Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Falling into Family Photos (Laela Jeyne Family Photos Collection)


Welcome to Day 2 of the Laela Jeyne Family Photo Collection blog tour!  Fall is hands down my favorite time of the year!  I love the crisp air, pumpkin patches, fall festivals, Thanksgiving…and the list goes on and on.  I REALLY love that with the arrival of fall, we get to pull out the boots and cold weather clothes!  It’s also when we start thinking about family photos for Christmas cards, and Laela Jeyne’s Fall Collection released at the perfect time!  She designed an entire wardrobe for the family, and it’s pretty amazing.  My husband got a couple of shirts from the collection so he was super excited to see this come out.

The collection includes a men’s shirt, dresses for mom and the girls, and a wrap for mom!  I made three of the four pieces as part of the test team for the collection, and I’m so elated with how each piece came out.  I’m going to give a little bit of an overview on each of the items I made and then give you a link to get yourself the collection after you realize you need these patterns in your life!

So here we go!!

Emmett T-Shirt

Pattern features:
- Large size range: XS-3X
-  Relaxed fit t-shirt silhouette
- Three collar styles: crew neck, polo collar, Henley collar
- No trim pages
- Layered pattern pieces so you only print what you need

My husband’s measurements fell right in between the medium and the large so I made one of each to see which he preferred.  In the end, he like both so I guess I’ll take my pick of which size to make when he needs a new shirt! 😊!  I made both of these in looser weave knits because my husband tends to gravitate toward shirts that have a fair amount of give.


The Henley in a sweater knit from JoAnn’s.  It had A LOT of stretch so it was tricky to work with, but it turned out ah-mazing.  It was a little tighter fitting than what he’s used to wearing, but after wearing it for a few hours, I do believe he puffed his chest out just a little as he strutted around 😊!.  He actually wears this one with a pair of slacks when he’s showing houses. 


The maroon Henley is a size large using a thermal knit from Sincerely Rylee.  This one is a looser fit, and my husband usually pairs it  with some jeans when we’re out and about on the weekends.  
These shirts were amazingly quick to sew.  It took me about 45 minutes from start to finish for each shirt, and the pieces came together perfectly!  The only part that I fiddled with a little was the placket.  If you just take it slow and pay close attention to the directions, you’ll breeze right through construction of this shirt! 



Juliette Dress

I’m not usually a dress type of gal, but sometimes, it’s nice to know that there’s one there if you need it.  And the Juliette is much more than a nice dress.  Even my husband commented on how amazing it is!


Pattern details:
- Large size range: 00-26
- Cup size pieces ranging from A-E for a perfect fit in the bust
- Two bodice styles: strapless or sleeved
- Four neckline options: Queen Anne, Scoop, Round, or strapless
- Two back options: scoop or round
- Four sleeve options: cap, short, ¾, or long
- Back zipper closure
- No trim pages
- Layered pattern pieces


I chose the Queen Anne bodice for my dress and opted for a cotton woven that I bought from Ozark Fabrics a few months ago.  I blended from a 16 to 18 in the hips, and it was a great fit!  I do definitely recommend measuring yourself or the wearer before sewing.  With this being a fitted bodice, it’s really important to get the right size or you’ll end up with a crazy looking top.  I have large upper arms so I also did a “full arm adjustment” to have some room to move my arms, and it was perfect!  I love how this dress turned out, and I’m kind of on a floral craze right now so this dress was right up my alley! 

I’m kind of limited when it comes to the “girls” so I didn’t try the strapless…this time.  Marisa did include adding boning to the bodice for the strapless so I’m going to get brave the next go round!  I love the silhouette on this dress because the fit and flare style is so flattering on just about everyone. 


The pattern is rated intermediate, and I do agree with that 100%.  There are princess seams and an invisible zipper so this dress is a little more challenging that some.  There is also a very small amount of handsewing needed to finish off the seams on the bodice.  The Juliette took a little longer to sew this one up, but it’s worth the extra time that you need to take. 

Now, while I said I’m not a dress kinda gal, this dress may have me rethinking my stance on that.

Julie Dress

My daughter was a little put out when she saw my dress and asked me where her’s was.  Just so happens, that her dress was already in the making, and she was in love when she finally saw it.  She takes after me in the dress department.  Her first comment was, “Oh yeah, I’ll actually wear this one in public.”  I’d have to say that’s a rave review if I ever heard one. 😊


I used a red velvet for our version of the Julie, and I opted for the lower back because my daughter has a “thing” about clothes that are too close to her neck.  Let’s talk about the features of the Julie really quick:

- Large size range: 12M – 10
- Two neck options: round or scoop
- Zipper back closure
- No trim pages
- Layered pattern pieces

The overall fit of the dress is loose enough that my daughter could easily run around and play in it.  We used some ribbon to make a quick sash for her, but she only wore it for a few minutes before she decided that she didn’t want it anymore.  This one is also rated intermediate, and again, I do agree with that with the zipper closure and some small amount of handsewing to enclose the bodice seams.
My daughter really loves the circle skirt.  She couldn’t stop twirling around in circles when I was trying to get some good pictures of it!




This really is a great collection, and it’s perfect timing for anyone looking to get family photos taken before we start rushing into the season of sending cards and visiting with loved ones.  All of these patterns are so classic and are easily customized to your family’s photo theme!  Best yet, the collection is on sale right now!  Just hop on over to Laela Jeyne’s familyphoto collection to grab all or some of the patterns!  Then, join us in the Laela Jeyne Patterns group on Facebook to share your makes with us!


Blessings and Happy Sewing!

Kim