Project Run and Play: Week 3

Posted on September 26, 2012 by oliver's fancy

This week’s challenge was to make clothing using a white sheet as the main resource. I brainstormed for quite a bit about what to make for my little man. I knew that white pants would not really look that great, and a white shirt is a little boring. Hey, what about pajamas? I thought that would be a fun idea- kinda mixing up the whole white sheet idea. You know, sheets go on your bed, and you wear pajamas to bed. Ok, ok you get it; maybe not as funny as I think it is? Anywho I remembered Rae had made some cute pjs for her munchkins a while back, and a quick google search led me to the Oliver + S bedtime story pj pattern. Thank goodness they are offering it as a PDF download now! I plunged right into my first Oliver + S pattern, and, let me tell ya peeps, they do not disappoint! Very well written and easy to follow along. I flew through the construction of these! I see many more Oliver + S patterns in my future!

I knew I wanted to do a fun contrasting trim to offset the white fabric on the pjs, so I chose this Robert Kaufman stripe from his Dr. Seuss line. I originally thought I would do more embellishing of the outfit- using my Thing1&2 fabric, but I decided I liked it more simple. I did add a little applique to the side as a nod to my inspiration.

The hubs had the idea to make a nightcap for the photo shoot. Happy to announce it stayed on most of the shoot! I just made up the nightcap pattern. Made some loose measurements based on my head circumference, connected both ends to a point about 30 inches high to make the triangle, then sewed right sides together to make the cap. I added the stripey trim and some elastic to keep it on his head. I lurves this outfit muchly! I know it will get dirty easily, but hey, it’s pajamas. He won’t normally be wearing them out-of-doors. And I am happy to report that, so far, the ties have stayed nicely tied in place! I made the 12-18 month size and it fits him perfectly. Oh, and as I picked up the white sheet at the thrift store for 59 cents, this is quite the economical outfit! 🙂

Enjoy these pictures as the Little Man leads us to the Land of Nod with a lantern, his doggies, and a book to guide him along the way. 🙂

What? You don’t feed your children as bribery to sit still for pictures? Think of it as a bedtime snack. 🙂

Project Run and Play Week 2

Posted on September 20, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Have you heard of Project Run and Play? I had not heard of it until last season when (I think it was) Dana mentioned she was a judge for it. Love the spin-off of Project Runway! Go here if you need more info on it.

I wanted to participate in the home sewalong challenges this season because I knew it would push me to come up with new ideas. Last week’s challenge was to remix a bias cut skirt, and I just couldn’t figure out how to do that in a boy fashion so I sat out that week. This week’s challenge is to pick a fashion icon and make a look that represents him/her. I was drawing a blank until good ol’ Google popped up with a list of top male fashion icons and had David Beckham on the list. I knew Oliver would look super snazzy in a Beckham outfit, and I also knew I had the ability to make this outfit.

Here’s what I made him- bow tie (using this tutorial), vest (remixing my former pattern a bit), and skinny cut dress pants (self-drafted pattern). Pants and vest are made from an old pair of men’s dress pants. I used every last scrap of the pants to fit in both of them! FYI super cheap way to make toddler clothing!

The end result is pretty close to what I had envisioned. I really wanted to make his button-down shirt also but ran out of time. I could not be happier with our photo shoot today though! Little Man was the perfect model and had so much fun running around downtown. He got quite a few admiring looks as well. 🙂 I know I’m biased, but seriously, how cute is he?!

The vest- I cut in the shoulders and made a more dramatic V in front than I had previously. I did not top-stitch because I thought it would take away from the dressy look of the vest. I also added pockets to match the picture. The only problem with a toddler model is that my fitting times are so few and a bit rushed so I didn’t really get a good feel for the fit until we went for the photo shoot. I realized then that the back is a bit wide so the top falls down over his shoulders a bit as he runs around. I am going to take in the back a little at the center seam to fix that problem.

The pants- I learned a lot making my own self-drafted pattern for the first time. I used a pair of Oliver’s pants and narrowed the legs to make a skinny leg shape. I am so drawn to the skinny cut look that is in for boys now- not the “I’m wearing my little sister’s pants look,” but just a nice straight cut that narrows in at the bottom. If these pants turned out, I wanted to use the pattern to make him some skinny colored pants/cords like these ones from Old Navy. I am hoping to make a trip out to JoAnn’s this weekend or next to pick up some fabric for them now that I like the pattern. (Boo that it’s 45 minutes away!) The pants are a flat front and an elastic back. I used the instructions from the Treasure Pocket Pants to help me make the faux fly. Next time I will raise the back and lower the front a little more because they are a bit low-riding in the back= those cloth diapers give him such a big booty. 🙂

Bowtie- super easy and great instructions on tying! I love how it looks and I see quite a few more in his future. 🙂 Also don’t you just love the little extra touch his Chucks give to his look? I picked those up before he was born because his daddy loves to wear Chuck high-tops, and I knew he would be thrilled to have his son wear some also. So pumped they fit him for this fall!

Make sure you head over to the PRP blog tomorrow to vote for the contestants! Also check out the Flickr group to see all the other cool looks at-home sewalong people have come up with for this week’s challenge! Looking forward to the next several weeks and seeing how I can stretch my creative sewing skills!

Etsy Shop Update!

Posted on September 11, 2012 by oliver's fancy

I try not to do too much sales pitching on the blog for my etsy shop, but I have been so busy the last few days cooking up new ideas that I couldn’t help but share them with you. I tell you, Indie Craft Parade just really gets my creative juices flowing! 🙂

I am sure you have noticed that mustaches seem to be a big theme nowadays. I have sold a bunch of mustache hoops and have been wanting to try something out with the onesies. I picked up a bunch of newborn onesies this weekend and went to town. I absolutely love the result! They turned out so cute, if I do say so myself. 😉

I also experimented with some more suspender/bowtie combos and chunky ties. I am working on getting more fall colors/styles in stock since summer weather is fading quickly. I have visions of pumpkins, candy corn and other seasonal designs that I hope will come to fruition soon also!

I also worked on some more hoop ideas. I have been stuck in a rut with ideas and just re-listing the same old ones after they sell without getting new ideas. I came up with a few new designs yesterday and today and like how the work together both individually and as a collage. Almost wishing I could hang these up in Oliver’s room because I like them so much!

Feel free to check out the shop to see all the other fun stuff that I have had fun designing over the last few days! Also if you have any brilliant ideas for new hoop or onesie designs, please comment and let me know. I am always in need of fresh ideas!

Washi Dress #2

Posted on August 30, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Are you sick of washi’s yet? Well obviously I’m not because I have another one to show you. 🙂 When Pink Castle Fabrics was having their huge $5/yard sale a few weeks back, I immediately thought that would be a good opportunity to pick up some yardage for another washi dress. I have loved Flea Market Fancy for a long time and never had a reason to buy any so I picked some out for my dress. I la, la, love the way this fabric looks as a dress! Now I wish I had bought more fabric during the sale because I really want to make another tunic. Alas, my fabric budget is way overspent and I must embrace some self-control. Boo! Plus, I do have quite a few other projects lingering on the back burners while I have been having so much washi fun.

Without further ado, here is my dress. I decided to forgo the u cutout on this one to give it some variety from my other ones. I also raised the neckline 1/2 inch so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it being too low. I think I could have left it the way it was, but I didn’t want to have to worry about wearing a tank under it. I also took the sides in an additional 1/4 inch because it was a trifle big.

The only problem I have is the gapping in the front bodice. If I stand straight and pull the shoulders out, it lays nice and flat. As soon as I move around, though, it starts to gap a bit. You can see it in the pictures. I would like to figure out why that happened but it’s not enough of a problem to keep me from enjoying the dress. I thought the shot cotton was comfy. This is even comfier!! Seriously folks, I may start putting shirring in all my clothes because it makes the most amazing fit! I love that this dress gives me the opportunity to wear my red shoes. 🙂 I am also excited about being able to wear this dress all throughout the fall with my red cardigan and some leggings!

I have learned so much from making these Washis. With this third one, I feel that I have finally hit my stride. It is the most professional-looking garment that I have made, and I am very proud of it. Who knew making your own clothing could feel so rewarding? One word of advice I would give is to make sure you buy quality fabric. I can tell the difference in good quality fabric just as you can when you buy good quality clothing. I have now become a fabric snob and would rather save up for the better quality than buy cheapo quality and have it fall apart on me! I am looking forward to expanding my skills into other garments and would like some suggestions for clothing patterns you have used and liked. Now to find someone to donate the money for the fabric all these clothes require. 😉

Reminder: Washi Dress and Tunic Pattern can be bought here.

Washi Dress

Posted on August 22, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Washi #2 is complete! Have I mentioned how much I love this pattern? This Washi dress was made out of some shot cotton that I picked up while at Purl Soho. I love the lightweight feel of the shot cotton but it is quite sheer. I had a removable lining from another dress that I wore under it, but since that lining is blue you can see it under the dress a little bit. No worries, I will still wear the dress all the time. 🙂 Once Rae puts up a lining video, I will re-do the top and add a lining to the dress

Changes I made to the patterm:

Shortened the bodice a bit since I am short-waisted. I ended up not liking it as much this way, so from now on, I will leave the pattern as is.
Also after looking at all the pictures from the Washi flickr pool, I realized I was sewing my pleats wrong. (oops!) I say that I will fix them, but let’s be realistic. Most likely I will just wear the dress as-is and hope no one notices. 🙂
Added some length to the dress because I wasn’t sure how long it would come out, and I wanted to be able to add a deep hem to help pull the shot cotton down. My next dress (yes I already have the fabric for it) is going to be quilting cotton so I won’t need the deep hem and will use the original pattern length.
Raised the neckline about 2 inches so that I could have the u cutout but not feel I needed to wear a tank under it to be modest. Very happy with how this came out!

Overall consensus: I love the feel and weight of the shot cotton, but the fabric feels so fragile that I am not convinced of the longevity of this dress. I will have to be very careful in my washing of the dress. However, this is seriously the most comfortable dress I own! And I am so happy to have a purple dress! It may be a bit nerdy to admit this, but purple is my favorite color and it makes me happy to sew clothing for myself in purple.

With each dress/ tunic, I feel that I am learning more about how to sew clothing for myself so even if they are not perfect, they are all helpful lessons. If you want to try this out for yourself the Washi pattern is available here. FYI these pictures were all taken last weekend on our family vacation to Hilton Head Island. It was a great place for a photo shoot with all the beautiful scenery!

Couldn’t resist a picture with my little buddy since we are both in handmades…check out his treasure pocket shorts.

Washi Tunic

Posted on August 14, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Are you aware of the Washi week happening over at Made by Rae? I have been stalking her for a month anxiously awaiting the release of this pattern. And this weekend, it finally was available! Although I had several other projects in the works, I quickly brushed them aside to begin on my own Washi clothing. I was going to begin with the dress but didn’t have enough of this Lizzy House print for a dress so settled for the tunic. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this tunic The pattern is so quick and easy to follow, even for a fairly new clothing seamstress like myself. Who doesn’t love a shirt with no closures? So proud of myself for successfully mastering shirring in this tunic! 🙂

It is a PDF pattern so you print it out and tape together before tracing it onto some sort of pattern tracing paper. That is the most tedious part in my opinion, but I did it while watching a movie which that made it more enjoyable. I traced my pattern onto some quilter’s grid tracing paper that I have. Rae recommends Swedish tracing paper and I have that on my list to buy as soon as I can because I think that would be better and easier to use than the quilter’s grid.

Per the pattern’s instructions, I made a muslin for the upper bust and when I did, the Medium was a bit tight even though my measurements were right on for the Medium size. Because of this I decided to sew 1/4 inch seams on the shoulders and sides instead of 1/2 inch- to give myself a little extra wiggle room. However, after I finished the tunic, I had to go back and add that extra 1/4 inch seam allowance back into the tunic because it was too big! Who knows what happened with the muslin?

I found some purple shot cotton from my Purl Soho visit that is enough for a dress version of this pattern and am already anxiously planning out some time to work on it! I will make a few changes on the dress version. First off, I will add the optional sleeves. Second, Rae suggested I could take a few inches off the bodice because I have a short torso and I think I will try that with the dress. Lastly, the U cutout on the front bodice was a bit lower than I wanted so I will raise the neckline a bit in order to feel that I can wear the dress without a tank under it and still be modest. 🙂

If you are looking for a versatile tunic/dress pattern, this is it! Check out all the versions Rae has made on her site! She even has a maxi version that she has promised to post a tutorial for (as a pattern add-on) soon! Also she has had quite a few pattern testers of varying shapes and sizes who have tried out her pattern and I think the dress looks fabulous on all of them! Hats off to Rae for an amazing job on this pattern. I can’t wait to see Washis begin popping up all over the blogosphere!

P.S. Pink Castle Fabrics is having a huge $5/ yard fabric sale and I scooped up some flea market fancy yardage perfect for another Washi dress!

Tova Top #3 and a request for advice

Posted on August 2, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Well I am finally going to unveil my latest selfish sewing project- Tova #3. I was waiting to show this to you because I took it to New York and thought I could get some cool pictures with it, but,alas, I wore it on a very hot day and got all sweaty so no super cool pics. Here’s what I have though. These are all instagram pictures because it was too hot and heavy to carry the big camera around.

This Tova is made out of a swiss dot that I found at Joann’s. I liked the lightness of the fabric and thought it would keep me cool in the heat. It was nice to wear in the sticky heat up north. It’s a little busier than I was picturing but I still like the fabric. However, here’s my thing with this Tova. I love seeing the pics of everyone else wearing them, but I feel like when I wear one, I look as wide as a house. Look at the picture of me from behind to see what I am saying. The shirt is so comfortable that I want to not care about the fit, but then when I look at pictures of myself, I am not happy with the result. I made the size medium and was trying to follow all the directions this time, but I did end up taking in quite a bit in the waistline as it was too big. However, it fits perfectly over the bust and around the hips. I don’t feel that I can take the shirt in any more along the waistline because it has no closures so I wouldn’t be able to get it off and on. Anyone have any advice for me? It’s a bummer to see so many other cute Tovas and feel that mine is a bit inferior. Maybe this pattern is just not meant for me?

The craze of May

Posted on May 14, 2012 by oliver's fancy

It seems like May is a crazy month. Between graduations, weddings, family vacations, and Mother’s Day; there is so much going on. Not to mention attempting to enjoy the outdoors before the weather becomes unreasonably hot. Well I am full-swing into this craze of May. We had family staying with us all last week and had a great time. Poor little Oliver does not know what to do with himself now that his cousins are gone- no worries, he will see them again this week! However, with all the goings-on, I was not able to get much sewing accomplished. Ah well, memories are more important, right?

What I was able to accomplish last week:

Alterations. I am now the family seamstress, even if I don’t exactly know what I am doing all the time. Last week I got to experience my first attempt with sewing knits on my sister’s graduation dress. The lining on her dress only came mid-thigh so we found another similar knit material and I added length to it. A pretty easy fix and non-stressful since no one will really see the lining. She also wanted me to change the sleeves from off the shoulder to normal sleeves, and I was able to fix that for her with minimal sewing effort. I like to do small projects like this because it gives me good experience in alterations and in practicing new techniques.

Little boy vests. I volunteered to make the ring bearer vests for my sister-in-law’s wedding and had one of my subjects staying with us this last week so I was able to measure him and finish one vest (well actually two since number one was a dud), except for the buttonholes. Thankfully both boys are the same size, making this project fairly easy. At least, it would have been easy if I had measured accurately and not made the first vest 3 inches too short 😦 Oh well, chalk up another sewing lesson on the importance of accurate measurements. I was able to be extra thrifty for this project and bought men’s pants from the thrift store to use as vest material. I am pretty happy with how the first one turned out. I hope to finish the other one this afternoon during nap time. I’ll discuss these a little more in depth when I finish both of them completely but here’s a sneak peak.

We leave Wednesday for our trip to Tennessee to attend said sister-in-law’s wedding and before we leave, I have to finish the other vest and cut out a ton of 10 inches squares for the guest book quilt (more on that later), not to mention house cleaning, packing and working in between. I will definitely not be bored the next two days!

KCWC Final Update

Posted on April 30, 2012 by oliver's fancy

I thought I would share my final tally of clothes made and some things I learned from this challenge week.

Final tally

4 bibs
1 appliqued onesie
1 birthday crown
1 pair of treasure pocket shorts
1 circle skirt finished and 5 waiting for elastic

Notes

I did not finish all the projects I had in mind, but I knew my list was a bit over-ambitious, especially considering how busy I was already. I liked having the push to get in my sewing room and work, even if just for a small amount of time. Those small times add up quickly. Next time I do the KCWC I want to be more organized before the week starts so I don’t waste time searching for patterns or have to stop my project because I don’t have all the needed tools. That was my biggest hangup. Overall, this was a very positive experience. It’s so fun to have an entire online community working on similar projects. I loved looking through the flickr group for inspiration! I am looking forward to KCWC Fall 2012!

What’s on my list now? Well I have some little boy vests to make for an upcoming wedding, but I think I’ll switch gears for a bit and sew for the home. I’m getting bored with my living room and see new pillows and a table runner in my near future. I also really want to figure out how to use that serger I got for my birthday last month! I’ll be sure to keep you updated on that progress 🙂 What about you? All you readers out there…anyone? Did you enjoy KCWC, wish you had participated, or have no interest in kids’ clothes?

Because every post needs some pictures, here’s a few more of my big boy…

What happens to a birthday crown when cake is introduced…

KCWC Days 5-7

Posted on April 29, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Day 5

Did not make it into the sewing room until late Friday night. BUT I had good reasons and some of them have to do with sewing. See this big pile of fabric? I was alerted Friday morning that a warehouse in town was having a yard sale and selling fabric for $1. We’re not talking Wal-Mart fabric here, folks. They had Free Spirit, Amy Butler and many other designer brands. Because of my current car situation, I was not able to be there right on time. That meant I had the place to myself, but also had seconds dibs on the fabric. However, I am still pleased with the haul I was able to get- over 27 yards for $24! I figure that amount would have cost me close to $300 at retail price so I’m feeling very thrifty right now:).

When I got home from all my errands, I had about 30 minutes before my company arrived, so I ran into my sewing room and frantically tried to get something done. I ended up finishing one bib and almost finishing another. Not a huge accomplishment, but every bit helps right?

Day 6: Little Man’s 1st birthday party today- no sewing done, but I’ll let you enjoy some pictures of him in his mama-made birthday outfit.

He loved his cake:)

Our little family! Mama’s got her handmade Tova on too:).

Birthday boy’s outfit made earlier this week: Treasure pocket shorts, Appliqued onesie, and felt birthday crown.

Day 7

I finished up my bibs today. I started with the pattern from Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing for Baby, but ended up creating my own. (somehow, I can never keep with patterns and must always tweak them!) The flannel I was using was too thin for a single layer bib so I cut out a coordinating backing for each bib, sewed them right sides together, flipped them right-side-out, and then top stitched over the entire bib. I then stitched velcro on for closures. I am very happy with how they turned out- the flannel is soft but now more substantial. The pocket adds a nice touch. The bibs are definitely on the small side and will only work for newborns. I think I may make more in graduated sizes so when I give them as gifts, I will have a variety pack to gift.