Laundry and sewing don't mix

I'm not a beader but a few years back when I was purchasing beads for a Girl Scout project I couldn't resist picking up a couple of boxes of beads in colors that I love. I've used most of them to make beaded bookmarks to give people a "little something" for Christmas. Last year at Christmas, after making a bookmark for a friend I got the great idea to make a long string of beads to hang my thread cutting scissors from since I'm always looking for my scissors when I need to cut threads. I love it and wear it almost all the time when I'm sewing and can be found wearing it as I wander around the house in between or after sewing sessions. Or, you can probably guess, as I was tossing a load of laundry into the wash machine today. When I bent down to pull clothes out of the bottom of the hamper either the scissors or the string of beads caught on the edge of the hamper and beads were flying everywhere. I just stood there and groaned for a second before I found the ends and pulled the strand off. The hemp cording that I had used to string the beads had pulled apart and broken. Now I have a partial strand of beads, broken cord, a big handful of loose beads and a scissors. I'm so bummed. I am busy trying to get my Christmas projects done and don't have time to sit down and figure out how to re-bead it. Maybe on Christmas day again while the kids are playing. I'm not an expert beader but I did have some symmetry to the design I made. Hope I found all the big beads as my last round of bookmarks has diminished my supply of these beads. The moral of this story? Don't do laundry while sewing of course. LOL.

New Look Cape 6451

I had M pose for pix with K's cape this afternoon when she came home from school. The fabric is a dark green moleskin, almost looks black, that I got from Joann's for 75% off. It stretched a bit while sewing so I had issues while sewing it; especially when putting the fur around the hood. Finally gave the fur a hair cut at the seam allowance and that made it much easier. The shoulders were shaped a bit more than K needed, it fits M through the shoulders great and she's a women's S in RTW. I made this in a kids size 8, which fit K's measurements. The panels turned out to be different lengths which was a pain to straighten so I ended up straightening them the best I could and then turning the moleskin up and hand sewing it to the lining. I caught the moleskin a lot too so you can see where the hem is. I decided it didn't matter as it was only a costume.

I also made the shirt and skirt M is wearing under the cape. You can't see the shirt but the shirt was made to be a poodle skirt for choir a couple years back. She took the poodle off so that it could double as a long skirt for Fezziwig today.

More Ottobre Shirts

I've given up on actually having models for these shirts when I also have batteries charged for my camera. You'll have to use your imagination.

First up is a tee from Ottobre Women 2/2006 #1 in size 34 for M in a V-neck. I made this from a white rib-knit from some coop. I used a honeycomb stitch for hemming it which she really likes. On the neckline I used a stitch that I've used for machine embroidery to try to vary the look of the neckline. I wasn't in the mood to get out my double needle so tried this. She likes the look. I started using Wonder Tape at the hems to keep them from stretching and this really helps. I pin and iron the hem up 1". Then I tape the Wonder Tape about 1/4" from the raw edge. Flip the hem back up and tape it all together. Even if my stitch doesn't hit the whole 1/4" of Wonder Tape it's enough to keep the fabric from stretching out while stitching. Only way I could use a honeycomb stitch on a knit. Just need to take care to not stretch the fabric while applying the tape.

This shirt is intended to be a close fitting tee but on M it has a loose fit. It is the smallest size in OW. Might be a while before I can sew her looser fitting shirts from OW. She needs to fatten up a bit for that. LOL.

Here's another tee using OW 2/2006 #1. M likes a shirt that I have with a square neckline so asked me to make her another tee but with the square neckline. So, what could I do but comply. :) Here I used a crinkly knit that I think I got from fabric.com. I used FOE on the neckline for a bit of a contrast. The green I got from Anne from Needlenook fabrics when she was here for a bra workshop. The blue I got from a coop; again I can't remember which one. I just ironed the green FOE in half and held the blue under it as I stitched it on in one pass. I thought I had stretched them quite a bit as I sewed but stitching them held them stretched out a bit, I guess. I've steamed them quite a bit but they are still just slightly stretched out. It looks ok on; especially after I mitered the corners a bit. Call it a learning experience. It looks great on M. Next time I won't make the sides quite so wide, it doesn't show her bra straps but would look better a little narrower, and maybe use a longer stitch length on the elastic. I honeycombed the hems again on this one.

Next up are shirts I made from Ottobre 4/2007 for K.

First is the Tunic top #31 in size 134 lengthened to 146 since K is so tall and thin. I thought I added length to the bodice too but don't see those notes on my pattern. Must be my failing memory or mis-memory. LOL. Since I didn't figure K would wear a turtleneck under the shirt I added a long sleeve (from#33) under the short sleeve. Because of this I had to sew the sleeves in the round instead of stitching side seams and sleeves all in one pass. I ran out of the striped fabric but thanks to someone from the Ottobre-english list I was able to make matching short sleeves. This is slightly big on K but should last the whole winter this way. I made a matching reversible belt, with the pink and blue fabric, but it seems to be a toy in it's own right and I can't find it now to post with the pictures. Again, I hemmed this with a honeycomb stitch. I think this is becoming a favorite hem stitch. LOL.

The other shirt for K is #33 Girls T-shirt size 134. K needed to wear all black for choir when she performed in the Nutcracker. This was an opportunity to try this pattern, which I thought would be dressier than a basic t-shirt. I found the fabric at S.R. Harris. I think it's cotton/lycra, heavy on the lycra. The color is different from the front and back. I wasn't actually sure which side was the front so chose the one which felt more cottony. The picture looks more brown but it is truly black. I accidentally added seam allowance to the neckline but it still fits well around the neck. I'm thinking of adding some sparkles to the yoke on the front. Haven't gotten up the nerve to do this yet. Haven't used my sparkly tool yet.

The fit of this shirt is so nice. It's the same size as the Tunic top but more close fitting. The fabric has lots of stretch so it's easy to get off and on. I might be inclined to make it a size bigger if I make it again if the fabric doesn't have as much stretch.

Again I used Wonder Tape, have I said I love that stuff? The fabric is so stretchy that I used Wonder Taper all over to do the topstitching; shoulders, sleeves, neckline, yoke, hems. Had to wash it before she wore it to get all the tape out. LOL. The topstitching sure looks nice though.

I also made K a cape to wear for the Nutcracker but it's getting double duty today. M is wearing it for Fezziwig at school today so I don't have it to take pictures. Only picture I got of it is N wearing it crouched down on the floor (which is cute too). Never did get a picture of K alone wearing the whole outfit for the Nutcracker. I fell down on actually remembering to bring the camera after re-charing the batteries. Will try to catch a picture of that on one of the kids and post that later.

Field Trip to S.R. Harris

Today I went on a field trip ALL BY MYSELF!! I spent about an hour at S.R. Harris. The hour was good on my pocketbook but I'll have to go back in installments. LOL. I was looking for some retro knits and sweatshirt fleece, which I didn't find. The trip was not wasted, however.

I found a cute sweater knit and a striped slightly puckery knit. Dd #1 likes both of these. I'm not sure what the sweater knit is asking to be but the stripe is calling out long sleeved shirt; which dd needs.


The striped knit on the left has such warm autumny colors. The back is brushed and so soft. The tan one is a nice knit too. At first I thought it would make some nice chunky cuffs on something but bought a yard "just in case." I have several other pieces it would work with.
I'm trying to decide if these want to be a lined "sweater jacket" or something else.

When I got home I realized that what I thought was the front of the tan knit was the back. I tried to take a picture of both sides, but I'm not sure you can see the differenence. On the back it has three skinny ridges very close to each other with a space in between. On the back, it looks like three skinny recesses with a raised space in between each set of three. So, I have design options for using the front and back or changing direction of the ridges.

The last fabric I bought is a fun blue/brown stripe. Don't know if this will go for a dd or ds. It is a nice knit with great recovery. It felt so good I just had to buy it.

After I went shopping I just wanted to share these with someone but alas had no local sewers that I could share them with right away. So, I decided to go online for my fabric purchase support. I'm sure others understand what I mean. LOL.

New preschool duds

The first day of preschool warranted new duds for N as well as a new "Kachow" backpack.

The bottoms are Ottobre's Knee Length Pants; 3/2007 #22 size 104. They slide down a bit and look like short pants but this way they will still fit next spring. I would like to make some longer pants like this and will probably go down one size so they don't fall down quite so much for winter.

Here's the back view. He is looking at flowers holding a camera in his hands, not doing his duty. This was the best back view picture I got so Iwent with it. LOL.

Here's a close-up of the shirt; Ottobre 2/2004 #16 size 116. It is a little big but again I wanted it to fit in the spring too. Fabric doesn't have a lot of stretch to it so was probably a good idea to make it a little big. I added 1" to the bottom but I probably didn't need to.

Donation picture

Before M sends her hair off here's one last look of her donation.

Locks of Love: Before and After

M decided her hair was too long and in the way and really wanted to donate it to Locks of Love. So, she got it cut today; 13" total! At first she wasn't entirely sure that she liked it (I got a glimpse of shiny eyes in the car afterwards). For sure she didn't like how the stylist curled it up at the ends. We got home tonight and she tried on a new dress that we bought and put her hair in piggy tails (she says pig, I say pony) and was grinning from ear to ear as she LOVES the new look. Here are the before and after pictures (I forgot to take a picture right before we left and of course didn't remember to take the camera with - this is a picture of her right after her final orchestra concert of the year in May.

Ottobre swimsuit for a friend

Last December I made a swimsuit from Ottobre for a friend. Can't remember the details about which issue, etc. I lengthened the top to tankini length. The bottoms are boy cut and came out pretty tight. I also added a belt to this pattern per D's request.

Swimsuit Jalie 2447 Redux

Re-traced and re-made M's suit in a size P. For the torso on the tankini top I traced a P at the top and graduated it to an M on the bottom. I figured it would probably look good as an M still since it's not pulling from the front on this one. It's amazing how well a suit fits when you make the correct size! I also modified the bodice so that it crosses a bit higher in front. I marked approximately one inch higher at center front on the tracing paper and just pivoted the pattern piece and redrew the line to go through that mark. Worked very slick. She's much happier with the more modest neckline. I also added length on the top to the size R length.

The leg elastic on the bottoms is too tight. Since I made this with the full coverage I think I can take the elastic out and cut the front out a little to get the legs to fit more comfortably. I can't just replace the elastic with longer elastic as it's not actually gathered that much. The leg holes are just small and very low cut.

I also added a belt. M chose the placement . I think I would like it higher but she's happy so that's what counts. I much prefer the half belt sewn into the side seams to doing a full belt with beltloops.

Fabric is from Anne at Needlenook. I need to get some more and make another suit for M. Wonder what color she wants the next one and what Anne has in store for us. ;)

Swimsuit Jalie 2447

I made the the Jalie 2447 swimsuit for M and accidentally made the wrong size. I was supposed to make a P as the bust and hip measured P and I accidentally made an M. She measures M at the waist. Darn it. So, of course it's too small. The only thing is that the top is a little too big at the waist. I'm wondering if I should taper the torso part from a P to an L when I cut it out. Here's the pictures of how it looks now. You can see it pulling under the bust and really tight across the back. It only sticks out in the back waist. Is this telling me something?

American Girl Doll Clothes

Yesterday I spent the day in my sewing room creating American Girl doll clothes. These were for a silent auction at church today but no one bid on them by the time I left. My girls will be happy to get them. I wrote down the dimensions so I could reproduce things after I got requests, LOL, now I won't have to. I had to stop K from bidding on them. LOL. Both my dd and a lady at church asked if the green skirt could be made in a size for them. That is actually what I bought the fabric for but haven't gotten around to actually making one. M did all the knitting for the purse, hair flower, and scarf.

Short Sleeved Shirt Jalie 2682

I just finished up Jalie 2682 in a cotton/lycra knit for M. I think it's a size 152 - will have to double check that. I also added 2" to the bottom as I wasn't sure if it would be as long as she prefers. This is a great knit, wish I could remember where I got it, and M loves her new shirt. I deviated from the pattern a little, unintentionally at first. I accidentally cut the front bodice for the shirt with zipper. Rather than throw away four perfectly good pieces I improvised and added a little joining piece in place of the zipper. Because of this I topstitched the whole neckline down. This makes the shirt look a little different as the neckline sides and back aren't as flowy. This works well for this knit. M folds the neckline down as a collar as she said it's cooler. Was almost 90F today and with no A/C at school I'm sure it was plenty hot. I think she'd love a few more in this style as would I.

Ottobre Casual Pants 3/2007 #36

I just finished up these "Casual Pants" from Ottobre 3/2007 #36 size 152. Can't believe I've made something from the most recent issue so shortly after I got it. I don't usually make something until the issue is at least a year old for some reason. They are made from a stretch twill (can't remember where I got it) and a nice rib knit from Anne at Needlenook Fabrics. I contemplated putting wide elastic in the knit but Anne said I wouldn't need it with this fabric. She was right.

M likes the waistband rolled down over the pants better than unrolled as she doesn't like how wide the band is. It is cute both ways. I added darts to the back of the pants so they wouldn't be quite so baggy at the top in the back. I also made the back pockets freestanding instead of sewn into the side-seam as directed. Again, this was M's choice.

As far as I can tell I cut everything out correctly but the front pocket piece/facings were higher than the pants front and back so I graded the top from the side to the front pocket. You can see that the pants are a little shorter in front rise than back.

This pattern is supposed to have a contrast fabric in the back lower leg with roll-up tabs and belt loops. I left them all out per M's request. Actually, she wanted belt loops but once she tried the pants on she immediately rolled the waistband down and forgot about the belt loops. That's quite ok with me.

I have a similar little boy version traced out. These were so easy that I can't wait to make them for N. The question is do I cut them out and make them or trace off and sew a sleeveless white top from Jalie to match these pants for M first?

Which style should I choose?

I have some cute Aussie motif fabric that I want to make into knit shorts and t-shirt for N. The shorts will have about a 2" ribbing at the top like many sweatpants do now days. I'm trying to decide how to incorporate the two patterned fabrics into one outfit (whether he wears them together is another thing I guess). I'm thinking color blocking on the t-shirt. Ottobre has a couple patterns for different options for me. One has a strip of contrast fabric on about the outside 1/4 of the shirt. One is raglan sleeved and has a dark contrast fabric on the bottom 1/3 of the shirt. Then, I could always take the basic raglan t-shirt and put the contrast fabric on the sleeves. With these in mind I took some photos of my fabric.

Realistically, you'll probably never see the ribbing on the shorts unless someone decides to tuck his shirt in. But, I included it in the pictures. The orange ribbing and interlock are not exactly the same color, which bugs my anal need for colors to match but they're pretty close. I'll probably use the same ribbing for the neckline of the shirt as well.

Now that I have so many options, I'm not sure which one to choose.

Modelled version

K wore her new outfit to school today so I got a picture right away. I sized the shirt up one size from her measurements for growing room. Next time I will go one size bigger yet and add a little more length. It is very close fitting. This knit doesn't have a lot of stretch either so that doesn't help width-wise. Looks very cute on and we even found yellow glow in the dark pony beads for the shirt which matches nicely with the skort.

Help in the sewing room

The other day N was "helping" me in the sewing room and wanted to try on the new bra cup I had made. Here's some pictures of him modelling it and looking in the mirror to see how well it fit. LOL. He found a mesh bag from some toys and put it on over the top. Lovely, huh? What do you think? Do I have the right size this time??

Ottobre skort 1/2007 #37

I made this skort for K a couple weeks ago and am just getting around to posting it. The pockets and skirt front took me a long time. After it was all said and done and I was ironing it I realized that the pleats in front are not the same distance apart. Ooops. This was a new skill for me so I was focussing on how to get the lines lined up and where to stitch and didn't think to make sure I got them even. Oh well. The child will never be still for anyone to notice that detail. LOL.

This probably wasn't the best skort to make with a striped fabric but K picked it out so I made it. The back pockets have a decorative fold in the middle but it's hard to see with the stripes and impossible to match anything with the stripes. The flaps call for velcro but I left them off. I might decide to put snaps on them if they don't lie well after washing. Otherwise I'll leave them as they are.

This was made in a size 128.

Ottobre T-shirt 3/2006 #39?

Just finished the t-shirt from 3/2006 with side ties for K to go with the skort I made a couple weeks ago (was it that long already?). This t-shirt went together easily until I got to stitching the side seams. Instead of ribbon, I purchased more of a cord (not many colors at J's to choose from). This is very bulky and made it hard to stitch close to but not on the cording. Turned out nicely but next time I would use something thinner. I've included a couple pics to see the channel that the cording goes through. There's supposed to be a bead on one cord on each side but I couldn't find the right kind tonight. I'm sure we have one somewhere in this house.

I serged the neckline on so it doesn't come to a distinct point and used a different stitch for topstitching it down. I think I like it.

I made this in a size 128 with a length of 140.