fabulous.

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    1. Thanks! They are leftovers from the fabric that my eldest picked out for a dress. She loves putting fabrics together. Thanks for reading!

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  15. That sounds like fun! Thanks for reading. :)

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  16. If I'm not working or sewing, I love to mindlessly flip through magazines dreaming of home dec ideas!

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    1. I also love browsing for inspiration. :) Thanks for reading!

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  17. I really like that top and the non-exposed elastic is a great idea. My daughter is only 2.5yo and doesn't really have preference about those things yet, but her mama (<-- Me, lol) doesn't like the look lol. Thank you :-)
    Reading is my favorite leisure activity (aside fro sewing, of course). I love to cuddle up on my couch under a blanket with the fan in my face (otherwise, it would be too hot for a blanket, we live in FL), a nice cup of espresso and a great book in the evenings after I lay my daughter down to sleep. Currently reading Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice, it's been on my to read list for a while.

    Not sure why it's coming up as Unknown Name :-(
    -- Maggie B (maggieb555@gmail.com)

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    1. Your welcome! I also love cuddling on the couch with a good book after my girls are asleep. Only mostly without the fan, as we live up in Canada and autumn, winter, and spring are varying degrees of cold. I'll have to check out that book, as I'm currently looking for a good read. Thanks for reading!

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  18. I love to go running when I'm not sewing.

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