KCW Days 6&7: A Bee Swimsuit for E!

My last project for KCW was a much-needed swimsuit for E.  Her butt is literally three sizes smaller than her chest, so RTW just doesn't work.  Luckily, I won the adorable Cosi Swimsuit pattern from one of Call Ajaire's Monthly MashUp giveaways (along with the Shandiin, which I'm looking forward to sewing up soon, too!).  The Cosi has a ton of variations, but none of them were quite what I wanted.  A two-piece is much easier for diaper changes, but I prefer more coverage than a bikini.  I also wanted the bottoms to completely cover her diaper, as well as offer more sun protection.

So with all those things in mind, and the perfect fabric from The Fabric Fairy for my little bee-lover, I came up with this skirted tankini, using a combination of the Cosi, Jalie 2796, and this circle skirt calculator.

For the top, I cut a straight size 5 of view D, lengthening the pieces 2" past the peplum line.  I lined it with some nude swimsuit lining from Joann's and sewed it up as directed.  The only problem I had was topstitching the top edge through the elastic.  I don't know if it was me or my machine (probably a bit of both), but even with my beloved walking foot it didn't go well.  The fabric kept getting stuck, and I'd have to yank it backwards.  I ended up ripping out my first attempt and trying again.  It's better, but I'm still not very happy with it.  If anyone has advice, I'd love to hear it!  The hem along the bottom was fine, so I'm guessing it had something to do with the bulk with the elastic??

I will probably shorten the straps (if I ever get around to it!), but I'm very pleased with the fit overall.

For the bottoms, I used the Jalie compression shorts again, but this time with the size I inseam, and sandwiched a 7.25" long circle skirt between the shorts and the waistband.  The skirt was small enough that I could cut it in one piece.  I did make the waist opening a tiny bit too big, so there's a bit of gathering on the front when it's flat, but not once she's wearing it.

I'm very happy with both the fit and the coverage of the bottoms also.

She appears to be happy with it also.

I have plenty of the bee fabric left, so I'm going to make her a rash guard next.  I also threatened to make myself a bee bikini, which horrified O.  Hahaha.

KCW Day 5: Farbenmix Henrika & Jalie 2796 Shorts

Days three and four got away from me, but yesterday I went to work and busted out a dress and shorts for E.  Tee-shirt dresses are my favorite. (Okay, I say a lot of things are my faves, but they're so quick and cute and comfy!)

The dress is a modified Farbenmix Henrika.  I made her one in size 98/104 for the Spring 2012 (!) KCW, and it's really just fitting her nicely now, so I used the same size.  For this one, I raised the back neckline and scooped the front more.

Back neckline

I'd added an inch of length to the bottom last time around.  I added another two inches to the middle (where I figured a lengthen/shorten line would have been) for a total of 3".  The original skirt has four panels, but I didn't want the extra seams this time, so I doubled the pieces to make just a front and back.  It's nearly a circle skirt, so when it was time to hem, I first serged the bottom with the differential feed set to 2.0.  This gathered it a bit and made it really easy to work the ease in.  I will definitely do that with similar knit skirts from now on!  Added the neck and sleeve bands and it was done.

While she will mostly wear this with some pink and white striped capri leggings that she already has, I also wanted some brown undershorts for when it's too warm for capris.  I traced Jalie 2796 for that purpose last year and never got around to making any, so I was all set to make a quick pair.  She has a super tiny waist and butt, so they are a size F for the width (and length, not sure what past Sarah was thinking on that -- they're quite short!) and size I for the rise. When I finished, they looked impossibly small, but they're actually a perfect fit, other than the leg length.  They do cover her diaper, though, which was my main goal.  I'll lengthen the legs quite a bit for more modesty in the future, though.

The main fabric is pretty thin rib knit, which is one of those stash fabrics from before I knew what I was looking for in a knit.  I'm not crazy about it, and it was a pain to hem, but for something that's going to be covered most of the time, it's fine.  I used ribbing for the waist, since I didn't think the other stuff had enough recovery to hold up.

Not my best work, but it got the job done.

E's First Day

E had her first day of Early Childhood this morning.  I planned for her to wear an outfit I'd made during Summer KCW, but some of you may have seen my panic yesterday on Facebook about how it was going to be too cold to wear it.  I considered sewing up something warmer, but decided in the end to go the more sane route and just add layers.  I rarely make reasonable decisions when it comes to last minute sewing, so maybe this means I've turned a corner.  Not likely.

Last week when it was 90 degrees every day, I was thinking she'd wear her yellow Ottobre tank with her bee skirt -- she loves her bee toy so much that she even has one at school for motivation, so I knew her teacher and para would think the bees on her skirt were fitting.  It was much too chilly for that this morning, though, so she wore a white Jalie tee under a RTW knit blazer, and we added some tights as well.

She's also on her third year of using the owl bag (tutorial here).  I am beyond thrilled with how well it has held up! 

KCW Days 6 & 7: More Tees

What happened to Day 5?  I had good intentions, but never got around to sewing.  Whoops.  Day 6 was spent cutting and prepping, two things I always say I will do before KCW starts and have yet to do. Maybe for the Fall challenge.  But probably not.

When I asked O if he had any requests, he said he wanted a purple shirt with silver stripes.  I suggested grey, thinking that would be easier, but no, he wanted metallic silver.  I wasn't sure what to do with that one, but decided to try cutting strips of freezer paper and painting on stripes.  He originally wanted the whole shirt striped, but I was concerned that would make it too stiff.  Not to mention it would take forever, so we compromised and did three stripes instead.

 

I used the Charlie tee pattern again. The only thing I did differently this time was a narrower neckband, since I used the existing one from an upcycled tee.  I think I like it better, so I'll have to remember that for the next time I sew one up.

When O saw the finished shirt last night, he immediately said he loved it and asked me to make him a long-sleeved one just like it for winter.  That was high praise coming from him!

I made E one more tee also.  Hers is Jalie 2806, which is one of my favorite patterns.  This is her third (one, two).  The knit is from a box of fabric a friend passed on to me, and I had it slated for this right away.  I really like the white on white floral.

I'm a big fan of the tulip sleeve too.  It adds just a little extra touch of girliness without being over the top.  It's especially cute on, but my model is still sleeping this morning.  I'll try to get an action shot later.

And that wraps up Kids Clothes Week for me. It was fun!  And this time I made a conscious effort to clean up as I went, so instead of being left with a disaster of a sewing room, it's still functional.  Woo-hoo!

Did you sew along this week?

KCWC Day 6: Jalie 2805

As I was sewing up today's shirt, view D of Jalie 2805, I was pretty convinced that it was going to be the loudest, ugliest shirt ever.  It is bright and busy, and I certainly couldn't pull it off myself, but on a four-year-old, I think it's pretty cute.

The orange knit isn't very stretchy, so I cut a H width/I length, which is one size up from what I'd been making for E.  It fits nicely.  I also made cuffs for the sleeves instead of hemming them.

I've had some problems with this type of placket before, but it went fairly well.  Only had to break out the seam ripper once!

Just including this one because it cracked me up.

I also made a Facebook page for SJS today.  You can find it here or by clicking the Facebook icon in the upper right.

This has already been my most productive KCWC ever, with one day left to go.  E had the most wardrobe gaps to fill, but I'll be sewing for O tomorrow.

KCWC Day 3: Jalie 2806 (again)

E's tulip-sleeved Jalie 2806 from the spring KCWC was probably her most worn shirt all summer, so yesterday I made her a long-sleeved version using the sleeve pattern from 2805. I also used the hem band to add a bit of length and avoid hemming rib knit!

With the hem band, it is very, very long. Tunic length, but kind of narrow, even on my skinny girly. I think it's meant to kind of bunch up a bit, and it is nice that it doesn't ride up when she puts her arms over her head.

I think with this particular knit, though, I could have cut a straight H, rather than a G width/H length that I used for her other one. It bunches some around her chest. Or maybe that's because of the band.  Hmm... I might try removing it and just hemming it to see what happens.

Have you looked at all the great things in the KCWC Flickr Group?  So inspiring!

KCWC Days 1 & 2: Jalie 2806

This week's off to a bit of a slow start due to several commitments at O's school, so I began with a Jalie 2806, a simple tee with a few little extra details.  Since I've already made one for myself, it was a quick project. The most time-consuming part was trying to get the print lined up straight.  I got pretty close.

I traced a G/3 for width and H/4 for length, which looks like it'll be a good fit for Miss E. I'm sure I've mentioned before how much I love Jalie's size range, all the way from a girl's 2 up to a woman's 22 in one pattern!

Gathered Neckline

Tulip Sleeve

I'm especially looking forward to seeing how the tulip sleeve looks on her.  I didn't like the idea of it for myself, but think it will be a cute little touch for her.  It might be fun with a lettuce hem too.

Now I'd better get to tracing for the next project!

Jalie 2911: Shawl Collar Pullover

The lonely, unfinished shirt left from KCWC is done!  Please pardon my terrible photos.  It's a rainy day with a sick model -- and I somehow didn't think to use the flash for the pics of just the shirt, and now she's wearing it.  So yeah, they're bad.  My apologies.

However, you're likely not here to read about my lack of photography skills, so onto the sewing content.  E's newest long-sleeved shirt, from Jalie 2911.  I  made her a 98 width/104 length.  The 92/98 combo probably would have fit better right now, but I wanted some extra growing room.  It's made from some teal stretch french terry that I really love.  I'm thinking about making one for myself too (love that Jalie patterns have such a wide size range!) in the same color.  That won't be too geeky if we don't wear them on the same day, right??

It went together pretty easily.  I love sewing with stretch french terry.  The only issue I had was with the collar.  The directions were easy enough to follow and the construction of the collar was similar in some ways to O's fleece pullover, but I never quite get the corners right, so there's puckering.  I mustn't be lining them up correctly. This is my new sewing mission (other than, you know, actually finishing projects without a looming deadline), to figure out how to do this kind of inset thingy without puckering!  I don't think it's too obvious when it's on, at least.

Not remotely representational of the actual color

Crazy hair and sick eyes.  "Thanks for posting such a flattering picture on the internet, Mom."

Jalie 2806 for Me!

Despite having a generous supply of adult patterns (I seem to have a large stash of pretty much everything sewing-related), I rarely actually get around to sewing anything for myself.  I've had this print earmarked for a Jalie 2806 top for several months, so when I saw that the Sewing Mamas January Challenge was sewing for yourself, I knew just what to make.  Of course, I still waited until the last day of January.

Like the other Jalies I've sewn, the shirt went together quickly and the sizing was spot-on.

I'm not sure I'm crazy about the style on me, though.  This is especially silly, because it looks just like the pattern picture.  I know I look better in shirts that are more fitted through the middle, so why did I choose this one?  I still like it, but I'll remember for next time that it's more suited to E.  She's such a skinny thing that she can use some extra fabric.  (Did you know Jalie patterns start with a toddler size 2 and go up to women's plus sizes?  All in one pattern!  Awesome.)