Kids Clothes Week Wrap Up

Another round of KCW has been and gone and I’m yet to do a post – so here it is! This time round I decided to just do one post to sum up the week. It made it easier to manage and took less time out of what was already a very very hectic week!!! Though this was the summer edition of KCW it’s winter here and dead set freezing so winter clothes it was – ok here we go!

 

This time round there was only 1 recipient, Master B, and only one request  from Master B’s mummy – pants, pants and more pants! Master B’s skinny waist and extra long legs make buying pants that fit hard to come by so Aunty Naomi to the rescue! I only used 2 patterns and in some ways this is kinda a review as it was the first time I had used either (sorta – more on that later). First up I used Peek-a-boo pattern shop’s Skinny Jeans pattern, I found this pattern easy enough to follow though not very polished. The picture tutorial shows no consistency with the jeans being made and was a little higgledy piggledy (I asked my partner for the word I was looking for this is what she came up with bahaha) in how it was constructed. I can tell you now I’m not keen on making another pair any time soon, well at least not with the level of detail I put into this pair (I’m thinking a larger size would probably be easier though)! For the fabric I upcycled a pair of old jeans that were in my reuse pile and used the existing hem saving me 2 rows of topstitching!!!!Top stitching ergghhh, what a pain! However, I digress if they fit Master B happy days and they look just like store bought jeans….kinda…. (albeit with a tiny tiny waist!)

 

 

Next up I made 5 pairs of pants using the one pattern – Dana of MADE’s KID shorts pattern. Hang on I said I made pants didn’t I? Sure did I just added length to the bottom of the shorts and narrowed the inseam slightly and voila an excellent pants pattern! Now I had not specifically used Dana’s pattern before, however I did previously (HERE) resize her 1 size only pants pattern so I was familiar with their construction. Now this pattern I LOVE LOVE LOVE! It is so easy to follow, has excellent sizing and is just down right perfect. Of course when summer comes around Master B will get a wardrobe full of shorts! So here we go 4 pairs of tracksuit pants and 1 pair of kermit pants (you’ll see) coming up!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

With this last pair I tried to get a bit fancy – I lopped off the top 8cm or so of the pattern and used ribbing and tried to make cuffed bottoms. It didn’t really work exactly as planned but hey they still kind look cute!

 

All up this was a solid 7 days of sewing (those pesky jeans took 2 days) for KCW and can’t wait till tomorrow to hand them over to Master B’s mummy. I have to say Master B is going to look pretty fetching in his new pants!

A confession & some cowl’s!

I know day 6 & 7 of Kids Clothes Week never made it to the blog. Initially the explanation was simple I had to work….a lot. As someone who only works casually it was a good thing for the bank balance but for me as a whole it was exhausting as I wasn’t even close to use to it, however looking at the bank balance it was totally worth it! After that I finally got the chance to edit my photos, nothing major just making them square and small and adding a bit of text, but then it just started falling apart – the numbers weren’t looking right, the photos seemed to glitch when saved, and I was getting frustrated. I digitised my first ever pattern (albeit not perfectly) and tried to upload it and that didn’t work and by this point it was now weeks not days since the challenge ended and I was then too disappointed in myself for not getting on here in time to care. But it goes one step further, I was also ashamed for promising something I failed to deliver and was too scared to do another post (stupid I know), but alas here I am back on the blog to say sorry and that the pants pattern will come but for now it has bad ju’ju so I am leaving it behind for awhile!

 

I know that was all serious and I have one more bit of serious news before I actually share some pretty cool cowl’s I knitted! The other serious news is my casual job lost 1 of its contracts to private enterprise, so my hours while sporadic as they were have now become sparse as well as sporadic, I’m talking probably about 2, yes that is TWO shifts a month. So not cool, but plus side I might get some more stuff made, actually I probably won’t as I tend to work better with structure, loads and loads of structure and the more time I spend at home the less structure I seem to have……..ahhhh I really am sure there is bigger problems in the world, so on that note lets move on!

 

Cool project??? Burton Bear Cowl’s!!! This pattern is awesome and is available HERE and HERE if you want to knit your own (don’t knit? There is also a crochet version available HERE and HERE!) I was asked way back in February if I would make beanies for the 2 daughters of a lady I play hockey with and this was the perfect opportunity to use the Burton Bear Cowl pattern!  After asking Miss D and Miss J what colours they wanted I ordered THIS awesome yarn from the UK and eagerly awaited its arrival to get started! These were really quick knits maybe 2 days each, and are super warm! I love the little details, the button flap and the ears they just make it look so adorable!!! Best part? The girls LOOOOVVEEEDD them!

   

 

Thanks for modelling Miss D & Miss J and to mum for letting me use your pics! The pics certainly aren’t anything artsy but taking photos after running around a hockey field for over an hour was a little sketchy hehehe!

Day 3, 4 & 5

Ok I know I promised part 2 of the Fleece pj’s but unfortunately work didn’t seem to understand my dedication to Kids Clothes Week and called me in to work not once but twice! Needless to say I didn’t have as much time to put into sewing as I wanted to. So part 2 of the pj’s is coming I promise but in the mean time here is the Paris Skirt.

Named the Paris Skirt as it reminded me of French kids fashion (no idea why) it is a flat front skirt with an elastic back and pleats at the hemline. This was definitely a work of love as it is a size 3 and we have no kidlets in our life that are a size 3 and it took time, a lot more than I really bargained for HOWEVER, I absolutely LOVE the result! The fabric drapes well and everything came out very even (this doesn’t happen as often as I would like).

 

I think the little details I added to the skirt really make it just a little bit more than a simple skirt.

This was also a stash buster as well which is a total bonus! So I throw it over to you – should I make a pattern/tutorial for this skirt?

***UPDATE*** Thanks to all your kind words I will make a tutorial how to make a Paris skirt soon. So follow me on Facebook or Twitter so you know when it is up!!!

PARIS SKIRT: THE TUTORIAL IS NOW ON THE BLOG CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN IN ANY SIZE! THANKS FOR YOU PATIENCE!

Day 2

Winter is on its way as I said yesterday, so Master B needs winter pj’s. This is part 1 – the fleece top. Using the same pattern as the Stripes: A long sleeve tee yesterday I used a super warm microfleece I scored a few months ago for something crazy like $3 p/m and made a couple of changes. I added a skivvy like collar by just making the “ribbing” extra wide. There is a possible problem with this, not having Master B here (which considering he isn’t mine is a good thing lol) I was unable to check it fits over his head, so I suspect it could be a tight squeeze as he has a massive noggin!!! The second change was I added cuffs to the bottom of the sleeves. I actually find this easier than hemming it and just as quick.

 

 

I totally love this top as it is super warm and snuggly! I am even more excited as I had a very productive day and part 2 of the pj’s will be up tomorrow – complete with pattern and tutorial!!!!! When I say I was productive today I not only made this top but I digitised the pattern for tomorrow, plus designed another 2 projects for the week. So happy! See you tomorrow!

Kids Clothes Week is Back!

As I said Kids Clothes Week is back starting TODAY!!! So here we go with day 1’s creation.

 

I made this for Master B (seriously I think this kid has a whole wardrobe of clothes because of me hehehe) using MADE’s basic tee pattern which I resized down to size 0-1. I added long sleeves since winter is just around the corner down here in the Southern Hemisphere in fact I think it may have come early. No pic of Master B wearing it yet so I struggled to get a good pic of the whole top….darn it!!!!

 

  

Stop by tomorrow for Day 2!!!!

 

Oh wondering what Kids Clothes Week is? Jump over HERE and check it out!

KCWC day 7!

We made it!!!! The last day is upon us!!!! So I have kept my favourite idea till last! I have always loved peter pan collar’s, especially on kids, so I wanted to make a top with a peter pan collar. No pattern just me making it up as I went along. I based the top (very loosely based) on a dress pattern to gauge the sizing, then I added gathered sleeves, a buttoned back closure and of course the peter pan collar! This top worked out better than I ever imagined!!! Sooooooooo cute! Ok, so maybe I am a little biased, but hey one has to be proud of their work right? Now the only thing I didn’t finish on this top is the button closure – I don’t have any red buttons and I WANT red buttons!!! But hey pins work just as well for taking photos hehehehe.

 

 

KCWC–Day 6

I can’t believe I’ve made it through to day 6!!! Wooohoooo 1 day to go!!! That makes it sound like it is a chore, it isn’t it has actually been loads of fun! Today I kept it simple and made a pair of nappy covers to go with a singlet I appliquéd eons ago….so long ago they are in the bottom of a box! This is bright fabric and makes my partner dizzy to look at it! I love it!!!!

 

(These are bad pictures. The joy of taking them at night, under terrible lighting)

Kcwc Day 5

Ok, I’m getting this post on in record time, no approaching or after 9pm here, all done before the afternoon arrives!!!! As promised, no bottoms!!! Today I was trying to think of something to make Miss M, and even though she picked out two fabrics for skirts, neither of the one’s she chose has a) enough fabric and b) is really going to work (Lets just say the fabrics she chose are more suited to a pillowcase than anything else), so alas I picked out some purple fabric (1 of her two favourite colours) and made her a top!

 

This top came with a bit of an adventure – the Japanese pattern book. I love these books however, with the extent of my Japanese limited to counting to 10 and saying hello and goodbye, reading the instructions is not on the cards. So how do I use them? Well, a bit like playing pairs, I just match the symbols in the book with the pattern pieces and off I go. It hasn’t failed me yet. When it comes to the actual construction the diagrams are pretty descriptive on their own, so I just follow along like I’m putting together Ikea furniture or Lego! I used a pattern as a basis to get the sizing right and then I just kinda winged it to make it work! It is basically a pillowcase dress style of sorts, with a cut out hole in the back to join the fabric ribbon. I definitely need to work on my bow construction for the future.

 

Another adventure was deciding to go with contrasting thread. This means wonky seams don’t blend in, but stand out for the world to see and any other boo boo’s, become just plain obvious. Why did I choose contrasting thread then? Kinda, a two way thought process – I didn’t have a colour thread to exactly match and I wanted to add details without getting too fancy. Anyway, here you go my kcwc day 5 project.

 

 

KCWC–Day 4

Over hump day heading towards the finish line! The weather here today reminded me of a wet, cold miserable July day, as that is exactly what it was wet, cold and miserable, except it is October and heading towards summer! This however, left me with no guilt for spending the day inside, sewing away, watching daytime TV and planning my weekend!!! Today I got sewing another skirt (I promise tomorrow I will make something for the top half of the body. It was not my intention at the beginning of the week to do 4 days straight of bottoms lol), a tiered skirt with a pocket. I actually had a lot of fun designing the pocket and using some gorgeous ribbon!!! And yes this skirt is off to Miss R too – she wanted two skirts and picked the red fabric which a 100% cotton from Ikea!

 

 

Day 3!!!

Approaching the halfway mark and I am still going strong. Today I kept it really simple, and let the fabric do the talking. Last week when I was babysitting Miss R and Miss M, I asked them to pick some fabric out of my stash and I would make them a new skirt each. Well, Miss R picked quiet well and I was initially a little hesitant about this fabric cause I thought it might have looked a little “old” for a 5yr old, but alas it worked perfectly. I just made a simple elastic waist skirt, the same one my mum used wayyyyyy back when and is my go to simple project. Want to make your own? There is probably hundreds of tutorials out there, but probably the easiest for anyone to use is this one, by Made – simple, clear with gorgeous fabrics and pictures! Of course, Miss R wasn’t available to play model, you know been at school and all!!!!

   

KCWC day 2 + tutorial

Ok. I’m sorry. I know this post was meant to go up on Day 2, but I had to work at my real job and then the shift got extended so instead of finishing at 930pm and having plenty of time to finish this post, I finished at 11pm and had no time cause I was heading straight to bed! But any who, I back dated the post and now it appears as always that it was posted on day 2 (well till you read this and then it will just mess with you bahaha) However, here I go - Day 2 definitely has gone a lot smoother. Clear plan and no interruptions!!! Yay! One baby ruffle skirt! Isn’t it gorgeous?????

Want to make your own??? Well here we go. This skirt will fit a 6-12 month old depending on height and tummy size. This one is a Christmas present, and the little bubba will be about 7.5 months old come Christmas!

SUPPLIES
About 1/2 a metre/yard of a lightweight fabric (I used cotton seersucker, but really any fabric should work)
18” piece of 1” wide knitted elastic

1. Cut the main piece of fabric measuring 6.5” x 30” and the two ruffles measuring 4” x 45” and 5” x 45”.

2. Overlock (serge) the sides of the main piece of fabric together (make sure the right sides of the fabric face each other). Overlock the top only.

 

3. Time to get a bit fancy – a rolled hem! Adjust your overlocker to do a rolled hem (different machines convert in different ways but generally, you switch the tension knobby thing to R, lower the blade, slide the plate from S to R and remove the left needle, but check your book) and then roll hem both sides of the ruffle pieces and the bottom of the main piece! Look how neat it looks, totally professional looking right??

 

4. Time to get the iron out and measure your elastic casing, and press it down (trust me it makes life soooooooooooooooooooo much easier). Make sure you press it to the wrong side of the fabric. While you are at it give all the pieces a good press. (This isn’t essential but hey, the iron is out and on you may as well!)

5. Here we use a bit of ribbon to mark the back of the skirt (I have labels from my old business but have decided until I get around to creating a new one, I am going to go old school and use ribbons, bits of fabric etc) so pin that in place and now using a sewing machine, sew the casing down stitching about 1/8” from the bottom of the casing. Make sure you stop about 2” from the end so we can insert the elastic later!

   

6. Lay the fabric out flat and get your tape measure/ruler ready we have to do a bit of marking. Now the reason one of the ruffles is longer than the other is cause the bottom one is sewn an inch or so under the bottom of the top one, so we need to mark the main piece to know where to sew the ruffles on. To do this place the top ruffle (smaller one) across the main fabric (right side out) about a 1/4” from the casing stitching (no need to pin its just a guide) now place the bottom ruffle (the bigger one) under the bottom of the fist about an 1” or so. Basically you want both ruffles to be the same size. Mark where the top of the bottom ruffle lies on the main piece and then mark lines around the main piece to know where to sew the bottom ruffle. Also mark the top ruffle. (Ok I have probably totally confused you, if so look at the final product photo, you should get what I mean.)

7. To make the ruffles, well ruffley(?), you need to gather the the top of both ruffle pieces of fabric. There is a number of ways to do this, but I find the easiest is to turn the tension dial on the machine to about 8-9 and make the stitch length as long as it will go. Then sew one long straight line 3/8” from the top edge (do not do the reversing thing at the beginning & end). Make sure you leave a loooooooooooong tail of cotton! Repeat for the 2nd ruffle. (See in the 2nd pic all ruffley)

 

8. Fold the ruffles in half, and move the gathering along until it will fit over the main piece without gathering it (the main piece that is) and I forgot a pic I’m sorry. Sew the side seam of the ruffle, right sides together. Repeat with the 2nd ruffle.

   

9. Pin the BOTTOM ruffle (The big one) along the bottom line you drew, matching the side seams (right side of ruffle out and pin on the right side of the main fabric). Sew ruffle on 1/4” from the rolled hem. Now pin the top ruffle on (The small one) and sew 1/4” from its rolled hem. Ta Daaaaaaa ruffles are attached, now remove the gathering stitching.

 

10. Put a safety pin in one end of the elastic and thread through the casing. Check fit on child (or guess like I did lol) and sew elastic together (make sure not to twist it. Been there, done that). Then sew your casing closed! Guess what? YOU ARE FINISHED. Cause we did rolled hems there is no hemming!!!! Yay!!!!!! Sit back and admire your awesome skirt!

 

Now you will want to make a 2nd and 3rd skirt I’m sure!!!!! It is definitely a fun project!!!! (and here;s hoping my first tutorial is a success, fingers crossed!)