Toddler Swimsuit

Summertime is fading, and to be honest, I'm pretty sad about it.  Normally I'm ready to welcome in cooler weather, but this year my oldest will be entering kindergarten.  It will be a new phase of life for our family.  Our schedules will never be the same.

In an attempt to make the most of the remaining summer, we hopped in the car a few weeks ago, and had a big summer road trip.  We started out camping at one of our favorite lakes, and ended up spending some time in the sand and sun in California.  With all of the swimming and sunshine, a second suit was in order for August.  

I had purchased this adorable swimsuit material about a year and a half ago, and finally put it to use.  I absolutely love the little lobsters.  The red athletic knit for the rash guard was purchased at Wal-mart of all places.  I used a combination of the knit and the swimsuit fabric for the hat.  My little Gus and an anything but little head, so having a nice knit on the sides provided the stretch that his head needed.

The bucket hat was made using Abby's (Sew Much Ado) free pattern.

Everyday Elsa Tunic and Leggings

My sweet niece Paisley just celebrated her third birthday, and like most three year old girls around the world, she loves Frozen.  So an Elsa dress was the obvious choice.  But, she's three, and three year olds run around, climb on furniture, and don't really need  trains tripping them up while they are playing. So, the Everyday Elsa tunic dress was born.  It has a high low hem at the base of the tunic, which references the Elsa train, but eliminates tripping hazards.  The chiffon knit that I used for the dress is semi-sheer, and I left the sleeves and the yolk unlined, to one again reference the original dress.

Paisley had wanted an off the shoulder neckline, but her mom wasn't too keen on the idea.  We made the neckline a slight boat neck, and cropped the sleeves at 3/4.  

 I love how the sparkly little outfit turned out, and now she can wear it everyday, all day (if her momma allows).

A pair of little leggings allow for modest play.  Perfect for an active little princess.

Kid's Clothes Week: Shawl Collar Pull Over

I'm a bit behind on blogging about my Kid's Clothes Week creations, but I'm slowly trucking along.  

Day 3 I whipped up this creamy sweatshirt fleece pullover for Gus.  I love the shawl collar, and that it is so easy to pull over his big head.

He loves it too.  

I added a little vintage applique patch to the bottom corner.  It was my grandmother's.

The collar is made out of a soft baby ribbed knit.  It is oh so soft. The pattern is self drafted.

Tutorial: Pants to Shorts Refashion

I remember wearing cut offs as a kid.  I was always embarrassed.  Why? I don't know, but I was.  I don't blame my mom for cutting off my worn out jeans.  As a parent myself, I can now hardly believe how quickly my four year old can outgrow, and wear out a pair of pants.

So, in an effort to save money, and make the investment last, I turned several pair of his worn kneed jeans into shorts, but I'm not going to call them cut offs, let's call them refashions. I'll share a few tips on creating successful short refashions.

First off, make them (if for boys), as long as possible.  Mid thigh shorts are a dead giveaway that the shorts were once pants. Second, try to incorporate as many of the design elements of the pants into the hem of the shorts.  Third, control the fray.

This brown pair of shorts started out as a pair of pants that never quite fit right.  We liked them, but by the time they fit with the waist adjusted, they were too short.  So in an effort to get more use out of them, we figured they'd get more wear as shorts.  I pulled out a pair of Clark's existing shorts that fit well.  They served as a length guide.  Match up the top of the waistbands, and determine how long you want the shorts to be.  Next, determine how big you want the hem of the shorts to be.  Add this length (plus 1/4" if turning the hem under), to the length of the short.

 Fold the pants in half, matching up pant legs.  Make a straight cut using a rotary cutter and a straight edge.

If you have a serger, serge the edges.  It will control the fray, and make turning the hem easier.  If you don't, you can use an overcast zig zag stitch to control the raw edge.

Stitch Witchery, or any sort of sewable fusible adhesive is great for this project.  I found this unused package at a thrift store-score.

Turn your shorts inside out.

 Align the edge of the fusible adhesive with the raw edge of the shorts.  

Fold up the hem along the inside edge of the hem tape.  Press with an iron.  Your iron shouldn't come in contact with the hem tape at any time, so make sure it's nicely tucked into your hem.

Turn your shorts right side out.  Select a thread that matches the existing stitching on the shorts.  If you have a golden thread, use gold.  It's important to match the existing stitches, and not the fabric. If you don't have a matching thread, consider another contrasting color, and repeat in multiple places on the garment (see upcycled shorts).

 Select a stitch that most resembles that stitching on the shorts.  If your garment has a longer stitch length, lengthen the stitch on your hem.  If it has a reinforced triple stitch, then adjust your setting as well.  Repeating these design elements will help the shorts feel intentional.

Stitch 1/8" inside your hem allowance.  I stitched 5/8" away from the folded hem, of my 3/4" hem. Try to keep your stitching line as straight and consistent as possible (how to sew a straight line).

These blue shorts had worn out at the knee.  The hem is narrow, but I was able to repeat a double row of lengthened triple stitches.  It helps the shorts feel more finished.

Single row of elongated straight stitch for these brown shorts.

 Repeat on both legs.  Done and done.  Another example, my pants to maternity shorts refashion.

Another option is to try to use the existing hem of the pants on the shorts. This will only work well if the pants is relatively straight legged.  If the pant hem is narrower than the knee/thigh, then you won't have enough material to work with.

Top-toberfest: Easy As Pie Tank

Top-toberfest is here, and we are going to start it off with a super simple (ungraded) free pattern. With the arrival of Fall, you may be wondering why I'd be sharing a tank  pattern, but tanks are great any time of year.  I love layering them under cardigans, and the burnt orange seems seasonally appropriate to me. This particular tank is also great tucked into a pencil skirt. It's made out of a lightweight sheer polyester, and blouses nicely.  With side bust darts, it has shape at the top, and has a slight flair at the bottom (perfect for disguising a stubborn post baby bump).

It also has a slight racerback cut in the back.

This free pattern is size small.  I realize that not everyone wears a small, and I apologize, but I don't have the pattern drafting/grading skills to adjust it.  However, this free Sorbetto Top pattern from Colletterie similar, as well as the Wiksten Tank pattern for purchase.

Materials:

1 1/4 yard lightweight material

Printable sewing pattern (size 4/6)

Coordinating thread

Sewing supplies

"Sharp" sewing machine needle for lightweight fabric

*rolled hem foot, optional

-If you don't have an overcast serger, you may wish to use french seams on the shirt to encase raw edges.  You can find a tutorial here. You will need to adjust the seam allowance on the pattern to do so.

Step 1: Print of pattern.  Assemble pages according to diagram on pattern.  Make sure that pages are printed to scale.

Step 2: Cut out one tank front piece on fold.  Transfer bust dart markings to fabric

Step 3: Cut out one tank back piece on fold.

Step 4: With the remaining fabric, cut several 2 inch strips of fabric on the bias.  Connect ends to form a long bias strip. Create double fold bias tape by meeting the edges of the fabric in the center, pressing, and then meeting up the folded edges and pressing again. For more information on creating bias tape see this tutorial.

*I used a 1 inch bias strip, creating very small double fold bias tape.  Next time I'd bump it up to 2 inches.

Ahhh....bias tape.

Step 5: Sew the bust dart.  Find the markings from the pattern, there should be two on each of the outside edges of the front piece, and one a few inches in. Pins are used to indicate marking points.

Match up the two markings on the outer edges of the fabric.  Pin in place.

Starting on the outside edge, sew in toward the inner marking. Rather than back stitching when you reach the inner marking, leave threads long, and tie off ends.  Doing so will eliminate puckering. Press dart down.

*You will only be sewing one seam (on each side).  The dart with pull the fabric in a small amount to allow for a better fit at the bust.  

Step 6: Place front and back pieces with right sides together, matching up side seams.  Stitch together. 1/4 inch seam allowances are included in this pattern. 

  

Step 7: Match up shoulder straps, stitch together.  Press seam to one side.

Step 8: Hem the bottom of the tank.  To do so, press the bottom edge of the fabric up 1/4", and then another 1/4" to encase the raw edges.  A rolled hem presser foot can also be used for this step.

Step 9: Attach bias tape to both arm scythes, and neck.  This is the trickiest part of the whole pattern, but it is doable.  I'll show how.

Start by opening up your bias tape.  Match up the raw edge of the bias tape with the raw edge of the garment (right side out).  Leaving a 2 inch tail, begin attaching the bias tape about 1 inch away from the side, or shoulder seam.  Stitch along the outside press line of the bias tape, all of the way around the opening, until you are about two inches away from the starting seam.  Leave a tail at least two inches long

You'll now have two tails of your bias tape. Pull the bias tape so that it is tight, and matches up at the seam.  Pin in place.  Stitch the two tails of the bias tape together (not to the garment).  The seam should Press the seam open.

The bias tape should now be just the right length for the remaining section of the garment.  Finish stitching the bias tape across the remaining couple of inches.

Next, fold the bias tape back to it's pressed position.  You will want the bias tape to fold over the raw edges, and extend beyond the first stitching line of the bias tape. Stitch the bias tape down, about 1/8" away from the seam, this will secure the bias tape, and catch all layers of material.  Repeat the process for both arm openings and the neckline.

All done.  Easy as pie right?  When it comes to sewing with sheers, this is a great starter project.  With only two pattern pieces, and a simple bust dart, it's not too intimidating.

Tips for sewing with light weight materials:

-Use a Sharp needle, it will help prevent threads  from pulling.
-Reduce the amount of pressure on your presser foot by using your sewing machine's adjustment dial.  Doing so will allow the fabric to feed through the machine with greater ease.
-Use pattern weights and a rotary cutter to cut out your material.  The material won't shift as much during the cutting process. Don't have pattern weight?  I like to use tuna fish cans, they are heavy enough, and have a low enough profile that they don't get in the way.


*PS- I was going to have my husband take some pictures of me sporting the tank today, but instead we spent the day in the hospital having his appendix removed.  My mannequin photos will have to suffice.

Tutorial: Lounge Shorts From a Sweatshirt

I've got a little upcycling project for you today.  I've had a lot of people view my yoga pants from a t-shirt post, and this project is very similar.  Today I'll show you how to turn an oversized sweatshirt into a pair of sweat-shorts, perfect for sleeping, lounging, yard work, or exercising.  

At the end of winter I found this 5X sweatshirt at wal-mart for $1.  It would be pretty difficult to find this much sweatshirt fleece at a fabric store for this price.  So, this project set me back one dollar, but you could use any old sweatshirt or t-shirt to make some lounge shorts for yourself.  I'll show you how.

Sunday Best

In the summer I made some tie and vest onesies for my nephews to wear at my brother's wedding reception.  I made a sample onesie to try out the pattern and ensure that the sizing was correct, lucky Miles gets to wear it now. I thought that I'd show you a photo of the Tie and Vest Onesie on little Miles, he sure looked sharp.

I have a tutorial to share with you later this week, and a new tip and trick that I can't wait to tell you about.

Nursing Sleep Bra: The Tutorial (with pattern)

A big thanks to all of those that expressed interest in this tutorial.  I love to hear from you and know what it is that you like.  It takes quite a bit of time and energy to write up tutorials and scan in patterns, so it was very nice to know that there was some interest in this one.

Before I get started I must apologize for these photos.  I hadn't looked through them until recently.  I noticed that there was a smudge on my lens in several of the photos, and some of them were taken at night with a flash, my apologies.

I mentioned in my initial post that this is a bra that I created by analyzing an existing sleep bra that I own.  Mine is a size medium, but according to the sizing chart on the manufacturers website, this medium sized bra can accommodate 34 D and E, 36 C and D, and 38 B.  I'll be providing a pdf pattern if you want to use mine, it's not perfect, but it worked for me.  

If you need a different size then I'd recommend either adding or subtracting from the seam allowances on the sides of the bra.  I'm assuming that there probably isn't a huge difference in the size of the front lapping pieces, but you could add a little extra room to the top of the front pattern pieces if your well endowed and would like more coverage.

Sewing For Baby: Baby Animal Hats

Source: Moth and Sparrow

Moth and Sparrow offers adorable free (for personal use) patterns for knit baby hats.  When I stumbled upon the image on Pinterest they were instantly added to my list of things to make to welcome baby. She offers patterns for A Fox, Raccoon, and an owl.

I couldn't resist turning the little owl pattern into a penguin hat.  I tilted and elongated the beak, and slightly altered the face shape.

The hats are easy to sew up, and don't take much time at all.  I left all of my raw edges unfinished....laziness mostly, but you really don't have to worry about knit fraying much.

If you're expecting a baby, or simply can't resist sewing up cute little things, then I highly recommend trying out this project.  I used scraps from my knit pile, but you could certainly cup up a soft old t-shirt or two to whip these up.