McKensie Pattern Now Available

McKensie Pattern now available in my Etsy Store. McKensie is a quick project that allows you to be creative. Great for some embroidery on the bodice, pocket or band. For a simpler look, the pocket and/or band can be eliminated.

This pattern takes very little fabric so is great to clean out some of those small pieces in your stash.

Photo by Jessica Johnson
Photo by J Chustz Photography

Thanks to all the testers who helped with this pattern. Your comments and pictures were a great help.

Christmas Outfits from David Pattern

Look at these awesome customer creations using the David Pattern. The reindeer embroidery is so adorable.

She adapted the pattern, only using the pants portion and adding elastic at the bottom of the leg for these precious matching outfits. What a great idea.

What great Christmas outfits. Thanks to RG for sending these pictures.

If you like the embroidery, she also told me, " The reindeer appliqué is from Applique Cafe and the Santa hats are from Pickle Pie! "

David Pattern Now Available

David, my newest pattern now available on Etsy.

David is a simple pants pattern with a bib insert. David has an elastic waist with straps that are inserted through loops and button in the back at the waist. Contrasting fabric for the bib insert make a unique look as well as a canvas for a monogram or embroidery design. With the right choice of fabric, ruffle or time and this pattern could easily be used for girls. j

Tana Tutu Dress Customer Creation

I got this picture today in my email using the Tana Tutu Dress pattern. What a great holiday look. The embroidery is from Embroidery Garden. It's called Sweet Christmas Monogram Set.

This came out so cute. Thanks R for sending me the picture.

Projects for Holiday Mart and Christmas Gifts

These are a couple of Ava Sundresses that will be available at the Holiday Mart on November 14th. Both of the dresses are made from Fabric Finder's pique fabric. The fleur di lis was a free design I downloaded from sew forum.

Their are so many projects I would like to do for Christmas gifts this year especially now that I have an embroidery machine. The problem is finding the time to complete them all. I am happy to say that I did manage to get a few cups embroidered for co-workers.

Tumbler Insert

My first tumbler insert. I have a feeling I might be making some of these for Christmas gifts this year.

Sundress with music notes applique

It's been raining all weekend which is great for sewing. I got this dress done and a couple of other miscellaneous projects for my niece.

The little girl this was made for loves music and the color yellow. I had a bit of a problem with the stitching on the first try so I added some fusible interfacing to the dress fabric and applique fabric. The second try stitched out really well. I'm still new at the embroidery and machine applique so I learn as I go and from trial and error - lots of error. LOL.

The dress is made from the Annette Reversible Sundress Pattern. It is reversible - the other side is a tourquoise, yellow and white floral print.

Ava Sundress, Annette Reversible Sundress, Applique and Embroidery

I've been busy sewing and getting some practice with my embroidery machine. Some of the projects are gifts but others are for possible sale at a trunk show I may have.

This one is made from using the Annette Reversible Sundress Pattern . The flamingo applique is from Embroidery Boutique .

I used the applique fabric for the reversed side and added a fabric flower in the blue pique.

This is the Ava Sundress Pattern, my newest pattern. The bow applique is from Applique For Kids. Check out her gallery and find the JoAnn Dress, Karen Capri Set and Tana Tutu Dress showcasing some of her great designs.

This is another Ava Sundress Pattern using a free design from Sew Forum. I would love to give credit to the digitizer but I didn't make note of it when I downloaded the design. The Ava Sundress Pattern will soon be available on YouCanMakeThis.com.

A co-worker recently got married and I monogrammed these towels for her. I told her I was a beginner in the embroidery area. She said she was OK with that and didn't mind me practicing on some towels for her. The font is from Embroidery Rn.

I didn't this size letter before putting it on the towel and was a little disappointed that it was not as large as I thought for the hand towels. I decided to make them both the same just to be consistent.

I have to admit, I don't enjoy embroidery on towels as much as dresses but wanted to give it a try. It's been fun trying some of the applique and embroidery designs I've been collecting.

I've also got a new pattern I may try soon. It is only in the idea stage at this point but hopefully will become a reality in the coming weeks.

Ava Sundress with embroidery and braided trim

I recently purchased a few embroidery designs from Embroidery Boutique and wanted to try them out. The Ava Sundress pattern is great for embroidery and applique on the front. I also added a handmade braided trim for the straps and along the hem.


This embroidery design is very simple and fast to do. These applique designs are

so much fun and are great for that little something extra on an outfit.

This is a better view of the braided trim. I used two pieces on each side for the straps and one row along the hem.

I took some pictures of the process and will try to put together a tutorial for the trim. I used gingham fabric in three colors for this trim. It takes a little time to do but I really liked the results. I ended up making extra to use again on a future project.

Another Ava Sundress with Embroidery

I recently purchased a few embroidery designs from Embroidery Boutique to try on the front of my new pattern - Ava. This lemonade stand applique design was just too cute to pass up althugh it took me 3 tries to get it done. The first one I tried, my embroidery machine had some problems so I had to bring it in to get adjusted. Once I got the machine back, I tried again and accidently had the side under the hoop so it embroidered through the front and side. I trashed both those fronts and cut a whole new dress out of the solid pink. Here are some pictures. I seem to be learning machine embroidery by trial and error. LOL

I've made several of the Ava pattern and completed the instructions last night. It was sent out for testing today. I am hoping to have it completed in a couple of weeks. This pattern is easy to quick to make. It's great for the summer but would work well over a long sleeve top for cooler weather. I am anxious to see what the testers make and to get their comments.

Embroidery Fun - Tana Tutu Dress

I've been sewing and embroidering alot this weekend. It's been fun. Here are some of the items I've done.


How I Roll was a free design from Embroidery Garden. I thought it was adorable.


This onesie is for a friend who just had a baby girl a couple of weeks ago. When I told her about the design, she gave me the onesie to try it.

I bought some tshirts and onesies to practice on and made a couple for gifts. This one is for someone who is expecting a girl.

This one is for another expectant mother that doesn't know if the baby is a boy or girl.

The design takes about 13 minutes to do and fits in a 4 X 4 hoop. I experimented with different color combinations to match the fabric.

I am changing the Tana Tutu pattern a little. Instead of the tulle on a bolt, I am using the tulle on the 6" rolls. I find it is easier to work with. Since I was making another dress, I decided to add some embroidery on the front. This design is part of a set called "Ballet Cuties" from BunnyCup Embroidery designs. I changed the colors on this one also to match the fabric .

My New Embroidery Machine

I now the proud owner of a new embroidery machine. I just got it a couple of days ago and haven't had alot of time to "play" but it is very simple to use and I can see lots of possibilities.
My JoAnn pattern is out for testing and should be available in 2 or 3 weeks. I have to get the cover pictures taken and wait on the tester comments for revisions. I'm looking forward to getting this one out. I love designing little girl dress patterns and this one is easy and goes together quickly.

I have had several requests for a boy pattern and have something in mind. It is just an idea right now but I plan to at least give it a 1st try soon. Sometimes what I imagine something to look like doesn't always live up to my expectations when it is actually finished. I'll keep posting updates on the progress.

Customer Creation - Karen Capri Set

This is another great creation from Joy at Applique for Kids using the Karen Capri Set and her own applique design. What a great Spring and Summer outfit.

Dee Dee Pleated Dress Pattern

My new pattern is ready and available on Etsy, soon to be available on YCMT.


Dee Dee Pleated Dress is an easy pattern that has pleats on the front and back and ties on the sides. The ties can be adjusted to make the perfect fit. The tie is sewn on to hold the pleats in place and is a great place for some decorative stitching or a small embroidery design. Add an extra button to the straps to adjust for growth. Included are instructions and patterns for sizes 1 through 6 along with lots of pictures to illustrate every step.

One of the testers, Bani, is from Germany and suggested I add metric measurements to the pattern for European customers. I added the metric to this pattern and will include the conversion in all of my patterns. Eventually I will revise the previous patterns to include metric measurements also. Thank you Bani for such a great suggestion.


Here is Bani's creation for the testing process. She does beautiful embroidery and applique and added it to the front and back ties as well as along the hem as you can see.

My second tester, Coleen, added an apron to the front of her dress. Even though they used the same pattern, you can see how these changes and the different fabric choices make each dress a unique creation.



Thanks to Bani and Coleen for helping me test this pattern. I appreciate all the great comments and suggestions.

Thanks to my adorable models for the cover and to their mom for taking the pictures. Check out her blog, J Chustz Photography.