charcoal scoop top

April 29, 2014May 15, 201414 Comments

so i’m blogging this one, and i’ll wear it, but i’m a bit disappointed in it.

it’s the fabric. i’ve made this mistake a couple times – i get drawn in by the softness and drapeyness of knit blends with modal in them, and each time i’ve sewn with that stuff i learn how difficult it is. it moves, it stretches, and it clings to the body in not-so-great ways. the other project i made with it never got blogged, it was so unwearable. it’s just so pretty on the bolt!

the pattern is my free scoop top pattern. i’d been hankering to sew for myself again (it’s the spring top sewalong and selfish sewing week after all!) so i grabbed this fabric out of my stash on a whim. unfortunately, all knits are not created equal, and this one just wasn’t right for the project. sigh. i really like the color and it’s fine layered with a cardigan, but getting a clean-looking hem just wasn’t possible here. if you make a scoop top, promise you’ll use something a little more stable and a less slinky, okay? like a nice jersey. the rayon jersey i used for this one seems to be the most successful, wearability-wise.

see that weird, wavy hem? ugh.

also, the neckline stretched waaaaaay out and didn’t snap back, even after a spritz with water and a toss in the dryer. it’s the scoopiest scoop top ever, and not on purpose.

i sewed something for myself, though! it’s still so rare for me, it’s always a bit exciting. since this top, i’ve made a couple of very successful self-sewing projects i can’t wait to show you…but i’ll just need to hold my horses until the proper month!

handmade + storebought baby gifts

April 25, 2014April 24, 201410 Comments

i’ve gotten in the habit lately (ohhhhh in the last two months or so) of combining a little handmade thing with a store-bought gift for new babies. i love giving handmade gifts and i’d love to sew more elaborate things for these special little ones, but i’m a bit short on time these days and everything always feels last minute.

here are a couple examples.

for good friends that just had a baby girl, an outfit i would have loved for Em to wear as a baby – a lap shirt locally made by a little lark, some babylegs, and a baby circle skirt! mostly neutral colors with feminine touches, and just a smidge of coral pink. 😉

i referenced Dana’s free pattern and tutorial for the skirt, but bound the hem with chambray bias tape to finish it.

for another friend’s baby shower, i bought a trio of classic board books, and made a couple bibs using my free bib pattern.

she doesn’t know if she’s having a boy or a girl, so i kept them as gender-neutral as possible (so hard to do – everything always ends up looking either boyish or girlish to me). i backed both bibs in gray ikea towel. the ones i made when O was a baby worked well for the baby spit up phase and still fit him now for popsicles and such, so i know they’ll last a while.

i added a cloud appliqué to the top one. i love adding appliqué to bibs, and i always forget how quick and fun these bibs are to make. great scrap buster! these fabrics are from my hospital bag lining and Em’s “karate dress” as she calls it.

do you have a quick go-to baby gift?

typewriter heart pillow

April 22, 2014April 22, 201412 Comments

my little niece turned 3 recently, and a couple weeks before her birthday my sis asked me if i could sew a quilted pillow to go in her “big girl room.” she gave me a sham from the bedding set she had ordered to coordinate with, and set me loose design-wise. her new bedding was inspired by the balloon dress i made that she seems to be wearing every time i see her lately – it sure does make you feel good to sew a gift that is so well loved, ya know? i was actually going to sew her another dress until this request came in. 😉

i decided to make a simple log cabin pillow showcasing some special fabric. i wanted it to have enough contrast to stand out against the pink/cream balloon bedding my sis had bought (see below) didn’t want it to be too serious – it had to have whimsy! and i happen to think typewriters typing hearts with gold polka dots is pretty darn whimsical.

my friend ~~Kelly~~ (nope, Kelly says not her – probably Jess but she can’t remember) had given me a fat quarter of this super special Ruby Star Rising typewriter fabric (Melody Miller for Kokka – couldn’t find the typewriters online but Superbuzzy and Miss Matatabi have some Ruby Star Rising left). it was so generous of her – i’d never owned any of Melody’s fabric but always admired it, and i’m ridiculously excited about cotton + steel, too!

it pained me to do it, but i trimmed off a few inches on each side, then added a 1” border of dear stella confetti sparkle and then a 1.5” border of kona charcoal.

i backed it with more confetti sparkle and a scrap of kokka polka dots from this coat. i ended up super happy with this fabric combination…it just made me smile when i brought it all together.

the quilting is a diagonal grid 2” apart – consulted Jess for quilting advice and whether to add the second boarder, sometimes I have trouble with quilting vision and she has it in spades. it’s hard to show in photos but i love how the darker border splits up the polka dots and makes the front look like it’s floating in a frame.

i also made a little raw edged heart pillow with scraps from Em’s hide-and-seek dress. it’s got a little Liberty pocket for secret treasures (or maybe baby teeth, when it’s time for her to lose some!). Em stuffed it for me!

i felt like it needed a special (wonkily) hand stitched touch, so i stitched around the bottom right typewriter heart with embroidery thread. the pillow closes with an invisible zipper and there’s a down pillow inside (from IKEA).

the little gal seemed to be a fan and it went really well in her room! these photos were actually taken in Em’s new room (she switched with the boys before C’s birth but i can’t do a proper tour for ya until i sew her some curtains, sorry).

quilted pillows are such a fun gift to give!

kcw spring 2014 :: constellations pajamas

April 16, 2014April 15, 20149 Comments

i’m way late on blogging this but i did sew it on day 5 of kids clothes week, so it’s getting labeled as such. we had friends coming into town last weekend and their little guy had recently turned one, so i had to make him something! HAD TO! but what to make?

i started with just the eye shirt, which was heavily inspired by this one i spotted on pinterest. pretty fun, right?

i drew the eyes and freezer paper stenciled them onto a 18-24 month short sleeved flashback skinny tee. i didn’t hem it because i ran out of black thread (ha!) but works as a casual/pajama shirt. the black is a basic t-shirt weight jersey knit.

but i couldn’t stop there…i made a pair of pajama pants too! there was some serious speed sewing here – i made this entire outfit in an hour and a half. this, apparently, is how mothers of 3 are able to sew – gotta take advantage of those naps and sew like the wind!

the pants are bedtime story pajamas in 18-24 months. i picked a larger size than i thought he’d need and figured they’d probably be huge on him (because my kids are so shrimpy that’s what i’m used to), but he’s a bit big for his age and they fit with just the right amount of growing room. i’m so glad i “sized up!” nothing worse than sewing a too small gift.

neither of his parents has red hair, but check this kid out! such a cutie. i have no idea how to dress a redhead but took a guess that he might look good in black, and he does.

the pajama bottom fabric is from Lizzy House’s Constellations line (pretty sure this print is out of stock online, I got it a long time ago) with kona olive bindings. i recently stocked back up on my beloved kona olive – i still maintain it goes with everything!

he’s gonna get ya!

aw just kidding. 😉

okay that wraps up my KCW sewing! didn’t upcycle anything in this outfit, but that’s okay. i’ll break my streak for this kid.

kcw spring 2014 :: cozy raglan sweater

April 12, 2014April 12, 201421 Comments

i had to skip posting yesterday to start/do our taxes (bluuuuugh), but i did have this finish i’ve been excited to share. it’s so soft you guys!

this week’s “sew my upcycle pile” theme stemmed from me sorting through and getting rid of a bunch of stuff that i knew i’d never sew with. i have a small sewing room and there was just too much STUFF in there. while i was sorting through it all, i found two banana republic sweaters of mine – they were short sleeved, crew neck sweaters that i wore a ton when i was pregnant with this little miss, but not since because they were all stretched out and not very flattering.

however, the material is great – it’s a cashmere/acrylic/other blend that is washable, super soft, and warm. i had a cream one and a purple one whose colors looked nice together….and the perfect amount of fabric for a new color blocked raglan sweater for the girlie!

the pattern once again is the Oliver + S field trip raglan (quickly becoming my most-used O+S pattern!). i made a 4T for her (cut to full length even though i used factory hems for a little extra growing room). i tend to use my t-shirt patterns a lot for O but not much for E, but i’m trying to change that because she loves picking out her own skirt/top combos these days.

i made her skirt a while ago but never blogged it – it’s just a quick no-ribbon lazy days skirt in Heather Ross’ Far Far Away iii linen/cotton blend. i was excited to spot it at Center Diamond last spring and it’s such wonderful apparel fabric. oh and did you see Heather is re-releasing Far Far Away with Windham soon?? can’t wait!!

as you may have noticed, i added a self-drafted kangaroo pocket to this sweater. Liesl talked about doing that here – i think it’s a cute addition to make it look more “sweater-like,” and kids always love pockets!

i backed the pocket with a scrap leftover from this dress – a woven so it’d be more stable to work with. i sewed around it right sides together, trimmed seam allowances and turned it through an opening i left, then topstitched the curvy hand openings. i figured out placement on the sweater and marked each point with water soluble fabric marker, then covered each of those marks with 1” squares of interfacing on the inside so the weight of the pocket wouldn’t pull and create holes in the sweater. then i topstitched it on around all but the curvy hand openings. i used my walking foot for it all since the sweater material was very stretchy and a bit thick.

this is the type of outfit that gets worn around here a lot during Portland springs/summers. our mornings start cool but afternoons are nice and warm, so we layer a lot. she has a couple cardigans in her wardrobe but no pullover sweaters, so it was a nice addition.

honestly though, i’m kinda bummed this new-and-improved version isn’t my size!!

you can see all my kids clothes week projects here.