Shears

Have you ever made a purchase that you absolutely love and were really excited about, all the while aware of how nerdy you were being? This was one of those. 

This semester I'm taking a sewing (actually 'costume construction' to be precise) class and we're expected to have good quality dressmaker shears. So I went all out and bought $50 gingher shears (for $30, thanks to a Michaels coupon). And when I got home, I emailed my mom about them, thinking she might understand my nerdy excitement, then wandered around looking for something, (*some fabric*) to cut. ;)

PS - I took and edited the photo with my iPhone. I'm amazed at the quality of cell phone cameras these days!

My Favourite Baby Gift

If you've been around here for a while, you'll know that my favourite baby gift to give is a handmade diaper bag. I absolutely love making these bags and everyone I've given them to has loved receiving them. I made my own diaper bag before Gavin was born and have since modified the pattern. Each one I make is better, so Stacey has the best one yet. :)

This time the fusible fleece that I used was the sturdiest ever, and I love a sturdy diaper bag. Also, I think this diaper bag has the most pockets yet, with a grand total of 8! 

(on the outside: a flat pocket on the back, bottle pockets on either side and on the inside: four elasticized pockets, and one zippered pocket)

I like pockets in my purses, but for a diaper bag they are crucial - mom's tote around so much crap with their babes, and you don't want to be stuck digging around for ages when you need something. 

I also stocked the diaper bag with all sorts of handy stuff like a swaddler, onesie, wood book, teething keys, keep-it-kleen pacifier, pacifier clips, diaper genie on-the-go, bibs, a baby bottle, a mama bottle, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, travel-size baby powder, lotion, diaper rash cream, etc., gum & a sweet treat for mom, baby wipes, kleenex, and... I think that's it! I would have added diapers, but the dad-to-be had a diaper party so they already have tons.

KCWC Day 7

While I thoroughly enjoyed committing to spending a week sewing clothing for Gavin (which I haven't done much of for a long time). I must say that the first six days left me with pieces that were nice, but not thrilling. I usually improvise parts or all of my creations so I'm usually left with details that didn't work out as intended. I realize that the rest of the world probably doesn't notice these things, so I don't worry about them much, but they do stop me from being over-the-top thrilled about the creations.

But this shirt is the reason why I allow myself to keep improvising and going in without a plan. Instead of matching things perfectly, having a pattern, sewing the right stitches in the right order, I let the fabric and the moment direct me. And when it goes this well it is so damn exciting. 

Do I sound like a total nerd? 
Yeah, it's ok, I know I do. 

So here it is, my finale to my first KCWC and my most favourite little boy shirt to date. :)

It's a strange combination of stretchy and non-stretchy fabric. All upcycled from old shirts of mine. And it has stripes (I'm obsessed with stripes, if you didn't know) and details that make the difference... like the front pocket, and the combination of vertical and horizontal stripes on the hood. Oh, and the hood has more than enough room for Gavin's big melon.

KCWC Day 5 & 6

I made this shirt over the last two days. It is actually upcycled from an old shirt of mine. It had a teeny little hole right in the middle of the front of the shirt, so I put a big t-rex over top. Problem solved! And you know little boys, they love anything with a t-rex!

And something else in the making...

KCWC Day 3 & 4

Here's my latest creation for Gavin. I wanted to buy him a fun hat like this, but I had some fun lime green fleece on hand... so I decided to wing it. I improvised it and I still have to figure out what I want to do with the funny "arms".

He's a fan though, and that's what counts!

KCWC: Day 1 & 2

I know I'm a little behind on the kid's clothing week challenge, but better late than never, right? I was busy with homework on the weekend, so I didn't get a chance to prep anything. Here's what I'm working on now:

Gavin has just started skating lessons and they are 45 minutes long. So I figured it would be nice for him to have some fuzzy and warm fleece pants to wear under his waterproof pants. I used dana's basic pants pattern, and added green pockets for fun. It took my two days worth of sewing to make these because I was figuring out the whole pocket thing on my own. So things were sewn, torn out, resewn, and so on. In the end they came out great, and I'm a little jealous!

Gavin modeled them this morning before I hemmed them. He insisted on having a silly photo!

And here's the finished product:

Refashioned: Grandma's Dress

A while back my grandma gave me a dress of hers in hopes that I could find someway to reuse it. My before picture isn't accurate because I had already chopped off the button-up, shoulder-padded top section so you'll have to use your imagination for that. 

I used the bottoms of some lululemon pants that I turned into capris to make a yoga-style, (super comfy) fold over waistband. Then I hemmed the skirt up so it falls just below my knees. The whole thing was really easy and now I have this pretty, lightweight skirt. An extra bonus? There's pockets hiding in there!

***UPDATE***

I meant to get this done before the post went up, but I didn't. Here's a photo of the skirt on (plus a distracted Gavin)! 

Allison's Quiet Book

A couple weeks ago a reader contacted me about Gavin's Skill Book. She said she loved it and asked if I would be willing to make one for her daughter! That was a huge compliment and I had lots of fun putting a girly spin on a project for a change. 

Here is what I came up with:

It has a D-ring belt,

a pocket with snaps & three different widths of ribbon,

a buckle & zipper,

three velcro strips & some lace with grommets,

& buttons!

{plus pretty, girly fabric!} 

Word is that Allison loves it :)

Pirate Pants! (a tutorial)

These pants are one of those things I have been meaning to make for way too long (like most projects I make). When I bought this red and white striped fabric from ikea all I could think of was making funny pirate pants with them! And now that I did, I know it was the right choice. ;)


I decided to make a tutorial for these pants, but I really didn't want to make a whole tutorial about making the pants. To be honest, the internet is already excessively saturated with basic tutorials that are awesome. I'll refer you to made, which is where I got the pattern and instructions for basic pants. I make the flat-front ones, and I've made my own larger pattern pieces based off of Dana's. But like I said, I don't have anything more to say or any better way to say it, so why waste my time? So this is just the tutorial for the zig-zag hem!


What you need:


supplies and instructions from Dana's pants tutorial
a chunk of plain white fabric (12" X 6" or so) **mine is light blue, I didn't have any white!
sewing machine
scissors
pinking shears (optional, but recommended)
a turning tool (or something to push out the corners
iron
ironing board


How to make it:


Start off by cutting your pattern pieces out of the fabric. Instead of making them full length, make them somewhere between that and shorts length. Sew them all up except for the hem.


For the hem, you'll need your white fabric. Cut it into four strips that are as wide as the pant legs (with seam allowance) and about 2 1/2 inches long. Pair them up and sew them on both sides so they are the same size as the bottom of each pant leg.

With the pants turned right side out and the white (or blue-ish in my case) tubes wrong-side out, put the two together (right sides facing each other). You can pin them at the top if you like to be careful about these things.

Carefully sew large zig-zags along the bottom of the pants (through the white layer & the pants), making sure to secure the seam at the beginning and end. I recommend using a fairly short stitch length here.

Even more carefully, use your pinking shears to trim along the seams. You don't want any bulk so get fairly close to your stitches without breaking them. Trim corners nice and close as well.

Now turn the zig-zags out. Use a turning tool or some other blunt, pointy object to push out each point.

Mine are far from perfect, but it doesn't much matter. Pirates aren't the most tailored bunch anyways, right? Use your iron to press the zig-zags nice and flat. You'll probably have some wrinkles, so do your best to let the inside fabric be wrinkly and have the outside flat.

Finally, turn the pants inside out and press the unfinished edge of your white fabric under. Sew along the edge of it to finish your hem and that's that!

If you want your zig-zags to be extra sturdy, I would suggest topstitching along them. Since these pants are just for play, I decided to skip that step!


And now put them on your child who may insist on wearing these pants everywhere. :)

I'm hoping to have a fun pirate shirt or vest (or both!) coming up to complete the outfit soon!

Arrr Matey - Playing Dress Up

Making dress up clothes for Gavin is something I've wanted to do for quite some time. With all the fabric and sewing knowledge I have on hand, it seems a waste to buy these sorts of things for him. But as with many other ideas I've had in the last few months, I just never seem to get it done! I did get a couple fun accessories made for him the other day though. 


I pinned these two photos on pinterest quite a while ago:

Source: simplesimonandco.com via Erica on Pinterest

Source: dana-made-it.com via Erica on Pinterest

I plan on making a vest too because that's just too cute, but for now I threw together a simple felt hat and eye patch. 

Gavin improvised and used his toy screwdriver as a sword. He has already mastered sayings like "Ay-ay captain" and "Arrrr matey".

Organize: Sewing Patterns

Lately I've had the urge to organize my home/life. I would say there are two causes: 


1. It's spring and it seems to be a natural urge to "spring clean"
2. I have so many papers to write that my mind is trying to find something else to think about.


I used to have all my sewing patterns tossed sloppily in a plastic tote in the closet. Once I started using patterns from the internet or sewing books (where I had to trace the pieces onto pattern paper), it really got sloppy. And then one day I realized... duh! File them!


Here is where I store my patterns now:

Now there is a spot for everything:

Even my little file case, in the closet! 

It makes things so much more simple. :)

More Felt Food

I told you I was hooked on making felt food! I made this one over the last few days based on this post at Craftiness Is Not Optional. Isn't it adorable? The tomato looks a little strange in the photos for some reason, I couldn't get it to look like it really does, but oh well.