Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Five

August 10, 2018/0 Comments/in Blog Tour, Images, Sales, Tips & Tricks /by Sheila Sisco

Today is the final day of our whirlwind Back to School blog tour! I’m so sad to see it come to an end, but all good things must. Last (but most certainly not least!) on this final day of our tour, we will see the creations of Laurie Roberts, Julia Jones, and Teronia Sherece Wilson! Let the fun and cuteness commence!

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Five

Laurie Roberts

Laurie Roberts is a Southerner living in the rural Green Mountains of Vermont. It was living in a small town that encouraged her to rediscover sewing after a 20-year break. She’s married to a man that indulges her love of rich textiles and sewing by helping support her small custom dress business. She has 5 children between his, hers and ours and has no shortage of people asking for special custom stuff but really loves to stretch her creativity by indulging the youngest 2 with their specific demands for cosplay inspired and upcycled costuming. She started a challenge at the beginning of the year, which led to a blog chronicling that sewing journey. You can see more of her amazing dragon Gabriella’s Coat here.

Julia Jones

Julia Jones AKA the scatty sewer. Sewing for 6 years, but has become very accomplished, favorite makes are regency dresses for the Jane Austen Promenade in Bath UK. Recently bought a restaurant with her husband and hoping to make all her own business clothing. Mum of 2 adult children who have both moved out of the home, its time to focus on what she wants to do and that’s SEW.

Teronia Sherece Wilson

Teronia is a crafty mom to two girls, foodie wife to her husband and all around crazy lady to everyone who knows her. Her oldest daughter inspired her to start sewing when a special first birthday dress was needed in a special size. Her favorite things to sew are special occasion dresses and custom fitted pants for her oldest petite princess. The Sansa Flares were the perfect choice to kick off her back to school sewing this year. Be sure to check out her blog for all the details.

I don’t know about you, but I am SO inspired to get do my own back to school sewing after this week’s tour! These ladies really killed it! If you missed any of the previous days, just click for Day One, Day Two, Day Three, and Day Four! Which was your favorite sew this week? Please share in the comments below!

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Four

August 9, 2018/0 Comments/in Blog Tour, Images, Tips & Tricks /by Sheila Sisco

We’re on the downhill stretch of this back to school blog tour and have seen some truly amazing things, but there’s still so MORE much to see! Are you ready for it? Today’s features will include sews made by Jessica Cotriss, Taish Bruton, and Nathalie Van den Bossche! I can’t wait for this one!

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Four

Jessica Cotriss

Jessica Cotriss writes from her hobbit hole, otherwise known as her spare room/”studio”, where she sews in the a/c to avoid the scorching surface-of-the-sun heat outside in Central Texas. She and her hubby have toured the world, thanks to her former military service, and his continued military career. She’s been sewing since the 1980’s and loves making things for others. For this blog tour, she focused on options for the high school and college students and their teachers, as everyone needs to be stylish and fashionable when heading back to school, even if it’s to teach the next generation.

Taish Bruton

Taish is a sewcialist, creativepreneur and graphic designer who doesn’t like to limit her creativity. Mother of a handsome son and beautiful baby girl. She believes creativity is courageous, inspiring, and always evolving. For this blog tour, she made the Josephine Dress through the lens of a preschooler.

Nathalie Van den Bossche

In 2013, Nathalie was intrigued by the mysterious art of creating clothes. Could she do that? She registered for a local class and has not looked back since. The world wide web turned into an inspirational playground full of patterns, techniques, and fabrics. She started blogging in Dutch and recently added an English version. When she’s not sewing, Nathalie is a teacher. The dress she picked smoothens the transition from lazy days to the classroom. Summer still lingers in the scooped back of the Sahara. At the same time, the UV reactive fabric promises a magical new start for her daughter. You can find the English version of her post here. And the Dutch version here.

If you’ve missed any of our other wonderful bloggers on this tour so far, you can find Day One, Day Two, and Day Three at these links. And don’t forget the week-long sitewide sale going on this week! You don’t want to miss out on that!

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Three

August 8, 2018/0 Comments/in Blog Tour, Images, Pattern Hacks, Tips & Tricks /by Sheila Sisco

It’s hump day! And the third day of the Back to School blog tour with Bella Sunshine Designs! Are you ready to see some awesome back to school gear? I am! Today we’ll get show-and-tells from Jillayne Whipple Richey, Amanda Cross, and Becca Olson! I’m ready to see what they’ve whipped up, are you?

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Three

Jillayne Whipple Richey

Jillayne is a mother to 4 and Arizonan at heart. She likes dancing in her bare feet, balanced budgets, books, quilting, sewing (especially when it looks good), music, playing music, baking bread, being warm, getting organized, making stacks, getting organized again, soft beds, baby noses, chick flicks, hugs from her kids, skipping ahead to read/watch the ending, quiet, chaos, singing really loud, her family and sharing her sewing on her blog ‘Hazelnut Handmade’. For today’s share, she hacked the Maggie Top for her daughter’s back to school outfit.

Amanda Cross

Amanda Cross, Cross Stitches Custom Clothing, was inspired by the seamstresses in her family to also take up the art and has been sewing for 24 years. She appreciates the ability to create a custom fit when it is near impossible to find it off the rack from Ready-to-Wear garments. She enjoys sharing the creative process, wonderful fabrics, ground-breaking patterns, and the necessary know-how for taking a garment from Home-Made to Hand-Made.

Becca Olson

Becca Olson Nana to 2 adorable monsters. Addicted to sewing, quilting, and basically anything she can add to the studio without getting busted by hubby. Her favorite thing to do though is sewing for those monsters. For the back to school blog, she focused on the FREE Regan Raglan…

Please check out Day One and Day Two if you missed them! Also, don’t forget that Bella Sunshine is having a week-long Back to School blowout sale in effect ALL week long! It’s the perfect opportunity to grab some of those patterns you’ve been on the fence about at a great price! Come back tomorrow to see what new pretties we have in store for you!

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Two

August 7, 2018/3 Comments/in Blog Tour, Images, Sales, Tips & Tricks /by Sheila Sisco

This is the second day of looking at some amazing back to school fashions created by amazing sewists using Bella Sunshine patterns! Today’s post will feature Becky Petty, Dora Serrano, and Jennie Coffman Lindstrom! Let’s meet them and see what amazing things they’ve created for us!

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day Two

Becky Petty

Becky Petty is the mom of twins and lover of coffee and creating. When she’s not doing mountains of laundry or watching Frozen for the umpteenth time, Becky enjoys documenting her sewing journey. Her passion and mommy zen time is making clothes for her family to wear for real life. Check out the full BSD outfit (leggings, tunic, cardigan) that Becky made for her pink-loving princess. We think you’ll agree, she’s too cool for school!

Dora Serrano

Teacher, sewist, tester, blogger… a creative mind on the loose, Dora is a mom to three children and married to the love of her life. She gets her inspiration from her family and she loves to sew for them. This time, she was able to do what she likes most when it comes to sewing: mix fabrics, colors, and textures in a beautiful dress!! Find out more on her blog!

Jennie Coffman Lindstrom

Jennie Lindstrom is a wife, mama to four daughters, homeschooler, veteran, and Dr. Pepper lover. She loves to sew and be creative, and writes all about it on her blog, Stitched by Jennie. Since she homeschools her daughters, she decided to go for a comfortable, yet cute back to school outfit. Her 15-year-old requested a new shirt with a fun quote and the Reagan raglan worked perfectly to fulfill her request. Some Eden leggings and an Apple Cardigan complete the outfit.

How great were those blogs? I love seeing all of the creativity people use when sewing Bella Sunshine patterns! Here’s a jump back to Day One if you missed it! Oh! And if there are some patterns you’ve been eyeing and haven’t jumped on yet, I have a surprise for you! ALL of our patterns are on sale ALL week this week! So hop on over to the shop and grab a few while they’re cheap! You won’t regret it.

Back to School Blog Tour~ Day One

August 6, 2018/3 Comments/in Blog Tour, Images, Pattern Hacks /by Sheila Sisco

We’re pretty much all gearing up for back to school. What better way to prep and get a little stress relief too, than by sewing up some new wardrobe pieces? Each day this week we will feature three talented seamstresses who have sewn up some Bella Sunshine goodness for back to school! Today’s post will feature Auke Leufkens, Miranda Bodo, and Leisel Engelbrecht.

Back to School Blog Tour ~ Day One

Auke Leufkens

Aukje from Sew Cucio loves to sew for everybody in her family including herself, although the girls get most of the sews. She especially loves to sew dresses and with a deadline, therefore she loves blog tours and pattern tests. Her sews are recognized for its bold fabric combinations with lots of colors. For the back to school blog tour, she used three patterns, two free patterns, the Eden Leggings and the Reagan Raglan, and the third is the Apple Cardigan, to create a full outfit.

Miranda Bodo

Miranda from Inspinration sews fast, has a passion for sewing with knits and is a hacker at heart. For the back to school blog tour, she used all those qualities and created an all knit mini capsule. It contains eight pieces, four tops four bottoms that can be mixed and matched to create sixteen different looks. Miranda has a passion for color and print which leads to her kids looking like walking happy rainbows, but for the tour, she tried something new, a basic color scheme and several uni-colored fabrics.

Leisel Engelbrecht

Liesel has been sewing for several years, and enjoys sewing for children the best! She homeschools her four children and loves photography, music, and thrifting as other hobbies. Her blog is “It’s Liesel” and you can find all her sewing shares there. She made the Maggie dress and a modified Clementine top for back to school outfits for her girls.

I think these three ladies did an AMAZING job, don’t you? Make sure you check back tomorrow to see more awesome back to school sews!

Sewing for Kindergarten: It Calls Me

September 19, 2017/2 Comments/in Blog Tour, Personal, Ramblings /by Melissa Prendergast

It’s happening, guys. This day that seemed SO impossibly far away the day I took that little tiny baby home from the hospital is actually here. The first official day of school. Ahhhh! How can my baby be in school already? It doesn’t seem real. To mark this occasion, I did what any normal sewing mom would do; I made her an outfit. And of course signed up for a blog tour (wait, other mom’s don’t do that?). If you need a little back-to-school inspiration, check out the other stops on the Sewing for Kindergarten blog tour.

Sewing For Kindergarten Blog Tour

Here in Florida, school starts with Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten or as 99% of people refer to it, VPK. It’s basically all about teaching them how to write their letters and numbers. It makes sure that when the real deal gets here, they are ready. The fact that my four (almost 5) year old can already write her name is amazing to me. My heart keeps screaming that there’s no way she’s old enough for that. For real, I can’t cope.

If you have any young girls around this age, you are probably very familiar with the Disney film Moana. My girls probably watch it once a day and try to insist we play the soundtrack in the car everywhere we go. Both my girls will proudly ~~scream~~ sing the song “How Far I’ll Go” at their top of their lungs at any given moment. So when I asked Bella what kinda outfit she wanted for her first day of school, without hesitation she asked for a Moana Dress. What a shocker. Luckily, I had just the custom fabric for it from Christy’s Cute Designs. It was begging to be made into a BSD Sahara…

I swear her with her little backpack kill me! It swallows her and looks adorable. I also included some Bow Tie Leggings (sans bow ties) under her dress to keep her modest while she plays. In hindsight, I should have made the shorter version, but they do what they need to which is cover her.

This obviously does not show off her clothes, but what is a first day of school post without the honorary #momshot. And yes, my almost five year only really is only 32.8 pounds. She’s a tiny little thing. Anytime I shop ready to wear for her, I remember why I choose to make all her clothes.

Now if you think I could have gotten away with only making one Moana dress, you are mistaken. Baby sister had to have one too despite not going to school this year.

Once we got to the classroom, Bella was so excited about all the toys that she barely said goodbye to me. I expected tears, and I got them. They just weren’t from Bella. Yes, I’m that typical cry-on-the-first-day-of-school mom. Don’t judge me. If I am being completely honest, her dad confessed to me later that day he got a little teary-eyed too. (Sorry, honey! I just outed you on the internet!)

Apparently, Bella going to school made the whole family sad. Baby sister Lilly was so sad. Soon, little one. Your day will be here soon. And mom will probably cry for that one too.

XOXO,
Melissa

Make your own mermaid inspired dress using heart transfer vinyl with this free download for the Silhouette vinyl cutter - This dress turned out so cute! Must repin for later!!

For The Love of Legends: Mermaid Wishes + BONUS Free Silhouette Cut File

March 14, 2016/10 Comments/in Blog Tour, Sewing Tutorials /by Melissa Prendergast

When I saw that CraftingCon & Phat Quarters were hosting a legends blog tour, I quickly signed up. We are a little obsessed with mythical creatures. My oldest daughter’s room is decorated with mermaids, so it was only fitting that she get a mermaid themed dress to match.

Legends Blog Tour: Mermaid Wishes

Now, I’ll be honest. I originally had in my head to do something super elaborate and costume like. But, then I quickly came to my senses and realized that for something as awesome as a mermaid, I would want my daughter to be able to wear it 24/7. So I switched gears and self-drafted a new dress. I’ve been hoarding this beautiful fabric from Michael Miller’s Out to Sea line by Sarah Jane, and this project was the perfect time to use it!

One of my favorite things about a blog tour is it gives me the chance to take off my designer hat for a little bit and exercise a different creative muscle. My original plan was to mash a couple patterns together, but one thing led to another and I ended up drafting a whole new design. Old habits die hard I guess. But the really exciting thing is that I got to use my Silhouette Cameo.

Adding that special touch

If you are not familiar with a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine, I have to apologize for the hit your wallet is about to take. Because when you find out all the things this machine can do, you are going to want one. As a matter of fact, I designed my youngest daughter’s room decor projects around it just so I would have a good excuse for my husband to buy the machine (Sorry, hubby!).

They are so much fun! I’m pretty sure these cutting machines were originally marketed for scrapbooking, a pastime that I always think I want to do in my head but never actually have time for. The newest machines can cut all types of vinyl and do amazing things like embossing and etching in addition to cutting paper. Honestly, the possibilities are endless.

I sadly don’t get to use my machine as much as I’d like. I recently got a bunch of heat transfer vinyl on a good deal on Amazon and decided to put it to good use for this project. My favorite thing about the Silhouette is that you can trace almost anything and it will cut it perfectly.

Gone are the days when you need to buy a million expensive cartridges that have designs that you have to settle for because they are the only things close enough to what you wanted. With the Silhouette, you can find (or in my case make) a jpeg and tell the software to trace it and cut. Easy peasy.

The perfect design

I created a cute mermaid-inspired design on the computer and then cut it out with the Silhouette. Once the design was cut out and the excess vinyl was weeded, I just placed it on my bodice piece and ironed it on. I did this in a couple different steps so I could get the layout exactly how I wanted it. The finished bodice was so adorable, it made the sewing aspect a little nerve-wracking. You know that moment that things are going so perfectly that you are terrified that you will mess it up in the final hour? Yes, that was totally me. But thankfully luck was on my side, and the final product turned out amazing. Check out the photos of my mini-me below:

Cute right? The heat transfer is prominent on the bodice, and the flutter sleeves really compliment the print on the skirt. Plus, because I couldn’t help myself, I added a little lace trim to the flutter sleeves. Every dress needs a little lace, don’t you think? I am so in love with this dress that you will probably see the pattern in the shop soon. It’s just too cute.

Now you know I couldn’t show you this fabulous mermaid themed dress without sharing a little love, right? That’s why I decided to offer my Silhouette fans a little something. Click here to download your FREE silhouette cut files I created for this dress.

Ready to win some cool prizes? Scroll on!

3/14
The Wholesome Mama•Skirt Fixation•Amazing Adventures Of Bubba and Bug•Bella Sunshine Designs•From-a-Box
3/15
Wild + Wanderful•The Fairy Dust Bin•GYCT Designs•The Kisses Co.•Call Ajaire
3/16
Handmade Boy•Mae & K•create3.5•Pear Berry Lane•Sewing Mama RaeAnna
3/17
The Inspired Wren•Rebel & Malice•Sew Starly•XO Jessica•Falafel and the Bee
3/18
PenSeb&Rox•Knot Sew Normal•Beatnik Kids•Lulu & Celeste•Swoodson Says•Friends Stitched Together

And be sure to check out our giveaway sponsors and enter below!

Prize Package 1:
Phat Quarters: $20 Gift Card
Momma Quail Patterns: 1 Pattern of Choice*
Bella Sunshine Designs: 1 Pattern of Choice*
Handmade Escapade: 3 Digital Downloads of Choice
Sewing Mamma RaeAnna: 1 Pattern of Choice*
XO Jessica: 1 Custom Shirt
Knot Sew Normal: 1 Pattern of choice*

Prize Package 2:
Phat Quarters: Legendary Pattern with 3 piece FQ Bundle
One Thimble: 1 Magazine Issue
Modern Yardage: Paul Bunyan FQ
Love Notions: 1 Pattern of Choice*
Beatnik Kids: 1 Pattern of Choice*
Swoodson Says: 1 Pattern of Choice*
GYCT: 1 Pattern of Choice*
Call Ajaire: 1 Pattern of choice*
Skirt Fixation: 2 Yards of Fabric

*Excludes bundles

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We will draw a random link-up to win an issue of One Thimble Magazine!

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So what is your favorite mythical creature? Let me know in the comments.

Birthday Blog Tour Wrap Up & Giveaway

February 29, 2016/2 Comments/in Blog Tour /by Melissa Prendergast

I cannot believe a year has gone by since I launched BSD. It’s been so much fun seeing all these bloggers and sponsors come together to celebrate with us on our birthday blog tour. Plus we released two new fabulous patterns on Friday which have been a huge hit with fans! If you missed a day, be sure to check them out below:

Day 1 – Bella Sunshine Designs is Turning ONE!

Day 2 – A Warm Coat, Bubble Skirt & Exposed Zipper

Day 3 – Leggings with Flare, A Wool Jacket, Pintucks Galore

Day 4 – Country Inspiration, Perfect Pockets, & a Sneak Peek

Day 5 – New Releases, Winter Coats, & Beautiful Dresses

But now we get to the really fun part! It’s time to announce the winners from the Birthday Blog Tour Celebration!

Bella Sunshine Designs Birthday Blog Tour

Sponsors:

Prize Number 1:

Bella Sunshine Designs – 2 Patterns of Choice
Once Upon A Yard / Sew It Seams Facebook Group – Grab Bag of 7 yards of fabric

Prize number 1 sponsored by the Sew It Seams / Once Upon A Yard Facebook Group was won by Courtney H. Congrats! Be sure and check your email to claim your prize!

Prize Number 2 (Just for the USA):

Bella Sunshine Designs – 2 Pattern of Choice
Bethany Lane – 3 Sets of “Cute as a Button” wooden buttons (30 buttons total)

Prize number 2 sponsored by Bethany Lane was won by Tammie S. Congrats! Be sure and check your email to claim your prize!

Prize Number 3:

Bella Sunshine Designs – 2 Patterns of Choice
Sofilantjes Patterns – 2 Patterns of Choice
Knot Sew Normal – 1 Pattern of Choice
Muffin Head Patterns – Any 1 pattern up to $12.00
Itch To Stitch – 1 Pattern of Choice
Rachel Rossi – Squared Fashion Wrap Sewing Pattern
FABulous Home Sewn – 1 Pattern of choice
Seaside Notions – 1 pattern of choice
Laela Jeyne Patterns – Pattern of choice (excludes bundles)
Pickle Toes Patterns – 1 Pattern of choice.

Prize number 3 sponsored by SEVERAL fabulous pattern designers was won by Robyn C. Congrats! Be sure and check your email to claim your prize!

Featured Bloggers:

That’s all folks! I’d like to take another moment to thank all of our great bloggers on the tour. They really did such an amazing job, and this tour wouldn’t have been half as successful as it was without all of their help. Be sure to give your blogs a follow below:

Be Sure to Catch the Last Day of the Sales:

Just a reminder that you can still shop with Sponsors listed below while the sale is still on. But hurry, today is the last day!

Mabel Madison – 10% off their website with coupon code BELLABIRTHDAY. Ends today!
Sew It Seams – 15% off their website with coupon code BELLASUN. Ends today!

And of course, you can get 40% off all Bella Sunshine Designs patterns on our website until midnight, EST. No coupon code needed!

Expect another exciting, much anticipated, pattern release in March. You are NOT going to want to miss this one!

Winter Coats and Beautiful Dresses – Birthday Blog Tour Day 5

February 26, 2016/1 Comment/in Blog Tour /by Melissa Prendergast

It’s Friday! You know what that means?!?! It’s release day here at BSD! In addition to 3 more fabulous pattern hacks, we’ve got two great pattern releases for you today! No matter if you are in love with woven fabrics or knits, we’ve got something for everyone.

The Maci Twirly Dress & Top – Girls PDF Sewing Pattern

You are going to love the Maci Twirly Dress & Top. It comes with both long and short sleeves as well as three different length options. It is designed for knit fabrics for all you custom knit addicts out there. This has quickly become my daughter’s favorite play dress. And it’s such a quick sew, I don’t mind that she goes out and gets dirty in it. She’s begging me to make her more. Check out the photos below:

To see all the tester photos, check out the listing in our shop.

The Piper Reversible Peplum Top – Girls PDF Sewing Pattern

I love the look of a peplum top. It accentuates the waist and gives such a feminine look to the figure. I wanted this top to be super beginner friendly. Because of that, there are no zippers or button holes to sew. The back keyhole is both decorative and functional allowing the top to slip easily over the head. And since there is a button loop to close, you don’t have to worry about your machine button hole giving you fits. It is perfect for beginners. And the coolest part? You can make this top reversible! It’s like two tops in one. I loved it so much, I made one for both of my girls.

To see all the tester photos, check out the listing in our shop.

Now that you’ve seen the new releases, let’s get on to the the rest of the blog tour!

Bella Sunshine Designs Birthday Blog Tour – Day 5

Essence with Adventures With Bubbe and Bug is a favorite tester of mine. When she signed up to hack the Coffee Shop Lace Dress, I knew it was going to be amazing. Check out her blog Adventures With Bubbe and Bug to see how she changes my favorite lace trimmed dress.

Tara from Crazy Crafty Haute Mama fell in love with the a-DOR-able Gabriella’s Winter Coat and snapped it up despite having at least 5 other coat patterns in her repertoire. Now, she’s going to flex her hacker muscles just a little. I can’t wait for you to see her adorable little creation on her blog Crazy Crafty Haute Mama… and the pattern turned out really cute too.

I have worked with Melissa with Rebel & Malice a lot in the past. Not only was she one of my very first testers, she inspired our Rebel Girl Party Dress (which I should mention you will be seeing the women’s version of that popular pattern release next month!) Melissa is insanely talents, so be sure to check out Rebel & Malice to see the hacks that she did on our Adaline Dress & Tunic.

Ready for your last chance to win some amazing prizes? Scroll on!

Bella Sunshine Designs Birthday Blog Tour

Featured Bloggers: