kcwc fall 2011: day 2

October 11, 2011October 11, 201213 Comments

my son’s wardrobe consists of something like 75% hand-me-downs from his boy cousins and sister, 15% gifts or new purchases, and 10% handmade by me. the great thing about the hand-me-downs are that they’re in great shape, fashionable, and free. the bad thing is they are slightly the wrong season, because his cousins are spring babies.

O is in need of pants, both regular and pajama. i have major “sewer’s guilt” and struggle to buy anything but major sale items now since i can make it so much cheaper (i’m sure this is a common affliction!) i should just spend all of KCWC sewing pants for the little guy, but that would get a bit repetitive. here’s a start at least.

they’re the bottoms to the (out of print) oliver + s bedtime story pajamas. i made them in 12-18 month size but 18-24 month length, because i’m sick and tired of how fast this kid grows out of stuff!

also, he always pulls socks off, so i figured longer pants might keep his toesies a little warmer. i think i made them long enough…

but thanks to the hem bindings, they look cute cuffed too.

the polka dots are michael miller ta dot flannel (again), and the bindings are my happy garden for cloud9 fabrics. i usually exercise more restraint on prints for boys, but thought it’d be fun to mix dots and stripes on these PJs. the flannel is sooooo soft and cuddly, it makes me want to snuggle him even more than usual!

that’s two “bottoms” in a row…maybe a top next? off i go!

kcwc fall 2011: day 1

October 10, 201118 Comments

this is what a little preparation + day off of work + both kids taking a 3 hour afternoon nap gives me…a great start to elsie marley’s fall kids clothes week challenge! i learned something after participating in my first KCWC this spring – i do not want to be “wasting time” tracing and cutting patterns during the week. i spent last week away from the sewing machine, but not away from my scissors. i have everything cut and ready to sew, and in a couple instances (like the pleated pockets on this skirt) i got a couple of the finicky non-sewing steps out of the way so i wouldn’t get hung up.

the pattern is the oliver + s hopscotch skirt, made in a 3T. the fabric is pencil tortoises from aneela hooey’s little apples. i somehow missed her adorable sherbet pips line when it came out and am still kicking myself, but i jumped on this one! so perfect for fall. we’re eating a LOT of apples and have plenty of gray skies these days, so it couldn’t be more appropriate. the buttons have little hearts drawn on them, which mimic the sketch-like design of the fabric. kind of in love with those buttons. they’re from bolt.

i finished the skirt JUST as i heard O waking up from his nap, and Em woke up a short time later to model for me before daddy got home. talk about good timing.

i got even more fired up yesterday and cut out two more patterns (which brings me up to five). my extra motivation boost came from a comment from jessica, who’s attempting to sew six items this week! holy smokes! we’ll see what happens on my end, but just in case i’m a speed sewing maniac, i’m prepared.

well…back to it!

guest posting at elsie marley!

October 5, 2011October 31, 201216 Comments

listen. i’ve only been blogging for 6.5 months. when i get comments, it’s super exciting. when i get emails from bloggers that i have been inspired by for years asking ME to guest post or pattern test for them, it completely blows my mind!

my mind is STILL blown by the fact that meg of elsie marley asked me to contribute to her weeklong leadup to her fall kids clothes week challenge (KCWC) with a tutorial for fun details to add to kids’ clothes. meg was one of the first people to feature something i had sewn on her blog (my christmas party dress), and it was around then that i realized what an amazing little community sewing bloggers are. so supportive of each other! anyway, my post is up TODAY! i made an oliver + s sailboat top for O from another of my husband’s oh-so-soft cotton knit j.crew sweaters, and added little elbow patches in herringbone flannel. the cozy fall hoodie i made for Em was my first try at this elbow patch endeavor, as you now may have guessed.

KCWC is really fun, and it’s a great way to find new blogs and make some new internet friends, too! won’t you come visit me at elsie marley?

oh who am i kidding, i’m sure 99% of my visitors today are visiting from THERE! welcome, take a look around, and feel free to stay awhile! 🙂

polka dot pierrot pattern preview

October 4, 2011December 31, 201315 Comments

way back in march, rae of the fantastic made by rae put out a call for people to test her various in-the-works patterns. i immediately signed up to be a pattern tester for the pierrot tunic and crossed my fingers hoping she’d pick me. she first posted it on her baby daughter over a year and a half ago here, and has posted a few versions since. each time i saw a new pierrot post pop up, i just melted (pink and chambray, for instance). i don’t know what it is, but i just die over it. something about the exaggerated shape, neck ruffle, and wide cuffs just makes me smile. it seems like a something you’d pay a ridiculous amount of money for at a high-end boutique. i could not wait to make one for Em.

when rae posted her newest plaid version last week, i again commented with lots of caps and exclamation points about how cute it was and how i hoped the pattern would be available before KCWC. apparently she had forgotten to include me in her call for pattern testers earlier that day! good thing i commented, because it meant i got to be in on the testing. wahoo!

i printed and cut out the tester pattern over my lunch break at work, and sewed it that night. i cut it on the bias because all the versions that rae had made were cut that way, and it adds to the swinginess. it’s a very roomy garment and everything is cut on the fold. this meant, for a 3T, even 1 2/3 yards of fabric wasn’t quite enough! i’ve historically bought just 1 yard of fabric for kids’ clothes, but now that Em is getting bigger, that doesn’t seem to cut it anymore.

luckily, i had this cute swiss dot from joann in my stash (i think i got it as an end-of-bolt, hence the weird 2/3 yard – either that or i got 2 yards and it shrunk like crazy). part of rae’s pattern testing request was to help her determine yardage for the various sizes, and mine still wasn’t enough (i had to piece the ruffle). can’t tell, though!

i had a super fun time making this dress, writing a small novel to rae with my thoughts (lots of gushing and suggestions, a few critiques), and getting a behind the scenes peek at what it takes to get a pattern to market. trust me, it’s a LOT of work and i only saw a brief part of it! makes me even more happy to support independent pattern-makers.

the pierrot will be available soon! keep your eyes on made by rae over the next couple weeks so you, too, can make a little french girl top for the little gals in your life! UPDATE: the pierrot pattern is now available! get it here. 🙂

a cozy fall hoodie

September 30, 2011January 3, 20139 Comments

fall has arrived in portland. one day it’ll be pouring rain, the next it’s sunny and 75. it even changes minute by minute. right before i took these photos, there was a downpour. once it stopped, the sun came out and some major puddle splashing was in order!

i made Em a new cozy sweater using a j.crew sweater of my husband’s that had lost its shape. it’s cotton, lighter than sweatshirt material, and extreeeeemely soft. the fabric i’ve “harvested” from my husband’s clothes always seem to be higher quality than i can get at a fabric store. i love raiding his closet. 😉

the lining is scandi chirp by michael miller. i had been saving it for a hopscotch dress, but it coordinated so perfectly with the green on the outside, i just had to use it. it’s a nice, thick knit. the sweater ended up pretty much the coziest ever.

the pattern is the urban unisex hoodie by heidi & finn. i made it in a 3T but cut the width of the arms at a 4/5T, because gail told me that they fit a little snugly. that was a good idea. the pattern is great and especially fun to sew if you have a serger (i serged everything except the buttonholes and topstitching!) i would recommend fusing some interfacing to the wrong side of the main fabric where the buttonholes will be, though – i had a little trouble with stretching when i sewed those.

check out the elbow patches! i added them for an extra little detail, which i thought would be no big deal but in fact is a bit tricky. it’s hard to determine proper placement when your child is sleeping and the sleeve isn’t complete or sewn onto a garment yet (i may or may not have snuck up to her room at 10pm to lay the pattern piece on her arm to mark where the patch should go – she’s a deep sleeper).

i actually didn’t get the placement quite right on this one, but i made another super cozy sweater (for O this time) out of another of my husband’s hand-me-downs and nailed it. i’m working on a little tutorial for how to get it right, so keep your eyes open for a guest post on that elsewhere in the sewing blogosphere very soon (i’m so excited)!