Two more patterns

There are a lot of Oliver + S patterns in my stash that I haven't used yet.  Here are two.

First up is Sandbox Pants.
These are just a test run to check for size. 12-18mos. The fabric might be a little itchy but it doesn't matter because they are just a test run.
I really like the pockets both front and back on this pattern.  And like all O+S patterns the instructions were easy to follow with perfect results.

Second is the skirt from the 2+2 pattern.  I've made the top but not the skirt.
This size 3. The fabric is stretchy and was a 100% unknown fibers remnant.  It too is a test run.
I love how this skirt falls from the waist and I know it will meet the twirl-ability factor.

I have a hamper full of traced, cut and ready to assemble patterns.  So I'm taking advantage of the nasty weather outside and will stay inside to sew.
Maybe the leaves that need clearing will blow away on their own thanks to the weather system that is over top of us feeding the hurricane that's heading this way.

The hydro will most likely go out soon .... back to the machine while it still has electricity!

Nature Walk

I've had this pattern for at least 2 years. I have no idea why it's taken me so long to make it because, as it turns out,  it is sooooo simple and quick!  
Gee, I could have churned out a whole bunch by now had I got my act together sooner.

So here's a test run. Size 18-24mos, using some leftover lime green polar fleece and brown knit.

It's not very sunny out thanks to the 'Frankenstorm' that's on it's way. The fleece is much brighter and greener than in this photo.
Not a good shot of the pants either.  Oh well.

Oliver + S Nature Walk. If it fits Adam, I've got some more fun knits to make this top waiting patiently in my stash.

Jump Rope Dress

Last night I made the Oliver + S Jump Rope dress using brown tweed (100% unknown mixed fibers) and a fat quarter of a William Morris print.  The tweed washed and dried nicely so whatever the fabric is made of, it'll work for children's wear.

The object was to make the placket opening bigger because for the past Jump Rope dresses I've made, it was difficult to get Caitlin in the dress. Therefore, I increased the depth of placket pattern pieces by 2 inches. (5cm)

I used the FQ fabric on the pockets ............

and on the cuffs, which isn't in the pattern ..........

on the hem facing, also not in the pattern .....

and on the collar and plackets.

It's size 3, View B.  Drop dead easy to make as every Oliver + S pattern is.

When I use an O+S pattern I am struck by how ingenious Liesl (the designer) is and that her mum must be so proud of her. Liesl has pretty much revolutionized children's sewing patterns in my opinion.

Note to self: be extra accurate with cutting the neck section of the placket. 

Playdate, again

Here is the Playdate dress again.  It's such a sweet little dress and so easy to whip up.
Taking a photo of it is another matter though.  The dress is navy stretch denim and the bib is white cotton. My camera can't capture the range between dark and light and consequently getting a decent photo is not going to happen. At least by me.

Here's a closer detail of the bib section.  I used a pleater board to get the pleats equal. Having all those pleats made the bib rather thick, so I hand basted the piping to the back of the bib and then stitched in place.

Previously for the inside yoke sections of this dress I've tried  1) serging 2)using bias tape,  and this time around made a little facing to finish off that edge neatly.

 

I used the same fabric for the pockets

and for the hem (notice how the colour changed - the navy fabric isn't this light.)

and made two self covered buttons.

On the sleeves I used some of the bias cut fabric used for the piping around the bib section. However the green looks grey next to the granite background.  Oh well. A photographer I'm not.

If it fits, I'll make a bunch more of these dresses.

Size 3T.  (And in this photo, the colour is more accurate.)

Playdate Dress & Swingset Skirt

After a long sewing hiatus it looks like I can finally get back to the many projects that are waiting, already cut out and sitting in two large laundry hampers collecting dust.

First up was Oliver + S Playdate Dress.
As bad luck would have it, construction of this took much longer than anticipated.  First, I agonized over the inside of the yoke front and back trying out several ways to finish off the inside raw edge.
For this version, I used some double fold bias tape.
Then, thanks to some schmutz on my iron that I didn't see, there is now a big brown stain on the very front of the outside yoke that I cannot remove.  Argh.

Size 3T. Teal corduroy from Fabricland with white snowball looking trim.
I added a white cuff with the trim on the sleeve which isn't part of the pattern.  It was a bitch no easy task to stitch the trim and cuff to the sleeve. I tried using a zipper foot and then resorted to a 1/4 inch foot and with a few choice expressions, it seemed to work.

I am going to cut this dress pattern out again later today trying out another method to finish off the inside yoke area.

Since red wine sewing is a great stress reliever for me and because the Playdate Dress got me really stressed, I whipped out this sweet little skirt.  I've made the top from this Oliver + S pattern but never the skirt.

It's called Swingset Skirt. Size 3T. Fabric is from Aneela Hoey from her Walk in the Woods line.
It took less than an hour to construct and bonus, I'm calm now!

Off to cut out another Playdate Dress................

Village Frock

Etta James song 'At Last' is resonating in my head right now as finally, or rather, at last, I have a pattern for the much coveted Village Frock.

It went out of print years ago and of course once you can get something inevitably you want it desperately.

There are plenty of images of the pattern pieces on the internet to make your own pattern like here. 
Also here ( for some reason I can't find the images of the pieces as I'm posting this) but they are on that site, somewhere.

There are blogs that list several sources for making  pattern versions of the dress such as this blog.
And there are blogs that offer tutorials on the dress such as here.

There is a blog that has just recently recreated a very similar version of the dress and the pattern is downloadable for free here.

The Village Frock dress I made is size 4 and it's a possible wearable muslin.  The fabric is a beige/gray linen.

The neckband is too loose I think.   It'll be a week before I can try it on Caitlin to see how loose it is.

Oh, and I stuffed plastic bags up the sleeves to fill them out so they kind of look weird.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with this pattern.

Apple Picking Dress

Thanksgiving is next week and while this fabric was originally earmarked for a smocked dress for last Thanksgiving, time was on my side yesterday and I was able to finally use it.

(It looks much better in real life.  I can never seem to get a good photo of anything I sew, ever!)

It's an Oliver + S pattern. Size 3.

The pattern calls for 10 buttons but I only had 9. Doh! So I fudged the spacing and put on 8.

To make buttonholes, I use really thin crochet cotton.   Cutting off a length, I wrap it around the sticky-out part on the back of the button hole foot, and then pull it forward and hold it taught.

Then step on the gas and do the buttonhole.
The buttonhole attachment in this photo isn't the same as the one in the above photo because on this one, the sticky-out part is hidden with the automatic buttonhole contraption doohickey.

You end up with a nicely crafted buttonhole that keeps it's shape after many buttonings (is that a word?) All it needs is a little snipping to remove the tails of the crochet threads.

 I also like to use piping wherever and whenever.  In this pattern, the piping get's sandwiched when the right and left placket gets attached to the dress front sections.  I also put it on the cuff.
Maybe I should have put piping where the skirt meets the bodice?

Is this photo any better?
Naw.
No better.

It's supposed to be warmish next week so this little cotton dress will do just fine.  Some years at Thanksgiving it's rainy with even some snow in the air. This year we'll be outdoors in the sunny weather collecting fall leaves to decorate the cottage while the turkey cooks in the oven.

Notes to self: Neck tie could be another colour. Maybe the plackets and cuffs too?  Make the hem longer. Put piping between skirt and bodice.

Smocked dress ... again.

I got my sewing room back for two whole days!

My plan was to make something different, as in try out a new pattern, but I got a request for another smocked dress.
No matter what new style or pattern I show my daughter, she always comes back to a basic yoke style smocked dress just like the ones I  made for her and her sister when they were little.

Well, if I can't change the style, as least I can change the construction method. Over the years I've used several different methods and the following is the latest. I'm documenting them here so I don't forget.

Here goes.
Referring to the pattern pieces in AS&E issue 58 (Giggles) or issue 57 ( Rosebud) for a basic yoke style dress cut fabric and pleat 11 or 12 rows.

When smocking is complete prepare for construction by making piping for the sleeve band, front panel, collar and back bodice sections. Although the latter is just an option.

Assemble the collar; fuse interfacing, attach piping and trim seam allowances, turn, press use spray starch for crisp finish.

For the front smocked  panel, hand baste the piping and then stitch in place using a cat claw or similar tool to straighten the pleats while sewing.

Next, stitch the 2 front yoke and 2 back bodice pieces together at the shoulders. All the pieces will form a circle.
Fuse interfacing along the fold edge of the bodice pieces.

Mark 3/8 from neck edge on front yoke piece, assuming you are using a 3/8 seam allowance throughout.

Then line up the fabric part of the collar pieces so that they are just slightly above the mark. The piping will overlap beyond.  Tack in place.

Pin the collar pieces to the front yoke and two side of the back bodice pieces.

Note: this may not be the correct way to attach a Peter Pan collar but it works for me.

When it's pinned in place, baste all around.

Next, sandwich the collar by folding over (right sides together) the yoke facing and the 2 back bodice sides.
Stitch all around with a 3/8 seam allowance but at the marked centre, stitch just a little more than 3/8th.
Turn right side out, press, trim away excess seam allowance and then stitch the seam allowance to the yoke facing close to the collar edge.

The collar should sit so that the piping on each piece is touching each other and there is no gap. 
Maybe there is supposed to be a gap?
Well, I'm not keen on gaps.

Then put in the placket on the back skirt.

Stitch a V the length of the placket on skirt back. Slit and pull open and pin placket in place then stitch.
Press under raw edge of placket, fold over to stitching line and hand stitch in place.
Fold placket together, turning inside the right side of the placket baste in place. This side fits into the back bodice section that will have the buttonholes.

Gather back skirt and attach to the bodice back leaving facings free.

Attach front panel to yoke front leaving facing free.

Pin ties to side of dress where bodice back meets skirt then baste in place.

Sew side seams. (serge or french seams)
Insert sleeves.
Turn inside out and hand stitch facings in place.

For tucked hem, begin by turning up skirt bottom edge and press.

Then turn up again the same amount and pin in place. Basically, fold hem up twice.

Then stitch about 1 inch in from the folded edge.  This catches the raw edge that was in the first fold and tucks it neatly inside the second fold.

Makes for a neat hem with a decorative fold that can be lengthened and also dispenses with hand stitching a hem which is real reason I use this method.

Last step is buttons holes and buttons on the bodice back. Buttonholes on right side, buttons on left.

Smocking design plate I used was from AS&E issue 58, Giggles.

Done.

A vintage style smocked dress just like Grandma used to make.

Wait a minute. I am the Grandma!

Notes to self:
Size 3.
Armbands were cut 1" wider than pattern piece indicated.  Cut them 1/2 wider next time.
Sleeve cap was trimmed from pattern piece to reduce fullness. Worked out well.
Make smaller collar next time.
4 inch hem X 2 made perfect hem length.

Bonus:
2 meters of flowery fabric from the stash busted!

Arrrr...it fits!

All set for the Pirate Cruise and the costumes fit perfectly!  Good old Oliver + S patterns are dependable every time.
Badminton skort, Class Picnic blouse, Sleepover pj's (template for the vest) Size 3.

The solid red skirt was from a Strawberry Shortcake costume I made for my daughter and now it works for pirate-wear!

S9514 was little short through the waist to crotch causing the domes (snaps) to undo when he crawled around.  Next time around, lengthen through the middle and use larger domes. Maybe cut a little wider too.

 All ready to set sail and search for treasure and those pesky Lake Muskoka Pirates!

And there are some on the port side!

Lots of stripes, reference for more costumes.
Diggin' the funky sunglasses too.

After a sword flight with one of junior Pirates, this lake Pirate makes good his escape into the water.

On shore, there are plenty of Pirates with a chest full of stolen treasure of jewels and coins plus other items that look like they came from the dollar store.

Stripes and animal print fabric; good reference material.

The elder Pirate is claiming the wenches on his island cost a lot of money. It must be an inside joke with his weekend guests.
There were more people participating in this skit that aren't in this photo and they were all having a great time putting on a show.

Fun times at the cottage.
Swimming, Pirates and everyone yelling Arrrrrr, until their throat hurts!