The life of a sewist

Today is a grey and overcast day, perfect I think for working in my PJ’s while a draw up a few new sketches for patterns I’m going to be releasing.

I have been running my sewing business now for five years, it’s amazing how time flies. Selling my digital sewing patterns has allowed me the opportunity to work from home, sometimes I feel so spoiled to be so lucky.

I want to say a big thank you to all my amazing sewing fans who have allowed me to achieve this in my life. Anyone who knows me knows that my cats and dogs are my children (I currently have 8), and for the last 6 months my oldest baby has been terribly sick, my Jack Russell named Onyx. She has chronic renal failure and some days she requires 24 hour care. Being able to work from home has allowed me to look after her and help her to live a full and happy old age. I am truly grateful to everyone who buys my sewing patterns and online products, you have done more for me than I can possibly express. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I hope you all have an amazing week ahead, and very successful sewing projects. Now enough of the serious stuff and back to the sewing fun.

Here’s a tip when putting together your newly printed A4 pages to create your sewing pattern: Use 2 sided tape to join the sheets of paper together. I do this firstly because the pages are less likely to come apart in the long term and secondly it allows me to fold up my patterns when I put them away, and when I am ready to use them again, I unfold them and use a warm iron to go over the pages to smooth them out (no steam, this will damage the paper).

This week’s patterns in review

Isabella Maternity dress

Our first maternity dress sewing pattern was launched last week. (I tried to make my dressmaker's form look pregnant by pinning a pillow to it o_O )

This fashionable dress is perfect for the mum-to-be who has a special occasion to attend, or who simply wants to look stylish in the upcoming spring and summer season.

I also launched a set of two maternity sewing patterns, the Isabella dress and the Jacqui dress together make the perfect combination.

Sewing Patterns for a year

To celebrate 5 wonderful years of sewing we have decided to launch this amazing offer. You can opt to have our range of brand new sewing patterns sent to you, every second week for a year.

 

The total value of this is over $80, but instead we decided to practically give it away at $29. Which means you’re making a huge savings of over $50! We are only running this amazing special until 10^th March, so take advantage of it now!

When you purchase this amazing offer, you will be receiving your first pattern immediately available to download, the ladies short waistcoat.

 

Until next time...

Happy sewing!

Love and free stuff

Hello sewing enthusiasts! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that your week to come is an amazing one!

First of all, I must apologize for my quietness last week. I was taking a bit of study leave to complete my studies for my certificate in graphic design. I passed with distinction, Yay for me! And now I have improved on my skills that will allow me to bring you better quality sewing patterns, Yay for everyone!

Last week i announced the sewing theme for our February sewing challenge. It is “DRESSES”, very simple and easy, and you can make anything as part of the competition from a very simple LBD to a fancy wedding gown, the choice is yours! Remember to look up our previous post on the sewing challenge, so you know the rules and stand a chance to win that cute little Acer Chromebook!

This week’s patterns in review

Valentine’s day knickers special

Just for you guys I put this romantic little pack together. Remember by buying the entire pack you save money!

 

Our Valentine’s day 2016 pack includes our vintage style knickers sewing pattern (plus the tutorial on how to add suspenders to your vintage style knickers), our ladies thong sewing pattern, and our envelope style gift bag sewing pattern to help you make that romantic day even more special.

The Taryn Dress

 

By the weekend, and just in time for Valentine’s Day, we are going to be launching our Taryn dress sewing pattern. So for the next 5 days you can still take advantage of the PRE-ORDER SALE and by doing so you will be paying almost half price for the pattern and you will be one of the very first to receive it!

And because we LOVE our fans so much, those who take advantage of the pre-order sale will receive both the long and short version of the dress! Which means we are quite literally throwing in a free sewing pattern just for the fun of it.

 

So much good news to start a week with, remember to check out our competitions!

Happy sewing!

Some latest sewing news

What an exciting week. We have so many patterns in their final stages, and we’ve launched a few new ones. Most importantly though, this week we launched our biggest competition!

Join our monthly sewing challenge and you could stand a chance to win an Acer Chromebook (click on the featured post to the right of the page to view all the finer details).

For our January sewing challenge the theme is “TIES”. I look forward to seeing all your entries on twitter (Remember to follow us at @Booleheart)

 

This week’s patterns in review

Our high waist skirts

There are a few items that every woman should have in her closet that are not only stylish, but timeless too. The pencil skirt is second only to the little black dress on this list.

 

Our knee length under dress makes the perfect LBD

Since we launched an ideal little black dress pattern last year, we thought that naturally the next best thing to do is launch out High Waist Business Skirt. It really compliments any business wardrobe with it’s strong, professional lines.

 

Me doing a selfie in the new skirt

This skirt is incredibly simple (only 2 pattern pieces) and very quick and easy to make. You can make a few of these skirts in different fabric options.

We decided to even create a shorter version. The Short High Waist Skirt really makes an ideal summer and party skirt. Make one in a fun print to suit your personality, or in simple black for a more elegant look.

 

Selfie time in the shorter skirt

Have fun with these skirts, they can even add a pin-up style to your current wardrobe, they are so straightforward and look like they are professionally made and not home made.

Happy sewing!

Holding my horses

What a busy start to the new year! I am already in the process of creating a whole lot of new patterns being launched over the next month and am really excited to be sharing them with you soon.

I often find I am so impatient and just want to start sharing everything with you straight away, but alas I have to hold myself back, as hard as that may be. Creating samples and testing the patterns is time consuming, but necessary, to at the very least make sure my patterns work before I launch them.

With my bridal range though, as this process can take longer than expected, I do like to post the patterns available for pre-order sales. Keep your eyes open for these as the pre-order sale prices are much lower than the final pattern prices, so you really get a huge bargain by taking advantage of these... and I usually throw in a free gift pattern too.

This week’s patterns in review

Our Sunglasses pouch

I must admit, the popularity this pattern gained absolutely blew my mind. It become a much bigger seller than I thought, but let’s face it, who doesn’t own sunglasses (or even normal glasses at that), and these are items that we do want to keep safe and in good shape for seasons to come.

 

And for beginning sewing fans, this really is an ideal starter pattern to give a try and hone those skills in creating fashionable homemade accessories.

Available for pre-order

Our next bridal pattern is in the process of being created to be launched in February 2016.The Taryn dress is a simple yet elegant strapless dress. It is a timeless design that is ideally suited for the woman who has an effortless and confident sense of style.

 

It will go on sale for the price of $9.99, but for now is available for pre-order for only $5.99.

As a bonus gift, whoever takes advantage of the pre-order special will receive a FREE pattern and instructions for our long thin tie. This is the perfect accessory for a date who would like to wear a little something to compliment the woman wearing our Taryn dress. It can be made in matching fabric or colours to the dress itself.

 

Remember to check our previous blog posts for the competition we are currently running.

Happy sewing!

Batty about bat wings

Happy New Year! May you have a wonderful year filled with blessings and exciting sewing projects.

This year will see us increasing our patterns in two areas. Firstly our bridal collection will be growing and secondly we will be adding in a good few basic patterns, such as a simple woman’s dress shirt, and pairs of smart and casual pants that are simple and easy to follow.

Our aim is to create easy and user friendly patterns for everyone!

 

This week’s patterns in review

We love our bat wing tops and dresses, not only are they easy to make but they are very fashionable.

The Bat wing Top with pleats

Our tops and dresses can be made in a variety of fabrics, from comfortable t-shirting and warm knits (even cut and sew wool) to chiffon and the softer range of fabrics, adding a variety of styles for all different occasions, formal or casual.

Summer bat wingdress in chiffon

They can be made as sweaters or winter tops for the cold seasons and they even make gorgeous costume covers for the upcoming summer months.

Jacqui Batwing top

Knee length summer batwing dress as costume cover

These are some of our favourite and most versatile sewing patterns, and you can have so much fun with them.

Remember to check our previous blog posts for the competition we are currently running.

Have a wonderful New Year. Happy 2016 and happy sewing!

A Fine Vintage

In three days time we are going to find ourselves in a brand new year, filled with new opportunities and adventures... and of course more exciting sewing projects. This past year was filled with growth in leaps and bounds and we are thrilled with how our pattern range is growing. We currently have over 30 patterns and pattern variations and combinations available in store.

Our $1 sale will be running until the 31^st so remember to take advantage of it while you can and stock up on those patterns. As from 1^st January the prices will be returning to normal.

This year our vintage style patterns were our best sellers, so we have decided to share a few of these in review as we reflect back on the wonderful year we have had.

This week’s patterns in review 

High waist shorts

 

This is our best selling pattern of 2015! We have just had the most amazing feedback from this pattern which I based on 1940’s style summer shorts.

 

This pattern is so quick and easy that you can have an entire collection in an assortment of colors in a very short time. Vintage style is in, and this is an affordable and fashionable way to dress up your wardrobe.

Easy as Pie Rockabilly Style Dress

 

This is such a cute dress, it can be made in an assortment of colors and fabrics for the Rockabilly fan in all of us. 

We have posted an earlier blog post to help you create a waistband to give your dress the perfect finish. You can even create a variety of different color waistbands to mix and match and give your dresses more versatility, so remember to look into our archives too!

Trumpet style gown

 

The Trumpet style bridal gown pattern in our online store is our first official bridal pattern. We are so excited to be launching it, and there will be many more bridal patterns to come in 2016.

 

Trumpet style gown in champagne satin with additional flowers appliquéd down its length.

Remember to check our previous blog posts for the TWO competitions we are currently running.

Have a wonderful New Year. Happy 2016 and happy sewing!
 

Our first bridal range

The weeks are flying by as fast as the year has! I can barely believe that it’s already mid December! Only 10 days to Christmas, and 16 days until we are looking at a new year... it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

I have been busy working away at our range of bridal patterns, and the first pattern is almost complete.

This week’s patterns in review

Our first wedding dress pattern

The completed pattern will be officially launched on the 22^nd of December. Until then I have loaded it in my online store for pre-orders.

Those who pre-order this pattern will pay a low, special price of $9.99 – once the pattern has launched it will retail for $14.99 so it really is worthwhile placing your order early. Pre-orders will be emailed  out on the morning of 22^nd December 2015.

Those who take advantage of the pre-order special will also receive the free sewing pattern for my wedding ring pillows.

These are ideal for displaying rings for photography reasons, and of course for use during the wedding ceremony. It even includes an elastic band to prevent the little ring bearer from accidentally dropping the pillows while carrying out his / her precious duties.

Competition time

Enter your wedding dress design!

Design your own wedding dress and send it through to us. The winning entrant will receive the sewing pattern for her dream gown so that she can create the gown of her dreams!

The winning design will be created and the sewing pattern will form a part of our 2016 bridal patterns collection.

Email your Full name, email address and your own design to mysewingpatternz@gmail.com

Terms and conditions:

The entrants must supply their own original designs, unfortunately we cannot plagiarise any existing designs.

Competition closes 31 December 2015, with the winner being announced on our Facebook page on 5 January 2015, www.facebook.com/mysewingpatterns

The entrant acknowledges that once the pattern has been completed it is the property of Boo Lè Heart Clothing and my Sewing Patterns, and may be sold under these brands.

The pattern will be ready by end of February 2016, the entrant will be the first to receive the pattern in the correct sizes.

Design will be judged on originality and degree of difficulty.

We are really looking forward to receiving your designs.

Have a wonderful festive season, and happy sewing!

Festive wardrobe

The festive season is absolutely on us...  I’m not all too sure what happened with the past year, especially the past 6 months. In all honesty I felt that it was still July but then I looked up and it was November.

A year filled with plenty of lumps and bumps, but most importantly a good few lessons learned, especially in business (some I am still recovering from). My spirit might be a little bruised but it is far from broken. I have however (in a mild panic) come to realise that not only is the festive season upon us, but that also means that the party season has arrived.

No doubt you might find yourself, just like I have, being invited to more events than I have time for... but what to wear?

Of course being a woman of fashion I can’t possibly be seen wearing the same outfits too often, this means that I have a lot of new outfits to make, which means you will be receiving a lot of new patterns to play with in my online store.

Me in one of my batwing dresses ***

... and don’t forget the accessories! I am determined to make myself the perfect festive season clutch! Just big enough to hold the necessaries when doing my social rounds.

Belt I made for myself recently ***

I can’t wait to get started (I literally have a starting list of 75+ patterns that I wish to make), so follow me as I get to make all of these new and exciting creations this festive season and into the upcoming year.

Happy holidays and happy sewing!

***Click on the button to the right of the page to purchase the patterns for these items

Adding a belt to your batwing dress

This is a quick guide on how to create a sash belt to compliment my pattern for the summer batwing dress.

Dress before and after adding a belt

You will need:

·         Your summer batwing dress, made from the sewing pattern available in my online store (click on the button to the right of the page).

·         10cm / 4 inch length of fabric, cut from the width of the same fabric used to create your dress.

Step 1:

Cut your piece of fabric 10cm / 4inch wide (The bias will form the short sides of the section of fabric cut).

Step 2:

Fold your fabric in half, right sides facing and sew the open seam closed (keeping a 1.5cm / 5/8” seam allowance). Use your overlocker / serger to neaten the edge.

Step 3:

Turn the belt the right way around and press flat.

Step 4:

If you would like to add the belt as a permanent feature, find the center point of the belt and attach this to the dress by doing a hand stitch on the center back seam along the the waistline.

Your dress with matching sash belt is now ready to wear!

Happy Sewing!