Summer KCW 2015 - Nightgowns

I did it again, I made other one of these. I can't get enough of this raglan pattern from iKat Bag. It is so simple to make and is perfect for just about everything. I imagine at some point Hannah or I will get sick of the peasant style tops and that will be the end of that.

For the first time though I used a knit. I have so much knit in my stash and never seem to use it. For whatever reason I gravitate to the wovens more. I think it may have something to do with the limited pattern selection for knits at my local stores. Although, I have found that they are improving. 

Hannah has gotten to the point where she does not want to wear anything other than nightgowns. The pants and shorts are not princess enough I guess. So I dug around in my pattern stash looking for another style that I thought would work well for a knit nightgown and found CINO's free pattern for the Playdate Dress. Since the free pattern comes in a size 2T I had enlarge the bodice a bit.  I don't think Jessica intended it to be a nightgown but I think it works perfectly for this. 

I didn't bother with hemming the bottom or the flutter sleeves. Since it is a jersey knit it rolls on the raw edge. I like the way it looks and gives it a bit more comfort. 

Well that wraps up my summer Kids Clothing Week. Just in time too, they announced the Fall KCW dates last week,

The fall KCW is October 19th - 25th and has the theme "Disguise". I love it! This is prefect for making Noah's Halloween costume. Hannah has been requesting a purple coat since this past spring so I should probably make that a priority too.

If you are a sewing and never participated in a KCW you should really consider it. It is a lot a of fun and a great way to get to meet other people in the internet sewing community.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Summer KCW 2015 - First Day Top

This pattern and the Geranium Dress pattern (seen here) I think are two of my favorite purchased patterns. This is the top variation of the First Day Dress/Top by Dana Willard of Made. I used this pattern for Hannah's Easter dress, shown here, this past spring.

I love how simple this pattern is and how quickly it comes together. I've always had great experience using Dana's patterns and tutorials. She does a great job keeping things easy to follow. If you've ever read her blog you already know she has a very "neighbor next door" way about her, un-intimidating and light hearted. I think this is also reflected in her patterns. It's like sewing with a friend.

If you are very careful on how you sew the arm hole & hem line closed, this top (and the dress version) could be completely reversible. You'd need to install a button on both sides. And you probably wouldn't want to use one as large as I did. I just can't resist an opportunity for a big button and a pop of color.

I had these fabrics forever and couldn't tell you where I purchased them or who designed them. I've been waiting for the right project to use the bright pinkish red and I think I did. This top really showcases how pretty this fabric is. I only wish I had more. 

Hannah really like to this top but given the choice she will pick the dress every time. What can I say, she's a girly girl.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Summer KCW 2015 - 4th of July Dress

I have had this Signature Dress pattern by Go To Patterns for several years made a few attempts to start on it then stopped each time for whatever reason. The instructions were very easy to follow and the PDF pattern easy to use.  The pattern comes with a ton of variations.  A few of which is a long sleeve, kangaroo pocket and hood.

 I'm not in love with the style of the neckline. It reminds me of a mock turtle neck.  I do like the little cap sleeves though.  I'm sure if I make some modification to the neckline I could really like this patten.

The fabric is a navy & red striped knit with a very thin silver strip between that I purchased from JoAnn Fabrics last year. It has a two way stretch that make it little more challenging to work with but lining up the stripes went great. 

Hannah was exited to wear this and really likes it and that's what matters most!  

I think I am going to try this pattern out again this winter with the variation that I mentioned and I'll let you know how that goes.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Summer KCW 2015 - Kwik's Sew's Jumpsuit

I am so happy with this little jumpsuit! I originally posted that I purchased the Kwik's Sew's Sewing Book for Toddlers that was published in 1992 a few months ago here. Even though I knew what I was making was going to be a bit dated I didn't attempt to make any changes this time through. So what you see is the pattern as published.

Let me start by saying I think I love this book! The clothes are straight up basic but with tons of options. The directions are complete and easy to follow. The pattern pieces are just as great. I wish every pattern & pattern book I bought was this... perfect! 

It had some techniques I hadn't tried before. They weren't difficult, if anything they made things so much easier. For example the yoke and the interior button placket that's shown above. I wont bother explaining its a little too detailed, but look how nice it turned out. I did do one thing different than instructed and that was to sew down the yoke by stitching in the ditch of the shoulder and the back seams. This way the yoke will stay flat and tucked in while being worn and after washing,

I think the only thing that really could be modified on the pattern to up date it is the shoulders. This is the 18th month size and shoulders on the main body pieces could be reduced approximately 3/4". I'm good with the wide sleeve, that give him room to move easily.

I think this looks so stinking cute on! It has only one major flaw, I completely forgot to do the snap crotch. That will teach me to read the directions all the way through before getting started! The clothes provided in this book give you so many options that you have to make sure you have all your details sorted through before getting started. 

So its a little baggy (due to the dated style) but it's super comfy. And its a pain to change the diaper since Mom messed up. But he's gotten good use out of it this summer and I see myself making many more of these, with snap crotches.

If you are in the market for a good basic easy to follow pattern book I highly recommend this book.

Thanks so much for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Spring 2015 KCW - Jammies

As usual I need PJ's for my kids. Kids clothes week is the perfect time to make these since they don't require much of your time and allows for several items verses one very labor intensive item.

Since I have been in pattern book mode, I decided to try out the Growing up Sew Liberated by Meg McEwee again. A couple years ago I made the basic pocket pants/shorts found here and had some problems with the rise of the shorts. After making some adjustments to the pattern they ended up being my son's favorites that summer. I was hoping to yield the same results with the PJ's. The pink and gray shirt & pants are the Crossover TShirt & Sleeping John's in size 5. I used a hot pink rib knit and heather gray interlock from JoAnn Fabric. 

The only change I made was to add hot pink rib knit to the ankles of the Sleeping John's to coordinate with the crossover t. The pants came out great and fit perfectly. The crossover t was a bit big but I'm OK with that since they will still fit next year.

I made the Growing up Sew Liberated envelope shirt in size 18 months for my little Noah. I used the same gray interlock that I used for Hannah's jammies and recycled a old green jersey knit t-shirt. 

I struggled a bit with getting the envelope shoulder right but when I finally figured it out the fit was perfect. I used Maxi-Lock Stretch Thread for the first time and lover it! It is challenging if you need to pull the stitches since it is made up of dozens of gauzy type threads that stretch more than break (which is a good thing). I only have it in white which is why you see it in the zigzag top stitching, Now that I know I love it I'm going to see if it comes in more colors.

I can see making envelope shirt pattern again and again. 

(Noah is not a fan of modeling. I thought photo's of toddlers was challenging.)

Unfortunately, the Growing up Sew Liberated Sleepy John's does not come in infant sizes nor does the pattern book have a baby PJ pants or legging alternative so I self drafted these using one of Noah's other PJ pants and they fit him perfectly.

If anyone else is looking for 18 month PJ pants pattern let me know and I'll send you a PDF of my pattern.

Finally all caught up! Now on to Summer Kids Clothes Week.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Spring 2015 KCW - Stitch Wear Play Sun Top and Shorts

The Suntop and Shorts from Stitch Wear Play totally redeemed my sewing experience with this book. I love this little outfit! Better yet so does Hannah which is a surprise since she loves her dresses. The top pattern is not to far off from the Oliver+S Popover dress. Add a little gathering to the neck, shorten it to shirt length and add a ruffle to the bottom and you have the popover.

The shorts on the other hand have a unique shape to them and I quite like it. Its most noticeable in the top picture. They have a slight scoop to the back of the leg which make for a really nice fit.  

The fabric is a hot pink plaid puckered woven cotton. I picked this one up at my small local Walmart a couple years ago with this kind of outfit in mind and it worked out perfectly. It frays something horrible so I just surged each of the pieces prior to assembling and that solved the problem.

I know technically it not Summer just yet but it has been unseasonable cold and very wet so this hasn't gotten much use yet. I hope it warms up soon.

This turned out a little bigger than I expected so even if this doesn't get much use this summer I'm pretty sure this will still fit her next year.

I still have one more post for Spring KCW and then I can get focused on next weeks Summer KCW. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Summer Kids Clothes Week 2015

Where does the time go. I seem to be missing a few days somewhere... make that months! Someone told me that time gets faster the older you get but I didn't realized they meant warp speed. When I reflect (when I have time to reflect) to account for how I spent my time, it never seems like much. I guess life is just busy. I had a YIKES moment today when I realized that the Kids Clothes Week Challenge for this summer starts next Monday. I haven't even posted most of my Spring KCW stuff yet. I guess I need to get my tush in gear and get caught up. 

I debated skipping this KCW but determined that is not an option. Not that my kiddo's are in need of summer clothes (or items for traveling) but because if I don't get started on back-to-school clothes I will never get them done in time. This is a crazy short summer break this year (not that I'm complaining), we only have 1 1/2 months left till my oldest returns to school. 

Well, time to work on my "Make It" list. Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Spring 2015 KCW: Stitch Wear Play Boy Shorts

I can't believe it has been two months since I posted anything. Since the start of spring it has been go go go and almost half of June is gone. I have managed to fit in some sewing here and there but haven't gotten around to posting anything. I'm hoping over the next few weeks I can do a little catchup.

I need some assistance guys.... I'm not loven' these shorts I made during this spring's kids clothes week. I can't tell if it's the shorts pattern or the fabric that is the problem. The pattern is the Boy Shorts pattern from the recently released pattern book Stitch Wear Play by Mariko Nakamura.

I double checked if I did my measurements correctly and Samuel met the sizing requirements right on. I will admit that I didn't do any special fabric shopping for these shorts and used basic quilters cotton that I had in the stash. I thought that the navy and white stripe would work great and go with his little brothers sailboat themed birthday party. I was even considering making a matching outfit for the birthday boy. The results of these shorts eliminated that idea since I have been short on time (no pun intended).

I need some feed back. What do you think, shorts pattern or fabric? Any quick fixes you can think of that would help? I was considering white top stitching on the navy blue pockets and waist.

There is nothing more frustrating than making something and having it not work out as you hope. I'm not ready to blame the shorts pattern I think I'll need to make these again to be certain of anything. It may just not be a good look for my kid. Constructive comments would be appreciated. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

KCW & Sewing Books, Magazines and Patterns

Over the past couple years I have accumulated quite the collection of sewing books, magazines and paper patterns. I really enjoyed pouring over each one of them as they have entered the house as well as when I am looking for inspiration. Sadly, I have not really used most of them. Despite all of the money I have spent on these I seem to gravitate to the free patterns and tutorials that other blogger's have so generously shared. Maybe its the personal feel of a tutorial, like your being taught by a friend. Or the fact that they are real people who just want to keep it simple.

Regardless, motivation with a dash a guilt has me feeling like I need to challenge myself to 1. make at least one of these patterns a month and 2. do it with only the supplies I already have on hand and 3. for heavens sake make something for my boys! I say this to you with hopes of having some accountability.

For now I am going to focus on the books and magazines since they are the most neglected. They also offer more possibilities for my boys. 

I have made one item out of Growing Up Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee. The Basic Pocket Pants for Samuel a couple years ago which can be found here. There are several non clothing patterns that I would love to do for my kids. The art satchel and the dress-up bucket are high on that list. I like the knit PJ's (Crossover Tee & Sleeping Johns) for all my kiddos which I believe will be the next thing I make from this book.

I have never made anything out of my copy of The Pattern Book for Boys by Shelly Figueroa. This book receive really mixed reviews on amazon. I bought it regardless thinking that a good number of the negative reviews could be from individuals with poor sewing skills or just couldn't adapt to the method of instruction. I'm not saying I could do better but figured "What the hay, give it a try," it's not like there are a ton of sewing patterns out there for boys to choose from. Looking over the pictures there are definitely things that are not our style but there are a bunch that I love, like the two-in-one jacket and the little heartbreaker pants. 

My most recent acquisition is Stitch, Wear, Play by Mariko Nakamura which I just stumbled on amazon a couple weeks ago while looking for another pattern book for boy (which are in short supply I might add). There were no ratings and reviews so I searched for other bloggers who have used this book and I couldn't find any. I really like the snippets of images I could find and the size range so I took a leap and bought it. At first glance I really like this book. It has a nice balance of boy's and girls clothes. The styles seem timeless but modern. It's broken down by season which I especially like. I am feeling a bit challenged by the fabric suggestions (or lack of multiple fabric type suggestions), a good number only list linen which it not my preferred fabric for everyday kids clothes. The first thing I would like to make out of here is the girls Suntop and Shorts & the Boy's Shorts. 

I have seen a lot of projects completed from the Happy Homemade (2) Sew Chic Kids by Ruriko Yamada and always love the results. The fact that it is a Japanese sewing book that has been translated in to English makes it a good place to introduce myself to the Japanese sewing world. So many people have raved about this book that I can't believe I haven't touched this yet. The knee length shorts are top on my list for Samuel. 

I really wanted the Japanese Lesson Book by Vogue Sya and now all it does is mock me. I am so intimidated by it. It has a ton of awesome basic patterns. When I look at working on one of these patterns I convinced myself that I need to invest to much time trying to translate the instruction and I am instantly defeated. What I need do is exactly what I do with English written patterns and let my previous experience with similar items guide me through the assembly. (I'm too impatient to read instructions) This is probably a dangerous approach but at least the book will finally be used. There is a pair of shorts that would work great for the boys that doesn't seem too challenging and is probably be a good place to start.

While at a local half price book shop a couple years ago I came across a couple used but never touched sewing books for really cheap so I couldn't resist purchasing them. Who knows if I will ever use them but they are entertaining and educational if nothing else.
The first is Sew Cute Couture by Gail Doane which looks more dated than it really is. It was published in 2009. This book is really about heirloom sewing and contains mostly smocking and embroidery embellishments along with dress and jacket patterns. The sizes range from 6 months - 12 years depending on the pattern. According to what I found on the internet Gail is well know heirloom sewer and a fantastic instructor. This book receive great reviews on Amazon. I don't know if I will ever do any major embroidery embellishment but I would like to try my hand at smocking someday so this could be useful. There are some really cute jackets and a wrap skirt I can see making for Hannah in a few years. For now maybe I can plan on making Hannah a jacket for over her Christmas dress this year, minus the embellishments.
The second is Designer Smocking for Tots to Teens by Helen Davies published in 2007. It too looks dated and maybe it is a little but the closer I look at it has the potential with slight alterations to the pattern can be modernized. This book takes classic smocking and applies it to every day clothes which I find very interesting. The pattern sizes range from 12 month - 14 years depending on the pattern. This book also received great reviews on Amazon. Most of the projects include complete clothing patterns. Some are smocking add-ons to ready-made-clothing. There is a complete project where the smocking is only on the pocket which might be a good place for me to start. These cute smocked pockets would look great on a little dress or Hannah.

One of the first sewing books I purchased is called Making Childrens Clothes by Emma Hardy published in 2009. I did it on a whim right after having my first baby when I had my first thoughts of sewing for kids. I really wish I had done my research on this book prior. This received mixed reviews on Amazon and the ones that panned this book are very intelligent. I have picked this book up from time-to-time thinking that I will make something (prepared that I will probably need to alter patterns) and see for myself but never follow through for some reason or another. This is book is very girl heavy and and has only one item directed at boys that interests me, the boy's shorts. I just need to bit the bullet and see for myself if this book has any value. 

I purchased Sewing to Sell by Virginia Lindsay looking for valuable  information on selling homemade goods which it does. It also has a ton of great sewing projects. None of them are clothes for kids but a few are non clothing kids items like a bib & burp cloth and a really cute lunch bag. I have read this book cover to cover and highly recommend it for any sewer not just those who sell or want to sell. The projects alone make this a great book. I only feel comfortable saying this without sewing anything out of it since the author makes and sells these items herself and could probably sew these in her sleep. They are tried and true. Samuel starts full time school next school year and needs that lunch bag and this one would be perfect for him.

Another Non clothing book I obtained on the cheap is A Quilting Life by Sherri McConnell. This book got great reviews on Amazon and has a variety of quilting projects that a beginner through intermediate can do. I have been saying for a while now that I need to make Hannah a quilt for her bed and just not gotten to it. I think the scale of that project has me overwhelmed. This book has pillow patterns that I think I should start with first. I'll just plan on making it to match the quilt that will be made someday.

Sew Charming by Cath Derksema and Kristen Junor is mainly about hand printing fabric and has several sewing projects. A couple of them are clothing items but most are general home projects. I bought this book simply for inspirations it has fantastic style and vibrant colors. I may never sew anything from this book but it has me interested in attempting fabric printing some day. 

Last but definitely not least my Ottobre magazines. I ordered a subscription in 2013 and when I hadn't made anything from the ones that I had I didn't renew.  It was a tough decision. I loved seeing that package show up from across the seas but I knew it was a bad reason to spend that much money and never actually use them. These are my favorite things to look at for inspiration. There is always a fantastic balance between boys and girls clothing and the sizing ranges from newborn to preteen depending on the pattern. I don't know exactly why I have never used them other then the rumors I have heard about how challenging the patterns can be. I think I just need to start with something basic like leggings or PJ pants to get my feet wet. 

Kids Clothes Week is April 20th - 26th so I will need to put my sewing list together this week. I hope that these books will be put to good use next week (finally : )

As always, I am really looking forward to kids clothes week. I'm not feeling overly inspired by the "Wild Things" theme. I'll have to search around for some inspiration. May be one of my books has something.  

I love my little collection of tangible sewing media. Up to this point it has been a pretty superficial love though. I hope that when I really dive into them that they don't let me down and I can turn this little infatuation in to a long lasting relationship.

Do you have a favorite sewing book or magazine? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks for stopping bu the nest!

Darla