kcw fall 2014: rowan tee

Posted on October 20, 2014 by oliver's fancy

I got the chance to test this (just-released!) new pattern from Laura over at Titchy Threads. If you’ve been around for a while, you know my love for her small fry skinnies (blogged here and here) and so I was excited to try out another pattern from Laura. She has hit another home run with this t-shirt pattern. The best part about this pattern is that it has 144 different possible combinations- from a hood, shoulder stripes, sleeve stripes, kangaroo pouch, and much much more!! How awesome is that? I love patterns that give me lots of options for customization. Also love that I’ve gotten to the point where I can make a basic tee in about 30 min from start to finish. Really takes away the temptation to buy one!

For my version I just chose the basic long sleeve tee because I knew I wouldn’t have time to do a fancier version, but I cannot wait to make one with a hood. Seriously, so cute! I see lots of these tees coming our way this fall and winter.

Eliot got chosen to be my model because Laura needed testers in his size range. Kinda fun to make something new for the kid who doesn’t get too many new clothes! I had this fun dog knit from girl charlee saved for a special occasion and I love how cute it is on him. On a side note: While I love this dog print and the fabric actually washed up pretty well without pilling, this knit does not have very much stretch at all. You would definitely want to size up if you used it in a slim-fitting pattern. Thankfully this tee is a forgiving fit so it didn’t end up being too small for Eliot. Whew!

I sewed a straight up size 12-18 months for this shirt. It looks a little long because I got lazy and decided I wouldn’t hem the bottom. It’s meant to be a casual play shirt so there was no need. Eliot had fun dragging his doggie around the yard for our photoshoot. Kid loves his dog so this shirt is so perfect for him. He points to his belly and makes dog noises while wearing it. 🙂 However, photoshoots of 16 month olds are exhausting for the photographer! Gotta get this kid in some more practice so he can become a pro at it like his brother.

I wanted to say a little word about this pattern versus my usual go-to one: the flashback skinny tee. I actually think that I love both equally and will continue to use both in my sewing. The flashback is a great basic tee especially if you want a vintage, slim-cut fit. The rowan is a looser fitting, more casual shirt. They each have their separate place depending on the kind of shirt you want to make. I think every children’s garment sew-er needs both of them in your pattern portfolio!

Cow Appreciation Day 2014

Posted on July 25, 2014 by oliver's fancy

I’m back to share with you the other project that I sewed in advance for Kids Clothes Week. It feels kinda like cheating to share something I made 2 weeks ago but an hour a day is the same even if it’s completed before the actual sew along week, right? I knew I wouldn’t be able to get much done this week and I couldn’t not have something to share! I think this one goes well with the kid art theme too since the tank graphics look like kid writing. flashbank tanks v2 (2 of 7)

Every year in July Chickfila hosts what’s known as Cow Appreciation Day where if you dress like a cow, you get free food. We are a bit of Chickfila addicts around here so this is one of our favorite days of the year! Continue reading →

Kid’s Clothes Week Final Wrap-Up

Posted on February 3, 2014 by oliver's fancy

Days 5-6: I spent so much extra time finishing up the Bimaa hoodie on day 4 that I kinda burnt myself out, so I took a bit of a break for 2 days- figuring 3 hour’s work on one day = 1 hour of work on 3 different days.
Day 7: I wanted to finish strong this KCW so I managed to find an hour on Sunday and pulled together these Valentine’s Day shirts for the boys. I made some Valentine’s outfits for the shop a few weeks back and felt bad that the boys didn’t have their own versions. Love how these turned out, and I think they’ll be pretty cute in them. This was the perfect, quick and easy final project. Sorry I wasn’t able to get a picture of them wearing the shirts so an Instagram picture will have to suffice.

My final wrap-up thoughts:
I wanted this KCW to be about experimenting with different knit fabrics. Especially when buying online, you really have to know your knits or you will end up with the wrong type for your project. I have done some upcycling with knits in the past but not much with knits bought from the store. I really enjoyed this learning curve and am inspired to do more playing around with knits in the future. They are not nearly as scary as they are made out to be. 🙂 Plus they normally result in practical, comfortable clothing for the boys.
Some tips that I have discovered when sewing with knits:

Use your walking foot- so helpful!!
Lower your pressure foot pressure (keeps the fabric from getting all wavy while sewing).
Always use some sort of stretch/ballpoint needle.
If you want a good resource for knit helps, check out Rae’s Kniterviews– solid gold mine there!

Here’s my collage of finishes from this past week: clockwise-beginning with top left: Valentine’s Tees, Flashback Tee and Fancy Pants Leggings, Bimaa 2, and Bimaa 1

Go check out the Flickr group and KCW website to see all the other goodness that was made last week. There’s some pretty amazing things in there. Looks like the Bimaa was the project of choice this time around. I think it’s always fun to see which pattern is going to be the popular one during the week. And that’s a wrap until spring. What were your thoughts this KCW? Did you get to all your projects on your list? Next up on my agenda: serger and knitting classes. I’ll be sure to keep you informed of my progress in each 🙂

KCW Day 3: Flashback Tee and Fancy Pants Leggings

Posted on January 29, 2014 by oliver's fancy

nope, pants aren’t hemmed yet…had to get the photoshoot in while the getting was good!

Lest little brother feel neglected, I made Day 3 of Kid’s Clothes Week all about him. This little guy is growing at a faster rate than his older brother, and, as a result, all of his hand-me-down winter pajamas are a bit snug. Why buy more when you can make them? Especially when you have such great fabric sitting around.

E’s top is the trusty Flashback Tee in size 12-18 months. (yes he’s 7 months old, why do you ask? 😉 ) and bottoms are the Fancy Pants Leggings- also in size 12-18 months. This was my first time sewing this leggings pattern, and I can see myself coming back to it quite often to make pj pants and shorts for the boys. I would say this pattern would be great for a beginner because the designer really holds your hand throughout the entire construction process. The only changes I would make next time would be to make the rise higher in the back because it was way too low on E’s big cloth-diapered bum.

And now that I’ve made 3 garments from the same fabric, I think it’s time to move on to something else. I have in mind another Bimaa for O from some cool red/blue stripes I’ve been saving. 4 more days left in this challenge so still lots of opportunities to sew! Make sure you head over to the Flickr pool to see all the fun clothes everyone has been making. Also check out the #kidsclothesweek hashtag on Instagram for even more action shots.