Amber's Mouse-tastic Laurel with Applique Collar Pattern

I'm a big fan of Colette's Laurel pattern. Simple to make and simple to wear, it has an easy, flattering silhouette. I've made a few Laurels, both the shirt and the dress version, and it is a perfect wardrobe staple. You can even whip one up in just a couple hours, so there's really no reason not to make a bunch!

Pattern: Laurel by Colette Sewing Patterns
Fabric: Lizzy House Catnap fabric, 1 7/8 yds + 2 yards of bias tape
Size and style made: Version 4, size 2 at bust & size 4 at waist
Alterations: appliqued collar (downloadable pattern below) & buttons

The Laurel is easy to embellish--I decided to amp up the cuteness of this mouse print from Lizzy House by adding a contrasting appliqued collar to mine, and three peach flower buttons. I was inspired by my dear friend Sara's adorable collared Laurels.

If you want to embellish your own Laurel with this cute collar, just click below for a PDF with easy collar instructions and pattern.

Click here to download the collar pattern

What could be more perfect than a springtime bike ride in my mice-on-bikes Laurel? 

Catnap Dress Contest: A Cat Dress for Caty

Well, Fancy Tigresses, you really pulled out all the stops for this contest. I know there is a lot of competition out there, but we are darned proud of everyone and had so much fun making cat dresses. Thanks, Lizzy for hosting an awesome contest and making the best cat fabric!

Caitlin (Caty) Vannoy

1) Tell us about your dress - which fabric and pattern did you use?  

This is Colette's Laurel stitched up in Lizzy's Cattitude in Cloud. It's my favorite print from the collection, and it pairs nicely with the Smile & Wave print from Rashida Coleman Hale's Koi collection. I shortened the sleeves a bit and brought up the neckline for more of a boat-neck. And, of course, I added an adorable cat face complete with a button nose to amp up the cuteness factor!
  

2) What obstacles, if any, did you have to overcome for this challenge?

Finding a hypo-allergenic cat to model with.

3) How many other cat clothes do you already own? Can there be too many?

This is the first cat garment in my wardrobe! Can there be too many? Probably not. I already have some cat fabric stashed for a top.  

        

4) Do you have cats? How many and what are their names? Do they like your cat dress?

Sadly, I have no kitties at home. I have never considered myself much of a cat person, but I blame my terrible allergies. I do think they are awfully cute, though (from a safe distance, of course)!

5) How do you keep cat hair off your handmade garments?

There is not enough allergy medication in the world for me to cope with this hypothetical situation.  

6) Why should you win the Catnap Dress contest?

There are so many deserving cat dresses out there! I really stepped out of my comfort zone with this one, and I'm so glad I did! 

Catnap Dress Contest: Becky's Cat Whisperer Dress

Fancy Tiger's fourth contestant to enter the heated Catnap Dress battle is an expert crocheter, the maker behind Becky's Buttons & Things and also works at our sister store, Fancy Tiger Clothing. Needless to say, she's got great style and she couldn't be more adorable in her new Catnap Laurel dress.

 Becky Wareing Steele

1) Tell us about your dress - which fabric and pattern did you use? Did you make any alterations?
I made my second ever Laurel dress from Colette using Kitty Dreams as my main fabric and Cattitude for the interior pocket lining. I took in the Laurel pattern on the sides to give it more shape and added interior pockets to add some extra functionality to the piece.

2) What obstacles, if any, did you have to overcome for this challenge?
I learned the hard way that it is important to pay attention when using fabric with a directional pattern. My first dress that I cut out was upside down. The mistake was caught before I started sewing and I was able to start over. I may still make the upside down version of the dress to give me the added motivation to master the headstand.

3) How many other cat clothes do you already own? Can there be too many?
The quick answer is not enough, there can never be too many cat clothes.

4) Do you have cats? How many and what are their names? Do they like your cat dress?
I have two furry babies at home, Charlie & Eva Brown Tail. Charlie is 7 years old and Eva is one year behind at 6. Although Charlie is nearly three times the size of Eva she really runs the household. Both of them are full time Quality Control Kitties at becky's buttons LLC which came in handy when making the dress. We had nightly meetings where they'd pick apart the smallest details and send me back to the sewing machine. The interior pockets were all their idea, they figured it'd be the perfect way for me to always have cat treats on hand. Honestly I've never been worked so hard, although I have the sneaking suspicion that it was all part of their master plan to steal my warm spot in the bed.

5)How do you keep cat hair off your handmade garments?
I think it's less about keeping cat hair off and more about embracing it. If I leave the house without any cat hair on me it's probably a sign that the kitties are upset with me.

6) Why should you win the Catnap Dress contest?
Honestly I already feel like a winner. This is only the second dress I've ever made and just owning this beautiful custom made dress that I'll have for years to come is reward enough. Oh, but yeah I would also really like to win : )

Loony for Laurels

--Jaime

Amber and I are loony for Laurels and now we are total twinsies in our terrific tops and distinct dresses. The Laurel pattern is the newest pattern from sewing superstar Sarai Mitnick of Colette Patterns. It can be sewn up as a top or dress - it is a simple shift-dress design that is easy to sew and perfect to embellish. We've only had this pattern in for a couple of weeks, but Amber and I have already each made a top and dress!

 

My top is made from a Japanese print that I have been hording for a while now. I used our natural linen bias tape to trim my top and I love it. This was an easy top to sew and only took me 3 hours start to finish for my first one. The Laurel features bust and back darts so it has a nice fitted look despite its simplicity. I already have more fabric cut for my next Laurel top. I can't wait to make this sleeveless as well for summertime funtimes!

Amber is crazy for cats so she made a sweet cat shirt that features cats in baskets with butterflies and yarn. Perfect. The Laurel's simple design is made to show off bold prints so if you have some cat fabric just waiting for the right pattern, the wait is over. A black bias binding lets the cats pop for maximum cat-action.

Next we took on Laurel dresses. The Laurel dress is a shift-style dress with half length sleeve that features a zipper closure in the back. I chose a Lizzy House Constellations Twinkle Twinkle print for mine and Amber chose a bold Japanese graphic linen print for hers. For my dress, I used a pale purple shot cotton as a contrasting bias trim while Amber chose to go with black for her dress. They turned out great--Laurels 4-ever!

We hope to see you all take on the Laurel this upcoming spring and summer. We can't wait to see how you embellish yours... pockets, collars, ruffles, oh my!