KCWC - Day 2 - Skirt

Day 2 of KCW went much better than day 1. My kids seem to be feeling better and were generous to their Mommy by letting me get a couple things done. I kept it simple for my next project by making a skirt for my little cousin. 

Fabric look familiar? It's the same one I used for my Day 1 pillowcase dress. I have one other project this week using this fabric. I love the orange and blue together! I have never been a mix patterns girl but I have to say they are really growing on me. 

I didn't use a pattern for this skirt. I just took the waist and length measurements and what fabric I had left from the pillowcase dress project and this is what I ended up with. It came out better then I could imagine. I would have like a little more fullness but I didn't have enough fabric to do that. None-the-less I am happy with how it turned out. 

Please be respectful and do not pin this image.

The best part of this project is this little sweeties smile. She likes her skirt and that's what counts. Isn't she darling?

Please be respectful and do not pin this image.

Come by tomorrow to see my next project.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

KCWC - Day 1 - Pillowcase Dress

Had a bit of a rough start to KCW, both of my kids managed to get sick on Sunday and where still recovering on day 1 so Mommy duty took priority. I did manage to get quite a bit accomplished once my husband came home. Thank God for good men.

I have to confess, this is one of three that I made and have been working on for a couple weeks. I did however finish this dress on day 1 so in my mind it kinda counts which under the circumstances it was a feat. I am making them for a family member so her size 7, size 4 & size 18 month daughters can wear them for a family portrait. This is the smallest of the three. 

I have made this pillowcase dress before here. I really like this tutorial by The Mother Huddle. I opted this time to do an elastic with straps instead of the big bow and sash. I recommended against the sash since was a bit of a pain to maintain and not very practical for little ones. The elastic with straps is much more manageable and makes it easier for the kids to dress themselves.

I didn't exactly follow The Mother Huddles tutorial for this neckline. When making the larger dresses The method that was used left a portion of the neckline un-gathered and it bothered me. So I connected the bias tape straps to the elastic   and tacked the straps to the openings so the elastic part doesn't end up peaking out while the girls are wearing them. 

I love all of the detail work on this dress. Now that I have made this dress in 4 different sizes the only thing I found is that it runs a bit large width wise otherwise this is a great tutorial. 

I am really pleased with how these dresses turned out and can't wait to see how the portrait turns out. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Its all in the preparation

This week I am working on preparation for the kids clothing week that starts next week. I have a couple projects I am trying to wrap up. Then there is all the organizing of my projects I want to complete next week. Even more important I am preparing my house (and family). Kids clothes week is a week of neglected house work and meals (bliss!). I make it sound unproductive but in fact it is extremely productive. This week is a great opportunity to network with other sewers, I learn so much since I don't allow myself to give up on a challenging project and in the end I have really cute and sometimes practical clothes for my kids. My kids are currently enjoying many of the items I made in the spring kcw. They are are holding up really well to regular washing and whatever my kids dole out.

I was just talking about this with a friend last night. I find that handmade clothes are generally better clothes.

• First, which is probably obvious, they fit better since they are tailored to the wearer. 
• The fabric is better then most ready-to-wear clothes. Sure you can buy really poor quality fabric but I find most fabric that you see around is pretty decent, even the inexpensive stuff. 
• Handmade clothes holdup better since the sewer is not producing mass quantities and can spend more time and care on producing a good product. I couldn't tell you how many time I have bought clothes that fall apart after one washing (thank goodness I sew). 

Like all crafting I enjoy admiring my handy work and even more I enjoy the process of making things with my hands. Whats even better about sewing is it has a practical application. We all need clothes don't we? What money I would spend on clothing I spend on supplies and what time I would spend at the mall I spend at my sewing machine. All of this makes me feel good about investing my time in sewing.

I am so excited for kids clothing week I have finished deciding what I am going to make next week. Here is my project list:

1. pillowcase dress (using The Mother Huddle tutorial)
2. 1 pair of gathered pocket shorts
3. 1 pair of bubble pocket shorts (pattern by e&e)
4. a skirt (pattern undetermined, I may just wing it.)
5. a cross over pinafore (draft your own pattern, I am going to use this tutorial from Dee Construction )
6. flutter top (without the flutter by Aesthetic Nest)
7. Comfy Knit Dress (1 tier with pocket version by ibg studios)

And here is my fabric and patterns all ready to go....

As you may have noticed no Sammy this time. My son is not currently in need of anything. This boy has hit the hand-me-down jackpot and now has more clothes then me. On one hand I am tremendously grateful and on the other I am a bit sad, I have really enjoyed making things for him. Maybe after kids clothing week I will have to make him a non-clothing item. I would love to hear of some good ideas on what to make. Leave me a comment with suggestions on non-clothing sewing projects for 3 1/2 year old boys.

My next post will be for first completed KCW project. Come back and check it out.

Thanks for stopping by the nest!

Darla

Kids Clothing Week Challenge - Summer 2013

I am jumping from Shorts-on-the-Line to the Summer Kids Clothes Week. Not a huge stretch from making shorts to making summer clothes.

I was a little hesitant this time around. I have a ton of clothes to make for Hannah for fall and winter and neither of my kids really need any summer clothes. I talked myself into it by reminding myself that she will need clothes for next summer and I also have clothes I need to make for other people that are for this summer. Who said they needed to be for my kids. I am also, going to pace myself. I am still going to try and complete one item each day however I am going to keep the items simple. That should be easy for summer clothes.

Now that I have committed I am actually excited. I felt really good about what I did this past spring and I loved feeling like I was working along side a community of awesome sewers. 

Motivation has found me, I need to go get my projects organized.

Come back and check out what I completed. Thanks for stopping by the nest.

Darla

Poppy Seed Salad Recipe

When My husband and I were getting married my husband's family hosted a recipe wedding shower for me. Best concept ever! Everyone gave me a family favorite recipe along with whatever dried herbs and spices the recipe required. Not only did they provide me with an awesome collection of go to recipes but they stocked my spice cabinet. They even made some of the recipes for us to eat at the shower and they had balloons that were weighted with kitchen tools for me. All-in-all best shower ever!

For the shower, my sister-in-law shared her recipe for this salad. I was thrilled, I had enjoyed it at several family gatherings and it was always fabulous. This recipe was passed on to her from her mother-in-law who had received it many years ago from a friend. No one is quite sure where it originates from. I was just looking over the recipe card and the name provided was "Salad" on one side of the card and "Salad Dressing" on the other. Oh well, I am not sure of the name so I will just call it Poppy Seed Salad since it is loaded in poppy seeds. 

I have made some slight alterations from what has been passed down. The poppy seed originally were just tossed in to the salad. I prefer them to be mixed in to the dressing. I have only had it served to me with romaine lettuce which is great but I really like it with baby spinach. I have also started putting dried cranberries in it which takes it to a whole new level of yummy. The recipe was not given to my sister-in-law as a main course dish but she recommended adding chicken to have a complete meal. I have also added leftover grilled flank steak and that was great too. 

Salad Ingredients gathered

Dressing ingredients gathered

Dressing ingredients (except poppy seeds) poured in to blender cup.

Blend till well combined and sugar and salt are dissolved, about 3 min. It's normal for it to take on a white-ish color. If you don't own an immersion/stick blender any type of blender will do. I love my immersion blender! Fast, easy and little cleanup.

Pour in the poppy seeds and stir. Dressing done!

Layer the salad ingredients. You can toss with the dressing before serving but I prefer to let everyone do their own.

Poppy Seed Salad

Dressing
1 c oil
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 c poppy seeds

Mix everything except the poppy seed with blender (I use my stick/immersion blender). Stir in the poppy seeds.  

Salad
baby spinach or romaine lettuce
red onion, thinly sliced
canned oriental rice noodles (despite the name these are not wheat free)
sliver almonds
dried cranberries
grilled chicken

Layer ingredients and toss with dressing.

 I hope you and your family love this salad as much as we do. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

Gathered Pocket Shorts Tutorial and Pattern

Well I finally did it. I managed to get the tutorial completed that I promised a week ago here. Really, that is the easy part. It's the pattern that was a pain. I had no idea how difficult it was to put a simple hand drawn pattern on a blog. Congratulations to all those have done this. I have a new appreciation of all your hard work. 

Regardless of my reasoning I am sorry that this has been delayed. I hope you like the pattern and my instructions are easy to follow. 

To download the 2T pattern click here. Print it*. Match up the shorts front on page 1 & 2 and the shorts back on page 3 & 4. Tape it together and cut it out. 

*Note: I have a MacBook and found it impossible to print right using the Preview Software. It is best to use adobe reader. Be sure to turn off the scaling when you print.

You might find the shape of the pattern to be usual. The back of the shorts have a high sweep up. I did this to get better coverage of my little one's bottom. I have had problems when making shorts & pants using patterns that have the same front as the back. I don't know about you but my front is definitely not the same as my back. I don't understand why this is done for little ones since you have a diaper that clothes need to fit over. That being said you should not have any issues with your child bending over and their shorts sliding down unless your elastic is too loose.

MATERIALS

1/2 - 3/4 yard (depending on width) of fabric, pretty much any light weight cotton will work 

3/4" wide no roll elastic, approximately 20".

15" twill tape (you can skip the fake draw string if you prefer)

coordinating thread

basic sewing notions

serger helpful but not necessary.

SEAM ALLOWANCE 

1/4" unless stated differently in the instructions.

TUTORIAL

I apologize if its hard to see the details in my pictures. I didn't pick the best fabric for that. I used the white thread to try and help.

1. Cut out two of each pattern piece from the fabric (be sure to follow the grain line markings on the pattern pieces). Most all fabrics have a front and a back, so be sure mirror the shorts front and back pattern pieces when cutting them out.

2. Pin together the inner leg edge of one shorts front and one shorts back with the fabric fronts facing each other. Sew the inner legs together. Repeat with the remaining front and back pieces.

3. Open the two short sections. Lay the fabric front facing each other. The shorts back should be on shorts back and shorts front should be on shorts front. Be sure to match up the inner leg seam you have just sewn. Pin the crotch/rise front and back.

4. Sew the entire section front to back. Its a good idea to do two rows of stitches here to reinforce. I used the serger to do my second stitch but a sewing machine straight or zigzag will work fine.

5. Open and fold at the inner leg fabric fronts facing. Pin the front and back together at the sides. Stitch up both sides. 

They should start looking like shorts. If you haven't been using a serger, it's a good idea to finish your seams with a zig zag stitch or pinking shears at this point. Press all of your seams. 

I don't show it here but I serged/finished the leg and waist of the shorts since my fabric started fraying badly.

6. With your sewing machine set to the longest stitch. Sew a gathering stitch across the top and around the bottom of both pocket pieces. 

7. Lightly pull the bobbin thread on the gathering stitch on the bottom on the pocket. Pull just enough to help you fold an even 1/4" hem. Iron the 1/4" fold all the way from one side to the other. Repeat with the other pocket.

8. Fold and press the long part of the pocket band 1/4" on both sides. Then fold in half and press. Repeat for the other pocket band. 

9. Pull the bobbin thread for the gathering stitch across the top of the pocket. Gather pocket top to fit 1/4" in from the sides of the pocket band. Open the pocket band folds and line up the raw edge of the pocket and band with the front of the fabric facing each other. Pin in place. With a normal length stitch, sew along the 1/4" fold of the pocket band. Repeat with the other pocket.

10. Fold the pocket band over the raw edge of the gathered pocket. Press folds of the band again. Edge stitch the pocket band closed across the front of the pocket being careful to catch the back of the band. Since this will be the finishing stitch for the pocket band be sure to use the coordinating thread. Repeat with the other pocket.

11. Press raw ends of the pocket bands over 1/4". This should be even with the sides of the pocket. Pin to hold the folds in place. 

12. Right side out, lay shorts flat with the side seam facing you. Center the pocket on the seam 2" from the bottom of the leg. Pin the pocket in place. Again with the coordinating thread sew the pocket in to place. Repeat with the remaining pocket on the other side seam.

(Sorry guys couldn't bring myself to use white thread on the finishing stitches so its hard to see the pocket on the shorts.)

13. Fold the leg bands in half so the two short ends meet. Sew together using a 1/2 " seam allowance. (I gave a little extra length if your little one has really cubby thighs like my little one or if you would prefer a little less gathering - I used the 1/2 in seam allowance for the shorts pictured)

14. Length wise fold and press the leg band in half. Open fold then fold and press a 1/2" hem on both sides. Repeat for the other leg band. 

On this pair, I did only one 1" hem and then serged the other side. The serged side will be on the inside of the shorts.

15. Set the sewing machine to the longest stitch again and sew a gathering stitch around each leg. Pull the bobbin thread to gather the leg to fit the leg band.

16. Open the center fold of the pocket band pin the inside half of the band to the inside of the shorts. Sew in place. Repeat with the other leg.

17. Fold the band over the front of the shorts. Pin in place, then edge stitched closed. Repeat with the other leg.

18. For the elastic waist band casement, fold over the waist band edge 1/4" press. Fold again 1" and press. If you do not wish to do a fake drawstring skip to step 19.

19. Before sewing the casement turn the shorts right side out and mark two lines 3/8"down from the folded waistband and 3/4" apart straddling the front short seam. 

Open up the folded casement and do two button hole stitches. Make sure you are only going through one layer of fabric. Using a seam ripper carefully cut open the buttonholes and thread the twill tape through the buttonholes. 

20. Fold the waist band back in to place for the casement. Pin in place and edge stitch leaving a 2-3" opening. Measure your child's waist and add 1". This will be the length that is needed for the elastic. (my little one has a 19" waist so I cut the elastic 20") Using a safety pin thread the elastic through the opening. Work it all the way around being careful not to pull the other end through the opening. 

Connect the end by overlapping the elastic ends by 1" and running a zig zag stitch back and forth a couple times. Sew the opening in the casement closed being careful not to sew the elastic to the shorts.

Your done! Now you have a spiffy new pair of shorts for your darling. 

If you have any problems please leave me a comment and I will do my best to get back with you as soon as possible. Any general feed back is welcome too! This should go without saying, but please be kind, there is a human at the other end of this and I am new and still learning. 

Thanks for stopping by the nest!
Darla

All patterns, tutorials and recipes are for personal use only. Reproducing for publishing is prohibited. Please do not use patterns to produce items to sell. Thank you.

All contents of this blog are creative property of Darla Quail. If you wish to use any photos or any other content please contact me for permission.  Thank you.