Crazy Cucumbers

Maya Dress

2010-11-01T20:11:00.001-07:00

I love the look of the Modkid Maya dress. I also used Patty Young's knits. The printed knit fabric is very nice with a solid weight (with heavy shrinkage). Not sure if I added any extra length on the pattern, but it turned out at least one size too large. Almost all the finished versions that I've seen of this pattern seem to have neckline issues. I ended up increasing the seam allowance to help it; but, I should have shortened the neckline binding fabric instead. I'm hoping a wash will tighten it up. I'm afraid if I rip out the neckline, I'll create some holes and ruin the whole piece. I'm sure I'll be making another one of these in another print soon.
And finally, here's the completed Halloween look. Cooler weather hit just in time to require me to make a last minute sweater to complete Aiden's look.

A New Frock

2010-10-18T20:56:00.001-07:00

I finally caught up enough since the kids went back to school to do some outfit sewing. I started with a new Village Frock. I love this pattern. It is adorable worn. Eva still wears the first one I made. However, I wanted to try full length sleeves on this one so that it would be warm enough once the winter weather hits here. I can say that I like this more in a heavier, more textured linen.

The second quick project I did was make a vest for the neighbor girl's cowgirl costume. I started with Ottobre 06/07 #20. This was a very simple sewing project. I love that I can take a glance through my Ottobre collection and find something that will work for almost any need. I debated renewing my subscription again since I'm finding a lot fewer patterns I can work with now that my kids are approaching the bigger kid sizes. But in the end, I renewed for one more year. So, hopefully I can carve out more time soon for more sewing.

I had to let the first of some of my home sewn outfits go in this past garage sale. I have an attachment to them and save the best for the neighbor girl. We also have a new neice in the family. I sure hope she will be interested in some special outfits.

A Frida Dress

2010-08-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've had this dress cut out since the beginning of summer and just got around to making it since I wasn't crazy about the fabric. This is Patty Young's ModKid Frida pattern. The fit was better than I expected. I made the 6/7. Eva wears RTW 7s. The chest fit is good, but it would probably run big on a slender size 6 girl.

Little Potters

2010-08-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

The release of the Harry Potter Lego Wii game renewed my kids' interest in the Harry Potter story. Eva is re-reading the books. (She's only allowed to read through book 4 for now.) Eva decided she wanted to be Hermione for Halloweeen and Aiden is choosing between Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. So, I went to work and made two robes that they've been playing in ever since. The neighbor boy they frequently play with also requested his own.

I finally figured out that for the exception of some summer dresses, I usually have some Ottobre pattern in my collection that I can adjust to fit the bill. I modified 04/2004 #13 to make the robes. It's really a coat. I sized down 3 sizes, but I could have gone down at least another size in the shoulders. If your children beg you for one of these, remember an interior wand pocket is a must have.

When it comes Halloween time, Eva's costume is more complete. She has a white collared shirt and a gray corduroy skirt. I refashioned an old gray sweater of mine into a cardigan for her. Then, I used the robe lining fabric to make a tie. I used heat 'n bond to iron gold ribbon on for the stripes. All the ties available through costume companies are apparently purple unless you want to splurge $25+ after shipping for a nice one. Well the tie isn't perfect, but not much will show under the robe and sweater anyway.

Finally, A Good Skort Pattern

2010-06-30T12:53:00.001-07:00

We've been running non-stop to activities this summer. Finally, I've been able to clean the sewing room enough to start sewing again.

First, this skort is Butterick 4439. I had good results with this skort. My only complaint is the shorts underneath are probably a little too wide in the leg for a knit. My daughter said it is comfy and the waistband turned out decent. I will probably make an Ottobre shirt to match soon.

My go to swimsuit pattern - the Gilda Tankini. I'm not in love with the pattern for the bottom. There is always bagging in the crotch area. So, I'm either going to find something different or come up with my own pattern. The free one on Ottobre looks a little baggy.

Finally, this a plain non-embellished version of Ottobre's Hertta skirt (with short attached). Using up the last scraps of that I have of this fabric.

A Loud Skirt/Skort

2010-05-25T21:02:00.001-07:00

This skort actually started as an apron skirt. But after wearing it for an evening, Eva didn't like it. I just cut the apron off for now since the waistband will always be covered by a shirt. She wants me to add it back on as pockets instead. I'm finding this a little challenging to find a RTW shirt to match the busyness. This is one of those fabrics I ordered online and didn't really like it as much when I got it.

Warm weather finally hit here as school finishes for the kids this week. Sadly, as I moved the warm weather clothes into rotation today, I realized Eva really doesn't need me to make her much other than some swimsuits. So it looks like it will be light sewing for me this summer. I guess that's for the best since June is jam-packed with scout camps and baseball for us.

Play Clothes

2010-04-29T20:12:00.001-07:00

The top is Ottobre 03/2010 #31, Funky Sisters. The bottom is my muslin to create a knit summer skort pattern. It is functional, but the casing execution definitely needs some work.
I did raise the neckline a smidge on the top. I didn't need to, next time I use the pattern I won't adjust that. If anyone knows a good skort pattern, let me know. All of this was stash fabric from garage/estate sales last year. It makes it one of the few times when sewing is cheaper than buying. Eva has a closet full of cute dress I made last summer, but this is really the type of outfit she needs for our lifestyle. This is what she would pick to wear to school or to play outside or around the house.

First Communion Dress

2010-03-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is Simplicity 4647 that I made for Eva's first communion dress. The bottom is a cotton that is similar to an eyelet fabric. The top is linen. I should have used cotton as the linen I chose was a bit heavy. This was definitely an example where sewing is not cheaper than buying. Originally, I took Eva to JoAnns and let her pick from the bridal satins and overlays. Our bill was $77. I was able to return the purchase. I feel much better about using the natural fibers and having a reasonably priced dress. It's not sparkly like the rest, but she got exactly what she wanted and she's proud that hers is mommy made.

Jack 'n Jill Hat

2010-03-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

So I splurged on another indy pattern. This is the Jack 'n Jill pattern from Izzy & Ivy. The best part is that it is sized from teeny to adult.
My green band is a little wonky, but I still love the hat. I didn't add the flower. Girl scout camp season will be here shortly. That means we'll be in hats to keep off the ticks. I will be making more of these: a couple for Eva, a couple for me and then I think this will make a good birthday gift for her friends. At least for mine, I will leave off the ruffle.

I've had Eva's first communion dress made for the last month; but it will have to wait to be photographed until next weekened.

Did you see that Chelsea from Pink Fig has a pattern in the McCalls catalog - M6062.

An Outfit for the Birthday Girl

2010-02-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

My oldest child, Eva, turns 8 today. At the last minute, I decided to make her an outfit to wear to school today. For her party, we're doing a pajama party. I did make the night owl pattern again for the party, but it's not exciting enough to photograph. This is the Helmi dress and Visserys t-shirt from 04/2008. There are certain issues I just go to again and again to make outfits from and this is one of them. The leggings are Ottobre too, I'm just not sure the pattern.
The Helmi is a very time consuming pattern. I've made it before, but the current outfit is running too short. From the closeup, the stitching on the invisible zipper is not close enough. I may not fix that. The thickness of the denim fabric, makes it difficult to work the zipper in those areas. I guess I should have picked the black zipper so that it wouldn't show. I also had to improvise on the sleeves. The denim was so thick, the elastic wouldn't gather.

Ottobre Nightingale and Tulip

2009-12-29T21:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know when I'm going to learn about the volume on a lot of these Ottobre tunics. I took out several inches of fabric on this tunic for the suggested pintucks. The "Nightingale" tunic still turned out very wide and full. Part of the problem is that the tan fabric is a lot heavier and doesn't float nicely like the baby cord. These are the "Tulip" pants. Both pieces are from the 04/2009 Ottobre issue. I like the pants. But I had to make them twice. They are probably one of the more detailed pieces I have made with gathered front pockets, pintucks on the back pockets, zipper fly and button elastic waistband. The first version I made super slim. I cut them without a seam allowance and was generous on the seam allowances when I stitched them. When she tried them on, they were just too tight across the seat. I'm debating whether to finish them and give them to a slimmer friend of hers.

It would have been nice to have a snap press for these. I substituted velcro for the button because she would have a hard time with them at school. I am getting more comfortable with zippers and buttonholes. This project had a couple of both. A year ago I would have been reluctant to tackle this one.

Teachers Gifts Complete

2009-12-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I made aprons for the kids' teachers Christmas gifts again this year. I tried two new patterns this time. The patterns are surprisingly similar. The main pieces of the patterns are almost identical.

The first is the "Josephine" pattern from the "A Is For Apron" book. The main problem with this pattern is that if you're going to use their pattern, you have to enlarge the pieces from the book 400%. What a pain! I actually just used the skirt piece from the other pattern since they are so similar. Both patterns are reversible. My favorite is the "Josephine", although it does need a slightly shorter next strap. This one is for Eva's teacher. She insisted on helping sewing, so there is a little wonkiness going on with the sash. I did find that using a foot like the blind-hem that has a guide helped her keep her stitching even if she didn't have the machine going too fast.

The second one didn't photograph well. It is the "Emmeline" apron by Sew Liberated. I did use a wider sash than it called for. The biggest problem with this pattern is that the top bodice band puckers when it is worn. The piece is cut on the bias and interfaced. I've looked at several finished photographs and almost all have the same puckering. The instructions on this one are so wordy that they're hard to follow. That seems to be common though with a lot of the independent pattern makers.

Both patterns I had to deviate from the instructions because they just didn't seem the best and most practical way to get the job done. Maybe Ottobre needs a nice ladies apron in their next issue.

A Few Things for Under the Tree

2009-12-04T22:51:00.001-08:00

I am hoping to finish my Christmas sewing this weekend. Tonight, I'm wrapping the kids' Christmas PJs and some doll clothes.
This first ones are my version of the Ottobre Kaiku for Eva's AG doll. These match 2 of the outfits I've made recently. I used McCalls M6005 as my starting point.

The second are doll PJs to match the kids' PJs. This one I was able to use Simplicity's 4297.

The last two are Ottobre's 06/2009 #34 (Night Owl) and #35 (Stripey legs). Right now this is my go to pattern for PJs since it's what I have traced for their current size. I have to make each slightly different to tell them apart. Although the kids are two years apart, I use the same size. Aiden is just skinnier and needs a slimmer wait.

Christmas Dresses

2009-12-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

My neighbor commissioned me to make these dresses as her Christmas gifts for her nieces. She picked out the fabric for Pink Fig's Lydia dress. I don't think I could make it sewing on the side for extra income. I don't think sewing would be fun if I spent all my time making something I wouldn't see worn.

Another Kaiku

2009-11-14T15:40:00.001-08:00

Here is another version of the Ottobre Kaiku pattern, 04/2008 #19. The pants are a lengthened and modified version of the Lokki leggings #18 that they have paired with the Kaiku. This pattern looks very nice worn. I forgot to raise the waistband a little and I still have a little wonkiness that I can't control on the waistband. This is more of the nice Chez Ami fabric. The pants are some sort of velour.

Eva actually wore this to her First Reconciliation today. She got her picture taken with Santa this morning too. Our school sponsors a Santa's Workshop. It's so nice because the wait for Santa is usually never more than a couple minutes (vs. an hour at our church). Unfortunately, the only worn photo I got was on Santa's lap.

Anemone Outfit

2009-11-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

I finally started sewing the Chez Ami fabric I ordered. It really is nice to sew with. The top is Ottobre Anemone, 04/09 #21. A lot of people had complained that the skirt Ottobre paired with this shirt was hard to get to turn out nice. Since I wasn't sure how I would find matching corduroy, I just went with the Hepsaneikka again. It is Ottobre's 04/08 #20. Leggings are the Ottobre Lily pattern again. I did use pintucks on the top instead of gathers. Next time I make this, I would get rid of most if not all of the gather. It's just makes the top too wide. I think I should have gone with the polka dot fabric for the leggings instead.
I have a lot of fall and Christmas sewing in progress right now to post soon.

Six Little Turtles

2009-11-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

I splurged and ordered Heather Bailey's Henrietta turtle pattern. Mine aren't nearly as perfect as her samples.

So, I figured I might as well make a lot of them. Eva and I each have one picked out for our personal pincushions. The others are being saved for gifts. For Eva's close friends, I've started giving out gift certificates for sewing lessons as birthday presents. I'm thinking the pincushions will be a nice wrappable item to go with the certificate. For the lessons, I'm giving the girls the option of making an apron, pillow, pillowcase, elastic waist skirt or nutcracker doll. The first one hasn't been redeemed yet, but she wants to make the doll. That's the most complicated. The next one, I may only give the pillow and pillowcase options.

A month ago, the kids had some friends over. While playing in their rooms, Eva had had her friend design her own pillow for me to make for her. I just find it comical how she thought this up. So, when the girls came over yesterday, I had to follow up and make them each pillows. I made quick and easy square pillows with a heart appliqued on the front. They stuffed them and sewed the opening shut themselves. The youngest was going to take hers into school to use for naptime. It turned into a bigger project when Eva and Aiden later wanted their own pillows with their names and hearts appliqued. Luckily, they both have short names. No pictures to show of those.

A Little on the Wild Side

2009-10-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

I like this fun print. For a 7.5 years old, I have to be careful not to make things too cutesy anymore. This is McCalls 5463. It's OOP now, which is too bad since we're ready to go up a pattern size. It matches many styles in the stores. I added the ruffle to the bottom and it's more of a dress length now. The sleeves and the bottom edges where just serged to finish rather than hemmed. I made a tunic from this pattern last year in the same size which is borderline too small now. I don't know what I did on this one because it's too big in the shoulders. I may need to rip out the sleeves - yuck!! It's probably this fabric. It's a rayon jersey that can wrinkle up when you cut it.

Ottobre Kaiku

2009-10-08T19:17:00.001-07:00

Fall wardrobe sewing has started. This is Ottobre 04-2008-19, the "Kaiku". As with most Ottobre this when together easily. I used two lightweight jerseys. There are imperfections around the waistband, but I think that was caused by the fabric choice. Next time I would raise the waistband slightly.

I wrote up a SWAP for the first time for Eva's wardrobe around two sets of Chez Ami fabric. But most of that sewing will have to wait until November

Anakin Skywalker Costume

2009-09-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

My son must be Anakin Skywalker for Halloween. I took a look at the licensed version that is sold for $40. For that amount of money, I expected a quality costume. But it is really cheaply made with low quality fabric. I don't splurge on purchases like this. With one or two exceptions, my kids' halloween costumes have come from garage sales. So, I decided I was going to have to make this one. With $15 of fabric, I think this one has turned out much better than the store version.

My biggest hurtle was that despite the popularity of Star Wars for kids, I have not found a commercially available pattern in print for creating similar costumes. My research suggested looking for a kimono pattern. Really the turning point in deciding to make this was when I remembered that Ottobre has a kimono jacket pattern, "Kukerrus", 04-2008 #12. There weren't a lot of alterations. I lengthened the arms, tunic length, and increased the slant of the neckline.

I'm not sure what type of fabric the brown is. I believe it is similar to duck cloth. The black is pleather. If you ever sew with this stuff, I highly recommend using your walking foot and a leather needle. I do still need to replace my tacking stitches to make the belt sides rest evenly.

Prairie Girl

2009-09-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

Wild West Days are coming up this weekend at Mahaffie Stagecoach stop in Olathe. Last time we went, two years ago, I had resisted the temptation to buy her one of their cute bonnets. I've been wanting to make a Laura Ingalls Wilder dress for her ever since I reread the books with her. So, I got out the Butterick 4569 pattern and used a large piece of remnant from when I was into quilting. If it were up to me, this would be her Halloween costume. However, she picked an angel from the dress-up box. Aiden wants to be some version of Anakin Skywalker. Since that would require some manner of me making my own pattern and then it probably wouldn't be right, I'm probably going with store bought. So there will be no Halloween sewing here. But with some convincing, this may make it to one of the pre-Halloween festivities around here. Luckily, there is enough room in it, it should still fit next year.

The dress pattern is actually very well fitted. The bonnet is a little awkward though.

And yes, there are 11 buttonholes. I'm greatful for my new Bernina that handled them so well. It would have been a nightmare with my old machine. My serger is in for repairs. When I pick it up, I will have spent in servicing the amount of money I paid for the machine (only $200). I contemplated just upgrading to a nicer, self-threading machine with a free 5-year-service plan. And I would love to find something that also did coverstitch. But that requires a lot of research and much more money. Plus I wouldn't be able to sew any clothing until I made a decision. Anyone with recommendations on a good serger model, let me know.

Minnie Mouse and New Dancewear

2009-09-01T17:38:00.001-07:00

I've had this dress sitting done in Eva's closet for at least a month. We are going to WDW in October, so this is her Minnie Mouse dress. My hope is that I can convince her to make this her Halloween costume too. This is the Pink Fig Mia Top pattern. I hadn't planned on buying it. But, my kids allowed me to enter Harpers in old downtown Overland Park after one of our farmer's market outings. Much to my amazement, the store carries a great number of the popular independent kid's patterns. I have to say that the shirring seemed to take longer on this since you weren't doing circles. I did modify the pattern slightly with a longer bodice and I didn't add the second layer of skirt fabric.

Eva has always been on the tiny side. But over the summer she's had this growth spurt and gained at least 5 lbs. I wasn't sure any of her leotards fit for her first ballet class of the fall. So last night, I made the Butterick 6660 leotard. I used this pattern a year ago for one of my very first knit projects. It's amazing how much nicer my results are this time. I've even lost the instruction sheet, but have done enough similar garments that it didn't matter. We'll see in 6 months if I have any of the popped topstitching the original had. I used some of the Chez Ami Tactel swimsuit fabric for this.

Next up, boys pajamas. I really would sew more for Aiden if he would wear something besides Star Wars logo apparel.

Hertta Skirt

2009-08-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

At the last minute, I decided to make Eva the "Hertta" skirt to wear on the first day of school. The pattern is Ottobre 01-2009-19. I fell in love with Patty Young's Mezzanine fabrics and Gock's Frocks use of the fabrics in her apron skirts. They both have wonderful creativity in combining colors. I ordered 1/2 yards of 8 different Mezzanine fabrics. I knew when I ordered exactly which two Eva would pick to combine. She loves pink. I took her to the fabric store and she picked the embellishments. I really hate the lace at the bottom. It is too stiff and doesn't let the skirt float perfectly. I was hoping it would soften a bit more in the wash. I may change it out later if I find something better. This is the first skirt that I've converted to a skooter. Basically, I attached a shortened version of the Ottobre "Lily" leggings to the waistband.

The Start of Fall Sewing

2009-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Eva's first outfit for the fall is a top from McCalls 5693 paired with the Ottobre 04/09 Licorice leggings. The leggings have 11 pintucks along the bottom. They were a little bit frightening but turned out fine without any significant waving of the fabric.

I also just discovered Chez Ami fabric. I had heard of the fabric before, but I'd never figured out where to buy it. They sell their clothes through home trunk shows. However, they make their fabrics available to purchase through their website. Apparently, the knit fabric is incredible quality. Decent knit is impossible to find in the Kansas City area. The best selection is Hobby Lobby. The best part about their website is that it's easy to see what fabrics mix and match. The knits in the clearance section are $3.50 a yard. Most of the other fabric is also on sale now too. Unfortunately, the other fabric went on sale sometime after I placed my order.

Ottobre Three-Way Dress

2009-07-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Eva and I had sewing camp at home while Aiden was at basketball camp. She wanted to make a sundress as her project. The easiest thing I could think of was the pillowcase version of Ottobre's 03-2009-18. Now, honestly, I think the attachment of the sleeves is a little odd in the other two versions of this dress in the magazine. It is a very simple and basic pattern if you don't have anything similar already. But there are free tutorials out there if you don't already have a subscription to the magazine. She did most of the sewing herself, but I helped to guide with the serger and the casing stitches. The hem stitches are a little crooked, but not bad for a 7-year-old.

And Now Some Doll Clothes

2009-07-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

We took a short vacation to Chicago a couple weeks ago. Eva saved her money so that she could buy her first American Girl doll at the store there. She picked out Rebecca Rubin. Rebecca is a just released historical character that happens to look a lot like Eva. I love all the AG books. They are the perfect reading level for Eva and all of them either have a historical story or a lesson in values. I can give her any of the books and not worry that she's reading material too mature for her. So, I've been whipping up outfits for the new doll from my fabric scraps. The official AG doll clothes are beautiful with wonderful details; but not afforadable. The green polka dot matches one of Eva's outfits. They wore these together for a visit to the AG Cafe.

McCalls 5838

2009-07-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

Eva's friend redeemed her birthday gift certificate for McCalls 5838 sundress and matching American Girl dress. She picked out one of the Amy Butler martini fabrics for it. I modified the back from a zipper to elastic. Her favorite colors are blue and green. I made a notebook full of my creations and patterns I have on hand for her to choose from. But she had a hard time visualizing anything that the examples didn't start out in her favorite colors. I don't know if we'll do this again. If I do, it will probably just be for BFFs. We had to make several visits for getting the fitting just right.

Eva and I are doing "sewing camp" while Aiden is at basketball camp this week. She's working on the 03-2009 Ottobre Three-Way dress without sleeves. She wanted a sundress and that's the simplest beginner project I could think of. I was visiting the website for our local 4-H council. They have several sewing classes throughout the year. We have more than enough activities going on, but I'm thinking of starting her in 4-H to get her started with sewing.

Simplicity 4225 - Shopping Cart Cover

2009-06-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

I would have loved to have one of these when my kids were little. I know that they picked up many illnesses from gross shopping carts. A HS friend is having a baby soon and I made this as a gift for her. I like the overall look of this pattern, but it was a big time investment. The pattern has some nice details like toy tabs and cute pleated pockets. However, it leaves other areas looking homemade and not very professional. There are a few seams that are visible that are hard to make look nice even with a serger.

Simplicity 2817 - Snow White

2009-06-11T14:46:00.001-07:00

I booked our plane tickets and timeshare to WDW in October. Eva and I came to an agreement that I would make her a Snow White dress to wear at the parks. I think she preferred Sleeping Beauty, but the patterns for that I found were all OOP. Simplicity 2817 is an official Disney pattern so it gives you the best match to the princesses.

All the reviews on pattern review had commented that the bodice ran big. I should have made a muslin. Instead, I ripped out the piping and zipper twice to get a good fit. Taking in the center seam made the darts to far to center, but it will work.

I didn't buy enough of the yellow fabric and when I went back to JoAnn's, I didn't have my original swatch. What I bought didn't match, so I ended up using just 2 panels in the skirt instead of the 3 it called for.

The red on the sleeves is an applique. It turned out nice. I really think it was due to my new machine - Bernina Activa 230PE. These would have been a nightmare to get a nice even feed on my old Singer.

This photo worn is before I hemmed and took out the piping and zipper the second time. I took up 2 inches from here. She'll be riding rides and I don't think it should be too long running around the parks.

Simplicity 2711

2009-06-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

PatternReview is having a children's sewing contest. So, it's the perfect time for me to sew up some kid's items. I'm starting with this top and shorts from Simplicity 2711.
I really didn't enjoy this pattern. The method they suggested for inserting the sleeves was overly complicated. I think it's also because I just love the Ottobre patterns so much more. Yes, tracing the patterns is a pain. But their sewing methods are usually result in nice professional results with the simplest method possible. This top has a nice fit but the bottoms required altering to work.

I still love this pattern for the View A dress. There are several cute versions of this on flickr. I may still make that later.

Simple Child's Apron Tutorial

2009-05-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of apron tutorials available out there. But this is a quick reversible pattern that takes minimal effort and fabric. Total work time should be less than an hour.

Here's what you need

1/2 yard of pre-washed fabric (2/3 if the fabric has a definite top vs. bottom or direction to the pattern)
3 yards double fold bias tape (1 pack of 1/2 inch width)
thread to match bias tape

Directions:

Cut two pieces of fabric according to above diagram. Double click to enlarge it.
Pin right sides of fabric together.
Stitch seams along 12 inch and 16 inch sides. That is the bottom and the straight part of the sides. The seam allowance isn't too important, 3/8 inch is fine.
Turn right sides out and press.
Cut a length of bias tape to fit your top edge of apron. The length should be 8-9 inches.
Pin and topstitch bias tape to top unfinished edge of apron.
Cut remaining length of bias tape exactly in half.
Pin one piece of bias tape to each unfinished edge of apron. At the neck, you want 17 inches of bias tape overhanging.
Topstitch bias tape ties. Turn each corner under for clean ends.

If there is interest, I can take step by step photos next time I make one of these. I like to give these as birthday gifts. I try to add a pocket with the recipient's name freezer paper stenciled with fabric paint. It is also fun to make these reversible with two different fabrics.

Auction Aprons

2009-05-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, some friends asked me to join their Relay for Life team. I know many of the ladies on the team and they formed the team several years ago in honor of Ann Scheirts. Ann is a wonderful and deeply spiritual lady in our parish who also has two girls close in age to my kids. In the last year, she has been hit hard with recurrence of metastic breast cancer. I decided to join the team in honor of my dad who has been fighting metastic prostate cancer since 2000. It seems every month, we get reports of another family member or friend fighting this beast.

So.... for our team's silent auction basket, we are making a kid's cooking basket. My contribution is, of course, an apron set. The ladies version is from McCalls 5643 view A. The children's is reversible.

It was very hard to find gender neutral fabrics that a girl would consider cute. I'm not sure boys will wear the blue side. But if the won't, the brown side is very masculine. I love these fabrics. They are part of the Heidi Grace line at JoAnns. I took the last 1.25 yards of the blue at my normal store and the JA further away was sold out. I think it's a little busy for a ladies apron. However, the only other options I was coming up with were black fabric with chili peppers or a red/white/blue theme.

Ottobre 03-2009-39 "Gilda" Bikini/Tankini

2009-05-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

In the past month, I've been breaking everything I touch on my sewing machine: my ruffler foot, two twin needles and the shank for all my snap-on feet. So, I've been working with just my walking foot. So, it's best to work on knits for now...

This is a modification of the "Gilda" Bikini (Ottobre 03-2009-39). It's very similar to the self drafted pattern I made a month or so ago. But with something like a swimsuit, I'm more comfortable with a professional pattern. The bottoms are more of a short. I like this pattern. If it holds up in the swimming pool, we will be seeing more of these. These would have looked cute with a binding on the leg too.
I bought this swimsuit fabric early in the season from fabric.com. It is a great stable knit.

Kerttu Tunic Ottobre 01/2009

2009-05-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Kerttu tunic from Ottobre 01/2009 didn't originally appeal to me as a top. After seeing Ruth of SewChic's dress version, I thought this would be a great summer dress. It looks like I can bring the hem up an inch or two. I made a lengthened a size 110 but reduced the elastic measurements by 2 sizes. One pattern size down probably would have been a better fit in the neckline.

I had to line the inside because both of my fabrics were very lightweight. The blue is slightly see through and the purple is a lightweight broadcloth from stash. The blue floral is one of prints I picked up from that estate sale last weekend.

The pattern is fairly simple with the extra details on the pocket and drawstring.

Craft Hope Dolls Ready

2009-04-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I have 2 dolls ready to send off to CraftHope. The hair and faces took longer than I expected this time. Eva did about half the hair on the fluffy one. I plumped up the original pattern (nutcracker doll from Alicia Paulson's Stitched in Time book). These were so much easier to stuff this way.

I'd like to send more, but I know things will get busy once the kids are out of school for the summer. They only have 3 weeks left.

Fabric Shopper - Modkid Giveaway

2009-04-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

The fabric shopper is giving away one ModKid pattern by Patty Young (designer of the beautiful Andalucia line) each of the next 4 weeks. This week is my absolute favorite of her patterns, the asian-inspired Kyoko . The winner of this week's giveaway will also receive a set of 8 half-yard bundles of Alice Kennedy's Strawberry Fields for Timeless Treasures from Fabricworm Etsy.

Birthday Gift Idea

2009-04-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

Eva has a friend having a birthday in a couple weeks. We decided to give her a gift certificate for a apparel design session. The recipient is familiar with boutique clothing. She will get to 1) choose/design a pattern 2) select fabrics. We'll see how this goes and post the final product in about a month.

I also found an estate sale today of a lady who sewed all her family's clothes. They advertised it as "thousands of pieces of fabrics". It was. I can only imagine how much she spent to stockpile this. Many of the pieces still had tags with the cut length and prices on each. The fabric/yarn portion filled a two car garage. Fabric was piled 2-3 feet high on the tables. And this was the second day of the sale. They said the yarn had gone to the ceiling the previous day. $.25 per skein and $1 per fabric cut. I bought 17 cuts of fabrics and lots of bias tape, buttons and zippers. I'd say 98% had to have been purchased over 30 years ago. Most of it was polyester blends. I did get several corduroy pieces for pants. Most of it will be muslin quality; but good to test patterns with.

UPDATE: Here are the photos of what I found. Almost everything was 2 yard cuts. In a pile they don't look fantastic, but I think with the right patterns and accent materials, there could be some good creations. Please excuse the carpet that needs to be replaced. Also, I don't have a macro on my camera, so close-ups don't turn out great.

first - notions - I am excited to try the bias trim tool. There was a second room of notions.
This is a sheet set that I will probably re-purpose.

Here is the corduroy. The left piece is a poor quality denim. The room was very dark and I couldn't see color or quality well.

Some vintage prints.

Some knits

WonderMommy Giveaway

2009-04-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

There is a great giveaway at WonderMommy. I just found her blog today. The last day to enter is April 29th at noon. The giveaway is amazing:

Fledge/Studio Tantrum Feliz Pattern
1 Lil Chef Pattern from ModKids
and 5 Good Folks fat quarters

Check out the WonderMommy. She also just posted a dress made from one of the ModKid patterns.

McCalls 5839

2009-04-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here is Eva's latest summer outfit. It looks better without the long sleeve shirt, but it was a bit chilly this morning. She has capri length leggings on with it.

If you look at the envelope for McCalls 5839, you'll see that the original has a lot more fabric and flutter. I finally figured out that Eva's shoulders run narrow. Her measurements match up to the size 6 on the pattern. I took an inch of width out of the neckline. A little risky since this is a woven continuous neckline (no zipper, buttons). I also took 5 inches width out of each body piece for a slimmer line.

The best part was the fabric - 50 cents for both pieces from a garage sale. I have enough left for another outfit. I think it is vintage material because it was a much narrower width and it was in a bin of 70's style polyester knits.

Craft Hope - Orphanage Dolls

2009-04-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Check out the Craft Hope Blog. Their first project sent 27 pillowcase dresses to a children's shelter in Mexico. They are just starting their second project, sending handmade dolls to an orphanage in Nicaragua. I'm planning on making a couple of the Alicia Paulson nutcracker dolls for this. I found her book with patterns inside at the library.

Women's Ottobre 02-2009 "Waterfall" jersey blouse

2009-04-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is my first Women's Ottobre pattern to try. My daughter has no need for any new clothes, even if I wasn't sewing she has a closet full of garage sale finds. I on the other hand, really need more t-shirts. As a SAHM, my wardrobe isn't very exciting.

This is the 02-2009-5, the "Waterfall" jersey blouse using the sleeves from #14, "Stream". I have a lot of this fabric. It was cheap on clearance, so I used it before breaking out something more expensive. I'm glad I did. As with all Ottobre patterns, this is very well designed. The shirt just isn't me. I really need to find a book or class to help me figure out what types of alterations I need to make to patterns. I also don't like the sleeves on me. They just seem to make my arms look larger than they are. I did use the tutorial from Pam of Off the Cuff Style . Look for her 4/10/2009 post because I couldn't figure out the link to the tutorial.

My new tool for this was the knit twin needle. It made hemming so much easier. That is always the step I dread in knit projects. No matter what I do, the threads always seem to pop on the hems after a few wears. My machine doesn't have 2 thread holders. So, I set the thread on my serger and run it over that way. Since I never have 2 spools of the same color of thread, I filled a bobbin for my second spool. I also used wooly nylon in the bobbin.

One weird thing happened while working on this. For the hems, I serged the edges first to make the jersey less curly and easier to handle when I ironed it. I had my heat set at high with steam on the iron. The first set of serger stitches actually melted. I think it was the Maxi-Lock thread that melted.

Some Experimentation

2009-04-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

I picked up these three blue prints at JoAnns in hopes of making a girly outfit for a professional photo of the kids. I'm OK with the top, but not real thrilled with how the skirt turned out.

The top is loosely based on New Look pattern 6478 which is a dress cut for a knit. I added extra room in the back and shirring since I used a woven. I may add some buttons to the neckline ruffles.

The skirt is based on a tutorial that I can't seem to find the link for right now. Originally, I had put ruffles on both layers, but I couldn't stand it. The bottom fabric is also much lighter weight and wasn't draping correctly. I edged and lined it with the heavier brown fabric. It's a little better, but I think I've learned that the bottom skirt has to be skinnier than the top skirt. My thoughts are to take off the ruffle on the top layer and take out the rouching on the sides, but my daughter said "the ruffles are beautiful". I guess they're staying. Does anyone have suggestions for fixing this? I'm thinking I need to stick to the patterns and banish the new ruffling foot.

SewSensible Faith Top

2009-04-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to test The Faith Dress Top pattern for Sew Sensible this week. Aimee gears her e-patterns towards the beginning sewer. Everything was simple and straightforward for this twirly, girly top.

Swimsuit and Bargains

2009-04-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Eva's swimsuits from last year still fit but the fabric faded horribly. It's somewhat hard to find cute two-pieces without too much exposure for her. One pieces, of course, inhibit her ability to use the restroom without assistance. So, I used one of last years suits to make a pattern. I will probably remake the bottom because the elastic is not tight enough in the waist.

I have found some great bargains in the last week. First I found yards and yards of great fabrics for pennies from local garage sales. Some are great vintage prints and others are nice modern dressy pieces.

Today, I stopped in at JoAnns to pick up $1 Simplicity patterns - specifically princess dress patterns for a possible Disney vacation. The store on Metcalf looks like it might no longer carry wooly nylon. All spools were $2 on clearance. I bought 16 spools!! It reminds me of one of the garage sales I stopped in at. The abundance and variety of craft supplies made my supply look tiny. The sale was obviously for an elderly lady who had been moved into a more assisted living arrangement. Will these spools be unused in 50 years and my kids be selling them at a garage sale, wondering what I was thinking?

I do have one other completed project waiting to be photographed.

Auction Dresses Complete

2009-03-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

I finished the dresses I was working on for our church auction. I have some sew-in fabric labels ordered from Etsy to add to them. The do-it-yourself iron-on labels I have been making have been falling off in the wash.

Two of these sets will be auctioned off. Each auction will consist of a girls dress and a matching American Girl sized set. The middle set is from Sandi Henderson fabrics in a size 6/7. The set on the right is being labeled as size 8/10. I had one of Eva's friends try on the 6/7 dress to figure out what I needed to do to size it up. Another of her friends had an American Girl doll to check the prototype for the doll dress.

I'm also entering these sets into the PatternReview One Pattern, Many looks contest. I'm not sure if the doll dresses count for it.

McCalls 5615

2009-03-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

I bought this border print from Joann's in the fall. I had a sundress in mind. McCall's 5615 seemed perfect. From the photo, I can see that the straps need to be taken up another inch. I actually did the test fit on my son, no wonder they aren't right. What I like about this dress is that the back has two bands of elastic for fitting. Eva seems to be narrower at her chest, so this was perfect to get a good fit.

An old favorite - modified

2009-03-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

The first pattern I used when I picked up sewing again last year was Pink Fig's Lydia pattern. Everything else I was making then was just from tutorials. I picked the pattern up again and made this.

Those are her sweat pants underneath. She didn't want to change.

I'm debating making a couple girl plus American Girl dress sets to auction off at our church fundraiser. This is really the easiest pattern I could think of that might work. The problem is that this pattern only sizes up to a 7. I planning on doing one set as a girls size 6/7 and a second as a size 8/10. Sandi Henderson's Claire peasant dress pattern sizes up to an 8. When I laid the patterns next to each other, they are very similar. The Claire is longer (calf length) and roomier in the chest. The arms are a little different. Since I already had the Lily pattern traced, I just lengthened it as a prototype. I like the length of the Pink Fig pattern better. I'm going to use it for the 6/7 pattern, but I'm still debating on what to do for the 8/10 set.

Village Frock Pattern

2009-03-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

I made the village frock pattern from Sugar City. I love the pattern and plan on making a second version. I haven't tried it on my daughter; but I have a feeling I will slim the next one down a bit.

I used a medium weight linen from http://www.fabric.com/. I've never sewn linen before. This one frayed terribly. In fact, I had to serge all the pattern pieces before working with them. I then ended up serging the seams. This resulted in holes in both armpits before I even began adding the buttons. I've reinforced the seams now; but I should have left all the seam allowances wide rather than triming the seams with the serger. I may be sticking with cotton.

03/10 Update - Just adding a couple outdoor shots. It's a little wrinkled after a day of being worn to school.

Pink Fig Lydia Dress

2009-02-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

I've been eyeing the Pink Fig Lydia dress for awhile and I finally broke down and ordered it. It is a very simple pattern. Actually, I've made a similar dress without a pattern; but I was curious about the sleeves and wanted a better fit on the bodice. I actually have 3 made or in-progress. I do like this pattern, but I think the Lily pattern is still my favorite.

The first I made with Sandi Henderson's fabrics. For a size 6/7, it used almost exactly 3 half yards. I actually bought these fabrics in the fall planning on making this dress. It is a great use of 1/2 yard bundles of fabric. The skirt is very full and twirly. I widened the bodice because Chelsea had comments on her pattern that the next printing would give more room in the bodice. However, this pattern had a lot more room in the chest area than the Lydia pattern. The second version, I have followed the actual suggested bodice measurements.

The second two I'm making are these prints. I'm having second thoughts about the fabrics; but I'm still moving ahead. The stripe and hearts were on valentines clearance for $2 a yard at Hobby Lobby. Altogether, I have $10 of fabric in for two matching dresses, so I can't complain. Our neighbor is turning 3. So this one will be a birthday gift. She adores my kids, so the second will be a matching one for Eva.

I received my ruffler foot in the mail today. It would have been helpful for this dress. Luckily, the third dress isn't gathered yet. I also ordered the village frock. That will probably be my next project.

Ottobre Siiri and Katri

2009-02-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

I made another selection from the 01-2009 Ottobre. This is the #17 - "Siiri" pinafore dress and #13 - "Katri" linen pants. I converted the capris to full length pants because we have a much longer long pants season here and capris rarely get worn. It's either hot or cold, not a lot of mild weather.

I have been making the Ottobre patterns simply by my daughter's height which is between 110 and 116. Her waist measurements are right in line with this. A lot of the Ottobre tops have been running wide. So I took her other measurements and her shoulders are much narrower. So, I cut the top down to a size 104 and the pants at 116 with extra length. The shoulders on the top turned out fine; but I still took over 1 inch in from each of the sides. It is very much a swing top.

I also took at least 2 inches of width off of each pant leg. I'm sure they would have looked more normal as capris. As is, these are still a little wide. They're a bit long, but about right to still fit in the fall.

Ottobre 01-2009-18 Orvokki and 04-2008-20 Hepsankeikka

2009-01-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I had to sew something from the latest Ottobre. The top is Ottobre 01-2009-18 Orvokki. The skirt is 04-2008-20 Hepsankeikka. The leggings are 06-2007-28 Lily pattern. For the most part, I'm happy with how this turned out. I may go back and change the pocket on the skirt to be the matching blue. The leggings will probably be brought in some too. I like the design possibilities of this shirt pattern; but due to the shirring material allowances, the shirt really runs too wide for my liking. If I make it again, it will be altered.

I have gotten better working with knits. I even skipped my normal cheat of roll hemming the hems and put a regular hem on it. Now, I'm using a combination of 1) walking foot 2) wooly nylon in the bobbin and 3) stabilizer for most of the top-stitching. Usually, this elimates the problems I've had of popped stitches and rippling. This was my first knit binding. The solid blue and floral are interlock while the pink, polka dot and brown are jerseys with minimum stretch. This created some challenges. Ok, the bindings were a nightmare. I actually cut the yolk out three times. I usually get holes when I rip my stitches out on knits. I had originally planned on doing the neckline in the brown jersey. However, I was unable to get enough stretch in it to get it over my daughter's head.

Nutcracker Doll from Alicia Paulson

2009-01-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

Eva was invited to a birthday party that requested no gifts. I'm in complete agreement with the mom's who make this request. Really, how many Barbies or HSM junk does one girl need. I asked the mom if it was OK if Eva made a craft with supplies around the house instead. I don't think they were expecting what we made. But I think this will make the list for birthday gifts for the next several parties. I have 3 cut out with faces embroidered already.

We made the nutcracker doll from Alicia Paulson's book Stitched in Time. Eva (who will turn 7 this month) did most of the machine sewing herself. Other than small pillows, this was really her first sewing project. She can easily get off guiding the fabric, so some of the seams are a little off. She did a little of the hand sewing, but I had to do the majority to get this finished in time. I'm happy with it overall.
We also made the birthday banner from the book for Eva. It doesn't show up well in the photo. I love this since it can be used over and over every year. Other than a couple re-usable fabric projects, I'm determined to only spend money on food for this year's party. I hate all the land-fill destined junk that I usually end up picking up for goody bags, pinatas, etc.

PortabelloPixie Claire Pattern

2009-01-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

I received Sandi Henderson's Claire pattern in my stocking at Christmas. I made the round apron dress. I would have loved to use designed fabrics; but honestly, I can't afford that. Maybe if I was buying wholesale and selling outfits. The skirt on the Claire apron dress is incredibly full and uses 1.5 yards just for the skirt. I didn't have enough of the Ginger Blossom fabric.

The fabric I went with is much more muted. The rose print of the skirt was on clearance at JoAnns for $1.50/yd. I think this will be Eva's Easter dress.

Sandi's pattern came with a beautifully illustrated booklet of instructions. Great for beginners. I only have two complaints about it. 1) The sash was a nightmare to sew in. The directions weren't clear whether to sew it to the bodice or more towards the skirt. 2) Sandi includes her detailed tutorials for things like shirring and gathering. But, you're left on your own to figure out how to "embellish" the apron. It was hard to see up close the applique work she did on all her samples to get ideas.

The bodice on the matching doll dress ended up a little long. I don't have enough fabric to shorten it. She looks like a waitress in this dress, doesn't she?

04-2008-34 Ottobre Refashion

2009-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

This Ottobre 04-2008-34 "Tina" started as a long-sleeve adult t-shirt that was a little too short for me. It almost went out in my last garage sale, but I saved if because I thought the embroidery might make something cute for Eva.

I like this Ottobre pattern. The bottom gathered section isn't as full as the pattern wanted; but that's all the shirt width I had. It runs a little wide. A lot of Ottobre patterns I've tried seem to do that. I may make this again, but if I make it out of knit, I will definitely narrow the bodice. The bodice is lined, so I don't really want to take the stitches out to narrow this one. I actually think there is enough room in the bodice that I could have made this out of a woven. Also, with lighter weight knits, I would do a tube for the sleeves rather than heming the knit. I shortcut with a serged hem that looks OK. I skipped the step of using stay tape at the bodice and armpits. I'm really regretting that too.

I like the whole refashion idea; but I'm not really getting into the thrift store shopping. Everything seems more expensive than what I'd find at garage sales. I love garage sales and our area of middle income young families has great selection. This is the first year that'll I'll be going into garage sale season looking at clothes as fabric. (I did pick up a Tommy Hilfiger shower curtain with thoughts of making Eva a dress; but I haven't got up the nerve to cut into it yet). Really, I think the selection for cotton knits is much greater at garage sales from recycling than what I can get at the area fabric stores.

Molly Monkey

2008-12-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

I made Molly monkey from mmmCraft's tutorial. I don't really like my color choices here. This is actually the fabric I used for curtains and bed ruffles in Eva's nursery. So it's more of a keepsake for that. I think it would have been better with something brighter for the socks. I may try another one of these.

Ottobre 06-2008-14 Bess Coat

2008-12-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

I had bought this black faux fur in October to make a coat from a 2007 Ottobre that is very similar to this one in the latest issue. The fabric was back-ordered and when I pulled out the patterns, this one was very similar except the added front yoke and pockets.

The photo really shows some hem problems and the puckering on the bottom front seams. I just got a walking foot, so I may try to rip those out and adjust. I don't think anyone notices when she's wearing it; but it really bothers me. I made this to wear with her Christmas dress. The pockets were a little tricky to get into with a serger - that's probably part of the puckering problem. I did add a batting layer because I wanted it to be warm enough.

The beret is a little harder to see. But it is very cute. She gets complements every time she wears the coat. And generally, she won't take off the beret when she takes off the coat. I remember messing something up because the band is just a tad too big.

I have a little bit of the fur left, I may end up making her gloves to go along.

I'm thinking of picking up some clearance corduroy and making the version with the hood - although she doesn't need another coat right now.

Pointy Kitty Softie

2008-12-19T19:01:00.001-08:00

I used this free pattern of Pointy Kitty from Wee Wonderfuls to make this cute kitty. This is my first softie. The kids love him. I'm also in the process of making the mmmCraft Molly Monkey softie as Christmas presents for the kids. I think my dad and step-mom would like one of these kitties in John Deere print. The only problem was that I couldn't find wool felt. I used regular craft felt, so I don't know if it will hold up in any washings. I found a place with reasonable wool felt online. However, I don't know if I will make enough of these types of projects to warrant the $5 shipping. It's also hard to get a good assortment of colors if you don't know what you might use it for. This used very little material; just the scraps from making a kid's apron.

Ottobre 04-2008 Helmi

2008-12-17T19:17:00.001-08:00

I decided to tackle the Ottobre 04-2008 Helmi pattern although reviews had complained it had a lot of pieces. I prefer quicker projects. I had ordered 1 yard of this corduroy awhile back from fabric.com. My daughter wears a size 5-6 in RTW. By height, she falls around 110-116 in the European sizes. She's a rather petite 6 1/2 -year-old. What had also kept me away from this pattern was that it starts at size 128. I'm guessing that's around a size 8, maybe 7. The length was perfect right at the knee without any adjustments. I actually forgot to check for alterations until I had everything hemmed. From the width, it needed to be brought in. From the armpit to the top of the skirt pocket, I took in about an inch on each side.

Sorry for the sloppy picture. My daughter has had the flu this week and couldn't model this. I also did leggings (the Ottobre Hilda or Lily pattern) and the Jalie 2805 top to go under it for the cold winter. I only had 1 yard of cordoroy. That was barely enough for the short sleeve version. In fact, I used every possible scrap to cut down to the last piece. I wanted a solid pink knit, but I only had a yard in my stash. I haven't found any great collection of knits yet here in the KC metro. JoAnns had nothing close for color. I got this stripe at Hobby Lobby. I think it was on clearance for $3 a yard. Hobby Lobby has some nice modern cotton calicos and a handful of knits for good prices. The knits just have little stretch and are very thin. They're fine for leggings though.

Overall, I liked the end result of this pattern. It did take extra time for all the top-stitching. Every seam is double topstitched. My serger is running on 3 thread mode right now, so that actually was a plus. However, I'm not a great top-stitcher. This is also the 6th pair of these leggings I've made with this pattern. Two are actually pajama bottoms. Also a new thing for me was installing a zipper on this dress. I don't have a zipper foot and didn't notice the coats & clark plastic invisible foot attachment when I picked out a zipper, but I was still able to get it installed without too much hassle.

As for the serger, I bought the Janome 3434D from Hancocks at what I thought was a good price under $200. However, the local Janome service center is not friendly about working on Hancock specific Janome machines. Janome publishes no data to them for part numbers. I previously broke the needle guard or something and had to have it serviced for $75. This time I stripped and broke the left needle clamp tightening screw. It's a simple enough repair, I can do everything myself once I have the parts. Not a lot of cooperation though on getting me the parts.

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

2008-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

I have actually completed several sewing projects since the last post, but I haven't photographed them. I should get those posted shortly.

There was also a Pink Fig dress made in for 6-9 mo given away to Aiden's teacher. It turned out cute. However, I forgot to photograph it before it got wrapped.

The kids normally make some homemade ornament to pass out to grandparents/aunts/uncles at Christmas. Typically, it's very kid-made looking. This year we did dough ornaments and painted them. Now I've found a few patterns out there that make very nice quality home-made ornaments. This year, we made this snowman for all of Eva's specials teachers and a couple neighbors. The kids loved stuffing them and were able to help a little with the buttons and beads. Best thing was that all materials were from around the house. The white material is actually an old white towel that has come close to the trash can many times.

Another Try on Jalie Tops

2008-10-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

JoAnns has their red tag fabric 50% off this week. So I picked up some comfy t-shirt type knit. Not sure exact fiber content because the tags said poly/cotton blends. I prefer 100% cotton. I really don't understand why so much of the apparel fabric in the fabric stores are synthetic fibers. I bet 80% of the shirts in my closet are at least 90% cotton. But these knits I picked up ran $2 a yard.

First is the Jalie 2805 again. I changed to the v-neck, but raised the neckline a bit from the pattern. It turned out well. The only problem I had was on my hems on the knits. A lot of times, I've been topstitching with a water soluable stabilizer on the bottom. I don't have a walking foot for my machine. Actually, I only have the basic foot. I thought others might have come with my machine, but have no idea where I might have stored them. Anyway, I realized, there are some stitches on my regular machine for knits. One problem I'm having is my topstitching popping/breaking threads on knits with the stretch. These knit stitches work for the stretch. This one basically is a straight stitch in triple. It is super easy to make the stitches uneven with this stitch. Plus, it is too heavy of a line for a hem. When I try to rip out this stitch, I create holes in the fabric. This shirt is very wearable in my regular week. I'm not happy with the hem. But, I have the hem long enough that I can still turn them up again for a new hem.

Next I made another of Jalie 2794. For equivalent measurements, this pattern is 1 inch slimmer than 2805. Odd?? I ended up doing quite a bit of altering at the end. The shirt is suffering a bit. I forgot to raise the neckline when I cut out, so I ended up needing to shorten the shoulder. Problem was that the shirt was complete. I minimized my ripping but resulted in some odd ripples at the arm seam. Since I'm not happy with the hem on the purple shirt, I tried to make a fabric curled edge for the hems. Not perfect and I'm not crazy about the stitch I chose. There are also some holes from ripping. I'm not completely happy with this one. I think I'll wear it; but probably not when I'll be out with my coat off.

Two Jalie Tops

2008-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I pulled out my tripod to make photographing my clothes easier. There seems to be a piece missing, the piece that actually attaches to the camera. The platform on the tripod can still support my point and shoot, but not my SLR. I guess that's OK since I dropped and broke my wider angle lens for the SLR.

We were also in Wichita this weekend. So, I scheduled extra time to stop at NeedleNook Fabrics. They did have a lot of knits. Much more than I can find anywhere here in Kansas City. I guess I also expected to see more super cute kid knits and more prints for tops for me. I was also rushed for time with less than 30 minutes, but I still left with a large package that will last me awhile. Everything was reasonably priced. I picked up a few pieces from the remnant tables at discount and a piece with a small printing error for $2.75 a yard. The most I paid was $6.50 a yard. Worth a stop if you're in Wichita; but I'd order from the internet before I'd make a special trip down there.

So, I've sewn two more knit tops for me. Both from Jalie patterns. Neither are winners yet.

The first is from Jalie 2805. It is the Henley type neckline. This is the pattern I used to make a pajama top that I haven't posted. I have to say that the neckline is a pain. You have to be careful that the material is not too stretchy. My first version's neckline looks horrible, but it's a PJ. This material is from Hobby Lobby. I'm not real crazy about it. I also did a rolled hem for the sleeves. As soon as I change the serger thread back to black, I will need to redo them to a lettuce leaf hem. The sleeves ran slim and this material didn't have a lot of stretch, so the elbows are a little tight. I didn't post the side view, but I have excess fabric in the back near the waistline. I'm not sure how to alter this. Anyway, this will probably be the last one I do of this neckline.

The second top I did is Jalie 2794. I raised the neckline because I don't have a large enough chest for cleavage shirts. The problem is that the elastic now just looks dorky because it falls above my small girls. I think the next version of this shirt, I will just eliminate the elastic. This is a poly jersey from fabric.com. The problem is that it has virtually no stretch. As an afterthought, I added 1 inch to the side seams to accomodate this problem. All would be fine except for the hip area is too slim. It's probably OK with a skirt or some lightweight pants. But, it won't work with jeans. Not sure what to do with it. I could make a black band on the bottom, but I'm not sure how that would look. Because I haven't figured out what I'm doing to the bottom, it is just serged at the bottom and not hemmed.

McCalls 5643 - Aprons to Teacher Gifts

2008-10-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have 3 teacher gifts ready for the holidays. I believe all are KU Jayhawk fans. I used a pattern because my self drafted pattern is a little too simple. These are all based on McCalls pattern 5643. Hobby Lobby was having a 99 cents pattern sale. They're nice because they're fully lined. Pretty simple to make. I don't think I'd make this pattern for myself. There is a flair at the waistline that makes hips stick out. Plus, none of them really give good coverage over your shirts and really, that's where I make a mess when I'm cooking.

My first shirt and some alterations

2008-09-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

OK, this was my first shirt pattern for me (other than a PJ). It is Butterick 4685. I can say that it's not a favorite. I thought it would be. I have other shirts in knit like this in my closet that I love. But in woven, this was a very unfitted catastrophe that's one of those shirts that makes people ask - is she pregnant. First the pattern sleeves were meant to be worn almost off the shoulder. This seemed very 80s and not me. I adjusted that. The pattern sizing on the envelope seemed very wrong. By their measurements, I should have made a size 18 (probably 4 sizes too large).

Here is the shirring I added to the back to make it more fitted.
I also ripped out the sleeves of the leotard I made earlier in the week and added elastic to the neckline. Eva hasn't tried it on yet; but hopefully it's a better fit. Tomorrow night's dance. Maybe she'll wear it. Although, I was hoping to make a matching navy dance skirt for it first.

Leotard - Butterick 6660

2008-09-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

I used the leftover fabric from the Ottobre Hilda and Lilly set to make a quick leotard. This pattern was picked up at Hancock's 99 cents Butterick sale. It's a simple pattern to make and it uses very little fabric for sleeveless or short sleeve. However, next time I will need to do some alterations. There is a good excess of about an inch of fabric in the back. About the only way I could alter the current piece would be to add elastic to the neckline. The sleeve also had excess fabric and I added a pleat to the top. I should have gathered it or removed fabric from the sleeve. The current result is a little boxy looking. I had to use wooly nylon on the neckline hem. When I had her try it on the first time, the normal polyester thread popped on the stretch. I haven't mastered wooly nylon with top stitching yet. My machine breaks the thread if the tension isn't at auto. Then at auto, if I don't run at a fast speed, I get skipped or loose stitches. I'm sure some of these things were just user error; but it's currently a little ill-fitting.

Another Legging Set

2008-09-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is the Hilda and Lilly pattern from Ottobre again. I made the leggings a little tighter fitting. I also had to leave the pocket off the top. The knit I used on this was too light weight and even when I used a stabilizer, I was getting puckering on the top-stitching. Looks nice and comfy for winter play clothes.

I am also working on a PJ set; but the pictures will have to wait until Christmas.

I'm also trying to cut back to one sewing project a week. I've accumulated a large addition of fabric in the last month. This all started when I tried going through my fabric to clean-out some for the garage sale. Now, I have lots of fabric for projects for Eva clothes. Most are summer fabrics and not many can be used in adult clothing. Now, Eva really does not need any clothes. I generally stock up several seasons in advance for the kids through garage sales. Unless you're shopping the $1 bin at Walmart, you really can't sew for cheaper at home. And even then, you can't sew for cheaper than what I find at garage sales.

First Ottobre Pattern

2008-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

I tried my first Ottobre pattern. This is the 06-2007-27&28 Hilda and Lily made with a Euro knit from Sewzannes. The fabric is really a nice winter weight knit. The leggings are super simple with just 1 pattern piece. I'm going to use it as a PJ. The set is a little loud. I think she will probably outgrow this style quickly. But she loves it now.

Peter Pan Costume

2008-09-13T08:30:00.001-07:00

I stocked up on Butterick patterns for 99 cents at Hancocks. I had the kids pick their costume from the available patterns. We came up with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. Eva already has a fairy-type tinkerbell costume I picked up from garage sales a year or so ago. So, I only had to make Peter Pan. It's not my favorite pattern. Can't say I'd choose a pattern with a collar on purpose. The good part is that this actually cost less than a store bought costume, especially a Disney costume. With fabric and pattern, I'm in the $10-$15 dollar range. I could have found something cheaper at a garage sale. But that's what I usually do and they don't get to voice an opinion in what their costume is.

Jalie T-Shirt 2805

2008-09-11T18:30:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest fall outfit for Eva. The top is Jalie t-shirt pattern #2805. It was nice and simple. The only problem I had was the v-neck was way too low for a 6 year old. I added a modesty panel. The skirt is a self-drafted A-line pattern made with a cordoroy from JoAnns. I made it into a skort by sewing in an old pair of knit shorts. The sewing is a little off adding the skort liner because it was an afterthough. I'd originally that she'd wear this with leggings; but my Ottobre pattern isn't here yet. So, I guess it will be grey tights. I had also originally bought some pink satin that I thought I would use as an accent. Right, now I've given up on that.

I've started keeping some old clothes in the hopes of recycling them into something wearable for the kids. My first attempt, I sewed a pair of shorts into a summer dress that was too short. That didn't work so well. I'm not sure how I thought she'd be able to use the bathroom;) But this seemed to work well.

Three Fall Outfits

2008-09-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

I finished up these 3 outfits within a couple days of receiving my serger. I think all were probably cut and waiting for it's arrival. Last week, I broke the serger already. It's in the repair shop because the loopers are bent. I think I'm reducing the resolution on my photos too low for detail...

Halloween Skirt
I didn't use a pattern on this one. It is a little too wide. I've taken it in once to reduce puffiness at the waist area and may take it in again. It's an orange with black polka dot cotton with a mesh type spider web fabric on the lower half.

Stripwork Skirt
I'd seen lots of these stripwork skirts on etsy. Pink Fig has a pattern; but I thought it looked too simple to use a pattern. So, I used this tutorial http://motherginger.wordpress.com/a-stripwork-skirt-tutorial/. I used 4 strips of 5 fabrics rather than 2. All are Park Slope fabrics by Erin McMorris. Then the bird layer I need half a yard. It goes well with this long sleeve T-shirt garage sale find.

From the Scrap Pile

I had actually sent both of these fabrics to the basement to be priced for our next garage sale. The floral is a flannel I had purchased for future quilt making. The dark blue is some sort of synthetic velvetish type. I had planned to trin some curtains with this fabric. But together the reminded me of the toille outfits Baby Nay had 1 or 2 winters ago.

This one I actually used a pattern for. The pant and most of the top is New Look Pattern 6797. The sleeves come from Butteric B4274. I plan on writing my first pattern review on this. I cut a size six; but this pattern seemed to run very large. In fact, I had to add shirring to the back of the shirt. Normally, Eva wears closer to a size 5. But for dresses, I typically buy her a 6 so that she has extra length to grow into. The pants are also very wide. The outfit is cute and fun; but it's on the border of being too big for this year.

I am venturing into knits and I think I'm going to try some adult clothes. I have one of the Jalie t-shirt patterns on order from fabric.com. I want to also get the Jalie cross-over top pattern. I can have trouble finding good fitting t-shirts. Just this weekend at Kohls, I probably tried on at least 10 and left with only 1 that I will need to alter. I have 3 orders of knits coming in from fabric.com, sewzannes and crybaby.com. I also picked up fabric from Walmart to make aprons for gifts. Three are for teacher's holiday gifts. So, the project pile is getting large; but I won't make any progress until I get the serger back. I also ordered one back issue of the children's Ottobre. There are leggings and a coat I would like to make. I think I'm going to request a subscription for Christmas.

School Clothes

2008-08-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

Pink Fig Dress
Here is the dress I made for Eva's first day of school. I used Amy Butler fabrics. It is the Pink Fig Lily Top pattern. I love the Pink Fig patterns. They seem to cover the standard girls boutique clothing items sold on etsy. My earlier attempt at this pattern, I did not pre-shrink the fabrics and it is almost too small for Eva. So, I made modifications to the pattern. I cut slightly bigger than the largest cut lines (size 6-7, note Eva wears a 5). I used cased elastic at the neck and arms. I lowered the shirred waistline. I made the sash; but Eva wears it at her hips, well below the shirred line and it looks funny there. I also made a matching headband not shown.

Grocery Bags - The bag shown next to Eva was made from this tutorial. This was fabric in my pile to sell at the garage sale. I also made a couple from a vintage bedsheet. I now have a pile of pre-cut fabric waiting for me to make more of these. They haven't actually made it to the grocery store; however, Aiden does use them daily to pick produce from the garden. I'm not sure how soon I'll get around to finishing the rest. I picked up 2 of the green bags from Aldi's. They are much larger than the bags sold at other stores; so I'm not sure if I'll need as many as I had planned.

Twirly Skirt and applique t-shirt
This skirt was from the Grand Revival Tutorial. I actually had this fabric cut and ready to go for about a week while I awaited the arrival of my new serger (Juno 3434D). I had searched craigslist and ebay for a few weeks before finally giving up and buying new at Hancocks for less than most sergers were selling used. Atlanta Thread has great prices for Maxi-Lock thread. Since the photo, I have actually brought the hem of the top ruffle up about an inch to show more of the flowered fabric. The t-shirt was my first attempt at applique. Also one of my first attempts on knit fabric. I've had bad experience on knits before. I didn't have enough of the striped fabric to put behind the flower. If I had it would have matched a little better.

I do have a pile of projects backed up in my stack. I completed a stripwork skirt for Eva, snackbag for school snacks and pajama bottoms for Aiden today. I'll post those once I have photos.

More Aprons and the Dresses

2008-07-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post the pictures of the apron patterns and the dresses. It may be a while before I have time to add the pattern instructions.

Simple Apron - This one takes 3/4 yard fabric and 3 yards of contrasting double folded bias tape to make a kid size (age 4-10) apron. It can easily be adjusted for size 2T-4T. It is super simple and can be made in about 30 minutes. I have made 9 of these aprons. My plan is to have a little chef pizza party for Eva's 7th birthday and give all the girls their own apron. The neck is tie straps.

Elastic Neck Apron - This is an adaptation from the simple apron. It takes just a little more work with an elastic neckline.
Emma Apron - This apron features the elastic neck, contrasting waistband and colorful pockets. It is cute; but can take 2 hours to complete.
Shirred Sundress - This is the first outfit I made for Eva and I made it without a pattern. The top includes about 12 rows of shirred stitching. I simply used the normal width of the fabric cut, added straps and a hem. It is a little big and I would make the next one smaller. The straps aren't working because the hole is almost too small for her head. I also made a matching headband because she wears a headband every day. Super simple to make the headband - 10 minutes tops.

Pink Fig - The Lily Dress - This was made from a pattern from Pink Fig with Amy Butler fabrics. I made this for Eva's first day of 1st grade. There is also a matching headband I made. For a size 6-7, the pattern runs a little slim through the waist. I'm planning on making a second one, widening at the waist and substituting cased elastic at the neckline rather than the shirring. My finished edges don't look as nice as the pattern samples. I really need a serger to make them look nice. Since I don't have one, I'm trying the cased elastic. I like the dress, I think it has the children's boutique look; however, I don't think the fabric is really Eva.

First Apron

2008-07-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

The creation of this blog really came about because of the apron project. I'm always getting grease spots on my shirts when I'm cooking. I don't fry things or cook with very much oil, but there are always splatters that don't come out in the laundry. So, the idea for an apron was started. Also, the kids like to cook in the kitchen. They'd love to have aprons whenever it is cooking time.

Here is a picture of the first finished apron.
The pattern came from HERE. 13 aprons later, I've created 2 of my own patterns. I will post them as soon as I can. Searching the internet for patterns also inspired me to make 2 boutique style dresses for Eva which will also be posted later.

Cupcake Pincushions

2008-07-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

My first creation to post was inspired by Shabby Miss Jenn and Fabric Chic and their directions.
Unfortunately, I don't have all the designer fabric scraps that they have. But we did have some scraps from the couple quilts I've made. I also just finished going through the craft closet and pulling out 3 bags of material to be sold at our fall garage sale. Eva and Aiden picked out the fabric combinations with some help. Definitely not as cute as the original; but it's free, recycled and functional.

First Post

2008-07-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

I get the ideas for most of my creations from the internet. So, I thought I'd create this blog to give others access to use my creations too. Mainly this will be focused on crafts and any other projects I take on. Right now, I'm in the middle of some sewing projects and I will post those creations soon.

I'm not all that creative when it comes to words. So, the name of the blog comes from our garden this year. I love cucumbers, particularly the pickling varieties. It is hard to find pickling cucumbers in the stores that are fresh and not wrinkled up. Every year, I plant as many as I can in the garden. We have a small yard, so the garden is limited to a 8 foot by 16 foot patch. One third of the patch is overgrown with strawberries. This year, the remainder is primarily cucumbers and tomatoes. The cucumbers have been so prolific this year, that I've been picking 15-20 every day since the end of June. On a good day, I might be able to eat 4-5 cucumbers. Chad doesn't eat them and the novelty of eating them has worn off for the kids. So, there is quite an accumulation. I've run out of people to give them to... thus, CRAZY CUCUMBERS. I wish I could think of something that would make a cute logo or be related to crafts; but I haven't come up with anything yet.