Sewing for Smalls

I've managed to make quite a few things this May, even if I didn't manage to make the trousers I pledged to for Me Made May (oopps).  The list includes... 2 pairs of pyjama bottoms, a coat/cardi, a big wool coat (nearly finished), 2 little waistcoats and a Briar.

Here are the 2 waistcoats. 

I am so pleased with them.  I can't decide if they are more Fred Flinstone or Footballers Wife?  On my children they're probably veering to the caveman side of things, given nothing stays clean that long and they never look that groomed (the kids not the coats)!  Also incredibly pleasing is the fact that the pair of them cost me less than $2 total (the coats not the kids).  I found 4 remnants of the fur in the op shop for $1.50.  I don't know what got me to buy it but I just saw it and was sure I could get 2 little waistcoats out of it.  The linings are remnants of old vintage sheets that I had already used for other makes (my Chloe and an unblogged top for my mum), the buttons were in my jar (20c the two - op shop of course) and the pattern was from Burda Style 10/12.  The pattern originally had a hood but I didn't have enough fur and thought the weight might also pull the waistcoat off the little people's shoulders.  I sewed them up immediately as I knew the fur wouldn't have many other uses and I wanted to make them before another project stole my attention and inspiration.

I made sizes 104 and 98 (pictured)

My small one rocking the cave woman look, complete with uggs.  Poor girl, styled by her mum and feeling a bit ill too.

I've made a few little girls clothes that I haven't blogged about but I seem to have captured them in some photos so thought you might like to see them.  The 1st one is a 60s style dress with patch pockets on the front.  I made a size 104 which is a bit big but hopefully it will fit for a while.  Its made out of the same lovely soft stretchy cotton as my spotty shorts.  Pictured here covered with flour after a bread baking session with Dad. The pattern is from Burda Style 09/12.

 

The pockets work.

You can just spot the other tunic top, also from Burda 09/12 which has lovely puffy bottoms to the sleeves.  This one is made from some quilting material I brough when I first started sewing again.  I love the print, some how I cut out the 1st front with the pattern off centre but luckily I had enough to cut another as it would have bugged me all the time.

Other seriously exciting news is that I won the Tessuti birthday give away!!!!  Yey me.  I was thinking that I had entered a few giveaways and sometime one of the random picks should randomly pick me.  I mean some giveaways are popular but its not lottery type odds.  Nonetheless I was pretty flabberghasted when I found that I actually had won one, and one with such a great gift as well. 

Soon after seven meters of lovely linen found their way to me.  I've got 1.5m of the blue and pink which are both lighter weight and 2 m of each of the white and beige which are a bit heavier.  I am thinking a buttion up shirt in the pink and maybe some type of tunic/smock top in the blue? Maybe a Tova or Tessuti's Mia tunic - we shall see.  What about the others?  A dress, some wide leg pants?  Does anyone have any good ideas or suggestions for patterns? A great dilemma to have.

Hear me Roar!

Making roaring noises when she sees a picture of a lion (or a bear for that matter) is one of Layla's favourite things at the moment.  So when I saw this lovely lion print I couldn't resist buying some and I made this little playsuit.

This is a pattern from a burda magazine from sometime in the 80's that I found in an opshop.  The adult patterns are all very boxy, and well 80's ish but there are some baby patterns that are sweet (boxy too but babies are relatively square things ..... with very rounded edges).

Its got little frills of navy linen at the bottom of the legs and buttons down the front.  I think she looks very cute in it especially with her little blue shoes.  I managed to get some good shots sitting down but she doesn't stand still long so those ones are a bit blurry as she tottered past!

You also get a bit of a sighting of another present I made for my 2 girls for Christmas.

A teepee!

 

 This was very easy to make out of a single sheet. ( I love the flowers and the butterflies on this one - perfect for a garden tent).  Basically you cut it into 3 triangles and 2 half triangles (which are at the ends) using all the material.   Then sew up the sides!  Easy.

You could sew the sides together and then make a tube for the poles by sewing a bit further in.  I decided to add contrast tubes for the poles so just sewed the 4 bits of fabric on each seam.  These tubes are closed off at the bottom so the poles don't slide out.

The selvedge means you don't have to hem it and as the ends of the sheet are already hemmed I just sewed a bit of contrast at the top to join them together, added some ties and did a long strip to tie the poles together at the top.

It worked pretty well.  Initially it was a bit tricky to keep the poles all the way in.  I thought the tension from the shape and the tie around the top would do it but once I put little screws in the top to attach the material to the poles it worked much better.  I am sure there might be a better way to do this, please let me know if you know.  Its also not very resistant to strong winds, I think pegs might solve this but as we are not really planning on camping out in storm conditions (well not in this one atleast) I haven't added any loops for them. 

I had been meaning to make them a tepee for about a year so very pleased that I finally managed to do it and not make a dress!  Back to grown up sewing for a bit though now.

Small Christmas Candy Stripes

Well I'm not normally into matchy matchy mummy and daughter stuff (see here for my one) but I wanted to make some clothes for my 2 smalls for Christmas and found I had just enough of the srtipey material to make a smock top for Skye.  Amazing, no scraps atall.  Pretty good for me..... for whom the fabric always comes first so is rarely the right amount for a pattern. 

Anyway it and the shorts are from Burda 05/12.  Really cute little girls patterns.  I adapted it a bit as I didn't want an opening all the way down the back and got myself in a bit of a mess finishing all the yoke neatly.  It turned out ok but not perfect.  And really I am less fussy with little people's clothes because they will not be wearing them for that long and in 5 minutes they will be covered with food, mud etc. anyway!

I've made 3 pairs of these little shorts for her now too.  They are just great..... complete with pockets to fill with collections.  The 1st 2 pairs with elastic at the bottom too and then these ones from one of their Dad's old shirts. (hmm turns out it maybe it wasn't quite as old as I thought but hey its definitely getting more wear now and he seems to have forgiven me!  He was away at work, I was clearing out our cupboards ..... what can I say??!).

I am pleased to report that we have not yet worn our outfits on the same day.

I actually quite enjoyed making these.  I do like sewing for my little people although generally I am not crazy about making small fiddly things.  I think the thought of all the little pattern pieces and short seams and general fiddling really puts me off.  Do you enjoy sewing little clothes? Is it just my phobia?

Photos of Layla in her Lion suit to follow, and maybe Skye's other shorts and nice top.  Not a very good phobia I guess if I still manage to make them a few things.

Fishy Dress

My daughter is pretty cool.  Definitely cooler than me.
She might be only 2 and a half but she knows what she likes.

She picked out the material in Spotlight.  I was looking for something for me and she picked it up from somewhere and asked for a dress out it.   Its velour with fish printed on it.  Certainly wouldn't have picked it out myself but there you go.  She was adamant and we got a meter.

I also happened to have Burda Style 12/11 out of the library and it had a sweet sweatshirt dress in it.  I really like the pocket with the gathers round the edges and the pocket all the way through.  Its kind of sweet how it means it stretches nicely over round toddler tummy.

As if she wasn't cool enough whe then found the glasses as we were paying for some christmas lights.  At her height she picked them off and put them on.  The co-ordinated perfectly with her dress in both colour and style and at only $6 I couldn't really say no.  She was very good and put the large bag of sweeties back on the shelf. 

I hope I grow up to be half so cool!