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 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

a bear-y cute geranium dress

Two blog posts in one day?? What's going on around here?!? Well, I had intended to space them out a bit but I was just too excited to show you c's new geranium dress which I just finished last night.

Crazy cute, isn't it? I just love this pattern by Rae and wanted to sew one up right away. But life got in the way and now I feel like I'm late to the party. So I won't go into too much detail about the actual pattern and sewing process because there are literally a gazillion adorable Geranium Dresses and reviews out there for you to admire and read about. 

To make it short, this is a fabulous pattern and it was super easy to sew up. I chose the simple scoop neckline, with the pleated skirt and side seam pockets. I made the dress in a size 4 but lengthened it to a size 5 for my super tall almost-4-year-old. I think the fit is perfect! The only change I made with to top-stitch the bodice to the skirt since my top-stitching was much tidier looking than my 'stitch in the ditch' which was recommended in the instructions.

The fabric (which c picked out herself) is a lovely organic cotton from the Camp Modern collection of Birch Fabrics. I first saw this bear print used in a dress over here and thought it was adorable (actually the dress is pretty fabulous too and is high up on my to-make list). So maybe I subconsciously directed c to this fabric at our local fabric shop.. or perhaps it's just because she loves polar bears (she has about 4 polar bear stuffies). But regardless, I'm glad she picked this fabric because I think it's perfect for this dress. The lining is Joel Dewberry's Woodgrain that was in my stash. A touch of pink to offset the cooler grays and blues.

The dress is nice and roomy without being balloony and closes in the back with 3 buttons. I was excited to dig into my vintage button stash to pick out these sweet white buttons. LOVE!

And that pink toque? C picked it out at a shop yesterday and pretty much hasn't taken it off her head except to change clothes and at bedtime, although she was convinced she wanted to wear it to sleep as well. I think she looks like Strawberry Shortcake when she wears it and it makes me smile :)

melissa x

dropcloth lucy dress

I just finished sewing up a few more 'flutter sleeve' Lucy Dresses and I have to say, I am sooo in love with this fabric! It's Jay McCarroll's Drop Cloth print from the Habitat collection. I've been hoarding this fabric for a while and I'm not sure if it's even available anymore. But seriously, isn't this the best print for an adventurous little girl?!? A modern, funky print that camouflages any spills or stains that might occur in a busy day's work :) 

I also made a couple more chevron print Lucy Dresses with the 'puff sleeves'. 

These dresses are on their way to Beansprouts, a very fun and fabulous kids' clothing shop on Main Street in Vancouver. I probably should mention that I recently started selling my dresses and skirts there, which is why my etsy shop is looking a little bare right now.. So if you're local and are in need of a sweet little dress to take your mind off this rather gloomy weather, head on over! (By the way, these layer really well over leggings or jeans and long sleeves.) And if you're not local and would like a dress, shoot me an email and we can work something out. 

melissa x

another sweet little dress

We are currently going on day 5 of being housebound with a summer virus, and we are all starting to go a little stir-CRAZY. While the kids have been getting crafty with paints (finger painting, painting wood pieces for a birdhouse, painting themselves in the process...), I've been working away at more sweet dresses. Here is my latest one.

I am so in love with the fabrics in this dress. They are both from a Japanese fabric line called Sevenberry. I had seen fabrics from this line on a blog a while ago, but never really heard of or seen much of it since. Then a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a few prints it at my local Fabricana and I have to say, the feel of this cotton is amazing. It feels like a cross between a fine, lightweight quilting cotton and a shirting. And after pre-washing the fabric, there were barely any wrinkles! So awesome! Anyways, I scooped up the remaining 3 meters of the striped fabric and some of the coordinating black floral and whipped up this dress. I absolutely love the delicate pastel flowers mixed in with the bolder black and white stripes. Folksy classic with a bit of an modern edge.

Lil C was definitely not in the mood for pictures today so this was the only semi-decent shot I got. This is a size 4 with a few modifications (slightly larger width and length of dress and a longer neck elastic). I'm also thinking of adding a pocket or two.. 

And since it seems I'm a little obsessed with making these sweet dresses (6 so far and counting..), I've actually signed on to become a licensed maker of this dress and will be listing a handful of these in my shop very soon. 

x melissa

sweet little dresses

Last week I made a sweet little dress for a sweet little girl who just turned one year old.

The pattern is from Leila & Ben and it really is a darling little dress. I had seen it around on other blogs and Flickr for a while and it seems to be a staple pattern in every KCWC. I had some of this hot pink chevron in my stash and I think the bold pattern works well with the simplicity of the dress. With only two pattern pieces, this dress was super quick to sew and the instructions were clear and offered some great tips on making this simple dress even easier to sew. Love that.

I also recently got my hands on some of Martha Negley's Farmington Feathers in pink (I LOVE this print and this colourway) so I thought I'd sew up a sweet little dress for lil C.

I made the size 3T to test out the sizing and I'm thinking these dresses are scaled a bit on the bigger side, or at least are designed to be nice and roomy. Lil C is generally wearing at least a size 4 now and this fits pretty well overall. I did add some length to the elastic around the neck and arms, but I think next time, I will add a wee bit more (maybe 2" total on the neck and 1" on the sleeve cuffs) so it's a little more relaxed.

 

Overall, I think this is a pretty darn awesome pattern and will definitely be making more. I'm already picturing all the different fabrics and combos I want to try making it in.

And lil C seems to like it. Bandaged knees and all :)

x melissa

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!