Chambray Ansley Tunic with Embroidery

This is my third and final outfit for Elena for this fall. The tunic is a modified Ansley top from Blaverry Patterns. I lowered the neckline half an inch, added a tie-back belt, and put elastic in the sleeves instead of cuffs. I think I changed the hi/low length a little too making it as long as my fabric allowed for. I also lined the bodice pieces so that the embroidery wouldn't be exposed on the back and against her skin. 

The fabric is a speckled chambray from the Imagine Gnats shop. It was great to work with. I would definitely use this again. Rachel is having a meet and greet event at her shop tomorrow that I'd love to go to. I have to drive an hour south of home tomorrow for a swimming meet but I'll still be 3 hours north of her so I guess I won't make it this time.

 The embroidery is my own design. I was pretty proud of myself for not spending hours and hours trying to decide what to do. I just went with the first thought I had and then added on. Very organic. Just letting it happen. (Very unlike the top I've been trying to design for myself and can't decide on.)
And looking at that picture reminds me that I also changed the button placket and hid my buttons on the backside. That was because the bodice felt too wide and this way my embroidery design wouldn't be interrupted.

So I have to also mention the "banana pants" as Elena calls them. She is not fond of them, but I hope they grow on her because they are pretty awesome. The fabric is mustard stretch corduroy from CaliFabrics. The pattern is the LouBee Clothing Hosh pants. Size 3 width, 5 length. No other changes. Plain and simple and oh so soft.

Poor kid really hates this blogging business.

Upcycling a Nessie Top and Hosh Pants

Welcome to my Project Run & Play sewalong look for week 2: I'm An Autumn. Fall clothes are THE best. I've always loved getting new clothes for fall and then look forward to the weather cooling off enough to wear them. I love the deep, warm colors of fall and I also tend to think of texture with fall clothes - think chunky sweater knits, corduroy, etc.

One of my favorite aspects of sewing for children is that with smaller fabric requirements, you can upcycle a lot of the time. Having her only sister 13 years older than her means that while there is a good pile of hand-me-downs for Elena, only some of them are classic enough to save as is for future years, but many wind up being remade. I like that upcycling costs me no money, but I also like the nostalgia of seeing Olivia's clothes worn by her little sister.

The pants are LouBee Clothing Hosh Pants with added welt pockets on the front. They began their life as a dress from Old Navy. It's a medium to heavy weight knit with good stretch and recovery. After cutting the dress apart I noticed that the back of the dress had a center seam that I had to straighten out before I could use it. I used a straight edge and marked where to sew a new seam to straighten it. This means that one pant leg has an outer seam, but who is really going to notice that?

I fancied up the pants a bit by adding welt pockets. I made WELT POCKETS! This has been on my sewing bucket list for well over a year. I'm so glad I did it because 1.) they were the perfect pocket for a pant with no (or only 1,  heehee) side seam and 2.) I feel like a sewing genius now. After watching a couple of video tutorials, I wasn't too scared of the sewing, it was the placement. I was hacking here and totally guessing as to where to put that first one and then not so confident about making the other one match it. So stressful. But it turned out well and now I have the confidence to welt all the pockets.

The shirt is the really fun part. It is made from a long sleeved tee my mom passed off and a tiny piece of rayon/spandex knit from CaliFabrics. I used my favorite old Craftiness Is Not Optional Nessie Top. Gosh, I love that pattern. This upcycle was meant to be. Look at this pattern layout in the next picture and see how little of the shirt was wasted.

So a recycled Hosh pant and Nessie top outfit came to life. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the process of making this one. Between pushing myself to try the welt pockets and the fear of cutting through the second layer on the bodice portion, this one was a roller coaster of emotions. The process and all the nerves were well worth it. I'll do a tutorial on how to do the textured reverse applique technique later this week. And now, more pictures.

(Edited 9/22/16: The tutorial is here.)

Capsule Wardrobe: Simplicity Culottes & a Plantain Tee

So a while back I ordered some fabrics from Cali Fabrics and was surprised to see that the organic french terry I thought was called camel was actually called caramel. Oops, thought I was a better reader and shopper by now. Turns out that I love the color caramel, but I wasn't sure at all what to do with it. 3 yards of it no less. It's pretty heavy weight so it would make a nice hoodie for sure, but I don't really need one. I experimented with these culottes figuring they could always be pajamas or just for the beach if nothing else.

The pattern is an out of print Simplicity 4237 from 2006. I really like this pattern and have used it for a couple of skirts in the past. I made only one change to view C and its the same change I've always made on this pattern to all versions. I don't like a fold down waistband so I just cut it half as high. Easy change. Especially in this thick french terry, a fold down would be crazy. I insert elastic as well because I like the extra tummy support and insurance against young ones pulling and hanging on me all the time.

They couldn't be more comfy, but I'm still not sure just how flattering they are. A soft fabric with drape would be very nice I'm sure, but I do think I'll wear these anyway. On Pinterest I saw this color paired with mauve and thought, "Hey, wouldn't you know I got some mauve jersey in that same order from Cali Fabrics." The colors feel very desert sunset to me. I'd like to go to southern Utah, Nevada, and Colorado this summer so I must be feeling the southwest influence.

The t-shirt is another Deer & Doe Plantain Tee. I changed the hem to a rounded hem because that is more flattering for me and also shortened it a couple of inches. This jersey fabric is thinner than I like so it is a bit see-through which doesn't work for me. I doubled the front and back bodice pieces and all is well. Now I can wear any color bra and no one will know it. 

This top will get a ton of usage in my capsule wardrobe coordinating with several other bottoms. In it's first version, I tried to raise the neckline a little and hand sew a binding with a fancy herringbone-like stitch. I had to take it out though because it looked really old lady to me and the binding was rolling inward too. Not good. So I took it out and cut the standard Plaintain neckline with the standard neckband and I love it. Sometimes, basic is good enough.

So the only remaining question is: are these pants a yay or nay? Please be honest and tell me if I can leave the house in this outfit. 

Peplum Top and Leggings

Today's outfit was made at least 6 weeks ago. We were blessed with another beautiful spring-like day so we had a chance to take pictures outside. It was full-on sunshine and quite windy and then it started raining huge drops for a few minutes, but then it cleared up quickly. You've got to love the weather around here in March and April - it's crazy.

The top was made using Simplicity 1435 with one minor change to extend the sleeves to full length. I used a womens' tee from the thrift store for fabric. I thought Elena would like the little birds, but alas, there is no pink or purple so she doesn't love it. She might not like it at all and may only be wearing it right now because of a bribe of Hello Kitty fruit snacks.

The leggings are from the same pattern, but for skinny mini, I have learned to adjust the width. I taped a fold down the center of the pattern piece to take out 1 inch in width. This pair was made from a pair of Forever 21 leggings Olivia didn't want anymore. They are a ponte knit.

So the fun is in the details. The leggings got the addition of a triangle of crochet lace added to the bottom. I just sewed it on with a tight, narrow zigzag stitch. It's certainly not a new concept, but it is the first time I did it.

I do enjoy a little hand embellishment, so the top got some blanket stitching around the neckline and bottom hem. The bows were made from scraps and tacked on heavily from the back because I hate when bows are only attached at the center and curl up instead of lying flat. They are made from a sweater knit so I don't think they will crumple up like jersey does.

The whole outfit is a little big on her as you can see above. She looks like she's wearing football shoulder pads. I've used this pattern before but with a cotton lycra and this is just an interlock so I guess that's the difference. I'm hoping that it will still fit her next fall. At the rate she is growing lately, the sleeves will be 3/4 length, but I think the rest will actually be better then. And maybe she'll be over the purple and pink infatuation by then. I can only hope.

"Nothing But Knits" Challenge

This Project Run & Play theme of Nothing But Knits is my jam. Knit clothes are my favorites and definitely Elena's favorites too. They are so easy to wear and so easy to sew. Tunics and leggings on Elena are top of my list for what to dress her in for preschool. They are comfy, inexpensive, functional, and help her be self-sufficient.

I wanted to try a different shape on her this time. She's so thin I wanted to see what she would look like in a rounder shaped tunic. I used a standard t-shirt pattern (the GYCT Tinley Tee) but redrew the sides to curve out a couple of inches. The body of the shirt is made of a cotton lycra repurposed ladies sized mock turtleneck. It has been transformed from the dowdy to the cute. The striped sleeves and pockets are cotton lycra from Girl Charlee. There is elastic in the hem to draw it in, but still pass the sit on the floor criss cross applesauce test.

The pockets are a fun touch and were inspired by Elena's love of a stuffed owl toy I made her years ago. She has been playing and sleeping with "Who-eee" a lot lately so I found a template online and cut up a bunch of scraps and appliqued them on by hand. Honestly, I had to do it by hand because that whole part was an afterthought. She had already worn the outfit with plain pockets once before we had that idea. My favorite part is the blue sequin eyes.

The leggings are plain brown Laguna Cotton Stretch Jersey Knit. Nothing fancy about them, but so very soft, comfy and useful to her wardrobe.

Now for Who-eee. He is made from an old fleece jacket with a broken zipper and a bunch of odds and ends and some crocheting. He was completely free-formed, improvisational kind of sewing. That is so much fun for me. That was pre-blogging days so there was never any thought of making him picture worthy.

And now more pictures because she was in a ridiculously cooperative mood and that is rare.

Thanks for reading. The contestants did an amazing job. Be sure to cast a vote and comment on their hard work. I have to go decide on my favorite now and I don't know how I'm going to do that.

Fall Kidiform: Cords and Bimaas and Turtlenecks

It's gotten colder out. Fall isn't kidding around anymore. This week has been in the 40's and 50's and crazy windy. We've had rain and hail, and only a little sunshine. Cold and wet makes me feel chilly. Elena never seems cold, but I felt the need to make her some more warm things. I don't know why I didn't make myself more warm things. I know it doesn't make any sense.

We are on a strict spending freeze. We are within mere months of paying off our house and now that the end of the mortgage is really, really close, nothing can sway me from my course. I could only shop my stash, so thank goodness it has some really good stuff in it. Is it just me or is it impossible to source stretch corduroy at a store or online? I can't ever find it anywhere so repurposing is the best route. I recently bought a few pairs of very large women's cords at half price at the thrift store for $2/pair. I can afford that. I'm rambling, let me just show you what I made.

These cords (wrinkled as all heck because I took them off of her for pictures) are Peek-a-Boo Skinny Jeans but with a jersey knit and elastic waistband. They are reborn from the ugliest high waisted, darted, relaxed fit, tapered leg cords you ever saw. They were happy to be transformed into cute skinnies with gold topstitching. And if you follow me on Instagram you already know that I ran out of gold thread with 2" to go on the last hem so they have a little bit of tan topstitching on the back too.

Also at the thrift store that same day, I found a woman's tee of exceptionally good quality - thick and soft. It was a mock turtleneck, but on a 4 year old, it's a full turtleneck. I used the Sofilantjes Otium Sweater pattern and made it kind of big and comfy. Elena rarely complains about things being uncomfortable, but she definitely gravitates to the more comfortable fabrics. Soft, stretchy corduroy and thick, soft knit are perfect. and this outfit comes in at $3. That has to be a savings of at least $25 to go towards the house payment.

I have 2 more pairs of cords to repurpose, if needed. We'll wait and see a bit. But we needed more long sleeved tees so I went through the stash again and made a hooded LouBee Clothing Bimaa. I've made 4 or 5 Bimaa's before, but never the hooded version. I really love it. I had to get super creative to eek this out of less than a half yard of Girl Charlee cotton lycra (the mustard color) and some scraps of leftover Mabel Madison Stenzo knit.

Elena isn't supposed to be on the blog for a while, but this doesn't qualify as a photo shoot because we were just outside playing on one of the brighter days and I snuck a couple of pictures. She was freezing by the way so we put a jacket on right after and kept on playing.

Anyhow, the point of this post is ... I don't actually know. I guess it's that you can make good stuff out of other good stuff and it doesn't have to cost much at all. Also, that these 3 patterns are so good, I could almost just use them for everything, all the time. So I'll keep reminding myself of that so that I can stick to the budget and get this house paid off.

Elena: Quilted Sweatshirt & Pants

Why does Elena get all the cute things? If this fabric was anything other than hearts, I would have made this for myself. This quilted knit sweatshirt fabric is from Joann's. It is some cozy stuff.

I used the Imagine Gnats Tumble Tee pattern with the long sleeve add-on to make this tunic. I added something like 3 inches to the shirt length so it is somewhere between the pattern markings for shirt and dress length. I made the front 1-1/2" shorter than the back and made side vents following the method in the True Bias Mini Sutton Blouse pattern.

I sewed the doily on by going around in 3 different circles to make sure it all stays flat. The longest circle was the one around the entire scalloped edge. Just as I started feeling like this was a real pain, I was back at the beginning and happy to be done with that. It's just a lot of lifting the presser foot and adjusting over and over and over again.

This fabric is quite thick which can make for some bulky seams as I learned when serging on the sleeves. I had planned on cuffs and a traditional ribbed neckband, but I think the seam would have stuck out funny. I decided that the best way to finish the sleeves and neckline was with a simple turn and top stitch with a double needle. This way turned out very well.

You know the main reason I sew for Elena? Because she is a bean pole. It's her 2T width and 5T length that make it a necessity. These pants may look strangely long and skinny to you, and they are, but they fit her perfectly. 

I was really winging it with these pants. I started with the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop Skinny Jeans, but modified them a lot. 1.) No fly  2.) Combined the back yoke and back leg pieces into one piece 3.) Narrowed them even more 4.) Changed the shape and construction of the pockets and 5.) Used ribbing and 1-1/2" elastic for the waistband. 

Again, the thickness of the fabric and seams is what drove some of the changes. I eliminated the pocket bag to reduce bulk and just sewed the back piece behind it. Is there a name for that? It's like a reverse patch pocket. That's what I'm calling it. For the waistband, I didn't want to sew/serge on a waistband and have a thick seam exposed so I sewed the opened up flat ribbing to the inside of the pants in the round. I pressed under 3/8" on the open edge. I laid the elastic in and folded the ribbing over it tucking in the pressed edge. I sewed it on from the outside with a zigzag stitch covering the first line of stitching. Does that make sense? It definitely all lays nice and flat.

I don't really intend for her to wear the 2 pieces together. She can of course, but I'd rather split them up and mix them with some of her other pieces. That's the beauty of the capsule wardrobe. And now, I think I can really say Elena's fall/winter capsule is complete. Besides maybe a Christmas dress, I don't think she needs anything else until spring. I know I'll never make it that long without making something for her, but I'm going to try my best. There are plenty of other people in this house to sew for, and plenty of other things needing my attention.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have an awesome weekend. My whole family will be busy with a swimming meet. Only one member of the family will actually swim, but my husband and I will volunteer as timers and such and the oldest will have to watch the youngest for the whole day so that's that. Maybe I can get a picture of Andrew wearing the shorts I recently made him and then he can make an appearance on the blog. Hmmm, I wonder if he would.