by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 21, 2013
I have decided to take on the Kid’s Clothes Week Challenge this fall! I feel a bit behind, since everyone else has been doing this for like… forever… I even had to look up what it was. (Shhh… don’t tell anyone!) So, just in case you don’t know what it is either I will give you my 2 sentence understanding of the challenge. 1) You agree to sew for your kids (at least) 1 hour every day for 7 days starting today. 2) You load your photos up to the kid’s clothes week website and blog about it if you want to. ~ Sounds easy?
I’m excited because my oldest actually needs a few things this fall. Cardigans, leggings, zip-up sweaters, dresses… ummm… 1 hour a day is not going to cut it! I’m also excited because I’ve got some great patterns to work with from the Sew Fab bundle. I was going to write out my plan for the week, but I still have to think it up! I will see if I can get more organized tomorrow. Are you going to join the challenge, I’m curious, what are you going to sew?!
Back to today, this Made by Me Monday’s project was going to start on Friday night. I have a Sewcial club, we named ourselves the Material Girls, at my place once a month and I had everything ready to cut out. Until it didn’t happen… turns out it was more fun to talk about sewing than actually sew something! So, I worked on it Saturday night and finished it late Saturday early Sunday, in time to wear to church.
When I first saw the Sally dress from Very Shannon patterns (luvinthemommyhood) it made me want to sew it. It looks like such a happy dress – and I love the square neckline and giant pockets. (Helps that her daughter looks super-cute in it too!) Anyhow – because my bloggy budget is not huge I put buying things like patterns on the back burner – fabric comes first! – and about jumped for joy to see it included in the Sew Fab bundle. Really! It was the second pattern that I printed the instructions for a few weeks ago and while I was waiting for some others to print, I decided to design it up a bit and doodled on the pattern cover like so:
Awesome! It was so easy to design it when I drew over the lines in the photo and I’m super excited that the end result looks very much like my drawing! I had some green Kona and California Dreamin’ from my Bee Modern Fabrics trip. And, since my youngest daughter had chosen the California Dreamin’ herself I decided to make her the dress.
Overall I am happy with how the dress turned out. It is SUCH a cute pattern! I love the neckline and the elbow sleeves (and the giant pockets!). It is very well written and includes very detailed instructions, including how to fully line the bodice the “proper” way. All of the instructions are illustrated – making everything very professional. It was also nice to only have 2 pages to print out for the pattern pieces – the bodice and the sleeve!
The details I added were pretty easy, though time consuming. The large pleat – similar to Figgy’s Scirocco – and the 2 pintucks on either side. Also the tiny pleats on the sleeves that I had so much fun ironing (ha!). The tiny pompom trim was the thing that gave me the most trouble. It had almost no flat space to work with beside the pompoms, so I tried stitching it on with a zipper foot – only to have to try again – and rip stitches and again – and rip stitches and… again. Argh! I should have hand-stitched it on – but once I had figured that out I was on the last pocket, I’m slow to give up on machine stitching something!
Unfortunately, there is one thing I am not so happy with. I think I gave this pattern a run for it’s money by not making a muslin of the bodice. Since it does not have any zippers or button closures, it turns out that it is super hard to get on and off of my daughter. I was a bit worried about it when I was adding the long sleeves that it would not have enough room, and I suppose I should have listened to myself. If I was making it with long sleeves again I would add in enough room to put a long-ish zipper in the back, one that extends past the bodice and into the skirt – since the bottom of the bodice is the tight area that makes it hard to get into. I also have to say that my daughters both have arms that are not super skinny – so that likely doesn’t help either!
I’m curious to know what you think of the Sally dress – will you give it a go? It is SO cute… I’m wondering if I should make a sleeveless version for my oldest for KCWC because she loves to wear her summer dresses to school in the winter with long sleeved tops underneath. I also think that removing the sleeves will allow for her to more easily put it on. We’ll see!
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 16, 2013
Can I say I am soooo excited to have been asked to be on Abby’s pattern tour. I have been reading Sew Much Ado for at least 3 years now and love what she does. I’m sure you’ve seen her super-cute Mommy and Mia apron pattern (my version here), the Ruby Lou doll, and my all-time favorite diaper bag! But… today I get to talk about her great new pattern for girls. (And according to Max California – maybe boys?!)
The Skipper Top is a dolman sleeve pattern for girls sized for 6 months to 10 years. I’ve raved about dolman sleeve tops before, they go together super-fast because you do not need to set in a sleeve. Abby’s pattern does not disappoint in the style factor either. There are different sleeve hems, hem, neckline and pocket options – so you can make it over and over and never have the same result. As always, Abby’s photos and directions are super informative and easy to follow (geared for beginners). I like that she includes the finished measurements of each size – so you can gauge the ease and sizing better.
I also love that Abby has made this as a pdf pattern. Even though taping pages together takes a bit more time, I tend to sew as inspiration hits and I don’t like to have to wait for shipping! I also like the fact that I can print it out each time I need a new size, easy peasy! Speaking of sizing – this pattern is great. I did check out my kids’ measurement chart before I started, but it worked out that they both needed their ready-to-wear size Skipper Top. The length is great too – it’s on the long side – which I especially like the look of with the waistband and leggings.
As far as fabric, I decided to try and use up some of my stash – since I’ve now maxed out my new bookshelf space! I have mostly plain coloured knits and some stashed Heaven and Helsinki in different prints and colours. Since my youngest will still wear anything I figured this was a good time to cut up the adorable cat knit shirt that doesn’t fit her anymore. (no more toddler shirts, tears…) Since the solid pink was the only knit I had that matched, that was what we went with. My oldest has always been more selective (*cough* loudly opinionated *cough*) and so I let her have a go at choosing her own fabric. And that is how I gained two more pink shirts to add to the stacks around here!
I did manage (as usual, I know…!) to alter a few things on Abby’s amazing pattern. I thought it would be nice, needed to was obligated to add a skirt to my oldest’s shirt – because she would not wear it at all if I didn’t. Thankfully the forced creativeness turned into something I am really happy with. I added a gathered length of knit (double the width of my daughter’s waist measurement) when I stitched on the bottom waist band. Then I turned up the waistband toward the bodice (seam allowances pressed toward the skirt) and stitched it along the sides to hold it in place. For my youngest I added a bit more fullness to the shirt front with some gathers along the shoulder seam. Since she’s still got some toddler-chubs (love them!) fitted shirts don’t always look the best. I’ll be posting a tutorial on that tomorrow.
Enough about me! You are here to check out Abby’s pattern and I am here to tell you I love it! I have already seen what the first four stops on the tour have done (list below), and you can check out today’s other stop on the tour at Mad Mim. I have to say I am especially loving the shoulder patches on the Max California version! I may just have to spend about an hour (yup, it’s that quick to sew!) making one like it for my youngest. And I saw a great dolman sleeve sweater on my sister-in-law this past weekend that I’ve got to try… maybe for KCW next week?
I have to say, the only thing I am disappointed with on my shirts is that I wasn’t able to use quilting cotton for the pockets. When I first saw Abby’s women’s dolman sleeve top (The Seafarer) and now the Skipper Top – I thought that the quilting cotton allowed for a great use of different prints and patterns. Unfortunately because I matched the pocket to the shirt bands I needed to use a knit. Tip if you’re doing that – use medium interfacing on the pocket piece, it helps everything not to wiggle too much while you are sewing, and the top of the heart pocket might be a bit floppy without it as well.
Make sure (while you get distracted checking out the other Skipper Tops on the tour) that you eventually get back to Sew Much Ado to buy the pattern – you can get the Skipper Top here! I felt super professional when I stitched the (optional) 1/4″ clear elastic into the shoulder seams of these shirts – you can too!
Disclosure: I received this pattern free as part of The Skipper Top Pattern Tour. As usual, all opinions are my own.
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 7, 2013
So… my three year old is more stylish than me today! But honestly, that’s not hard since I work from home and don’t have to (but should) take time to get dressed properly every day. For the record, 99% of the time I do get dressed, and 85% of the time I do my hair and makeup too!
Before I get too far into I wanted to talk about the Sew Fab bundle again – where I got the Bimaa Sweater pattern. I made the cowl neck version, but it also comes in a scarf neck and a hooded version – which makes it a unisex pattern, hooray! The Sew Fab sale ends October 8th, so if you like the Bimaa – here’s your chance to get it and 25 other patterns for just $29.95! Here’s the Sew Fab Bundle link again to Sew Much Ado (one of the many places you can buy the bundle from).
Since I’m always trying to think of new photo shoot props, today we got out our super-cool industrial style step ladder painting stool. It was fun to count how many differerent colours of paint I could find on it, which of course, makes it an even better photo prop! (Ok, that was sarcastic, hee, hee!) One of the real reasons I dug it out was that I figured my daughter would be more excited to take photos in her “new shirt that mommy made” if it involved climbing the generally-forbidden step ladder. You’ve got to be creative with these things! The Bimaa pattern is made by LouBee Clothing. And, if you missed the bundle sale you can get it at her Etsy shop here. I love this pattern for the same reason I love Figgy’s patterns – they are super stylish, but you can still have fun with them! I made my youngest’s cowl in a different fabric from the main sweater – which Sarah (EmmyLouBeeDoo) labels the “Infinity Scarf Bimaa”. I LOVE it! My husband’s first comment was that I should make one for myself – and I think I might? Suz from Sew Pony made an adult sized Bimaa for Selfish Sewing Week and it doesn’t seem too difficult. Sarah (LouBee Clothing) does a great job of writing this pattern. It is easy to follow and sews up super-quick once it’s cut out. She has a lot of drawings and the pattern pieces are well put together. I used my daughter’s filled out Measure-Me chart to choose a size and it fits perfectly! Since I don’t have a serger (yet?!) I used my regular machine’s stretch stitch to sew the whole thing together. The only tricky parts were the waist and arm bands, because they are cut across the stretchiest part of the knit they stretch more while they are being sewed. I ironed the wobbliness out when I was done and I think it will be fine when it comes out after the first wash. The cowl fabric is some more Heaven & Helsinki knit from my local Fabricland. It is usually $15 and I found it there for $5/m a few weeks ago. I’ve got it in a few more colourways now, which is great – because I have a lot more knit patterns I want to make for my girls this fall. This knit is a dream to work with, even with the 4-way stretch. The light green is 2-way stretch fabric for $3/m fabric I picked up from Fabricland as well. Even though the Bimaa pattern recommends a 4-way stretch fabric I found it worked out just fine for the body of the sweater. It may not have worked for the cowl though, because you need to have the extra stretch so you can put it over your head.
I think there will be more Bimaas in our future… Have a great start to your week!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 16, 2013
So I’m sure you all have heard of this blog called Made by Rae (ha!), who hasn’t! And also, Rae’s Toddler Backpack pattern?! How boring of me to post something so common you say? True maybe, but I have a few ideas to share and a flapped pocket tutorial & pattern for you that could work on any purse or bag, but was originally sized for the Toddler Backpack.
Made by Rae – Toddler Backpack
I started the journey to this backpack by trying to find something “quick” to make for a newly-turned-1-year-old’s birthday. I did not like any of my ideas until I was searching through my patterns and found my well-loved copy of the Toddler Backpack pattern. I started out making one for my oldest when she was just under two, and have since made one for each of my nephews and a larger one for my youngest as well.
The pattern turns out so well, and is super-cute. My kids love filling it up too, and it is perfect for day-care or dropping them off at Grandma & Grandpa’s for the day. I was a bit hesitant to use it for this project because the original pattern did not come with a lining, and there was only “so much time” to make it, never mind hand-stitch the lining to the zipper. (Yes, it is true, it wouldn’t have taken that long – but I really don’t like handstitching!)
Rae has since included a section on lining the pack – and on how to make it a bit taller to fit most school-size folders. Still, I didn’t want to create an extra lining because it would involve sewing twice as many seams. (Yes, I really was that lazy in a hurry!) For the sake of my not photographing the process, I will run down the steps I took to line the inside.
- Cut lining pieces for everything as indicated in the instructions.
- Stitch the zipper panels together as indicated with one each of the lining and outer, right sides together, zipper tape sandwiched between. Stitch on both sides of the zipper panel. Press and top-stitch.
- Attach the side panels to the zipper panels as indicated, but sandwich the zipper panels in-between your lining and outer pieces again and stitch. Press and top-stitch.
- Attach the bottom panel by sandwiching it, one short side at a time, between each side’s outer and lining side panels. The second one will be a tad tricky to line up, but pin it and you will be fine.
- Turn it all around and you will have a fully lined side loop with raw edges on both sides.
- Attach it to the front and back panels as indicated.
- Bias tape bind the raw edges.
I also always have added two things to the pattern. First, I always cover the bottom panel in a layer of medium weight clear plastic before quilting it. It makes it a bit sturdier and also keeps it cleaner. I discovered a great way to stitch over plastic on the weekend as well – hurray – as I won’t be needing to spend the $15 on a Teflon foot for my machine anytime soon. I’ll be posting how I did it later in the week.
Bottom Quilted with Plastic
I also always add a pocket on the front. It’s a simple one, with an elastic loop sewn into the front-centre of the pocket flap. I love how it looks and it’s useful for all kinds of things. You can use a dollar store coloured hair-tie for the elastic, so it always matches!
You can download the pocket pattern pieces HERE. (Make sure to print them at 100% – do not choose Fit to Page. Check the 1″ test square once the pattern pieces are printed.) Here is a quick run-down on how to stitch them together:
(1) Cut one Outer, Lining and Interfacing piece for each flap and pocket pattern piece. (2) Fuse the Interfacing to the Outer pieces. (3) Mark as per the pattern pieces. (4) Pin right sides together between stitching marks. (5) Pin the elastic in place where indicated. The part of the elastic that will hold the button should be INSIDE the pocket flap.
(6) Stitch flap and pocket with a 1/4″ seam allowance, right sides together, beginning and ending at the indicated marks. (7) Clip the square corners and trim the curved corners with pinking shears (or clip). (8) Iron the seam allowances open for each pocket or flap opening (this trick). (9) Turn the pocket and flap right side out and press.
(10) Top-stitch the sides and bottom curved edge of the pocket flap – back-stitch over the elastic several times to secure. (11) Top-stitch the top edge (without the opening) of the pocket. (12) Align the pocket on the front of your back-pack. I like to leave an even space around the bottom and sides. Pin & stitch the sides and bottom of the pocket closing the opening as you go. (13) Align the pocket flap 1/2″ to 1″ above the top of the pocket. Stitch the top of the flap, again, closing your opening.
(14) Mark the centre-bottom of the elastic where it lays on your pocket. (15) Stitch your button on. Done!
And, talking about quick, I also omitted the piping. I was sad about that one because it looks so good, my husband even remembered that I usually put it on and asked about it! I just didn’t have any on hand and didn’t have the time to go out and buy some. I also didn’t have any D-rings, so the adjustble straps (which my daughters never adjusted anyhow) were taken out too. With a lined pack (minus sewing double the seams) and the piping and extra strap omitted it was even faster. Thankfully I’m happy with the results, due in part to the Michael Miller Zoology (from my trip to Hamilton) and Spa Scallop fabric! Love that their collections are colour coordinated! Hooray for a quick(er) gift idea!
I’m off to get started on my Project Run and Play idea for this week. Candy inspired here we come! Check out the great ideas already posted for the sew-along.
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 10, 2013
I thought, since Shelly from Figgy’s Patterns was so kind as to give all of us a discount code (good until Wedesday! – get the discount code here!) that I would highlight it again today by making another Figgy’s pattern. This Banyan tunic has been in the back of my head for a while, all I needed was more fabric. Just for the record, I did look in my stash, but I did not have anything wide enough that was appropriate to use – off to the fabric store – too bad (wink!).
Figgy’s Banyan Tunic
I bought two rainbow coloured zippers a while ago on a half price sale – and thought, with two girls around, that the zippers would make “their project” apparent when it came to mind. This is it! I love the exposed zipper – it gives a more deconstructed look. My oldest gave me a huge grin when I showed her the back of the shirt. That’s good enough for me!
The fabric is a mid-to-lightweight jersey knit. Good for the transition from summer to fall. It drapes amazingly well, and is super soft. I think I need a shirt with the leftovers. Because it was a bit thicker and did not have the extra stretch of a lightweight knit it was much easier to stitch, thank goodness. I love the colour on my daughter, and we happened to have the perfect ($1 on sale) hat to “go with it”!
Though I like the shape of the original Banyan tee – the cap sleeves are so cute – I seem to end up making mine in chilly weather. So, I have extended the sleeves to make them longer in this tee. I also didn’t use a bias cut neck band because the time I did, it was so long the neck did not look right. I have made them since with a neck band cut across the fabric direction with the most stretch, and they have worked out fine. I do stretch the neck band a little as I stitch it on, maybe 25%, and have a little left over once I get to the ending point. This helps it not to sag and gap when it is being worn.
I stitched most of this shirt with my double-needle, but found out that it is not as good a solution as I was hoping. Because the double top threads use the same bobbin thread, it creates great stretch for sewing knits. However, it also allows the seam to pull apart so that the stitching is visible from the outside in places like the armscye and side seams. In the end I re-stitched the armscye seams with a single ballpoint needle, and left the side seams because they were not as visible. I think if I had used a more matchy thread they would have been “fine”, but I have learned my lesson – Don’t be lazy, change the needle!
Talking about changing the needle – this shirt was also an exercise in patience with changing my thread! I top-stitched and hemmed everything in a really great metallic variegated (rainbow – of course!) Gutermann thread. I love how it looks and it matches up well with the zipper. The girl’s both like how sparkly it is too. Anyhow – because of the change in thread my stitching went something like this…. 1. Stitch shoulder and neck band – Purple – Double Needle. 2. Stitch zipper – Black – Single Needle 3. Stitch other shoulder – Purple – Double Needle 4. Top-Stitch neckline and Pocket – Metallic – Double Needle 5. Stitch Arm & Side Seams – Purple – Double Needle 6. Stitch…. anyhow, you get the picture! I think I spent as much time changing needles and thread as I spent sewing everything together!
The fit of Figgy’s Patterns is really good, and true to the sizing chart. I have not had problems with it when I have actually measured my child before picking the size! (Note to self – print and fill out your Thread Riding Hood measurment chart! Note to you – I stopped writing this blog post and printed two charts…) Okay, we’re back! So, needless to say, I think I should have picked the 4/5 instead of the 6/7 – it looks cute, but is a bit big. I also decided to make it in an 8/9 length to better cover her leggings, so it looks even larger. At least the shirt should last us a few years!
And the silliness ensues… was it the lollipop or the late nights? No one will ever know… at least we are having fun!
I realized today that Project Run and Play, Season 7 is up and going! If you’re quick you can still enter their giveaway for the next few days. I’m hoping to remix the Oliver and S Popover Dress and add it to the sew-along list before Thursday. I’ve got a fun idea I can’t wait to see if I can make work! You can click on the link for a run-down of the Sew-Along themes for the 4 weeks. Are you going to Run and Play along?!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 23, 2013
Today I’m talking about changing zipper pulls again, but… if you’ve seen it already don’t go away yet. I am also talking about a cute, quick gift idea you can make that (of course) includes a new zipper pull!
If you are brand new at Thread Riding Hood, I just discovered that it is possible to change the tiny zipper pull from your regular zippers to something customized, larger, more useful and more amazing looking! I have permanently stolen borrowed the needle-nose pliers from my husband’s toolbox to change all of my zipper pulls. I love this tip – so much that I want to include it in the Sew Essential list – even if it was posted only a few weeks ago. Check out the “Change a Zipper Pull” post for a full tutorial.
For the rest of you – check out fabric designer Aneela Hoey’s Oval Box Bag. This is a great little gift idea. It is just big enough to include a little something inside. She talks about the bag being a bit scary to make. But if you follow the directions, and look at the detailed photos you should be fine. Aneela writes everything out very well and give lots of direction. When you are done making the bag, you can use a scrap to change the zipper pull and voila! The perfect gift! I finally got to use the fabric I bought for this project at the Creativ Festival in May. This is a good fat quarter project – and you will definitely have lots of fabric left over.
I likely should have taken measurements so you would know how big it is when it is finished. I gave it to my mom for her birthday so she has it now and might be able to post measurements in the comments (Please?!) so you can estimate what might fit inside! Here are a few ideas. It would be a great little makeup pouch. For a seamstress it could be a sewing box for thread or a small hand sewing kit. If you made it for your kids they could use it to carry around their Hot Wheels or Littlest Pet Shop collection. It is sturdier than I thought too – I interfaced both the outer and lining fabrics with medium weight fusible. I think my favorite part of the Oval Box Bag is the handle – it adds the perfect little touch on top, and it is useful too.
Only two more days until the giveaway is over! Check out Sew Essential #13 tomorrow.
