Feed the Animals Purses and a birthday!

Phew!  Finally finished, and just in the nick of time:

While I am sad that Amanda beat me to it (see her lovely purses here), I managed to finish off all the party bags including Marcus' before the party!  

This is the Feed the Animals pattern from Straight Stitch Society.  I made three dogs (well actually four, if you count my trial run which got a bit mucked up and was abandoned), four cats and a monkey.  While we are dog-people in this house, I feel like the cats and monkey look a bit more like the animals they are supposed to be.  I also think you could easily adapt this pattern to make rabbits or owls or whatever you like really.  (Well, maybe not long snout animals like horses and crocodiles...).

I found the pattern pretty easy to follow (except for the first one where I totally mucked it up but that was my fault).  It is a pretty labour intensive process, as there is lots of cutting out teeny bits of felt and so forth.  I didn't manage to do pretty blanket stitch or similar around the face features either - I just sewed them on close to the edges.

I did find these much easier to chain gang - sewing lots of the same step at the same time.  I also mucked with the sequence of the pattern a bit to suit my lifestyle (sewing lots when I was at the machine and saving things like clipping seams, sewing buttons and turning ears for when I wasn't).  My only criticism of this pattern is that the ears have a tendency to sit more forward than I would like (like on the monkey in the above picture).  I solved this by pulling them back and securing them in place with some stitches between the ear base and the side panel.

 I filled them with less stuff than a normal party bag, but I think nicer things.  They each got a notepad, lip gloss, nail varnish, Hello Kitty broach and a mini lolly pop.  I wanted to avoid plastic tat and chocolate.  Without being a total killjoy I figured I often throw almost all of the non-edible stuff in party bags out when we get home as it's rubbish.  I realised I could spend about the same but get fewer things - and the kids seemed happy.

It was a lovely girlie party, with dancing, cupcake decorating and a Barbie movie (I know, I know...ultimate tat!).  Jesse joined in:

And my little girl is suddenly very big!

She loved the party bags and also the sewing machine and kit that Mummy got her, so look forward to seeing her creations as well as mine in the near future!!

What Kids Clothes Week does to the kids...

Two interesting moments today.

Moment 1:  asking Marcus to model a lovely hot pink striped dress.

Just the shot I wanted for my blog and to check the fit...complete with a nice flash of his monster alien underpants :)

Seemingly wearing a dress is the funniest thing ever.

Moment 2:  Issy drawing a picture of us today.

There's the dog (looking like a cat...) on the sofa at the top, Mummy on the left, Issy and Marcus playing with toys at the bottom.


Let's have a close up of Mummy in that picture:

Yes, I am standing at the raised counter bench area, doing some pattern tracing and cutting.  Significant enough impact on her life that I made it into her pictures...Should I feel bad?  Nah...I am seriously considering making this my profile picture :)

Here it is again once coloured in, as she did such a nice job.

Woo Hoo for KCW!

Days 2, 3 and 4 of KCW

A little behind on the blogging but I have been sewing sewing sewing (with a little knitting thrown in for good measure).

Various finished bits and pieces :)

A Heidi and Finn Cowl Neck Dress...without the cowl:

The little girl who I made this for *hates* wearing dresses and wants to only wear boys clothes.  Am hoping a plainish, non-pink, snuggly "tunic" might be the ticket.  I plan to make some leggings for underneath out of the same burnt orange jersey.

I left off the cowl as I thought it might be too dressy and fussy - instead I used the bound neckline option (like the Flashback Skinny Tee, option 2).

That bicycles dress was the leftovers from Marcus' hoodie (shown below).  I often end up buying too much but this time I am pleased I did!  I didn't realise I would get a hoodie for him and a dress for someone else...

Then...I made another out of the leftovers from Issy's hoodie (not yet finished).  This one is for another friend's daughter who loves dresses, but not stuff around her neck (apparently I know some picky kids!).  I love the simplicity of this dress anyway...

I toyed with idea of making a belt like this (well actually I just about fully made the belt then decided against it).  I like the look but I think it would be a lot cleaner looking if I had made it as a faux belt attached to the dress all the way around, rather than as an actual belt.

I tried this on a similar sized model (not the recipient) and think it might be a little long, but will tell her mum just to bring it over and we can adjust it quickly if so.

There is something odd going on with the hem here, I think it's because the mystery model is twirling...

I also finished off the hoodie I blogged on day one, for Marcus:

This is what happens when you ask him to model while the Octonauts is on...

He does actually like it and it looks great.  I love the burnt orange contrast lining/facing.  My adjustment to not fully line it worked fairly well, and the buttons make it look super cool.

Plus I have started sewing Issy's hoodie, cut out a Flashback Skinny Tee for them both and have plans for a Go To Signature dress as a nightie for Issy's birthday.

I should mention at this stage that I plan to extend KCW to be KCF (Kids Clothes Fortnight) as my husband is still away and my bloggy mate Amanda from Ellieboo has been away this week.  Assuming she isn't pooped from her holiday, we are having our own KCW next week.  Hurrah for sewing!!

KCW update

So I didn't yet post for days 2,3,4... but I have been sewing! I have made most of two Urban Unisex Hoodies and two Cowl Neck Dresses (apparently I am rocking the Heidi and Finn patterns this KCW!).

Annoyingly though, I have also been ill. So I have been super slack in the blogging :( I hope to catch up tomorrow or Sunday.

Meanwhile I am staying at Mum's tonight for some R&R.  But it's still KCW, so I am knitting:

My friend is having a baby soonish, but selfishly has not found out the gender.  So I am making the booties above with either pink or orange blanket stitch, depending on what arrives.

I am also going to make this matching rabbit:

This is super cute. But first (as it's KCW), the booties...

Also NOT for KCW: Elegance & Elephants Bubble Shorts Pattern Test

I was asked a couple of week's ago to test the very lovely Bubble Pocket Shorts pattern from Elegance and Elephants.  I finished my version and then went away for work and haven't got around to blogging this until now.  While I didn't make these in Kid's Clothes Week, the post is at least a perfect fit for the theme :)

I ummed and ahhed a bit about whether to put my hand up to pattern test this one.  Mostly because I live in Tasmania, where we are hurtling rapidly towards winter and I wasn't sure of how much longevity this make would have (despite being in Australia, we don't really have a need for shorts in the Tassie winter!).  However, I found a fabric I thought would be perfect, and I think she could wear these with a pair of navy tights over our winter too!

I previously tested the Ruffle Top pattern from E&E and was delighted to find the Bubble Pocket Shorts are just as well thought out and constructed.  It's a lovely pattern with two variations - one is the classic (which I made) and the other is a sailor style front which is super super super cute.  I chose to make the classic only because I was short on time (going away for work) and they are ridiculously quick to sew.  Even with pattern tracing and so on I think they only took me about 3 hours or so.



I made them from a blue seersucker which has darker blue pears all over it.  I accented the front with a red bow to break up the print a little.  I love this picture - I asked her to "pull her top up a little to show me the whole of the shorts" hahahaha.

Another winner from E&E - she says they are comfortable (as evidenced from the picture below) and she really likes the pockets.  She said something vague about them not being like other shorts - I think she feels the pocket fullness and bow make them more appealing like a skirt which is awesome news for those of us who struggle to encourage our kids into trousers and shorts!

A great compromise between her preferred skirt and the more practical shorts - necessary when there is a lot of this sort of thing going on!

Exactly what is my ethos? The "Frenchification" revisited... and the Handmaker's Factory Pledge

Previously on this blog, I have discussed moving away from the disposable culture and my ideal notion of frenchification.  That post was back in October, during the last (and my first) KCW.  The arrival of the next KCW (this week) made me look back over the last, and to revisit where my head was at in those

My initial thoughts on this topic are summarised below (from the original post).

• I would like to buy fewer things, but buy things of higher quality
• I need to invest in the things that I have, and look after them better
• I have not adequately prepared for Kids Clothes Week Challenge and am instead procrastinating with lofty musings
• This resolution applies to more than clothes - am sitting in my very much in need of decluttering house... 
• I am full of good intentions but probably need some sort of action plan otherwise I might be reposting this again in several months time with no change.

Since this post, I have in fact thought a lot about this and have tried to live a little more accordingly.  I haven't sorted out the final bullet point yet, but have been aware of it and also have been trying to enact the first two in various ways.  I have also read Overdressed:  The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion and while it didn't change my life (I was already heading in the direction indicated...), it added weight to what is slowly taking hold for me.  I haven't spent a lot of time and effort and planning on this yet but I think my new summary of how I am feeling looks like this:

1. I need to consume less
2. I need to better look after the things I already have
3. I need to make as many things as I can, preferably from "good" (sustainable, organic, recycled etc) materials
4. Sometimes, I will buy cheap stuff for the kids (and also for me) from the likes of Target and "the dubs" (Big W) and that is OK.  My life is not a mission of binary, polarising values; I am not a saint and as long as I am thinking and trying and considering my purchases, buying things is not/does not make me "bad".
5. I still need a plan

What I need help with here is - with limited time - what is the plan?  I currently vacillate between these two approaches:

• Trying to sew lots of the basics (tee shirts, tops, quicky skirts etc).  The theory here would be that these are the things that I am mostly likely to buy as "disposable" fashion items, so I would achieve a lot by making those myself.  They are also most frequently worn, and most open to personalisation with minimal risk.  On the flip side, they are also insubstantial (in sewing terms) and so perhaps less exciting for me to sew.  It's also hard to reproduce the range of fabrics and designs that exist commercially - my particular bugbear issue being unable to find matching or complementary rib for nice knit fabrics.  The real temptation point is of course that I don't save a lot of money by sewing these things either, as they are so cheap anyway (for all the horrible reasons outlined in Overdressed).
• The alternate route I see is to sew the things which are more timeless and long lasting in the wardrobe.  My recent foray into trouser making was exciting - I wear trousers a lot and now feel like I could have a stab at a variety of different trouser shapes / styles from my basic pattern (or the experience and shape of the basic pattern combined with a new pattern).  I struggle to find nice bras for a reasonable price - a long held goal is to make my own which would be a revelation for me, but which I suspect is it's own journey of discovery re fit and materials and so forth.  I also think sewing exercise wear would be an astonishing saving, with vest tops costing at least $40-50 and hoodie type running jackets in around the $150 mark for extremely basic clothing.

This isn't really a question I think, as the answer is (most obviously) that I should sew a bit of both.  I can't solely do one or the other, and it doesn't make sense to, but that means I have to reconcile that I won't be sewing one or the other to the exclusion of purchasing that set of items either.

It's not easy, especially when I work close to full time and have all manner of gardening, hanging with the kids, exciting TV and wine drinking to be getting on with as well as sewing :) but I think it's worth the thinking about it and the writing about it and the pause I feel when my hand reaches for a $15 top or a bolt of cheapie fabric in Spotlight.  I recently read Jorth's post about her daughter's desire to adopt the Handmaker's Factory Pledge and I decided to do the same.  The pledge is not all or nothing - it involves learning and thinking about the impact and source of goods - exactly where I am at!  And so:

As a member of Handmaker's Factory I pledge that I shall learn about the impact my clothing choices make on our planet, step off the merry-go-round of dictated fashion and confidently explore the traditional craft of making my own clothes. As part of this global interactive community I will share my passion and expertise, be respectful to others and have fun! 

Look out for all my *expertise* coming at you :)

KCW Day One - Urban Hoodie Modification

I recently saw some super cute plush backed fleece in Spotlight and snapped it up before it was all gone.  I bought three colours - an orange geometric design for me, a grey and hot pink stripe for Issy and some cream with super cute orange bicycles for Marcus.

The plush back of the fleece was so snuggly and soft that I wanted to modify the Urban Unisex Hoodie from Heidi and Finn pattern to make it mostly unlined, so the plushness wasn't wasted.  For my first "hour" (it was somewhat more!) of KCW I worked out how to change the lining into a hood lining and facing, then got sewing.  As you can see from the picture above, I got a lovely orange rib to make the lining/facing from which goes very well with the bicycles on the fleece.

To do this pattern modification I had to draft a couple of new pattern pieces, which were really just thinner edge versions of the main pattern pieces.

Here is the (rather insignificant looking) back facing:

And this was the front facing:

I then changed the construction order as follows:

• Overlock the facing edges
• Make hood as normal
• Attach outer shell at shoulders, attached facings together at shoulders
• Attach hood and facings
• Sew down facings
• Set in sleeves
• Side seams
• Carry on from step 20 as normal

On the whole, this seems to have worked fairly well.  The facings shore up the front edges and hide the neck seam well.

However, the rib I used here for the lining/facing was quite unstable and stretched across the neckline.  In comfort terms this is neither here nor there, but it looks a bit unsightly from inside.  I will likely modify further when I make Issy's, to separate the neckline facing from the edges facing, which should allow me to tuck the facing edges under and top stitch down for a neater finish.

For Marcus I used the size six this time, which so far looks like a good fit.

Actually, it's a bit hard to tell much about the fit from this picture, but notably the thing will be definitely long enough with the band attached, and the sleeves are long enough (my kids have monkey arms they got from their father...)

Looking forward to my hour of power today!  I will likely sew longer again to capitalise on having a husband out of the country and a reason to sew sew sew :)  Hopefully I can finish this one off and get the facings etc cut out for Issy's version.  More tomorrow - how awesome is Kid's Clothes Week!