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And the winner of 5 Heidi & Finn Patterns is...

Monday, March 11, 2013


Zafarani (Karly) who said "This is my favorite pattern and I can't WAIT for the bigger size to come out! I love their patterns!"

Congratulations!  E-mailing you now...







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Ruffle Top Pattern Giveaway

Sunday, March 10, 2013





The Ruffle Top will be available for purchase tomorrow, but I'm thinking why not get things started a little early and offer a free pattern to three of my wonderful readers?  This confident beginner to intermediate level PDF pattern includes sizes 18 months to 8 years, and is customizable in so many ways.  I know it will make a great addition to any pattern collection.  The Ruffle Top pattern testers had a lot of fun with it, and I know you will, too!
**giveaway now closed**
To ENTER you must:
1.   Follow Elegance & Elephants 
OR
Like Elegance & Elephants on Facebook

2.  Leave a comment

This giveaway will be open until 10pm EST on Tuesday, March 12.

Looking forward to announcing the randomly chosen winners on Wednesday, March 13.

Good luck!

Sew in Tune - Mr Roboto

Just bringing home my outfit & tutorial originally posted for Sew in Tune.  Hope everyone's having a great weekend!


Hi Everyone!  I'm Heidi from Elegance & Elephants thrilled to be here for Sew in Tune!  I love music...in fact, I was a choir and band schoolteacher for years prior to being a crafty stay-at-home mom, so being inspired by music is something that comes naturally to me.  This project however, steered me in a different direction than my typical musical genres, since it all started with some Robert Kaufman fabric my son begged me to get him: Robot Factory.  And what song instantly popped into my head?  Well, none other than, Mr. Roboto by the Styx.  Having grown up in the 80s with an older brother, I was exposed his taste in music, and this song was one that was often played on the ghetto blaster.  If you're curious what it sounds like, check out the video.  Be prepared for 80s hair, style, and video quality.  It's quite something to behold, but the tune is catchy!!

Now, about the outfit...well, since I didn't want to make pjs again, I decided to subtly incorporate Robot Factory throughout the ensemble.  The shirt features a contrasting button placket and a little robot friend poking out of the pocket.  Orange thread was used for all the hems and topstitching, along with navy blue jersey for the pocket and elbow patches, upcycled from a shirt that's been outgrown.


Tobias requested that the pants NOT have a zip fly, so, I made an elastic waistband, using the inspiration fabric on the inside.  It was also used for the inside lining of the front pockets.  

His newest little plushie friend, Mr. Roboto, was created for this outfit as well and now sleeps comfortably with all the elephants on Tobias' bed.  The free downloadable pdf pattern & template with tutorial for the Mr. Roboto plushie is available at E & E.

I modified these two patterns for the shirt and pants: Play Date V-Neck Tee and Clean Slate Pants.



And just in case you're wondering how to make a contrasting placket, here's the tutorial...





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That's it!  And remember, if you're sewing this for a girl, reverse it, so the contrasting fabric is on the opposite side.

Thank you so much for having me here today!  


Elegance & Elephants

The Fabulous Ruffle Top Testers

Friday, March 8, 2013
I am so incredibly excited to share with you the wonderful creations the Ruffle Top pattern testers made.  These ladies did an amazing job, and I've been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to be able to show off what they did with the pattern.  Without further ado, here they all are...

The A Line Dresses

Ajaire from Call Ajaire
I love Ajaire's use of contrasting fabric for the armhole, hem, and button loop.  Just gorgeous!


This beautiful yellow fabric was a great choice for Annika's precious cutie!

Evie from Pendle Stitches
Right on trend, Evie chose a nautical print for her dress.  It's suits her sweet daughter perfectly!

Love the print Hillary chose and how she tied it in front with pink.  So cute!



Rebecca
Rebecca's sweet baby girl modelling some houndstooth...isn't she adorable?!


Love the styling and aubergine print paired with olive green for Sally's creation!

The Tunics

Amy from Sews N Bows
Amy did a lovely job using a beautiful vintage floral print for her tunic.


Alexia from Ty Bebe Photography
In case you missed my post earlier this week, here's a few more gorgeous shots by Alexia.  Stunning!


Chris
Chris did an impeccable job with her tunic.  Nicely done with the contrasting ruffles!


Mie from Sewing Like Mad
Overdose of cuteness on Mie's tunic!  Love her detailing and use of contrast.


Seriously...can Suzanne's cutie girl be any sweeter in her Ruffle Top & jeggings?!

The Swing Dresses

Barbara
Barbara's adorable daughter looks all ready for summer in this beautiful Swing dress.  Those colours are perfect!

Bernadette's Swing dress is layered with chiffon.  So beautifully whimsical and I love that emerald sash!

Chloe from Deadly Craft
How pretty is Chloe's creation, in this navy & white dandelion print!?  And it passes the twirl test! :)

Olga from Kid Approved
 And last but most certainly not least, is Olga's beautifully made Swing dress.  Lovely!

Are you as incredibly impressed as I am!?  I can't thank these ladies enough for patiently working with me on this first pattern.  There is so much detail work that goes into this process, and there's no way I could pull it off on my own.  Their feedback has made it possible for me to take this pattern to the next level...something I couldn't have done without them.  So, ladies, my humble thanks to each one of you and your lovely daughters.

Final touches are being made...watch for the Ruffle Top pattern release on Monday!











Calling All Kids at Alida Makes

Thursday, March 7, 2013
Today you'll find me guesting over at Alida Makes for her Calling All Kids series.  Who says fedoras are only for boys?!





And if you haven't entered the giveaway for 5 Heidi & Finn patterns...make sure you do!  Only a few days left to enter.


Heidi & Finn Pattern Review and Giveaway

Monday, March 4, 2013



When asked if I'd like to review the recently updated Urban Hoodie by Heidi & Finn, plus offer a giveaway (giveaway has closed) and coupon code for my readers, it was so easy to say YES!  I mean, I love Heidi & Finn patterns, and I love giving you free stuff!

Here are just a few examples of  Heidi & Finn's modern, classic patterns.



Head over to the Heidi & Finn shop, and if you want to pick out some patterns, here's a sweet deal for E&E readers: if you spend $18 on patterns (which works out to about 3 patterns depending on which ones you choose), you get to pick a 4th for free!  Just mention the code FREEPATTERNE&E along with the name of the free pattern you'd like in the note to seller when you check out.  Coupon valid until Monday, March 11.


The Urban Hoodie pattern was a breeze to sew and will most definitely get a lot of use around here (especially since it's so perfectly suited for boys and girls).  The fact that it is fully lined gives plenty of opportunity to experiment with contrasting fabrics, too, so I had a little fun with that.  I also really liked the fact that when you work through the pattern, there are many tips & tricks for working with knits that you could use for other projects, as well.  Got to love a pattern that actual teaches you something as you sew!  And now the sizing options have been increased to include 6 months all the way up size 12!

I made a size 5T for Tobias (he'll be five in a couple months) and it fits him very well.  The fabric is up-cycled from one of my hoodies with jersey knit for the lining (green front/back and white in the sleeves).  Using a 50/50 mix of acrylic and fabric paint, I stencilled the elephant print for the hood lining.  And here is how it turned out...








**This giveaway has closed**

And now for the giveaway... one lucky reader will receive a 
5 pattern pack from  Heidi & Finn!

To ENTER you must:
1.   Follow Elegance & Elephants 
OR
Like Elegance & Elephants on Facebook

2.  Follow Heidi & Finn

OR
Like Heidi & Finn on Facebook

3.  Head over to the Heidi & Finn shop, and leave a comment below this post telling me which pattern is your favourite.

This giveaway will be open until 10pm EST on Sunday, March 10.

The winner will be chosen randomly and
announced on Monday, March 11.


Good luck!

First Ruffle Top Tester Photos

Saturday, March 2, 2013






Alexia, who blogs over Ty Bebe Photography sent me these gorgeous photos of her completed Ruffle Top tunic.  She did such a beautiful job!  More tester photos to come in the next few days.

You'll be able to make yours in a couple weeks when this first E&E pattern is released!


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