Kwik-Sew Jacket (KSWC Day 3)

Today is the third day of Kids Sewing Week.  Are you getting in your hour a day?  So far I've been doing good--I put in way more than an hour yesterday! :) (working on a summer outfit for Ashlee I hope to share soon!)  Today, I finished up a little hoodie for Cecelia.  She outgrew her infant carseat, so she needed a little jacket to keep her warm in her big-girl carseat. (Which is a MyRide 65 from Graco--I got a great deal on from Albee.com--$118 shipped!)  I wanted just a simple zip-up jacket, and Kwik-Sew 3811 fit the bill perfectly.

We took a little ride to get the chickens some food, and so I could get some pictures of Cecelia in her carseat! She was a little tired, but still so cute!

The pattern was really easy to follow, and didn't take too long to sew up. I used some super comfy knits from my local sewing shop--I think they are Patty Young for Michael Miller.  They are excellent quality knits, but they shrunk a lot when I prewashed them--I probably lost a quarter of the yardage from shrinkage.

I pretty much followed the pattern spot on, except for the hood. The pattern has the hood as all one piece--I wanted the inside to be a different print than the outside, so I had to make a slight change. No biggie, and I really like having the dot print on the inside. 

This is also one of those rare items where I'm happy with how the inside turned out. I've been really focusing on making quality garments for the kids.  I figure that if I'm going to spend the time and money to make something, it ought to be the best I can make. 

I still can't believe how nice the zipper looks! This is definitely one of my best zipper installs.  I love how professional it looks.

Happy Crafting!

Linking to these great parties!

http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ 

http://www.bearrabbitbear.com/ 

http://www.the36thavenue.com/

http://www.ladybirdln.com/

Emmy with a Twist

Surprise! Another Emmy for Cecelia!  Ok, so maybe it's not that surprising, haha!  I just love this pattern so much.  In case you missed my other posts about it, it's the Fishsticks Designs Emmy pattern (which is now retired).  It's such a simple, yet cute top, and is the perfect Spring outfit when paired with leggings. 

To make this one a bit different, I tried something new--a little bow (really a twist) in the bodice. It was really simple to do, but it adds just the right amount of sweetness to the dress.  I think it's pretty self-explanatory on how I did it, but if there is any interest I may do a quickie tutorial.

Lots of pics because I can't get enough of this sweet baby! She is such a blessing to our lives--each day is so much better with her in it.  

I love this last pic of Cecelia and Braydon.  He is the best big brother anyone could ask for--so patient and kind. It's amazing to see the bond between siblings--one of the best parts of being a parent.  My heart sings when I catch moments like this.

Today is day 2 of Kids Sewing Week--I'm hoping to get some shorts cut out and sewn for the two oldest girls today--wish me luck!

This is also project 13 in my personal 52 in 2013 Challenge!

Happy Crafting!

Linking up to these great parties!

http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/

http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/
http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/

Kids Sewing Week-Boden Pretty Cami Knock-off

Today is the first day of Kids Clothes Week--a challenge to sew for your kiddos for 1 hour a day, for a week straight.  This is my first season taking the challenge, and I hope to accomplish lots this week. My kids need Spring/Summer clothes! (although it feel like Summer is still a long way off-it's  28 degrees and snowing here currently. Boo!)

Pretty Cami from Boden

I want to push myself a little bit, so I decided to try and knock-off this cute little tank from Boden.  I love looking through Boden's website for sewing inspiration! 

It took a little bit to figure out how I wanted to construct it--and there are things I will definitely do different next time--but I'm happy with how it turned out.  I used a paisley print fabric I had picked up from JoAnns awhile ago, and a  bright blue floral for the accent piece on the hem. 

I loved the detail on the bodice, so that was what I really focused on re-creating. 

Since the fabric was a little plain, I added some color with hot pink piping and bright blue buttons.  The hem was actually an accident--I cut the skirt too short and had to improvise. I call it a happy accident--as I love how the band looks.    Ashlee is really happy with it too-which makes me smile! She's getting harder and harder to sew for as she grows up!

For the back I just did an elastic casing to make it easy to get on and off, and criss cross straps.

Love the criss cross! 

I plan on making a couple more of these--and am also hoping to put together a little mini-tutorial after Kids Clothes Week is over.

Happy Crafting!

Linking up to these great parties!

http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/

http://www.skiptomylou.org/

http://www.sewcando.com/

http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/

Jocole Crossover Tunic/Dress

At the top of my to-do sewing list for Spring/Summer are new nightgowns for my girls.  I had a vision of what I wanted--a cross-over type bodice with an empire waist, so I was tickled to find JoColes Crossover Tunic/Dress pattern!  It was exactly what I was looking for, so I picked up the PDF pattern this weekend.

The quality of the PDF is amazing! The pattern pieces went together effortlessly, and the instructions are packed full of tips, tricks, and ideas.  Lots and lots of info.  I traced out the size 8 for my 7 year old, but used the dress length of the size 10--as I find the girls grow UP faster than OUT--this gives them a little more wear-time.  Last Spring I picked up a lot of yardage of super thin jersey knits at Mill End Textiles for $1.99/yard.  At that price, I couldn't pass them up--and now I'm so glad I didn't!  My husband bought me the walking foot for my Bernina 230 PE a few weeks ago, and that has made my life so much simpler--especially when it comes to sewing with jersey!  I'll have no problem cranking out a few more nightgowns for the girls now.

The fit of this pattern is excellent.  I also love that it includes three different lengths--shirt, tunic, and dress length.  My girl is thrilled with her new jammies,and has asked for many more--nothing says Victory! more to a sewing mama!

Project #11 in my 52 in 2013 personal sewing challenge.

Happy Thursday Everyone!!

Linking up to these great parties!

Spring Emmy's

Spring is finally in the air!!  We are expecting a high of 54 tomorrow--I can hardly believe it! It was starting to feel like Winter would never end here in South Dakota!

To celebrate, I sewed a couple new tops for two of my girls.  My oldest daughter, who is 7, has declared herself too cool to match with her little sisters, so she didn't get it on the fun.  (I did make her a new nightgown, which I hope to post pics of soon!)

I used the now-retired Emmy top pattern from Fishsticks Designs.  I am a huge fan of Bonnie's patterns--I love how easy her patterns sew together, and her PDF patterns are bar-none the best I've seen.  They go together like a dream.

For these I used the Emmy in infant sizes for Cecelia (I made her the 6-12 month size), and in Big Kid sizes for McKenna (I made her a size 5/6--she's 6).  I really love the fit on Cecelia; on McKenna the body seems to be a bit wider than I would prefer, but it's still a good fit, and she loves it--so that's all that really matters!

I really love how these turned out!  The fabric came from JoAnns--I believe it's made by Doodlez.  I really like the sparkly pink, and need to get some more of that before it's gone.

Projects #9 & #10 in my 52 in 2013 personal sewing challenge.

Happy Sewing!

Linking up at:

http://www.pincushioncreations.com/
http://www.creationsbykara.com/

The Hannah Design-Ruffle top and Bloomers

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter! 

Today I wanted to share the outfit I made my littlest for Easter this year.  The pattern is from "My Little Plumcake" on Etsy, and it is called the Hannah Design--Ruffle top and bloomers.

Over all, the pattern was pretty simple to sew.  The fabric I chose is from Riley Blake's Matroshyka line.  I used my ruffler foot to make the ruffles on the bloomers, and that made things so much simplier than gathering!  I will definitely be using that more!

I plan to make a couple more sets from this pattern for summer.  I made the 12 month size, and there is plenty of growing room without it looking monstrously huge.  Cecelia has been wearing 12-18 months in ready to wear clothing (even though she's just 7 months!), so the sizing seems to run pretty true to that.

The only changes I will need to make are moving the ruffles up. I followed the pattern insturctions, and the ruffles are on the back of her thighs instead of on her butt--so when she is sitting, she sits on the ruffles.  I would rather have them show on the back on her rump! :)

Here's a pic of my little chunker and I on Easter! She looked pretty cute!

And a group shot of my adorable kiddos!

Project #8 in my 52 in 2013 personal sewing challenge

Have a great week everyone!