End of Summer Clearance

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over! Up here on our mountain, the summer has been quite cool-- we are not sure we want even cooler weather yet. The veggie garden has kept us busy, and we have been on the road a lot, so I am ready to "settle?" down and do some fall cleaning. That means getting rid of the summer dresses in our store, and hopefully adding new ones for cooler weather.

So-- the 25% OFF dress sale is on! Check it out, and have a good end of summer!

The eClass is now available!

The eClass my daughter recorded for the Simple Gathered Shift ePattern is now ready for download! You can get the class by itself (if you already own the ePattern) or purchase them together as a bundle at a discounted price. Use the buttons in the sidebar to add the one you'd like to your cart, and then checkout using the View Cart button.

To take the eClass, you simply open the PDF containing the visual presentation, then click to play the audio MP3. The narrator prompts you to go to the next slide when it's time. You can pause the class, stop and start, or even sew along while you watch! This is a great way to learn hands-on techniques without having to go anywhere or pay a professional teacher for expensive lessons. You'll learn how to assemble an ePattern (video tutorials are included), how to choose the correct size for your child, what fabrics are most appropriate for the project, how to make flat-felled seams, create casings for elastic, and more!

Here's one customer's comment on this class:

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the Simple Shift Dress tutorial. After the tutorial, I whisked my family though lunch and went straight to my sewing room. My daughter wore her new dress out for ice cream this evening! It is so flattering, modest, girlish and EASY to put together.

Your tip on flat-felled seams was brilliant! I've only ever used f.f. seams on my husband's pants. It never occurred to me to use them on dresses. I've muttered under my breath many-a-time while trying to force elastic past a seam. Never again!

Thanks for all your good work.

Rebecca W

Please note that both of these are LARGE zip files (over 15 megabytes for the eClass and 30 for the bundle), so you will need a high-speed Internet connection (no dial-up!) to download them. If you do not have DSL or cable, you can use your local library or Kinko's to download the file and burn it to CD.

Enjoy!

Need a New Dress?

If you are reading this, it means that my husband and I were successful in acquiring new "techie" skills. We finally called my daughter Jennie to ask for help in setting up the items for sale, which she graciously gave us-- from her cell phone as she traveled back to their home to move the final load of belongings to their new home in southern Alabama! She is always upbeat (even at 10 p.m.) and thinks we can do what she tries to teach us to do! Old dogs may be able to learn new tricks, but it takes some longer to learn! Thanks, Jennie, for not giving up on us! Thanks to some of our granddaughters for modeling the clothing, in spite of the younger one's fractured arm! They love to wear "sister" dresses!

Visit my etsy store to see the ready to wear clothing in stock. Note: The elastic in the waist, neckline and sleeves can be accessed and adjusted. If the elastic stretches with age, it is easy to replace. Also, the dresses can be shortened, and those with tucks can be lengthened.

From the Mail Bag

Thanks Bettie! I made my daughter a dress today and it came out beautiful!! I plan on making a few more yet. They are so easy to make!! Thanks for making the pattern available for us busy Moms.

Blessings, Rhoda

Hi There!

I ordered the shift pattern last night...? Our printer wasn't working so I actually just set the pages to 90% and traced the pattern off the computer screen!? It took a while, but it worked!? :)

I thought you and your daughter might like to see pictures of the finished product.? Do you have a gallery somewhere to post them?

Your daughter did a great job on this pattern... I think it took me about 5 hours in all....? But that's not bad considering that I have a 2 week old baby who I fed several times in those two hours, had to stop to feed the older children and then had to stop again to mop the floor when a pitcher of iced tea got spilled all over it!? All in all, I'm very happy with the pattern...? I bought this pattern because I was looking for something pretty that would be quick and easy to make with a newborn in the house.? It seems like my 4 year old outgrew all her other dresses in the 2 weeks since the baby came.? This pattern was perfect for us!

By the way, I added six inches to the length of the shift then sewed in three pleats to let down later (as you suggested).? I was just using whatever I had in my stash and I ran short of single fold bias tape, so I pulled out some dark green double fold bias tape for the waistband, opened it, pressed it flat and then proceeded as if it were single fold.? :) ? I liked your directions for the flat felled seams, but my daughter really wanted to wear her new dress today, so in the interest of time (considering that the baby would need to eat again soon!) I just serged the side seams and it worked out fine.

You can see from the photos that my daughter is as happy with her new dress as I am!? Heidi is 4 years old.

Blessings,

Alina Joy

Next on line!

Dresses and petti-pants are finally ready to post to the store! Rebecca and Bethany came for a 12 day internship and learned how to sew the Girls Simple Gathered Shift and Petti-pants. Check them out soon!

The ePattern is Ready!

I'm so delighted to announce that the Girls' Simple Gathered Shift ePattern is now available for download! This pattern is sized from 2 to 10 and includes options for both short and long sleeves and is so easy to put together. To see the yardage chart, click HERE. The instructions contain photos to guide you through each step, but if you still need some hand-holding, my daughter will be teaching a live class on this pattern on May 29th (click HERE for more information). The class will also be recorded and available as a download here sometime in June.

Do note that the zip file containing the ePattern is nearly 14 megabytes, so you need a high speed Internet connection to download it. If you don't have high-speed access at home, a local library or Kinko's will let you download the file and burn it onto a CD. You'll need Adobe Reader to open the PDFs contained in the zip file. It's available as a free download at THIS LINK.

Click the "add to cart" button in the sidebar to purchase the ePattern. Payment is made through Paypal, with options for debit cards, credit cards, and eChecks through your bank. You do not have to have a Paypal account to use my shopping cart.

Have fun sewing!

Working on the "Store"

Yes, I am working on "ready to wear"  spring/summer dresses and pantaloons available in various sizes. Are there any common sizes preferable to anyone? We have had several funerals in our community over the last few weeks, and it is also garden planning time, so time to sew has been quite limited. But I keep hoping! Thanks for your interest.