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!!!!!!

This is a very long post! We were so inspired and excited about this weeks challenge that we can't contain ourselves. That's why there are so many pictures and words. So... before you get lost, don't forget to look at all the other designers fantastic clothes and vote at Project Run and Play.

We had so much fun making and photographing our outfit for the Earth Day Challenge. We have created some fun French inspired fashion completely with items we already owned. These items were all pre-loved clothes used by our families, eaten by moths, partly worn out or stained but still with potential. Redesigned, carefully cut and sewn, Madeleine now has an outfit she just loves to wear. In this stylish outfit, with a satchel over her shoulder and  a bagette under her arm she really could be wandering the streets of Paris, past the Eiffel Tower, confident in the knowledge that she is doing her bit for the environment - no new materials were used to make this "new" outfit.

So let's talk about the jacket. We started with Caroline's maternity winter coat (hint - you're highly unlikely to see any more baby photos from The Sew Together Team!!) and one of Bill's old business shirts (unfortunately Bill still has to go to work!!). We found metres and metres of gorgeous red and white striped bias binding at the last Stash and Treasure Recyclers Market. If you live in Sydney you really should check this Market out. It's a great way to move on some of your unwanted stash and also a wonderful way to replenish your stash by buying what others no longer need.

We are not keen to show you the "before" photos (we didn't want it to detract from our fun "after" photos) but just remember the "before"s are supposed to look bad!!

A great principle when upcycling is to use what you have - not only when it comes to the clothes you choose to work with, but also there are often some great features on the original clothing that are worth preserving. The button loops on the front of the coat have become a feature on the pockets of Madeleine's new jacket. The original cuffs have been re-cut to create the new ones and the seaming in the sleeves and the back of the coat create interesting features on her jacket.

When we asked around our family for someone who may have an old navy jumper (pullover) we could use, Madeleine's grandfather started to look wistful! He talked about the best jumper he had ever owned. He bought in Tunbridge Wells (UK) in 1996! Unfortunately (but fortunately for us!) the moths loved it as much as he did and it was no longer wearable.

Before - with moth holes:

After:

This 100% wool jumper was so soft and fine. We used the waist  and arm bands to create the casing at the top of the skirt. The seams on the 6 gored skirt are finished with vintage bias binding, giving the skirt some structure and a little pop of colour.

So next the shirt...
Unfortunately, this favourite shirt of Maryanne's had some stains on it that could not be removed:

We wanted to preserve the pretty pin tucking, front button loop closures and the fullness of the shirt, but we also wanted it to be fun and girly. We added some floaty gathered sleeves, cut from the original sleeves to achieve this, and a waist band to create a shape that complemented the line of the skirt. We then trimmed the neck line and sleeves with more bias binding.

And finally the bag.

We felted a very stylish (not!) vest that Grandpa used to wear to work (in the late 90's!) and added some scraps of polar fleece and ribbing to create a satchel for Madeleine. We wanted a leather strap on the bag and came up with the idea of creating loops to feed a belt through. One belt makes it a great hand bag, two turns it into an over the shoulder satchel. And when the bag isn't in use, those belts can be holding up someones pants!

So we are all happy -Madeleine loves her outfit, it cost us less than $5 to make, it cleared out some of our cupboard space and it has had no new impact on the environment beyond the energy it took to sew it all together. That has got to be a good thing!!

And the bagette tasted good!

Vote here!

I guess most crafters associate the term scrappy with fabric, but today I'm thinking a little laterally.  
By the end of the year our crayon box is looking pretty tired - lots of stubby ends and broken pieces - quite a lot like this, actually!

We thought we'd give them a bit of seasonally themed make-over with the help of a couple of gingerbread shaped ice-cube trays.

There - don't they look happier? 

 There is a tonne of information out there on how to do it.  Here's  an example.  I don't think you're supposed to heat them, but I used ice cube moulds for mine and melted the crayons  on a very low heat and they turned out just fine.

Packaged up for friends - they make a lovely scrappy gift!