a finished garment

Dress coat, Simplicity 4712, size 2.



Melton 100% wool, coat-weight, from fabric.com.


4 gold anchor buttons, from Joann Fabrics. Black velvet ribbon trim (found at AC Moore) on the pockets and sleeves.


Collar could still use some attitude adjustment from my steam iron. Tag says 'handmade by Katherine.'

I am very pleased with this little coat. Daughter looks darling in it, and I plan to knit up black mittens and a little black hat to go with it. The pattern includes a beret, and I have enough wool, but I really want something to cover her ears, and I fear the wool would be itchy on her forehead.

The only real problem is that I made the 2 because these patterns always come out so huge, and it just fits. I don't know if she will get a whole winter's worth of use out of it. Should have made the size 3, darn it. I'll make a note on the pattern so that next winter, when I go to make a bigger one, I will make the 4.

Wool is really easy to sew, but really challenging to cut and the seam allowances are super bulky. Nothing insurmountable, but with that pleat in the back plus the collar I had 6 layers going on by the time I stitched the facing down. Yikes! I had to really wrestle the facings into place and stitch them firmly to the seam allowances on the inside to keep them from rolling out. But I highly recommend the pattern. Very well written and very easy construction.

There's more, more, more...but I have to go clean my house. We have a black-tie thingy tomorrow night honoring my dad and my aunt is coming to stay with Daughter. Therefore I must scrub my house to avoid potential embarrassment. Have a great weekend!

bothered

It is chilly today, hurrah! I can't believe I am saying that, but the extended heat and humidity through the beginning of October were totally wearing me down. Plus, cold weather means warm clothes which means Daughter can finally start wearing all of the fall and winter garments I've been making for her.

Last night I actually spent time in front of her closet, planning what cute thing she could wear to playgroup today. I know, that's so lame. But she is small and still suggestible (most of the time) and darn it, I'm going to dress her in sweet girl outfits until she won't let me anymore.

Today she wore her Thanksgiving jumper from last year. You can see it here. Notice how it's below her knees in that picture? *Sigh.* Now it barely covers her bottom. She also wore Secret Garden, which finally fits her 1.5 years after I finished it. Combined with pigtails and cute brown/ivory herringbone tights, the outfit was really cute. She got lots of compliments from the teacher and the moms in our playgroup, and then someone asked me where the sweater came from. I said that I knit it, and people, believe me, I am the most self-deprecating person you'll meet (in real life...I know I sometimes brag here but that's different, you know?). So I definitely didn't say it in a braggy way, but it's a small classroom and most of the moms heard the conversation.

A few minutes later, the teacher asked about the jumper. Specifically, she asked, "is that from this year?" And internally I did some serious cabbage-patching because YEE-HAW! My goal in life is to make clothes that look OTR, and she thought it was from one of the baby store fall collections! However, externally I just smiled and answered that I made the dress. Demurely, I assure you.

And here we come to the point of this post, which is the offense I take at some peoples' reactions to handmade stuff. Specifically, to handmade stuff that's made relatively well. I work really, really hard to make nice things for Daughter, and I am very, very flattered when someone compliments me on them. I never, never, never tell anyone that I made something unless they ask where it came from, and I always downplay it. That's because it's my hobby, and I do it for fun, not for compliments.

The thing is, one of the moms, when I said I made the dress too, made that noise people make that sounds sort of disgusted, sort of annoyed, sort of mean. That phlegmy, throaty "ech." Then she launched into a diatribe about her sister-in-law and how "Martha" she is because she can make anything and she's "so crafty."

Why do people do this?

I'll tell you what, one reason I like the internet/blog craft community is because of the unwavering support all of us give one another in our undertakings. No one in this arena says "ech" when they see someone's creation. I got thinking seriously about this after reading Jane's post today regarding reactions to her book about the domestic arts. They are arts, and just because you don't necessarily participate in all of them doesn't mean you have to react badly to people who do. So you buy all your kid's clothes at Gymboree, or Old Navy, or the Gap, or Target. So your hobby is baking, or reading, or gardening and not knitting or sewing. Doesn't mean my hobby is any less meaningful.

I don't know, it just bugs me.

a gal's gotta accessorize

On a scale of 1 to 10, how sick is it that when I spied these knee socks on the rack, I immediately started planning homemade dresses and sweaters to go with them for Daughter?


Cuteness!

WalMart, believe it or not. $1.97 for two pair. We got a two-pack of plain white cable knit ones too, but they are already in the washing machine for immediate wear. Sa-weet!

(They also have some very nice knee and over-the-knee socks for mamas...I got some of those too!)

she's ready for her spa day

Well, today should be the last of the freakishly hot fall weather. It was in the 80s today but should be only 40s-50s by the weekend. Huzzah! I'm looking forward to it, but be forewarned...I'll be here complaining about the cold soon enough. Bah!

I stitched through the sweat today to produce the second of four garments I've got cut out for Daughter (but didn't get a photo of it yet). The weekend wasn't as productive as I'd hoped due to a combination of heat/humidity, headcold, and general outside work to prep the house and yard for the coming seasons, so I only got one thing sewn up:


Daughter now has a bathrobe! This is a very old Simplicity pattern that I got from Karen, who is so amazingly awesome at finding vintage stuff I swear I am going to make her my personal shopper. (What do you think, Karen? You keep me supplied with amazing sewing/knitting stuff, and I will keep you in handmade socks. Deal?)

I ordered this double-sided minky fabric last month from Fabric.com, and people, I am asking you right now to please, please strike me down if I ever so much as suggest that I will make another garment using this stuff. It is brutal to work with. I am used to nice, smooth wovens and I think I will stick with them in the future. The minky makes a lovely finished garment, but I would be extremely embarrassed if anyone actually overheard all the swears I muttered while working with it. Perhaps if it wasn't double-sided it would have been easier.

Anyway, the collar came out kind of funky - it is supposed to lay flat - and the bulkiness of the minky was very challenging. But overall I am pleased, and Daughter is over the moon. She now has a robe to wear after her "nice, warm tubby" just like Mommy. In fact, it's 80 degrees and she won't take the silly thing off!

I have one tip for working with this stuff. I had to make 3 buttonholes and was stymied by that. How do you mark on double-sided minky?!? Well, I mostly winged it on the sleeve darts, but I needed the buttonholes to be correct. So I drew them correctly spaced on some tissue stabilizer stuff I have (no label so I don't know exactly what it is), then pinned the stabilizer to the robe placket. I was able to stitch the buttonholes through the tissue and then tear it away and voila! Perfect buttonholes. I repeated that with the 3 buttons and stitched them down by machine too. That was the easiest part of the project by far!

So that's done, and there's a dress to show when I get around to taking a photo of it. Actually, it's in the "needs hand-finishing" pile awaiting a hook & eye closure and it needs the facings tacked down, so hopefully I'll get to that soon. Then it's on to the wool dress coat with velvet ribbon trim...ooh la la! Can't wait!

sick

Ugh. I am sick. I have a headcold, which would be swell if the weather was cool and rainy, as it should be on October 5. When I said I wasn't ready for autumn, I didn't mean it should be record-breakingly hot well into October (92 degrees today! 92!). Enough already, I want tea and chicken soup, not shorts and sweat.

I'm hoping to clear the sewing queue this weekend...I cut out a twirly dress, a minky robe, and a wool coat for Daughter today, and I have a corduroy dress cut and ready to stitch as well. So my hands are shot and my Ginghers are smokin', but everything I've had planned to sew for fall is ready and waiting. Just have to slam some DayQuil and rev up my Bernina. And try not to drip snots on everything. Ew!

Have a good weekend, all. Hopefully I'll be here on Monday with a clear head and some finished garments to share.

strip-piecing one-oh-one

I was asked for a little tutorial on strip piecing for quilts. Here's a really quick 'n dirty look at this efficient and fun process, using 2.5" strips (though you can use any measurement you like):


You need fat quarters, scraps, or even full cuts of fabric. I'm using fat quarters because I have a million of them and it's easier to show the steps with large, even pieces. I highly recommend using 100% cotton (though I know lots of people like to do "mixed media" types of quilts with linen and stuff...that's ok too). I am also working with only 2 fabrics, but you can use as many as you have. You also need a pressing surface, a hot iron (steam or not, doesn't matter), a rotary cutter, a large acrylic ruler, and a cutting mat. Also, of course, a sewing machine!


Iron your chosen fabrics and place them as straight as possible on your cutting surface. I have 2 fat quarters stacked here, but I find I can comfortably and accurately cut 4 to 6 layers at a time. Experiment to see what you're comfortable with.


Line the ruler up with the grid lines on the mat and carefully cut off the edges of the fabric. There are different schools of thought on using the cutting mat for this purpose - I am in the camp that says go ahead and use it for squaring up fabric.


Line up the ruler using the grid as a guide to make a straight cut. Carefully cut the raw edges off. Then spin the board around rather than moving the fabric so you don't distort the nice clean cut you've just made.


Line up the cut edge of the fabric with the 2.5" mark on the ruler.


When using a large ruler like this, carefully spread your fingers out to stabilize the ruler. I've seen some really horrific injuries due to slippage when rotary cutting. BE CAREFUL! Don't try to rotary cut when your kids are anywhere nearby.


Carefully cut a 2.5" strip.


Continue cutting your fat quarters or scraps into 2.5" strips, moving strips out of the way as they are cut, and lining the ruler up with the freshly cut edge each time.


This is a Bernina 1/4" foot. If you have one, use it! Many sewing machine shops stock generic 1/4" feet if you want to invest in one - you just need to know if your machine is straight or slant shank. If you don't have one and don't want to buy one, use a piece of masking or painter's tape to mark an exact 1/4" from the needle. In quilting it's really important to be exact with your seams.


Stitch two strips, right sides together, using a precise 1/4" seam allowance. Pin if you feel more comfortable doing so.


Lay the strip set on your ironing surface.


Gently press to set the stitches.


Open the strip set, with the seam allowance toward the dark fabric (the green).


Press very gently. Press is the key word, do not iron like you are trying to take the wrinkles out of your husband's khakis right before you have to leave for church on Sunday morning. That would distort the strip set.


Carefully lay your pressed strip set on the cutting mat.


Line up the markings on the ruler with the edge of the top strip (in my example that happens to be at the 16.5" line but it doesn't matter which mark you choose).


Slice off the raw edge junk and toss it.


Spin your cutting board around, and line up the ruler with the 2.5" mark at the cut edge of the strip set. Here you have the added plus of being able to line up the ruler markings with the seam you've already sewn...that's what I'm trying to show with my finger.


Slice as many 2.5" segments as you can get out of the set. Again, steady the ruler with your hand and cut very carefully.


This is two of the above segments placed as they will be sewn.


Here is the same thing from the back. See why you press to the dark? Now the seams will "lock" into each other.


Two segments placed right sides together. Note the awesome interlocking seams. Whoever invented this method was a genius. Stitch, pinning if you like, using a precise 1/4" seam.


Here is the finished four-patch fresh from the machine.


Gently press to set the stitches.


Open the four-patch and press the seam to one side.


Gently press from the right side.


Voila!

You can make a ton of these in any fabrics you like, just always press to the darker fabric. To join more units together, be sure to line them up so the seams nestle into each other and you'll get nice matching points at the corners of the squares every time.

I did a four-patch for speed purposes today, but to make a nine-patch or larger, make your strip sets larger. For example, to make a nine-patch, do two strip sets: in my case green/yellow/green, and yellow/green/yellow. Always press to the green, and slice the same way to make 2.5" chunks. Then just line them up with nestled seams. I'm not sure if that's clear - in the next few days I can try to get a nine-patch example up here. Beginning quilting books can be found in abundance at my local library, and I bet that's the case nationwide. Check out a book of basics for more info on strip-piecing! It's definitely addictive!

back to normal

Well, it sure feels like the day after Christmas around here. Biiiiiiiiiiiiig weekend...big letdown once it's over.

Everything went as well as it could have. There were a few mishaps (apparently the mother of the bride burned a hole in the veil while attempting to steam it...right before the photographer showed up), but it all came off just fine in the end. The bride was so beautiful she didn't even look real...she was radiant. Handsome groom, adorable ringbearer and flower girl, the works. My reading went great and I actually got lots of compliments, so that was nice for my ego.

The bride walked down the aisle to "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" sung and played on guitar by the church cantor. He had a beautiful tenor and just recalling it makes me tear up. So light and lovely for a sunny, warm wedding day.


Here are the 4 "siblings" - sorry for the blurred faces but it is out of respect for my hubby, his bro, and the bride. Also, I am paranoid about internet weirdos. Obviously, hubby is the tall one on the left, then me, the freaking gorgeous bride, and my bro-in-law. Looks like the bride and I have the same taste in jewelry. Pearls are always classic and pretty, don't you think?

And check out this incredible cake:

It has a fountain in it! How cool is that?!? Each of those layers is covered in fondant, and all those concentric circles are made of different shades of fondant. Wild!

So it was good. We are tired. Just laying around here today munching junk food and drinking coffee, and doing major laundry. It's amazing how much laundry and mess there is after 3 days of hardly even being home.

ramble

Oh duuuuuuuuuudes. I am going to be so happy when this weekend is over. I mean, I'm looking forward to a dress-up night out with my hubby, but the lead-in to that is rough.

I have been tapped to do the first reading (Catholic wedding mass) at the very last minute. Despite the fact that I was a teacher, the only thing that terrifies me more than bugs/spiders is public speaking. I said I would do it because I love these people, but now I have to navigate a pew, a marble floor, and several steps in total silence, wearing some very high-heeled shoes. As of this writing, I don't even know what, exactly, I will be reading. Super!

My poor sis-in-law-to-be (M) is stressed to the max. The latest possible problem is that they aren't sure they both have the correct documentation to obtain a NY marriage license. I was able to look up this info in 15 seconds on the web...not sure why they couldn't figure that part out before flying the 3000 miles to bflo.

Also, my meddling mother-in-law (soon to be HER meddling mother-in-law, too...hahahahaha!) is, well, meddling. She and my father-in-law are paying for half of this affair - pretty much all but the reception itself, which M's parents are paying for. So M has planned it out with her parents, though she has entertained input from the in-laws. My personal belief is that it is HER party (and the groom's, of course), so she is entitled to plan it however she wants. My m-i-l seems to believe differently.

Three days ago she called M to tell her she'd purchased an arbor at a craft store. M asked her to please return it. My m-i-l sputtered and stammered that it was for the reception, but M stood her ground and said no, she didn't want it. Which led to my m-i-l calling the groom, crying and having a fit. Then, when M was at the reception place going over the seating with the banquet manager, she found out my m-i-l had just phoned to order twinkle lights for the reception. But she didn't check with M or anyone else first. Well, M doesn't want an arbor, and she doesn't want dang twinkle lights either! Luckily she was able to determine, with the banquet manager, that they lights hadn't yet been paid for, so she nixed that.

Then she had the unenviable job of calling my m-i-l and telling her to please stop trying to make changes FIVE DAYS before the wedding.

This is why she calls me from up on the ledge. And I cackle wildly to myself, and then try to calm her down. This is just my - no, our - m-i-l's way. I mean, when Hubs and I got married, she was still adding guests to her list after the RSVP date had passed. Oh yes. It was rad.

And today my hair dryer died, so I look like a drowned rat. I'm NOT one of those gals who can rock the air-dried look. I have to go out and get another one toot sweet. But it's a catch-22 because I don't want to leave the house with un-blow-dried hair. Gah!

Tonight is the bachelor party and the bachelorette party. Hubs will be hopping in the limo to go see the Canadian ballet with the dudes, but I am sitting this one out. First of all, my hair looks like crap today, how can I go out? Second, the only person I would know at the party is M. Third, we don't want to leave Daughter 3 nights in a row, which I explained to M and she understood. What sucks about this is that Hubs will get home at 4 a.m., so I will have to get Daughter up at her regular time in the morning and somehow hustle her out of the house so she can't go in and jump on his head. Otherwise he will not get enough sleep and will then be miserable for the rehearsal in the evening.

I'm sure some of you read this and think, "what is her problem, this isn't HER wedding! What a loser!" But it's the biggest thing going on in the family right now (well, except for a few really nasty divorces, but we aren't going there), and also the first time we've had to navigate a full weekend of activities with a child in tow. Additionally, it's the first time I've dressed up for a fancy event with my husband since Daughter was born. So it has kind of taken over my thoughts.

Ok, I'm out for the weekend. Back next week, possibly with photos, definitely with normal old knitting and sewing.

i have a headache THIS big...

My job this week seems to be "talking the bride down off a ledge."

Posting may be sparse until after my bro-in-law and his true love are wed.

pretty in (pepto) pink

There is an elusive pattern out there that I keep searching for...the simple, full-skirted, long-sleeved, simple, comfy (and did I mention simple?) playdress for Daughter. I've found the knit version in the Sewbaby Twirly Dress, but I've also been seeking a woven version. I search the commercial pattern company websites often, and always in vain.

If I were less lazy, I would take all the elements of all the patterns I like and draft the perfect dress. But I just don't have the patience. I think ideally it would look just like the dress below, but perhaps with a zipper up the back instead of eighty-seven thousand buttons. Ok, there are just 8 (the pattern calls for 9 but I only had 8 pink ones), but criminy, that's still a lot of sewing buttonholes and stitching buttons.


Here's my latest. It's a newly released pattern - New Look 6745. It's good, people. Well written, clear directions, nice finishing. I liked it a lot, and usually I find stuff to complain about so that's saying something! I made a size 1, which fits Daughter almost perfectly. Believe it or not at 2.5 years old the size 1 still gaps a bit around the neckline/bodice area. But it is certainly wearable, much better than a size 2, and she will wear it all winter before it is outgrown. The fabric is flannel from Joann Fabrics.

I did make some mods.

If you look at the pattern cover, you'll notice there's no plain long-sleeved dress with plain gathered skirt. There are variations on that theme, but I had to cobble together pieces from different views to get exactly what I wanted. The bodice is the same for all views, so no change there. The sleeves are view D, but lengthened because the pattern calls for a separate band to be sewn onto the sleeve base as a decorative element. The skirt I used is from view B. I do plan to make some more of these as shown on the pattern - I have several coordinating fabrics in my stash so I can do the sectioned skirts and sleeve bands - but I wanted a single fabric for this dress.

Also, I neglected to buy matching bias tape, which you need for the neckline (no facings, huzzah!), so I cut my own bias strip from the leftover fabric. Worked great, and I'm thinking I might do this on all the versions I make of this pattern. That way it's always a guaranteed match.

Oh, and here are a few good tricks that you may or may not know about:

Tracing the pattern onto Pattern Ease is my least favorite part of sewing. For a dress like this where the skirt pieces are just giant rectangles, rather than tracing them, you can just fold the tissue pattern piece carefully and press it on the line indicating your chosen size. Pin it down to the fabric and cut very carefully so as not to slice into the folded pattern piece. Then you can just unfold the edges and put it away for next time and all sizes are still intact!

And finally, I stitched the buttons down using my machine. Here's a view of the back:


I used the buttonhole guide included with the pattern to place the buttonholes, and then again to mark the button placement. Once I knew where the buttons had to go, I set each button in place and used a very fine micron pen to mark the placket through the holes in the actual button. Then I measured the distance between the holes, set my machine's stitch width to that number (4.5 mm in this case), and set the stitch length to zero. That part is important because I didn't want the fabric to feed at all. I carefully lined up the button beneath the needle, over the two pen dots I'd made on the placket. I started the stitches by turning the handwheel (so I could be sure I wouldn't hit the button), and then hit the foot pedal for several stitches. I pulled all the threads through to the back and clipped them, and voila, 8 super-secure buttons. I can never get them secure enough by hand, so this is my new method for sewing down shank-free buttons. Try it! Just be careful not to slam your needle into the button.

Overall I give this pattern an A+. Daughter is wearing it right now at her insistence, even though it is a very unseasonable 80 degrees today. Look for more of these in the future! Right after I get the bathrobe done. And the winter coat. Oh, and another knit dress, and some corduroys that are cut and half-finished. And another corduroy dress that's cut and waiting patiently for assembly. Good heavens, somebody stop me.

Have a great weekend!

playgroup redux

Remember back in the spring when I signed Daughter up for a local playgroup? And I hated it? Remember?

Well, it's the best thing going around here right now, so I signed her up again. They changed the age parameters (it is now 18 months - 2+), so I thought what the heck, for $4 per session we'll give it another go.

It's better this time. 10 kids, mostly girls, which excites me since Daughter was the only girl last time. Also, the age spread is such that Daughter falls pretty much right in the middle. All are at least 2, from what I could figure out today, but no one is right on the cusp of 3 like last time. The only trouble with that is I keep smelling poop and thinking it's my kid (we are potty-training and she has not worn a daytime diaper in over a week...though it takes constant reminders from us to use the potty and NOT go in the training pants). Luckily, it was all other-kid-poop and Daughter even used the classroom mini-potty (heavens, I haven't seen one of those since I was in kindergarten) and got a sticker from the teacher.

And there is only one grandma this time, so I actually find myself feeling bad for her, because I know what it's like to be outnumbered...except last time it was something like 3 moms and 11 grandmas.

Also. Ahem. Lots of the moms are very, very, very pregnant. I had trouble with that, I can't lie. Every time I see a pregnant woman my stomach knots up, and I imagine I'll feel that way until we have another healthy child of our own. Not that I don't wish them well - I truly do. But it is hard for me.

Anyhoo, that's that. Hubs is coming home early today so I'd better get in gear and clean this place up.

twirly dress

On Friday I went a little crazy at Joann's - well, crazy for me, which isn't that bad. I had a few patterns in mind and went seeking some fabrics to make just a few more winter items for Daughter. While there, Daughter and I picked and chose several really cute things, and I just decided to buy them rather than agonize over spending the money. All it amounted to was 2 cuts of corduroy, one interlock knit, and a cut of flannel, along with notions, but I had also placed an order at fabric.com for coat wool (dress coat for Daughter) and double sided minky (for her bathrobe).

Unfortunately my bro-in-law's wedding has us spending money like coked-up rock stars this month, so this will likely be the last of the fabric purchases for 2007 (*sob*). See, I do the finances for our family, so there's no one to stop me but me. And stop I must, or we'll have no cash for Christmas. Yikes.

Of course I washed and dried everything immediately and during naptime managed to cut out several items. First up, twirly dress:


This was my first real knit garment, and while it is far from perfect, I am fairly pleased with the result. I really dislike gathering, and gathering a knit is even more tedious than gathering a woven fabric, but I did it. There are some puckers and tucks but for a first effort, it's acceptable.

I will definitely make this pattern again. Each size is printed separately - NO tracing! - so Daughter can have these dresses till she's a size 6. Awesome! And the pattern is written for a knit bodice & sleeves and either a knit or woven skirt. The smaller sizes have 6 gores for the skirt, the larger sizes have 8, so you could do some really creative stuff with fabrics. I've had some great Laurel Burch Christmas fabrics stashed for a number of years now...I bought them to make something home-decor-ish, but they really aren't my decorating style. They might look great as skirt fabrics in this dress, though!

Another great thing about this pattern is that it runs true to size. I made the 2 and it fits my kid! A miracle!

My only real problem was with my twin needle. I guess you can buy a ball point twin needle, but I didn't see them at Joann's, so I got a regular one (for wovens) and it worked, but I got some skipped stitches which doesn't look too fab.

Oh well, overall it's totally wearable and I'm happy my first experiment with a knit garment wasn't a disaster!

the first step is admitting you have a problem

I have reached a new level of sewing insanity. Last night I was lamenting the fact that there is nothing I really need to make for Daughter just now. Her growth has slowed down and most of what she wore last winter/spring still fits. Also, I seem to be in denial about her size, because I keep making size 2 garments even though the pattern chest measurements for size 2 are anywhere from 3-6 inches too big every time.

I can't just keep buying patterns like a freak, I need to use what I have. But most of what I've been accumulating starts with size 2. Aaaaarrrgh! And I must keep sewing because that is what I do to maintain sanity in my stay-home-mom world. Plus I like it.

Sooooo, there I was, tossing and turning until something like 3 a.m., going through my mental rolodex of fabrics and patterns (like I said, a new level of insanity) when it hit me - baby patterns! My poor kid is pretty puny for her age and I have a bunch of baby patterns that might still fit her! It was all I could do to stay in bed...I wanted to get up and start makin' stuff.

Sure enough, when I got up this morning and dug through my patterns with my cup of coffee, I found what I wanted.


This is New Look 6310, still available in stores as far as I know. I bought it when Daughter was a tiny infant because I wanted to make sleep buntings for her. For some reason I misread the envelope (I don't know, maybe because I was sleeping about 4 out of every 24 hours then?) and thought it was only for knits. It is not. But I tried making the bunting (view C) with a knit, and it was a total disaster. I cried, and then threw it out. Knowing what I do now, I would definitely make the bunting again but out of a stinking flannel next time. Duh.

What caught my eye this time was the little wrap top and pants. I love the look of pants with a band at the bottom for little kids, and set out to alter this pattern a bit for my tall, skinny girl. Easy peasy...just added 2 inches of length to the largest size. The waist measurement was plenty big (it's elastic waist anyway).


These photos don't do the pants justice...they are SO CUTE. Maybe I can get a shot outside in natural light tomorrow.


Love!

These are made from some cotton from Joann's that I had intended for the blouse in my last post, but I only got a yard, which wasn't enough for the blouse. Repurpose, repurpose! I actually think I made these a tad too long, which is fine because she can wear them all winter and there is some growing room. I want to make a few more pair out of some print corduroy. Cuteness!

Stay tuned...there is more cut out and waiting for free time. And I am knitting my hands into early arthritis to be sure. Can't stop making stuff!!!

not really worth the time and effort

Sometimes when I am sewing a new garment, I get about halfway through it and start to think, "I could buy this at Target for $6.99, why am I bothering to make it?!?" This is about the same time I start wearing my shoulders as earmuffs because the tediousness of the sewing is stressing me out.

McCall's M5456 would be the latest example of this phenomenon.



I don't know why I can't take better photos of my stuff. Sorry. Rest assured it looks much less wrinkly in real life and my Daughter does not go out looking like a rumpled mess every day.

Anyway, I just didn't really enjoy this one. It felt like a slog through the mud rather than a fun, quick little project.

Pattern: McCall's M5456 view E, size 2

Fabric: 100% cotton purchased at Joann's - from their new quilting basics collection, to which I say this: FOR SHAME, JOANN FABRICS! You call this a quilting fabric?!? This is a very thin fabric that I would never, ever, ever use in a quilt unless I wanted that quilt to disintegrate the moment it was washed. I'm not even sure how it will hold up in the washer as a shirt. I only got it because it was soft and pretty and I almost never use "good stuff" on the first run-through of a pattern.

Mods: I stitched a hook & eye closure into the back neck rather than a button and thread loop as called for. This is to be a playshirt, so I didn't want to expend much more effort than I already had by the time I was finishing. Also, rather than sew a casing inside the sleeve into which the elastic would be inserted, I just stretched the 1/4" elastic very tightly and sewed it directly to the inside of the sleeve using a small zig-zag stitch. Came out ok and was much less work.

Here is the back:



I'm not sure if I'll try this one again. Of course, there is no rush as this one probably won't fit Daughter till she's 3 or 4 anyway. I'll try it on her, but she has an 18" chest measurement and this shirt is way bigger than that, I can tell you. If I do make it again, I will try view D, and I'm contemplating drafting the bottom shirt section as a long piece and making a dress out of the thing. I might like that a lot better. We'll see.

Well, because I spent yesterday and today sewing this thing, nothing else has been done...in fact, it's 3:30 and I haven't eaten lunch yet today. Yikes! Time to pack in the sewing for today and scrape up some lunch before I pass out.

everything old is new again

When I was pregnant with Daughter, I never even gave diapering a thought beyond "what brand should I buy?" I certainly didn't consider using cloth diapers. I thought it was impractical and outdated and weird. So I started out with disposables and happily chucked out hundreds of pounds of dipes and waste month after month. Then, after I'd been blogging for awhile, I started to understand that cloth diapering was alive and well and had, in fact, become big business because you can't find cloth diapers anywhere but online. There aren't even diaper services where I live anymore.

So I digested that info, and even switched to cloth dipes for Daughter when she was just over 2 and refusing to go on the potty (I thought sitting in a wet cloth dipe would make her want to go on the toilet instead...didn't work). But then I was super surprised again when I found out people are also looking for old-school wool soakers and longies. I had never even heard of them, though I always wondered what was up with the patterns in my 1940s and 1950s knitting books that looked like wee shorts and leggings. Aha! They are all soakers and longies!

When my buddy Karen asked if I'd make a pair for her baby boy, I figured I'd give them a shot.


Since most of the old patterns I have are written for now non-existent wools in very fine weights (8 sts./inch) and I wanted worsted weight, I used the pattern for denim pants in Last Minute Knitted Gifts instead. They came out really well in Patons Classic Merino (color: new denim).

I was also interested in playing around with a soaker design, so first I tried the free pattern available on the Ottobre website. These are made from scraps of Patons Classic Merino and knitted on size 8 needles. They came out quite small, because the pattern actually calls for unspun wool, but they could certainly be used for a young infant. Bear with me, the colors are weird (leaf green/royal purple) and I don't think garter stitch is ever very pretty. I was just experimenting.


Front.



Back.

They're supposed to have a ribbon or twill tape woven through the waist ribbing as a tie, but as these are only being worn by Daughter's teddy bear right now, I skipped that part.

Kinda fun - I'm going to keep experimenting.

pillow talk

Oh, that Mother Nature. She's tricky. When I said I wasn't yet ready for autumn, I did not mean that I wanted a string of 90 degree days instead. But that's what we've got, so not much is happening around here. I hung some clothes on the line this morning and by the time I finished I felt like the top of my head was on fire. I vacuumed the family room, which resulted in a clean carpet but a dirty me. Sweaty pits! Yum!

No crafting today...just sitting on the couch watching tv and trying to stay cool. So I will share something I finished a couple of weeks ago:


I'm working on replacing all the throw pillows in our family room. After 4.5 years of being slept on, kicked around, used as breastfeeding supports, and just general wear, they are getting pretty worn out and faded. Two of our favorites are 24" pillows my mom made me to go in my first apartment after graduation...almost 10 years ago. Yeah, they have been well loved and given us all they can.

This is the first creation. It's based on the Love & a Little Lunacy pattern in this book. It's about 14.5" square. I used heat 'n bond lite for the appliques, then stitched around them by hand using some vintage dmc black embroidery thread (not floss...more like a pearl cotton, but not exactly). The top is quilted by machine around each square and each border, then sewn to the back (which is two overlapping flaps), and finally, bound like a quilt. I cannibalized the stuffing from one of the old dying pillows and made a muslin pillow form for the inside.

Fun! I look forward to making more in different patterns and sizes.

did it!

Well, what I lack in ability I make up for in sheer determination.

Check out these leggings:


What do you think?
Another angle:


I think they came out ok for a first try with no 'real' pattern. I just told myself that if they came out super crappy I'd toss them and no one would ever have to know.

Here is what I did:

I took the pattern piece for the pants from Butterick 3109, which I recently used to make eleventy-nine pajama sets for Daughter, and MacGyver-ed it into a narrower pattern by folding it over itself in the middle. I compared it to the Gymboree leggings I was trying to copy, and it came pretty close, so I went for it.

The nice thing about this pattern? It has no outside leg seam, so you stitch the inner leg seams, then the crotch seam, a casing and 2 hems and you're done. SO FAST!

It worked just fine. I used a ballpoint needle and it stitched through the knit like a dream. I practiced with a double needle on some scraps before sewing the leggings, but I couldn't get it to stitch well without making a tunnel between the needles. That will take some more experimenting...for now a wide zig-zag does very nicely for the casing and hems.

Problems: Too small around the top, really. Too tight all over compared to what I was going for. These wear more like tights, and in fact I did not even put any elastic in the waistband - they stay up just fine without any. Daughter says they are comfortable, so what the heck, she can certainly wear them! But the next pair will be made slightly bigger for comfort and growing room.

For those interested, the fabric is from Joann's and is what they call, literally, "basic knit." It comes in a tube! I'm so inexperienced when it comes to anything other than wovens that I almost fell over when I got home and discovered I'd bought tubes. And since these leggings came out so well, I am heading back to buy more tubes soon...in all the colors! I mean, we're talking leggings for $3 here. To a penny-pincher like me that is beyond exciting.

However, thanks to Anne K., I believe I may have found my fabric mecca. I don't know what is wrong with me that I can't find good fabric sites online (and oh yes, I have tried ebay...friends, I give you credit if you can use ebay. I hate it because I have no patience). Anne left me a comment to check out fabric.com. I am over the moon. I want to make out with fabric.com. And when you place your first order in the US, shipping is only $2.95. I am rubbing my hands together in anticipation! And I am thinking very, very carefully about what I want because I am so taking advantage of that offer! Fabric.com is exactly what I was looking for - great fabrics at totally reasonable prices. Thank you, Anne!!

Action shot!

stepping up my game

Sigh.

Joann Fabrics, you have disappointed me yet again.

I am on a quest to either find cheap rtw leggings or make them for Daughter. Yes, I can find leggings at Target, but they all have lace around the cuffs a la Madonna in her "Like a Virgin" days, which is not so much the look I want for my 2 year old. I could get really cute ones at Gymboree, but at $12.50 - $14.50 each I won't be able to get many. I have one pair of hand-me-down Gymboree leggings that fit Daughter perfectly and I suppose I can copy them - I'm going to try, anyway.

The problem is, I went to Joann's to take advantage of the Labor Day sale, but they only have solid color knits! Bleh! I want cute prints and stripes! Ay-yi-yi. I know sewing is not always the economical choice these days because fabrics are getting more expensive and if you want good stuff it's going to be pricey, but I was really hoping I could whip up some cute leggings for around half the price of the store-bought ones.

So I got some black and gray basic knit fabric to experiment, but I would like to make some cuter ones if the testers work out. I am asking you, seamstresses - where can I order cute garment fabrics that aren't $20 per yard? It's hard to believe in a metro area the size of Buffalo we can't have more than one place to buy garment fabrics. I can easily drive to 4 or 5 Joann's locations, but there are no other fabric stores that I know of in the area (other than quilt shops). If any WNY people are reading, please tell me if I am wrong about this!

I've also been looking for an easy knit pullover dress pattern. Using my coupon, I picked up the Sewbaby Twirly Dress pattern, which can be made with an existing t-shirt or entirely from scratch. I can see using solid knits for that and embroidering or adding an applique, but prints and patterns would be nice too...if I can find them.

Also, for the record, I have only tried to sew knit fabric one time, and it was such a miserable failure I haven't even wanted to try again. So this will be an interesting experience. I was sharing some stuff from Sewing Mamas with my husband, and lamenting the fact that these women post AMAZING garments, and not only that, they are also homeschooling mothers of 5 with number 6 on the way and somehow they make all their kids' clothes right down to their underwear (not even kidding)...and what is my problem? Why can't I sew like that, with my one kid who takes a good nap each day? My husband's response was: "well, maybe you need to step up your game!"

He meant to be encouraging, of course. He said there's no reason my work can't be that good (though I draw the line at making underwear), and that I should just get the tools I need and try it. If all those women can wrestle knits in to submission, so can I. And I really hope it works, because I have lots of plans for Daughter's wardrobe.