Halloween 2014 - The Decision

We put a lot of thought/discussion into Halloween costumes.  Maybe too much.

There's the whole philosophical discussion to be had - don't look like everyone else, be your own person.  Then there's the realistic - I can't make you into a spaceship that actually flies.  Then, of course, comes the part where I have to convince my kid not to be Elsa....

This year, Julia has been watching a lot more "educational" TV.  Well, educational plus episodes of The Brady Bunch.  So, she decided that she wanted to be Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus.  One good look at what Miss Frizzle wears and I was 100% on board.

Seriously, anyone who follows my sewing knows how much I love the Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress.  Isn't that exactly what The Frizz is wearing?

I added a circle skirt to the Jump Rope dress using pattern pieces from another pattern (Tinny Dress by Straightgrain).  The Jump Rope dress is a size 4, and the Tinny Dress pieces were a size 5.  I eyeballed the waist measurement of the bodice and lopped an inch off each side piece of the circle skirt; fit perfectly!  I will be definitely adding a circle skirt to the Jump Rope dress again....nothing makes my child happier than a circle skirt!

I toyed with the idea of printing the fabric on Spoonflower.  A good idea, but a bit expensive.  Then, my next idea was to make felt appliques of the various science stuff.  Seriously time consuming.  Freezer paper stencil?  Time consuming, and I'm not great at it.  Then, I remembered that I had bought some fabric transfer paper and had never used it.  Hmmmm.....

I used Avery 3271 Light Fabric Transfers.  I used a couple of old white t-shirts, and found some free clipart all over the internet for the various transfers; a beaker, a rocket, the sun, etc.  I sized all the pictures to be approximately in the 3-4" area so that I didn't have to applique teeny designs.  I applied the transfers to the t-shirt per the instructions, held my breath, and pulled off the paper - it worked PERFECTLY!  I was delighted.

I then used applique scissors to carefully cut out the fabric around the edge of the design.  Then, I used black thread and machine stitched all the designs onto the pattern pieces.  I have to admit, it took a while.  But, I did it over a few days, so it wasn't that painful.

To complete the outfit, I made her a trick-or-treat bag from a free pattern from Swoon Patterns - the Ethel Tote Bag.  I added a couple of inches to the width so it will be able to hold all the Halloween candy!  I used the same transfer technique to add the Magic School Bus graphic.

Halloween outfit complete - and one happy child!!

A Tried and True Favorite

If I had to choose a pattern that gave me the most sewing-satisfaction when complete, it would have to be the Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress.  If you've made this pattern, you know what I mean.

I've made view A:

and view B.

I don't think she really ever (willingly) wore the view B.

The seersucker Jump Rope view A was worn until it turned into an indecent mini-skirt.  I thought it was time for another.

I used some Hello Petal by Aneela Hoey (shop link).  I really like her teeny flower illustrations.  I made this over a couple of days - this dress isn't really one to rush through.  I love the placket.  Seriously.  It makes you look like you really know what you're doing.

This is one of the patterns from that only went to a size 3, so I had to buy the bigger size.  This is a size 4, with 5 length.

I really love it.  Julia and I went to the beach for a nice long walk this late afternoon, and when we got back, she agreed to do some modeling.  The light was really funky as it was a kind of weird overcast evening.  Nonetheless, I (of course) have a bunch of photos to share....

I hope she loves this one as much as she loved the seersucker one.....only time will tell...but, I do have some green seersucker in my stash that I could use to make another. 

Stuff I've Been Working On...

Even though we're only 11 days into the New Year, I've already got 3 projects to share.

The first project was for Go To Sew.  They have a series of folks testing out the patterns that they sell - and they sell a huge variety - and showing what they've done.  Since my daughter generally hates to wear jackets, I chose the Aztec Hooded Vest by See Kate Sew.  Part of my New Year's resolutions are to challenge myself more in the sewing arena, and one of those challenges is to master the zipper.

For the project, I chose a deep purple corduroy from my stash, and lined it with some Yuwa fabric that I absolutely love - Can-Can by Anyan.  Here's a close up of the lining, as I didn't really get good pictures:

Here's a few of shots of the completed vest:

It's a nice pattern, but I definitely had some difficulty.  The pattern pieces didn't go together at all, but because I was on a deadline, I jimmied it together.  I did contact the designer - she's super nice btw - and she's going to check it out and see if the issue was the pattern or operator-error.  Either way, I'll use the pattern again, and hopefully do a better job on the zipper next time.  The pattern called for a longer zipper than the front of the jacket, and then you cut the zipper to size, and fold it over at the neck edge.  Next time, I'll order a zipper that's the actual length of the front, and won't do any cutting or folding over; I think that will make me happy.  On a very positive note, I found a great source for zippers - Zipperstop on Etsy.  I highly recommend them, and will definitely be going back.  Amazing prices and selection.

Next on my sewing list is my "flip" of the Clever Charlotte Chickadee pattern over at Frances Suzanne.  You can read about it over there, but here's some pictures in case you didn't see them already:

Voting will start after the next couple of flips are revealed - I'm not going to hold my breath, but I'd especially like to win some more patterns from Clever Charlotte - I was SO impressed with this one -  my first attempt of their patterns.  I will 100% for sure be buying some more from them!

The last thing on my agenda was a birthday gift for a one-year old.  Even though I've known for a month that the party was today, I've been crazy-busy and didn't have time to work on a gift.  But, I knew exactly what I wanted to make - I just NEEDED to make an Oliver + S Jump Rope dress.  I felt the need to make a pattern that is tried and true; that I can sew pretty much in my sleep, that gives the most amazing, professional result.

I used some fabric I've used previously - Kokka Paris Walk.  Since the mom of the baby loves polka dots, I used some red and white polka dots for the contrast.  I cut this out Thursday night, did the placket Friday night, and finished the rest Saturday morning.  The party was at 12:00, and we ended up being about 45 minutes late - I sewed on the buttons and clipped threads in the car!

I don't know what my next project is going to be, but I did buy 1/4" foot for my machine with the idea that I might actually make a quilt - another New Year's resolution!  We'll see!!

Placket Pride!

I've made the Oliver + S Jump Rope dress pattern before (view A) but have seen a lot of really cool view B's in the Flickr pool as of late.  I'm generally drawn to loud bold patterns, and have seen some very successful versions using bold fabrics.

I used some fabric from my shop - Free Spirit cotton from Eleanor Grosch's Imperial Pheasant line.  I love her designs - she's doing a new line for Cloud9 Fabrics that looks pretty cool as well.  The placket and collar are shot cotton from Kaffe Fasset.

 

I started this last weekend - put together the collar and placket and let the dress hang on the hanger all week, admiring my work.  The placket on this pattern goes together so beautifully - it looks so professional, and really all you have to do is follow the directions, and make good pattern markings. 

View B is definitely a quicker sew - there is no belt, no belt loops, no gathered waist.  On the other hand, I think my child prefers the more girly version.  Next time - and there will be a next time.  Unfortunately for me, I have to buy the larger size for the next one.  But that's ok - I'm sure I'll get a ton of use out of it.

This is a size 3 and is a perfect fit.  The pockets get lost a little in the loud fabric, but in person, you can see them better.  I love how they go together and add a really cute detail to the plain front.

 

Love the collar, love the placket.  And, I loved the buttons I found that are a great match - in fact, my 18 year old son even said he liked the buttons!

So I've done both views of this one - next I want to try to make it in a knit as a rugby shirt....how cute would that be??

"I'm a Princess..."

One thing that I have to come to terms with is having a semi - girly girl.  She's not totally girly girl - she plays in the sandbox with the best of them, gets filthy, runs, scampers, and picks her nose occasionally.  But, she, like most girls of 2 1/2 years, she is into the "princess" thing.  As much as we try to not do a lot of commercial type things, like commercial TV, shirts that say "Daddy's Little Princess", the girls in her pre-school peer group seem to just naturally gravitate towards princess-like things.

I'm trying to work on making her things that (1) work for her coloring and (2) that she will like.  The majority of my wardrobe is black.  Probably not the first choice for most two year olds.  And, what she really wants to wear, is what she calls a "pretty dress".  I don't know how some of her dresses qualify to become the "pretty dress", but some are, and some are not.

This is the Jump Rope dress from my absolute favorite pattern company, Oliver + S.  I made this in some pale green and pale coral seersucker.  The placket and collar are white linen.

When I completed the dress, and she put it on, she said "I am a princess".  Success.

The dress is not easy, but it is not crazy-difficult.  It has a perfect collar, that is the perfect frame for a little girl face.

The instructions to construct the placket are perfect.  Probably the most important instruction is at the end, where you are instructed to do a "little fiddling" to make it look just right. I sewed this over about a week - doing just a little bit in the evenings after work.  I'm usually good for about 20 minutes of sewing at the end of a long work day....

It has a sweet belt, that hits just at the waist, and the gathers are slightly below, which I think may be the part that Julia likes the best.  I love the way this looks at the back...

I did make the button tabs on the sleeves a bit larger - I used white linen for the placket and collar, and I wasn't able at all to make the tiny tabs that the pattern included.

I did search about a million images in the Oliver + S Flickr group to decide if I should make a white belt, a self belt, white belt loops, or self belt loops.  Then, of course, I had to find the absolutely perfect buttons....I wonder if people who design/manufacture children's clothing for a living agonize over details as much as sewing moms do....