KCW Days 3 & 4

Hey all!  My Kids Clothes Week challenge is not going as well as I had hoped, but I've still managed to get a little sewing done! Day 2 I made a nightgown for Kenna (no pics, it's in the wash already!), and Days 3 & 4 I worked on a fall outfit for Cecelia--even though it's 110 degrees out today!  :)

I'm sharing pics of that outfit today.  The patterns are from Ottobre 01/2009.  If you haven't heard of Ottobre, you are missing out. It is a wonderful magazine chock full of kids patterns.  It's european based, so the sizing is a bit different, and tracing the patterns can be a bit confusing, but the fit is always great, and the end results are always beautiful.  I used patterns #6 and #8 for this outfit, and the fabric is all from Joann's. The jumper is fine cord, and quilter's cotton for the back lining, and the undershirt is cotton interlock with white ribbing for the trim.  I appliquéd a big flower design onto the jumper for a little bit of added fun.  Overall, I'm super happy with how this turned out! I made a size 92cm, and it's a smidge big on Cecelia yet, but that's probably a good thing since she won't wear it for a few months!  

Happy Sewing!

Kids Clothing Week Day 1

Hey all!  This week I'm participating in the Kids Clothes Week (KCW) challenge! The challenge is to sew one hour a day for your kids.  This week is crazy busy with swimming lessons, kindergarten prep for my youngest son, tumbling for the girls, doctors appointments, and just the regular chaos of life.  But I'm hoping to get my hour in each day--maybe more if time allows!

Yesterday I eeked out my hour. I chose a quickie pattern, as I knew my time was really limited--the Rio Racerback from Peek-a-Boo patterns--one of my go-to's for this summer.  I know many of the KCW participants are working on fall sewing, but since we live in the desert we have quite a bit of summer left!  So I'm still in tank and shorts mode. :)

I made a size 8 for Ashlee, using a thrifted ladies tee as the main fabric.  I used purple interlock from my stash for the trim, and for the mountain appliqué.  The Rio is a super fast sew, and the results are so cute! Couple pics from our super fast photo session last night--we barely made it before dark!

Happy Sewing this week!

Minnie Mouse Feliz Dress

This might just be my favorite sewing project to date.  I usually stray away from characters in my sewing, especially for my kiddos. We don't encourage characters at home, and certainly not in clothing...but I made an exception for this dress.  My 22 month old LOVES Minnie Mouse, and I love to appease her. :)  

I wanted something that screamed Minnie, but wasn't over the top, so I decided to go with a small appliqué.  I used my all time favorite dress pattern, the Farbenmix Feliz (single pattern has been discontinued, but you can still get the pattern as part of the book "Sewing Clothes Kids Love" found here.)  I used three different polka dot fabrics, in three different sizes--yellow being the smallest, then black, followed by the red.  I added 4 rows of 3" ruffles to the back of the Feliz for that extra "wow" factor.  I was able to use all three of my machines for this project--sewing matchine, serger (for seams and rolled hems on the ruffles), and my coverstitch (hems). I also used my ruffler foot for the ruffles.  The Feliz is such a fun dress to sew--I've made so many now, I could probably do them in my sleep!  This is the size 18/24 months with seam allowance added. Normally Cecelia wears a 3T in RTW (ready to wear) clothing, so I debated doing the 3T/4T, but I'm glad I went with the smaller size, as she has plenty of room to grow in it! My favorite part about this dress is that once they outgrow it as a dress, it fits as a tunic, and still looks great! One Feliz lasts us 2-3 seasons!

Once I finished the dress, I just couldn't stop. I made a matching dress for her American Girl Bitty Baby with my scraps, and then set after making a hair bow.  My friend Kristen told me about an little tool called the Bowdabra, and let me tell you--you need one!  I bought the mini-bowdabra, and it is perfect for making all sorts of bow--including hair bows! I found a yellow pair of flip flops at Old Navy, and added bows to them as well.  Now, onto the pics!

Cecelia and her Bitty Baby

Close-up of the applique--simple but cute!

Back of the dress with all the ruffles!

My sweet girl.

Old Navy sandals with bows attatched.

Until next time!