kcw fall 2013: day 1:: prep & plan

October 21, 2013October 21, 201319 Comments

i’ve participated in every KCW since spring 2011…some sessions more productively than others, but i always jump in the best i can. KCW is just too motivational, too inspirational, and too much fun to pass up. this time, i’m going to try something i’ve never really done, but something i’ve seen others do – i’m going to post in progress photos, and i’m going to work most of the week on a couple time-sensitive larger projects rather than churning out as many basics as i can.

this week, i’m sewing halloween costumes!

if i get them done early on, i’ll try to sew some much-needed wardrobe builders, but as long as i get these done, i’ll be happy. and actually, the prep on these costumes seems to be more work than the actual sewing will be.

O wants to be spiderman…

and Em wants to be a “skeleton fairy.”

i’m using tried-and-true patterns and hacking them where necessary. i’ll talk more about the patterns as i finish them, ‘kay? for now, i’m just freezer paper stenciling and fabric markering my little heart out.

my halloween costume making philosophy comes from early childhood – i don’t remember ever wearing a store-bought costume. my mom sewed them, we thrifted components, we used what we had, and i even sewed a basic one as i got older. i just don’t even think about buying one from Target. one of my earliest self-drafted sewing projects for Em was a Dorothy costume, and they’ve been either sewn (or borrowed) since. it’s just fun for me to make them, even if they could be much more easily (and cheaply) purchased.

that being said, Spiderman is gonna be a LOT of work! all that color blocking and webbing, phew! and yes, i totally could’ve gotten skeleton pajamas for Em’s costume – in fact, she HAS some. that was what sparked her idea to be a skeleton fairy, actually. but her pajamas are pink, and she wants her costume to be “spooky.” so there ya go.

anyone else sewing costumes this KCW? the timing is perfect!

kcw summer 2013 :: ampersandwich tee

July 17, 2013July 17, 201320 Comments

kid’s clothes week project two is approximately my 543rd flashback skinny tee. it’s just kind of the perfect pattern for so many things that i want to make. little guy grows faster than his sister and is messier too, so today’s necessity project is for him.

this shirt used to be mine. my husband got it for me a few years ago and it’s really cool, buuuuut….it’s an american apparel shirt, which means it’s TINY. like uncomfortably small even though the size fits me in every other brand. so finally, rather than sitting in my drawer unworn, this very soft (feels vintage but it’s not) tee turned into a comfy little shirt for O.

it’s an ampersandwich. get it?

he calls it a “hangaburger.”

i sewed it in a 3T, a size up from his normal, because i made it short sleeved and wanted it to fit more loosely. i saved the factory hems on the sleeves (tips on that here) but hemmed the bottom with my twin needle/walking foot. something skipped while i sewed and it got slightly wonky, but probably not too noticeable.

he likes it. this boy lurves his ironic tees.

you can find all of my KCW projects here.

kcw summer 2013 :: geofloral shorts

July 16, 2013July 16, 201324 Comments

kid’s clothes week is here again! it’s got an awesome brand new website and blog! and it’s now seasonal! my kids tend to wear their KCW (formerly KCWC) creations more than anything else i make them, for some reason, so i’m always excited to jump in…despite the busy summertime.

my projects this week will be simple necessities for both kids, using only my stash, trying a couple new patterns and a couple tried and true ones.

first up – shorts for Em! so now that i’ve filled her closet with handmade dresses, she has, of course, decided that she wants to wear separates every day. mostly skirts and tops (which she refused to wear even a couple months ago), but the other day she actually asked for shorts! since she hasn’t worn shorts since she was about 2 or 3, she has very few to choose from. i had her help me pick the fabric and set to it.

the pattern is Dana’s KID shorts pattern, in a 3T, girl length and flat front option (i showed Dana’s photos of her daughter Lucy to Em before sewing these – i think that helped convince her that shorts are “beautiful”). my only alterations were to use 1/2″ elastic in the back and add interfacing to the front waistband to make sure it stayed up. oh i also topstitched around the top of the waistband – just to keep the elastic in place.

the fabric is Denyse Schmidt for JoAnn. Em helped pick it.

gotta say – i loooove the fit of these shorts! seriously. i feel like i always have to change something when i sew for Em – usually i size down and then have to lengthen, or shorten the elastic, or do SOMETHING to compensate for her lankiness. luckily, Dana’s daughter Lucy looks pretty lanky herself, so i trusted that the fit of these would work on that body type…and they do. i felt like angels sung when she tried these on – the fit is amazing!!

highly recommend Dana’s pattern, five stars! it’s a really fast sew, too! i have a boy version on the docket for later this week.

*Em’s beautiful top was made by Delia as a part of our blogger kid clothes swap a few months back – she gets loads of compliments on it. Delia’s post about it is here and mine is here.

*Dana gifted me the shorts pattern even though I wasn’t able to test it for her. what a nice gal, that Dana.

*You can find all of my KCW projects here.

kcw spring 2013 :: hawaiian girl dress

April 25, 2013April 25, 201317 Comments

story behind this one: lately when Em comes out of her room having dressed herself, she often looks like she’s headed to dinner on Maui or something. plumeria hair clip, skirt, lei, whole deal. she also has been asking me to make her a maxi skirt like mine.

boom. made her a hawaiian girl dress.

i saw a super cute dress on groovy baby…and mama this morning and made my own version as soon as i could, because i knew it’d be fast and Em would love it.

the fabric is a lightweight voile that fru-t sent me when i won a giveaway of hers a while back. she sent me a bunch of amazing fabrics, actually, and this is the first i could bring myself to cut into! i just gathered the front and attached some fold over elastic to the top.

Em loves it, perfect for this suddenly summer weather we’ve gotten here in the past couple days. here she is doing a halfhearted hula.

alright, that wraps up KCW for me! i’m just out of time. see, i didn’t even finish this dress, the straps still need to be sewn down.

HOWEVER. it’s a good thing Rae extended the Spring Top Sewalong, because tomorrow i have a free pattern and tutorial for you! like you meaning YOU – the grown up gal! i’m pretty dang thrilled about it – i even taught myself illustrator, so it’s all digital and stuff. 😀

see you tomorrow!

kcw spring 2013 :: pleated plaid skirt

April 23, 2013April 23, 201323 Comments

alright so not the most exciting sewing ever, but something i’ve been wanting to make for months now and something she actually NEEDS, so it’s pretty satisfying. and that’s what kid’s clothes week is all about, amirite?

Em grew out of her uniform pants (and hates wearing them anyway). so even though there’s not much school left, she still needed more options as the weather warms up. i figured this Oliver + S 2+2 Skirt should get her through the rest of the year (and start her off for next too, probably). it’s a 3T with 1″ in added length.

i didn’t do the button loop and instead added a buttonhole on the waistband – i THINK that’s how the “real” uniform skirts close, and i’m supposed to copy them the best i can as you’ll recall. the fabric is from the uniform company; it’s weird polyester that frays like crazy and doesn’t wrinkle but when you DO iron it into pleats, it stays like that through washing. so bizarre.

matching plaids is something i just sort of guess at, but i’m pretty sure my mediocre skills still trump the store-bought ones, so any plaid-match imperfections actually make it look LESS homemade if you can believe that.

i just love it with knee highs and a peter pan blouse.

but it was too chilly this morning for coat-less photos. sorry, Em!

quickest photoshoot ever. seriously, like less than a minute.

i’m feeling a bit sickish, so i think i need to hit the hay early and hopefully make up for my slacking tomorrow (i finished this skirt at 1am last night, probably not the best idea). anyway…happy sewing, everyone!