Kiddie catch-up

Kids’ clothes are so small and quick, I don’t realise I’ve made so many until it’s time for a round-up post like this. This isn’t a post about awesome patterns or sewing skills, because most of these patterns are repeats on a theme, and the garments themselves are a serious case of done being better than perfect. But it IS a post about how great life is when you’re a kid!

These two. They’re the best. Where do I start?

I’m going to start with (a rather blurry) Butterick 6678, because I’ve made this dress seven times over the last 18 months. It’s a lovely simple dress to show off a nice fabric – this one’s part of my loot from Japan.

Note the fearless pattern matching and backwards gumboots. Look out, world.

This next one was a third birthday present, made out of an old silk skirt and a bit of trim from the deep stash.

Next, swimwear. My work colleague asked me to make a leotard for her little boy, and said I could keep the leftover fabric (and the pattern, Jalie 2912). Best. Fabric. Ever. I made the girls some swimmers.

It was my first try making swimmers, and I made the arms too loose and the legs a bit tight. I think the take-home message is to just sew the unstretched elastic to the unstretched fabric, rather than cutting the elastic to size and then trying to fit it to the openings.

But, perfectly wearable.

While we’re doing bright, I’ll show you some rainbow leggings, which may well have been the clothing hit of 2017. Fabric from Spotlight. Pattern from Love Notions. I had to hold myself back from going back to buy more fabric, because seriously, if I had a pair of these I’d never take them off.

Tell me you don’t want some too.

Gosh this next photo makes me laugh.

Not one, but two long-suffering dogs.

I’m going to sneak in a sewing fail here. I used the rest of this green merino to make a matching t-shirt and skirt, but the skirt was way too big. I’ve since found these handy reference charts for elastic waist measurements and skirt lengths. Both very useful for long-distance aunties.

Similarly, these giraffe pants were too small in the waist, though they can easily be fixed. Isn’t this terrific fabric!? Thank you, Made Marion. The pattern is Oliver & S sunny day shorts, with in-seam pockets added and extended into trousers.

Still good to ride a bike in.

Or, y’know, for sitting in a bucket.

Some stash-busting PJ pants, from the same pattern…

And, an assortment of t-shirts. Fabric from Fabric-a-brac and pattern from Peek-a-boo patterns. (Modelled with backwards gumboots, once again).

Now some winter wear. I saw a dinosaur hoodie somewhere, and had to copy it. These are adapted from this pattern. The spines are stuffed with a little bit of craft wadding.

Last but not least, winter coats. During a Fabric Hoarders sewing retreat the lovely Margaret was giving away the makings for two lined wool coats, that she’d started. The intended recipients had grown too big before she could finish them. I swooped in and finished them off for these two ragamuffins, and they couldn’t be more perfect. They’re a Burda pattern. Sensibly they have a zip front (and wind guard) as well as the toggles.

 

And that’s it! Well, nearly. Two more cute photos. The girls have already started “sewing”, enabled encouraged by their doting auntie.

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The emperor has too many clothes, and Burda 08/2011

Do all sewers have enough clothes, or is it just me? I’m not a speedy seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but my cupboard is pretty much full. Handmade clothes just don’t wear out! I suppose I’m also less likely to get rid of them, for two reasons. Firstly, I like everything about them, unlike a bought item where I might like the style but not so much the fabric, or vice versa. And secondly, the time investment makes them more valuable than something ready-made. The internet tells me this is the sunk cost fallacy – but the insight doesn’t really help, I still want to hang on to it all.

One solution is to sew for others. There is clearly an increasing amount of this on this blog. I really like doing it. It’s hard to be sure what the recipients really think, but I think it’s appreciated, on the whole. When I was small my grandmother used to knit a lot of jumpers. Often the neck hole was too small, and my mother didn’t want to disappoint her by telling her. Most of the people I sew for are considerably less polite, and I trust that they’ll give me honest feedback!

Anyway, this is a blouse I made for my sister. It’s this one from Burda 08/2011. I used to have a hemp blouse in a similar style, which I wore to pieces, and so I was thrilled to come across this Burda pattern.

The fabric is a fairly heavy crepe, possibly rayon I think. It’s a gorgeous fabric and a stunning colour that always makes me think of my sister, for some reason. It definitely suits her. Another benefit of sewing for others: making things in colours you love but don’t love to wear.

The only modification was to omit the side slits, and shape the hem up at the sides. I do this a lot and don’t know why so many patterns are cut straight across – I think a shaped hem looks a lot nicer.

Anyway the main lesson from this pattern was to check the finished measurements – this could easily have gone down one size, maybe two. It’s not just too loose, but too big all over – the back opening looks too long, the sleeves are bracelet length rather than three-quarter, the hem’s probably too long… But it’s definitely wearable, and I suppose it’s better than being too small.

It’s one to make again… maybe even for myself. I would like another blue hemp top like this.

Kangaroos

Two babies, two kangaroos.

These were baby shower gifts; I thought even Kiwi babies could do with a toy kangaroo.

This was the pattern. If you make it, be careful because the two pages aren’t to scale (the printing directions are on the pattern, but did I pay attention, oh no, why would I do a silly thing like that when they had to be finished the same day?).

Also be careful stuffing it, you really have to get the stuffing right down into the arms and tail.

I thought they were adorable. I hope the babies like them. I’d like to try making a bigger one sometime. Or a huge one! Maybe I could stuff it with fabric scraps and see how long it takes to fill.

Ginger jeans, kind of, sort of

This is one of those Very Exciting Makes. You know the ones you’re extra proud of? Often they took extra time or used special fabric or were for a particular occasion. These are the first jeans I’ve made, and sneakily I decided to make them for my sister so I wasn’t forced to deal with them if they didn’t fit. Spoiler alert, they did!

I did a class with Maryanne at Made on Marion, called something like ‘copying a ready-to-wear garment’. I could probably have found enough online to work out how to do it, but WOULD I have? Probably not. It was great to block out a whole day to get it done.

There were four of us, each copying a completely different garment. I used some worn-out jeans of my sister’s, and it was interesting to see how three-dimensional the pieces had become, as they’d moulded to the shape of her body. I did my best, but probably most importantly, I sewed it up in a mystery denim with a fair bit of stretch.

I used the Ginger jeans pattern for the construction, and it was fascinating to see how much work is in a pair of jeans. It’s pretty worrying that they can be sold at such a low price. I threaded the Lotus with topstitching thread, but she didn’t like all the layers for the bar-tacks, so I ended up doing those on the Bernina. There were two things I wasn’t really happy with: firstly, it’s hard to work out pocket placement without the intended owner around to model them. Secondly, I don’t think I did the rivets right. They were supposed to just click into place (no hammering needed), but maybe mine were too long, or my denim was too thin? There was a lot of empty space and they stick out a bit. Admittedly I’m probably the only one who’ll notice.

It was really fun to see them start to look like proper jeans! And you already know this, but they fit pretty well. I’m keen to try them again in a denim with a bit less stretch, to see how that works.

 

Merino cowl dress (for the win)

Don’t you love it when you do an experiment and it isn’t a Pinterest Fail? I impulse-bought some green merino from Levana, with an interesting chevron pattern, to make a cowl neck dress. Not having a cowl pattern, and having already done a significant amount of internet shopping that week, I scoured the web for a free pattern, and found this one.

Happily for size 36 people, but sadly for me, it’s only in one size. I thought, ‘oh well, I’ll just add the extra inches at the centre seam’. In my experience, this sort of blind optimism often leads to disaster, but not this time. It meant that the cowl was deeper than planned, and the back neck was a lot wider than it should be. I added a box pleat at the centre back neckline, and it draped beautifully. Actually this pattern was released a couple of weeks later, also with a draped back, and I felt very on-trend.

I find that having an unexpected success like this really motivates me to sew more. Or maybe it’s just the time of year, now the days are getting shorter and there’s more inside time. Either way, there’s more to come…

 

 

Cross-stitched bookmark

Lots of catching up to do here, but I really do want this to serve as a journal, so here goes… This was a birthday present to serve as a reminder of a Wellington trip (specifically, a direct seagull-bomb by one of the giant birds in Oriental Bay). I bought the kit at Made on Marion, but it’s also sold online. I’m not much of a cross-stitcher so the back looked shocking. I ironed on some heavy interfacing to hide the mess. It was fun but I think it’s a one-off. I’m too impatient for cross-stitch!

 

 

Denim Butterick 5984

What’s this?! A work dress that isn’t New Look 6968? Yes it’s true.

This is Butterick 5984. The picture on the pattern envelope isn’t my cup of tea, but the line drawing has potential. This is view B, shortened to the view A length (and I’m tall, so if you want an above-knee dress you’ll need to shorten it further).

Some wrinkly, post-brunch photos. Thanks Marta, Kirsten and Kat.

The dress has a lined bodice but I used a stretch denim fabric that was fairly heavy, so I skipped the lining and flat-felled the seams, to go with the denim aesthetic.

To finish the neckline I used bias tape, and just machine-stitched across the front to finish. The stitching is nearly all hidden by the collar anyway.

I found the bodice sizing to be way off (too big), but it’s princess-seamed so reasonably easy to adjust. I might have overfitted it a little, looking at those drag lines across the bust.  The sleeves were also a problem; since the photos I’ve ripped them out and redone them, reducing the height of the sleeve cap to get rid of the puffed sleeve effect.

I also raised the back (by 6cm!) to make it more work-appropriate. If you look at pictures online, this dress has a pretty low back. The front isn’t low-cut at all; I didn’t change it.

The denim has a subtle pattern, and I’m really interested to see how it’s going to wear and fade over time. I loved reading very purple person’s discussion about ageing of jeans.  Sewing this dress gave me blue hands, so obviously the dye’s already trying to escape!

• Pattern: Butterick 5984
• Fabric: stretch denim from the Fabric Warehouse
• Alterations: lots. Raised back by 6cm, adjusted bodice fit, lengthened bodice 1cm. Didn’t line it. Changed back vent to a kick pleat.
• Next time: make bodice size according to high bust measurement; grade out to waist if needed.
• More versions: here, PatternReview.

Birthday present – Miz Mozelle

I was lucky enough to be able to visit my baby sister for her birthday this year, and I made her a dress for the occasion.

This is the Miz Mozelle from Jamie Christina.

I used a blue textured rayon, and jazzed it up with a bit of Japanese cotton bias binding. The cotton was swiped from fabric the Fashion Critic chose, for me to make into a shirt for him. Luckily we bought plenty so I think he’ll still get his shirt.

I think the rayon suits the blousy top.

The wrinkles are because it came straight from my suitcase.

It has an elastic waist so it’s a good choice if you’re likely to be eating birthday cake.

We were.

Details:

• Pattern: Miz Mozelle dress by Jamie Christina
• Fabric: textured rayon from the Fabric Warehouse, cotton trim from Japan
• Alterations: made one size bigger in the bodice and sleeves since the pattern is for a knit and I used a woven
• Next time: don’t bother upsizing for a woven, there’s lots of room
• More versions: here, here, here, here, PatternReview

Welcome to the family, little Lotus

Let me begin by putting this on the record: I am not a sewing machine collector, nor do I want to be a sewing machine collector. I’ve seen how easily it can happen: you start with a gateway sewing machine like the one I’m about to show you, and before you know it you have a regular habit, you spend all your free time trying to find your next hit, and you have no money. You do have awesome clothes, though.

I found this beautiful little darling on Trademe, which is like Ebay for New Zealanders, but better because the population is so small there’s less competition. Closed, she measures 30 x 24 x 12cm. For those who use imperial units, that’s equivalent to tiny.

Isn’t she the loveliest thing you’ve ever seen? She weighs just 6kg. That’s less than half the weight of my trusty Bernina, and it means that Bernina never has to travel again.

She’s a marvel of design, with her accessories case tucked under her lid.

In fact she’s so famous for her design that her cousin’s in the Museum of Modern Art in New York (truly!). This model is the SP, which does a straight stitch, zig-zag and a buttonhole.

My little Lotus doesn’t know it yet, but she’s about to become a well-travelled young lady, as there are several sewing events coming up. I’d hate to damage her, so I decided she needed a nice case to take travelling.

I had just the thing in the stash, a length of heavy Ikea cotton from when I decided to make shoes a few years ago (I never did make shoes). I couldn’t find the right pattern online, so I made it up, and it was actually pretty easy. I’ll put directions below, in case anyone’s interested, but here’s the final product.

It has a pocket for the cables and pedal:

And D-rings at each end for a shoulder strap (I used a strap from an old handbag):

And a pocket inside for its little manuals:

I’m so pleased with it! I can’t wait to take little Lotus on an outing.

Here’s how I made it, in case you want to make your own version. The measurements below fit a machine measuring 30cm wide, 24cm high and 12cm deep. They can easily be adapted.

I cut out:

• Two pieces for front and back, adding 2cm ease plus 1cm seam allowance to each (so, 34 x 28cm each) – cut two in lining also.
• One long piece to wrap around the bottom and about halfway up each side, plus ease and seam allowance (16 x 60cm) – cut one in lining also.
• Two narrow pieces to go on each side of the top zipper. These extend across the top and halfway down each side, plus ease and seam allowance (9 x 60cm each) – cut two in lining also.
• One outer pocket piece, the width of the front piece and about two thirds the height (34 x 17cm)
• Two straps (9 x 46cm, then folded into three lengthways and topstitched)
• Two pairs of little triangles, for the triangular flaps at each end of the zipper. Mine were about 6cm along the longest side
• Optional interior pocket in lining fabric, mine was about 20cm square

Notions:

• Top zip, 58cm. You’ll want a top zip that extends a good way down each side, otherwise you won’t be able to get the machine in and out. Use a plastic zip, because a metal one will scratch.
• Front pocket zip, 32cm
• Old blanket for batting (optional)
• Two D-rings (optional)

The back piece, and the long bottom piece

Cut out all the pieces. If you’re using batting, cut batting pieces that are 1cm smaller than each of the outer pieces, and quilt them on, before assembling.

Attach the pocket (with front zip) to the front piece. Sew the top zip between the two top pieces. Attach the little triangles at each end of the top zip.

the top pieces (with zip inserted) and front piece (with pocket applied)

You can probably work out the rest: sew the shell together in the way that feels right to you. I sewed the ends of the long top and bottom pieces together, forming a giant loop, and then sewed the front and back pieces in place. Don’t forget to insert the D-rings below the little triangles, if you’re using them. I used a doubled-up piece of green ribbon to attach the D-rings but you could use a piece of heavy fabric, or whatever you have to hand. Once the outer shell is all together, sew on the handles.

Then sew the lining the same way as the shell, but leave out the zip: instead, fold and press 1cm along the long side of each top piece (you’ll handstitch it to the inside of the zip at the end). Sew the interior pocket to the right side of the lining, if you want one. Put the lining inside the shell, wrong sides together, and handstitch the lining to the inside of the zip. Enjoy!

Bellatrix blazer, weather permitting

This is my latest entry over at Indie Pattern Month on the Monthly Stitch. I just won a year-long fitting battle with the Bellatrix blazer, from Papercut patterns.

I think it’s gorgeous, but despite three muslins I couldn’t get it to fit. A tantrum and a year later I came back to it, made a fourth muslin, and behold!

The main fitting changes I made were
1. adding a bit to the side seams, thereby also increasing the sleeve circumference, and
2. making the front side panel squarer, which I guess is a dodgy princess-seam FBA of sorts

Pocket shots:

The fabric is a textured cotton from my trip to Japan in April. It’s absolutely lovely but it does crease easily in the non-interfaced bits (sleeves and back mostly). The lining is a lighter cotton.

That’s pretty much it about the blazer. Here are the outtakes from a June photo shoot in Wellington:

(no light)

(gale force winds!)

Ah well, luckily we’re a hardy bunch. And a bright mustard jacket is just the thing on a chilly grey June day.

Details:

• Pattern: Bellatrix blazer by Papercut patterns
• Fabric: textured cotton from Japan
• Alterations: widened sleeve, altered shape of side front to give a bit more room
• Next time: lengthen sleeve 1cm, add interfacing to top of sleeve and across top of back
• More versions: here, here, here, here, here, PatternReview