CHRISTEPHI

If you have a daughter between the ages of 8 and 12, you may have noticed that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find appropriate clothing for her.  My 8-year-old is most definitely still a little girl.  She is not a small adult.  I would prefer her to dress like a little girl in clothes that provide appropriate coverage and allow for the freedom of movement needed for active play.  Toward that end I spent a weekend sewing up some sweet summer play dresses for Miss M. This is the Flower Hexagon dress from Ottobre 3/2013 (pattern #16).  I made it of some beautiful vintage cotton printed with roses in size 128, but cut the length to 146 because Ottobre dresses tend to run a bit too short for my tastes.  It has hidden pockets in the side seams! The second dress I made is also from Ottobre.  This is 3/2013 #13, the Hollywood Cerise dress.  I didn't have enough of the fun paisley patchwork print to manage the whole dress, so I scr...

Nothing is cooler -- and at the same time modest -- than a maxi skirt in the summer!  Inspired by this pin , I converted an old pair of holey jeans into a cool, flowy maxi skirt. I added a tiered skirt of cotton voile from Fabric.com with an underskirt of plain bleached muslin. I was careful to pull the front pockets inside out before cutting and sewing so I wouldn't render them useless.  I love pockets and wouldn't want to sacrifice them! Similarly, I did  not  want to cut off the back pockets!  So before cutting off the lower portion of the jeans, I picked out the stitching on the lower half of the pockets.  After adding the skirt, I re-stitched the pockets down right overtop the voile!  It's a detail I'm in love with! It's comfy, cool, and versatile! And feminine! I feel so pretty when I wear it! Perfect for summer!

I saw this pretty United States panel print at JoAnn a few months ago -- on sale! -- for just a few dollars and couldn't resist buying it. Such bright colors! Such cute drawings on each state! Little Guy driving across the U.S. while it was still a work in progress! I've been thinking the kids need a more-kid-sized quilt since they're quickly outgrowing their toddler-sized ones.  So I added sashing and some blocks from flannel I had left over from other projects. Finished quilt hanging on the garden fence. The resulting quilt is, well, I never actually measured it, but it's smaller than twin size and larger than crib size. I used a scrap of red knit to put a heart in Missouri. The kids thought that was the coolest thing ever! Uh oh, now I've posted a close-up shot and you can see my horrible attempt at free-motion quilting!  It was my first attempt!  I have a lot to learn (obviously), but it was so much fun and the kids don't car...

This weekend Miss M decided she wanted to sew something.  I was elbow deep in a sewing project of my own, so I told her that if she wanted to sew, she would have to do it all by herself.  I set up my old sewing machine on a little table for her and answered her questions, but otherwise she did all the work herself! First, she picked a project from Sewing School . (affiliate link)   She choose the Get to Work Apron.  It's a cute tool apron that helps you carry your tools or supplies with you while you work.  Then she picked some fabric from my stash.  She cut out the paper pattern and traced it onto her fabric with a piece of chalk.  (We had to have a little talk about placing your pattern near the edge of the fabric and not smack-dab in the middle!) Then she cut out her pieces and pinned them together, right sides facing.  At that point I gave her a piece of plain white printer paper to practice sewing straight lines on. ...

It was dark and rainy all day today.  Great weather for sewing…not so good for taking pictures though!  You can see the shorts I made Miss M yesterday in action here.  She complained about them being too poofy, but she did say they're comfortable. I hope she'll wear them…she's a tough one to please! Today I made the "Seesaw" ruffle sleeve top from Ottobre 3/2012 (#17, size 110).  Miss M doesn't like the length.  She feels like it's too short and constantly pulling it down.  It actually does fit her well, but I'll probably make it a bit longer next time to suit her. I didn't bother finishing the flutter sleeve edges.  I just left them raw.  I also didn't use clear elastic for the gathering of the fluttery bits…just regular old basting stitches.  I've never had very good luck with clear elastic for anything other than stabilizing a shoulder seam. And here's a modeled shot of Little Guy's striped tank top.  Aaaand…I ju...

Last night after I saw how cute the mesh tank top turned out, I went ahead and cut out another tank from the same striped jersey I used for my maxi dress . It's the same pattern as the mesh tank top (Ottobre 1/2013 #15).  I cut the back as one piece instead of having it yoked. I also cut the lower edge straight along a stripe instead of curved.  The neck and armholes are self-bound. Today I made a pair of banded shorts for Miss M.  The original pattern has ruffles on the bum, but I was afraid that would be too babyish for Miss M, so I left them off.  The band is fully interfaced quilting cotton and the main fabric is a lightweight twill with tiny white polka dots. The pattern is Ottobre 3/2008 #3 in size 110. I couldn't get actual modeled shots today and tomorrow is supposed to be stormy, so no promises on getting any soon. My plan tomorrow is to sew a little flutter sleeve top for Miss M and maybe a pair of sweat shorts for Little Guy.

While this shirt is neither very springy nor very practical (save for the hottest of hot days in summer), it is a big hit with Little Guy! The pattern is the "Victor" mesh tank top from Ottobre 1/2013 #15 (in size 98).  I have another cut out from more practical material, but I really had fun making this one out of mesh fabric from JoAnn and a scrap from an old t-shirt for the yellow bit.  The ribbing is also from JoAnn. Little Guy thinks it makes him look tough…wouldn't you agree? He's too much of a sweetheart to look tough for long though!  I love his little compact bod! :-) Tomorrow's project…a pair of shorts for Miss M!

KCW Day 2 arrived amid "a wintery mix" coming down all day.  It's dreary and bitter cold outside…perfect for staying in and sewing! I've had this gingham interlock knit since I was in college. I never got around to the project I bought it for.  It's nice to finally put it to use and get it out of my stash!  I took the tank top pattern in Ottobre 1/2013 (#2) and lengthened it to about 28" from the shoulder.  Next time, I'll draft the A-line from just under the armpit instead of halfway down the body since it's not quite as loose as I'd like.  On the other hand, as an actual tank, I think this pattern has a very nice fit! Miss M loves her new nighty!  I love how simple it was to put together. Miss M modeling her new nightgown with Sackgirl! Tomorrow's project…a mesh tank top for Little Guy!

Kids Clothes Week is here!  I started the week with my plan made and my patterns traced.  Today I spent about an hour and a half cutting out these four garments (while watching Bones on Netflix). I'd like to add in a pair of shorts or pants for Little Guy, but I haven't picked out a pattern or fabric yet…and may not have the time to execute it anyway.

I made myself a dress!  And it only took one day from drafting to completion. It's so comfortable! And I love the way the neck and shoulders give a lot of coverage, both for modesty and for protection from the sun. I got the fabric at JoAnn.  It has narrow metallic silver stripes between the navy and red. I'm tempted to make 6 more of these and live in them all summer long!  (Wait, did I just say summer?  We don't even have spring warmth here yet!)

It's that time again! Time to break out the warmer weather clothes and take stock of what my kids already have and what they need.  I already know Miss M is going to need a few things. I'm working on putting together a manageable list.  So far I know Miss M wants modest shorts and a nightgown or two.  I also know she'd appreciate any number of cute & comfy dresses.  Perhaps a maxi dress? Here's what I'm thinking for Miss M: Ottobre 1/2013 tank top lengthened and made A-line for a nightgown. Ottobre 3/2008 ruffle-back shorts, lengthened an inch and without the ruffles. And if there's time Ottobre 3/2012 just because I know Miss M loves this style! I have some ideas for a maxi dress, but if you know of anything outstanding, leave me a link in the comments! Oh how I love to sew!

Precocious little Miss M has been growing like a weed!  Several pairs of pants she could wear at the beginning of fall are now quite short on her.  You know what that means, right?  Time to sew! I already had the Superstretch jeggings (Ottobre 4/2011 #3) in size 116 traced and some denim knit material on hand, so I whipped up a pair (over the course of two days) of new jeggings for her.  She's not quite ready for a size 116, but since she just keeps on growing, I'm not concerned. I also made her a pair of legwarmers from some fun sport weight yarn my mom gave me.  I used an easy pattern from Tangled Happy .  Since the pattern was written to fit size 7/8, I sized down a little by making my initial chain 37 and continuing for a total of 35 rounds.  I also swapped out the pink satin ribbons shown here for some yellow grosgrain ribbon because it stays tied better. Miss M loves them!  And they make a wonderful addition to her w...

After I made the first t-shirt quilt , I was immediately commissioned to make another one.  This time, I had less original material to work with, so I had to be creative.  I ran across this tutorial and decided it was exactly what I needed to make this second quilt. I bought 12 fat quarters and 3 yards of sashing material, which turned out to be just about perfect! (I could have used another two fat quarters, but I made due with some creative piecing). There are shirts from infancy on through marriage!  Sone of the shirts even belonged to the recipient's husband, including one from their first date!  My favorites are the ones made from the Girl Scouts shirt and vest complete with patches and pins!  I made sure to put them on the edges though 'cause I didn't think they'd be too comfortable to lay on.  The back is a soft plaid flannel shirting material.  I got all they had left at JoAnn and it still wasn't quite enough, so I had to piece it cre...

I sewed something for myself! This, like, *never* happens!  I took Miss M to the fabric store and fell in love with this pretty fabric, so I got 2 yards to make myself a dress.  And then, wonder of wonders, I did ! I used the Meghan Peasant Dress pattern by Sis Boom.  It was a delight to work with and I foresee more of these dresses in my future.  The next one is going to be in a nice soft cotton jersey, I think. The picture was taken by Miss M, which explains the slightly odd expression -- she caught me just after I told her how to open the flash. Linking up to the Modest Mom Blog:

Late last year, just before we got inundated with birthdays and weddings and holidays (and an illegal camera placed on our property by the police, but that's a story for another day!), Miss M decided she needed a new skirt.  Since the madness hadn't started yet, I let her pick out some fabric and sew herself a skirt! She picked a pretty paisley baby wale corduroy my mom gave her and a simple gathered-rectangle type of skirt with an elastic waistband. This was really the first time I let her use my machine on her own.  She was very cautious about the needle...so much so that she sometimes forgot to guide the fabric, so focused was she on keeping her hands out of the way.  But she soon got the hang of it! Her favorite part was using the iron to press the elastic casing and lower hem.  No pictures of that part 'cause my assistance was much needed. She cut, pinned, stitched, and pressed all by herself!  I was there the whole time to ...