 | This is where YOU get featured! Want to get featured too? Read more at the bottom of this newsletter. In this newsletter, you'll find inspiring pictures of other sewists' work and the stories behind their projects, we share our latest releases with you, show you what's coming, and give you all the ins and outs about the latest free updates. | Customer spotlight! Erin Wheeler posted this amazing picture in our pattern group and she got an overwhelming response! She chose the colors so well, and it's beautiful to see that gorgeous girl have so much fun in her new dress. I asked Erin if she could tell us about her project: Erin: "I’ve never gotten so much love and feedback on anything I’ve ever made until today! It was overwhelming but it’s nice to know that other people like what I make!
I started sewing in 2014 after my daughter was born in October 2013. I was looking on Pinterest for baby dress ideas and I came across the Peppermint Swirl Dress. I fell in love but was really intimidated by it since I had just begun sewing. Fast forward to 2019, I finally bought the pattern since I felt I had enough experience to finally tackle it. I got 90% done and was a little discouraged that I had accidentally cut the wrong size... it was a little too big and I didn’t feel like altering it. So it went into my unfinished project pile until two weeks ago!
I finished the hem, the buttons, and buttonholes and the resulting picture is how this dress made my daughter feel!
Sewing just makes me happy! It’s what I do when I’m in a good mood, bad mood, creative mood, etc. It’s opened a lot of doors for me from being hired on the spot at David’s Bridal to do wedding gown alterations, designing and making prom gowns, and even doing alterations for a singer at the Country Music Awards! Opening an online shop is the next goal that I’m working on at this very moment... it will be called Erin Maria Couture when it finally comes into existence." | Customer spotlight! Jessica Hamilton was a tester for the Strawberry Laces Lace-Up Dress last year when her little lady was only a baby! (see picture below - aww!) Now, look at how much that beauty has grown! Jess said: "I had originally tested the strawberry laces dress when Celeste was in the smallest size. I absolutely adored it back then and knew it would be the perfect dress for our upcoming family shoot. But then the world turned upside down and we postponed the shoot, but couldn't resist putting her in it for our walk this morning! I added a ruffle to the bottom because I'm loving that look lately and really glad I did. So happy with this little dress." | Customer spotlight! I received such a lovely email from Rebecca McKenzie with gorgeous pictures of her daughters' Cotton Candy Dream Dresses. They had a magical afternoon in Disney World dressed in their non-stereotypical poofy princessy dresses! And not just any dress... A Batman Dress!
Read more below! | Rebecca said: "My youngest (4 1/2 years old) LOVES Bat-Man. Not Bat-Girl. Must be Bat-Man. My older daughter (8 years old) loves all things math and science. And green. Both of them are pretty rough and tumble most of the time, but they do like their tutus and fancy outfits occasionally... one does not preclude the other. Every time we go to Disney World, "the girls" go to afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. This time our group consisted of my mom, sister, me, and my two daughters. | We like to be a little dressy, so we wear our finest, get a princess makeover, and have a wonderful indulgent afternoon. We were almost late for our tea reservation. We had people stopping us and asking where we bought them. There was one girl that was so incredibly excited about the off-beat (non-princess) dresses, that her mom came and talked to me and was clearly trying to commit the Candy Castle name to memory in order to look it up later (I hope she finds us)! We had people ask us to let them take pictures. I had dads (and sons!) stop and tell us how cool it was to see a Bat-Man princess dress like that (and NOT Bat-Girl!). There was excited chattering left behind us like a boat wake wherever we went. My girls were more than happy to proclaim “my mama made it!”. I was deemed The Queen by many of the cast members who asked about the dresses. It was such an incredible feeling to see my girls feel validated in who they are. Because math, science, Bat-Man, and certain colors have been deemed "for boys", often it's hard for them to feel that it's okay to like those things just because they’re girls. I loved so much that people were truly appreciating the individuality of the girls and (especially at Disney) and bucking the trend of the “stereotypical” princess. Thank you so much for this pattern, and sharing the stories of people who celebrate being their authentic selves." | Customer Spotlight! My friend Elizabeth has a real knack for sewing and photography! I'm so in love with these pictures of her beautiful daughter twirling around in her Peppermint Swirl Dress! Thank you so much Elizabeth! | Customer spotlight! Jana Östreich from Germany posted some amazing skirts in our pattern group. I thought the button tabs were a brilliant idea! Jana said: "I came across the Peppermint Swirl Dress pattern through a general sewing page. I immediately thought it was perfect for my niece to wear to school. I sat on the first trial dress for more than two days. The others went faster and faster and I started trying different options, such as a zipper or a round neckline. Then, the skirt add-on was released and I had to make it. Since my niece, unfortunately, lives a little further away and I could not take measurements, | I had the idea to insert buttons on the sides to reduce the size, or if it was not necessary to add a small accent. Now my niece is going to school this year and absolutely wants to wear a Peppermint Swirl Skirt! The patterns from Candy Castle Patterns leave so much space for creativity, that's the nice thing about them." | Customer Spotlight! Yazhi Smith made a gorgeous Buttercream Top (a free pattern on our website) for her gorgeous daughter. Yazhi entertained me with the story of how she became a seamstress. Yazhi: "I started sewing a month ago although I'm told "pandemic sewing" is the technical term. I have attached a picture of my natural talent with the sewing machine and what my first attempt at threading a bobbin looked like, for entertainment value. | It was getting close to Mother's Day and I found an old photo of a simple dress my mother had sewn for me (see right). It was made from colorful curtains of the apartment we were renting. We were poor and one of our very little but very treasured possessions was the old school Singer sewing machine. I have very fond memories of helping my grandmother and mother thread the needle on the machine because my eyes were young and sharper and begging them to let me mash the foot pedal when they were making things. I told my family my 2020 Mother's Day present would be uninterrupted sewing time to make a top or dress for my daughter Emma. | I had tried a t shirt sewing pattern from a random website and I was a little discouraged. I had to undo so many mistakes because the instructions weren't explicit about steps and I thought to myself maybe I am just too dumb. The finished product also was a little underwhelming and maybe I needed to sew for a few more years before I should attempt clothing. Then some friends sent me a link to Candy Castle Patterns and swore up and down that it would be easy. I was a little skeptical because the dresses and tops looked so amazing, there was no way this was really for beginners like me. I gave the Buttercream Top a try. It was the closest thing to the simple dress my mom made me. The instructions with photos were so easy to follow and time just flew by. I was having so much fun and an hour or so later, I had finished the Buttercream Top. I am still amazed at how it turned out and my daughter loves it. So glad I found Candy Castle Patterns!" Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story, Yazhi, and welcome to the creative and addictive world of sewing. We're so happy you're here. | Customer Spotlight! A stunning project by Creationsbymormor: twin dresses! The owner told us:
"I am currently furloughed and had been sewing scrubs for the NHS but during the cul de sac gathering for VE Day (adhering to social distancing guidelines) I was talking to my neighbour and offered to make her twins a dress each, just to give me a break from scrubs. The colour, style preference was up to me but she had mentioned that they were hoping to go to a wedding in August so I knew straight away that the Peppermint Swirl Dress would be the perfect dress to make. I have made this dress a few times and is becoming my go to dress. I think its such an easy dress to make but looks much more complicated and really makes a statement. I was unable to measure the girls myself but the mum gave me rough measurements and we decided to go for a size 3. The dresses fitted perfectly." | Customer spotlight! Cecsalea Bryant showing off her beautiful V is for Vanilla shirt - it suits her so well! Cecsalea said: "I absolutely love sewing! I mostly sew for my kids because I love seeing their reactions when they get cool momma made clothes, But it was my turn to get something cool. I wanted something that was more than just a t-shirt, that was a quick sew, versatile, and made me feel like the bad booty momma I am. V is for Vanilla is THAT top. I wore it for a straight 24 hours (even slept in it because it was soooo comfortable). Thank you for making such amazing, beautiful, and empowering patterns." | The Funfetti Donut Pattern was released in May! This pattern has eight different styles and six sleeve types. So many patterns in one, that will carry you through the seasons! | The Funetti Donut pattern is a super fast sew. The circle skirt guarantees an amazing twirl factor! Oh, and it also has a great size range: 3m - 12y! | The Strawberry Laces Peppermint Swirl Mash-Up is a free tutorial that will show you how to put two existing patterns together; the Strawberry Laces Lace-up Dress, and the Peppermint Swirl Dress. You're going to LOVE this one! I made up this mash-up (meaning: putting two patterns together into a new creation) for my daughter's eight birthday, and she was over the moon! | Just a teaser for now.... This elegant top/tunic/dress pattern will be going into testing soon! Make sure you follow our Facebook page for updates! | I hope you got tons of sewing inspiration; let's get creative! Would you like to get featured too? If your picture is featured in the newsletter, you receive a 5 dollar coupon to the store, next to eternal fame for your amazing sewing talents of course! All pictures of Candy Castle Patterns creations will be considered, even if you made adjustments (it would be very helpful if you would tell us in short which adjustments you made, if any). Send your pictures to candycastle@outlook.com and if you're picked, we'll send you an email with your coupon code! | | |
