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!

KCWC - Days 3 & 4 - Beaucoup de Flashbacks!

So, days 3 and 4 of KCWC are workdays.  I work about 10 hours per day, so there was really not a lot of time to sew.  What I did was use a pattern I had purchased a while ago, but not used to make a bunch of shirts - something my kid actually does need.

I was lucky enough to be a tester for Made By Rae's Washi dress, so I know how much thought and detail she puts into her patterns, especially the sizing.  So, for the Flashback Skinny tee, I trusted Rae and measured my daughter and decided to use a size 2 pattern, but lengthen the body by 3 inches.  It worked perfectly.

I was able to make all these shirts using only fabrics I had in my stash.  My oldest daughter is/was a gymnast, so I've got tons of cotton lycra left over from leotards.  Both of the floral shirts are the really stretchy knit with spandex.  The turquoise stripe and the Minnie Mouse fabrics are both interlock, and the grey is a really soft rib knit.  I applique'd the bold "J" on the stripe because after I put it together, I thought it needed something extra.

They're not hemmed yet because my plan is to take out the twin needle and hem them.

Here's the individual photos:

My favorite is the peach floral, but the gray one is a shirt that I'd wear for myself.

Now, on to the last project (or two)......

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!