KCW....Days 2, 3, 4....A Kokka Seersucker Flip!

I haven't had too much time to sew this week, even though it's one of my most inspirational sewing events...Kids Clothes Week.  What I made for the past several days is another version of my "flipped" Oliver + S Roller Skate tunic. 

I used some adorable Kokka seersucker from my shop.  I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it - it has teeny foxes and other indeterminate animals on it - Julia first said they were moles, then bunnies....well, here it is - you decide:

 

Here's the outfit...

 

My kid flipped out when she saw the shorts - not in a good way - and swore up and down that they were "brown" and that she wouldn't wear them.  She had to poll all her siblings and her father, then she believed me that they are not brown, but plum.  The shorts are made from the Oliver + S Bedtime Story pajamas pattern....I like using it for shorts because there's no side seam.  Julia quite likes the pockets on these, now that she believes that they are not brown.

 

 

I lined the tunic with a sheet I stole from my older kids....they never use the flat sheet, and this one was a nice light microfiber one - I bet it feels great on!

We just took a walk to the candy store down on Second Street - the "business corridor" in my neighborhood....she got a ton of compliments on her outfit while walking down the street....made me feel pretty good!

 

 

Saturday Sewing

So I had a productive day today.

My older daughter and her fiance - yes, there's a wedding coming someday - are attending a birthday party for a little boy turning two.  For some reason, they requested I make a shirt, with a giraffe, that said "tee-hee-hee".  No clue why, but that's what they wanted.

So, since I'm a long-time fabric hoarder, I was able to put together this t-shirt:

I used the Flashback Skinny Tee from Made by Rae.  I used a really nice, soft cotton interlock, I'm sure left over from my boy-sewing days.  The brown rib is a knit I have in my shop.  I had a remnant of a spotty cotton for the background, and the yellow is another nice, soft yellow interlock that I have about 3 yards of for some reason....

Anyways, I found an appropriate giraffe clip art picture, and did some reasonably good applique work.  It's hardly perfect - imperfect stitching, and slightly wonky neckline, but it's made by a human, so it is what it is!  As Julia's pre-school teacher says, "don't have a fit, you get what you get". 

I spent some time with my kid after making the shirt and sending it off to the party, and while she napped, I made yet another drawstring bag from LTTS.  This is for sure my go-to kid party gift as long as I have time.  This one is for one of my daughter's classmates who is moving out of town, so I wanted to be sure to make time for him.  Once I make the trip to Target, this will contain some type of Lego guys.....This is Kokka fabric from my shop, with some leftover black linen from my stash.  Every time I make one of these bags, I think "this one is my favorite..." - well, this one is a close second to the one I made a couple of weeks ago from Anne Kelle Girlfriend Princess fabric....

 

This may be all my sewing for the weekend, as we have a birthday party and basketball practice Sunday, but I feel good about my projects for the weekend!

Backpack, backpack....

So my daughter has been without a backpack all school year (pre-school).  She's told me a couple of times that the teacher told her she needed to bring a backpack.  And, yet, I procrastinated...

I had fabric in my shop that I fell in love with the minute I saw the sample at the Kokka distributor.  Sometimes, I fall in love with the Japanese novelty prints for no reason, but this time, I knew why I loved this print.  I knew it would make the absolutely perfect little girls backpack.

I took out my trusty go-to book - Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S's Liesl Gibson.  Really, my go-to for all my sewing between her book and her patterns.  But, for some reason, I didn't make my kid the backpack.  Maybe it was the zipper?  Maybe it was bag hardware?  I should have done this a long time ago.

 

I knew that I wanted the main fabric to be first and foremost in this project, so I chose a rather subdued beige cross-hatch fabric for the straps and lining.  Given the great instructions, the bag went together with absolutely no problem whatsoever.  The only change that I made was adding interfacing to the lining for a bit more structure.

The Kokka fabric I chose is the perfect weight for this project.  Sturdy enough to not be floppy, but not thick enough to cause any undue stitching woes.  I carefully placed the bears on the front to include complete bear-faces and a complete French phrase.   

Maybe someday I'll get to France....I'm such a sucker for anything French!

Here's the photo of my daughter wearing it....please forgive the early morning hair!

 

The backpack is the perfect size for a little kid.  I included an embroidered name label for the inside....not my best work, but perfectly suitable for a 3 year old!

The best compliment that I got was from my 23 year old daughter who says she wants one too!  

Kokka Paris Walk 2+2

One of the first patterns that I got from Oliver + S was the 2+2.  I've sewed several tops, plus the skirt.  In fact, I even bought the larger size range already because I knew it was such a versatile top and skirt pattern that I'd get a ton of use out of it.

When I first saw this fabric while buying for my shop from the Kokka distributor, I knew that I loved it and what I wanted to make with it.  I thought that it would make a wonderful 2+2 top, with denim accents, hopefully worn by my child with some jeans, or at least a jean skirt.  I love the little silhouette of the woman walking her dog.....

The fabric is a Kokka linen cotton blend - it's not heavy, but not real, real lightweight - kind of a middle weight fabric.  I used a light weight denim that I got from Joann's on sale - I've used this light denim quite a bit - really, I should just but about 10 yards next time it goes on sale...

I really like the way it came out, except, I really should have added a few inches to the length.  This is a 3T, and I've been using the 3T size but adding about 2-3 inches on all my recent projects.

Every time I sew an Oliver + S pattern again, I do a little bit better - on my prior attempts with this top, the area under the patch (which is gathered) ended up with uneven pleats.  This time, I took a bit more time and it looks more like gathers.   It's the little things.....

I let Julia sew the buttons on with me.  She already says that she wants to learn to sew, which makes me very happy.

Some modeled photos:

So ends my first sewing project of the New Year.....much, much more to come!!

KCWC - Days 6 and 7....and, Success!

For the last of KCWC, I made a jacket from a pattern I had downloaded from Etsy, from Dear My Kids.  This was the first time I tried one of their patterns, and it won't be the last because I now own 6 of their patterns....

The pattern came together well, but there were a couple of spots I didn't get.  For example, the back isn't cut on the fold, rather pieced together so there's a seam down the middle.  The pleat then is sewn about an inch from the seam.  To me, unless there's something I'm missing, it would look so much better without the middle seam.  So, that's what I'll do next time.  And, I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to attach the sleeves at the hem when turning the jacket right-side-out after sewing the lining.  Other than that, the pattern went together beautifully.  I thought I'd have more issues with the curved yoke, but it fit perfectly and looks really nice.  I have another jacket planned with this same pattern in a light blue corduroy lined with some of my hoarded Cape Ann fabric.

Here's the jacket:

It's a size 4, which turned out HUGE!  I was thinking that I should make it big, because I want her to wear it for a while, but I'm thinking she could wear this til she's in kindergarten!  I'll definitely sew a 3 (if not a 2) next time.

The fabric is a Kokka canvas, or so they call it.  Canvas, to me, is hard and scratchy, but this is not.  I washed it and line dried it, per the manufacturer's instructions, and it's really soft and comfortable.  It's just not heavyweight.  The lining is shot cotton.  It's a pretty lightweight jacket, but definitely good for an outer layer.

Here's all the things I made this week....I'm pretty damned pleased with myself!!

KCWC - Day 2....Sunday Brunch and a Flashback

I took off sick (cough, cough) and was able to put together a skirt and a knit top for the fall.  My idea for this outfit is to pair it with some grey tights, and some black boots to complete the outfit.

The skirt is a canvas-weight cotton from Kokka.  I would say it's a bit lighter than denim, but not a fabric that's going to be a flow-y, spinning skirt that my 2 year old likes.  I think this fabric would also make a really cool tote, or backpack.

I'm really lucky to be able to personally go to the one distributor for Kokka fabric in the U.S. as they are based about 15 minutes from where I live.  I get to go, and browse through all the Kokka, Nani Iro, etc. fabrics and order for my shop.  It's very dangerous, as much as I love Japanese fabric!

The fabric designer is Yusuke Yonezu.  Here's more info about the fabric line:  http://www.trueup.net/2011/quilt-market/fall-quilt-market-2011-kiyohara-nakaniwa-by-yusuke-yonezu/


Here's the skirt:

There's little things about Kokka fabrics that I love - here's a picture of the selvedge:

I have no idea what I'd ever do with that selvedge, other than maybe a label or a trim, but it made me happy.

The top is the Flashback Skinny Tee from Made by Rae.  This is a really nice, downloadable pattern.  I've made about a bazillion t-shirts for my older kids (usually using Kwik Sew patterns) so I'm not afraid of knits and know how to apply ribbing.  I used a really soft grey knit, and I think I may make another in a turtleneck out of the same fabric.

My next project for KCWC is several more Flashback Tees in an assortment of fabrics and colors....stay tuned!

Prelude to KCWC

I (along with a bunch of really talented and inspired sewists) are participating in the upcoming Kids Clothes Week Challenge on the Elsie Marley blog.  Toward that end, I'm trying to finish up some sewing I've begun, but not totally completed.

Here is my last UFO - a Family Reunion dress from, of course, Oliver + S patterns.  It was another pattern I had purchased, but hadn't gotten to yet.  No reason why, because every time I see one in the O+S forums, I absolutely love it.

This is made from a Kokka medium weight cotton.  It has a really nice drape; not too lightweight, so Julia can wear it in the fall, with a yet-to-be-made lightweight jacket.  The piping is some Kaffe Fasset shot cotton that I had leftover from another project.  I made it in exactly a 3T, no modifications.  I'd say it fits pretty true to size as Julia will be 3 in about a month.

Julia got new sparkly shoes yesterday, so she was ready to walk across the street and model her new dress with the new shoes.

Yeah, not exactly my taste in shoes, but I've got to let her express herself!

I had Julia help sew the buttons down the back, so here's a picture to memorialize her first sewing project:

I absolutely love this pattern; as with the Playdate pattern, I find that it is a beautiful frame to a child's face; I wonder if that was what Liesl was thinking when she designed this pattern...

I'm also taking pictures to make calendars for Christmas gifts for the grandparents, so here's my artsy shot for the day:

 

Now, on to planning, shopping, and organizing for KCWC!!!

Swingset...Dress? Nightgown?

My daughter loves dresses. Bottom line. I tried putting her in a pair of jeans last weekend, and she actually cried. Scrutinizing her wardrobe, her favorite dresses (RTW hand-me-downs) are spaghetti strap, flowing, below the knee with a ruffle. Acquiescing to my child's wishes, I looked through my patterns to see if I could replicate the look. Of course, there was an Oliver and S pattern that would work. I took the Swingset Tunic pattern, lengthened and tapered the body, and added a ruffle.

 I thought it turned out a bit long, so it borders on the nightgown look.

I used a very light-weight denim for the bodice and ruffle, and Kokka print for the body.  The Kokka print was a joy to work with - lightweight, but not slippery.  I know my daughter loves the way it feels.

In an effort to continue to use some embroidery, I added a single flower at the bodice.

 The dress is from the size 3T from the Swingset Tunic pattern.  I would say that it should easily fit her through next summer.  Which, of course is a good thing.

And, she likes it, which is another good thing....

Kokka Nature Walk

We are having some early morning gray weather in Southern California lately, especially by the beach.  I thought I'd make a Nature Walk top, a pattern by Oliver + S.  I used some Kokka Trefle from the Scandia collection fabric that I purchased for sale in my shop....when that opens!

The bottom is linen - a perfect match for the weight of the Kokka cotton.  I love the details of this pattern, as with all Oliver + S patterns.  It goes together beautifully.  I added some decorative stitching around the pockets:

The large pouch in front was absolutely perfect for a walk on the beach...perfect for shells, and whatever else a 2 year old picks up on the beach!