Did you hear? We are adding a third little Sofilantje to our family and little Sofilantjes needs to be dressed. So we are starting a baby pattern line.
Summer Solis Suit
Swimsuit season is here! Well, in Arizona it is pretty much “swimsuit season” all year. My daughter lives in the pool during summer. I like to make her suits that can also function as a summer outfits because of the numerous 110+ degrees F days that we have.
One of my all time favorite patterns is the Solis dress from Sofilantjes. I wanted to make that into a swim top, so that my daughter can have a comfortable/practical suit, but also super cute!
Continue reading Summer Solis Suit
It’s been a long time coming…
Ever since the Solis Girl’s pattern released a lot of you have been asking for an adult version and while we had our doubts if this would work for adults, we now know you are right to have asked. This dress is amazing! Not only is this pattern amazing, but the results were awesome! We had such a great and sweet group of testers. So nice and supportive and wow, so many great results. They all look so amazing.
The Women’s Solis Tunic and Dress looks like the kids version, only it’s made to hug our beautiful curves. Since not every one of us looks great in a natural waist slim fitted bodice (and some of us are pregnant) we added an empire waist bodice. With these two bodice lengths we can all wear this dress. No matter how tall, short, full figured or skinny you are. Our testers have proven this.
I can hear you thinking, will it look good on me? Well, you can see for yourself. We’ll show you some pictures. Lets start with the natural waist, circle skirt version.
Continue reading It’s been a long time coming…
Cessim shirt RELEASE
With the changing season we felt it was time for another boy/unisex pattern and it is a fun one! The Cessim Shirt is appropriate if you are moving into or out of winter. The Cessim is a relaxed fit shirt which is comfortable during warm weather and suitable for thicker fabrics in winter. With so many options you can almost never make the same shirt twice!
There are four basic body colorblocks, three sleeve lengths and three neckline options. This pattern could easily become a staple in your kids wardrobe because it is both perfect for using scraps and/or panel fabrics. But, let’s take it a bit slower and take a detailed at all the options one by one.
Let’s start with the color block options for the bodice. The first option is perfect for beginners. The body is one piece which also makes it a lovely option for panel fabrics. The seam is at the back of the shirt.
Learning Photography Week 4
We have made it to week 4!!!! Hopefully over the past three weeks you have had a chance to mess around with some new settings on your camera, practiced taking photos in various lighting and backgrounds, and then tried some new poses.
This week, since it’s our final week, I figured the best completion of our photography month would be to talk about editing our photos. I normally try to shoot for minimal editing but alas I have learned over the past year, that even a little editing can improve your photos immensely. I know there are many various programs for editing. GIMP is a free software that mimics Photoshop and Pixlr is also free. There are many YouTube videos that talk about how to use GIMP and Pixlr. Also, if you own a Mac, the photo editing software that comes with your computer is pretty decent. There is also Lightroom and Photoshop. I will let you know in advance that I only own Lightroom, and that is where I do all my editing. I will walk through some basic tools that I use to edit my photos in Lightroom.
After importing my photos into Lightroom, the first thing I will do is crop my photo if it needs it. Remember, try to crop so that focal point will follow the rule of thirds that we talked about previously. You will find the cropping tool on the right side, a box that is made with dashed lines. I typically choose a preset format, makes it easier if you want to go and print your images. 
Continue reading Learning Photography Week 4
Learning Photography Week 3
Welcome back!!! We are now on Week 3 of our photography month!!! Hopefully, the past 2 weeks have been helpful and that you are taking the time to take some photos and learn more about your camera.
This week we are talking about posing people, especially kids, in photography, and some tricks to get kids to pose (not an easy feat!). While I am definitely not an expert, I do have three kids with various personalities, and have learned over the years some tricks to get some good photos especially for pattern testing!
Let’s start with the kids first. I think the best tip to getting some good photos of children is being with them one on one. No other distractions. Take them to a new area, let them explore this new environment, ask them questions about what they see, all the while snapping photos. These photos seem to be the most natural. Some places that I have taken my kids are old abandoned buildings, a nature trail, field of wild flowers, a plant nursery, or even a post office. Depending on the time of day, I have found the lighting to be wonderful at these spots. Notice how I didn’t say your house or backyard, I leave this as my last resort. I find that these ‘familiar’ spots tend to be unexciting for the kids, and when I try to get them to look, smile, or pose, they just seem uninterested. Below are some photos that were taken by abandoned buildings that are in the old town we live near.
Regem Color Block Extra Instructions
The Regem is the perfect shirt for scraps or to use during upcycling, but of course it gives great results with new fabrics as well. It is a quick and simple sew which gives a sophisticated result. In the Facebook group, we saw a few people that were a bit thrown off guard by the seam allowances for the color block. The seam allowances stick out and create some strange looking bumps. Today, we are showing how to sew the color block in extra detail. This pattern is perfectly suitable for beginners, so if you have some trouble, just look at these pictures and it should all become clear.
In the graphic, you can see the pattern pieces that you will need for the color blocked shirt. You can also see that if you would put the piece together such that they touch, the fabrics would not be a perfect fit. This is normal, the fabrics are only a perfect fit when you put the red lines on each other, that is the actual line that you will be sewing.
Learning Photography Week 2
I hope that this past week you had a chance to play around with various settings on your camera that we talked about previously. If you have any questions, feel free to tag me in the Facebook Sew and Show group, and I will do my best to help answer any questions you have.
So now we are into Week 2 of our photography month. This week I thought it would be best to talk a little bit about some rules of composition when you take a photo. I also thought we should learn a little bit about lighting and various backgrounds. Before we start, I should mention that all that we are talking about today includes digital cameras and phone cameras.
First though, let’s talk about composition! The first rule of composition is the rule of thirds! This one I almost ALWAYS follow (although rules are meant to be broken, I rarely break this one.)! On the inside of my view finder (or on the screen on the back) on my camera I have a grid made of lines. If your camera doesn’t have the grid lines you can imagine your screen in nine even blocks (3×3). Knowing where these lines are makes it easy to line up your most important elements either on the lines or at a point where the lines intercept. This method works great on landscapes and with portraits for people.
Learning Photography Week 1
I am excited to spend this month with you all and hopefully together we can all learn more about photography and how our cameras work to get the best photos possible with the equipment that you currently have. I should state that I am NOT a professional photographer, just a mom, who pattern tests, and loves photography, and is continuously learning more and more about photography through fellow photographers. 
Since this is Week 1, I figured that best place to start would be to understand your camera and all the various settings you can choose from. Now, I am fully aware that not everyone will have a fancy digital camera or multiple lenses, and that the only camera you may have is your cellphone. Well the good news is you can still get a great photo with your cellphone! If you have a newer model phone, you will have the option to take photos in “portrait mode”. When you use this mode your camera uses a wider aperture, some phones go down to an f/stop of 1.8 even! With a wider aperture you will be able to make a background that is more blurred. See the photos below, the first one is just in regular photo mode on an iPhone, while the second photo is taken using the ‘portrait mode’, notice the difference with the backgrounds!!! The key to getting a good photo with a phone is to have great lighting and use portrait mode. Most photos taken with a phone will need to be taken outside or right by a window to get adequate lighting.
Continue reading Learning Photography Week 1
Guestblog: A Regular Hem to a Circle Skirt
In our Sofilantjes Sew & Show Facebook group we often see questions about hemming a circle skirt.
In this blogpost one of our Admins, Patricia from Wondermirakel – MoonStar, will explain some sewing techniques you can use for hemming a circle skirt.
