The Pensacola Beach Petal Top

Recently, I was lucky enough to be chosen to be a pattern tester for the amazing Seaside Notions. Owner, Nicola is possibly one of the sweetest people I have come to know in my short time as a pattern tester.

When I saw the call for a new pattern she needed testing, I jumped at the chance. The pattern we tested was the Pensacola Beach Petal Top.  What a fun and easy sew! If you've never tested patterns before or want to know a little more about it let me tell you. Once pattern testers are chosen, we joined a facebook group where we could privately show of progress pictures of our work and ask questions or make suggestions if something wasn't clear. Our feedback helped Nicola come up with the perfect pattern that is now on sale for $5.50 through Labor Day 2015.

As you can see, we opted to go for a Halloween theme. I swear, my daughter would wear anything remotely Halloween related year-round. Ok, so maybe she gets that from her mama. ;-) She picked out all the fabric and cute little pumpkin button to go on the front. There are several customization options as far as hem and trim and sleeve options. We decided to go with flutter sleeves and a regular hemmed petal. Other options include sleeveless or capped sleeves and you can either finish off the edge with a hem, or bias tape or maybe even a cute finished edge lace. 

What's great about this pattern is that it can be easily adjusted for hard to fit kids. Need a 2T bodice but a size 5 length? No problem, it's super easy to do! This is certainly a great pattern for a beginner, especially if you really want to make yourself feel like you've accomplished something gorgeous! It looks harder than it is! ;-)

-Katie xoxo

The Easy Peasy Skirt and Knot Headband

I just had the pleasure of testing the Easy Peasy skirt and know headband from designer Rebecca Page of Mummykins & Me. I LOVE this skirt and so does my daughter. It was a really fast sew. It's great for a confident beginner because of the way the elastic is encased in the waistband. It makes for a very clean seam when attached to the skirt. But you'll have to buy the pattern to find out more! ;-)

If you aren't very sewing inclined and would like to purchase a finished skirt and headband, feel free to follow my shop Fox & Moose Clothing.

The headband is great too because it's dual sided to match the fabrics in the skirt. Plus, since you tie it on, it's really easy to get a great fit for your head.

-xoxo Katie

Bellamie Boo Basic Swinging Dress

I adore the rockabilly style so when I was chosen to test the Bellamie Boo Basic Swinging dress for my daughter, I was elated. This pattern is great for someone who has some sewing confidence as you will be working with gathering in the skirt and shirring in the back. Sadly I don't have any pics of my back shirring. I'll have to remember to get some and add them later.

This dress is perfect for your sassy girl. But it also comes in ladies sizes too and it is one I definitely want to make for myself in the future. One thing I will mention, when sewing the little collar bit, I sewed it down all the way around. I as well as many of the ladies in my test group were having problems with it sticking up. Since it does not have a real function, I felt that tacking it down all around was ok.

This lovely little frock does feature a tie halter, but I have been thinking of making one with an elastic band so my daughter can get it on and off by herself. If I do, I will post a tutorial as to what I did!

-xoxo Katie

The Skater Skirt and Seattle Skirt

If you are in the market for the quickest and cutest sew, check out Peekaboo Patterns Skater Skirt for girls of Seattle Skirt for ladies. I tested out both the size 5 and the ladies version. From print to finsih, I think the whole process took me about 20 minutes. Seriously, if you need a great fabric buster and a cute skirt to wear to something in an hour, this is the one for you!

For myself, I chose to do the entire skirt in knit. I also found that the size I chose was a bit large on me. I'll probably size down a few sizes next time. However, for my daughter, I used the knit waistband with a woven cotton skirt. I love the twirl and drape of it. I have already made her several in all my different prints. This is for sure going to be a staple in my sewing routine!

-xoxo Katie

Nice To Meet Me...

Hi everyone! My name is Katie and I thought I would start a blog. I plan to use it mostly for promoting and showing off all the wonderful clothes I make and the fun patterns I get to test. I'd like to tell you a little about me.

I am mom to two wonderful crazy kids. Miss K is currently 4.5 years old and Mr. M is just over 1 year old. I am also wife to Jason. He is a pretty cool guy. Jason likes to play video game sin his free time and watch football. I used to play video games and then the kids came along. So, I started making cute clothes! I actually used to be a professional video game player in the MLG. So that's kind of interesting, heh!

So why the name of my blog? Because I can only sew barefoot. I don't know. It's just kind of my thing. Something about being able to feel the foot pedal and the control better. I cannot sew with shoes on. Call me crazy, but I have been known to walk around with only a left shoe on when I'm sewing...if I have any shoes on at all.

I live in Texas so it's basically hot all the time, up until Mid-October through till March. We don't have a long fall/winter season. I wish we did. I love boots, cardis, and skinny jeans. But, if you are like most texans, as soon at the temps hit about 70 it's time to dawn the fall wardrobe.

I love meeting fellow sewists so please feel free to send me an email or comment! If you have any questions, I would always love to help if I can!

-Katie xoxo