Skirt and ballet sweater

The ballet sweater top is from Ottobre 4/2003 (size 98) and it's been on my "to-make" list for the past 10 years. Nothing like racing into projects, eh?

The skirt is an Oliver + S pattern called 2+2 Blouse and Pleated Skirt.  I made size 5.

The sweater pieces are 2 fronts, 1 back, 2 sleeves and 2 ties. After attaching the ties and winding them around the dress form, the sweater didn't sit properly so I put in a buttonhole at the side seam on one side of the sweater. Now when winding the ties around, the sweater sits better on the back/side waist line.

On the skirt, I left in the basted pleats. They can easily be removed if the wearer wants more twirl and less pleats.

It fits perfectly!

Hopscotch Skirt

One problem with sewing something for someone who lives 2 hours away is it can't be fitted before completion.
Another problem is timing. The wearer has a very busy schedule; Jr. Kindy, tap dance, ballet, play dates, so I have to make sure to arrive during a window of opportunity.

Well today was my lucky day because she came here.  Her daddy had to pick up his boat and put it away for winter storage.

There wasn't any time to try on the Hopscotch skirt I made earlier in the week because there were chipmunks to be fed, leaves to be rolled in, pine cones to collect plus a quick walk in the woods to check on the branch lean-to fort. So we decided holding it up would be good enough for now.

It's size 4, light blue pinwale corduroy.

Something is amiss with my sewing machine and the buttonhole function isn't working properly. Argh. That means an 1 hour drive north to see the machine fix-it man.  Needless to say the buttonholes on this skirt are far from perfect.

When she got home, she tried it on and her daddy took a photo sending it to me.
The waistband needs to be taken in...an easy fix... and everything else is perfect.

Next trip down to the Big Smoke I shall go with seam ripper, needle and thread in hand to make the necessary repairs.
In the meantime, maybe I should make a few more Hopscotch skirts. They are so easy make.

Swingset Skirt

I've had this delightfully tacky pumpkin fabric sitting in my stash for years.  During that time it's managed to get tackier to those who see it for the first time, but not so much for me because I see it often....pumpkins with their googley eyes watching me sew.
I think the fabric was $3.00 a meter and that's why I bought it thinking it would make for a fun lining in a childs outfit.

I think Miss C, who is 4, will love these silly little pumpkins on this O+S Swingset Skirt.

The underskirt is orange broadcloth with black tulle along the edge.

I have 3 jingle pumpkins; 2 Miss C uses as a necklace.  I tied the remaining jingle pumpkin on the end of the tie and her mom can attach one of necklace pumpkins to the other tie end.

Size 5. And it's guaranteed to twirl!

Hula Hoop

I was lucky to get a quick but out-of-focus photo of Miss C wearing the Hula Hoop skirt I made her earlier in the week.
While she will co-operate to pose in something I've made, that posing time has a very short window.  There's just too much to do around here!

The skirt takes no time at all to put together.  Once this one was cut out and marked, I was able to sew it together while waiting for dinner to cook.
Threading the elastic waited until after dinner though.

Here's the front. Miss C is examining the front flap.

Here's the back.

And now for the reverse side.

We were making little cakes in the shape of acorns today for our Thanksgiving lunch.  This one is fresh out of the oven.

In case you missed seeing it, she's holding the little cake over her shoulder so you can have a second chance.

The skirt is size 5ish. I used  size 4 pattern pieces an added about 1/4" all around. The skirt fits perfectly plus it twirls.

Too bad the photos are out-of-focus but at least I got photos .... and acorn shaped cakes too!

School Days Jacket

Almost year ago I made this Oliver + S School Days Jacket as a test run.
It was easy to make and the instructions were excellent, as always. However trying it on for fit and size is always my biggest obstacle.

During a fleeting moment shortly after I made it, Miss C did indeed try it on but the photos weren't very good so I didn't bother posting it. I hung it up in their closet and figured on waiting until the fall to try it on again.

Yesterday, I spent the morning with Mr. A ad Miss C, and guess what  .. the Jacket almost fits Mr. A!

The sleeves are a little long and there's lots of room inside so my guess is by mid to late winter, size 3T will fit him perfectly.
I saw some black melton-like cloth in a Fabric store that was on sale, so I'll get it on my next trip to the city.

The only problem I'm encountering is with the toggles. They keep coming undone. I need to figure out a way to keep them from easily coming apart.

For a test run using $5.00 worth of coating fabric, it's turned out just fine and I am pleased with the results.

I've been busy making many other 'test run' items: Pintuck Sweater and Cowl Neck dress from Heidi and Finn and a O+S Hula Hoop skirt. Since I can't get a good photo of them just yet, they'll just have to wait.

Meanwhile, although Mr. A is sweet looking little fellow he is literally "in" to everything.  As the saying goes: "cute is not enough"!

Tee's, Vest, Skirt, Pants, Leggings.

I managed to get some sewing done over the past few weeks.  I bought several new patterns and am trying to get them made to see what is liked, what fits and what to be shelved as a bad idea!

The first item is the Flashback Skinny Tee from Made by Rae size 3T.
It took a few minutes to cut out then maybe 20 minutes to sew up. I am more than pleased with the results. I just hope it fits!

I am loving my new coverstitch machine.  It does such a good job on hems.

Happy with the trial run, I made another Flashback Skinny Tee however this time made a turtle neck style.

Still lovin' the coverstitch.

I bought several Shwin & Shwin patterns when they went on sale.  This one is the BBC Vest size 5.
The pattern was straightforward and although I initially had trouble visualizing how the pieces fit together, it did came together beautifully.

I did agonize over the peplum pattern pieces though.
They appeared to go together much like a mitre where the front pieces meet the back pieces.  However looking at the photos with the pattern it didn't look like a mitre type of corner. I even scoured the internet to see if anyone else's finished BBC vest look like mine but it was too difficult to tell.

So whether or not it's supposed to look this way I like it!

I had a little bit of fabric left over, so made the Lazy Days skirt from Oliver + S which is a free download.  I trimmed the hem with brown grosgrain ribbon.

Next on my list was the Lovely Rita Skinny Jeans from Swhin & Shwin, size 5. The fabric used is stretchy and has a fuchsia thread running through matching the corduroy.
The colour reminds me of the chewing gum called Thrills. As I recall, they tasted like moth balls. But that comment has nothing to do with sewing.
The pattern calls for an interesting little flap on the bottom of the leg but I omitted that detail thinking it might be too busy against the fabric pattern.

I think the outfit will be comfortable to wear but I'm not too sure about the vest. It may be a little tight around the middle.
It's really frustrating not to have the wearer handy to try things on to see what needs to be adjusted.
Sure, a tape measure comes in handy to match up widths and so on but having a real person inside the clothes would work so much better!

I was told that leggings, knit tee's and tunic tops would be perfect wear for Jr. Kindergarten.  So I made the Lucy tunic top from Shwin & Shwin.  It's size 5, reversible with pockets on both sides.
Mom has seen the tunic top and while she likes the Chinese lantern plant fabric, she doesn't like the style. But guess who does...Miss C! She loves it.

Using the legging piece from the Laguna skirt pattern from Farbenmix, I made brown knit leggings.
I'll bet it took me all of 15 minutes to whip them up. Talk about quick and easy!

Well, whether these clothes fit or not and whether they are liked or not I'm having fun sewing and playing with my new coverstitch machine.