KCW Day 4: Madras Plaid Capris

So these are certainly not my best work.  More Favorite Things Little Smarty Pants, but capris as drafted this time rather than made into a skirt.  I know better than to try to rush cutting out plaids, but rush I did.  Folding the fabric in half -- even relatively carefully -- and hoping for the best is not the way to get things to line up properly.  Oh well.  Maybe I'll just have E wear a tunic with them.  The leg side seams match better, at least.

I love the bias cut back waistband, although it would be a more noticeable detail if I didn't have to pull the elastic so tightly for the skinny one.

KCW Day 3: Charlie Muscle Tee

It has been ridiculously hot and humid here this week, so yesterday's project was a quick sleeveless tee for O.  I used the Fishsticks Designs Charlie Tee pattern and trimmed off a bit of the shoulder, eyeballing it based on the Made Muscle Tee tutorial.

 

Next time -- if there is a next time, not sure if sleeveless is out of O's wheelhouse or not -- I will make the arm bands longer.  I measured and cut the ribbing at 70%, which is what I usually use for neckbands, but either I made a mistake or arm bands need longer ribbing.  Hoping it'll look less puckered when it's on? 

I'm quite pleased with how the hem turned out.  I seem to be hit or miss with the double needle, but this one looks pretty nice.

KCW Day 2: Seesaw Jersey Top

Yesterday's project was a top to go with Monday's skirt.  I upcycled an old tee of Ray's into the Seesaw Jersey Top from Ottobre 3/12, design #17.  She usually wears a size 5 top in RTW, so I traced a 104 for the width, but a 122 for the length.  The pattern runs quite short. 

Using existing hems makes me happy.

I don't have any yellow serger thead, but I did find some variegated pastel Wooly Nylon to finish the sleeve edges.  I was hoping the color repeats would be shorter -- I hadn't used it before -- but it adds a nice touch of color.

This may be my new favorite summer style for her.  Shoulder coverage, but more like a tank under the arms, which I think feels so much cooler than a full short sleeve.

Playing with her beloved bee toy

KCW Day 1: Little Smarty Pants/Tiered Skirt Hybrid

I'm super excited that there's a summer edition of Kids Clothes Week this year, because it was just the incentive I needed to clean up the sorely neglected sewing room and tackle my mental to-do list. 

First up was a skirt/skort/whatever we're calling it for the resident bee lover.  I used the Favorite Things Little Smarty Pants pattern as a starting point.  I chose it partially because it has a separate waistband and partially because she was wearing her linen bermudas from that pattern when I started.  I'm not sure I would have thought of it otherwise!  Since she is growing up but not out, they still fit her well, so I didn't even have to trace off a new size -- two years later.

I cut the shorts at the notches for the cuff fold-line and the waistband pieces as normal.  For the skirt (size 3 width, approx. size 5 length), I used two 7" strips.  The top tier was 33 3/4" and the bottom was 53 3/8".  I followed the instructions for the capris up until the waistband is attached to the legs.  At that point I gathered the top tier to fit the top of the shorts, basted it in place and then applied the waistband. Then I added the bottom tier and sewed a narrow hem.  I also narrow hemmed the shorts and added a row of shirring to make them more bloomer-ish.

Flat front

Elastic at back waist

Bloomers

I never put skirts on E because she is likely to pull her foot -- or both feet! -- up over her head at any given time, so this is perfect for her.  It went together even more quickly than I thought, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of these.

O's Birthday Tee: USS Constitution Style [with Template]

Originally guest posted at Once Upon a Sewing Machine as part of their Sew You Had a Boy series.

Most years I make O a birthday shirt.  Last year he even designed his own outfit!  His 8th birthday is next week, but he didn't have any suggestions this time around.

We recently went on a trip to Boston, and one of O's favorite things was a tour of the USS Constitution, so I used that as my inspiration.

My original plan was to somehow applique or stencil the ship onto the front of a tee, but fortunately I realized that simplicity is a virtue and a life preserver would be less likely to make me want to tear my hair out.

For the shirt itself, I chose the Fishstick Designs Patrick Curved Raglan, which I have sewn more than any other pattern.  It is definitely one of my go-to boy patterns!

The life preserver is a combination of raw-edge applique and freezer paper stencil.  I sewed the left side seam, then placed and sewed the applique before sewing up the other side.

I'm really happy with how it turned out, so I hope O likes it too!  If you'd like to make one for your own little history lover, you can download the applique and stencil template here.

Guest Posting at Once Upon a Sewing Machine Today!

I'm guest posting at Once Upon a Sewing Machine today as part of their Sew You Had a Boy series.  Please stop over to check out O's birthday shirt, inspired by our recent trip to Boston.

I'm hoping this will kick-start my sewing and blogging mojo.  I haven't been sewing much, but I do have a few things to blog, some from as long ago as February.  Yikes. 

And for some housekeeping: Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tutorial: Camp Half-Blood Freezer Paper Stenciled Tee

Originally posted last month on Heron's Crafts as part of her Storybook Craft Project series.

About a year ago, my teenage niece suggested that O and I should read the Percy Jackson books.  We share a love of Harry Potter, so she thought we'd enjoy them -- and she was right!  O has been pretty much obsessed with all of Riordan's books ever since.  I made him a Camp Half-Blood tee for Christmas and my niece loved it, so I took this opportunity to make one for her as well.

Materials
Orange tee
Black  fabric paint
X-acto knife
Freezer paper
Template

 

If you're new to freezer paper stenciling, start by reading through Rebecca's tutorial.

Open the text template and add whatever clip art you'd like, or make a separate stencil for the image. I chose a centaur, but other suggestions would include a pegasus,  Poseidon's trident, Athena's owl, Zeus's thunderbolt, or the symbol of another Greek god.  I used the Adonais font for the text, if you'd like to make your own stencil with a different layout.

Print and carefully cut out the stencil with the X-acto knife, making sure to keep track of the tiny negative space pieces. I didn't realize until I made this one that I'd forgotten the piece that separates the centaur's arm and arrow on O's shirt.  Apparently not a big deal, since I didn't notice for over a month!

Center the stencil, iron it on, and paint.

The black covers well, so it only needed one coat in most areas.  When you're satisfied with the coverage, peel off the stencil.  It helps to use a pin and a tweezers to get the itty-bitty pieces off.

Admire your work.  All that detailed cutting seems worth it now, right?  Follow the paint instructions for drying and finishing, and enjoy your new shirt.