New Undies

The little man is getting bigger!  At three-and-a-half, his size 2 undies were getting a bit snug on him.  So, this week I whipped up a new set of undies in size 4.  Now, the hardest decision of the day is which pair to put on in the morning.

Check out my pattern here if you’re interested in making undies for your little ones.  Both boys and girls styles are included in sizes 2-4-6-8 for years of comfy and cute little tushies.  Once you try them, you’ll be convinced that there’s nothing like mama-made undies.

Yikes! Stripes!

How many striped shirts does a boy need?  Apparently, five is not too many.  

I sewed up this quintet of striped tees for E-Boy the other day.  I got most of these wonderful striped jerseys on clearance from Chez Ami, where you have to buy a two-yard cut of each print.  As I was cutting out the shirts, I realized that a toddler sized tee doesn’t make much of a dent in two yards of fabric.  We may have matching shirts for years to come.  Oh, yes, for those of you with a long memory, the one in front is a duplicate of one we had last year.  Fortunately, I’m the only one in my house who remembers (or cares) what clothes the boy wears from one year to the next.

Long Sleeves.

Here are some of the shirts I’ve been sewing for the girls this Fall.  I’ve been hoarding this purple campan stripe since I bought it this spring, just waiting for long sleeve weather.  The pattern is from the latest issue of Ottobre.  I used knits for the butterfly applique, leaving the edges raw to roll a bit when they’re washed.  The rhinestone antennae add a bit of bling, and I used a reverse coverstitch with woooly nylon for the hems (you can just see  it on the sleeve in this picture).  The two shirts are identical (no wonder people think my girls are twins) except for the tags; one has pink striped ribbon for a tag, the other has pink polka dot ribbon.  Wouldn’t you know, the girls both wanted the one with the polka dot ribbon tag.

I love the stripe/dot combination on these tunics.  I used another Ottobre pattern for these, the “strawberry tunic” from Otto 3/08.  I lengthened the sleeves since I’m sewing for Fall.  I also had to alter the back to have a yoke, since I was working with half-yard lengths of fabric.  The girls had to flip a coin over these shirts, since they both wanted the pink/blue one.  Me, I prefer the red/pink version as I had both coordinating solids for the yoke/binding.

SWAP Sewing: Olive Capri Pants

Okay, these weren’t on my original drawing.  You caught me!  But I think I’m going to sneak them into my SWAP because I like them so much.  Maybe they’ll replace the black french terry gauchos with the ruched waist (that I haven’t made yet).  This was my first try at “real pants” for me.  And I’d call it a success.  I learned a lot in the process, and know what changes to make with the next pair.

I used an olive cotton ripstop fabric with a touch of lycra for stretch.  I got it at JoAnn’s and it was crazy cheap, regular price was $4.99/yard, and it was on sale for half off.  So, the fabric for these cost me a whopping five bucks.  The weight is okay, nice for summer, but a bit lighter than I’d like for winter bottom  weight fabric.  I really like the ripstop texture, as it gives these a sportier look.  I’ll admit, I went back to JoAnn’s and picked up more of this fabric in khaki and dark olive.

The pattern I used is #13 in Ottobre 2/2008, which is shown as wide leg linen pants.  I shortened them to a capri length that falls just below my knee.  The biggest issue I had with the pattern was the fit.  I chose a size based on my measurements, then traced and cut.  As I was sewing, I tried on and realized that they were too big, so I took in the seams to make them smaller.  I really feel I could have gone down two sizes on the pattern and been just fine.  I’m not sure how much of that has to do with the fact that the fabric has a little stretch, though.  The fit is comfortable, but I prefer a lower waist than is show in this style, so if I were to make this pattern again, I’d lower the waist by at least an inch.  Of course, this is a personal preference rather than an issue with the pattern itself.

I have to say I’m insanely proud of how well the zipper fly came out on these pants.  It is practically perfect and lies nicely flat.  I guess I have an aversion to sewing using the “right” color of thread, because I stitched these up with contrasting baby blue thread.  I went a little crazy with the bar-tacks on these as well, but I feel like the added details make them look less “homemade”.  Once again, I used a pretty piece of gingham ribbon as a tag, sewn into the back waistband.

The details continue on the back with patch pockets.  I added belt loops on these after they were done out of necesity, since they are a tad too big.  But, I’ve worn them many times since I made them, so the size issue hasn’t kept me from enjoying them.  This has been a huge step for me, getting past the fear of sewing pants for myself.

SWAP Sewing: Floral Peasant Top

I promise, this is one of those tops that looks so much cuter on a person than it does on a hanger.  Really.  Maybe some day I’ll get Hubby to snap a modeled picture so I can prove it to you.

I used this tutorialto make the pattern for this top.  I did change the back neckline to sit a bit higher than the front neckline, though, which necesitated changing the sleeve piece as well.  After I made a tester top, I felt like that was an important change, and I’m happy that I did it.  I used elastic shirring at the neck, arms and waist.  I really love the fabric I used for this top, it’s by Robert Kaufman, part of his “London Calling” collection.  It’s a lawn, lightweight without being sheer, with a lovely soft drape.

SWAP Sewing: Green Gingham Blouse

Here is one of the first items I made for my Sewing With A Plan, the green gingham blouse.  I actually finished this one a few weeks ago, and wore it right away when it was finished, which is a sure sign that it’s a winner.

The fabric is a nice 95/5 cotton/lycra shirting.  It has a nice heavy drape, and plenty of stretch for comfort.  I didn’t really use a pattern, just a front/back/sleeve from a vintage shirt pattern I had handy.  I cheated and sewed the tucks and placket before I cut the shirt front because I didn’t want to think about how much to add to the width of the pattern piece for the tucks. 

I really love the details on this shirt.  I cut the placket, cuffs and collar on the bias.  I used turquoise buttons, and sewed them on with orange thread.  Hubby really thought I’d lost my mind when I told him that was my plan, but I love the way it looks.  I’m super proud of the collar and collar stand, too.  I used a piece of blue gingham ribbon as a tag at the center back of the neck.

I went back and forth about the sleeves on this shirt, but ended up deciding on a traditional cuff, accented with two buttons.

Yes, It Is Another New Purse.

This morning I took this design I had sketched:

And turned it into this purse:

Of course, I adore the shape of this bag, but I want to know what you think of it.  I’d love it if you’d leave a comment to let me know what you like and what you’d change about this design.  It’s highly likely that this will be the next pattern I’ll make available for sale, so now is your chance to make your voice heard.  Many thanks!

Take a look at my new baby!

Not a real baby…but a new sewing machine is something to celebrate.  I’ve been looking for a new serger that will coverstitch andis within my budget, and I found this one on Craigslist.  I’ve been busy this morning reading the manual, threading and adjusting tensions.  It feels like Christmas came early at my house!

A Project for Hubby

This hunting season hubby wanted a new digital camo hunting pullover.  After lots of looking, he found the fabric he wanted, Powershield MARPAT DWR gridded fleece.  I bought a pattern from…

Hmm…do you sense something wrong here?  It looks like there’s been a ghostwriter on my blog.  Since E-boy can’t read, E. is not home and A. doesn’t spell so well, the process of elimination points to Hubby.  Yes, the hunting posts are his idea.  I gave him my blessing to post them as long as he posted as himself, but I think he’s a little shy.  Maybe in the future he’ll find his “voice” and join in the bloggy fun.

So Hubby left me to finish his post, and he took E-boy with him so there’s quiet in the house.  Can I tell you how rare it is for me to be in my house all by myself?   Yeah, I can’t remember the last time.  On to the pullover (this is the part that stumped Hubby when he was trying to write it, he said, “I don’t know if it’s flat-felled or double-faced or whatever.”)  I used this green pepper pattern to start with.  Obviously, I eliminated the front zip, and I added length to both the body and the sleeve.  The fleece fabric was actually super-easy to sew with, and it came out looking awesome.  You can see it close-up here.  The outer is a woven nylon and the inside is the gridded fleece.  And if you notice the USMC emblem up-side-down on the shoulder, let me assure you that they really do go both ways on the fabric, even though the only ones that are noticable on the finished pullover are the wrong way.

A New Quilt for E-Boy

I’ve had these Heather Ross goldfish fabrics in my stash for a long time, and finally decided to sew them into something.  Here’s E-boy’s new bedding:

The quilt is sort of “calculated randomness”.  Each block has a center and borders, but I didn’t want the centers to be the same size or the borders to be even, although the blocks need to be the same size.  In the end, I had some blocks that needed to be trimmed to square before proceeding.  Luckily none of them ended up too small…that would have been a trick to fix.  I had some scraps, so I made up a couple pillowcases to match.  And the blanket that Great Grandma crocheted for E-boy when he was born is a perfect match for this handmade bedding set.

Here’s a view of the whole thing, laid out flat:

And the obligatory “cute kid” picture, E-boy sound asleep under his new quilt.  Yes, he always likes to have some toys in his bed when he sleeps: