Sunday 29 June 2014

Sewing for my nieces Winter wardrobe


The last few weeks I have been sewing up lots of new Winter items for my nieces (3 and 3m). Check below for the information regarding each item and pattern information. 


Sofia loved her Mara blouse pattern by Compagnie-M. I was lucky enough to win this pattern for free. The pattern is amazing and comes in A1 printing option or regular A4 printing. I went to Officeworks and had the A1 print done. I have never done this before but it really made everything easier. I sewed up the size 4 so she can get plenty of wear out of it. She loved both of her Mara blouses - I am pretty sure I will just be making her these in the future as it is hard to please her. 



Her other 'woodland animals' Mara blouse was so loved we nearly had to quit the photo shoot because she really did not want to take this off. 





I got this gorgeous organic cotton knit from Remnant Warehouse online and it is perfect - ridiculously soft and silky. I made Sofia a size 3 Raglan Tee pattern by Peekaboo patternshop. The neckband is some really stretchy grey ribbing - I didnt really like this so won't be using it for this again.


This is a self drafted size 3/4 cotton long sleeve tee. The fabric is a bit thinner then the organic cotton but is still very soft. I got it from the Remnant Warehouse as well and previously made Sofia some leggings out of it - It would make a great Skater dress!


Sof also scored some organic jammies. The top is the same self drafted pattern as used above - the fabric is a luxurious organic cotton purchased from Bloom Fabric Shop. She loved these jammies - the pants are too small though so will make her a bigger pair and try again.



This is the Whimsy Couture Hooded Jacket pattern in size 5. The lining fabric is just a quilt packing vined/floral green cotton and the main fabric is a felt wool fabric - snuggly for Winter. On the head is an owl face appliqued using zigzag stitches. I bought the wooden heart buttons on eBay and love them on a jacket. Sofia really loved this jacket and it will fit her for at least another few years.







The last dress for Sofia I did not make - it is one I bought from Welcome to the Mouse House clearance second hand sale. It is a size 4 and has lots of 'twirl factor'. She was so in love she did not want to take it off... It may have helped that we called it a 'dancing dress'.



Twirl factor in motion. 

Now for Amelia's new clothes.


Mostly Amelia got Geranium dresses (one of the very few patterns available in small enough sizes). This one is in a cute cotton poplin from Spotlight. It is on the small size but hopefully Amelia will get some wear out of it.


(Whatever we were looking at must have been good!!). This is one of my favourites of the lot - a linen cotton blend with little blue flowers. Also a geranium. All of these dresses have little flat mother of pearl buttons up the back.




These are leggings from the Baby Basics pattern set by Shwin Designs. My new go to baby leggings pattern though is the FREE pattern by Go to Sew. The fit on the legs seems better and the rise is more suited to cloth. This pair barely contains this cloth nappy. The fabric is from my own artwork and printed by Spoonflower.

Now for some baby photos with my wife and I.







How a 3 year old sees the world



After taking lots of photos of Sofia (3 years) and her sister (3m) Sofia wanted a turn with the DSLR. Turns out she is pretty good at taking photos and many photos had very cool composition. Great insight into what is seen from her perspective.











Saturday 14 June 2014

The Franken-Indie sewing contest (Alder Skirt meets Caroline Dress)

Welcome to my first entry into The Monthly Stitch. This month it is all about Indie patterns - which I love and use 90% of the time anyway.

I chose to 'Franken-Indie' the Alder Skirt by Imagine Gnats with the Caroline Dress by Welcome to the Mouse House

Here is what I came up with. After the leap I will tell you what I did. 



Basically I used the princess seamed bodice of the Caroline dress (With high neckline, next time I will make it lower), with the pockets and skirt length of the Alder.

Changes made: basically I made the bodice first and then used the measurements of the side panels to be my founding length of the pockets. This means that the seams line up and looks quite neat. I then just used gathered rectangles for the front and back of the dress.

Conclusion: Alder Skirt pockets are the bomb. Also this is a great dress to wear to work.
Fabric used: Cloud9 Organic cotton in Straw Hat - Gray (Lined in Straw Hat Pink).