mustard stripe sailboat top

August 13, 2013August 13, 201314 Comments

HI! so i decided to take a little summer blog break last week, but now i’m back. not much summer left, you guys!!

i’m excited about this post today because it was a gift that i sewed sort of last minute before i gave it and didn’t get photos, so i didn’t think i’d be able to blog it…but now i get to!

this is Miles. i’ve made him quite a few things in in his 3 years (look how much he’s grown since his cars backpack!). we’re good friends with his folks, who live out of town, but we get to see them every few months. i made this Oliver + S Sailboat Top for his birthday, but didn’t get photos of him wearing it back during their last visit in June (don’t worry, we got the kid some hot wheels and a pretty sweet track too – honestly this shirt was more for his mother’s benefit).

they came to visit again last weekend, and brought the shirt along so i could get photos of him wearing it! yay!

the fabric is a men’s long sleeve shirt from the old navy sale rack. it’s a heavy jersey knit, a nice layering weight and easy to sew with. i made a 3T and i was surprised it fit him PERFECTLY…i was hoping for a bit more growing room actually, but it still fits great a couple months after original gifting, so phew. the Sailboat Top remains my all-time favorite garment to sew for boys. to me it’s the perfect balance of style/boyishness and with neck and hem facings, it’s a quick one. if you sew it in knit, don’t forget to interface under those buttonholes! pretty sure i sewed this shirt using my walking foot, too.

Miles is constantly on the go and not used to posing for blog photos, but he’ll happily follow Em up a lilac bush or jump around the yard. holding still…not so much his fave.

i kinda love his smolder here though…even if he does look a tad fed up with our 30 second photoshoot. 😉

summer nightgown tutorial

August 1, 2013August 1, 20136 Comments

this tutorial originally appeared as a part of the wonderful Color Your Summer series hosted by Delia and Kojo. you can check out Delia’s full series recap right here!

> > > < < <

hi, i’m Kristin and i’m really happy to be celebrating summer color here with my friend Delia! when i think of the ideal color to wear on a hot hot day, it’s white. it reflects sunlight, it looks great against sunkissed skin, and it just screams summer (especially when paired with a little bit of blue). today i’m sharing a tutorial for a simple summery nightgown that will keep little gals cool as they play in the yard before late bedtimes on warm evenings…

here’s what you need to get started: a vintage sheet or large cut of soft, flowy fabric (two selvedge-to-selvedge cuts x desired length – my skirt was two cuts 38″ wide x 24″ long for a maxi skirt length on my petit 5 year old), 4 strips of fabric for bodice (chest measurement + 2″ divided by 2 = width, 3″ = height), fold over elastic or other fun material for straps (i originally chose eyelet but changed my mind and ended up with fold over elastic) – mine ended up 11″ long each.

first, prepare your bodice. it’s best if you can measure your recipient to find her armpit to armpit measurement and make the top of the bodice match this (you’ll gain some ease in the seam allowance). my daughter was napping as I sewed, and i wish i’d cut the armholes a bit more generously. ah well.

use a circular object to trace and cut out armholes, marking up about 1″ from the bottom for seam allowance (i only left 1/2″ here, it wasn’t enough). pin and sew side seams of both bodice pieces.

determine your strap length by laying them over your child’s shoulders and stopping at the chest. if you’re using fold over elastic like i did here, subtract about two inches to allow for stretch. mark about 1″ in from the sides your front bodice and a little more on the back. pin and baste your straps to the front of one bodice piece (rightsides together).

wrap the strap around and pin to the opposite side of the back, a little closer together (this will make them cross in the back).

baste the straps to the bodice.

place your bodice lining right side down over the front, sandwiching the straps in between. they should hang down below the bodice. pin around the top and armholes, and sew with a 1/2″ seam, pivoting at corners.

trim corners and clip into the curves. turn right side out, poking out corners with a chopstick, knitting needle, or point turner. fold just the bodice lining under 1/2″ to the wrong side and press.

prepare skirt by first sewing both short side seams and finishing, then sewing two rows of basting stitches across the top. i used a trick i learned from the Edelweiss dress and sewed two sets of basting stitches, stopping at each side seam and starting new again. this lets you adjust your gathers on the front and back separately, and is helpful when gathering a lot of fabric like you are here. gather to match width of bodice.

pin your skirt to your bodice, right sides together, adjusting your skirt width as necessary. i didn’t have enough seam allowance in the under arm area here, but i recommend sewing the skirt just to the outer bodice, then pressing the seam allowance up toward the bodice. pin the already folded bodice lining to cover the raw edge and topstitch it down, enclosing the raw edge. this would be most comfortable for the wearer, but i had to just sew it all together with 1/2″ seam and then serge the edge.

give it a good press and your’e done! ready to pick flowers….

…frolic…

…lounge…

…and play in the long summer evening…

until it’s time to rest.

thanks so much for having me, Delia!

parsley shorts

July 30, 2013July 29, 20139 Comments

i started these little shorts from parsley pants as a gift for a friend’s kid, but it went horribly wrong, so i wrapped them up during a recent afternoon of finishing unfinished things.

i cut them them before Rae posted her “how to turn parsley pants into shorts” tute, which would’ve been VERY helpful since i “did it wrong” and the shorts ended up uneven and then i had to chop more length off to make them even and then they would’ve been too short to give to the intended recipient…so O got them!

they’re made from robert kaufman yarn dyed black linen with echino bus pockets (i got it from Bolt long ago, my lovely sponsor Drygoods Design has green bikes and black buses in laminated cotton if you’re looking for similar!).

i think i cut out a 3T so they’re nice and roomy on O, and i love the linen for summertime.

plus in true boy fashion, he likes transportation. his shirt is car-inspired, his shorts have buses on them!

gratuitious belly shot!

star star dress :: cottage mama blog tour

July 24, 2013August 13, 201333 Comments

today i’m happy to be joining the Cottage Mama Patterns Blog Tour to help launch Lindsay’s newest line of patterns. i chose to sew the sweet Georgia Vintage Dress.

the Georgia Vintage Dress is a classic collared-and-sashed dress available in sizes 6m to 10 years, with loads of options – there’s a flutter sleeve, contrast bib, overskirt, piping, all sorts of ways to customize and play with fabric and make it your own. i made a sleeveless View D – my dress has the bib (I wanted to add piping!) but it’s made out of the main fabric. i wanted to take a very vintage-style dress and make it look sleek and modern.

the biggest challenge (fun challenge) that i had, and why i signed up for the tour in the first place, is because Lindsay’s style and mine differ quite a bit, and i wanted to try something new! it’s fun to stretch and grow, and i wanted make a Cottage Mama dress that also looked like my style. while this dress is “fancier” than most of Em’s everyday dresses, i really love it…and because this girl loooooves fancy, she loves it too!

the fabric is Twinkle Twinkle in Teal from Constellations by Lizzy House, probably one of my favorite lines EVER, which, until now, i’ve mostly hoarded. i probably got mine at Bolt, but it might’ve been Fabric Depot. i paired it with a moda bella light robin’s egg blue for the flat piping and kona white for the collar and sash, and added moon buttons…

well you can’t really tell, but the buttons have sort of a swirly tan inlay and look like moons. trust me.

i made a 3T bodice but cut the skirt between the 4T and 5T length (17.5″) because Em seems to be shooting up in height lately. she actually ate an entire (home-grilled) cheeseburger for dinner last night, which she has never done before in her life, so i think a growth spurt is happening. i also cut the skirt a bit wider, as two panels 40″ wide each, because i wanted it pleeeeenty twirly.

it was my first Cottage Mama pattern and it was really good. i learned some new techniques i’ll have to use again (how the bib and sash are constructed, the shape of the collar – it’s cool stuff). one note – i THINK the chest measurement on the size chart might actually be the finished measurement, but Lindsay’s checking into it. the chart would’ve had me sew an 18m/2T bodice but I cut the 3T anyway and it fits great, just the right amount of growing room. didn’t want to make that bodice too small!

oh i also left the ends of the sash square, just thought it’d look nice with the collar shape. she’s wearing a pettiskirt (this skirt) underneath this dress, and some “twirling shorts” too.

check out the Georgia Vintage Dress and ALL of Lindsay’s patterns in her shop, it’s been a fun blog tour so far! i especially love Caila’s polka dot version of the Miss Matilda Dress and Stef’s kitty cat version of the Daphne Wrap Dress!

not sure if she’s doing ballerina hands or praying here…

thanks so much for having me along on the tour, Lindsay!

DISCLOSURE: i was given the Georgia Vintage Dress pattern for free as a part of the blog tour. my opinions are my own!

kcw summer 2013:: daddypants shorts

July 20, 2013July 20, 201313 Comments

took a little mid-week break from kids clothes week, but i’m back with some shorts for the boy with a fresh haircut.

i used Dana’s KID shorts pattern, same pattern i used for his sister’s earlier this week, only this time i made the 2T boy length version with a full gathered waistband.

and, like the shorts i made his sister, i LOVE the fit of these on him. i was worried that they looked a bit boring and “British schoolboy” when they were done, but when worn, they don’t look that way. just a good basic pair of shorts.

the fabric is from a pair of my husband’s old chinos, a heavy navy twill. i used a larger needle (14 i think), double stitched the hem, and added a little twill tape tab as an ode to Dana. 😉

my kids are both on the slender side for their ages (like 10th percentile weight or less, in Em’s case) so be aware of that if you’re making these shorts – they fit MY kids perfectly but my kids are kinda little – a 2T might be large on him in many pattern brands. however, for me this is the perfect shorts pattern and i think it’s totally worth the $6 price tag. they fit him great now… and it’s summertime now!

i also appreciate that for a kid this age, i don’t NEED fancy zip flies or welt pockets or anything to make them “pass” as storebought – the heavier fabric is enough. kinda nice!