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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Winners of Blog Tutorials Contest

It's time to announce the big winners of our Free Tutorials Contest! The challenge was to use any of our Free Tutorials on the blog and see who can come up with the best creation in just one week! I am impressed with all of your entries and it was hard to decide on just one for each category. But it sure was fun to see all of them!  Here are the winners, drumroll please...

CLOTHING


Our winner for the Clothing category goes to Jen Robertson!  Jen made this adorable matching set using our free Allison's pattern  for the top and our free Barbara's pattern for the bloomers! Such a darling little combination on a darling girl.  Congratulations, Jen! 


ACCESSORIES


Our winner for the Accessories category goes to Janet Elizabeth! Janet used our free Reversible Fabric Crown pattern to make this one-of-a-kind birthday outfit! Could she be any cuter?!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Tying a Standard Necktie



You may have seen our fabulous new boys' pattern that came out earlier this week.  Emmett's Tie Set is a big hit already! Because it comes with three styles of ties (velcro necktie, velcro bow tie, and standard necktie) we have had several moms ask us how to tie the classy standard necktie onto their boys. So that's exactly what we're going to show you today!

First of all, there are hundreds of different ways to tie a necktie. That's a bit overwhelming. We are going to focus on one way to tie a necktie for now and once we all have that down then we can explore our other options. Some people like photo tutorials and some like videos - so we're giving you both! 




 I called in my husband to help me out with this little project. He wears a necktie to work every day and puts ties on our four boys every Sunday, so he definitely has enough experience to be teaching us today!  His favorite necktie knot is called the Prince Albert. Here we go: 


 First we put the necktie around our son's shoulders, with the small end being about 1/3 as long as the wide end. 

 Make an X with the two ends. 


Fold the long end behind the short end. 

 Now wrap the long end around once. 

 Then wrap it a second time. 

Then wrap it a third time! 

Now while holding the three wraps, take the long end and point it upward like he's doing with his right hand in the picture.

Pull the long end up through the very back by the neck. 

 Pull it all the way through. 

 Now point it downward.

  Tuck it into the very front fold that we created. 

 Begin pulling through. 

 Continue pulling down, while holding the top securely. 

 Pull to its full length. 

 When the knot is snug and even, we are done pulling. 

 Now slide the knot up to the neckline until it looks great.   


Now we're done! 

We aim for the tie to end at about the belt line. It if doesn't come out where we want it, we can adjust slightly or start over leaving more or less of a tail. Most ties have a little loop on the backside of the tie, to tuck our small tail end into after we're done tying. Our Emmett's Tie Set is one of the few patterns that has one because my husband insisted it was totally necessary to look classy. (What a great helper I have!) 

Now if you'd like to see all this tying in  action, here is my awesome husband showing us how: 

http://youtu.be/j5Z7-E3iJ3A


And that's how it's done!  In case you want a quick refresher later on, I put all the steps together into two collages: 



I hope you have enjoyed our tutorial and video today.  Now none of us have any excuses not to dress up our dapper little guys in their very best! 

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Doll Carrier and Makeover Videos

Have you seen all the adorable doll outfits that we have available at CKC? You may have read our blog post awhile ago that compared a variety of dolls that fit into our 15" and 18" outfits.  And now today we have another special treat for your little ones and their dolls!  


Introducing Carmondy's Doll Carrier! It's all she needs to keep her babydolls close and secure.  Carmondy's comes in three sizes so you can get the fit just right on your little one. And guess what - this pattern is completely free! You can download it right here on the blog today. The doll carrier has a snug place for her baby to sit, comfortable shoulder straps that are easy to get on and off, and ties that fasten securely in back with a little of mom's help: 


How cute is that? We have been so excited to share this pattern with you and we can't wait to see your little ones with their dolls. Here is the link where you can download the free PDF pattern for Carmondy's Doll Carrier. Feel free to share with your friends!

And that's not all we have for you today.  We also have some special doll care videos that our doll pattern designer, Maria, has put together for us! Do you have an American Girl Doll that is in need of a makeover? Does she have scuff marks, stains, or oily looking skin? Are her joints loose or her hair frizzy?  Maria is here to help!  You will be amazed with the before and after appearances of the dolls that she remakes in these videos. You can watch on our CKC YouTube channel and here's the link that will take you right to the beginning of the first video: 





Before
After

Isn't that amazing?!  Just look at her gorgeous features in the "after" photo. We are so thankful to Maria for all her great work here at CKC and for sharing her talents with all of us. I know I'm inspired to go give my daughter's dolls a little TLC.

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

Monday, February 24, 2014

Inspiration on Instagram


Today we're going to share some fun and inspirational pictures here that you may not have seen before if you're not following us on Instagram. Did you know that we often give sneak peeks there? We also show really fantastic tester photos and our own dressed up versions of CKC outfits. Here are just a few (of many) that we have posted the past few weeks:


Isn't this darling? We love to go all out dressing up our new releases. 



This is Natalie on her sixth birthday. Have you seen the AG doll of the year? She is a designer, complete with a sewing machine, fabric supplies, and my favorite of all - a dress form! How fabulous is that?! 



Our CKC staff is growing so you may not be completely familiar with the original designers and main boss ladies here at CKC.  Shannon and Tiffany are SO talented, a great team, and especially the best of friends. I like stalking following them on Instagram just because they're so much fun! (They took this photo at a comedy club on a double date the other night.) Lucky husbands and kids! 


Speaking of lucky, check out Natalie's special birthday outfit. I love the little image on her shirt. You'll have to zoom in if you can't see what it says. We're so happy she had a great birthday.

Here are a few more pretty photos you may not have seen: 






You may have noticed that we often re-make our older patterns just to make them fresh again. This Stella's Dress pattern is in our Couture Clearance section on the website. Love it!

You didn't think I was going to show our sneak peeks here, did you? Nope, you have to go find us on Instagram for those!  On occasion we will be sharing some of our photos here but trust me, you don't want to miss out on all our great snapshots on IG in the meantime. It's a great way to find inspiration for your own sewing projects. Again, you can find us here at CKC on Instagram

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

Friday, February 21, 2014

Update for Brenna's Bubble Pocket Shorts

It's Morgan here. You know that saying "it's right under your nose"? Well I have officially truly experienced it this week and I'm quite embarrassed. You see, we released Brenna's this week and in doing so I signed off on the pattern piece and unfortunately it had a few misprints that went unnoticed. I think I was so concerned making sure that the measurements were correct that these two things just slipped though the cracks!

So let's pull out our patterns and all make a little note on them. To start you can see if you have the older version by looking in the top right hand corner of the first page. If it reads "v1. 2/18/2014" then you have the older version and you will want to read on. If yours read "v2. 2/21/2014" then you have the newest version and you're all set to go create something awesome, no changes needed! 



One of the errors we need to fix is actually kind of funny. Can you spot it? Yep, according to our pattern piece we are making "packet" shorts not "pocket" shorts.

 The second error has caused a little confusion and I can see how. The piece has the word "FOLD" on the edge of the pattern piece. This piece should not be cut on the fold! I just marked that out on my copy. I also updated a photo in the pattern to cause less confusion.



You will actually be cutting 4 pieces in all. Two with the crotch facing the left and two with it facing the right.

Or if you prefer you can cut the piece on the fold and then cut it down the middle like the image below.


Like I said, they where just a few little things that were right under my nose and I completely didn't see them. You guys, I'm so sorry! Now if you're like me and may not remember these changes later, you are completely welcome to fill out the pattern update form at THIS LINK and the new pattern will be sent to your email shortly!

I am already having a blast seeing all the wonderful shorts you all are making for your little ones, and I thought I'd share a few before signing off.

Tina from Damsels & Dragons created this amazing pair of chambray Brenna's:



Tina also gave knit a try with great success! Thank you Tina for sharing these both with us and for being the guinea pig and giving the knit a try!


Well that's all from me today folks.

Happy sewing y'all,
Morgan

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Blog Contest: Use a Free Pattern!

It's time for another mini  contest here on the CKC blog!  We are going to be doing a mini contest each month now, completely separate from the traditional contests that we have always done on Facebook. Those will continue just as we know and love them -- the contests here are just a bonus! 

For today's contest we are going to ask you to sew any one item from the Tutorials page on our blog.  I'm sure you have heard of our free Marilyn's pattern and our free Taylor's pattern. But were you aware that we have SIXTY-TWO other free patterns/tutorials as well?  


That's right! We have free clothing patterns, accessories, home decor,  and even toys and other miscellaneous items. (I didn't even count all our tips and tricks posts in that number!)  We want our fans to enjoy our free patterns to their fullest so today we are going to get you up close and personal with our Tutorials page! Here's what you need to do: 

1 - Browse the Tutorials page here and choose a project that you want to make, preferably one that you have not made before.  It can be either large or small. We will choose one winner from Clothing, one from Accessories, and one from Home Decor/Kids/Miscellaneous.  

2 - Take a picture of your fabric/supplies before you start so we know that it was made this week and not previously. 

3 - Have fun sewing your project!  

4 - Take a well-lit photo of the finished product.

5 - Email your before and after photos to kristen@createkidscouture.com and be sure to include which category it is from and your name. Entries are due at 10 pm est on Wednesday, February 26.  Yes, that is less than a week for a contest but keep in mind that most of these tutorial are quick to sew and that's why we call this a mini contest. We know you can do it! 

Winners will be announced on the blog Thursday morning and one winner from each category will win a free pattern!  We will be sharing several of our additional favorite photos on the blog as well so even if you don't win you could still be featured here.


Good luck! We are excited to see what you make using our free tutorials. 

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Something Extra for the Kids: Cut-Out Softies

When I sew outfits for my daughter, I always buy a little extra fabric to throw in something special for her such as a matching clutch purse or hair accessory and often a matching outfit for her doll.  To me, the outfit is already special on its own but I know the little matching details are what excite her. And if it's something that she can actually play with, it's all that much better! 


Have you had the chance to see Brenna's Bubble Pocket Shorts that were released just yesterday? They have an adorable bubble pocket on each side. This beautiful model's mother and seamstress, Alison Brorsen, thought it would be fun to make her bubble pockets look like little houses! And then of course it was only natural for her daughter to want some little dolls to go in the house pockets.  After considering the options, we suggested she use her leftover fabric to make Fabric Cut-Out Softies for her daughter's pocket dolls. Look at what a great job she did!


They are perfect for her pockets!  What a sweet little set for a sweet little girl. They are sure to be a favorite she'll remember. Today we're going to show you how to make these cut-out softies out of any fabric characters that you might have - dolls, mermaids, cars, monsters - anything! Here we go: 



To start with, we want to find a fabric that has enough full characters to create two sides for the softie. They don't have to be exact matches but they do need to be the same size. I got my Anne Kelle Ballerinas and Anne Kelle Mermaids from Katie's Quilt Shop on Etsy.  Decide which characters you want to cut and keep in mind that each one will need extra space around it so sometimes we may not be able to use two characters that are close to each other. 



When we know which characters we want, we will cut around the basic shape of each, leaving at least a 3/8" border of white space. We may cut into other characters but we need a good seam allowance. Also keep in mind that our two cut-outs will be sewn together facing each other, so if they are not completely symmetrical we will need to leave room for any differences. For example, if one leg is sticking out on one side it needs room to stick out on the other side too. 



Now we are ready to place our two cut-outs together with right sides facing. Trim any uneven edges.  Then sew around the shape, about 1/4" from the edge, leaving a 1" opening. (I often leave the opening at the feet of the character but in this case it is a ballet dancer and I wanted to be extra careful with her slippers so I left my opening on the side.)  Clip the curves. 



Now we are ready to turn it right sides out and stuff with our favorite batting. We want to give it a nice plump shape but not over-stuff it.



Stitch the opening closed by hand or machine. (I did it by hand in this case, since it wasn't by the feet.)  Now we're done! It was that easy.  We can repeat as many times as we'd like or until our kids' pockets are overflowing with softies! 




I wanted to make a special note here that some characters may be non-symmetrical enough that instead of matching them to themselves we will be better off matching them to similar mirror images.  In the picture above I matched the characters so that the top row of mermaids have their tails pointing to the right and the bottom row have their tails pointing to the left. When I put them together right sides facing, they will line up very closely. I was also careful to match their hair sizes too.

I have not yet sewn the mermaid softies because I know my daughter is going to want to help make some when she gets home from school!  I can't wait to show her the little basket of cut-out softies I made for her: 


We hope you will try this out with your kids!  If they are still too little to help, I'm sure they will be more than happy to put them in their pockets when you're done.  

Let's Create! ~ Kristen