Final Day! Fleur - A Big Little Doll Tour & Giveaway

We have reached the last day of our Big Little Doll Tour before returning for the giveaway results tomorrow.  I do hope you have enjoyed seeing the beautiful and heartfelt dolls these lovely people have made from my Doll Pattern.

Today we visit our last two crafty people - Sarah from Squiggling About and Christine from Beanniequilts.

Christine lives in Maine, USA with her husband, son and little three year old daughter.  Although Christine works part-time, she loves to make things with her children, knit, sew, quilt, crochet and embroider.  Christine's daughter named her doll "Farrah" and both children are just in love with her :)  You can read more about Farrah on Christine's blog - right here!

Sarah lives in the UK with her hubby and daughter and has never made a doll before other than a knitted one - so this pattern was something new to her too!

Sarah used vintage embroidered napkins to create a little flower "tattoo" on her doll and coupled her with pink hair - for her "pink obsessed little girl"!   Too cute :)   See and read more about Sarah's doll right here on her blog Squiggling About. 

If you would like to see some of the previous dolls in the tour, you can find them here:

Jenny @ Mend and Make New 

Kara @ Kara McMurray
Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises

Leanne @ Paper Moon

Sarah @ Squiggling About

Christine @ Beanniequilts

I have so enjoyed putting "Fleur" together and sometime in the future there are plans for more doll patterns from same basic doll body.  How to create her eyes in various colours, some modified eye styles (for the nervous amongst us!) different hair styles and of course clothes.  Once you make one, you will likely become hooked!

You can purchase your own copy of the pattern in my shop here.

Today is also the last day to enter the giveaway!
Aimee from Small Steps Big Noises has lovingly made another doll valued at $250 which she is gifting to a deserving child this Christmas!  All you have to do is nominate a child you know to receive this special doll and tell us why.   There are options for some extra entries too!  Use the rafflecopter below to enter (sometimes it takes a second or two to load) or pop over to my Facebook page and enter there.  Good luck!  The winner will be notified tomorrow and posted on Big Little's Facebook page xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open internationally, however as the giveaway closes quite close to Christmas it will likely only reach a NZ residence in time - however we are happy to post internationally if you are happy for it to arrive whenever it does :)

Fleur - A Big Little Doll Tour - Day 3

Today's stop in the Doll Tour is at Leanne's place!  Leanne probably doesn't need much introduction as you have probably already read her blog over at Paper Moon Living.  If you haven't, now is a great time as it is such a good read!

Leanne made rather a modified doll, helping me test out a simpler eye version to the original - especially designed for those who are a little nervous about embroidering the eyes.  It is the same classic eye shape but in simple black with a little highlight.

Leanne had lots of fun making the clothes too - modifying the bodice of the dress into a super cool vest and adapting her French knickers into pants.  Very clever!

Check out some more great pics of Leanne's super chic doll over on her blog - right here.
You can purchase your own copy of the pattern in my shop here.


The tour continues tomorrow...

Wed   Jenny @ Mend and Make New 

          Kara @ Kara McMurray
Thu   Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises

Fri     Leanne @ Paper Moon

Sat     Christine @ Beanniequilts

          Sarah @ Squiggling About

You may have already hear, but Aimee from Small Steps Big Noises has lovingly made another doll valued at $250 which she is gifting to a deserving child this Christmas!  All you have to do is nominate a child you know to receive this special doll and tell us why.   There are options for some extra entries too!  Use the rafflecopter below to enter (sometimes it takes a second or two to load) or pop over to my Facebook page and enter there.  Good luck!   xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open internationally, however as the giveaway closes quite close to Christmas it will likely only reach a NZ residence in time - however we are happy to post internationally if you are happy for it to arrive whenever it does :)

Fleur - A Big Little Doll Tour - Day 2

Today's stop on the Big Little Doll Tour we are visiting Aimee, who lives in the South Island of New Zealand with her Husband and gorgeous wee girl.

Aimee makes all sorts of clothing for her little girl, but a doll was something a little bit different from her regular sewing.  She created an absolutely beautiful doll and has kindly donated her to be gifted to a child this Christmas.  You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post.  Don't worry!  She also made another for her sweet little girl, who helped choose her delicious pink alpaca hair   :)

Be sure to stop by and check out Aimee's take on my doll pattern on her blog Small Steps Big Noises - right here.

The tour continues tomorrow...

Wed   Jenny @ Mend and Make New 

          Kara @ Kara McMurray
Thu   Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises

Fri     Leanne @ Paper Moon

          Sarah @ Squiggling About

Sat     Christine @ Beanniequilts

Sat     Imogen @ Imogen Eve

You can purchase your own copy of the pattern in my shop here.

To enter the giveaway for Aimee's beautiful doll, all you have to do is nominate a child you know and why.  There are other options for some extra entries too! Use the rafflecopter below to enter (sometimes it takes a second or two to load) or pop over to my Facebook page and enter there.  We would love it if you would share it with your friends as well.  Good luck! xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open internationally, however as the giveaway closes quite close to Christmas it will likely only reach a NZ residence in time - however we are happy to post internationally if you are happy for it to arrive whenever it does :)

Fleur - A Big Little Doll Tour - and GIVEAWAY!

Over the last few weeks a wonderful team of people from around New Zealand and the world have been lovingly sewing some special dolls.  These people with varying sewing skills and experience have been helping me test my doll pattern to ensure everything was perfect and they have done such an amazing job.  The pattern is now it is ready for you to sew your own doll!

I thought you might like to take a peek at their lovely dolls before they are gifted to their little ones for Christmas, so without further ado, let me start by introducing you to two very special dolls made by two very talented souls!

Firstly meet "Giselle" who was lovingly crafted by Jenny of Mend and Make New.  Jenny is a bit of a sewing superstar so I was delighted when she volunteered to test my pattern.  Isn't Giselle just adorable!  You can see more pics and read all about her on Jenny's blog here.

Here is "Emma", crafted by Kara of Kara McMurray.  You may remember this post from a long time ago about the special crochet blanket I started making with my Gran?  Well it turns out Kara was the talent person who so beautifully joined it all together for me!  Such a wonderful small world.   See and read more about "Emma" here.

Thanks so much for helping me test my new Fleur Doll Pattern.  They did such a wonderful job don't you think?!

The tour continues tomorrow...

Wed   Jenny @ Mend and Make New 

          Kara @ Kara McMurray
Thu   Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises

Fri     Leanne @ Paper Moon

          Sarah @ Squiggling About

Sat     Christine @ Beanniequilts

Sat     Imogen @ Imogen Eve

You can purchase your own copy of the pattern in my shop here.

Also, in other exciting news, Aimee from Small Steps Big Noises has lovingly made another doll valued at $250 which she is gifting to a deserving child this Christmas!  All you have to do is nominate a child you know to receive this special doll and tell us why.   There are options for some extra entries too!  Use the rafflecopter below to enter (sometimes it takes a second or two to load) or pop over to my Facebook page and enter there.  Good luck!   xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open internationally, however as the giveaway closes quite close to Christmas it will likely only reach a NZ residence in time - however we are happy to post internationally if you are happy for it to arrive whenever it does :)

Introducing Fleur

I'm so excited to share with you the release of Fleur my very first doll pattern!  A beautiful and sweet vintage-style cloth doll with hand stitched features, who can be made from entirely natural materials.  She has taken three or four years to put together... and I am so proud of her :)

She has a braided/plaited hair style, wears a sweet crossover dress with matching French knickers, and little shoes.   Fleur is a modified vintage pattern - I don't claim to have designed her from scratch, rather given her a makeover and some tweaks here and there.  My work lies in the detailed instructions and tutorials for her construction, facial features, hair and of course clothes!

Fleur is suitable for someone who has used a sewing machine before, and has an interest in creating a magical doll for someone they love.  She is not a whip-it-up-in-an-evening project, rather she can be easily achieved in little pockets over time... nap times, evenings and spare 10 minutes here and there.

You can purchase your own copy of the pattern in my shop here.

I simply can't wait to share her with you.  I hope she fills you with as much joy as she does me.

Starting tomorrow we will be taking a wee tour of all the dolls made by the wonderful group who helped me test this pattern.  I'm sure you are going to love meeting some new bloggers and seeing their beautiful work.  There will also be a wonderful GIVEAWAY for a lovely doll starting tomorrow, so be sure to stop by and check it out.

xx

Tadpoles

We moved into our "treehouse" in winter over two years ago, planning in spring to welcome some chickens into our lives.  A little bit of rural life within our rainforest location felt so exciting and comforting and right.  Alas, spring came and went with a necessary overseas trip, and some broken limbs requiring lots of care so our beloved chickens were on the back burner.

During the following autumn my honey drew up some marvellous plans for a chicken coop, with the intention of building it as a winter project.  Alas, this year his winter was spent caring for me and lovingly parenting our little girl - a much higher priority wouldn't you say?  So although somewhat disappointing not to have our egg laying girls with us yet, I'm learning that good things happen in their own good time.  Hopefully next spring everything might fall into place :)

Saying that, I was still hankering for a little bit of "life" about the place, when I had a sudden revelation.  Frogs!  We have some resident green and gold bell frogs in the "jungle" part of our property already so introducing a few more wouldn't exactly be a big deal...

Anyway, long story short, a very exciting, much anticipated parcel arrived in the post!. Live tadpoles!  Oooh fun.  Our little girl has been chattering constantly about legs and tails, and feeds them frozen spinach after she finishes her dinner each night.

Simple fun.

Xx

Elephant Dress

 

You might have noticed that someone is sporting a full arm cast.  Which brings it to five broken bones (three accidents) in a year.  I know.  We can barely believe it.  This last one she simply rolled off the sofa and managed to break both bones and displace them requiring an urgent trip to Starship hospital for manipulation under anaesthetic.  This happened a while ago and we are nearing the end of this broken arm journey, thank goodness.

Luckily, it wasn't nearly as much of an impact on her life as her leg was, and after a few days she was running around like nothing had happened and barely noticed the cast.  Except of course when changing her clothes - which does happen multiple times per day as the whim takes her :)

As it happened I started sewing her this dress months ago in autumn, however,  it was abandoned when the sickness set in.  Remembering how it had button openings and even elastic loop buttons under the arms as well, it seemed to be the perfect "broken arm dress"!   With just the pockets needing to be sewn on to complete it, I hit the sewing machine for the first time in absolute months.  Ten very long minutes later it was done, mama took a nap and we had a dress that would go on easily!

Elephants are still her animal of choice hence the little free form embroidery I did ages ago on the pockets.  She calls all elephants "Heffalumps" after Winnie the pooh - too sweet.  Thank goodness it was an instant hit!  She chose the little bunny buttons which she found in my button jar.  I based the dress off a vintage pattern adjusting the length to fit.

Now, just need to figure out how to keep sand in the sand pit and out of the cast :)

Xx

A Very Special Doll - Pattern Testers Required

Meet Fleur, the little one who has been keeping me company these last few weeks.  She gives the appearance of being quite prim and proper but she loves to sneak into the garden and have her feet in the dirt.  Strawberries are a favourite, although we do have to remind her to only pick the red ones!  Her little hands are just the right size to help wind the new pea shoots onto the trellis so they can grow tall and strong.

Of course she loves flowers too, hence her name.  Despite her disposition for being outside in the dirt, when she comes inside her first stop is to make a nice cup of tea for her friends.  There is nothing more civilised than a well made and freshly poured cup of tea she tells me.

Fleur is a 15 inch cloth doll.  She wears a sweet crossover dress with puffed sleeves, trimmed with vintage ricrac.  Underneath she sports a pair of sweet wee French knickers with a tiny bow.  Fleurs shoes are made of felt, although she only likes to wear them for best:)  Fleur's hair is a braided up-do which was inspired by my great grandma Mabel who used to always wear her hair this way, she was also a keen gardener.

Fleur is my very first cloth doll pattern and I am so proud of her.  The basic doll body pattern itself is a copyright free vintage pattern which I have carefully digitised and modified to accommodate my personal preference.  I don't claim to have created her from scratch, rather given her a tweak here and there!  My work lies mostly in the comprehensive tutorial for her construction, how to create her facial features, detailed hair instructions and of course her little clothes.

The pattern for Fleur is ready to be tested.  I am looking for both beginner and more experienced sewers to help me with this.  You can fill in the testing application form here if you would like to test her.  She is suitable for someone who has used a sewing machine before and is willing to pay careful attention to details such as lining things up perfectly and taking the time to enjoy making her.  Embroidery experience is not required as everything is covered in the tutorial.  She is not a whip-it-up-in-an-evening project, although there are lots of elements which can be done in a spare fifteen minutes here and there so she does come together nicely.

She will make an utterly magical Christmas gift for a special little one in your life.

If you would like to test her please fill in this form, and you will be notified via email by Friday evening (21st Nov) with an invitation to a private Facebook group.  Testing will take place in four stages: doll body, facial features, hair and clothes.  The entire doll needs to be completed by Monday 8th December which is about two and a half weeks. Please only apply if you can complete within this timeframe.

I truly believe that when it comes to dolls for children, being handmade with love is totally where it is at.  I can't tell you how excited I am to share these delightful dolls with you - I hope they fill you with as much joy as they do me!

xx

A Return to Doll Making

I made my first dolls when I was about eight and fell in l.o.v.e with doll making.  They were knitted dolls, a boy and a girl in little winter outfits.  I discovered them recently when my parents delivered the last of my boxes which had been lurking in their garage.

But you know how it goes - sometimes it takes a while to rediscover your passion for something.  A few years ago when our little girl was just a baby I embarked on a doll making journey which gave me so much pleasure - a vintage style cloth doll with embroidered features.  I was in the earlier years of recovering from a severe hand injury and every stitch was a concerted effort.  It was a slow and sometimes painful process, but oh my, when that little doll's personality began to shine through, I proved to myself once again that hand stitching truly is such a wonderful therapy - I could create something beautiful from my heart and with my hands given perseverance and patience.  I was hooked.  You can read about her here.

Since then I have made a bunch of dolls.  A few in a similar style, and also some traditional Waldorf-Steiner dolls which I love for their beautiful simplicity and tactile nature. 

I have played with doll hair - making crochet wigs, stitched hair and even wefted hair (that was a steep learning curve!)  Doll making is something that our little girl loves to be a part of too.  I often find her fossicking in my button jar or choosing wool for hair.  She tells me about the dresses she would like for them and more recently is coming up with wonderful names and stories.  It has been so much fun experimenting and I have learnt so much along the way.

Although I do fully intend to take things easy for the next wee while, dolls for me are a completely different story.  The allure of being able to pick up a wee doll and work for a few minutes here and there is very appealing.  Gently hand stitching facial features in-between little tasks throughout the day, stuffing limbs while watching a little tele in the evening - now that I can do!

After my original blog series on the doll I made, I received a bunch of emails requesting advice and information.  It seems the instructions on vintage doll patterns are notoriously scant, assuming considerable sewing knowledge and experience.  Often less than half a page of the doll body, face, hair and clothes instructions combined!  So over the years I have been making notes of what I have learned along the way.

This has led to the creation of "Fleur", my very first cloth doll tutorial.  She has literally been years in the works, and I am very proud, somewhat nervous, but mostly very excited to share her with you soon...

I'll be looking for pattern testers - so stay tuned!

xx

Flower Decorating

 

Daddy took our little girl for a stroll down the lane to give me a little quiet time.  Happily they set off, with her basket swinging and spirits high.  The house was deliciously quiet.  So quiet it almost felt loud.

A short nap later the troops arrived back again with all manner of roadside flowers.  Such beauty growing wild (with the odd one from plucked from an unsuspecting front garden I imagine).

"We are spring decorating mama! Spring means flowers, doesn't it mama?!"  Flowers are carefully arranged one by one into many, many jars.  Decorating with flowers serious business for this beauty loving girl.  I love how flowers make her so happy.  I guess they make us all happy don't they.

Xx

50 Years

Thanks so much for both your comments on my last post, and the lovely emails you sent.  They really meant a lot - it sure is lovely to be back.

My parents have been staying with us on and off to help look after me and our little girl (and help my Honey), and whilst here they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.  50 years of being married!  Hard to get your head around really.  I remember my grandparents 50th anniversary and they seemed so old at the time, but I guess they were about the same age.  Time is an interesting thing.

I got to thinking the other day that it is something I am very unlikely to celebrate myself.  Not because of the difference in generations in terms of divorce etc, but simply because we will most likely be in mid nineties before we would reach that milestone!

Anyway, it's certainly rather special and definitely something to celebrate.  We knew they wouldn't get to throw the bash they probably intended to, as they were here looking after me.   Long story short - once again I'm so grateful for amazing friends who, knowing I wasn't even slightly capable of doing it myself, made them a sweet decorated cake and bought round bunches of balloons for a lovely morning tea.

It truly made their day, and mine.
.. and there was a certain little someone who was pretty happy about the balloons and cake too :)

Congratulations Mum and Dad!

xx

A Welcome Return

 

For the first time in months I have started to see things again.  You know, a tiny little detail which has made me smile, or something which has made me want to pick up my camera and take a picture.  I can barely begin to tell you how good that makes me feel.  Like the days of grey have been infused with delicious snippets of colour once again.  I'm beginning to feel a bit more like me again, and it is so wonderful.

Without going into detail right now, I have been ill.  Miserably so.  Spending the last few months either in bed or at one medical facility or another and trying to hold it all together.  Today is not the day for that long, long story, but let me say that it is not all bad news.  Lots has happened, and at the same time, so much hasn't happened.  But anyway, I'd love to share with you a few things which are feeling so good to me right now.

Parents.  Both mine and my Honey's who have given so much time, energy and love to help us out, and travelling long distances to be with us during this tough period.  I am so grateful for their support.

Knowing that even though the garden is a complete mess, there is much beauty within the chaos if I choose to look at the bits which make me happy  Slowly, over time it will get cleared up and everything will feel so much sweeter knowing I have appreciated even the weeds.

Toast.  There is nothing like plain toast when you just can't stomach anything, and even if it comes right back out, it isn't all that bad.  Especially when that toast is from a loaf that your girlfriend hand made for you and bought round still warm in a tea towel, then left swiftly because she knew you couldn't cope with a conversation.  Seriously, I have the best friends.

Sunshine. Spring sunshine. Warm, but not too hot.  My Honey recently laid out some pillows under a quilt on the deck which I flopped upon and It. Was. So. Good.   I almost cried.  It felt like a little present.

So, there is my "feel good" list for the day!

I'm hoping to be here in this space again soon, all going well.  Although instead of sharing my usual crafting adventures, it is more likely to be some simple snippets of my quieter days.

xx

Pixie Pants - A Giveaway!

Welcome to the Pixie Pants and Shorts Giveaway!

I hope you enjoyed seeing and "meeting" some new bloggers and makers from around the world, and seeing what they did with the patterns.  This last pic is from Viki,  who made the Pixie Shorts version.  Viki doesn't have a blog so is doing a little guest post here instead.

"I'm a mum to three little ones and live in a rural town in NZ, and in a cottage with a big over-grown garden. I like to bake cakes, take photos, and sew. I'm too nervous to sew for myself (!) but I love to sew for the kids, and use recycled fabric where possible. I came across Lisa'a etsy store when I was searching for a coat to sew for Maggie, and I loved what I saw! I made her the pixie coat and it turned out beautifully.

The pixie shorts I sewed for Maggie were easy and satisfying to make. I liked the fact that I could print out the pattern on my home printer, and stick the pattern pieces together (rather than having to enlarge on a fancy photocopier). The instructions and were clear and concise, and each step was explained thoroughly. I especially appreciated all the photos along the way too. Before long, I had myself a cute little pair of shorts, full of character and quirkiness. 

The best thing about the pattern is it's going to last a while, with sizes ranging from 6 months through to 10 years. There are also many options  you can sew these up, you can use light weight fabric for summer, or thicker fabric for winter, over tights. 

Maggie's shorts are made from an old linen skirt belonging to her great grandmother, and the pockets are made from an old top of hers. I will definitely be making more!"

Thanks Viki, I love the charcoal colour with the fun print pocket - understated yet fun and great for all seasons :)

So without further ado - lets get on to the giveaway!
Simply enter your details into the rafflecopter below to win either a copy of the Pixie Pants pattern, or the Pixie Shorts pattern.

The winner will be drawn at noon on Monday 29th September 2014.
You can also enter the giveaway on my Facebook page here.  (The rafflecopter may take a moment to load so just breathe for a moment and contemplate how wonderful life is!).

xx
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pixie Pants Blog Tour - Day 7

Today is the last day of the Pixie Pants Blog Tour before returning for the giveaway!

Hungary is our destination, where we are visiting the very talented Orsolya.   Last week she dyed her own yarn and fabric with wild buckthorn berries to knit herself a hat and make a matching scarf in the most beautiful natural greens... I am so inspired.

Orsolya loves to make soft toys and cute things like this pencil case shark, and even makes wonderful fabric pots like this one - using freehand machine stitching, so beautiful.

The Pixie Pants Orsolya made were for her daughter, which she made in a light denim for summer, which can be worn with socks and long sleeved shirt for autumn, or tights and a coat for winter.

Her beautiful photos can be found here - capturing the lazy days at the end of summer of perfectly :)  They make me long for the warmer days around the corner!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for the last day of the tour - I will be giving away a FREE copy of the Pixie Pants pattern AND the Pixie Shorts pattern!


You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.
Use the code PIXIEPANTS15 to receive 15% off pattern/s at checkout.
This code is active until Tuesday 23 September.

xx

Pixie Pants Blog Tour - Day 6

Our second to last stop on the pixie pants blog tour takes us to the USA to visit the lovely Brooke.

When Brooke isn't playing with one of her four children, she can be found in her sewing room, the kitchen, garden or out milking her goats.  How wonderful it must be to have your own milking goats - I find such an idea totally enchanting!

Brooke made a pair of Pixie Pants for her sweet girl, and you can check them out here...

Remember on Tuesday there will be a giveaway for a both the Pixie Shorts and the Pixie Pants patterns!  Yes, I will be giving away a copy of each, so be sure to stop back and enter on Tuesday.

The blog tour continues tomorrow...

Mon 15 Lisa @ Big Little
Tues 16 Leanne @ Paper Moon
Wed 17 Jenny @ Mend & Make New
Thurs 18 Leonie @ Sunshine x 3
Fri 19 Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises
Sat 20 Brooke @ Gracenuts
Mon 22 Orsolya @ Borsoo
Tues 23 Viki - posted by Big Little and a GIVEAWAY!

You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.
Use the code PIXIEPANTS15 to receive 15% off pattern/s at checkout.
This code is active until next Tuesday 23 September.

Pixie Pants and Shorts Blog Tour - Day 5

Gosh, here we are at day 5 already!   Today we are visiting Aimee from Small Steps Big Noises - love the name!  Aimee lives in New Zealand with her hubby and super cute little girl whom she often sews for.

I discovered Aimee and her lovely photography, through the 52 project - a photographic project which journals a year of your child's life by taking and posting a pic once a week. I felt like I already knew Aimee somewhat when she joined the pattern testing team and was so stoked to have her join us!

Aimee has now made three pairs!  Yep, she's officially addicted :). Two pairs of the pants and a pair of shorts which her girl just loves.  Check out Aimee's versions right here on her blog!

The blog tour continues tomorrow...

Mon 15 Lisa @ Big Little
Tues 16 Leanne @ Paper Moon
Wed 17 Jenny @ Mend & Make New
Thurs 18 Leonie @ Sunshine x 3
Fri 19 Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises
Sat 20 Brooke @ Gracenuts
Mon 22 Orsolya @ Borsoo
Tues 23 Viki - posted by Big Little and a GIVEAWAY!

You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.
Use the code PIXIEPANTS15 to receive 15% off pattern/s at checkout.
This code is active until next Tuesday 23 September.

Pixie Pants Blog Tour - Day 4

Today we are visiting the delightful Leonie who writes about her crafting adventures and her beautiful family at Sunshine x 3.

Leonie makes such an array of beautiful things - it seems like she can turn her hand to anything from birthday cakes, incredible quilts, paper piecing, crochet, embroidery and delicious cooking just to name a few!

I have the pleasure of knowing Leonie in "real life" and she is one of the kindest and most thoughtful friends one could ever wish for.  You can imagine how delighted  I was when she agreed to help me with the pixie shorts, and she did such an amazing job (as she always does!).

Leonie made some sweet little soft denim shorts for her littlest girl for summer, which are just so darned cute with tights underneath for spring!  Pop on over and check them out on her blog here - you will not want to miss how adorable her little model is :)

The patterns do come in ALL sizes from 6 months right through to age 10 - great value if you want to be able to use the same pattern for more than one member of the family :)


The blog tour continues tomorrow...

Mon 15 Lisa @ Big Little
Tues 16 Leanne @ Paper Moon
Wed 17 Jenny @ Mend & Make New
Thurs 18 Leonie @ Sunshine x 3
Fri 19 Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises
Sat 20 Brooke @ Gracenuts
Mon 22 Orsolya @ Borsoo
Tues 23 Viki - posted by Big Little and a GIVEAWAY!

You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.
Use the code PIXIEPANTS15 to receive 15% off pattern/s at checkout.
This code is active until next Tuesday 23 September.

Pixie Pants Blog Tour - Day 3

Today's stop on the Pixie Pants bog tour takes us to visit Jenny, who sews a plethora of wonderful garments for both herself and her children and shares her crafting adventures on her inspirational sewing blog Mend and Make New.

Jenny lives with her husband (she married her childhood sweetheart - how sweet!) and her three adorable children in New Zealand, who happen to be perfect little models for pixie shorts!  Jenny made two pairs of shorts, one for her "littlest" in corduroy which is perfect for spring and fall, and the other for her older girl in a light cotton for summer.

Be sure to stop by and check out Jenny's version of the Pixie Shorts on her blog Mend and Make New - right here!

The patterns do come in ALL sizes from 6 months right through to age 10 - great value if you want to be able to use the same pattern for more than one member of the family :)


The blog tour continues tomorrow...

Mon 15 Lisa @ Big Little
Tues 16 Leanne @ Paper Moon
Wed 17 Jenny @ Mend & Make New
Thurs 18 Leonie @ Sunshine x 3
Fri 19 Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises
Sat 20 Brooke @ Gracenuts
Mon 22 Orsolya @ Borsoo
Tues 23 Viki - posted by Big Little and a GIVEAWAY!

You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.
Use the code PIXIEPANTS15 to receive 15% off pattern/s at checkout.
This code is active until next Tuesday 23 September.

Pixie Pants Blog Tour - Day 2

The first stop on the Pixie Pants blog tour takes us to visit Leanne, who I met during The Hottie Project back in it's first year.  Leanne was the creative maker behind the blog "My Year of Crafting Dangerously" where she made all sorts of crafty goodness, from sewing clothes for her kids, home decor, wedding styling, crochet, you name it!

Leanne now blogs at Paper Moon Living, a heartfelt and wonderfully written lifestyle blog.  It is one of my must-read blogs and I just love it when I see a new post from her show up in my reader.

Leanne chose to sew the longer version of the Pixie Pants in a summer weight fabric - a super cute chevron print.  Be sure to stop by and check out Leanne's Pixie Pants on her blog Paper Moon Living!

I love to create versatile patterns you can use re-over and over again, and with this one you can make both winter pants and summer pants!  The patterns do come in ALL sizes from 6 months right through to age 10 - great value if you want to be able to use the same pattern for more than one member of the family too :)


The blog tour continues tomorrow...

Mon 15 Lisa @ Big Little
Tues 16 Leanne @ Paper Moon
Wed 17 Jenny @ Mend & Make New
Thurs 18 Leonie @ Sunshine x 3
Fri 19 Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises
Sat 20 Brooke @ Gracenuts
Mon 22 Orsolya @ Borsoo
Tues 23 Viki - posted by Big Little and a GIVEAWAY!

You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.
Use the code PIXIEPANTS15 to receive 15% off pattern/s at checkout.
This code is active until next Tuesday 23 September.

Pixie Pants and a Blog Hop

A long time ago, I did a wee sketch of some pixie pants I would like to make for our little girl.

Well, almost two years later they are now finally a reality!  You can read about the original idea here, but basically I wanted something super cute, but really practical.  Lots of room to move, play and accommodate a cloth nappy (yep, that is how long ago it was!). Protect knees when crawling or tree climbing and just generally a rugged yet fun design.

A kind of pantaloon style trouser which can be worn in winter over tights, or alternatively can be made in a light fabric for summer.  Of course the pattern is really versatile and they are really four season pants as corduroy is perfect for spring and autumn too.

So here they are... Big Little Pixie Pants.  The pattern is now officially in the shop along with another ... The Big Little Pixie Short.  Yes! two patterns in one week - I can barely believe it either!

Quietly over the last month or so, both the shorts and the pants pattern have been tested by the lovely and talented sewers in the new pattern testing pool, who will share pics of their finished garments with us!  Yippee!  It is always fun to see what fabrics and colours others have chosen and see them modelled by their lovely little ones.

I will also be giving away a FREE copy of each pattern at the end of the tour!

Oooh exciting......So here is the line- up!

Mon 15 Lisa @ Big Little
Tues 16 Leanne @ Paper Moon
Wed 17 Jenny @ Mend & Make New
Thurs 18 Leonie @ Sunshine x 3
Fri 19 Aimee @ Small Steps Big Noises
Sat 20 Brooke @ Gracenuts
Mon 22 Orsolya @ Borsoo
Tues 23 Viki - posted by Big Little and a GIVEAWAY!

You can purchase the Pixie Pants pattern here and the Pixie Shorts pattern here.