More stuff for Betty!

So I've kinda gone a bit crazy this week. I really enjoyed making the shorts for Lizzie (or Betty, as we sometimes call her), and decided to make two dresses for her, thinking she could wear one on Easter Sunday. I pulled out this pattern that I hadn't tried out yet. 

Super, super easy. I chose to make very simple, unadorned ones as my two fabrics are very busy- a navy pique with white birds and colourful flowers, and a bright floral corduroy on a pink background. I cut all the pieces out and was going to try to make both dresses at once, but I knew that if I set myself a deadline (I had to finish them that day to have one ready for Easter), I would make a big booboo somewhere. So I decided just to sew up the pink one.

I had some really cute green polka dot bias binding in my stash and thought that would look cute to finish all the edges. Also, I thought binding would be quicker than the facings the pattern called for. It wasn't really, but the effect is very cute.

I made a size 5 and it is super huge on my tiny girl. But hey, I'd rather it be too big than too small! She didn't care at all that it was massive, and proudly wore it to Easter lunch at Gran's house. The other dress is sitting in my project bag...these are really winter dresses, and I had a hankerin' to squeeze in a few more summer items even though we are into the second month of Autumn. Today was the first autmnish day we've had so far.

Onto the summer items! I've had this pattern since Lizzie was a baby, and am ashamed to say I've never used it. It only goes up to size 4 so I thought I'd give it a go while she still can squeeze into it. I cut out the two top patterns, plus another pair of Blue Jays shorts, all using combinations of the blue gingham and brown floral.

I made the little button-back top on Monday night. It was stupidly quick and easy, and how cute does it look?

Yesterday morning I decided to make a start on the shorts. I sewed up the leg seams, put one leg inside the other to sew the crotch seam...and realised I'd cut two of the same leg. How did I do this stupid thing? Well, the fabric wasn't wide enough to cut the piece on the fold, so I cut it twice on a single layer. What I didn't do was flip the pattern piece over for one of them!! 

Gah! I was so annoyed. These shorts were going to be so cute! And I'd used up all the floral fabric! 

I ummed and ahhed and in the end decided to cut the bits into two big rectangles, keep the original waistband that I'd cut, and add another strip of gingham to the bottom. Voila, a skirt!

So I finished that in the afternoon...after dinner, I decided to try to sew my final item, the peasant top. It took me just over an hour. After I sewed the neckline elastic casing, I couldn't be bothered doing another one, so for the sleeves I did a rolled hem and then sewed very thin elastic about 1cm from the edge. I like this look!

This top could have done with at least another two inches of length, but I'm happy, and Lizzie absolutely adores it! And I'm so pleased that I managed to start and finish not one, but two items in one day. Annnd, everything came from my stash! 

So, after a mammoth week of sewing, Elizabeth now has lots of Mummy-mades! I'm already thinking of what I can make next! Jimmy is not at all interested in having anything made for him. 

I'd forgotten how fun and fast it is to make kids' clothes :)

Bobkin Blue Jays shorts

Something very strange has happened to me lately...I've decided that I have enough dresses, and that I don't need to make myself something every month! Instead, I've decided my girl needs more mummy-mades in her life. Can it be that I've become a selfless sewer???

Elizabeth has lots of skirts and quite a few dresses, but not many shorts, and I think that shorts for girls are not only very practical, but also extremely cute. Most shorts in the shops at the moment are skanky looking and too short by far. I really like puffy little bubble shorts. Lizzie got a pair for Christmas when she was two years old and I loved them, but unfortunately they got too small for even her tiny stick legs last year and I had to donate them. I searched the Internet for a similar pattern and came across the Blue Jays pdf pattern by Bobkin. They go up to size 8 so are really good value. I also bought a dress pattern while I was browsing...will make that one in Spring :)

The pattern is very simple. There only three pattern pieces- one leg, one leg cuff, and one waistband. You cut the belt and belt loops using measurements provided.

I had two really cute fabrics in my stash. The brighter one is some drill that I never really had enough of to do much with after I made a pleated skirt with half of it. The other one is a sturdy but soft cotton. Both perfect for shorts! I paired the drill with some polka dot stuff, and didn't do a contrast with the other floral cotton. I intended to leave out the belt and belt cuffs on those ones. 

The instructions, I'm sorry to say, had me stumped. They start off really well, with the first step telling you to finish the edges that need finishing. I really appreciated that step, because sometimes I can't think ahead and finish my seams before it's too late and I've joined the seams together. Unfortunately after the first step, things got weird. The second step tells you to join the two shorts pieces together at the fronts and backs, with no further explanation. Now, I've made shorts before, but I got confused here and did completely the wrong thing and had to unpick it. I don't think that a beginner would have any clue what to do. Also, I had to ask for help online in one bit because the instructions kept talking about a waistband front and waistband back. I discovered that it actually meant waistband and waistband lining! 

The method of elastic insertion was extremely awkward and I really don't know why the designer chose that particular method. For the record, the instructions tell you to join the elastic ends and then keep it held down with your fingers and pins while you top stitch the waistband down. Soooo tricky. I tried sewing that way for about one inch, said f$@& this, then did it my way, which is to top stitch most of the waistband closed, insert the elastic with a safety pin, sew the ends together, then top stitch the gap closed. Much better.

Gripes aside, I really love the shorts, and will be making more pairs. I just will ignore the instructions next time!

I finished the cuffed ones first, then after I inserted the elastic on the second pair and had Lizzie try them for size (before I'd started the cuffs), she said, "I want the wegs wike this!". She liked the way that it kind of looked like a skirt without the leg cuffs. I was happy to leave them off, as it meant less work for me, and she was right- they did look pretty cute as skorts! I just turned the hem and added some ric rac...cute as!

One Thimble magazine: Firefly Dress

I've been working on this project for a couple of weeks. In fact, this project has taken me longer to complete than any other project I've made, with the exception of the three sets of enormous curtains I made last year. I'm glad to finally be finished so I can gush about it!

This project ticks two boxes on my resewlution list:

- use fabric from my stash only

- give handmade gifts

And this wasn't on my list, but I want to try out patterns that I've never used before, instead of sticking to ones I've already used.

This dress is by Boo! Designs Patterns. Kristie is an Australian pattern designer and she has some amazing patterns for kids. I hope to get some more soon!

The dress features bodice ruffles, a huge sash, mitred neck binding, and a button down back. It is marked as an intermediate level pattern. At first I thought it was too hard for an intermediate sewer, but it isn't really. There are a million little steps, but each one is explained in great detail. The ruffles themselves took me about 2 hours- mostly because I wanted them to be perfect, so I took my time. 

There are also heaps of pieces. The bodice is made up of a front, side fronts, back, side backs, sash middle, sash, two ruffles, and neck binding. I did find the binding really tricky at first, but it was explained so well that it didn't take me long to figure out. 

Although this dress took ages to sew, it was a really pleasant project to make. I never complete a project on the day I start it- I like to do an hour here and there over the course of a week or two. Due to all the steps, it was easy to do one big step or a few small ones in a one to two hour sitting, then simply pick up where I left off the next night.

Everything was from my stash, with the exception of the grosgrain ribbon on the hem- I saw this in a discount store the other day and couldn't resist it. And anyway, I'm only banned from buying fabric, not other bits and bobs :p

The main fabric is some lovely lightweight cotton- voile or lawn- that I have had in my stash for about 4 years. I will be making a couple of blouses for myself with the rest of it. The pink polka dotted stuff is something I bought to use as a coordinating fabric some time last year. And the third fabric, used for the smaller ruffle, is a lovely Robert Kauffman with gold outlines around the flowers. It is absolutely stunning. It came in a bag of fabric my friend gave me and there was only a really tiny cut of it. I think this was the perfect way to use it and show it off. I have enough to make some kind of matching hair adornment.

All in all, I really loved making this dress, and I cannot wait to see the look on my daughter's face when I give this to her on her birthday in two weeks!

Christmas sewing: Kitschy Koo skater dresses

So I decided that there is to be no more selfish sewing until I've finished all of my Christmas sewing. I'm not doing a whole heap as I don't want to stress myself out, but I knew I wanted to make a couple of dresses for Elizabeth. I was going to make cotton ones but then I saw some photos my friend posted on her Facebook page of some Kitschy Koo skater dresses she had made for her daughter. I got chatting to her about the pattern and she won me over by telling me how quick and easy it is to sew.

This is the first PDF pattern I've sewn and I have to admit that I found it kind of fun to put together. Cutting out and taping together all the bits reminded me of being in art class as a kid. I loved that I could just cut all my fabric on the floor using my cutting mat and rotary cutter, instead of cleaning everything off the dining table like I usually have to. It took me about 6 minutes to cut all my pieces. Win!

The first dress took me about twice as long as I read through all the instructions. My friend suggested I sew all the bands on in the round, and not flat as directed in the instructions. I find this looks much neater as the band seams are hidden inside the band.

I used my regular maching with a lightning bolt stitch and ballpoint needle for all except the side seams. All edges were finished with the overlocker and the side seams sewn with the overlocker. I hemmed the skirt with my twin stretch needle and am really happy with the result.

All in all, very cute, very quick dresses! I also bought the lady version and will be making one as soon as my selfish sewing ban is over!

Instant gratification

I haven't blogged for a long time because I've been busy making 3 sets of curtains and sheers for the enormous windows at the front of the house. I just have to buy fabric for the last one and then make it and I'm done. Even though curtain making is not exactly difficult, there is a lot of measuring involved, and tedious sewing of loooooooong, straight lines, so it's taken longer than I would have thought. I wanted to break up the tedium a bit with some quick, easy projects.

I've made a couple of Sewaholic Renfrew t-shirt dresses, so I thought it was time I tried the pattern as it's intended- a t-shirt. I made the long sleeved version with the gorgeous snugly cowl.

For this project, I did something I rarely do. I went out and purchased fabric specifically to make a certain project. Usually I just grab whatever is cheap and it languishes in my stash for years because I have no idea what to do with it.

This slinky jersey knit was on special for a good price (can't remember but probably under $10) so I grabbed the exact amount I needed to make the Renfrew. It's such nice stuff- really soft and slinky, and not that cheapo stuff that's transparent when you hold it up to the light.

This top took me about 90 minutes to sew, using only the overlocker. It would have been quicker but the onverlocker and I were not seeing eye to a for a while. This is a lovely make that I am going to wear heaps if our winter decides to come back. Our weather is really shitting me this year- we had no autumn, with a summer that lasted until the end of May, and we had some lovely cold weather at the beginning of July and now it's hot again! Gah!

I just whipped this up for my girl and it took about 45 minutes including cutting. I had 3 pieces of coordinating fabrics that were too small to do anything with, so I cut them into strips, sewed them together, added some waist elastic and ribbon trim, and voila- a cute skirt! She loves it.

What's your favourite quick make?

The unsensible sewing continues!

I haven't posted anything in a while but I have a few projects to share.

'Apple Mouse' is perpetually waving...I must have overstuffed his left arm!

It was my boy Jimmy's 6th birthday yesterday. After seeing the mouse I made his little sister for her birthday, he asked for one for his. That was in fact the only thing he asked for. Isn't he a darling! His only demand was that it be made from apple fabric.

This was fun to make- except for the nose, which has to be stitched in place whilst holding in the stuffing and keeping the edges turned in. I got the shits with it and it looks crap if you look closely. But he loves it and takes it everywhere.

I also made him two pairs of shorts as all of his shorts are size 2 or 3 and it's time he had some new ones. 

I don't like these ones at all- they are from the same pattern that I made my husband's birthday shirt from. 

The fit was huge so I had to add elastic to the back. He likes them though.

 

 The other pair is from an old issue of Ottobre children's magazine. I don't make a lot of patterns from them as I hate adding seam allowances, but I recently got myself a tracing wheel and carbon so it was not so painful. There are supposed to be cargo pockets on the legs but I left them out. As you can see, I did not bother with pattern matching at all. Whatevs. They are still groovy.

 

Lastly, yet another item with crazy fabric. I need to make myself some pants for this winter as I have put on even more bulk in my botty region and NONE of my pants from last winter fit me. The Thurlows that I made in November I had a suspicion would be too small this year, and they are. So I decided to try the next size up but make them in shorts first just in case the fit was off.

I'm pretty happy with the fit except in the crotch area. They seem to be pulling down towards the bottom of the front crotch. I will consult my fitting books and remedy this before I make the pants.

 

Oh, and I bought two new patterns! Going to start an Emery some time this week. The Macaron...well, it wasn't until AFTER I'd bought it that I did some research and discovered how much trouble people have had with this pattern! So I will work on some muslins in the next few months.

What are you working on at the moment?

Retro Farm skirt combo

So far this year I've managed not to sew a single thing that I vowed to in my New Year's Re-sew-lutions list. Things like a plain black skirt and plain coloured blouses. Instead, I've made a crazy dress and now a crazy skirt.

I went to Spotlight the other week and they had a really great sale. I picked up 11 metres of gorgeous quilter's cottons for $50. One of them was this adorable retro farm print. It has the cutest little scenes on it- check it out!

 

I bought two metres with the plan of making myself a dress. When I got it home I thought it was a bit too crazy and kiddy for a dress but I still wanted to make myself something with it. Then I had the brilliant idea of making a lovely gathered skirt out of it.

I used the skirt of Sewaholic Cambie (pockets included) and my favourite skirt waistband, from my Awesome Skirt. It came together very easily and I absolutely adore it. I got endless comments about it when I wore it to work this week. It makes me so happy just looking at it!

I had read that gathering with 3 rows of stitching is much more effective than 2 rows and I tried it on this. I will never use two rows again. That extra third row, placed just outside the seam allowance, makes the gathers so neat and even! You're probably thinking, "Duh! Everyone knows that!" But I'm so lazy that I skip extra steps whenever possible!

 Upon seeing my marvellous creation, my daughter begged me to make her one. From the two metres I purchased, I only had a few longish strips left (the Cambie skirt uses A LOT of fabric!). I cut the leftover bits into eight 12x4 inch strips, sewed and overlocked them together, covered the seams with ric rac, and whipped up an elastic casing for a waistband. I cut it and sewed it up in about 70 minutes today, and also made her a bedwetting sheet protector thing as we are trying to finally get her out of night nappies.

I wanted all the ric rac to be white but I didn't have enough and Spotlight had none so I got green. 

Cute, yes?