I'm really excited to be part of the Jocole Love Blog Tour! Be sure to check out ALL the bloggers in the tour. The tour is running from February 8th through February 19th. So be sure to read through to the end! I received a free copy of the Girl's Crossover Tunic Pattern in exchange for the tour. All opinions remain my own.

Jocole patterns were one of my first PDF's and I learned to sew for myself from them. So of course when Larissa from Connected by a Thread asked for bloggers for the Jocole Love Tour I was eager to join in.

Getting a free pattern during a blog tour is usually the awesome part. Except I own nearly every Jocole pattern. What's a girl to do?! I actually had to cross check the available patterns against what I already owned to pick a pattern. The pattern I choose for today is the Jocole Girls Crossover Tunic. I've actually made this pattern numerous times in women's sizes and it was an absolute favorite when I had a baby to nurse. I would still be wearing them except that I'm at least 2 sizes smaller now, so not a good idea. ;)

The Girls Crossover Tunic comes in sizes 12 months-14 years. It includes shirt, tunic and dress length. Its a pretty fast and easy sew. But my favorite part is actually assembling the pattern. Jodi did such a great job puzzle piecing the pattern pieces so that you would actually save paper when printing. I think that's my favorite part of her patterns. And of course there are some really great FREE hacks available on the Jocole Website. You can make a halter top, maxi dress or add sleeves, just by following the step by step tutorials available here.

I made this tunic from scraps from whatever I could find. I'm on a really tight fabric budget right now since I have a HUGE series I have planned for next month that is going to take up over 40 yards of fabric. So here I was squeezing pattern pieces out of a finished dress I had made myself that didn't fit. And when that wasn't quite enough, I used a bit of scrap for the back. Whew, it was close and I had to turn the front bodice pieces side ways, but the cotton lycra I found didn't mind. I used some left over plush fold over elastic I've been hoarding since my days of diaper making for the binding. I think it gives a great pop of color and ties in the contrast back piece.

My model's complaint about this pattern is that the arms are too tight. Its hard for me to tell whether that is because I pulled the binding too tight or whether the arm is drafted too tight. Either way, it'll be an easy fix when I make another one.

While I don't normally get too "fancy" with my posts, this one felt special to me. So I broke out my Silhouette and used one of their great FREE templates for a simple applique. I initially thought I'd put the applique on the front somewhere, but when all was said and done, it is perfect on the back. Originally I thought the back pattern piece would be purple, so this pink and red piece would have been perfect. But the back ended up being red, so there's a bit more blending in by the applique than i would like. But still quite nice looking.

The photos for the post come with a story. A long story. A funny story. A scary story. And then, a happy story. And I've got tons of pictures, so you get to hear the story. ;)

I originally planned on getting photos Saturday afternoon after the kids came back from Chinese class. That didn't work. Then I thought I'd get photos at the birthday party that we were attending. Except I forgot my camera and wasn't willing to drive an hour (home and back) to get photos. So THEN, I thought, I'd grab photos after my daughter showered. Here's the scary part. She calls me into the bathroom to help her with the hair conditioner and her face is covered in HIVES...!!!

Hives! My model's face is covered in hives. its 7pm on a Saturday and she's covered in hives. I played the super calm mom role. I helped her with the conditioner, washed her face off with soap and then gave her a double dose of antihistamine. Fingers crossed that she'd be at least getting better in an hour. I was of course panicking inside. An hour later and things were getting worse, not better!

Still panicking, I had my husband google local urgent care places. Most close at 7 or 8. CRAP its 8 already! Found 1 place open until 9 and headed over. 2 hours later and the hives are partially gone and she's starting to feel better. Finally I can stop panicking. Except the doctor says I have to watch her until morning to be sure they don't flare back up... Ok, now I'm only a little panicking. Blah.

Thankfully Sunday morning came and her face was clear and beautiful as always. And then came photo time.

Ugh, she wasn't in the "mood" for photos. Seriously. You'd think I pay her or something! Taking a cue from our birthday party yesterday, I had her put on her mic set from the party. Still not quite enough. Blah. Handed her a microphone. Improving... Finally I broke out my laptop and youtubed some Taylor Swift music videos. YES! Success.

These photos are some of the best I think I've ever taken. I think its because they come with such a great story. I ended up with so many good ones and had to leave out some fantastic ones because i figured 50 photos of my daughter pretending to be a pop star just wasn't quite what my sewing readers were looking for.

All that said, I like this pattern. It went together SUPER fast and I know from experience is comfortable to wear. Whether you get the women's or girl's version, you'll love it. :)

Be sure to check out all of the blogs on this tour! Which is your favorite so far?

Feb 8- Larissa from Connected By a Thread
Feb 9- Tibeca from Sewing by Ti
Feb 10- Robin from My Little Lady & Gentleman
Feb 11- Patricia from Sew Far North
Feb 12- Linda from Sew Happily Ever After
Feb 15- Larissa from Connected by a Thread and Essence from Amazing Adventures of Bubba and Bu
Feb 16- Amy from Wally and Grace
Feb 17- Melissa from Rebel & Malice and Sharon from Sweetpea & Pumpkins
Feb 18- Ula from Lulu & Celeste
Feb 19- Teronia from Crazy Crafty Haute Mama and Cindy from Cindy Parrett.com