Hide and Seek Dress

I'm calling this my copycat dress.  I've seen some lovely versions in chambray sewn up on the Oliver and S Flickr group and I knew I had to make one too!  The fat quarter is one I bought at the Melbourne Quilt show earlier in the year (actually on the day Freya was having her epilepsy surgery, it was a great distraction!)  The blue is left over from the first Washi I'd made for myself.  I was originally planning to use it for a Family Reunion Dress but when I saw the two fabrics together I knew it was destined for a Hide and Seek Dress.

The pattern was pretty easy and came together very quickly.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to make sure the print lined up on the back and I think I did a passable job, although I've just noticed in these photos the front bodice has gone a bit crooked :(  The pattern has some lovely details but I decided to leave off the welt pockets on this version.  Freya hasn't quite discovered pockets yet and I was being a bit lazy that day.

This dress is a bit too big at the moment but I think it will be perfect in Spring when the weather starts to warm up a bit.  She seemed to like it though...

KCW Day 7

Today was a much more productive day, thank goodness.  I managed to fit in some sewing and did some chores so I'm calling that a win.  Today I did a few different things.  I finally managed to put the snaps on the dungarees and pinafore I'd made so I'll have some modeled pics soon. I also finally finished a dress I'd started a month ago.  I'd admired the Louisa dress by Compagnie M for a long time and had bought, printed and traced the pattern but I was a bit intimidated by the invisible zipper.  A few weeks ago I decided to just give it a shot and while it was a little wonky it turned out OK.

I seemed to have no end of trouble with this dress.  It took me a couple of attempts to get the piping evenly sewn in, the zipper took me a fair while to get right and I just couldn't get the sleeves set in nicely.  In the end I just needed to put it down and walk away for a while.  Today was finally the day I got back to it.  This time the sleeves sewed in nicely and the hems were all straight forward.

Perfecting the stare off into the distance pose.

I'd originally planned to use some light blue buttons to match the dots in the print but when it came to it the white ones just looked so much better.  It looks pretty cute on too, so much so I think I would sew it again.  I'm also quite proud of the print matching on this dress.  The front has lined up pretty well but my zipper issues meant the back is just ever so slightly off.  Freya seemed to like it though and was quite excited when she saw the zip.

Today I also embroidered another two shirts for my cousin and one for Little Miss.  No issues this time here either so all in all, a good day.

KCW 6, getting back on the wagon!

So things didn't exactly go to plan as usual the past couple of days.  I knew I wouldn't be able to sew/blog on Thursday but intended to on Wednesday. Unfortunately I had some schoolwork to do and just ran out of time and energy. 

Anyways when Little Miss went off to bed I got straight to sewing one of the tops I'd cut out on Tuesday.  I'd been eyeing off Imagine Gnats Roly-Poly pinafore for a while but figured I already had a crossover top pattern with the Heidi and Finn Sweet Pocket Pinafore.  When I saw it was on sale this week that was just the nudge I needed to buy it. 

It is a super fast sew! I just made it using one main fabric so I just had two simple pieces to cut out.  There's a nice, easy pleat detail on the front and then it's just a matter of sewing the pieces together, turning them the right way round and topstitching.  A great, easy sew that can really show off a great print.  I just need to add the snaps tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it looks.

KCW Day 3

So today hasn't gone exactly to plan.  Little Miss has been particularly clingy today and I haven't been feeling all that good either.  I still got at least an hour of sewing in though.  I've traced and cut out two more tops ready for sewing up in the next few days and did some embroidery.

I'm lucky enough to have an embroidery machine and have plans to embroider some long sleeved t-shirts for Freya and my young cousin.  After two stuff ups (designs facing the wrong way and bobbin issues, really not my day today!) I finally got one shirt done.

I've also managed to put the snaps on the dungarees I made yesterday but did them too late for any modelled shots.  They'll have to wait until the weekend.  

KCW Day 2

Today I started something I had cut out a while ago.  I have a weakness for dungarees/overalls.  That's actually one of the reasons I started sewing.  I wanted some nice, fairly plain dungarees for Freya and asked my Mum to go to Spotlight with me to choose some fabric.  She asked who was going to sew them and I decided I would.

This pattern was the Kangaroo pocket romper from Puperita and these are far from plain. I have used some of her other romper patterns and they came together very easily.  The instructions are clear with diagrams and photographs.  She is also a lovely designer who has messaged me a couple of times when I have purchased patterns.  I like many of her other designs too but Freya is at the end of some of the sizing and not quite at the beginning of the others.

These are lined with flannelette and I left off the pockets as this print is very busy. I'd had my eye on this fabric for a while and I'm very tempted to go back for more for a dress or a top. There were a couple of bits that had me puzzled but now I've made them once I think the next pair will go together much more quickly.  I haven't quite got them finished, just need to add the snaps tomorrow.

Sorry for the late night iPhone snaps but they're all I had time for :)

Red Riding Hood Vest and KCW day 1, kind of...

So this season I've decided to sign up for KCW.  Finding the time to sew luckily isn't too difficult for me but may become more so now I'm back at work but making a commitment to sewing every day for a week has made me think about my sewing plans a bit more carefully.  Although the Season technically doesn't start until tomorrow I made a start today as I know I have a late night at work coming up on Thursday so will have to skip that day.  I'm hoping to blog each day about my efforts, so here goes...

On Saturday I went fabric shopping and found this gorgeous Kokka Red Riding Hood fabric.  It was an instabuy and I knew what I wanted to make with it.  I've made a Pixie Hooded Vest from BigLittle before and loved it and knew it would be perfect for this fabric.  I lined it with flannelette like I did with my last version for some warmth.

The pattern is well written and fairly straightforward.  It  is also super cute with the pointed pixie hood and pleated back.  The last one I made came together very quickly but I kept making silly mistakes with this one so it took twice as long as it should have.

First I basted the button loop on the armhole seam instead of the front, but only realised after I'd sewn the front seam.  Luckily I'd sewn with a basting stitch so it wasn't too hard to undo.  Then I didn't enclose the edge of the hood in the seam so had to do that same seam AGAIN!

Frustrations aside it has turned out really well.  A pretty good start to the week.

Parsley Pants

When this pattern was released Freya was too small for the smallest size, and I looked forward to the day I could make these for her.  The Parsley Pants Pattern is a great simple pattern with lots of options.  You only need to cut two pieces to make the basic pants and it's a really easy, straightforward sew.  My favourite option is the flat front waistband. I find I will always prefer that option with any skirts and pants that I make.  It's fast become a staple pattern for me.

The first pair I made I used a thin chambray denim from Spotlight.  They were a great pair of pants for spring as they weren't too thick.  They looked great with t-shirts or fancier tops and got a lot of wear.

The next pair I made were very pink and flowery! This time I included the pockets and the pinstripe down the centre.  The photos don't really do them justice but the details look really cute.

The next pair have been the most worn yet.  Just a plain denim I had left over from making a skirt for myself.  I included the pockets and lined them with some fabric matching an ice-cream top I had made.  They looked great as a set but she has also worn them with many things.

Finally the last pair were made up of some cotton drill I had used for a dress for Little Miss.  They look especially good with a red top but the fabric is a bit thinner than I would have liked for a pair of winter pants.  Fortunately so far the winter here had been fairly mild so they've gotten some wear.

As you can probably guess this is one of my most used patterns.  I'm not a fan of the skinny jean trend for me or for Freya and they don't fit over Freya's AFO.  This is most certainly a staple pattern for me and I have plans for many more, I think I'm even going to try lining some with flannelette to make some warmer pants.

Playtime Tunic

I bought the Oliver and S Playtime dress pattern as soon as it came out but then the weather got warmer and I didn't make it until much later.  This is now a go-to pattern.  I think it would work with every piece of fabric I pick up.

So far I have limited myself to two. The first one was this dog and cat print.  This shade of blue isn't one I'm usually drawn to but this actually looks quite cute on Little Miss and goes with nearly everything.  I made this a tunic length and it's worked perfectly with leggings.  She can walk, crawl and play in this nicely and is very practical.

The second one was made in some balloon fabric from Kate and Birdie's storybook line.  I used the peachy coloured version but I reckon it could look pretty good in any of the fabric from this line.  I love this peachy tone.  It's girly without being overly pink.  

The construction of this pattern is very straightforward and I think I could sew it up in one evening now.  I was able to get both of these out of just one metre.  I think the next one I make may be in the dress length just to mix it up a bit and to help it last longer.