Downton Sewing Wrap Up with YOUR projects

I'm sad to see our Downton Sewing series come to an end. It's been so much fun! We have one more amazing blogger in the series but before we get to that I want to say a HUGE thank you to all the bloggers and sponsors who made the 1920's inspired series a joy to host. And thank YOU for reading and playing along in the series. I'm thrilled to get to share some of your #downtonsewing projects below!

But first, I want to introduce you to one more inspiring blogger: the amazing Natalie of La Gang a Nat.

I just love Natalie's projects and all the COLOR she uses! Her blog is seriously inspiring and full of projects like these:

Today Natalie is sharing this gorgeous look. Go get all the details at Nat and Gang.

Now let's take a look at some of YOUR projects!

Erica from Lollipops & Paisley made this gorgeous cloche hat while watching Downton! You can follow her on Instagram to see more of her fun projects.

And look at this gorgeous dress by Renee from Two Many. Those pleats and details are so fun!

Amy from Friends Stitched Together shared her projects and you have to check out her blog to see all the different pieces she made! Wow!

This cute dress was shared on facebook from 4 Funky Funk's. What a happy girl! Cute!

Thanks again for following along in this fun series. If you get inspired to make something Downton Abbey-ish or from the 1920s please let me know! I'd love to see your project! And to stay inspired, follow my 1920s fashion board on Pinterest.

One More 1920s Inspired Giveaway

Sadly, today is the end of the giveaways for the Downton Sewing Series. I have loved every minute of this series and seeing what all the wonderful bloggers have shared with us. On Monday we'll have one final blogger share some inspiration and I'll wrap everything up, but today is the final giveaway. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to our giveaway sponsors. At the bottom of this post you can enter to win today's awesome prizes!

But before we say goodbye to this week's giveaway fun, let me introduce you to an amazing blogger who showcases cool sewing for boys in such a fun way. Stacey is from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh boy Crafts and also writes Beatnik Kids sewing patterns. Here are a few of her posts you have to check out.

Today she is sharing a fantastic look for boys! I just LOVE it! Head to Boy oh Boy oh Boy Crafts to see all the details.

And now for the final 1920s inspired giveaway....it's such a fun one!!

I have shared many of the projects I've made using patterns by Amy, owner of Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop. She has so many versatile patterns and recently released the Downton Duffle. It's such a cute pattern for boys (and girls!). And today you can enter for a chance to win a copy of this great pattern!

Today's lucky winner will also get a unique set of printable paper dolls from the always-amazing Sarah Jane Studios. Sarah is a phenomenal artist and what little one wouldn't love to play with a fun set of Paper Friends? Paper dolls were a toy children would have had in the 1920s, but because of the printable nature of Sarah's collection of Paper Friends you can use them in a completely modern way (like printing them out on magnetic paper). I have the whole set of Paper Friends from Sarah Jane Studios and I know you will love them!

And, once again, a winner will be selected to receive a yard of fabric from Andover Fabric's Downton Abbey Collection. (fabric giveaway open to US residents only, pdf patterns and downloads giveaway open worldwide) The Dowager would be quite impressed with today's prizes, I think!

So go enter and good luck! Monday we'll be back to be inspired by one more blogger and I'll share a final round-up of YOUR projects. Over the weekend you can share them using #downtonsewing. So go! Make something inspired by Downton Abbey or the 1920's, then show it off!


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Downton inspiration continues...with another giveaway

Welcome to the continuing series of Downton Inspired Sewing. I hope you've been inspired so far by Caila and Palak, Celina and Hayley, as well as the free Owl Puppet pattern I shared, and today we have two more posts full of 1920's fashion inspiration.

Tasha blogs at I Seam Stressed and I have just fallen in love with her style through her blog. What's not to love about projects like these:

Today she's sharing an adorable outfit with us at I Seam Stressed. Isn't this cute?

Abby from Sew Much Ado never ceases to amaze me with her modern style and great patterns like the Seafarer Top. She also wrote the adorable Ruby Lou Doll pattern. Aren't these just the cutest dolls? (And three of you will win a copy of her pattern today!!)

On Abby's blog she recently mentioned something about having a vest pattern coming out soon. I have two boys that will be outfitted in these vests as soon as the pattern is available! So cute!

Abby made an adorable 1920's inspired dress for her daughter and you can get all the details on Sew Much Ado.

And now for today's fun giveaway! What little girl in the 1920s wouldn't have loved a doll and some doll accessories made especially for her?
THREE winners today will each win a copy of the Ruby Lou doll pattern from Sew Much Ado as well as the amazing Baby Doll Basket pattern by Dana at Made.

Just look at all the options that come in the Baby Doll Basket pattern!

 And wouldn't the Ruby Lou doll just be perfect tucked inside that basket?

You could also win a yard of the fantastic Downton Abbey fabric by Andover Fabrics. These fabrics would be perfect on the Doll Basket or the Ruby Lou Doll! (fabric giveaway open to US residents only, but the PDF pattern giveaways are open worldwide)

Enter below and THREE winners will be chosen! Good luck! And don't forget to show us what you're sewing inspired by the 1920s or Downton Abbey. Use #downtonsewing and your project could be featured!

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FREE Owl Puppet Pattern...and a giveaway

We're halfway through this week of Downton Abbey/1920's inspired sewing. Be sure to check out day 1 and day 2 to see the amazing and inspiring posts. There's more fun coming up later this week, and we'll wrap the series up on Monday.

Today, though, I'm sharing a FREE pattern and tutorial on how to make an adorable owl hand puppet. Why a puppet? Well, puppets would have been something kids in the 1920s would have played with. Later this week we'll talk about paper dolls as well as handmade baby dolls and accessories, but puppets would fit right in there as a vintage toy.

Here was the inspiration for the owl puppets:

Whenever we visit my in-laws they get out some fun, old toys for the kids to play with. The last time we were there, my mother-in-law found some puppets and stuffed animals made by her mother. The adorable puppets are in great shape and I particularly loved these owls! (there were other animals too) How special that my kids can play with toys handmade by their great-grandmother! She obviously had great taste in fabric and an eye for patterns that go together. They're SO cute!

I took these owls home with me and made a pattern out of them...to share with you!

This is the perfect project for using up fabric scraps and the puppets are so quick to whip up. You can download the pattern here and then get the tutorial below. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for today's giveaway!

Materials Needed:
Fabric Scraps
Pattern Pieces (download the printable pdf pattern here)
Matching Thread
Sewing Machine

- First, print the pattern, tape the two pages together and cut out your pattern pieces. Each pattern piece is marked with how many pieces need to be cut out of your fabric. Here are all the pieces you will have:

- Sew the eye pieces together. Start by sewing the pupil to the smallest oval, then sew those pieces onto the medium oval, and finally onto the largest eye pieces. You'll simply be top-stitching close to the edge of the fabric. Repeat these steps on the other eye.

- Attach the head piece to the right side of the main body fabric by stitching close to the edge all the way around. Repeat on the other body piece. Your pieces should look like this:

- Now attach the wings to both the front and back body pieces.

- Sew the eyes and beak onto the front body piece. Then sew the tail onto the back body.

- Finally sew the front and back body pieces together (with right sides together) using a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving the bottom of the puppet open.

- Trim the seam allowance in the ears and clip curves. Turn right side out. Hem the bottom if you'd like, and then top-stitch around the entire puppet to finish it.

Enjoy your new puppets!

Now for today's giveaway. Wouldn't it be fun to have some beautiful new fabric for making your puppets? The Downton Abbey collection by Andover Fabrics is full of gorgeous prints and would be great for quilts, clothing, or even puppets! Here are a few of my favorites from the collection:

One winner in today's giveaway will win a yard of fabric from the Downton Abbey collection. (open to US residents only)

A second winner will win the complete collection of CharmingDoodle pdf sewing patterns, including the new Knight Hoodie and The Ultimate Apron. (open worldwide)

Enter using the widget below. Good luck! And be sure to come back tomorrow for another fun giveaway and more 1920's fashion inspiration! If you're sewing along, use the hashtag #downtonsewing and I'll be featuring some of your projects next week!

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“Downton^TM and Downton Abbey^®© 2013 Carnival Film & Television Ltd. All Rights Reserved Under License To Andover Fabrics.”

1920s Inspired Accessories...and a Giveaway

I'm excited to introduce you to two bloggers who have become friends and together we (and several others) are part of Willow & Co, a pattern collective launching our first collection this Spring.

Today they are joining in for some Downton Inspired sewing and taking a look at fashions in the 1920s.

Celina from Petit a Petit and Family is just one of those people who must not need any sleep. She is always creating something amazing whether it's sewing for her own kids, contributing to other blogs, or pinning all the fantastic images you can imagine on Pinterest (seriously, you need to follow her to see what I mean). She is also working on releasing her own brand of patterns called In+Seam. Here are a couple of my favorite posts of hers:

And today Celina is sharing some 1920's inspiration with us at Petit a Petit and Family. Just look at this artwork! Go check it out!

Today you can also get inspired by Hayley at Welcome to the Mouse House where she writes about sewing and shows her gorgeous home. She has released several great sewing patterns you won't want to miss. And here are a couple of my favorite projects of hers:

Hayley made an adorable flapper dress and cloche hat for her daughter for the Downton Sewing Series. Get all the details here.

And now for today's giveaway...

There will be THREE winners and each will receive a different package of fun goodies! All three winners will be given a copy of Violette Field Thread's Coco Mittens pdf sewing pattern. In addition, one winner will get a yard of fabric from Andover Fabric's Downton Abbey collection, one will get a hat pdf sewing pattern of their choice from Elsewhen Millinery, and the third winner will receive a copy of The Ultimate Apron pdf sewing pattern from CharmingDoodle. (The fabric giveaway is open to US residents only, but the pdf pattern giveaways are open worldwide so everyone can enter!)

The Downton Abbey collection from Andover Fabrics would be perfect in making an apron (using The Ultimate Apron pattern, of course) inspired by one of the Downton house workers or just if you want a gorgeous accessory for your little one. Here are the fabrics inspired by Lady Sybil. So pretty!

Each lucky winner in today's giveaway will also get the Coco Mittens pattern from Violette Field Threads so they can make some Downton inspired gloves. The pattern gives a really professional finish. Below is a pair of lace gloves I made for my girls. Such a great pattern!

And what 1920's outfit would be complete without a cloche hat like this one I made for my little girl? I used the Madeline pattern but the giveaway winner today will get their choice of pdf hat patterns from Elsewhen Millinery.

Enter to win using the widget below. Good luck! And don't forget to use #downtonsewing when you share your project. I'll be featuring some of what you sew soon!

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Let's get this Downton party started...with a giveaway!

Last week we talked about Downton Abbey fashion, 1920's style trends, patterns that could work for the era, I shared two outfits I made (the white lace fancy dress and black flapper dress), and introduced you to a fantastic group of bloggers and giveaway sponsors. It's finally time to kick-off the rest of the series and start giving away fabulous prizes to some of you!

Joining in the fun today are two bloggers I admire. Wait until you see what they have to show you!

First up is Caila from CailaMade. 

Here is just a tiny sample of some projects she made last year that have me in awe of her sewing abilities! (I'm even working on a clutch using her tutorial right now.)

Caila is talking today about her Downton Abbey parties and sharing a yummy recipe with you! Check it out on CailaMade.

Palak from Make It Handmade joins the Downton Inspired series today too. In addition to Make It Handmade, Palak also has a fantastic site called Sewistry where she finds great tutorials and shares inspiration that help you sew to save money, and save money sewing.

Palak writes great tutorials like these:

For the Downton Series Palak has rounded up 6 different quilts that all work in the Downton Abbey style. Get all the details and inspiration at Make It Handmade.

Ready for Giveaway Day #1?? It's so exciting and there are TWO prizes up for grabs today.

Andover Fabrics has some amazing fabrics, but they have outdone themselves with the Downton Abbey Collection. The fabrics are inspired by the women of Downton Abbey and complement each other so well. Imagine the quilts you could make, or (if you're like me and you sew more clothing than quilts) you could mix and match prints to make some great clothing pieces.

Here is a peek at the prints inspired by the ladies of Downton:

Each day this week will include a new fabric giveaway from Andover's Downton Collection. Woohoo!

In addition to the fabric, today you can enter to win a copy of the Gatsby Dress pdf sewing pattern by Heidi & Finn. Just look at this gorgeous dress!

Heidi & Finn's patterns are amazing. I've sewn several and I'm always happy with the modern look and well written instructions. You can check out their other fun patterns here.

So what are you waiting for? Enter using the widget below. And be sure to come back tomorrow for a brand new giveaway!

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