Project Run & Play Wk 2 - Refashion of Hand-me-downs

I am Elena and I am 3. My big sister is 16 and loves clothes - so that makes me really lucky. My mom made her clean out her room just before school started in August. She piled Mom's bed high with lots of good stuff she didn't want anymore. There was a plaid jacket she got at the thrift store but never wore once. There was a mint green t-shirt with a really low neckline. I'm not sure what "modest" means but I think it's the opposite of this shirt. (I'm learning opposites in preschool.) And there was a polka dot sweater my sister wore a few times but too many other people at school wore it too so that meant she couldn't wear it anymore, I guess. 

Can you believe that I am skinny enough that my mom made me a pair of pants out of just the sleeves of this jacket?! She says that if I was any bigger at all she couldn't have done it. It's this nice soft and stretchy material, and if that wasn't comfy enough, she also put some really soft, stretchy knit fabric around my ankles and tummy so they are really comfy and I can put them on and off myself! I love these pants. She said she used her own leggings pattern.

So I needed a new shirt and liked this soft green one. Mom won herself a copy of the GYCT Tinley Tee last week so we tried that one out and it's great. But Mom says this rib knit is too stretchy and she didn't like sewing it. I think it turned out nice and my favorite part is the beads around the neck. I had to promise not to pick at them because I did do that once before to a shirt Mom spent a lot of time on and she looked at me reeeeeaaal mean for that. But that's when I was 2 and, like I said, I'm 3 now so you can trust me Mom.

Now this sweater was just a plain pullover and Mom used a pattern called the Aster Cardigan to change it. She says that's is a really nice pattern and she plans on making me a lot more of these kinds of sweaters for this winter. I did hear her complaining again about this thin super stretchy fabric while I was drawing on the chalkboard. But hey Mom, get over it. And, I can do the buttons myself so that tells you how big and smart I am getting. (Also Mom says to tell you she was afraid the fabric would stretch and wave too much at the front placket if she sewed it normally, so she used hem tape and hand sewed it.)

I told Mom I like hats now so she whipped up this fun one after I went to bed. She says she can't crochet with me around because I'm like a kitty cat. I'm not sure what she means by that, but I do like to play with the yarn and practice tying knots so I was sad I missed out. Also, Mom usually makes my hats really super big so I'm glad this one just fits and doesn't swamp my little face.

So I got a new sweater, t-shirt, and pants thanks to my sister, plus a hat . And did you notice my awesome shoes my dad's friend gave me? My mom says she had some like that back in the late 70's when she was a kid. 

So one last thing about taking pictures - I don't really like doing it so I didn't want to when Mom asked after dinner. But later, I remembered she would give me a marshmallow, so I said, "Ok, let's go do pictures." But it got dark while Mom drove around saying, "Where is that black wall? I thought it was on this block." I got a marshmallow just for putting on the clothes and going for a drive. Then we tried again in the morning, but I wasn't being very good. I just can't help playing with the rocks and there were so many of them! Plus this wall faces east and I guess that's a problem with the sun or something. I think we both felt like hitting our heads against a brick wall so we went home. 

Maybe Mom should sew for herself for a little while.

PRP - My Signature Style

I am really excited to present my signature style outfit for the final week of Project Run & Play. I almost didn't do it because I wasn't sure I had a signature style. I actually refrain from labels like that in most cases. "My" anything turns me off. For instance, I could never say, "This is my lasagna recipe." because I never make most things the same way twice. I don't want people to expect the same thing from me all the time. So I had to get over that and do some serious thinking and I'm soooo glad I did because now I understand myself much better and what makes me happy about sewing and creating homemade outfits. Thank you Project Run & Play.

My signature style is:

1. Rather old-fashioned in a lot of ways. I like little girls to look like little girls. I like ruffles and gathers. I like the late 1800's, the 1920's and the 1940's & 50's.
2. There is almost always a refashion involved or thrifted, reclaimed materials. 
3. I don't necessarily want it to be recognized as homemade but I don't want it to look like it came from one of the major retailers either. 
4. I like to mix in a modern component - tribal leggings, riding boots, high-low hems, etc.  

So, here is my look on my 2 year old who is now full of mini-marshmallows. 

The sweater is a refashion of my old sweater that I hadn't worn in years. It was super easy to cut down and resew together in her size and will still fit her next fall too - bonus.

The top is McCall's 6388. I added pockets and decorative stitching. I made it last week to sew along with Katy of No Big Dill for "P" week of her Sew All 26 Challenge. See here for more details.

The pants are self drafted straight leg leggings in charcoal gray cotton spandex from Girl Charlee. I love making leggings that fit her just right.

I crocheted the hat, folded it up, and sewed on a big button. It is made with a magic loop and then all double crochets until the final 4 rows of single crochets. To create a button hole, I chained 5 stitches and skipped that many for the second last row of single crochets off-center on the front. The big button is inherited and quirky.

So that sums me up pretty well. It's creative, it's comfy, it's practical and thrifty and no other little girl has the same outfit.

K is for Knickers

     I'm Sewing All 26 with Katy of No Big Dill again this week. K is for knickers.
  
     Hey Mr. Knickerbocker, boppity bop. I like the way that you boppity bop. I can't get Barney out of my head this week. Sewing knickers made me think of that song and then I was working with a lot of purple to make matters worse, but I LOVE this outfit!

 

 

There was no better place than a castle to take pictures of such a regal outfit.

     Elena is very into Shrek lately and talks all the time about the castle and the dragon and the princess in the highest room of the tallest tower. So I told her there was a castle near where we live and she was of course very excited. She was just sure that there would be a dragon there. She's only 2 and a few months so I didn't ruin that for her yet. I told her the dragon was sleeping and we'd better be quiet and not wake her. It's a girl dragon you know.

     The knickers are a combination of a McCall's pattern for below the knee capri's with a zip fly and buttoning bands at the bottom. I don't trust the sizing on those kinds of patterns so I made a really quick muslin and was glad I did. Elena is tall (90th percentile) but they still came almost to her ankles. I took the features I liked (baggier fit, vertically split front piece and front yoke) and melded them with the famously good Kid Pants from Danamadeit to get the flat front elastic back look. I changed the bands to not button just because I'm a little lazy and mostly very busy all the time. I love them baggie because they fit her cloth diaper really well.

     The fabric was a thrifted skirt and the piping is from a thrifted blouse. Practically free. I always forget to take before pictures. It was very librarian chic.

 

 

     The jacket is the Zermatt Bow Swing Coat from see kate sew patterns. It was part of the Fall 2013 Sew Fab Bundle and I don't know if it's still available. So cute. So fast. So easy. What

 a pleasure. From printing to finish was 1-1/2 hours with interruptions to write a note to my son's teacher, make breakfast for Elena, and start some laundry. Can't thank Kate enough for making it so easy and adorable. The awesome blackberry colored anti-pill fleece is from Joann's.

 

 

     The hat is something I crocheted last winter. I had no pattern and I have a bad memory so I can't really remember how I did it. I think I just kept increasing and increasing rather extremely and then had to do a lot of reducing at some point. I love the king's crown effect. Reminds me of the old Imperial Margarine commercials when I was a kid. Dating myself again I'm sure.

 

 

 

 



 

 

     Elena says it's pretty cold out here so let's come back for a picnic in the spring. I agree.


Side note: I am so frustrated with Blogger. It will not let me resize the photos after the first 2. I hear it's a bug. Anyone have any info or know a solution? I want to see these pics bigger. waaaaaa.