Concert Dress

Wow August was a busy month! It's hard to believe it's September and the two of the kiddos are back in school. I've spent my "extra" time trying to get caught up on things that I can not seem to get done with three in the house. Fortunately, sewing is one of the things I can do with all of them around. Good thing too because I've been back to sewing up a storm. With the anticipation of school I created a new pattern for a boxy pencil bag, sewed a bunch and spent some time selling them. I have a fall craft show I signed up for and started preparing for. I will share what I will be selling at the show over the next weeks.

One of my sewing projects this month has been a concert dress. I was asked to take a womens extra-small concert t-shirt and make it into a dress for a little girl. This lucky little girl is going to the concert and has a backstage pass to meet the artist. I feel honored that I was asked to create the dress for the event. It was a bit of challenge to find the right style that didn't lose to much of the image on the t-shirt.

 Sadly, I lost part of the name on the front but I was able to salvage the back.

I settled on a raglan peasant style bodice with elastic neckline and sleeve. After deliberation this style provided the width to best take advantage of the image. This little girl likes to twirl so a skirt was a necessity. I used two full widths of fabric to make sure it had plenty of twirl.

(When I took these pictures the little lady had not yet tried on the dress so I hadn't finished the casement for the elastic neckline and the arms. I was waiting so I can have her try it on so we can make it the perfect fit.)

It's fun to make a completely custom item. It can be a daunting at first but the outcome is always very rewarding.

Time to get back to the sewing machine and mass productions mode : )

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Journal Cover with Note Cards

I made this journal and stationary keeper for a beautiful friend of mine that loves journals and card making. I was inspired by the journal cover I found in my 100 Pretty Little Projects book. The size that was in the book was entirely to small for what I was thinking so I ended up drafting my own pattern.

The fabric is a deep red linen and a quilters cotton from Joann Fabrics. I used the fancy elastic that is used for making baby head bands for the closure and the pen holder. And the fun rose is a button I also found at Joanns.

I made it large enough to hold twelve 4.25"x5.5" cards with envelopes and a standard size composition book. Knowing my friend I'm sure that notebook will be transformed into something amazing.

I decided that she is so special that I would make handmade cards. I let my Cricut do most the work and cut the monogram from the Fontopia cartridge and keep the rest simple by just mounting it to a double matte. I used my new favorite cardstock, the Neenah 140lb white cardstock and the Neenah creative collection which has the perfect colors in 12"x12".

I really enjoyed making this gift. It gave me the opportunity to do the two things I love best. And there is nothing better than knowing it will make a dear friend happy.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

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I've been Published!

It's only a little spot in an Australian sewing magazine but this is the first time for me so it feels like a great accomplishment to have my work noticed and appreciated. The publication was in the January 2016 Issue of Homespun (I know, I know I am so horrible at keep up with my blog posts). When my issue arrived I was really impressed with the magazine. This baby was thick. There is so much wonderful content and lots of great articles with many patterns included.  

Since January south of the equator is summer they did their Kids Katwalk layout on sundresses. I was completely giddy to see that I was included with studios & sewist I admire like Ikat Bag, Peek-a-Boo Patterns, Mouse House Creations and Compagnie-M.

Homespun selected the blue and orange pillowcase dress I made for the summer kids clothes week in 2013 that I originally posted here. 

This little accomplishment has encouraged me to get back to sewing for my kids and to try some things I haven't done yet. If memory serves the spring Kids Clothes Week should be coming up here soon. Time to do some planning.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

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

Book: Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers

OK start the mocking now. So I bought another sewing book. This one is definitely dated. The Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers by Kerstin Martensson was originally published in 1992. I really wasn't too deterred by this. This book received great (current) reviews. So much of the feedback given on amazon indicated that with very little effort that these patterns can be modernized and that they are timeless. For practical toddler clothes I can see where this is possible. That being said, I think this one has "good bones" and I'm excited about diving in to it. The sizes are 1T-4T and most of the patterns are intended for knit and sweat shirt fabrics.

This is one of the examples of a great outfit for a toddler. I have a handful of rompers just like this that my Sammy wore frequently as a baby and Noah is now wearing. These have been of favorite of mine so I'm happy to have a pattern to make my own. 

For Summer Kids Clothes Week this week I am definitely going to make something from this book.  I may even attempt to make a summery version of this jump suit. 

So mock me all you want. I'm determined to make this one work ; ) For fun I ordered my all time favorite movies to watch while using it, Mr. Mom.

Thanks 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