KCW Spring 2013 - Days 6 & 7 - Sailboat Pants

Hooray hurrah! With my one extra cheat day, I managed to finished these super cute Sailboat Pants. 

 

Now I can understand everyone's addiction with this Oliver+S pattern. They are sooo unbelievably satisfying to sew! Easy, relatively quick and they come together so nicely.

The fabric is an Italian (cotton) denim with a wee bit of stretch I picked up at my local Fabricana (note to self: I used a stretch needle when sewing this as I found my universal needle was pulling the threads in the fabric too much). It's relatively thin/light-weight, so perfect for spring/summer. I wanted these to be versatile so I went with the dark denim blue, but I didn't want them to be boring so added fuschia top-stitching and bright green buttons. C picked out the buttons from my vintage button stash and I think they are perfect :) I also used some pink floral and striped cotton scrap fabric I picked up at the latest Our Social Fabric sale for the lining/facing.



 I made these in a size 4 which fit lil c nicely. And although they are meant to be cropped pants, these are definitely on the short side but still super cute. Again, perfect for the warmer weather we'll hopefully be seeing soon.

 

So c was NOT in the mood to model these pants this morning. I think she's been feeling rather 'put upon' with having to have modeled 3 other garments this week already. But luckily this afternoon, she granted me about 60 seconds to do a quick photoshoot :)

So I guess that's the end of Kid's Clothes Week. If you sewed along too, feel free to link up in the comments. I'd love to see what you made! And for more inspiration, head on over to the KCW blog for the round-ups. Such awesome stuff on there. And now.. back to some selfish sewing for me :)

melissa x

KCW Spring 2013 - Day 5 - sailboat pants in progress

Well, I'm definitely slowing down. Just managed to trace and cut out the fabric for my next project for KCW. Up next..

KCW Spring 2013 - Day 4 - boardwalk skirt

Whew! Finished this last night with only a mild bit of cussing. This is the Boardwalk Skirt by Go To Patterns. I purchased it when it was released as a pattern collection through Pattern Anthology.

 

So, I have mixed feelings about this skirt. First off, the pattern itself is lovely and very well written. But I think I have to come to terms with the fact that I don't really like sewing gathers/ruffles. Especially when the fabric I use frays like nobody's business! Seriously! There were threads everywhere it was such a pain in the butt trying to find my bobbin threads to pull. But, I do love the end result and the full-ness of the skirt. And so does lil c :)

I made this skirt in a size 4T but probably should have lengthen it to a size 5 or 6 for my tall girl. I used a yarn dyed cotton (possibly linen blend..) that I picked up a while ago from my local Fabricland. The fabric for the under-layer (petticoat) is from a vintage sheet, and the lace is from a vintage stash my aunt recently handed off to me. Because I wanted to just use materials I had on hand, I ditched the eyelet and drawstring cord that was called for in the pattern, and just did a basic elastic waist (this is an option given in the pattern as well). And of course, I also used the lace from my stash as opposed to the crochet lace suggested in the pattern. I don't mind the look of the lace but would definitely use the crochet lace the next time I make this. Or I might even rip out this lace and sub in some crochet lace. Aside from the fact that I love all things crocheted, I think the regular lace looks a little too 'lingerie-y' and perhaps doesn't suit this style of skirt very well. So overall, aside from my choice of lace, I do like how this turned out and will definitely be making it again.

melissa x

KCW Spring 2013 - Day 3 - boardwalk skirt in progress

I was pretty slow moving today and didn't get much actual sewing done. I had actually had the fabric cut out already, but spent a good while trying to decide on which lace to use for the detail. The pattern calls for crochet lace (which I love and think would look adorable) but I didn't have any on hand and really wanted to just use materials I had in my stash. My aunt recently gave me all the lace she had been hoarding over the last 30+ years so I found a piece that I think might work. Hoping to finish this up tonight.. 

KCW Spring 2013 - Day 2 - raglan tee

The theme of this week's challenge for me seems to be 'basics' and trying to fill my kids' closets with clothes they will actually wear on a regular basis. I've been meaning to make some basic tees for my son for a while now (since that's about all he's willing to wear). So this is what I whipped up for Day 2:

 

This is the Field Trip Raglan Tee from Oliver + S. I made the cargos already and big C loves them, so I thought I'd try the tee as well. I cut out the size 5 but lengthened both the body and arms to a size 7 (for my tall but super skinny guy). I used a thrifted Old Navy tee for the main body and some organic cotton jersey(?) I picked up at an Our Social Fabric sale last year (off the bolt for $2 a meter!!!) I love the colour combo and think this will definitely brighten up C's wardrobe :) 

Again, a super quick project made even quicker by using the existing t-shirt hem in the main body of the shirt, and just doing a simple overlock finish for the sleeves. (geez, can you say lazyyy? :))

 

big C was not up for modeling this tee this morning, but lil C was more than happy to do it. Actually, she was hoping to claim the tee for herself but settled for just wearing it at home while her brother was out. Now she's demanding I make one for her too.

melissa x

KCW Spring 2013 - Day 1 - twirl skirt

So I kinda cheated and started my KCW sewing yesterday. But hey, at least I'm being honest about cheating, right? ;) I had a couple hours to myself and was itching to begin. And here's what I started with

 

This is the Twirl Skirt from lil blue boo which I also made for last year's KCWC (which has been in heavy wearing rotation throughout the year). It's just so simple to sew up and is perfect for upcycling knits and using up scraps. I'm not really sure why it's taken me a whole year to sew up another one.

 

 

I made this in the size 3-4T and cut into some of my smaller thrifted t-shirts/tanks I had stashed away. I love the apple print fabric which was from a size S tank top (pretty much used up the whole tank for this skirt), and the super soft pinstripe knit is from an XS Joe t-shirt (with just enough leftover for a doll dress perhaps..). 

And since this skirt only took about 20 mins to cut out and sew up, I spent the rest of my hour+ tracing the pattern pieces for my next couple of projects..

melissa x

Spring kcwc day 7 - the end

Well, it's the end of the Spring KCWC and unfortunately, I don't have anything exciting to show for the last day. I have to say, I'm kind of burned out and have just been super tired these last few days. (I'm blaming the West coast gloomy weather for this..) But, I did manage to complete everything on my list and even added a pair of sweatpants to boot! Tonight, I am still faithfully putting in my hour's worth of 'sewing/prep' by tracing out some patterns that I have now been re-inspired to sew. The Sailboat Top/Skirt/Pants pattern from Oliver+S has been showing up all over the elsie marly flickr pool and I've finally dug out my copy of the pattern and started tracing. I'm looking forward to sewing these up for lil C, but just not tonight. Tonight I'm going to veg in front of the tv with a nice cup of tea :)

By the way, if you're looking for some sewing inspiration, make sure you check out the flickr pool. So many awesome creations on there! I haven't had a chance to really look through all of them yet, but some of my favourites so far are this, this, this and this. And that's just barely cracking the surface. Seriously, amazing stuff.

x melissa

spring kcwc day 6 - pajama pants

Just a couple pairs of pajama pants for day 6 of the kcwc.

My kids have been asking for more pairs of flannel pajama pants for lounging around the house. They actually don't even wear them to sleep, just to play in. Nothing new or fancy here. Just the same pattern as these sweats, but without the modifications. I had the robot flannel fabric in my stash and once big C saw it, he demanded that I make him some comfy pants with it. As for lil C's pants, I have so many lovely AMH flannels in my stash and was hoping I could make her some pants with those. But lil C had found this duck fabric at the fabric shop a while back and immediately fixated on it. I bought it but tucked it away for bit, all the while showing her the AMH fabrics hoping she'll want them for her pj pants. But lil C always remembered the ducks and insisted on that fabric. So here they are.

Ok, so maybe they actually are kind of cute. I think the thing that creeps me out though are the crazy eyebrows on these ducks! (or are they extreme eyelashes?..) 

Well, one more day of kcwc to go! What to make now..

kcwc days 3/4/5 - Ayashe Blouse

Ooh! I'm so in love with this blouse!

A few months ago, Shelly and Daniela of Figgy's Patterns/blog hosted a sew-along for this blouse, one of their debut patterns. I was all psyched up to join in but then life got in the way and I didn't end up sewing along. So, the first thing I thought when I signed up for this Spring's KCWC was that I would make this blouse, and I'm so glad I did!

I've used a few of Shelly's patterns before and really do love them. This blouse has such beautiful details like the front bodice top-stitching and the gentle gathers on the yoke. I would actually love to make a blouse like this for myself! (Shelly & Daniela, if, by chance, you're reading this, please make an adult version of this pattern!). Here are the details:

Pattern - Ayashe Blouse from Figgy's Patterns, size 4/5. I made the short sleeve option with the mandarin collar, and left the bottom hem straight without the elastic or drawstring.

Fabric - AMH Little Folks Voile, Little Honey in Gold. 7/8 yard (with some to spare)

General Thoughts - Again, I love how this blouse turned out mostly because of the sweet little details that make it so professional looking. The pattern instructions were good although I did get stuck putting in the yoke facing. I was going on very little sleep that day and was determined to put in my hour of sewing. Luckily, I remembered the sew-along and went to check there for extra tips. Got it all figured out the next day after a good night's sleep (it actually wasn't hard at all, my brain just wasn't working that night). I also made the size 4/5 for my big (just turned) 3 year old, and it fits well with room to grow in the body. However, the neck hole for the 4/5 size was too small and I couldn't get it over my daughter's big beautiful head :). So I just picked out a few stitches more (about an inch) down the front seam and tack stitched the bottom of the opening to secure it. The collar was easy to sew in although I had to adjust the length a bit to fit nicely. The sleeves were also pretty easy to sew in (I usually hate fitting in sleeves), but I still have to figure out how I want to finish those seams (I did french seams for the rest of the blouse but couldn't do that when joining the sleeves. I'm thinking of finishing this with bias tape so the inside of the blouse stays all neat and tidy.) 

Overall, I really enjoyed making this blouse and will definitely be making more very soon!

kcwc day 2 - simple sweatpants

Ok, so nothing glamorous here.

Just a pair of sweatpants that were very much needed by my 4 1/2 year old boy. Lately he's been totally into comfy pants (when he was younger he only wanted to wear jeans), and the few pairs we have are about 3 inches and 2 sizes too small. So, I decided to whip up a pair with some fleece from my fabric stash.

I was kind of lazy with these pants and didn't bother finishing any seams. But hey, you can do that with knits, right? I also made these after C went to bed so I wanted to try them on him first before I invested too much time in making them all neat and tidy. Here are the details:

Pattern - New Look 6746 view A pants, size 5. Originally I was going to just copy a pair on sweatpants he already owned, but as I mentioned, the only sweats he had were 2 sizes too small. So I decided to try using this pajama pant pattern I had on hand and just add the ankle elastic and, Voila! Sweatpants!

Fabric - Gray heather fleece from my stash. I know this isn't 100% cotton but I'm not really sure what the blend is. It's suuuper soft and cozy though which I know C will appreciate :) I also added a little Japanese linen twill tape with a cute monkey on it so we can easily tell the front from the back.

General Thoughts - Again, another super easy and quick project. Two pattern pieces and sewn with a knit fabric so no seam finishes. Sewing time was probably just about an hour after the cutting out the fabric pieces. The only thing I'd do different is to add a little extra room in the butt area when folding down and sewing the waistband to make them even more comfy.  But, C does seem to love these so I'm calling this a success! Hooray hurrah!

 

And on a side note, check out yesterday's twirl skirt in action

kcwc - upcycled knit twirl skirt

Yay! I finished my first project for the kcwc!

I was out at the thrift shop the other day and found a couple of knit tops that just happened to go together perfectly. I wish I had taken a picture of the 'before' tops. They were in great condition but rather lacking in style.. I love how this skirt turned out! I 'd actually wear this if it was adult sized! I was hoping to get a couple of pics on my normally skirt-loving model, but she has deemed today 'sweatpants and pajama day' and has refused to touch this :( Hopefully I'll be able to get some pics later on this week.

Here are the details:

Pattern - The Twirl Skirt by Lil Blue Boo. This is a PDF download so it involved some printing and taping but because there are only 2 pattern pieces, it was super quick

Fabric - The polkadot fabric is 100% cotton, the floral is a cotton/poly blend. Both are from thrifted shirts which were $3.99 each (with enough leftover to make another skirt). The ribbing for the waistband was from a remnant bin (can't remember the cost)

General Thoughts - Wow! This was a super easy, satisfying project. Once I had printed, taped and traced the pattern, the actual fabric cutting and sewing part probably only took about an hour. I've been meaning to make an upcycled knit skirt for a while and was freaked out a bit about sewing with knits so I put it off. For this project I just used my regular sewing machine - a standard stitch for the seams and zig-zag for the attaching the waistband. Easy peasy! Will definitely be making more of these :)

Ok, on to the next project now..

KCWC - Day 3

Yay! Day 3 of the  Kids Clothes Week Challenge and I have one project complete!

These Dapper Dillinger Trousers were made from a Patterns by Figgy's pattern. If you`ve never tried one of their patterns, I fully recommend them. They are very well written, always look professional with lots of attention to details (without going over the top), and the designs are a perfect blend between fun and functional.

I did make a few small adjustments to the pattern though. When I got to the very last part of the waistband (the flat front panel), my fabric pieces ended up being too small. I`m not sure if I just messed up the seams somewhere along the way, but I ended up cutting another set of front panel pieces that were 1 inch longer than the pattern piece to ensure it covered the front band entirely and neatly. (I was tempted to figure out a way to just `make` the front pieces fit by sheer force of will, but decided it would really just be easier to cut new pieces).

Also, as I predicted, these pants did end up being quite loose for Big C. I made the 4/5T size for my nearly 4 year old (I could have easily gone with the 2/3T) and so I ended up making a couple small sizing adjustments. First of all, I didn`t add the cuffs. Although I love how the cuffs look, they would have made the pants waaay too long so I just sewed a regular hem. I figure when he has his next growth spurt and grows 3 inches in one night, I can add the cuffs then. Also, I finished these pants at around midnight and my sewing machine started acting up and doing crazy things with the tension and wonky stiches (maybe it was tired too!). So I figured it was a sign that these pants were to remain cuff-less. The last adjustment I did was to simple cut a shorter elastic (at least 1 1/2 inches shorter than the suggested length) and really cinch up the pants in the back to they would fit my skinny boy. 

C was a little hesitant to model these for me, but then I told him they were Bruce Wayne pants and he gladly agreed.

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

I've been following the Elsie Marley Blog for a while now, and there is never any shortage of sewing and crafty inspiration to be found there. This year, I've decided to join in on the fun and take part in the Kids Clothes Week Challenge (kcwc). Basically, I've committed myself to spending at least one hour a day sewing clothes for kids for an entire week May 9th-15th.

Now I think I'm already putting in an least an hour of sewing every night, so I'm going to give myself a few additional challenges. Along with my fabric stash, I have a pattern stash (sewing and knitting). My goal for this week will be to make clothes from these patterns (the ones I had every intention to use when I purchased them, but they somehow fell to the wayside). My second personal challenge will be to sew at least two pieces of clothing for my son (or possibly start knitting a sweater for him which will NOT be finished by the end of this week but will hopefully be done by the end of summer..). Every time lil c prances into the room in a new, freshly sewn dress, Big C very kindly smiles and comments on the lovely 'princessiness' of the garment, and says how nice she looks. Sometimes he asks where his new dress is and I feel so awful.. So this week, we are going to even up the score a bit and crank out some boys clothes! My final personal challenge will be to try sewing with knits. I'm typically a woven (non stretch) fabric kind of gal when it comes to sewing, but there are so many great knit patterns out there and they look oh-so-comfy! Time to give it a try.

Like I've said, I have a huge stack of pattens I would love to get to, but here are my top few items to get me started:

Dapper Dillinger Trousers - Patterns by Figgy's
Tee for Two (raglan-style t-shirt) - Patterns by Figgy's
The 90-Minute Shirt - Made Blog Tutorial
Princess Leggings - Heidi and Finn
Maya Yoga Skirt - ModKid by Patty Young
Ice Cream Dress - Oliver + S (I'm thinking I'm not really going to get to finish this one, but I would be happy to at least cut out the pattern and figure out what fabrics I'm going to use. I LOVE this dress!)
Classic Raglan Pullover - Jane Richmond (knitting pattern)

Wow, that's looking like a pretty ambitious list! Wish me luck!
Anyone else want to join me in the challenge?