Fall. I just love fall. So today in honor of the season we are taking a look at the Autumn Shelley by Felicity Patterns. Be ready for photo overload as we just had a great time on the photoshoot with this one. Baby girl just loves Fall, well really the leaves, too!

Now this cute little pattern gives a classy yet vintage feel with many options. It comes in sizes 1-8yrs and the sizing is spot on! The options included are button closure (no button hole though!), zipper closure, long sleeve, short sleeve, plain or decorative stitching pleats, and dress or shirt length. The pattern also goes through how to add lace to the neckline and long sleeves for an even fancier feel. The level of sewing on this pattern is advertised as intermediate and I think that is very true. With the pleating, edge stitching, facings and other features, you do need to have a good grasp on sewing prior to completing this pattern.

In order to go through each option the pattern includes 3 tutorials. This is definitely one pattern you should read before you start sewing so you know what to expect. You may need to jump around the different tutorials in order to get the instructions on the options you chose. Yes it was a bit inconvenient, but there were many options to cover. The way the pattern is written is a bit different than most patterns I have done. Some very important info like which seams are what seam allowance (pay special attention to these as they aren’t all the same), printing instructions, and sizing chart are all at the end of the tutorials rather than in the front.

You ready to hear a little about my version? My girl is just getting into size 12mo clothes, so I made her a size 1. The fit is great! A little roomy, but again, that is because she is just getting into size 12mo. For fabric I chose a fall floral and accented it with a green flannel center panel. I decided to do just plain pleats with no decorative stitching as well. Now when sewing the center panel to the side panels make sure you pin from the hem up to the neckline. This will make them line up correctly. If you go from the neckline down, they will not line up and you will have to seam rip. Just ask me how I know… Anyways, in the tutorial it calls for an elastic casing on the inside of the sleeve so that there is elastic around the wrist. I chose not to put the elastic in as I just love the bell sleeves, especially with the little shoulder poof that was created by the gathers. Just darling!

The end result is just stunning. A simple elegance just radiates off this dress. Now that I have made one and have gotten used to the tutorial layout I could certainly make another in half the time. This really is a perfect little dress for autumn and even though I did have a little trouble with the tutorials, it was so worth it in the end!

I can’t believe I forgot to post this yesterday.  I was a guest poster yesterday over on the Get Your Crap Together Blog.  She is hosting an awesome series called the 31 Days of Halloween.  This series features a post everyday in October featuring a great fall or Halloween craft/tutorial/idea. Head on over an check it out!  I had a little photography fun on my day!

October 1st…The time when we all start thinking about what the heck we are going to do for Halloween. Of course our plans are quickly changed by the demands of our little humans. Then the head scratching starts as we try to figure, “How am I going to make that??” Well here to help us all out is an awesome blog tour hosted by Stephanie over at Swoodson Says! This is going to be a very fun event focusing on using non-costume PDF patterns to make Halloween costumes and/or accessories. I really can’t wait to see all the creativity myself!

But first we interrupt this blog post for a very important message! There has been a UNICORN spotting in New England!! I even had the pleasure of observing this little magical creature in its natural habitat. Proof that unicorns do exist!

Ok, ok, yes I even got a little creative too! I knew I wanted a sweatshirt and pant for this hack and I quickly settled on two awesome patterns by Little Kiwis Closet. The first pattern is the Peekaboo Pocket pants. This comes in sizes 0-5yrs. I just love the little pocket on these and the fit… just amazing!! The hoodie is the Street Smart Sweatshirt Collection. This collection comes in sizes NB-12yrs and has a ton of options! I wanted all embellishments to stay on the hoodie so I needed a longer hoodie. For that reason the hi-lo hem line on the Street Smart collection was perfect!

Now let’s look at the details shall we? I made both the pants and hoodie out of micro fleece. Perfect to keep baby girl warm while Trick or Treating on a cold October night. The mane and tail are also made of micro fleece cut into 1/2″ strips. The mane is the easiest to create as you place the pieces in-between the hood pieces when sewing it up. When you flip it right side out, it’s an instant mane! For the horn, it’s just a triangle filled with stuffing to get it into the shape of the cone. I did add the detail of the swirl around it for fun! I then added the horn to the hood using a ladder stitch (hand sewing stitch). I’m going to skip over to the tail real quick. For the tail it was again strips of 1/2″ micro fleece sewn into a bias like strip. I then made that strip into a circle and ladder stitched that to the back of the sweatshirt. Now for the ears. They are the trickiest part of the whole outfit!

Here is a quick and dirty tutorial for the ears. First you want to cut two pieces of your main fabric and two pieces of your contrast fabric in a shape like this: Take one of each piece and sew them right sides together. Turn and topstitch. Now fold your ear piece so that the inner ear is folded on itself. You now sew a straight line across the folded ear parallel to the bottom of the ear. Depending on how big or little you want your ear make the parallel line closer to the top or the bottom of the ear. Below your line of stitching you now have a folded piece. You are going to cut a straight line right down the folded part so that both sides separate. Now take your ear to your hood and zig zag stitch around the square you just made at the bottom of the ear. That’s pretty much it! Clear as mud right? I would have done a picture tutorial but I forgot to take pictures when sewing! Oops.

A little creativity goes a long way! I deffinately loved the challenge and most importantly baby girl loves it too! The fun doesn’t stop here though. There is also a giveaway. Time for a virtual Trick or Treating scavenger hunt. Donors and bloggers, myself included, have hidden an icon in a September post. Your job is to find the icon and fill out a Google form with the URL from where you found it. Enter the a Rafflecopter giveaway
and if you have the places correct you may win 1 of 3 awesome prize packs! The tour goes from October 1-15th so make sure you are keeping up to date. Here are all stops on the tour and a little bit more about the scavenger hunt:

Blog Tour!

Wednesday, October 1st: Rebekah Sews & Dog Under My Desk

Thursday, October 2nd: Friends Stitched Together & Sew Pandi

Friday, October 3rd: That’s What She Crafted & Everything Your Mama Made & More

Monday, October 6th: Shawnta Sews & Handmade Boy

Tuesday, October 7th: Muse of the Morning & Swoodson Says

Wednesday, October 8th: Call Ajaire & Sew McCool

Thursday, October 9th: Once Upon A Sewing Machine & imagine gnats

Friday, October 10th: The Sewing Geek & Feather’s Flights

Monday, October 13th: Get Your Crap Together & Needle and Ted

Tuesday, October 14th: The Shaffer Sisters & The Inspired Wren

Wednesday, October 15th: Pattern Revolution & Just Joshin

Scavenger Hunt!

Time to go trick or treating! Use the Rafflecopter below for a digital scavenger hunt. You’ll be looking at each blog’s posts for the month of September to find this icon:

for a chance to win one of THREE awesome sewing prize packs! Three winners will be chosen randomly (and their form completion verified) and emailed within 3 days of the hunt’s closure.

A big thank you to all the sponsors who donated prizes!

Pack 1 { $30 to The Ribbon Retreat +2 patterns from GYCT Designs + 1 pattern from Dog Under My Desk}

Pack 2 {$30 to The Fabric Fairy + Kids Pattern Package from imagine gnats}

Pack 3 {$30 to Fat Quarter Shop + 2 patterns from Everything Your Mama Made & More +Ramblin’ Raglan Mega Pattern Pack from Muse of the Morning}

 Even Unicorns have bad hair days…