field trip cargos

Hey, did you hear? It's Celebrate the Boy time again, hosted by Rae and Dana. Since I usually end up making dresses (and dresses and more dresses), I figured now would be a good time to start working on my poor boy's wardrobe. Another thing that's been bothering me lately, is that about 75% of my kid's 'basics' (being jeans, leggings, and tees) come from the Gap. After reading this book and all the reviews and commentary that's been floating around the web (here, here and here to name a few) I decided that this is the year I'm going to end my dependence on The Gap for basics and start making more myself. So this is what I've started with:

These are the Field Trip Cargo Pants by Oliver + S. And first off, what a freak'n awesome pattern this is! I made these up in the size 5 but lengthened the leg to the size 6 (for my tall and skinny 5 1/2 year old). I sewed these up over the weekend, a couple hours here and there with many internet and snack breaks in between.. So maybe 4-5 hours total not including sewing prep (tracing the pattern and cutting out the fabric). I'm so bad about keeping track of my sewing time and am easily distracted so projects usually take longer than they should. Anyways, even though I've only sewn up a couple of Oliver + S patterns and I have to say, the design and instructions are genius, well written and so very easy to follow. They include lots of fabulous details like knee darts, a faux fly, belt loops and snazzy top stitching. And I love the fit of these 'homemade pants' which, aside from my fabric choice (which I'll get into in a bit), don't really look 'homemade' at all (at least not to me..) 

So about the fabric.. I found this organic cotton twill at my local Fabricana and although it's supposed to be 'charcoal', it looks a bit more brown to me than gray (and sorry for the crappy pictures taken in seriously bad lighting). The weight and feel of the fabric is great. They are soft and comfortable, but they kind of 'shine'. I realized after making these that most store-bought cargo pants are probably made with a brushed twill/cotton so that they look more 'worn in'. These kinda look a little too 'new' if you know what I mean, so I'm going to try tossing them in the washer a dryer a few times to see if they will look a little more 'worn in'. 

Overall, I'm super happy with the look and fit of these cargos (and yes, C likes them too!) I'm going to try to make these again in a brushed twill or maybe even a denim without the cargo pockets so they are more like a simple pair of jeans. 

Next up will be a basic tee. Thinking of either the Flashback Skinny Tee or the Hipster Henley..

melissa x

nothing but goats

Alrighty.. it's mid February and I haven't posted anything since November. So, instead of a year end review, or a slew of new years resolutions, I'm giving you this: Two minutes of nothing but goats yelling like humans. Enjoy!

I'll be back with more sewing/crafting related posts soon!

(oh, and happy new year!)

melissa x

getting ready for market

Wow, mid-November already? These last couple months seem to have just whizzed by! Well, I thought I'd pop by here to share what I've been busy with these last few weeks. I've been getting ready for the Dunbar Holiday Craft Fair coming up on November 24th. Here are just a few of the things I've been working on:

Fold up Eco-Totes

Lucy Dresses

Drawstring Project & Gift Bags

Large Stripey Tote

I've been shopping at this market for years and it's really quite incredible. I think pretty much every room in the building is filled with wonderful local crafty wares for sale (over 140 vendors!) and it's just buzzing with cheerful holiday spirit! This is my first time as a vendor here so I'm super excited to be a part of it all. If you're in the Vancouver Area on November 24th, come on by the Dunbar Holiday Market from 10-5 and please stop by my booth (in room 212, table 37) to say hi! Hope to see you there! Ok, back to the sewing machine now..

colette, hazel and random thoughts..

This past weekend, Sarai from Colette Patterns was in town for a little pattern release party at Spool of Thread. I'm a huge fan of Sarai and her blog which is always packed with gorgeous design inspirations and expert sewing tips and techniques, so I couldn't wait to meet her in person.

clothing samples (I love this Oolong Dress)

The new Anise Jacket. Totally adorable!

The new Juniper Pants. I ended up buying this pattern along with the classic Ginger Skirt. Can never have too many wardrobe basics patterns.

And here I am (being a total groupie) with the fabulous Sarai (who is incredible sweet in person!) I'm wearing my Hazel dress (which is actually my wearable muslin). It was fun to see so many people wearing their Colette creations. For more photos from the party, check out the Colette Facebook page.

I never did end up doing a post on my Hazel dress which I started working on way back in July. I actually did finish it over a month ago but didn't get around to taking any pictures of it. Here are the only full dress pictures I took (hmm, looks like this was even before I had finished hemming the dress..) And please try to ignore the dirty deck and garden hose in the background. Not an ideal backdrop but it's all I've got for now.

 

Although I own about half a dozen Colette patterns, this was actually my first time sewing with a Colette pattern. I have to say that it was probably one of the most well written patterns I've worked with. All the instructions were super clear and it was kind of like I had a little Sarai on my shoulder rooting me on through the process. Now I'm all gung-ho about sewing up my other Colette patterns.  Seriously though, if you are at all interested in sewing women's clothing, Colette Patterns (and the Colette Sewing Handbook) are the absolute perfect place to start. Yep, seriously! :)

And now on to some random thoughts:

-Speaking of fabulous pattern designers, Shelley from Figgy's Patterns is on a mission to create a sewing studio and 'Figgy's Kids' Foundation that will help develop and encourage sewing and crafting skills for kids who may not otherwise be exposed to or have a chance to learn such skills. She has a campaign on indiegogo where she explains (much better than I am) what her hopes and dreams are for the studio and foundation. I was lucky enough to have been exposed to sewing at a very early age through my mom, and then again in high school home-ec classes and I think what Shelley is trying to accomplish is so important. If you feel the same way, check out her blog post about the campaign and help out if you can.

-I'm not sure how I missed this but I just read on Melanie's blog, A Sewing Journal, that the Japanese sewing book Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori has been recently translated into English! I have the original Japanese version and have tagged many things I want to make from it. I've sewn with Japanese patterns before but only kid's clothes and bags. Sewing women's clothing from a Japanese pattern still kind of scares me, so I'll definitely be ordering this version.

-A friend of mine told me about this craft show series of posts on the Stitched in Color blog. I read through her posts describing her thoughts and reasons for selling at a craft market right through to trying to figure out inventory and booth layout.. It was fascinating! As a relative newbie to the craft market scene (I just started selling at markets last year), I thoroughly enjoyed reading someone else's candid thoughts about it all. There are so many emotions that go with 'putting your stuff out there' for others to see, judge and hopefully buy. I love the craft market scene and for the most part, there is such great energy there. But when it comes down to the planning, the inventory and making, I tend to get stressed out and I think to myself, why am I doing this? I'm in this place right now. Planning and making my inventory for a holiday market that is fast approaching. Do any of you sell at craft markets? Do you find it to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster too?

x melissa

a heart. just because.

I've been in a bit of a sewing rut lately. Every night, I stare at my machine. Fiddle around with some fabric, and shuffle through patterns, but don't actually get anything done. It's not that I haven't been feeling inspired to sew.. I actually think that I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with everything I want to/have to sew in the next little while. Even though it's still summer, holiday markets are sneaking up fast. I'm signed up for only one market so far but feel like I'm already behind in my sewing for it. Also, with all of the awesome, newly released patterns out there (yup, it's that time of year), I just want to sew up everything I see but am feeling discouraged even before I begin. Really, I just don't feel like I have the time or energy to start any new projects right now.

So, I figure the best way to pull myself out of this rut is to just sew something. Anything. Preferably something without a pattern or a purpose. Something to sew 'just because'.

Inspired by 'The Family Heart' in Amanda Blake Soule's book Handmade Home, I tried my best to channel my inner dottie angel while I rummaged through my stash of vintage sheet scraps. Grabbing colours and patterns that may or may not go with one another, I just cut ('no precise measuring tools allowed' as dottie would say) and sewed up this little heart. 

The back is a piece of remnant fabric that was included in a 'craft kit' I picked up from Smoking Lily a few weeks ago. I think it's some sort of a wool blend. I stuffed the heart with some leftover wool batting I used when I made my sister's lap blanket, and sprinkled some organic lavender in with it just for fun. And of course, added a little pocket for sweet notes, star wars lego pieces, little chocolate bars.. whatever. It's not perfect in any way, and I don't know what I'll do with it, but it makes me happy :)

x melissa

pink

This post is brought to you by... the colour PINK!

new pink ballet slippers

eating pink gelato in front of a pink wall

learning how to play Kumbaya on a pink ukulele

the beginnings of pink socks

x melissa

the velveteen throw

A few months back, I made a cozy velveteen throw using a tutorial by Alewives Fabrics. I was originally going to buy the whole kit from their shop on the East coast, but shipping (especially for the wool batting) was crazy expensive to Canada, so I (very luckily) managed to find the velveteen and wool batting locally. There used to be instructions for how to make the throw right on the Alewives website but I can't seem to find it now. Just the listing for the kit..

The throw was super simple to put together. However, being very new to quilting, I did struggle a bit trying to sandwich everything together and keeping it all lined up nicely while I sewed it together.

The fabrics I used are both from Anna Maria Horner -  the velveteen is Summer Totem in Emerald, and the voile is Little Honey in Meadow. The batting is a washable wool batting I found at my local Fabricana. I quilted the throw with embroidery floss ties which I rather randomly placed throughout the throw. Being so light and cozy, this throw has been very well loved, even through the summer months. 

I love this throw so much I decided to make another one for my big sis who lives on the opposite end of the continent from us, but is arriving today for a week long visit (YAY!!) I used the same velveteen in Summer Totem, and the voile is Pastry Line in Saffron.

This time, instead of tying the quilt, I used a tack stitch throughout (every 6 1/2") which is actually what is suggested in this very similar lap duvet tutorial by The Purl Bee. I definitely prefer the tack stitch to the ties as they were quicker to do and look much tidier and secure then my ties (which I'm sure were not done properly in the first place). I also added a little hanging tab made from some scrap fabric that was used in the packaging for a craft kit I bought from Smoking Lily.

I hope she likes it!

x melissa