Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Real Pictures

I made Bird try on the dress and model for me.  It is always nice when you get real pictures of things.  On people not hangers at 1 in the morning.  However, these days my 7 year old real pictures are feeling more and more contrived. 

IMG_9876 (853x1280) IMG_9880 (853x1280)Silly play shows the dress better though I’m not quick enough with my camera to catch up.  I’m trying to dive into knits a little this week after being inspired by KCSC—a lot of cute knits out there.  In addition to my cream dress (knit success#1), I made two pairs of leggings in navy for school (knit success #2), one of which she is wearing.  They turned out cute and I’m finding knit to be real forgiving to work with.  Bird loves the leggings because she says they are cozier than the ones from the store.   I think the drape of the single jersey makes them feel luxurious though they may not be the hardiest pairs.  IMG_9887 (853x1280)   IMG_9889 (853x1280) IMG_9891 (853x1280)Also.  I feel badly with all the dismal and downright disastrous weather across the country to bring attention to ours.  But really, can you believe this Halloween week?  Could potentially be the warmest Halloween in recorded history and we are enjoying it.IMG_9892 (853x1280) IMG_9896 (853x1280)

Happy Halloween!

News to look forward to:  Have you seen all the Farmer’s Wife Quilts making their way around the internet.  I’m starting one and hope to finish it sometime in 2013 (at my quilting rate this timeframe is ambitious).  I also have a hand-pieced hexagon project I’ve been working on here and there that I need to share.  It looks promising that I’ll be done with that one by the time I’m 2013.   

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Cream Dress

This is a dress from Ottobre, Issue Winter 2010.  It calls for a lightly felted wool but I made it out of a quality cream ponte knit.  It is a fast sew.  Satisfying.  I love the ruffly trim at the neck and the wide turtleneck collar.  I’m interested to see how it fits on.  I think if I made it again out of a knit I would try to omit the zipper entirely.  I imagine there is enough give and this collar is wide enough to pull it over, which would make this dress insanely quick.  It is a size 128 for Bird.  Hopefully it stays clean longer than one wear.   IMG_9871 IMG_9872

Friday, October 26, 2012

Happy Halloween (almost)

Today was the first of our Halloween parties. Naturally, I was frantically sewing/crafting the last minute accessories for Queen Elinor.  Bird loves her costume.  I didn’t hate it.  I think the resemblance is good and if you knew who Queen Elinor was you would potentially recognize Bird.  (Did you pay attention for the 10 minutes she wasn’t a bear in a movie you maybe saw once?)  

I wish the green of the overdress was less Kermit. 

I’ve been wishing that I had put a seam down the top of the sleeves to help me shape them better.  By the time I realized the limitations of the sleeves they were cut out and I was not going to buy more kermit fabric. 

So far there isn’t a pattern out there for Queen Elinor—limited demand I’m sure.  I made this with some dramatic drafting modifications to McCalls 5499.  I made an unlined underdress and then a lined overdress because that was the easiest way I could wrap my brain around what needed to happen with that queen’s sleeves that didn’t require me rolling any hems on those extreme convex curves. 

My darling girlfriend drew and cut out the pellon-super-stiff-and-expensive-stuff for a crown.  We had worked on a crown last week when I was helping mostly chatting with her while she worked on her own amazing costumes.  She made a Max of The Wild Things, Goldilocks, and Olivia the pig.  I need to see if I can post her costumes here because they should be shown.  Anyways, it was nice because I was running behind and I could just come home and cover that crown with gold taffeta without thinking.  I was busy with spray paint.  Making my chains and my gem’s setting gold.  (Yup, there you have it.  I sprayed my accessories gold.  Quality.)  I did find time to freehand some scrolling on my crown.  It was my favorite part of the whole construction and the first time I’ve utilized my new machines free motion embroidery features.  It was so fun and I’m trying to think of other things I can do. 

These aren’t the best pictures.  I’m hoping to find time tomorrow for some that are better.  There you are folks.  Happy Halloween. 

IMG_9843 IMG_9856 (852x1280) IMG_9857 (853x1280) IMG_9865 (853x1280) IMG_9867 (853x1280)IMG_9870 (853x1280) Lulu didn’t want to wear her dress today.  She really preferred Belle.  She did love getting candy so I called it her candy dress with hopes that she will put it on again.   It was pretty cold, even with her velveteen hood.  Fingers crossed that Halloween is warmer.IMG_9849 (853x1280)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Halloween Preview

Lu is being Little Red Riding Hood.  (My choice.)  Bird is being the supporting character in Brave that gets turned into a bear for most of the movie, Queen Elinor. (Not my choice.)  Lu’s costume has been fun to sew.  Birds costume, not so much. 
This is what Queen Elinor looks like.  I pretty much hate this dress right now and my rendition of it.  It has been a costly and messy sew with a lot of wonky parts.  It isn’t done because Bird chose what she wanted to be on Saturday.  I’ll post pictures soon though.  1000px-IPadElinor
Onto the happy half.  This is what 8 yards of tulle looks like on a size one.  The pattern is 2571 Simplicity.  I made some changes in my fabric choices, the construction, and of course the addition of the tulle.  I also made the apron (modified to be shorter) from Simplicity 2571.  IMG_9822 (1280x852)I added the lace to the bodice and the apron with a pinstitching technique.  Janice Ferguson has a set of really helpful posts for this technique here and here.  I was really pleased with how it turned out.  The white is a batiste, the black is cotton velveteen.  The lace isn’t anything special, just happened to have it stashed.  IMG_9823 (853x1280)The cape from Simplicity 2571 seemed too big for such a little person.  I wanted a whimsical cape, not a cloak.  Ottobre Issue Winter 2008 had a darling cape with a pointed top and a clean cut jacket.  I made this out of red velveteen with red satin lining it.  This pattern is amazing.  It is so quick—only 2 pieces to cut out and sew together—yet so satisfying.  IMG_9826 (853x1280)
Ooohh, I forgot.  And bloomers for underneath.  Also from Simplicity 2571 in the white batiste utilizing the pinstitching technique for detail. 
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Watch for modeled pictures soon.  Friday maybe?
Bro wanted to be batman.  And he wanted to buy it.  Gasp! I know.  I'm trying to think of it as a pleasant way to save a little time and money.

Monday, October 15, 2012

That last dress…

This is the last dress I had planned for KCSC that I sort of just fizzled on (partly because I hadn’t found a contrasting fabric I loved that brought out the pears).  The pattern is Simplicity 1814.  I love the sleeves on this pattern.  They are so sweet and it makes a novel twist on a basic dress.  However, this pattern runs BIG.  Big big.  I’m hoping that it will shrink enough to be wearable this winter but I don’t expect it to fit well until next fall.  I made a size 2 for my 2.5 year old Lu and it fits like it is a generous 3.  So, overall, make this pattern, it is fun and has darling details but size down if you are uncertain on the size.  I also didn’t have enough contrasting fabric to fully line it in the green flowers.  I made sure the sleeves were properly lined in green because they flutter open a bit but the rest of the bodice had to be pieced.  The pear cord was on red-tag clearance at JoAnns.  The green flowers I picked up at my local quilt shop on a hexies paper run (which they were out of, argh!).  I’m not sure of the designer of the green and wasn’t even sure I liked the fabric until I had the dress all made up—I do like. 

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Sunday, October 14, 2012

No dress yesterday?!

Yeah, yeah.  I noticed too.  After 5 in a row, Day 6 was too much to overcome.  Instead I went to the movies with my family and put things away after cutting it out (which nearly took an hour dear KCSC particulars, because I was that unfocused).  I’m going to finish the 6th dress tonight I hope and then move onto one more nightingale tunic for Bird and costume(s).  Twins still mulling around in their mind what they are going to be.  I pushed hard for all the things I wanted to sew… Mary Poppins/Bert in their best and Peter Pan/Wendy/Tink were part of my campaign.  First graders don’t want to be those things.  They want to be the same thing as their friends, I guess.  I may buy a costume (gasp). 

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I also did laundry yesterday which is usually a dreary task.  Okay, it was mostly still dreary but there were some marginal points when tiny new dresses came out of the laundry.  The bird dresses were clean today together for the first time so Lu and Bird wore them to church.  The biggish 8 shrunk into a perfect 7. 

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All in all, KCSC was so much fun.  I’m already making plans for the spring edition.  The organization of completing this much sewing in this amount of time is tricky.  Drafting a solid plan and making sure the materials are ready really makes a difference.  I felt prepared starting this but so many things could be better.  I need to have notions and contrasting fabrics and the like purchased before the week starts.  Making a trip to JoAnns in October really held up some of my projects. 

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I loved making so many play outfits.  I always mean to make a good chunk of their wardrobes but it gets tricky because I never start early enough before the season starts to be ready.  Then I feel like if I add something halfway through the cool season it won’t get enough wear or is redundant because I already had to go out and buy ready-to-wear items.

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I loved the momentum of KCSC.  And seeing everybody’s beautiful things.  Next time I want to add more variety. 

IMG_9707 (853x1280)Ryan and the kids maybe didn’t love KCSC as much.  I used it as an excuse to neglect other things… like dinner.  Expect things to return to normal.  Dinner, exercise, cleaning, way less blogging.IMG_9709 (853x1280) And join me again next year.  (And watch out for that last dress.)IMG_9730 (854x1280)

Friday, October 12, 2012

KCSC Day 5

Pleased with the result today.  Darling tunic from Ottobre, Issue Autumn 2009, style #16 “Nightingale”.  I love the details of this pattern.

IMG_9652 (853x1280)I picked up this apple cord in Portland years ago when I was visiting my sister.  I meant to make a first day of preschool dress for Bird… four years ago.  It was nice to make something out of it finally. The green contrast has a light pink dot.   

This isn’t my cleanest sew.  I made some errors cutting out and also in placing my zipper.  I cut the back section on the fold so I omitted the sewing allowance in the back.  Bummer.  Then I forgot that the top neck had binding around it so it didn’t have an allowance when I placed my zipper so I placed it a half inch too low.  And one of my sleeves isn’t set in as smoothly as I would like—no puckers, but definitely pulling a bit at the cap seam. 

 IMG_9657 (853x1280)I think it will be a little big for Lu this Fall but she can wear it for a while.  The smallest size it came was 92 and really, she’s closer to an 86.

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Lu is really into spooky right now.  Those are her spooky expressions.

KCSC Day 4

So, I loved this dress in a size 2.  Eh.  Not as much in the size 7.  Lu wore hers all day today and it was darling and I’m anxious to see what this one looks like on Bird but right now I’m not loving it.  Functionally, I’m sure it will work as a warmer play outfit.  I didn’t have anymore of the scalloped gray fabric so I substituted the scrolling gray.  I like the scallops better.  The dots are oversized and bold on a size 2, whereas on the 7 they seem diluted. 
It is done, which is something considering my late LATE start.  I’m much more excited about tomorrow.  Dress cuteness ensues (hopefully).    
IMG_9624 (853x1280)Let’s talk about our successes.  These just popped out of the oven.  If you are up making wee dresses you may as well make some pumpkin cinnamon rolls.  Right?  IMG_9626 (853x1280)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

KCSC Day 3

Folks, this is the third dress.  That means half of my dresses planned for this week of sewing are already finished. 

This is another Simplicity Pattern, 1949 and again I was pleased with how it was drafted.  I modified the construction slightly to put it together a little quicker and decrease the bulk around the top of the zipper but it went together beautifully.  This is for Lu but I’m planning another for Bird tomorrow.  (I know, kind of a let down for Day 4 huh?)  I was able to make the yoke and sleeves out of a fat quarter I had stashed.  The polka cord came from JoAnns. 

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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

KCSC Day 2

Needs to be pressed and better light.  Finished way later than I would have liked.  Going to skip tomorrow’s run for this particular nightsew.  Bird loved Lu’s peacock dress so this is a more sophisticated 7 year old version of that.  This pattern is great—Simplicity 1787.  The smallest it came in is an 8 which is a little bigger than I would have liked.  However, it looks cute even big and will likely fit next winter too.  Win, win.  Bird LOVES pockets and these ones are big and easy to use.  The sleeveless version of this would make a great jumper for their school uniform if she didn’t already have a lot of dresses/jumpers.  Next year maybe.

IMG_9622 (853x1280)Good News!  Lu loves dress number one.  Just because I make something doesn’t mean she will wear it.  There are several things she has only worn once (begrudgingly) because she doesn’t much care for them.  Ryan saw this last night and declared that there wasn’t a chance LuLu would wear it—no pink or purple, no bird with a button tail or other cute creature, and not a costume.  He had a serious point, so I was delighted when she woke up happy she had a new dress and even liked it. IMG_9620 (853x1280)

Monday, October 8, 2012

Day One KCWC

Discovering Lu’s wardrobe deficiency conveniently coincided with the Kids Clothes Week Challenge, so I decided to sew each day this week.  Specifically, I’m planning on making a new dress every day this week.  Both Lu and Bird only really wear dresses and skirts.  The closest they get to pant territory is leggings… under a dress or skirt.  With that in mind I’ve planned dresses with long sleeves (mostly) and hardy fabrics. 

This dress is from Ottobre Issue Winter 2010.  It is ‘Snow Flakes’ style #7 in a size 86.   I really like the pattern because it has the shape and comfort of a tiered dress with more structure than the raglan seaming typical of tiered dresses--set in sleeves, smooth neckline, and back buttons. 

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Fall Wardrobe for Tulip-Lu

I went to the garage last week to get clothes out for Lu, then came strait back inside and looked through my blog from 2007-2008 to figure out what Bird even wore because there was so little in that size saved.   It was determined that Bird wore pants (gasp!  will never happen for Lu) and pajamas.  Consequently, we are in full-blown make cool weather clothes for LuLu.  I made this for her yesterday.  She LOVES it.  Bird also loves it so I think I’ll be getting some more of this teal corduroy and making another in a bigger size/older style.  The pattern is Ottobre, Winter 2008, Style #6 “Dolly”.  I made a size 86 width, 92 length.  It fits really well.  I shortened the sleeves to 3/4 and added a binding instead of elastic because it suits the 3/4 style better I think.  I also omitted some topstitching.  The bird is also from Ottobre but another issue.  I hand appliqued and hand embroidered it.  The eye and the head flounce are satin stitched.   The materials for the bird were scrounged up around the house.  Lu picked the pinkish-purplish buttons out the other day as a treat for going to JoAnns with me last week.  She has been carrying them around in little fistfuls.  She was so pleased to find some of them on her dress this morning.  My sister Nicole gave me the awesome orange buttons.  For several years she would send me darling packages of buttons from a button store in Portland for special days.  The quality of the buttons she has sent can’t compare to others I’ve obtained here and there.  She also has come upon some lovely vintage sets.  I love buttons.  

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

86 cm. Too wide

I’ve been sewing from my stash of fabrics lately making Lu some fall/winter/spring dresses to wear.  The spotted green is a lovely baby cord.  This is from Winter 2006 Ottobre.  I thought the pattern was a little too much work and a little wide, even in the 86.  Hopefully with some wear it will loosen up and be grown into over the winter.

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