Freddie Shortalls

My newest pattern is now available - the Freddie Shortalls.  

I think this is my favourite of the Townmouse patterns for little boys.

The shortalls are very simple to sew and look cute on their own, or layered over a shirt or tee.

These two little boys of mine are now teenagers - both over six foot tall.  Yikes.

This pattern uses shirring elastic to provide gentle gathering at the back waist.  If you haven't sewn with shirring elastic, my pattern links to this video which is a useful guide to getting the elastic to behave for you.

During the testing of the pattern, one of my testers used an alternative to the shirring elastic which I thought was genius and works just as well. This clever seamstress didn't have shirring elastic on hand so stitched a channel for regular quarter inch elastic instead.

To make the shortalls this way you will need regular quarter inch elastic.

Simply stitch two parallel lines slightly wider than the width of the elastic, parallel to the top of the shortalls according to pattern markings, catching the facing.  

Attach one end of the elastic to a safety pin and thread the elastic through the channel, between the shortalls and facing.  Remove the safety pin and stitch the channel closed at this end, securing the elastic in place.

Now you can gently pull the elastic until the shortalls have gathered to the desired amount.  Then stitch the elastic in place at the other end of the channel.  Cut off the excess elastic.

 

Eloise Gathered Top PDF pattern now available

I'm very happy to announce that my latest pattern, the Eloise Gathered Top, is now available in my Etsy store.

After lots of requests for this pattern, I pushed it to the top of the list of patterns to digitise.  

This has been a favourite of Adelaide's too, as it is easy to slip on and off and is comfortable to wear.  She particularly loves it in Amy's pretty voile fabric, pictured below.

I think you will love sewing this pattern.  It's quick to whip up and suits seamstresses of all abilities.  You can also add pretty details like trim to the sleeves, trim to the bodice or pin tucks.

I particularly love a fuller style top like this with the Chloe and Cooper Cuffed Pants on younger girls.  You can buy the two patterns together and save 10%.

Adelaide wore this top style a lot in her first few years.  And she's still wearing it now in the larger sizes. (That's her in both photos above.)

New Townmouse patterns in Paperie by Amy Sinibaldi

Who doesn't love Amy's blog NanaCompany? And if a beautiful blog isn't enough to satisfy you, there is her book and now her fabric collection. Paperie is Amy's debut fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics.

Amy very kindly asked me if I would like to participate in her Paperie blog tour.  Absolutely!  I was very excited to receive some yardage of the pretty print Eponine in voile.

I couldn't wait to start playing with this fabric and thought I'd test my two new upcoming patterns in it.

This is the Eloise Top.  Since I released my pattern for the Cuffed Pants I've had many enquiries about a pattern for the pictured accompanying top.  With so many requests for it I pushed this pattern to the top of the "to be released" queue.

The paperie voile is a lovely weight to sew little tops with. Adelaide absolutely loves this fabric so was very excited to get some new clothes in it.

You can see how pretty this print is up close.

The other thing I love about Amy's fabric range is how easily it blends with so many unexpected colours.

I pulled lots of fabrics from my stash that worked with Eponine, but in the end went with this raspberry dot fabric that is leftover from my range production a few years back. This is the Sienna Gathered Skirt which you first saw here.

I've struggled to get this skirt off Adelaide in the last few days of the summer holidays. There's something about a full skirt that always appeals to little girls I've found.

Now the Paperie skirt and top are hanging on Adelaide's wardrobe door.  They look so pretty together, I didn't want to put them away with her other clothes.

These two patterns will be released in the coming weeks. Please follow TownmousePatterns on Instagram or here on the blog for release details. In the meantime, order your Paperie fabric before this pretty range sells out.

You can find  all the lovely creations that are being made for the Paperie blog tour by clicking on the links below.

January 25 ~ Heidi Staples of fabricmutt.blogspot.com

January 26 ~ Kerry Goulder of kidgiddy.com

January 27 ~ Cheri Lehnow of tinkerwiththis.blogspot.com

January 28 ~ Sharon Holland of SharonHollandDesigns.com

January 29 ~ Jemima Flendt of tiedwitharibbon.com

January 30 ~ Michelle Curtis of chellesquilts.com

February 1 ~ Christina Egner of onelittlepooh.net

February 2 ~ Ali Brorsen of BecauseofBrennaClothing.com

February 3 ~ Kristine Lempriere of townmouse.typepad.com

February 4 ~ Nicole Young of lillyella.com

February 5 ~ Lori Landenburger of sewpsyched.blogspot.com

February 6 ~ Jennifer Chon of sunnyincal.com

February 8 ~ Melissa LeRay of ohhowsweet.com

February 9 ~ Megan Jimanez of quiltstory.blogspot.com

February 10 ~ Faith Essenburg of saranaave.wordpress.com

February 11 ~ Renee Lange of sewnwithgrace.com

February 12 ~ Sedef Imer of downgrapevinelane.com

February 13 ~ Kristyne Czepuryk of prettybyhand.com

February 15 ~ Heather Andrus of quiltstory.blogspot.com

February 16 ~ Stacy Olson of stacyolsondesign.com

February 17 ~ Erin Cox of whynotsew.blogspot.com

February 18 ~ Amy Sinibaldi of nanaCompany.typepad.com

A fabulous Adelaide sundress

Well the summer has passed by in a blur.  Our family was away at the beach for most of it and the weather was fabulous for a change.

We had lovely days out on the bay, swimming off boats and catching up with friends.  It was blissful.  

There were some Townmouse items to be spotted on Adelaide to be sure.  Above is one of my favourites: the Isabella top variation in a very pretty Liberty.

But in my haste to escape to the beach, I forgot to share with you a very clever version of the Adelaide sundress made by Nicola before Christmas, showcased on her sewing blog CreatNic.

Nicola also shared this fabulous dress on the Townmouse Patterns Facebook Group (have you joined?).

If you have your own lovely creation made from Townmouse patterns we'd love to see it on the Facebook Group page.

Also take a peek at Nicola's Isabella Flutter Sleeve Top on her gorgeous daughter too.

Christmas Stocking pattern

Can you believe we are already in December?

It's high time I mentioned there is a (not-so) new pattern in my Etsy store for the very popular Christmas Stocking.

This stocking is the perfect size to hold a few treasures on Christmas morning.  It has a hanging loop with button closure so you can loop it through a fireplace mantle bracket or door handle. The stocking is lined for extra strength.

These were such popular items when I sold them as part of my range.  I still have customers asking me about them as their family has grown and they need another stocking for another wee bub.

There are so many ways you can personalise these.  A linen version would be lovely with a cross stitched initial. Armed with some waste canvas and a few cross stitch motifs you could add snowflakes or other Christmassy details.

You could use up your favourite fabric scraps and do a patchwork cuff instead of the pictured gingham.

This would also be a fun project for children to practice their sewing skills on.

Pattern pairs and trios

I've grouped my patterns together in my Etsy store so you can save when you buy in multiples.

There are pattern pairs at 10% off.

And a trio of girl's patterns at 20% off.

If you're sewing for boys, this pattern pair is the one for you.

New Cuffed Pants Pattern

October went by in a blur of travel and general business.  Will and I managed to head away on holiday to Morocco, which was divine.  On the way home he had a couple of meetings in Copenhagen and Prague so we had two nights apiece in those cities.  Copenhagen was my favourite and we can't wait to go back and explore more of Scandinavia.

Now it seems like the end of the year is rapidly approaching. 

I snuck this pants pattern into my store a few weeks ago. It and the Adelaide sundress have been the most popular patterns according to my store stats.  I love this pattern. Adelaide lived in these when she was a toddler.  I found them indispensable and the perfect solution when she was crawling.

They feature two back pocket options - a gathered pocket and a plainer pocket - so that when their bottoms are in the air as bubs scoot around on the floor there is a cute detail to see.

These pants take no time to make, with no tricky closures. You don't even have to sew buttonholes, as the button closure on the cuff is faux.

A denim pair with Liberty cuff and pocket would be rather fun to make.

These baby cord ones were snuggly and warm for winter.

A number of people have asked me about the little white top featured in the first and fourth photo.  It's on the list of patterns to publish but won't be available until next year.  The Matilda Gypsy Top starts in size 6 months and is a cute top to pair with the cuffed pants.

I've paired them together in my store with 10% off when you buy the two together.

When you sew the pants, please share your finished garments in the Townmouse Patterns Facebook Group. We'd love to see your work.

More summer sewing

Will has taken the boys to a friend's farm for a few days so I've had plenty of time for sewing.  Adelaide has joined me in the attic studio and has made a skirt for her teddy.

While tidying up fabric I came across this recent Liberty purchase and decided then and there that I had to make it into something.

I made the Isabella variation. Did you know that when you buy the Isabella Flutter Sleeve Top you get a bonus second file that includes this version as well?

It's a little warmer today so Adelaide was happy to explore the garden in summer clothes.

She was wary of a pile of slaters we unearthed near the side gate so is looking a bit tentative here.

I might even have enough of this fabric left over to make a little frilled bikini bottom.

See more pretty garments here.

A Facebook group for Townmouse Pattern enthusiasts

I have created a Facebook group for seamstresses sewing with Townmouse Patterns.

I'd love you to share your finished garments in the group.  It's also a place to ask questions and interact with other seamstresses.  This is a closed group, so only members of the group will see your posts.  They won't appear in your own feed which means you won't bore your non-sewing friends with photos of fabric and patterns!

I really get so excited when I see my patterns made up by other clever creators, so for selfish reasons I'd love to see your photos.

Another point to mention is that I am happy for my patterns to be used for small scale production. If you are selling children's wear at markets or elsewhere, please post about it in the group.  I will do my best to help spread the word on Instagram and elsewhere.

An Adelaide Sundress in Portugal

The talented seamstress Ana Sofia from S is for Sewing has been at it again.  I love everything Ana Sofia makes and her fabric choices are always very appealing to me.  The pretty fabric she has chosen for the Adelaide Sundress is no exception.

I love seeing this pattern on little girls around the world.  I wish I had published it sooner so those of you in the Northern Hemisphere could have enjoyed it for summer.

You can enjoy 10% off this pattern and all others in my store for the month of September with the discount code ADELAIDE. You might want to buy now and file this pattern away for your Spring.

Again, thanks Ana Sofia for your impeccable sewing and pretty fabric selections.

An upcoming pattern for little ones

I stayed up way too late last night happily engrossed in some embroidery.  It's been a long time since I've done any hand stitching. 

Fortunately my stitching didn't look too bad in the bright light of day.

I'm putting together a little pattern for what I like to call a "smock bib".

It's essentially a bib with sleeves.  I don't know about you, but I found my babies' sleeves always got covered in their food and their tops were often left with stained cuffs.  The Smock Bib is the answer to that dilemma. Ingenious no?

Just pop baby's arms into the sleeves and tie the bib at the back of the neck.

These are also a really fun project to use up small scraps of fabric with.  And as I have, you can have a lot of fun personalising and embellishing them.

This pattern will come in two sizes: 6 to 12 months, and 12 to 24 months.  Let's face it, by the time they're two, children shouldn't be getting food all over their sleeves so those sizes should see you through.

For those of you who make to sell at craft markets, this will be a pretty pattern with which to create some cute wares for you to sell don't you think?

A beautiful adaptation of the Adelaide Sundress and a tutorial to do it yourself

Hello dear readers. A few posts back I promised I would show you how to adjust your Adelaide sundress to make the pattern as a top.

I'm very excited to show you the most perfect version of the pattern made up by the very talented seamstress Angie from blog Edith and Eloise.

Seriously.  How divine is that photo!  The light, Angie's beautiful daughter, the fringed boots - I just adore everything about it. Clearly Angie is not only a talented seamstress.  Her photos are breathtaking.

So let's get to it.  I've put together a very quick and simple tutorial that shows you how to adapt the dress pattern to make a top.

If you have any problems following the steps, please email me (link at top of left sidebar).  I was so excited to show you Angie's pretty top that I put this tutorial together very quickly.

See more photos of Angie's clever sewing on her blog Edith and Eloise.  Thanks Angie for making the pattern look so beautiful.

You can buy your Adelaide sundress pattern here.