Gingercake

Announcing the Sew Fab Pattern Sale Spring 2014!

Coming soon, for one week only, nineteen pattern designers will be joining together to combine their best PDF sewing patterns and selling them to you for the incredible price of $29.95! That’s over 80% off of the combined retail value!

The Sew Fab Pattern Sale is the original pattern bundle sale! Grab the bundle when it goes on sale next week and you’ll be all set for the spring and summer seasons! You have to wait until next week to see which patterns are included in this spring’s bundle, but take a look below to see which designers you'll find!

I think you will be as excited as I am to see some previous favorites as well as several amazing designers that are new to the Sew Fab Sale. Greenstyle Creations, Handmade Therapy, MODKID, Everything Your Mama Made, The Scientific Seamstress, Figgy's Patterns, Two Sweets Patterns, Things for Boys, Patchwork Posse, Betz White, LBG Studio, Mouse House Creations, Gingercake, Heidi & Finn, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Terra's Treasures, Paisley Roots, Molly Blossom Designs, Sewing Mama RaeAnna. Sale sponsored by The Southern Institute.

See you right here, bright and early on Monday morning!

Aster Cardigan Testing: A new pattern from Willow & CO. from LBG studio

I was honored to test one of Vanessa's pattern contirbutions to the new Willow & Co. pattern collection to be released next week.  This is the Aster Cardigan and it is adorable!  I was asked to do the Size 10 for my big girl.  She will be 10 next month!  It is really cute and stylish...

 

These were taken before school yesterday.  It was dark and rainy outside so we took our photos in my new basement studio!  I can't wait to finally have it organized enough to share some good photos.  

Vanessa writes a beautiful and organzied pattern.  The pieces all fit together perfectly and even though I am not a big sewer of knits, this came together very nicely!  The bands at the sleeve and the nice way the placket and collar are designed make it a project that sewers of many skill levels can handle.  

I always struggle with button holes but that is not the fault of the pattern.  The fit is nice.  In these photos, she was wearing a shirt that was a little bulky, but the cardigan is meant to be fitted so next time we will put it on with a more fitted tee shirt underneath.  Next week will be the launch of Willow & Co. so be sure to be ready!

Thanks for letting me test your pattern, Vanessa!

KCW- Front Buttoned Smock

It's a sewing miracle that I participated in KCW!  I think KCW is a great idea and I love seeing all the clothes people make for their kids.  For some silly reason, I always have something else happening and I can't join in the fun.  But this year I am back...

I did another shirt from the Happy Homemade Sew Chic Kids book.  This one is called the Front-buttoned Smock.  Like the pull over parka, instructions are vague in the book, but the pattern pieces fit together beautifully and I love the finished shirt.

My middle daughter is really fun to sew for.  She loves everything and then she will always ham it up in our photo shoot.  

Actually sometimes it is hard to get her to just take regular shots so we often start taking about math class or how she did on the monkey bars during recess at school.  

Or, I have to make her sweep off the front walk!  She is a good sport though and always complies.  This is another reason that sewing for 8 year olds is awesome!  Did you read Monica's post today about a trying to get photos of her toddler?  So perfect!

I sewed this in size 8 (the largest size for this book).  I used a shirting fabric from the apparel section of Joann Fabrics.  It took a little less than a yard, which is always awesome although this fabric was 60'' wide.   When sewing for older kids, quilting cotton is just too bulky and stiff for their clothing and you really need to make the switch.  I can still get away with quilting weight for the baby though!

My buttons and placket are not perfect and I fretted a little about it.  But, in the end, I just finished the shirt even though it is flawed and it still looks great.  I love the sleeves and the pretty gathered neckline.  It is a little frilly but not too much- perfect for my easy going girl.  Thanks for getting me motivated KCW!

Simplicity Patterns and $5 Bunny Sale!

Do you remember when I announced that a few of my patterns were being published by Simplicity?  Well, that is really happening this spring!  I'm not sure when the books are available in the stores, but my pattern bundles will be included in the Summer catalog (that is released in the spring!). Here is the cover photo...

I am going to head over to my local Joann's to see if I can find it.  I can't wait to see it in person!

In other news, I am having my annual spring $5 bunny sale!  

I have been having fun promoting it on my Gingercake Facebook Page with all things bunny and bunny sewing.  Here are a few of the fun links that I have shared~  Click on the photo to go to actual link.

 
It is super fun to gather bunny info!  I'll be posting bunny throughout the sale week on my facebook page, so be sure to follow along if you want some inspiration.  

Feeling Springy! Bunnies… in the Gingercakesews shop!

It has been a long time since I actually sewed something to sell in my GingercakeSews shop!  But I am back on it and couldn't resist making bunnies from this super sweet vintage sheet fabric.

 

I had a great time sewing these up last week and remembered how fun it is to sew for your etsy shop.  I couldn't descide which color bow/ ears to make, so I chose to make yellow, orange AND pink.  

My little miss likes their pom pom tails in particular...

Head over to the Gingercakesews shop if you are interested in getting one OR head over to the pattern shop if you want to buy the pattern to make one yourself.  AND, if you are making them to sell in your etsy shop, be sure to email me so I can see your creations!  They always are a hit this time of year.

 

Where to go with all of this...

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my good friend Amy of Mindfully Made Studios.  She is a person who works hard on focus and keeping her priorities clear while still trying to nurture her creativity.  A visit with Amy always helps me to focus too, and after a long hard winter like we have had here, I am ready for some spring clean up in my cluttered creative mind and business.

The questions I ask myself are "why am I doing this business?" and "what do I hope to accomplish?"  Gingercake is a business.  And, it helps to support my family and keeps me home with my kids.  I want to create fun sewing patterns and stay true to myself and what makes me happy.  I am just a one woman show working on her sewing machine and computer in a basement studio.  The hardest thing about my job is not getting caught up in comparisons and popularity contests contributed to my required presence on social media.  You know, when you see something someone else designed and instead of saying "Wow, that is so cute.  Good for her!"  you say "Darn!  Why didn't I design that??  Maybe I shouldn't even be doing this!".

So it always helps to get back to basics.  One thing that makes me happy is sewing with really bright fabrics.  I admire all you ladies who can sew a handbag with linen and a dash of neon in the shape of a triangle and look really chic, but that is simply not my style.    

My style is PINK and GREEN and TURQUOISE and all the rest of the colors!  Knowing your own style and staying true to that style is the foundation of creating successfully, don't you think?

I sewed up this notebook slipcover for myself to help remind me of my own creative voice.  It is not for anyone but me (although both of my daughters have now begged me for it and acted shocked when I didn't just hand it over) and I didn't think at all about anyone else liking it as I put together all the colors.  Not thinking about likes on facebook and pinterest and instagram felt  great!

 The cover is made using my scraps and a HST mixture that plays around with small textured fabrics and large textured fabrics.  Nothing too fancy but still fun.  I also used piping around the edge and a bright solid green at the spine.  

I hope to use this journal to focus on my own voice and what seems fun to create for me.  I have just finished 2 really big projects (yes- books!) that have gotten my mind all mixed up on where to go with Gingercake Patterns and my sewing.  But now I am ready to slow down and find my own creative business voice again.

How do you find focus?  Do you ever find yourself sewing in style that is not your own and feeling dissatisfied with the result?  How do you deal with the gnawing voice of comparison?  Deep, I know!  But I would love to hear your perspective too.

Happy Homemade Pull-over Parka

A few months ago I purchase Happy Homemade Sew Chic Kids by Ruriko Yamada since I heard that it had been released in English.  I love the simple style and classic look of the kids clothes in this book.  Bonus- the sizing is 2 through 8 which covers most of my children.

I first made a pair of flared shorts in flannel for my 9 year old (the sizes are not hard to adjust) and they are nice but not really worth sharing on the blog since they are plain and already in the laundry bin.  But, over the weekend I made this cute pull-over parka for Anne (8 year old) and it is a big hit.  

I used a cotton lawn from the Little Lisette line at JoAnns.  It was a little slippery but really pretty.  I have more left over so you may see it again soon!  The drape is really nice and the feel of the cotton is great.

I made the bottom hem a casing for 1/4'' elastic and made faux ties on either sides.  It was a nice touch to make it a little more grown up.  

here are the versions from the book which ties in the front...

The hood is really cute and although it is small for Anne to use functionally, she says "that's ok-  it's really just for looks anyway Mom."   8 years old and she already knows that clothes are not always totally functional!

I admit that I struggled a bit to figure out how to make the neckline.  I am not a big maker of clothes so the lack of instructions in the book made it a little challenging for me.  I didn't mind figuring it out though and I really liked the result!  I wouldn't recommend the book to beginners because of the bare bones style of instructions but I really liked that since it made the project seem quicker to me.

A success!  Hopefully I will be able to sew more fun projects now that my big commitment tasks of the last several months are finished.  Have you tried this book?  What other patterns are worth making?

Philomena Fox is finally here! On Sale for one week!

Hooray!  The newest Foxy member of the Gingercake PDF Pattern Collection is finally ready!  The circular shape of Max the Owl is perfect to moonlight as a Fox and what can be better than getting 2 patterns in one package?  A Fox and Owl Team!  They are both good hunters, right?  They both live in the woods, right?  They both will love super cute on your bed or sofa, right?!

Max was my first pattern created over 5 years ago.  I will admit that his popularity has waned over the last few years.  Poor Max!  He told me he wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet though and teaming up with Philomena Fox was a great solution to keep him in the sewing pattern game.  

One of the fun parts about the fox is the trim that goes around her curved face.  It is the perfect solution for not only a great looking accent but it makes the curved seam lay nice and flat.  The finished owl and fox are 10.5'' by 10.5'' and the whole project shouldn't take you longer than a couple hours to complete.  Less if you are familiar with sewing pillows like this already.  There is also an optional pocket that you can add to the back of the pillow for special treasures.

For one week only- March 5th through March 12th, 2014, the Max the Owl and Philomena Fox PDF Sewing Pattern will be on sale for it's original price of $7.  Then, it will go up to $9 like the other patterns in the shop that have dual uses.  

Also, if you have purchased Max in the past and want this new version, email me and I will give you a special discount code to get the pattern for 50% off.  I will just need some sort of proof that you purchased the pattern before- like the reciept, order number, etc.  

Wonderful!  Head over to the shop to get the new Max and Philomena Fox PDF sewing pattern!

Heart Monster Craft

Everytime I go in for a class party, I am so grateful and amazed at the job that elementary school teachers accomplish everyday.  When you do the craft at these parties, you wonder how these women and men get anything done!  The kids are fun and awesome but the range in their ability to listen and understand is pretty broad- even on a super simple craft like the one I am about to share with you.  Teachers, I salute you yet again!

I like this because you can share it with kids who are a little older ( 7 & 8 year olds) but with help, little ones can do it too.  It is also great for boys and girls alike.  And I like that the materials are super simple and all found at my local dollar store.  Cool.  Also, your kids can spend some time playing with them after school while you chill and have a glass of wine after dealing with making crafts with 20 kids all amped up on valentine sugar.  Very Cool.

This is pretty simple so I am just going to give you an easy photo tutorial.

First, the materials~

To make this with just a few kids, they can cut out the heart, glue the googly eyes on, etc.  To make this with 20 kids in a short amount of time (like 7 very hurried minutes of a 20 minute class party), I prepped  quite a bit before I went in.  

I cut out all the hearts (in a variety of colors so they could choose), I glued the googly eyes to the styrofoam balls so they wouldn't have to wait for glue to dry, and I prepared all the TP rolls by cutting them in half and cutting out the finger circles.

The kids chose their pipe cleaner (and cut it in half) chose their googly eyes, chose their hearts, and drew the mouth and stuck on the teeth. And, of course, they assembled the monsters themselves!

I love the rainbow of teeth on this one...

Many of them decided to use the 2nd half of the pipe cleaner to make arms.  Very cute!  

The only thing about this craft with a class party is that you have to have 20+ TP rolls!  I was collecting them since I knew I wanted to do some kind of craft with them.  To reach 20, I had to cut paper towels rolls down to size and they were not as nice to use as the actual Toilet Paper rolls.  The kids did not notice at all though!

Hopefully you may find some use of this tutorial for doing some easy crafting with your kids!  

Hello Hoops

For my Handmade Arcade back in December, I made these fun Hello Hoops.  I have been buying hoops from the thrift store for years.  They are irresistable, no?  I am on a thrift store diet currently, but I still have my stock pile of hoops just waiting for something cute.  

I printed out "hello" in a nice font (i think it was little days) and then taped it to the window and put my fabric on top of it to trace it.   For some reason I always just thought of embroidery on white fabric so I liked the freedom on using bright solids instead.  I used my favroite chain stitch to outline the word except on this one below I tried out a rope stitch which was fun too.

 

I wrapped the outside hoop in 1'' strips of colorful fabric.  I ripped the strips and then just applied paste to the hoop before I wrapped them.  This way of finishing the hoops came from here.  I think the fabirc wrapping really finishes the look and brings the colors together.

The "hi" signs were obviously done the same way!  These were a fun addition to my regular bags and pillows in my booth AND I could make them while watching movies and a marathon of The Good Wife with the hubs in the weeks before the show.  After working out the kinks on the first couple, I was able to make them really fast.  I sold them for $15 to $20.  What have you found to do with your stash of hoops?  I know you have some tucked away in your craft room!