Welcome back to 40 Garments in 40 Days.

I've got some great sews for you again this week AND a full bonus post.

Want to hear about the bonus post first? Tomorrow I am sharing with you an entire post about layering pieces for a Spring/Summer Wardrobe. Complete with giveaways and everything. You'll love it.

Today I've got 6 wonderful garments to share with you, so let's get started.

Lily Bird Studio Sandy Tunic
Purl Soho City Shorts
Rabbit Rabbit Creations Girl Next Door Dress
Love Notions La Bella
Mouse House Creations Norah
and Bella Sunshine Designs Bow Tie Leggings
Up first, is the Lily Bird Studio Sandy Tunic. Lily Bird Studio is one of our awesome sponsors for this week, and you can register below for a chance to win your own copy of the Sandy Tunic. The Sandy Tunic is not like my usual fast and dirty sews. This pattern has beautiful pin tucks across the front and a gorgeous curved yoke. I took a few hours on a Saturday morning to make all this lovely bias tape for this pattern. It really makes all the difference on a pattern like this. I did struggle with this pattern a little bit, but it wasn't in the area I expected. I thought I'd struggle with applying the bias tape, but that part was very easy (and turned out gorgeous). For some reason I struggled with the shirt placket. Despite all the measurements matching up correctly to the instructions, my placket wasn't quite the right size. So my one word of advice, make sure your pleats are really really perfect. That said, you can't really tell that my placket isn't perfect and if you can, just don't tell me. ;) I opted to skip out on the buttons since this will most likely be worn over an under shirt. Also, this pattern uses 1/4" seam allowances. That doesn't leave any room for error, so sew carefully!

Paired with the Sandy Tunic are the Purl Soho City Shorts. The Purl Soho City Shorts are BETTER than a sponsor, they're free. I've tried a LOT of free patterns. Many are a complete waste of time (not all of course). But these are one of the best free patterns I've ever tried. So let's take a step back. The Purl Soho City Shorts come in sizes kids 2-11 and Women's hip size 33-46. I haven't tried the women's size yet, but from looking at it, they look well done. They are simple, with only 3 pattern pieces (1 of which is a rectangle for the waistband). The fit was perfect and they're super comfy. What more could you want in a free pattern? :)



The dress for this week is the Rabbit Rabbit Creations Girl Next Door. I have owned this pattern a long time and have made a sleeveless version every year. I really like the pocket and the over all style of the dress. HOWEVER, this is not a pattern for a newbie. The pattern includes ZERO band measurements so you will need to do the math for the neck, sleeve and pocket bands yourself. I did NOT do the sleeved version. I can only say that my version of the pattern had a fully drafted sleeve pattern piece but it did not denote a front/back but it was clearly different front and back. The hem of the dress cuts straight across the bottom. I opted not to hem at all, but if you decide to hem the dress, you will need to true up the corner the way I did on the Modkid Hailey.

Next up is the Love Notions La Bella. I love, Love, LOVE this pattern. It is fast and easy. Whether you're making it for a woman or a girl, it is SO fast. 1 pattern piece (just cut out the 2 different front and back necklines) and you're all set to go as long as you fold up your neck, arm and hem. But what makes this pattern awesome is the included cowl and hood pieces. Now I did not use the hood or the cowl this time. We've got so many patterns with hoods on them that I felt it might be over kill. It took longer to tape together the pattern than to do the actual sewing. I actually measured out my own arm band because I misplaced my arm band pattern piece (whoops) and was too lazy to print another one.

Paired with the La Bella is the Bella Sunshine Designs Bow Tie Leggings in slim fit pant. I've already blogged this pattern once in this series, and again on its own, so no need for a full review. I went the extra mile and added the bow tie and OMG SO CUTE. In the future though, cotton lycra does NOT make the best bow tie. It ended up a little bit heavier than I wanted. I might use a woven or a jersey instead.

And because those Bow Tie Leggings are SO versatile, I paired them up with the Mouse House Creations Norah in tunic length. MHC is another one of our sponsors, so don't forget to use the rafflecopter to register to win a free pattern from MHC. The Norah is another one of those patterns that I've owned for forever. It is a great basic a-line dress and has some super fun features. I wanted to do a nice black tunic with a pretty collar but my daughter said no way. She has to wear it, so I had to reassess. I'm so glad I did. This Purple leopard is amazing. I really love the simple lines in this pattern. I will say though that the armscye on the sleeveless is too large to wear modestly without a shirt on underneath. Next time I might bring up the armscye to make it a bit more modest. That said, I've made tons of these dresses and have never been disappointed with the over all style and fit. I have found the sleeves to be a touch long in the past, but I'd rather have sleeves I can hem up than sleeves that are too short!

For the back, the pattern calls for a button loop. I cheap on this every time. I instead make a snap loop. This time I tucked the snap in between the fold. This made for an invisible closure that looks way better than my kam snaps.








Now I know you're probably thinking that I've shorted you a pattern this week, but I promise tomorrow will have some amazing stuff to pick from, so be sure to check back! If you've missed any of the series, here's the links.
40 Garments in 40 Days Week 1 Day 1
40 Garments in 40 Days Week 1 Day 2
40 Garments in 40 Days Week 2
40 Garments in 40 Days Sudoku

And don't forget to enter the rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway