#It's my fault I chose 1024 pieces

[jemmamaas]

Bro what am I doing with my time

Update: It has been a second day and I am not proud to say I have completed it.

The board game club would be ashamed of me rn what are these hours

[aprilsimpsonhunt-blog]

Hi everyone! Welcome and thank you so much for swinging by my little internet cove! I was thrilled to get to be a part of this blog tour, and can’t wait to share what I’ve made with you!

 *Please visit all the stops on the Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour featuring Ellie and Mac spring sewing patterns (35% of right now), hosted by Seams Sew Lo. Do no forget to enter the giveaway below too!*

I’ve been following along with the different tour stops and I must say, I didn’t realize how many more patterns I need! (shouldn’t blog tours come with #enableralerts ?) I’ve done pattern testing for Lindsey (the designer behind Ellie & Mac) for quite some time now. As a result, My family & I probably have closets full of E&M patterns. (See some examples here, here, or here) For this post, though, I wanted to start fresh and use a pattern I hadn’t sewn before.  Enter the Wide Leg Pants Pattern This pattern features a looser fit (there is also a more tapered option, as well), optional drawstring, skinny yoga style waistband, cuffs and pockets. We always seem to need more pants in my household, so I’m confident that this pattern will get a ton of use!

    My son, Kalel, is 5, and a pants hater. Seriously. They’re all “too hard” (jeans), “too soft” (DBP), “too tight” (skinny pants), “too loose on top and tight on bottom” (joggers)…..etc, etc, ad nauseam. I’m just about at my wits end with the whole thing. For some reason, his teachers won’t let me drop him off at Pre-K with no pants. (who knew?) So I’m still searching for that perfect fabric/pattern combo that he will be pleased with. Now, Kalel may not love pants, but he’s a sucker for pockets (like mother, like son). I chose this pattern because pockets. Also, because it was a new style that we hadn’t tried before. I love that they’re less fitted, but still a bit structured, making them perfect for school days or even dinners/event, if done in the right fabric. 

    Since he always nixes my fabric choices, I tried one that was new to us, re-purposing an old pair of pants that never fit quite right. The material is a cross between a liverpool & a heavy stretch denim. I’ve never seen anything like it, but loved it. (the only reason I hung onto a pair of ill-fitting pants for 5 years. haha)  I simply cut the pants open along all the seams (no time for seam ripping here!) and laid out my pattern pieces along the curves that were most similar.  I didn’t have enough of the fabric left over after cutting out the four leg pieces, so I used some of my white double brushed poly scraps for the waistband and pockets. Normally, DBP isn’t a fabric I would have chosen for these pieces (it lacks the structure to pull them off), but the scraps were from Aurora Design Fabrics panels and therefore pretty thick and lush. Perfect for a super comfy waistband and soft pockets.

The pants came together quickly and easily. The pattern instructions were clear and concise, and the step by step photos helped enormously. I love that these are made by sewing the legs together, then the crotch curve, then the inseam. For some reason, any time I do those steps in any other order, my inseam ends up not matching. I opted to leave off the drawstring  lest I give him something else to complain about. After finishing up his pair, I went off in search of another E&M pattern to sew up and write about. While searching, I found a royal blue scuba from Aurora Design Fabrics in my stash that looks almost identical in color to the fabric I had used for his pants. It was only about a half yard, but with the 4 way stretch, I was easily able to accommodate the pattern pieces for a pair of the pants in a size 2T for my daughter, Aquila.

    I used the same white DBP for her waistband and pockets, so that her pants would be identical to her brother’s. I love when I can find an excuse for the two of them to match! Aquila’s pair came out a tad big, but that was my fault for not measuring her exactly. She’s been growing like a weed, though, so I’m sure they will fit perfectly sometime next week. 😉 She isn’t as easy to photograph as her brother. Something about being 2. I had forgotten how impossible it is to get toddlers to sit (or stand) still for any amount of time. Trying to get these photos was quite fun/crazy/hilarious. It had been raining for 3 days straight, so we were stuck indoors. I figured I would manage to get at least a few decent pics if I let them have some fun, jumping on the bed. When that didn’t work, I used an age old photography trick that I learned recently in the PDF Pattern Photography Posse Facebook Group. Need to photograph a toddler? Turn on burst/continuous mode and stick them somewhere where they can’t run. Just be sure to grab the shots fast, before they realize they’re stuck. 😉 

I had so much fun creating, photographing and writing to share with you all today!

Thank you for stopping by to read! Please be sure to say hi and let me know what you think! Do you like to make matching sets of things when you sew? I would love to hear from you! Please sure to enter the giveaway and get in on the pattern sale! There are tons of great things to make at Ellie & Mac. Her prices are already budget friendly. At sale prices, their truly phenomenal! 🙂 I leave you with our outtakes:

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Pattern used: Ellie and Mac Boy’s Wild Wide Leg Pants Pattern

Fabric used: Royal Blue Scuba from Aurora Design Fabrics

Facebook Group: Ellie & Mac Patterns Facebook Group

To read about Aquila’s shirt (also handmade): Watercolor Fandom Round: Aurora Design Fabrics

  Here are all the stops on the Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour. All Ellie and Mac spring sewing patterns are 35% off right now! Thank you to our host, Seams Sew Lo. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below too!

  February 3rd: Seams Sew Lo (Intro)

February 4th: Seams Sew Lo

February 5th: Violets and Jewels

February 6th: Threadistry

February 7th: Mama Can Make it

February 8th: My Crazy Crafty Beautiful Life

February 9th: Aurora Designs

February 10th: Flaxfield Sewing

February 11th: Floral and Flannel

February 12th: FABulous Home Sewn

February 13th: Minns Things

February 14th: Our Play Place

February 15th: Tenille’s Thread

February 16th: Seams Like Style

February 17th: Hutsepruts

February 18th: Candi Couture Designs

February 19th: My Sewing Roots

February 20th: Manning the Machine

February 21st: Stitched by Jennie

February 22nd: Kathy’s Kwilts and More

February 23rd: Sewjourns

**YOU ARE HERE**** February 24th: Mermaid Mama Designs

February 25th: Fee Bricolo

February 26th: Oak Blue Designs

February 27th: Big Fly Notions

February 28th: Sewing Blue

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

    **some of the links in this post are affiliate links. These links serve to give me credit for any referrals/sales that come from my posts. They aren’t big, but each and every single one adds up and helps me continue sewing! Thank you so much for your support. If you would like to know how the affiliate links work, please read our terms and conditions/privacy policy , comment below, or email me at Mermaidmamadesigns@gmail.com . Thank you so much for your support!

Blog Tour: Get Ready for Spring with Seams Sew Lo, Ft Ellie & Mac Patterns Hi everyone! Welcome and thank you so much for swinging by my little internet cove! I was thrilled to get to be a part of this blog tour, and can't wait to share what I've made with you!