swingset skirts with sprinkles

Sewing for Lila has been a total crapshoot for awhile now. Remember the Beachy Boatneck I was so sure she was going to love? She’s worn it zero times, and has assured me that she never will. Apparently she does not like 3/4 sleeves, and the sequins were too scratchy when the shirt came off over her head. Luckily it’s big, so I’m hanging onto it in hopes that she may develop into a reasonable human being sometime in the near future.

But in the meantime I’m sticking with skirts, and from patterns she’s already tested and accepted. I made two Oliver + S Swingset skirts last fall, and she has worn them non-stop for the last eight months. In fact, I may become physically ill if I have to see her in either one of those skirts again. So out with the old, in with the new.

Even though I’d kinda like to burn those first two, I really do love the Swingset pattern. It has a nice full, swing-y shape, and I like the look of the skinny elastic rows at the waistband. And the lining makes it feel substantial. I’ve lined all four swingset skirts and my Roller Skate dress with Robert Kaufman Savannah batiste – it’s super soft and lightweight and makes perfect lining fabric.

This time I left out the drawstring – it’s a lovely addition, but the bow is forever coming untied on those first two skirts I made. And since there were no buttonholes, I threaded the elastic between the lining and the skirt exterior, same as the Roller Skate dress.

The fabric for the polka dot skirt is Dear Stella’s Sprinkles from the Piper collection. And skirt #2 is Essex yarn dyed linen in denim, which has recently surpassed Essex yarn-dyed linen in black as the fabric I want to use for everything. In fact I made this very skirt for the Handmade Kids Clothing Swap.

I added rows of running stitches along the bottom like Lila’s rainbow sprinkles skirt from two years ago, which is long outgrown (along with those red shoes, which have been replaced by pink). The colors don’t pop as much on this version of the skirt, but I think the denim will be a little more practical than the white, considering all the tire time her skirt hems see. Then again, the polka dot skirt is pretty much white (now with a black hem). Maybe a pair of shorts should be next on the list.

Here’s a little Mother’s Day flower for everyone….have a happy weekend!

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spring kcw :: roller skate dress

Much like the all-powerful Geranium dress, I could not resist making a Roller Skate dress.

Verdict is: yet another great Oliver + S pattern. Sooooo many possibilities with this one.

I chose the option with the neckline facing, but omitted the V after seeing Lucinda’s amazing version of the dress.

There are many things to love about this pattern, but one of my personal favorites is that I was able to cut a size 3 (with an inch of added length) out of 3/4 yards of fabric. I think the pattern calls for 1 yard, but I squeezed it in. There might be a little selvage hiding in the seam allowance, but that never hurt anyone.

Fabric :: Bloomsbury from Felicity Miller’s Charleston Farmhouse collection (which, incidentally, I think I cut upside down)

Pattern :: Oliver + S Roller Skate Dress

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spring kcw :: lazy days

I had a couple things cut out and ready to sew last night, but zero desire to start either one, so I made a tried and true Lazy Days Skirt. It’s one of the simplest, most satisfying things to sew, ever.

It’s nothing exciting, but I knew it would take me under 45 minutes, and I knew Lila would wear it. And both of those things came true!

Lila picked the fabric – it’s Michael Miller Bird Chat, left over from the curtains in her reading nook.

The weather has been insanely gorgeous here and I’m having major trouble motivating myself to sew. It might just be Lazy Days Skirts for the rest of the week…

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beachy boatneck

I don’t know why I avoid sewing with knits. It’s never as scary as I think it’s going to be, and around these parts it has the most potential to be worn. Last week I decided I was going to make a t-shirt already, and I got the Beachy Boatneck pattern from the Go To Patterns shop. If you haven’t visited Andrea’s shop yet, it’s worth taking a look – she’s gathered together a bunch of great patterns (lots of basics and wardrobe staples, plus non-clothing patterns as well) by a group of talented and trusted pattern designers. The Beachy Boatneck is by Melissa of Blank Slate Patterns, and it was so simple and satisfying to sew. I can see myself making plenty of these shirts.

Knits are Lila’s favorite, but she’s also going through a “girly” phase and is loving skirts and pink and fancy stuff like the rest of the four year old girls out there. The jeans for these photos were my idea…she hasn’t chosen jeans in months. We had a good long run with blue, so I’m trying not to take it too hard. Anyway, I thought maybe I could sell her on this coral-striped knit with its built-in sequins (originally an XXL women’s tee on clearance from Old Navy). That’s what girls like, right? Sparkles?

I realize this is just a t-shirt and doesn’t warrant all that much excitement, but I can’t help it, I’m kind of excited about it. I think maybe because it’s knit (which, like I said, I fear!) and because it was just so fast and simple. I mean, crazy fast and simple. The neckline was faced, so no messing with bindings. And I used the existing hems of the Old Navy shirt for the sleeves and bottom, so no hemming at all. The pattern actually calls for a curved hem (lots of photos of that hem in the pattern listing), and I liked that look just fine, but I couldn’t resist stealing the shirt’s existing hems with their perfect twin needle finish.

Based on her measurements I made a size 3, and the fit is just right. I like that it’s on the long side – short shirts are my nemesis.

Oh and one of my knit fears did come true – the back neckline came out a little wavy. The jersey was pretty thin and didn’t hold its shape very well – maybe I stretched the fabric a little when I was top stitching. I don’t know, but I’ll do better next time. And the next one is already cut out and waiting to be sewn up.

Highlights the big belly nicely, too, right?

P.S. I recently became an affiliate for Go To Patterns and this post contains affiliate links for the shop. But I wouldn’t have written anything differently if it didn’t!

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geranium dress, birthday sprinkles edition

Lila’s Geranium birthday dress, hanging in the same old spot.

A fabric named Sprinkle seems appropriate for a birthday dress, right? I discovered it here back in December and loved how it looked on the Fairy Tale Dress (Camille always finds the best polka dots!). I bought the Geranium pattern with this fabric in mind, but was ever so gently nudged into making a practice version last month. And I could make this pattern again and again, it’s so fun and quick and simple and satisfying.

There are several options with this pattern, but I went with almost the same ones as last time – faux cap sleeves, pleats, and side seam pockets. And this time I added the notch at the neckline.

The dress is a 4T and has a nice easy fit. Very wearable.

And here it is all tangled up in another Made by Rae project from several years back – the felt heart garland, which I always have major trouble putting away after Valentine’s Day. So I don’t.

Why does four seem so old and grown up? I’m savoring these last few days of three…

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peer pressure

I think An of StraightGrain said it best with this: I couldn’t resist The Power Of The Geranium Dress. How true, how true.

It was only a matter of time before I made one for Lila, and Robin and Kristin kindly expedited my plans by informing me on Friday afternoon that both of their lovely daughters would be wearing Geraniums to our Saturday lunch date, and wouldn’t I like to join in on that photo op? A little more notice woulda been nice, ladies! Just kidding, I’m always up for a friendly sewing challenge.

This wasn’t the fabric I had envisioned for my first Geranium dress, but given the time constraints I ended up having to pick something from my stash. Though not before driving in Friday rush hour traffic with two disgruntled children to the fabric store looking for exactly what I wanted, and then to a second fabric store later that evening, both times to no avail. But I had 1.5 yards of this Amy Butler print on my shelf, and it’d been sitting there for a year, which is probably long enough. So I settled for that. The print is maybe a little bold/loud/large for the dress, but I’m happy enough with it overall. Or maybe I was just happy to finish it on time?

I went with the pleated, side-seam pockets version and left the neckline intact, mostly because I was working against the clock, but also to preserve the big red flower centered on the bodice.

After completing my first Geranium dress I can assure you that the pattern lives up to the hype – besides just yielding an adorable dress, it’s really well written, there are lots of fun mix-and-match options, and the fit is great. This is a 4T, and while Lila will in fact be four next month and it’s totally cliche to say, I am still in utter disbelief I’m sewing anything for this girl in a size 4….

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a little serendipity

Before I tell you about this coat, a little back story. Two years ago, while doing what I do best (a.k.a scouring Flickr for sewing inspiration), I fell in love with the Uptown Girl jacket, a Make it Perfect pattern. I obsessed over it for awhile, then ordered the pattern, having no idea if I had the skills to make the jacket. I was totally thrilled when it all came together – it was a huge undertaking at the time, and one of first real garments I ever sewed for Lila. The pattern gave me a serious sewing confidence boost.

And look at mini Lila in her jacket! It’s a size 1.

This, on the other hand, is a size 4. The Serendipity coat – another great pattern from Make it Perfect.

I had every intention of making this coat during fall KCWC, but the pattern wasn’t for sale in the US at the time. I was finally able to buy it from Pink Chalk Fabrics in December. I do wish she could’ve gotten some wear out of it this fall, because the size 4 ended up fitting a bit more snugly than I’d anticipated. The pattern calls for quilting cotton and I used velveteen, so I wonder if the thicker fabric had something to with that. The sleeves were looking pretty narrow when I made the exterior, so I went back and let out the seams out by 1/4 inch. But it still won’t be fitting in the next cold season like I’d hoped.

But back to the Innocent Crush velveteen…it’s pretty irresistible. So soft, and such a nice sheen. That Anna Maria Horner really knows her stuff. I dislike most everything purple, but I really do love this fabric.

Kristin picked up the velveteen for me at a Bolt sale over the summer, and I knew it was destined for this coat.

I picked a raspberry shot cotton for the lining.

It’s a warm and cozy coat – double-breasted, cotton batting sandwiched between the layers, and side seam pockets to keep fingers warm. And don’t let the sun fool you, it’s been cold around here.

Now you’d think a gal might like a cozy coat like this, right? Much like most of what I make for her to wear, she’s not too jazzed about it. She had a whole list of complaints – not comfy, the pockets are in the wrong place (?), blah blah blah.

See? Skeptical.

Nevermind, she’s sold!

But yeah, seriously, she’s not a fan. Oh well. I’m sure Oscar will look mighty fine in purple velveteen when he’s four.

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halloween sewing :: wings

I saw this post on Prudent Baby last year and I’ve been daydreaming about making bird wings ever since.

Luckily Lila made no specific requests for a Halloween costume, so I was able to steer her in the direction of “bird” pretty easily.

I had a hard time getting motivated and came close to ditching the idea of a handmade costume, but once I got started, it was a totally pleasant project – time consuming with all that feather cutting, but straightforward and easy. And choosing the fabrics was the most fun…per usual.

I used this tutorial from Llevo el Invierno for the wings, and just made a few changes.

After measuring Lila’s “wingspan” I decided to add a few inches to each wing (the directions say they’ll fit 18 months to age 3, but it doesn’t hurt to measure and cut accordingly). So my wings are 15 x 15 inches, rather than 13 x 13. I added 1/4 inch elastic loops instead of finger ties, and instead of tying at the neck, I attached elastic shoulder straps under the top binding so that she can get into them herself.

I also bound the side edges along with the top, just to clean things up a bit.

And a felt bird mask to finish things off.

Happy almost Halloween!

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back on the swingset

Unfortunately, I didn’t get all my KCWC sewing done last week. Things got in the way. But had I been able to sew a little more, you would’ve seen a second Oliver + S Swingset skirt.

Not much new to report since I just made the same skirt last week. I still love the pattern. It’s full and twirly and fun to wear.

The fabric is an Anna Maria Horner Field Study print (Sundials in Glow), and I used the same ribbon as last time, but in coral. And the same lightweight cotton lining in white.

I stuck with the size 3T lengthened to a 4, which leaves plenty of room to grow.

And I was all ready to dress it up for fall with tights or leggings, but it was suddenly warm and sunny at photo shoot time, so we’re pretending it’s summer again.

I almost just wrote that Lila is on the fence about her new skirt. Not funny, I know. That’s why I didn’t.

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fall kcwc, day #1 :: a swingset skirt

I’ve made a lot of skirts in my day, but this was my first go at the Oliver + S Swingset skirt. I’m a fan.

In fact, you may or may not see another one of these later in the week. I warned you I was keeping it simple for this installment of KCWC.

This pattern was indeed very simple – just two pattern pieces, two rows of 1/4 inch elastic, and two buttonholes for the drawstring (you can make it yourself, or use ribbon, which I chose). It really wasn’t that much more work than a Lazy Days skirt, and while I love making those, it was fun to do something a little different.

It’s fully lined, which is a nice touch.

It gives the skirt a bit more fullness, I think.

And I was really thinking fall with the gray cord, maybe with tights and a sweater, but it’s been so warm here that we had to go with no sleeves and flip flops today. No complaints of course. It’ll start raining soon enough.

The details:

Pattern: Oliver + S Swingset Skirt, size 3 lengthened to 4 (the length on this pattern is at the waistband rather than the hem, so I had to tweak the buttonholes a bit to get them in the right place…and I didn’t quite get them in the right place)

Fabric: charcoal gray 21-wale corduroy from Joann’s, with a light-weight white cotton lining (batiste maybe?)

Ribbon: Anna Maria Horner’s Lime/Cream Spinning Wheels

And I leave you with these two, who just can’t keep their hands off each other…

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