Sunday 29 April 2012

KCWC Spring 2012 - Dress

I got brave. I did it. It worked!

Pattern (Burda kids 9551), dress fabric and notions purchased from my local fabric shop - Masons.



I'm really pleased with how this turned out. I've been having a lot of trouble buying clothes for Poppet because she has a long body and a small waist so I knew I'd have to make some adjustments to the pattern. I managed to make the perfect size by cutting the pattern to age 3 width, age 4 length in the bodice and age 5 length in the skirt. I fully expected to need to shorten the skirt  as Poppet's legs aren't long, but nope, this was fine!

Given how awful the weather is at the moment I'm glad it can be worn with leggings.

The bodice and straps are interfaced and fully faced giving it a nice professional feel. I hand-stitched the hem to keep it light and tidy. The zip fitting isn't great as I don't have a lot of practice under my belt but it looks OK from a distance, and it works!

I'm definitely going to make another one, if only to practice the zip and piping. Poppet loves it.





KCWC Spring 2012 - Skirt


I was feeling a little intimidated by the dress I was about to sew for Poppet. I had chosen Burda kids 9551 and I had all the pieces cut but I just knew it was going to take a lot of concentration and more hours than anything else I've sewn lately. My last three attempts at a classic commercial pattern (by this I mean the like of Simplicity, New Look etc rather than an Oliver + S pattern, or one by a blogger such as Rae) have been complete disasters. I made a maternity dress I only wore twice, a dress for Poppet that a year on is still waiting to be rescued from half-completed oblivion, and a gift for a baby that went in the bin.

So I procrastinated and made this instead.


It's the No Hem Skirt from Little Girls, Big Style by Mary Abreu. Hardly the kind of thing you need a pattern for, but it was nice to find something I could make with only half a metre of this lovely fabric (sorry, can't remember what it is!). I did have to go out and buy a coordinating solid even though only a little was needed.  I have a large stash that nevers seems able to produce a complete garment.

I made the 3T, and it fits perfectly. I plan on making a lot more of these but before I do so I need to get hold of some non-roll elastic. The elastic on this one is already rolling so it will be replaced as soon as possible!




Thursday 26 April 2012

KCWC Spring 2012 - Shorts


The second item I chose to make for KCWC is a pair of shorts for Poppet. Again these are made from an upcycled top of mine. The fabric is funky but very fine so I lined the shorts with a pink jersey.




The shorts were made using the Kids Pants with Lining tutorial from Made. I used the Oliver + S Sailboat Pants in size 3T as the basis for a pattern and shortened the legs. The shorts are pretty much reversable but definitely look nicer this way with the pretty fabric and the turnups.





It's only the second time I've sewn anything with a jersey fabric, other than replacing elastic in Poppet's PJs! I haven't had any problems but that might be thanks to the blogs I've been reading which gave me the best tips: luvinthemommyhood's sewing with knits series and made-by-rae knits. I didn't feel the need to use a walking foot but I did get a ballpoint needle (and a twin one that I didn't use on these shorts but did use on the hem of Treacle's flashback tee) and used a long very slight zigzag stitch. I'll let you know how well they wear.

So, the shorts took three days in all. I just don't have the stamina to sew all night like many of those posting to the KCWC flickr pool. My target for the rest of the week is to get a dress for Poppet sewn.

Edit: I finally got a shot of Poppet wearing the shorts-



Tuesday 24 April 2012

Kids Clothing Week Challenge






I'm back, and with a vengence.

My hiatus was simply due to having way too much to do. I've still got too much to do, but Treacle is sleeping and now I'm back at work we have something of a routine going. And, importantly, my stash of fabrics needs addressing and my kids keep growing. 

I'm getting involved with the KCWC (Kids Clothing Week Challenge). I spent a lot of time this weekend choosing what to sew and cutting patterns and fabric. I have five projects lined up but we'll see how many I get through!

I got off to a great start. Although I had very little time yesterday I made an upcycled skinny tee for Treacle. If you are a follower of KCWC there will be no surprises that it was made from the Flashback Skinny Tee.





  • Women's Gap vest
  • Skinny Tee size 12-18 months 
  • Long sleeve version
  • Hemmed cuffs
  • Bound neck using same material

I managed to cut the sleeves so that the existing hems could be used, saving myself some work on the cuffs. I didn't have a matching rib for the neck so I used more of the same fabric and used the bound method. It worked OK, but is a bit saggy. I think this is because the fabric had lost most of its stretch! Although it just about fits, I think a little more length in the sleeve and torso is called for next time.

Right, on to the next project!