Sheet Skirt

I can't remember when I made this skirt. It's been at least a year ago, maybe two. It's been in the Bug's drawer but she hasn't given it a second look until for some reason a few days ago she came downstairs wearing it and it's been in constant, almost every other day, rotation since.  She pairs it with the most random shirts and I kind of love it.

It's a simple elastic casing waistband which I created to have a slight paper bag effect.

The fabric is a vintage sheet I picked up at a thrift store somewhere. It has the softest most amazing feel to it.  I went the super easy route and used the wide sheet hem as the skirt hem. Hooray for easy!!  I felt like the sheet on it's own was cute but a little blah so I put this band of wide ribbon around the bottom. I wasn't sure about it at first but now I am in love.  It adds just the right amount of "quirk".

I used the full width of the sheet which makes it extra spectacularly spinny--which I'm sure is the reason she loves it.

I'm glad this skirt is finally getting some air time with her. It's such a nice breezy summer skirt. It should fit for awhile yet, which is the glory of a simple elastic waist... just so she doesn't go getting too tall. . .

~Lindsay

3rd KCW Finish. . . The jury is still out. . .

 Bolstered a bit by the apparent success of the "simple" shorts I went back into the sewing room to attempt a third pair, with adapted "smaller" pockets.  The fabric is a green and white striped upholstery weight fabric that I bought from fabric.com to make a bag out of. I did make the bag but I had a good amount of fabric left over.

I really like this pair of shorts too. I like that the pocket stripes are opposite the shorts stripes. If I look at them too long on my computer screen my eyes go all buggy but I promise it's not that way in person.

 I was super thrilled when I looked at this up close photo and saw how nicely my stripes matched up at the crotch seam! Go me!! Perhaps that will detract your eyes from the fact that the stripes on the left pocket are a bit wonky and not so horizontal?

Look! These stripes match nicely too! (Have you forgotten the crooked pocket lines yet? No? Come on!)

While these shorts did not receive a resounding hurrah! They were not immediately rejected, which sometimes is the best I can hope for. She says she will wear them "someday" but not today which is why you have photos of the shorts on the grass.  We do what we can. Today was not a day to push with her.

And my KCW sewing momentum has died down. It's been a long day. I miss my husband. I don't feel like sewing. So I'm cutting myself a break tonight. Back at it tomorrow perhaps.

Good night all!

~Lindsay

2nd KCW Finish

After the disappointment of my first shorts attempt being rejected by the Bug, I went back at it and made the simplest pair of shorts imaginable thinking she'd see the light and realize pockets are a good thing.

These are a very basic, flat front with elastic back pair of shorts. I made them out of a cute little retro quilting cotton I had in my stash.  Again, made from the Kids Shorts pattern from Dana.

She put them on immediately and wouldn't take them off. She loves them sans pockets. Of course she does. I don't hate them. I'm just disappointed she loves them because they are so plain. Oh well. She is the one wearing them after all.

~Lindsay

Kids Clothing Week (KCW) Fail

Fails

Plural, actually. . .

Fail #1--I totally misjudged the amount of time I would have to sew this week. I thought KCW was the week my husband was going to be away (thus giving me lots of guilt free sewing time).  I was one week off with my timing. So my time to sew early this week was more limited. Oh well. I'm making a go of it, I just started my "week" on Thursday and will end on the following Thursday, not big deal.

My first KCW finish is this pair of shorts made from the new Kids shorts pattern from Dana at MADE. Wonderful, versatile, simple pattern. These shorts sew up super quickly and they are cute.

The fabric is an upholstery weight from IKEA a few years ago. I love the colors.

So the fail here?

The Bug hates them. She took one look at them and said, "Those pockets are too big. I will never, EVER wear those."

The good thing about big pockets? They hold lots of bribes. She agreed to put them on for a photo shoot only because the pockets were stuffed with gummy worms. (The gummy worm bribe was not enough to bargain a matching shirt, combed hair or a washed face)

We've discussed, for future reference, what makes these pockets "too big" (they extend up and over the waist band) and how to improve that on future attempts (shorten the top part). I think I've got it. Just another reminder that my sewing efforts need to more collaborative now as she is getting older and has so many opinions.

As for these shorts, they will find a new home where they will be worn. So all is not lost.

~Lindsay

Happy Independance Day

This may be the Bug's new favorite dress. Which is good because her old butterfly dress is beyond worn and needs to be retired.

I used the pattern for the Josie dress in the book Girls World.

The thin straps are one of her favorite parts.

That and the length. I think she feels very fancy in this dress.

This one is a size small which the book says would be about a 4/5 but you can see that The Bug, who normally wears a size 6 has room to grow yet in the bodice.  Moment of truth: This is the second version of this dress I made. The first time I made a 6/7 without taking her measurements just assuming it would work. She LOVED the dress but it fell right off of her. Thank God I had enough fabric to eek out a second dress the next size down.

The butterfly fabric is a bit heavier than I'd normally use for a dress like this. You can tell in the bodice gathering, it's just a bit thick. It was a bottom weight I found on clearance at JoAnns.  The stripe is a remnant my grandma purchased for me at a garage sale.  I'm glad I had it on hand to help stretch the butterfly fabric. I know the Bug would not have liked this dress nearly so well had it not been maxi dress length.

I like that she has a sweet little festive dress to wear this week that's not so over the top patriotic that she can't wear it any other time. Because I think this little dress may be in constant rotation. The pattern may be too. It comes together easily and the finishing is quite nice with a fully lined bodice and invisible zipper. Goodness knows I could use some zipper practice. The instructions are quite clear, I'm just beginning to think I'm zipper impaired.

At any rate, Happy 4th of July to my readers in the States! Enjoy the extra time with family celebrating. I know I will.

~Lindsay

Tote Bag for Teacher

A good friend needed a gift for a very special teacher and asked if I could make a tote bag with lots of pockets. It seems, across the board, that this "a lot of pockets" request is a common one.

I used this tutorial for my measurements and basic instructions though I did add additional pockets inside.

I liked that this has these little side pockets on the outside of the bag. I turned my pocket lining a bit to the right side of the pocket and then topstitched because I wanted it to look a like piping. I like that it lends a bit of distinction between the pocket and the side of the bag.

And here is the inside. The center zip pocket is what makes this bag in my opinion. It made the construction a bit more difficult but it was totally worth it.

The side pockets are the ones I added. Teachers have lots of stuff. Lots of stuff requires lots of pockets.

The plaid fabric is one I've had in my stash for a long time. It was mostly scrap and didn't have a selvidge but I'm thinking it might have been Urban Chicks, 1974 line?

The solids were random cottons I had in my stash and that awesome floral is from JoAnn's. They were sold out last time I was there and I'm kicking myself for only buying a yard. 

I'm pleased with the results and hope this very special Kindergarten teacher gets some good use out of her new tote.

~Lindsay

Tee Shirt Nightgown Tutorial

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Our Crafting Hope group is going to be making summer pajamas for kids that are staying with their Momma's at the county Women's Shelter.  I posted earlier about the generous pattern donation from Peek a Boo Patterns. I think those will be awesome pj for the kiddos. But I wanted a less intimidating option for those with a bit less sewing experience so I drafted up this tutorial for a quick nightgown out of an adult tee shirt.

This is my friend, Jessica's daughter. Isn't she adorable? Jess is an amazing painter and awesome seamstress with great style and an even greater heart. She's been my partner in crime in this Crafting Hope venture from the start. Thanks Jess!  If you haven't ever, check out her blog and her Etsy stores, k?

Here's what you need to make this quick little nightgown:

• One Adult sized tee shirt. I used a mens 2XL. You could probably get away with using a smaller shirt if you have a smaller kiddo.  The nightgown I made was a girls size 8 and the length from the 2XL was just right.
• Matching thread
• A ball point needle -- it's not a deal breaker if you don't have one but it will make sewing the knit fabric that much easier for you
• Your sewing machine and basic sewing supplies
• A tee shirt that fits your child (or a basic bodice pattern)

Cutting out your pieces:

1. Fold your tee shirt in half. Do your best to make sure all of the wrinkles are out and everything is good and even. This can be difficult if you are using a tee shirt that is worn and stretched out. Just do your best.  It's a nightgown, so it doesn't have to be perfect. I bought this tee for my husband in his early days of youth ministry when we were lobbying for a 15 passenger van to haul the students around in. It says, "Church vans move me" and it still makes me chuckle. Don't judge.
   
2. Once your adult tee is folded in half, fold your kids tee in half and place it on top of the adult tee. You are going to use this as a template for cutting out your nightgown.  You can see, I put the collar of the kids tee right under the collar of the adult tee so I could take advantage of the entire length of the shirt.
   
    
3. Take a deep breath. . . you are going to cut a basic A-line shape from the bottom of the tee shirt up to the arm pit area of the kid's shirt you're using as your pattern.  If it makes you feel better, you could use a marker to mark the line before you cut but again, this is a nightgown and doesn't require perfection.  You can make a wide A-line or a narrow A-line. That's all a matter of preference. I made mine fairly narrow because I don't like the idea of a lot of fabric flapping around. But that's just me.
   
4. Now, tuck the sleeve of your tee shirt up and get a feel for how the arm hole is curved. You are going to cut a very similar line from the arm pit up to the shoulder. 
   
5. Cut across the top of the shoulder following the shoulder line of your tee shirt.  Give yourself about an extra 1/2" above the tee shirt shoulder so that you have room for your seam allowance.
   
6. Finally, cut from the top edge of the shoulder down in a gentle curve along the kid's shirt neck hole. Give your kid back their tee shirt.  Separate the front of the nightgown from the back.
   
   On the front neckline, cut a slightly deeper arch.  You do not need to account for seam allowances along the neck or the arm holes because you will be binding them.
7. Very carefully, cut the ribbed neck band off of the adult tee. You could take the time to pick out the stitches to remove it if you prefer but I didn't want to take the time. You will use this around the neck of your nightgown.
8. Cut two strips of fabric that are 1 1/2" wide from the widest part of the adult tee sleeve.  You will use these to bind the arm holes.

Sewing things together:

1. It is best to use a ballpoint needle when sewing knits. Also, you will want to use a very narrow zig zag stitch. This will allow the stitches to move and stretch with the fabric.  A normal straight stitch will break. With all that in mind, put right sides together and sew the nightgown front to the nightgown back at one of the shoulder seams.
   
2. Lay the nightgown out flat, right side up. Take the collar binding that you cut off of the adult shirt and pin it to the right side of the nightgown (raw edges together). Sew the neck binding onto the nightgown with a 1/4" seam allowance. Cut off any extra binding. Press the binding up.  
   
   Top stich the neckline just under the binding seam.
   Make sure you use your small zig zag stitch since this is the one place on the night gown that will get the most stretching.
   
   
3. Pin, right sides together, at the second shoulder seam. Be sure you match up the edge of the neck binding and the neck binding seam. Sew the shoulder seam.
   
4. Take one of your 1 1/2" strips and fold it in half, wrong sides together. Iron.  Pin the binding on one of the arm holes, raw edges and right sides together. Sew the binding on with a 1/4" seam allowance. Trim excess binding. Repeat for the second arm.
   
   Iron seam bindings flat.
   
   Top stitch.
   
5. With right sides together, pin and sew up the side seams of the nightgown. I use about a 1/2" seam allowance. Turn rightside out and you are done!
   

Since you used the hem of the adult shirt as the bottom of your nightgown you have no hemming. And because knit doesn't fray you don't need to worry about finishing any of your seams.  Once you've made one of these and learned the process you should be able to whip them out pretty quickly.

Please let me know if you have any questions or any points need clarification.  If you leave a question in the comments, make sure you are not a no reply commenter or leave an e-mail address where I can answer you.

~Lindsay