How To Tuesday: Spicing Up Ruby And Faith

Been thinking all weekend on what to do this week for How to Tuesday. And then I saw something amazing on our CKC Facebook Group by a sweet fan, and knew it was perfect for a sweet and simple how to Tuesday.

So today we are gonna spice up the Faith and Ruby with a sweet little slit up the back! You would not believe how easy this is going to be.  

To start off your gonna want to add 1" extra to the width of the dress/top panel. I serged the raw edges for photo purposes only and you do not need to do the same, unless you wish too.

Note: I used the Faith for this tutorial, if you are converting your Ruby you will want to complete Step 1 of the written pattern before continuing.

Next you will now do the first step of a roll hem on both edges.

You will fold the fabric back 1/4" and sew. Make sure to stop your rolled hem here!

      Ruby: If you are converting your Ruby you will simply just stitch what is the bodice or top fabric.

Faith: Next using the chart that is provided in the pattern do the simple math to determine how many inches down your shirring will be going, and then add an extra half inch.
(Example: The shirring on my 6-12 mos will end 3" from the top.)

You will now pin and straight stitch down the allotted length. Like shown.

 Please Note: All following directions are done the same way rather for Faith or Ruby.

Now we will work from the inside of the dress and press open the seam, and top stitch them down, following all the way down the dress.

 You will now pick up on the written pattern.

 And before you know it, just like that you have a sweet and breezy spiced up Faith or Ruby for this summer.

Happy Sewing Y'all,

Morgan

Trendy Kids and Boutique Tips

I was asked some great business question the other day and I wanted to address one or two today.

The 1st one that was asked was "How do you keep with the styles and trends?"

Great question, this one had me thinking for a few days. See I'm a "I don't stick with trends, I create trends" kinda person. 

Okay so more or less I'm a hipster/southern seamstress. But not everyone has such a free spirited mind and go-with-the-flow attitude as I do. And some people are really into whats trending. So lets discuss.

I had a good clue what was trending this summer but when in doubt call upon Pinterest!

So what are the trends in kids wear this summer? 

NEON and PASTEL

and

BOLD and TRIBAL PRINTS

Here are just a few adorable trendy 2013 colorways 

And here are a few trendy outfits that stopped me in my tracks!

*(to find the original source of all the photos used in today's blog check out my pinterest board)

Now I know what your thinking...Yes but where do I find some fabric to fit with the trend and how much do I buy? 

Well that's another great question. So lets 1st address the "where" part of that question.

a quick search on etsy for any of the trends will bring pages and pages of fabric. 

Neon, and tribal were the easy ones with some killer fabrics right off the bat. here were some that got my creative juices flowing.

And I'm not sure why but the bold and pastels were a bit harder to come by. Maybe its because I'm not a huge fan of these trends but needless to say i still found a few.

Now on two the second part of that compelling question, The "how" part. How much fabric do I order. Well it depends on how big or little your boutique is, and how many outfits you think you can reasonably sell before the next trend hits. 

So my rules of thumb from owning my own boutique, was actually quite simple. 

1. If you don't have a plan, don't even think about it!! 

I cant tell  you how many times i found a fabric that I loved bought 6 yards of it and then didn't touch it for years!

2. Make a plan! Design away, but do it on paper! Decide if this fabric will stand alone in a design or will it need a few friends. Decide on which part of the design this fabric will be. Because lets me honest, buying 5 yards and then deciding its going to be straps is just a bad business move!

3. Know your numbers! Once you have the design planned out, its time for some good old math. Decide on how many of the dresses you can reasonably sell in a two month period. Remember trends don't last long and before you know you could find your self eyeing the total opposite!

So for example, lets say I plan to use 3 fabrics (A,B and C) to create six Anna's Sweetheart Halters.

So the 1st thing I would need to do is decide on the on the fabric layout in the design. 

Okay done! Lets say fabric A for the bodice, fabric B for the skirt and fabric C for the straps and ruffles.

Next I need to take a look at my sells. What sizes do I sell the most of and witch do I not sell at all? For myself I sold 3's and 5's 97% of the time. 

So lets use these two sizes for my example, I know that I can reasonably sell 6 dresses (3 size 3 and 3 size 5) in the next 2 months. 

Now after a little math I know I need 

2 yards of fabric A

4 and 1/3 yards of fabric B 

and

5 yards of fabric C 

I then always like adding a yard of each for a custom order or just for myself. I hope this gives you all a good idea how to figure how much fabric your boutique may need. 

I really do hope that this at least helps a few of you boutique owners to think about your fabric buying process  And Id love to hear more business related questions that you would like answered.

Happy Sewing Y'all

Morgan 

Tutorial Tuesday: The Perfect Bow

So if you follow Create Kids Couture on Instragram you saw this sneak peek photo last week of a "How To" that I was working on.

Today we are re-releasing the Lola's dress to feature more sizes. And I got so excited that Ayla's size was now included. So I whipped up a tiny 6-12 mo Lola using some cute fabric. My first thought was to make it all the same fabric. You know, sweet and simple? Well if you know me personally, follow me on instagram or were ever a fan of my business page back in the day you know that Morgan and simple are never used in the same sentence. And I did like it at first, just sweet and simple and then well I tried it on Ayla and felt as if it was just way to plain for our liking. 

So I knew it was time to pull an old trick out of this southern seamstress's bag. It was time to either monogram it or add a bow. So off to the sewing room we went. Ayla watched some Yo Gabba Gabba on the laptop and played with Lucy the beagle while I whipped up this quick and easy How To.

Mix Match Monday

Holy cow y'all! That was a fast weekend. And even with Miss A cutting all 4 top teeth, overall we had a great weekend and I got to start on fun 8 week blog series for this summer. You guys are gonna die when you find out about it. So lets get this mix match party on the road! You guys have had me swamped with entries and I love it! I love seeing how creative and wonderfully talented all our CKC fans are!

First up we have Brenda from Zealous Design who used a combo of penelope's bodice, Daphne's Sash, the skirt border from Yvette's and the skirt from Jewel's. I was so impressed with this combo. I had not even thought of combining all of these together!

Molly's Time to Shine

I've been so excited for a week or so now to start a weekly blog called "Wardrobe Wednesday" where I feature an outfit from Miss A's closet that was made using a CKC pattern. And when I heard that the Molly Faux Apron Peasant Dress was getting an updated version this week with more sizes, I knew just the outfit to share and I was over the moon excited because I knew that I could share some fun ways to jazz up your Molly. 

Personally Molly is one of my go to dresses, because I can whip up miss A one in an hour while she takes a nap. It really is the meaning behind "nap time sewing" 

So let me share a photo or two of the basic Molly that you can create using the CKC pattern and then we will move on to my jazzed up version and the tutorials that go with it. 

May's Free Pattern for Fabric.com

Did you check your e-mail? Last night our new pattern was sent out to all the amazing subscriber's to Fabric.com's newsletter. We've already received so many positive emails and comments about it! It's gonna be a big hit this summer!

If you missed it, let me be the first to introduce....

Allison's Ruffled Pillowcase Dress and Top

Isn't it darling? Of course it isn't the classic pillowcase dress. In fact, it's not really made like a pillowcase at all! You're gonna have to download the pattern to see the fun techniques we use to create this "faux pillowcase" look. But check out more pictures below first!

How To Tuesday: Rosette Headband

So we see them all the time, all over CKC and well really all over the web. Those adorable rosette headbands that the little models are rocking! Well today is the day to pull out some scraps and make them yourself. Thats right! Its time for another ''Scrap Buster". DISCLAIMER... These can become very addicting! Okay so to start out with lets get our supplies together.

Mix Match Monday

Happy Monday Y'all!

I hope you all enjoyed your Mother's day weekend and were able to snag a few patterns while we had the promo code "ILOVEMOM" for 20% off your order. If not you have until 12pm EST today. (5.13.13)

Alrighty so last week I asked for some photos of outfits that were made using multiple Create Kids Couture patterns. For Example using the bodice from Amber's Sweetheart and the skirt from Addison's triple ruffle. And you all flooded my email! So I spent a good chunk of my weekend ooh'ing and aww'ing over all of your remarkable creations. And I had such a hard time narrowing it down. But I did it. And if your photo is featured Ill be emailing you to find out your pick for your free pattern. How marvelous is it to be rewarded for your creativity?

Jenny sent me this photo that just melted my heart!! The shorts are a mix of Emma's Ruffle Butt Bloomers and Danielle's Cuffed Shorts. The top is a mix of the bodice from Addison's Ruffle Dress featuring a center accent ruffle from Serena's Stripwork, And then she used the skirt measurement from Marilyn's Free Slim Fit Peasant. Is this not an awe-inspiring outfit?

Sweet Sage And Free Carrie's

WOW!! Is it really Thursday? Well, we all here at CKC were so excited to release the Sage's Sailor Shorts, Capris and Pants pattern yesterday! By the looks of the things on our Facebook page you all are pretty excited as well. I can't help but giggle still when I think about what one of the testers said about these... "These shorts are normal in the front, but a party in the back." Ha! Its so true! 

Who Ya Gonna Call... SCRAPBUSTERS!

Yes I’ve changed the lyrics! But I can’t help it. I’m just so excited for the new ideas that will be coming to the CKC blog, including the Scrap Busters series! I've been looking at my boxes and boxes and boxes of scraps and knew it was time to do something with some of them. 

So after digging around and finding a few pieces I got started making this adorable little clutch that I now keep in my diaper bag with some of Ayla's favorite toys! And with the Velcro closures I’m pretty sure she thinks it’s a toy in itself.

And The Cats Outta The Bag

Hey y’all. I just wanted to take a moment and introduce myself and our other social media associate, since you all will be hearing from us on a daily bases from now on. And lets be honest you all are dying to know who got the jobs. 

I’m Morgan. A hippie wife and momma from good ole Kentucky trying my darndest to keeping my household running smoothly. Ill be the newbie behind the CKC blog.

I spend most of my days out back on an old vintage quilt with a mason jar of coke in hand, playing with my beautiful daughter and dreaming up millions of business ideas that, in reality, I would NEVER have time for.

When I’m not out back playing and dreaming (or changing diapers, cooking cleaning and blah blah blah) you are most likely to find me in my sewing room where my deep love of vintage textiles is quite evident. So in a nutshell I’m just a good ole Kentucky Mom, with an overly creative mind, anything and everything turquoise lover, mid century modern addict, the queen of mix match fabrics, an Instagram abuser, shoe loving, Pinterest nut, who finds time to sit behind a sewing machine on a daily basis.

And this is Courtney a momma of two beautiful little girls from Texas. She’s been sewing for 6 years and is the newbie who will be managing CKC fan page and online groups.

Hey everyone! My name is Courtney, and I am so, so, so thrilled to be one of the new Social Media Marketing Associates here at CKC. I cannot believe that I am actually part of this awesome company! I had only ever made a couple of clothing items before finding CKC patterns, and I was instantly hooked. I loved the look of the outfits, of course, but I also loved the quality patterns and excellent customer service. I hope to be able to continue that standard of customer service during my time here with CKC. I look forward to this journey with CKC and all of you!

A little bit about me~ I am a proud Christian Texan stay at home Mommy to 2 of the sweetest girls ever.  I do run my own boutique, and I am married to the most wonderful man! Before settling down with a family, I was a bit of a wandering soul. I have studied in London, Prague, and Playa del Carmen. I worked in Denali, AK for one summer, and I was a flight attendant out of Denver for a year. We haven’t travelled much having young kids, but I can’t wait to get back to it. Besides sewing, I am an outdoor nut, love reading, love any arts and crafts, and I am addicted to those awful reality shows (I can’t believe I admitted that).  I like to bake, but it falls low on the priority list. I think I am pretty lazy, but in reality I can’t do only one thing to save my life.

We are so excited to be joining the Create Kids Couture team. Now for the fun part. Shannon and Tiffany asked you via Facebook for any questions you all may have for the new social media coordinators. So here y’all go.

Where did you learn to sew?

Morgan- Well you see this is a funny question because if you ask my mom, she will tell you she did. But I always say I taught myself. So here Mom this is for you. See my mom got me my first sewing machine when I was in the 5^th grade. She showed me how to thread it and how to sew a straight line and let me at it. So I guess I should say my Mom taught me to sew but I taught myself all the fun tips and tricks.

Courtney- I grew up sewing with my Gran Gran in lovely ole Olney, Texas- population 3,236. She is a quilter, and I would love going to spend weekends with her to sew, fish, cook, and play cards. It was great quality time that I will always remember fondly, and I do still have a few of the throws we made. I hope to make those kind of great memories teaching my girls to sew.

What was your worse sewing experience?

Morgan- HA!! This question nearly made my coke spue from my nose. So I've been sewing for about 13 years now and my worst sewing experience happened just last May, while I was pregnant. You see I had made my hubby a killer pair of seersucker shorts with bright yellow pockets. So of course his best friend of 15 years demanded he have a pair. I complied (like the good friend I am) and after cutting the pieces I was told he wanted them a little tighter then my husbands were. So I took them in some. Showed Hubby, who said to take them in even more. I was hesitant but I did. So any who he shows up to my baby shower wearing some store bought shorts. Turns out that I made them so small he said they were SKIN tight! I would share the hilarious photo but I'm gonna keep this blog PG (its my 1^st day on the job after all)

Courtney- Oh, so many to count. I don’t know of any major disasters, but directional fabric gets me every time! Actually, while writing this I just had another directional fabric disaster. I was making an Aubrey the other night when I realized I had sewn the 2nd tier to the 3rd tier upside down. I went to bed. This morning I looked at it and thought, “Hey~ it’s my lucky day! That’s not upside down!” and I finished the dress. Well, what do you know~ one of the panels on the 2nd tier was right side up, but the other was upside down. So I got to spend a lot of quality time with the seam ripper

.

Do you work outside of Create kids Couture?

Morgan- No, not any longer. I use to own a kids clothing company but I closed it after we found out my mom had cancer. I sadly just had too much on my plate at the time. After lots of tears and prayers I knew it was the best choice for my family to close.

Courtney- I am a stay at home mom to a one year old and a two year old, so you bet I work! HA! But seriously, I also have a Facebook and Etsy store- Coco’s Cute Creations. I can only sew when the girls are asleep, so it’s mostly for fun and keeps me plenty busy.

What is your favorite CKC pattern?

Morgan- Well I'm gonna have to go with the Kiki's. It was the 1^st CKC pattern that I tested and I fell in love with CKC because of it.

Courtney- My most favorite CKC pattern is Aubrey- so pretty, so girly, so flowy. And I love being able to mix patterns and colors. My latest obsessions are Cora, Poppy, Lacey, and Whitney!

Other then kids clothing what do you enjoy sewing?

Morgan- Wow, um well I've not sewn anything other then kids clothes in about a year. That was baby quilt and a doll I made my daughter. I just love sewing!

Courtney- I guess I would say things for the home. This past month we moved into a new house, so I am excited to start making new curtains, pillow covers, etc