Day 3 of KCWC and I am cheating already. I'm only supposed to be using Japanese patterns but when I came across some gorgeous oatmeal and navy striped knit I knew I had to make it up using the Sailboat Top by O and S.Martin's turning 3 tomorrow and we are celebrating with a pirate party. This shirt is a little more Breton than pirate but it's definitely wearable. I do love O and S patterns. They sew up so beautifully and the finished product is always spot on. I top stitched using triple stitch and a dark thread (always risky). It's a little wonky but hey... it adds character. In the interest of keeping things even I am sewing for Lizzy tomorrow. I've got to say I am not feeling super inspired. I'm a bit over sewing pink dresses. If only she'd wear something else! Any ideas? Caroline PS - Happy Birthday Martin! How are you three already my gorgeous boy?
I've been tracing patterns, trying to interpret Japanese and sewing up a storm here. I'm trying to keep things simple and wearable. While I loved sewing for Project Run and Play, I don't think that Lizzy has worn any of the things we made for her. Needless to say neither of my items are earth shattering, but they are comfortable and wearable. For Mart, some simple shorts with deep side pockets (so he can carry around all the random stuff he collects instead of offloading it on me!) and some cute little patch pockets because, well, they're just cute. I really like the fact that they have narrower legs. I love, love, love the print I used in these shorts. It's a collection of post marks and addresses. It's a light furnishing weight, but I'm fairly sure it will soften up in the wash.
I feel really limited with what I can sew for Lizzy. In order for her to wear something it needs to be a dress, pink and soft and unstructured. It doesn't leave me with a whole lot of scope! This dress was super easy. It's got a square neck, fluttery sleeves and a high yoke. Simple, bright, comfy and a hit with Lizzy. (phew!)
As much as I enjoyed the sewing today, the best bit was the sibling love whenI took photos this afternoon. If only they always liked each other this much...
Caroline
It seems like everyone has signed up for Elsie Marley's KCWC and I'm no exception. I definitely need some motivation, the weather is warming up and Lizzy and Martin have both grown so much over the winter that they need some new clothes. (desperately!) My challenge is to take all of my patterns and inspiration out of my sizeable stash of Japanese pattern books. I'm passionate about them but definitely don't use them enough. I am forever buying patterns when in reality I have enough to keep me going in my Japanese pattern books till my kids move out. While at times the patterns can be little confusing (hello hiragana!), there are lots of amazing resources out there to help you out. Last year I blogged about them here. Why do I love these books so much? - Their aesthetic is beautifully simple ( I don't think I've ever seen a diamonte in a Japanese pattern book...)
- They sew up beautifully ( as long as you don't forget to add seam allowances!)
- There as many gorgeous patterns for boys as there are for girls
- The patterns are timeless - they aren't caught up in the latest trend or fashion and they are just as suitable for a ten year old as a three year old
- The books contain lots of basic shapes - They make a perfect blank slate for your own designs and inspirations
- While the books seem expensive, they all contain at least 8 patterns in multiple sizes. When you look at it like that, they're a bargain!
So - the sewing challenge has been set. Seven days of sewing, all Japanese patterns and no fabric buying. Easy.... Are you sewing along with KCWC? What are you plans? Do you use Japanese patterns? I'd love to hear all about it!Caroline
We're so excited to have Jessica here today. She is one of the most prolific, generous and lovely bloggers we know.
Dying to find out all about her best friend? Take it away Jessica! Hi everyone, I am Jessica and I blog over at Me Sew Crazy. I have been friends with Maryanne and Caroline ever since the very first season of Project Run & Play where we played along in the at home sewing Flickr group. Their beautiful creations caught my eye right away, the quality of work was simply stunning, and I have followed along ever since. When they mentioned the idea of a 'Best Friend' Series, I thought it was only fitting I begin with that intro - as it segways beautifully into who or what my best sewing friends are. It is you guys! Not just Maryanne and Caroline, although I do consider them among them. But it is all of you sewing bloggers. You inspire me in more ways than I can ever say. You encourage me in the comments on my posts, you share your testimonies and stories with me in e-mails, you post beautiful creations of your own that continue to fuel my passion, and you teach me new techniques that I am lucky enough to be able to put to good use. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have. And I wouldn't be dreaming the dreams I dream. Seeing lovely creations every day when I look at my blog roll keeps me going, like the gorgeous Emerson Tunic Dress by luvinthemommyhood. Seeing the way she paired her gorgeous fabric covered buttons with that fabulous fabric is totally inspiring to me. Or the way she flipped the fabric grain for her button placket to create a more interesting look. I love it all! And you guys not only inspire me, but you help me learn! I was so happy to stumble across this helpful tutorial by Kitschy Coo to get perfect armhole seams every time with a fully lined bodice. I was finally able to stop setting in sleeves when Dana of Made showed me an alternative, and much easier, method! I now understand how to make a welt zipper pocket thanks to Jessica from Running with Scissors, and am able to screenprint on fabric thanks to See Kate Sew. Kelly from Sewing in No Man's Land gave me the incentive I needed to learn how to digitize my patterns. And Lindsay from The Cottage Home helped me figure out the marketplace for my handmade goods. Without these ladies putting out their hard work into creating the fabulous free tutorials we get to see all of the time, I might never have learned any of these techniques. Or it would have been much harder to figure it when I eventually did. When I want to know something, I know I can reach out and always get great answers and advice. All I need to do is post something on Facebook and I will have answers instantly pointing me in the right direction! Even in the very beginning, when no one knew me and I didn't have any Facebook followers (ahem - or a FB page for that matter). One of the very first tutorials and patterns I stumbled across was the Buttercup Bag by Made by Rae. I didn't know proper blog etiquette (ummm...still don't), but I e-mailed her - a huge blogger, and was blown away when I got a response. Not only a response, but a huge in depth response full of helpful information! The sewing world is just so friendly, and this is the case for almost all bloggers you meet! I even like to roam link parties for inspiration, like Mandy's from Sugar Bee Crafts every Tuesday. Why? Because this is how I generally meet new people. I have found so many people that are just starting out thanks to a link party, and have been able to follow along as they grow. It is so much fun watching someone else's success, it feels like you are cheering them on from the sidelines - and it is fantastic. You are my sewing best friends, whether we actually correspond or not. You inspire me, keep me motivated, and lift me up with your posts and creativity. It is thanks to you that I released my first free sewing pattern a year and a half ago - the Spring Fever Dress. I wouldn't have known that was possible until I saw others doing it. And because of you I grew in my sewing skills, and have been able to release my own line of digitized sewing patterns. I love following along, knowing there are others out there like me who have a passion for the creative art of sewing. You even inspired me to come out with my latest endeavor - SewSet. I love checking out other sewing blogs so much, that I realized there was no one place where we could all be found together. A sewing community was missing. Where was the ravelry for the sewing world?!! What is SewSet? SewSet is a brand new website that operates as a sewing pattern and tutorial hub. There was a need for an on-line sewing search engine, where users could search, browse and save sewing patterns from all of their favorite independent designers. For more information, click HERE. It is still in the beginning phases, and we have lots more to introduce into SewSet with new features rolling out all of the time. But it is the start of something great. I hope you will hop on over and become a part of it, upload your own tutorials and patterns, create a designer profile, and get involved in the ever growing sewing community! But NONE of this would have ever come to fruition if it wasn't for YOU. You guys are my sewing friends. I couldn't do it without you. And some of you will never know just how much you inspire me. I have stretched and grown further than I ever thought possible, and have found a lifelong love in my craft thanks to you. It is you I have to thank, ever so humbly, as my best sewing friends. Thanks so much for having me here Maryanne and Caroline, and for being one of my inspirations. Until next time...Happy Sewing!  blog | facebook | twitter | pinterest
I don't often post about our 'work' on here, but today I want to tell you a story... Maryanne and I run a sewing studio teaching beginners to sew. We specialise in the absolute beginner and most of our students are young mums - it's amazing how many women are inspired to take up sewing after the birth of their first child. (I certainly was!) Last year, Tiffany signed up to one of our Sew for Children courses. She didn't have only one baby - she had gorgeous twin girls! After each lesson, Tiff would come back the next week, having made a zillion of each project - hand embroidered and appliquéd t-shirts, elastic waisted pants, beautiful peasant dresses. It was truly amazing! To deal with all of the outfits she created, Tiffany set up a stall at a local market. As she says "my twinnies Eva and Lucy really didn't need 40 embroidered tees or 28 summer dresses!!!" From there, Tiffany has created Eva and Lucy - a boutique range of the most amazing children's clothing - all of her outfits are divine! Have a look at these... Tiffany now sells on Madeit where she has a wide range of clothing but also takes custom orders. You can also check out her Facebook page. Go and have a look - they're beautiful AND inspiring! Caroline
So it's time for my skirt tutorial. It's once again...um... fairly basic, but I really struggled with ideas for this one. Lizzy loves the finished product and has named it the lollipop skirt. That's probably because of the lollipop bribe that I had to give her so that I could take some photos. Like Maryanne, I also decided to 'create' my fabric, then make up the skirt. Unlike Maryanne (who is the mathematical genius of the family) my fabric creation requires no maths. I sewed lots of strips together and then went crazy with the triple stitch on my machine. Complicated, huh? The only real addition that I made were some cute (and useful!) pockets. Both my kids love pockets.... The buttons are just pretend, though. See? If you'd like to learn how to make your own, just click on read more...
So, I have called my A-line dress re-make the Last days of Summer Dress. I like this little dress so much I really wanted to call it the "I hope she doesn't grow too much before next summer because I really hope she can where it then dress" but maybe that title is just a tad too wordy! Interestingly, today is the first truly hot day we have had in Sydney all summer, so maybe there will still be lots of opportunity to wear it. I would like to say there was no bribery involved in this photo shoot, but a picture tells a thousand words. It took a lollipop and a play with a favourite cousin to get these pictures and even that was pushing my luck!! If you would like to make the dress that Lizzy is wearing, Caroline's tutorial is here. In today's tutorial I will show you how to: - draft up the placket and front gathering
- draft up and sew the collar
- line the top of your dress for a simple but very neat finish
Apologies and WarningsIn this tutorial I use the term "Master pattern" This is just your original A-Line Dress pattern that has no seam allowances include. Trace this off and make all your alterations to this master pattern. It makes the whole drafting process much easier to not have seam allowances included. Once you are happy with the changes you have made, add back your seam allowances before cutting. I will say this over and over in this tutorial. Boring and repetitive I know, but so much better than realising you have cut out your pattern without seam allowances (I know from experience!) Caroline apologised for her photos in her last post, I can only admit that mine a worse. As the tutee progresses you will have many insights. Among other things - I sew day and night and when desperate regularly use my flash, I am terrible at trimming threads as I go and my lawn needs some tlc and a good mow. There is photographic evidence to support all these statements! So I am really, really sorry. Another warning. I am bilingual and ambidextrous when it comes to the whole inches/centimetre thing. I concretely use a 1cm seam allowance but in some places my brain just works better in inches. I will point this out as I go along. Sorry for any confusion!! If you are brave enough to read on, click on the read more button... Maryanne
So this is my take on the a-line dress. It's really simple to make up. So simple, infact, that it barely qualifies as being 'beyond the basics'! That's why I've called it the 'just' beyond the basics dress...
It has a gently gathered neckline and some waist ties to give it some shape. I really like inserting ties into the side seams. They stay on nicely and you don't lose them in the wash! If you're a regular reader of our blog you'll know that my four year old Lizzy has an aversion to wearing anything other than dresses. This dress is so comfy it's our 'wear instead of shorts' substitute. It's summer here in Sydney and it's perfect for hot days - it's baggy, loose and cool. Here's a similar one (no gathering around the neck) that I made ages ago. I made this one up in Liberty. Every time I sew with Liberty I fall more in love with how beautifully it sews up. It's the most amazing fabric ! That said, if you want to go at having making one of these dresses, don't forget our golden rule of pattern alteration. Repeat after me 'Don't use your favourite/most expensive fabric the first time you alter a pattern.' If you'd like to make one of your own, click on read more to find out how you can do so. It's really easy... promise!
Have you got your bodice pattern ready? Today we're going to use it make this... If you need some more information about bodice patterns, have a look here. This tutorial has quite a lot of assumed knowledge - it's not for the complete beginner but for someone who feels reasonably confident with the basics of sewing and wants to experiment with their basic patterns a little more. Through this tutorial I hope that you come to understand a few things about pattern alteration - - Pattern alteration is not an exact science - there is a lot of tweaking involved. For that reason, don't use your favourite/ most expensive material the first time you make up an altered pattern. Ask me how I know!
- Know what the seam allowance is on your basic pattern is and keep it consistent with any pieces that you draft.
- Bias tape is your best friend! It's so much easier to use and so much more flexible than drafting facings and gives you a lovely finish.
- Gathered sleeves are very forgiving and perfect for the beginner.
- Most things are fixable! See how the placket in the picture is a bit wonky? It's because I made the buttonholes too big. A few stitches on the end of each button hole and voila - a placket that sits much better!
If you'd like to see how I took a basic bodice pattern and made it into the modern vintage top then just click read more. Oh... and before you start sewing - don't forget we have a giveaway on at the moment. If you'd like to enter, the odds are definitely in your favour!
Maryanne and I have been scheming... We've been planning to do a blog series for ages and finally we are on track for doing just that! While we're not pretending that we're draftswomen, we do spend a lot of time tweaking, changing and modifying patterns to make exactly the outfits that we want for our children. Nearly everything that we make is based on five very simple patterns... - a basic bodice
- an a-line dress
- a simple lined jacket
- an elastic waisted skirt
- simple unisex pants
For the next couple of weeks we'd love to share some of our ideas and tips on how you can take each of these basic shapes and pattern and make them into something completely unique and amazing. There will be round-ups, lots of tutorials and maybe even a giveaway or two. Come along for the ride...It's going to be lots of fun! Caroline
|
RSS Feed
