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.

Christmas Candy Stripes

Well its not a style I would ever have brought or probably even tried on in the shop.  I saw all these peplums and I thought bleeugh.  Not my style, I have no waist.  Then I saw this one by Jorth and I went wow! THAT IS JUST SO COOL.  I didn't have that Vogue pattern or that August Burda pattern that everyone else made but then I got the November issue and there was one in there with pleats, yey.

So thats what I made.  I traced the pattern and then tried to find some material in my (VAST) pile.  I wanted to make it out of an old indonesian Style patchwork skirt but that pleated peplum needs LOTS of material. Too much for another dress I cut up too.  So I slept on it a couple of days and then remembered that I had a stripey cotton that I got in the op shop a while ago.  I had been planning one of these but hey, plans change.

So here it is.

 I still don't think I would have brought one but I do like it.  And it only cost me about $5 including the magazine and the zip so that's pretty good too.  And it matches my new red shoes too. (bit of a theme here but as I've always been a girl that wears pink its a nice change).  Here's what I did.....

• Cut a 10/12, think it was more a 10 maybe up a bit to a 12 round the bust, did it on my measurements and I'm really pleased with the fit.
• Its summer so no sleeves for me (and not enough material either).
• Put in a good invisible zip.  I've not done many and I've only got one of those plastic feet that everyone rubbishes but it worked pretty well if I say so myself.
• I didn't add any length to the torso but if I was making this again I definitely would (so maybe I do have a long torso afterall).  The waist seems to sit just below my ribs which just feels a bit weird to me.  Think it also make me look a bit boxier than maybe I need to.....but it not a big thing.

I wore it on Christmas day with a red belt (in santa helper style) and yesterday to work.  I've worn it with this skirt both times (also from the op shop - you'll notice I like them!).  Think it would also look good with my skinny jeans but 40 degree heat and all the chocolates I have eaten over Christmas mean that just not possible at the moment.  I did try yesterday but it just wasn't happening.  I couldn't bend my legs to cycle to work!  Not that the skirt is much better but you can hitch it up atleast! 

On a side note ....... I'm really pleased with how my finished things look recently.  I think they're getting much less 'home made' looking which I'm really pleased about. 

Hmmm... Was getting a bit self concious with all the posing. Not sure this helped!

Painting the town red (and blue and yellow)

Its been about 40 degrees in these parts since Christmas day.  I was feeling seriously in need of a light, cool, easy to pull on dress.  I managed to sneak a visit to Spotlight a couple of weeks ago.  Its an hour away and it was my 1st fabric buying trip in over 3 months.  I found this lovely painted cotton voile in the clearance rolls.  I really don't have much in thse sorts of colours but I loved its boldness, and was looking for some voile so $12.50 later I had 2 1/2 meters of it.  Its by an Australian company called Wenzel. Most importantly it also matches my new red salties.

 This dress from the cover of Burda 11/2012 looked like it would fit the bill.  I liked the ruffles and the dropped waist and its pull on comfy easyness.

In the background you can see hordes of people trying to cool off at our usually quiet beach.

My lovely new shoes!

 I really like it and have worn it 3 times already since I finished it just after Christmas.  I made a few changes to the pattern.  Infact the top part is the same as the tank I made just cut a bit shorter.

Changes:

• I didn't twist the shoulders as my fabric didn't have 2 good sides.
• I took the sides in at the waist.  The pattern flares here and I tried it on before I added the elastic and it just gave me an extra kind of roll around the middle that I just didn't need.
• I accidentally cut the top without a seam allowance at the bottom so its a bit shorter than it was meant to be.  I also forgot to prewash my fabric so i'm hoping it won't shrink too much.  Fingers crossed.

 Thats about it.  It was easy to make.  I did french seams and bound the neck and arms with bias binding.  I've started under-stitching it and it make it sit much better.

Happily its just started to rain.  All that heat was getting a bit too intense for me.  Still a pom at heart.

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!

Blue Checks

I made this one over a year ago but I've only just started wearing it. 

Its from Burda 04/11.

 I made this one from an old duvet cover.  I really like the colours and the check, its nice and casual and just my colours (I have too many blue things really but if only had to wear one colour then it would have to be it).

There are a few reasons why I only just started wearing it.

• I made this when I was pregnant.  It went over my head but I couldn't get it on over my bump so it was pretty hard really to amke an assessment of what it was like or how long it should be.
• After that I was breastfeeding which also made it completely impractical as to do this I would need to pull the whole dress up under my armpits...not really the best look, even with people you know well!!!
• It was the wrong length.  Once I was no longer pregnant or breastfeeding I still didn't wear it and it took me a while to work out why as I liked the fabric and the style of the top.  It was just too long, about 5 inches below the knee.  I had never really been in to short dresses and would l way wear dresses this length but with this straignt style it just made it very boring and it just looked wrong.

So emboldened after making my short Lola, and probably still with the navy blue in my overlocker, I hacked about a foot off the bottom.  And it worked. I like it.  Its a nice easy dress to wear to the beach or just relaxing when I don't want a dress up dress or one that is too fiddly.  It just pulls on nice and easy.

I did put the elastic lower than the pattern called for.  About 5 cm probably.  I had the idea that I have a long torso.  I'm not sure anymore if this is true and think that it was just that as a very straight up and down person I never really liked to wear things on my real waist as it just made me look wide??  I've got a bit slimmer now (strangely after 2 babies) and have a bit more waist and realise that styles that do have waists actually work better if the waist is on my waist.....obvious really....but strange how your hang ups make you think things like this.

Having said all that I like the low waist on this one. 

 I also made a top from the same patter, a couple of pics below.

Easy Breezy

I call it easy breezy as that's what it is to wear. 

It gave me a couple of small headaches sewing it though. 

I decided to do the bands as per the instructions and turn them over to create a binding rather than just use them as a little cuff.  Mine ended up a bit thicker than they should have been (i'm never sure if the bands in burda patterns include seam allowances or not).  THen when I tried to sew them down with my double needle it kept skipping stitches.  I tried a couple of times, then resorted to a ballpoint needle with a slight zig zag stitch.  It worked.

Its lovely and cool to wear and the length and big band make it more interesting.
It was also a perfect use for the fine cotton jersey that I picked up in the op shop a year or so ago.  This pattern was the one.

yey.