KCW Day 7 :: And on the seventh day she crashed!

Oh it's been a long week... The baby and I have been sick for most of it, with my antibiotics only just kicking in! So today was a bit of a fizzer in terms of sewing. There was lots to do to get the family ready for the return to school as well so all that was made is this last minute Oliver + s Lazy Days Skirt.

It doesn't use the full width of fabric so it isn't as gathered as it could be, but probably doesn't need to be for a baby.  Made using the same fabrics as the second Ice Cream Blouse, grey as main fabric though and the floral made into some binding for the hem. This was another one of those insanely easy and gratifying projects, and there will definitely be many more of these in our baby's future wardrobes!

Apart from sewing this skirt up, Day 7 was spent taking up hems on the big boy's winter school trousers. Needless to say, halfway through the term I had to let them down again. That kid is growing like a weed - but waay cuter!

KCW Day 6 :: Another Ice Cream.

During my break with knits on Day Two I decided to cut out another Ice Cream top! Yes before the first was even made, but my faith in Oliver + s patterns is so great that I knew it wouldn't be a waste! I started making it along with the first one but stopped part way in as I wanted to add some piping between the yoke and bodice.  Of course the fabric for the piping hadn't been pre-washed, so the top was put on hold while the piping was made!

Really happy with how this turned out despite having the same issues as the last one with the yoke attachment.  It was planned for the autumn weather,  to be layered with a long sleeve tee and worn with long pants or a skirt and tights, but we've had some really stunning days, with temps in the mid to high 20s (celcius), so shorts it was!  Now I'm hoping she'll still be wearing it come summer!

KCW Day 5 :: Pyjama Day!

The boys always seem to need more pyjama pants and each year I feel like I add a bigger hem , and each year they outgrow them. So this time I added even more length to the hem in the hope that these will last them just that bit longer.

Pyjama pants are so gratifying to make because they come together super fast, especially is you use a one piece pattern!  These were made with the pattern in Sewing For Boys, omitting the faux fly for even speedier sewing, but adding about 5cm extra to the length.

The fabrics are from Spotlight, sold as a cotton poplin but feels more like a quilting cotton. The boys love the fabrics and there's enough left to make them some pyjama shorts for Summer! Win!!

KCW Day 4 :: Apple Picking.

Day Four was all about the Ice Cream Blouse by Oliver + s.  Another easy to understand pattern with great results... Though I did struggle with one part! 

Those of you who've made an Ice Cream Dress will know the bit I mean, it's right at the end where you're trying to attach the back yoke to the bodice and it all gets a bit tricky. It didn't matter how many tips on blogs or forums I read, it just wouldn't work. So in the end I did it as best I could and then hand finished around the join to neaten it all up. 

Don't you think the French seams are beautiful! Love how neat and tidy they look!! Just need to work out what to pair this with, maybe we need some new pants?  I think the fabric selection was subconciously influenced by our recent apple picking adventure, we brought home kilos of apples and loved eating them!

Fabric: Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller Farmers Market Apple Dot.

Pattern: Ice Cream Blouse - Oliver + S, size 6-12mth.

KCW Days 2 & 3 :: Skinny Tees Galore!

Days Two and Three have been all about the 10 - 15 minute bursts of sewing here and there and I'm ready to hurl these Tees in the bin!

The sleeves were set fine,  definitely getting better at pinning and sewing them in. Fixing the binding around the neck opening of one beat me for the rest of Day Two.  For a reason I'm yet to work out, the machine kept chewing up the fabric and not feeding it along, and after unpicking the first attempt I didn't have the energy to unpick the second. My long held dislike for knits curling up, stretching and basically not playing nicely has been lived out over the last two days but I'm determined to conquer these shirts. 

Version 1 :: made using an old maternity dress for the main body and some red ponte from the stash. He loves it, so a win there!

Version 2 :: another make from an old dress. The attempt to turn it into a dress wasn't too successful, the neckline is a mess and with a bubba who is still commando crawling the front is already pilling.  This one was definitely a learning experience!

Version 3 :: using up some more fabric from the stash, the most roll-y annoying fabric ever. Added a band at the hem for a bit of extra length (and because I couldn't get the hem to sit flat long enough to sew it!)!

Version 4 :: this cotton jersey was much easier to work with in that it didn't roll up but it also doesn't have as much stretch to it so the neck was a challenge. Appliqued some paper aeroplanes on it because who doesn't love paper aeroplanes? May need to make another  because the middle child has worked out that the eldest got two shirts!

All in all a huge learning experience for me. Still haven't come around to enjoying working with knits but I'll be back and work on some more {one day}... they will not get the better of me!

Umbrella Prints Trimmings Comp.

 

Above is what I started with and below is my entry into the Umbrella Prints Trimmings Comp. And as the saying goes, there's nothing like the last minute for getting things done... or something like that, and I'm still hoping I get it submitted in time!  The post might be a bit of a photo overload so apologies in advance.

I received my Trimmings ages ago and had an idea for what to make with them but the fear of messing it all up kept me from starting it till quite recently.  In fact, quite a few times through the process I was tempted to bin the whole thing, but persevered to get it done.  Of course as soon as I decided to push on, everything seemed to conspire against me finishing! And despite some sleepless nights with a sick bubba it was completed stopped being worked on so I could submit - reminds of uni in so many ways!!

From the beginning my ideas revolved around making a collage with something related to our family and some text. From that starting point it developed to what you see here. Everything is stitched by machine or hand onto a linen base cloth, though in hindsight I should have used something a little thicker and perhaps darker than this.  The people represent us, though we don't quite look like that exactly!

The text is classic Beatles, and something to hold onto through life.  I also loved finding a way to squeeze in a whole elephant into the type, you all know how much I love me some elephants!

The fabric is stretched over an 16" x 12" canvas, and it may one day make it's way to one of our walls. I'm more than a little tempted to cut it up to improve the layout, but haven't decided yet. Now it's finished I can think of so many alternative ways to have done this, different compositions, different text, maybe even a different pack of Trimmings... perhaps next year!

A Little Fun!

I have been a sideline follower of the Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition for the last couple of rounds, wishing I had the time and energy to take part, but due to the busyness of market prep and sewing stock for retailers and customer orders it never happened.  So this year, with not doing markets due to life with a baby, and having so much extra time on my hands {!!} I decided to give it a go.  I have a basic idea of what I want to make, so we'll just have to wait and see if it turns out how I hope.  I really just want to create something I'd be happy to have on one of our walls that desperately needs an update!  Below is the pack I was sent, hope I can make it work!!