MN Cara Maternity Dress

Y'all, I sewed clothing that I am proud to wear in public! 

But wait, maternity, you say?  Yes, baby number 3 is on the way.  I'm just about halfway right now.  We found out right after Christmas, and I've pretty much been a couch sloth ever since.  Easter, however, is a special day, so I forced myself down to the sewing cave and made this. 

The pattern is Megan Nielsen's Cara Maternity Tee, which I lengthened into a dress.  I made a muslin for the first time ever and did a forward shoulder alteration.  And it worked!  My family and coworkers thought I bought it!  And I was not self-conscious in it at all. 

I actually cut and sewed it up in two hours on Easter morning (the muslin and pattern alteration was done beforehand).  So it is a fast sew.  The fabric is Art Gallery knit from the Skopelos collection.  I was a little worried when I first held the fabric up against myself, but it works great when sewn into an actual shape.

Two Rowan Tees

Today I’m sharing my first finishes of the year (from back in January) – two Rowan Tee hoodies.  The pattern is by TitchyThreads, and just like the Small Fry Skinny Jeans pattern, I love this one.  It has a bunch of options, but I made these the same way.  I think it’s a great basic tee pattern with plenty of possibilities depending on your goal. 

I made two hoodies with long sleeves and hemmed sleeves and body and topstitched just about every chance I got – shoulder seams, armhole seams, hood seams, neck seam.  It really made things look nice. 

The girl’s hoodie is a size 8 and is made from some Oliver + S knit I’ve had in the stash for a while.  (Yep, I have some girly fabrics even though I have two boys – sometimes it’s too hard to resist!)  I have no girls to try it out on, but I’ve heard it fits the recipient. 

The boy’s hoodie is a size 6.  The black knit is from a size 2XL t-shirt, and the Star Wars fabric is a quilting cotton.  I got my Sam to try it on (he’s a size 5 right now) and got nervous because it barely fit over his big head and didn’t seem that much too big on him – and he’s a skinny mini.  (Total sidebar - how cute is he?)  I kind of wanted to keep it for him.  But it was destined for a cousin.  Luckily, it appears the hoodie fits said cousin well since he is skinny. 

One note about the woven Star Wars fabric – I think next time I combine the knit and woven, I might make the neckhole a touch bigger, just because the woven doesn’t stretch with the knit and it was hard to get over Sam’s head.  I don’t think it’s the pattern since he has this problem with store-bought hoodies as well, but it’s a thought if you want to go the combination route. 

These were my last (sewn) belated Christmas presents, so I was glad to have them off my back.  But I do love the pattern and have plans and fabric for a Planes version for Sam.  And now I want to make another Star Wars version for my boys since that one turned out so cute. 

Tova #2

The second in the parade of Christmas gifts is this Wiksten Tova top for my sister.  She is in England getting her masters in Museum Studies at University College London, so I had to send this one across the pond. I was afraid it wouldn't arrive in time, but she got her package on Christmas Eve.  What perfect timing. 

I don't have a picture of her in it yet.  It's a straight size XS like her last one (grey birds) and is made from Cotton + Steel fabric.  She says she feels like a painter in it.  I'll say the easing of the sleeves was fantastic this time around.  I tried to take my time and do a good job but of course forgot to put a tag in it. 

Staple Dress

Here's my most recent effort at sewing something for myself: the April Rhodes Staple Dress.

I bought it as part of Perfect Pattern Parcel this summer, but it sat basted since the beginning of August.  I'm not sure why, as it was quick to sew up.

I did some finagling with the sizing, cutting a size L on top with a size XS neckline, grading out to size XL in the hips (I am currently a RTW size medium on top and size 14 on the bottom).  My fabric seemed like it would work fine, but as I sewed it up I realized it has a bit too much body.  I want to try again with a slinkier fabric, maybe taking in the top part more and eliminating the pockets.  I think if I lost a few pounds (as I need to do) the full/flow-y cut would suit my pear-shaped figure better.

Here's a detail of the shirring, which went pretty well for my first time.  

 

And the pockets.

Even though it didn't turn out quite the way it looked in my head, I wore the dress in public today and didn't get any strange looks.  :)  That's a win in my book.

Willow & Co. Mulberry Tunic

The summer round of Kids Clothes Week came around a few weeks ago.  I had great intentions but just couldn't make it happen.  But I did work on some clothes for my boys.  Here is one of the items I've finished - the Willow & Co. Mulberry Tunic.

I made the smallest size (18m) for Will.  He generally wears 18m ready-to-wear clothing, but this is still a little big on him.  At least he'll be able to wear it through the fall. 

The fabric is some quilting cotton from my stash.  I think it originally came from Walmart (you know, those rare ones that still have fabric departments).  The buttons are from a thrifted mens' shirt. 

The pattern was a pretty easy sew.  The only part I had trouble with was the turned cuffs, and I think that was partially because I was tired.  Once I realized how to flip the cuffs, everything was fine. 

There's another Mulberry Tunic in the works for Sam, but who knows when that'll get finished.  My sewing room is a huge mess right now - I've been sewing on folding tables for years but am finally working on getting a proper table. 

DIY Anthropologie Pattern Pop Top

This spring and summer I've gotten very into ideas for sewing clothing.  It's something I've always wanted to do but was scared of.  My body, especially after two babies, doesn't fit the standard measurements as it did back in high school days.  Knowing alterations were needed made me nervous.  But I've been reading tons of blogs and tutorials on measuring patterns, altering patterns, and researching patterns from "indie" designers that fit real women's bodies, and I've found courage. 

First up, a hack/DIY of Anthropologie's Pattern Pop Tee.  I saw this t-shirt refashion on Merrick's Art and loved it.  Seemed simple enough, but I had in mind a certain fabric.  I bought the Amy Butler voile online and dug through my stash to find a remnant of plum knit, very slinky and stretchy.  Luckily, they worked perfectly.  Fabric, check.

For a pattern, I figured I'd play with one of my many unused patterns - Simplicity 1463.  It had similar lines along the back, a little roomier in front (my belly thanks me), but I didn't have enough fabric for the butterfly sleeves.    

I took a t-shirt that fit well and used it as a size gauge against the pattern tissue which meant I made a smaller size than I would have otherwise.  Then I drafted some short sleeves that would work with my fabric remnant,made the hem more of a high-low shape, and went to town (sewing, not literally).

The shirt itself wasn't hard, but there were some puckers and odd shaping where the sleeves went in (obviously because I've never drafted sleeves before).  Something about my bust and that chest area just looked odd.  I had to rip that part out (major, major pain) and redo.  

The good news - it fits, and my sister and mother thought I bought it.  So I say success!  Probably the best garment I've tried to make for myself. 

The photo shoot, that was a whole other story.  I was aiming for the "golden hour" but my husband needed me to get supplies to fix a water tank, and by the time that was done the sun was setting and my pictures were dark.  Not to mention my husband making fun of me as I tried to take (somewhat) flattering pictures of myself with the remote.  But at least there were a few that weren't awful.  We'll aim for improvement next time.

Sew Together Bag

*Breaking radio silence*

I'd apologize for being gone for a few weeks, but I'm trying the whole blogging without obligation thing.  With a full time job and two young boys, I realized I can't over-schedule and pressure myself with blogging and such.  I can get too wrapped into it to where I get anxious and obsessed. 

In addition to that, I've been busy.  I went to Nebraska at the beginning of the month - first vacation/trip without kids my husband and I have been on in five years.  Since then we've been getting back into the home groove and working on planting our garden and landscaping projects.  But I decided to take a little bit of naptime and get back on the wagon. 

Here is my Sew Together Bag (pattern by Sew Demented), made especially for my week-long car trip. 

Other side.

It is great. 

I broke two needles making it, but aside from that, not bad at all. 

The hardest part was probably whittling down fabric choices. 

I have more to share coming soon.  :)

Easter 2014

If you follow me on Instagram, you were inundated with pictures of a suit in progress the week before Easter. 

The dang sleeves got to me.  Well, the lapels got to me, but I managed to wrestle them into an acceptable state.  The sleeves, well, it took three tries and cutting them down a good bit.  I finally got them in, only to try the jacket on Sam and find it was too big all over.  So we decided to finish it up for next year and just make him a shirt instead. 

After a belated birthday party for Will and setting up for Easter at my grandma's, I started cutting up this thrifted shirt about 9:45 Saturday night. 

By 12:45 (with a couple small breaks in between), I had a finished shirt.  I cut the front using the existing placket/buttons/buttonholes.  Only someone who sews lots of kids clothes would ever notice. 

My family didn't even realize I made his shirt, and they know about my sewing obsession, so I took that as a compliment. 

These are the best pictures I could get - perhaps I'm not bribing them properly?

Hopefully that suit fits next Easter.  But for now, I'm happy to pack it away and work on something else!

Kids Clothes Week in Review - Spring 2014

This was my first time participating in Kids Clothes Week, and it was fun.  My week ended up turning into a stressful week, so I didn’t sew a couple nights (but I sewed more than the hour on the nights I did sew).  One word – taxes.  

Although I didn’t finish everything I wanted (which was less than my original list of possibilities), I did make progress.  

Here are my finishes:

Small Fry Skinny Jeans for Will (and already completed ones for Sam)

I had already made a first pair of this pattern for Sam (in size 4) using old jeans from my brother’s donation pile (yes, I totally went through that basket and took all the good stuff to remake for the boys).  They were regular denim weight American Eagle jeans.  They are wearable and work fine for now, but I think a stretch denim (as suggested on the pattern) would definitely help, as Sam says he can’t sit cross-legged as comfortably as usual.  He loves the lining fabric and will flip his waistband out to show you (I apologize for any undies flashing in advance).  I think next time I could maybe make a size 3 waistband since he’s so skinny.

I made Will’s jeans with the 12-18m length and the 18-24m width to fit his cloth diaper bum.  I think the thinner twill fabric (from the juvenile apparel section at JoAnn’s many moons ago) definitely helped make these more manageable.   He seems to have no problem in them.  

Both pairs of jeans survived a day at daycare, complete with grass stains.

You might notice their cuffs turned up in the pictures – it seems my boys both have shorter legs (this shouldn’t surprise me as they’re both built like their daddy with broad shoulders and a long torso).  That just means they’ll be able to wear their jeans longer.  

And, I love my labels.  I added size/info labels on the inside and a “brand” label on the outside.  They are just printed on white cotton with my home printer and heat set with the iron.  Sam’s outer label is too big for his waistband, and the elastic doesn’t help the look.  Will’s is better, as it’s located on the pocket.  I may be a nobody, but you never know if you might want to donate or yard sale the clothes later on or if someone will see the kids wearing their clothes and ask where they got them.  People like labels.

My newest problem (aside from one goofy model and another uncooperative model) is finding more shirts to coordinate with Will’s jeans. 

Will’s Easter Romper

This is my other finish of the week.  I made Simplicity 3852 View B (the baby romper) in the medium/12 month size.  The pattern is out of print but has been in my stash for several years.  I used a thrifted men’s button-down for the fabric, having plenty of material for the outfit.  Because I’m a ninny, I threw away the extra fabric and forgot to take the buttons off the shirt.  Luckily, I have buttons from several other shirts saved in my button drawer.  

This was a pretty straightforward sew, except for the front plackets.  I don’t know if it was my error or the fabric or what, but I spent half an hour trying to understand the directions and get the bottom of the front where the plackets meet to lay flat and proper.  It’s still not perfect, but it’s acceptable for a bubble-type romper.  

The romper fits overall; however, if Will gets too active, the bottom snaps pop open.  So as usual with the big company patterns, the sizing seems to be for a short, fat baby rather than my long torso, more slender babies.  Also, the use of snap tape probably doesn’t help – it seems to pop open more than other snaps of my experience.  Next time I’ll cut the 12m width and the 18m length and cut additional facings for the crotch areas so I can use diaper snaps rather than snap tape.  For Easter, I’m going to make up a teeny little extender tab to give him that extra bit of room.  

I found the bunny embroidery at a vintage embroidery website.  It is subtle but adds a touch of whimsy and heirloom to the romper.  I was a bit worried when I finished the pocket by itself, but it looks fine on the finished product.  Next time – assemble the pocket before embroidering.  If you look with a magnifying glass, you can see where I sewed the pocket over the embroidery (but my busy fabric helps hide it – thank goodness!).  

So that’s all I finished during Kids Clothes Week.  That romper took me longer than expected, and then I was slightly burnt out and had the taxes and some outdoor weeding and pruning to contend with. Oh well, that's life!

Kids’ Clothes Week

This week is Kids’ Clothes Week.  Something I found online and see posts referencing every now and again but had never participated in.  I was alerted of this season’s KCW while looking at Instagram today at lunch.  What is it?  Each season sewists group together and pledge to spend 1 hour a day for 1 week sewing clothing for children.   

Well the current KCW (April 7-13) starts today, and guess what I happen to have on the sewing table – kids’ clothes!  So this week (and probably next) I’ll be instagramming and blogging about my adventures in sewing clothing for my boys.   

No, I have not charged my camera battery yet, and yes, I am being lazy and not renaming or watermarking photos.  The 5 people that read this blog have seen worse.  This mama is tired, and it's going to be a struggle to sit down and sew here in a few minutes.  But I'm doing it. 

Anyway, here’s my list:

• Small Fry Skinny Jeans (Will) – in progress.  Started last week, I still need to add the waistband, buttonhole elastic, belt loops, and snap. 
  

• Easter Romper (Will) – Simplicity 3852.  Cut out.
  

• Easter Suit (Sam) – vintage Butterick 5838.  Mostly cut out (just a bit of lining and interfacing to finish up).  Yes, that is Star Wars lining . . .  
  
  
  
  

• Monkey Butt {Baby} Pants (Will) – The red and navy below.  Cut out.

• T-Shirt Shortalls (Will) – The gray and blue below.  Cut out. 
  
  

• Diapers (Will) – a stack mostly cut out, some with snaps already applied
  

Don't worry - Sam has already gotten jeans (not yet blogged) and other clothing over the winter, plus some summer clothes I have planned.  

I’m sure these won’t all get made, but they were already planned, so any motivation and progress on my list is good.  Happy sewing!