KCWC - Days 1 and 2 (the Maryanne Version)

10/10/2012

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So my take on KCWC is similar to Caroline's - no new fabric and no new patterns. But I have decided to give my Ottobre magazines a work out. I can only say I wish I was half as organised as Karen when it comes to my Ottobre Magazines. I did have a good giggle thinking about her fabulous system, when I was sitting on my sewing room floor with all my patterns scattered around me swearing (just a little!!)  while I searched madly for the pattern sheets I needed. I had Spring 2009 pattern sheets A and B in one hand and the Autumn 2009 C and D in the other, when what I needed was Summer 2009 sheets A and B. I would like to pretend that one day I will have my patterns organised beautifully but if I am honest with myself, being able to find my sewing machine and ironing board under a pile of projects is going to be as good as it gets for me. Karen if you ever come to visit, you will not be allowed to enter my sewing room!!!!

I am glad to say  that I did eventually find the patterns I needed. It would be pretty depressing to get through KCWC where the only achievement, having invested an hour a day for a whole week, was finding the right pattern sheets!

So the first project is some shorts for Will. The linen was a gift from a friend when she de-stashed prior to moving overseas, so these pants cost me nothing.
They are called Bert Bermudas and they are in the Summer 2009 Ottobre Magazine.
I am only just working out that sewing for boys is so different to sewing for girls. Boys clothes are often not about fabulous fabric choices (although there are always exceptions to the rule) but rather about the details. Lots of pockets, lots of belt loops and lots of top stitching. I tried out a fancy "quilting" stitch on my machine and although I am happy with the look of the top stitching, I don't think I would use it again. It is a pain in the *!#! to rip out if you make a mistake. I almost wasted today's hour of sewing taking out one of the side seams where the top stitching went a little wild.

Here are the shorts in action:
I can't take credit for the T shirt but this one is one of mine. This was day 2, the Tiku T shirt with boat neck from Ottobre Spring 2009:
It is made from a man's polo shirt - I love not having to hem anything!!
I sort of like it. I am not sure about the boat neck.
It looks pretty good here but the default position is off the shoulder and I am not sure that is the best look for a little boy!! Maybe I jut should have made one size smaller??

So for the next 2 days - I have stripey T shirts planned for Madeleine and Pip.
Why all the stripes??
Martin's turning 3 this week and he's having a pirate party!!!

Yo ho me hearties!!!!!!

Maryanne

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An apology, some exciting news and a mini dino jacket tutorial...

18/03/2012

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Let's start with the apology.  We're really, really sorry that we've dropped the ball with our Beyond the Basics series.  The series will continue, but we're going to have to take a couple of weeks break.  We do have a good excuse though.

We're going to be on Project Run and Play!  Both of us are just so excited.  We couldn't believe it when we received an  email from Liz and Elizabeth at Simple Simon and Co. We have been doing lots of planning and are feeling very inspired.  One of the best things is that it gives us time to actually sew together, which despite our name, we don't get to do very often.
We do have a mini tutorial for you, though.  One of the things that we made for last season's PR and P sew-a-long was Mart's dinosaur jacket.  We have had lots of requests  for a  tutorial.  Here it is! Actually, it's only a mini tutorial because it's super simple to make.  We're just going to show you  how to put the dinosaur spikes in the lining. Remember the jacket?
Click read more if you'd like to make your very own!

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Project run and play for boys - the dressed up dress up

10/01/2012

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This week's theme at Project Run and Play is boys so I'm going to hand the blog over to Martin to tell you all about it.
Thanks Mart!

My version?
I loved tailored clothes for children but my kids love dress ups.  The solution?  A reversible jacket! On one side, a lined, woollen hooded coat with leather buttons -  perfect for any occasion and on the other, a  spotty, spikey dinosaur.  The spikes are woollen felt  - enough body to stand up, but not scratchy on skin. The pants are also designed to keep us both happy... dark denim with structured pockets for me and spotty green trim for him.  

The dressed up - dress up outfit.  A perfect compromise, I think!

Caroline

A big thanks to Martin for being happy to pose in a woollen coat and jeans on a hot Sydney morning...




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Simple silhouette t-shirt

30/10/2011

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Halloween is something we don't really do... it is nice to have a seasonally appropriate t-shirt, though!
Happy Halloween!

Caroline

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My Birthdayboyasaurus

10/10/2011

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Martin is obsessed by dinosaurs.  At two he knows more about them than I do!
On the eve of his birthday party (dinosaur themed, of course!) I just knew the t-shirt he needed to wear to celebrate his big day.
Out with the silhouette cutter, some red heat transfer and a plain t-shirt and...
He was very happy to wear it - in fact, he hasn't taken it off!
Happy birthday Marty-mart!

Caroline

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Ugly Ducklings

08/05/2011

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When it comes down to it, sewing  is all about  aesthetics.  Sure, you want your creations to be functional but really you want them to be beautiful, too.  There is a smorgasbord of food for the sewing soul out there in blog land (and real life, too) - beautiful books and patterns, lovely fabrics , ribbons and braids that elevate my heartbeat just a little. 

In a world of Japanese pattern books, Oliver and S patterns, beautiful books by Amy Butler and Jennifer Paganelli it's sometimes easy to overlook the ugly duckling in the pattern book. 

It's starting to get a little chilly around here and I searched everywhere for a pattern for a simple hooded jacket for Mart.  Now there's a lot of gorgeous patterns out there, but all I wanted was a buttoned, lined jacket for a little boy who is just learning to dress himself. I have to admit that I did overlook Kwik Sew 2994 a number of times.  But then, I stopped and looked and I looked again.  Take away the ugly drawings and applique and it was exactly what I wanted...


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Made up in a pinwale  navy cord with a gorgeous Parisian print lining, the end result was one I was pretty pleased with.
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I can't speak highly enough of this pattern.  It sewed up like a dream - perfect sizing and  clear instructions made it a quick and easy project - it's definitely going to become a staple in my sewing repertoire.  And to think ... I nearly missed it!

How about you - do you have  any ugly duckling patterns you've discovered and would like to share?

Caroline

PS - if you would like to be the owner of the beautiful Girls' World by Jennifer Paganelli, don't forget to enter our giveaway here.
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A little bit of Easter silliness

29/03/2011

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What does every fashionable toddler want to be seen wearing at this year's Easter hat parade?

Why, a chicken hat of course!
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Do you think Martin will ever forgive me?

Caroline

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Oliver + S Reversible Bucket Hat with a little addition - attaching straps to a reversible hat

28/03/2011

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I love the postman - especially when I  know he is going to bring me a little gift! Last week it was the O + S Little Things to Sew Book. I must admit, it was a present that I bought for myself and I am really glad I did. The book is already overflowing with bookmarks - the girls' list of sewing requests, some projects I want to make for some upcoming birthdays and other ideas I just want to try out.

We are very good at losing hats at so the first project was the reversible bucket hat for Will.
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Despite heading into Autumn, hats are non-negotiable in our family. I am very aware that Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, but Will obviously is not! He has an almost reflex like action - as soon as he feels a hat go on his head, his little hand comes out and pulls it straight off, faster than I can blink. The only way to keep a hat on is straps. I really liked both the fabrics I used in this hat and wanted Will to be able to wear it either way - dots or zoo print. I was initially a little confused about how I could add some straps and still maintain the reversibility of the hat. I am pretty happy with the solution I came up with:
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I stitched matching buttons at the side seams ( just above where the crown joins the brim) on both the dots and zoo sides of the hat. These buttons can be a cute addition when they are on the outside of the hat. They are used to attaching the straps (which I made with button holes in them)  to the hat on the "lining" side.

When Will is in the mood for dots, the buttons on the dotty side of the hat look very sweet and the buttons on the zoo side are used to attach the straps to the hat. When he would rather wear a zoo hat, I just unbutton the straps, flip the hat inside out and re-attach the straps to the buttons on the dotty fabric.

Voila! A reversible hat with straps.

Will is not too fond of the straps. They keep the hat where he would rather it wasn't - on his head!

Maryanne

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Finally... some inspiration!

27/02/2011

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While visiting the lovely Magnolia Square markets in Paddington on the weekend I discovered (and bought) these divine prints by Printspace for Mart's room.
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I've been looking for some inspiration for his room for ages.  I had been considering red and navy but couldn't get enthused.  These prints have certainly clarified the look I want - boyish but not too grown-up.

Of course, I had to get some material for a quilt.  A quick trip to Calico and Ivy and my ideas are certainly starting to shape.

 
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Hopefully over the next few weeks you'll start to see Mart's big boy room take place.  It's  so nice to be celebrating my boy!
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Caroline

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Celebrate the Boy - Zippered Pencil Case with Secret Pockets for your MatchBox Cars

25/02/2011

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Throughout the world of crafty blogs, everyone seems to be talking about Celebrate the Boy Month. Thank you to Dana and Rae for this wonderful concept. Boys always seem to come off second best when it comes to crafty ideas and tutorials. It is great to see these two wonderful blogs provide us with so many great ideas and encourage us all to pull up our socks when it comes to sewing for our boys.
So this post is for our two beautiful boys:
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Today, I thought we would have a look at a zippered purse with a difference. I know there are dozens of tutorials for zippered purses out there and we all have our favourite, so I am going to concentrate on two parts of the purse:
  • some internal pockets
  • putting in the zipper
So grab yourself some fabric scraps and a long zipper. This is what we will be making:
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What you will need:
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  1. 2 pieces of outer fabric 13cm x 32cm and one for the strap 5cm x 25cm
  2. lining fabric - one piece 13cm x 32cm and one piece 29cm x 32cm
  3. A scrap of appropriate fabric for appliqueing, some embroidery thread and a small piece of fusible webbing. You could always draw up your own template for applique if you 're not as lucky as I was to have the perfect orange car in my stash!
  4. A long zip - 45cm. You can either try a matching colour or a contrasting one can be fun.

First of all - embellish away on one piece of your outer fabric!
I used back stitch for Will's name and appliqued a cute little car on to mine using fusible webbing and running stitch.

If you would like a handle on your pencil case now's the time to make it.
Fold the handle piece in half length ways and iron to make a centre crease. Then, iron both long sides in to meet this crease. Fold in the center again. You will have made a handle of four layers of fabric with the raw edges sandwiched in the middle.
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Top stitch along both edges and set your handle aside for now.

Let's move on to the inner pockets.
This is a really simple design but works  well. You have to like that!
Take the larger piece of lining (29cm x 32cm). The pockets are created by folding and sewing this piece of fabric. Lay the fabric out in front of you so it lies length ways.  Fold the piece of fabric up by 16cm then back on itself by 8cm so the cut edge lines up again with the bottom fold. It sounds a bit like origami doesn't it?  You'll know you have got it right if this piece is now the same size as the other lining piece you have cut.
You now need to create individual pockets by sewing this flap down. Mark out your pockets with a water soluble marker. There are five in all. The ones on either end are 6cm wide and the inner 3 are 5cm.You can get an idea of what I mean by looking at this picture.  In the picture I have already sewn them.
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It's best to sew the pockets from the bottom to the top of the flap. Don't forget to lock off your rows of stitching with a couple of stitches in reverse or the stitching will unravel when little fingers try to fit their MatchBox cars in there.
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Once you have sewn the pockets in you can use this piece of fabric like a regular lining piece for your zippered purse.

So how do I make a zippered purse?
I make zipper sandwiches.
When you use an extra long zipper, make the sandwich in the middle of the zipper. You will have a long overhang of zipper on either end, but this is good. It means when you sew the zipper in you won't have to deal with manoeuvring the sewing machine foot around the zipper pull - so much easier and you don't even need your zipper foot! It was my brilliant little sister, Caroline, who came up with this idea and it has certainly made zippered purses so much faster to make.
I take my embellished outer fabric and lay it right side up. I put the zipper on top of it facing down with the zipper pull to the left. I then place the lining piece without the pockets on it  wrong side up on top of the zip. Line up the zipper edge with the raw edges of the outer and lining and pin liberally. It should look like this.

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Now, sew your sandwich together. I used a 1cm seam allowance - but work out what's best for you. You will get the best finish by stitching as close to the zipper teeth as possible.
And look that zipper pull is right out of the way!
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Flap those pieces back and you should have something that looks like this:

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You can now attach your other outer and lining to the opposite side of the zip.
So.....
Outer right side up, zipper right side down with the pull to the right, lining piece with pockets right side down.
Pin and sew your sandwich!
Now you should have a zipper with two pieces of fabric attached to either side of it.
Open your zipper so the pull is in the middle of your purse. Trust me, you will regret it if you forget this step.
Flip the fabric around so that you have both pieces of outer fabric right sides together on one side of the zipper and both sides of lining fabric on the other side of the zipper. Sandwich the handle between your two outer layers and pin in place. Pin all the way around the edges making sure you line up the zipper carefully on either end. Try and push the zipper teeth in the direction of the lining. Sew all the way around this rectangle with a 1cm seam allowance, leaving a space so you can turn it through. You will be sewing over the zip. This is not a problem, just take it slowly. (Don't try this with a metal zipper - your sewing machine won't like it.)

It should now look like this:

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Now go on, live on the edge!!! Trim your corners, seam allowances and zip ends. I always get a slight thrill when I cut those zipper ends off. (This probably reflects poorly on my life in general - but there you go!)
Turn the purse right side out, use a chopstick to push out the corners so they are nice and square. Hand slip the hole in the lining and then tuck it back in to the outer of the purse.
There you are done!
A handled, pocketed pencil case, with MatchBox car pockets for your boy!
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Maryanne

PS. I know we are Celebrating the Boy but I just wanted to let you know - I made a make up purse for myself using the pockets in the lining technique on both sides of the lining. I made the pockets narrower so they would fit my lipsticks. It worked well and my makeup is now very organised!!!
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