This Moment {April 4, 2014}

Completed: Carolina In My Mind

This week's Project Run and Play challenge is to make something inspired by your favorite Spring Break or vacation destination.

Well, that's a no-brainer for me. Asheville. 

Specifically, Biltmore. I often wander there in my mind. Spring is my favorite time of year at Biltmore. (Actually, every season is pretty spectacular.) The tulips bloom first in the conservatory gardens. The wisteria and azaleas follow. It's a feast for the senses: gorgeous blooms explode against a backdrop of ombre mountains.

I could wax poetic about it all day, but.

I'll make this quick because the kids are going through a High Maintenance stage. Completing an outfit, getting some good shots, and blogging about it is a blooming miracle (pun intended), and I intend to barrage you with a ridiculous number of photos. 

The top is a heavy alteration of the basic Flashback Skinny Tee. It's made from an upcycled women's t-shirt. The striped gray shoulder pieces are gathered at the front and back shoulder seams, and create a cap-sleeve effect that I adore. The striped gray fabric for the neckband and shoulder pieces are from from an upcycled women's sweater (sister's hand-me-down). I kept the shirt's original double-layer hem. The armholes are a little lower than normal because of the changes I made to the pattern, but I'm okay with them. It'll be cooler this summer. 

I knocked off the applique from a miniBoden t-shirt. All the strips are from other women's t-shirts -- three of them I bought to make into Eliza's size this summer. (They were on sale for $3.)

A camper. Obvs. Only in Asheville would a rainbow camper be embraced and totally normal. Ha.

The cardigan is upcycled from my sister's BFF's sweater. It is the piece around which Eliza's summer wardrobe will center. It's soft and drapey and has gorgeous colors: royal blue, teal, pale pink, bright pink, and gray.

The cardigan is self drafted. The bottom and sleeves are banded, and the sleeves have a small pleat at the shoulder seam and soft gathers at the sleeve band. The buttons (bright blue) are my favorite part.

The skirt (also self drafted) is simply the bottom of a woman's t-shirt with a strip of gray ribbing from another upcycled shirt as the waistband.

I figured out turning on music during a photo shoot makes things more fun for both of us. When I look back on these photos in 30 years, I'll only remember The Fun Things. Won't I? Tell me I will.

Thanks for indulging me in the blatant photo overload.

Maybe I'll recover enough to sew for next week's challenge.

Or maybe I'll go to Carolina In My Mind and just not return. Kidding. Sort of.

This Moment {January 17, 2014}

Eliza decided to do away with diaper wearing yesterday.

In our experience, potty training has been anti-climactic. We wait until they decide to stop wearing diapers (usually around 2 years, 8 months or so), and that's it. It's done. I mean, there are a few accidents, but it's no big deal.

This time made us tear up a little. It'll be our first time since 2007 without a baby in diapers.

In my memory, this stage of motherhood will always be immortalized by little bottoms in superhero undies. Melt. My. Heart.

Completed: A Thanksgiving Norah

Next week is Thanksgiving! In addition to making it acceptable to gorge on mashed potatoes and gravy, it means we get to see my family! It's been several months, so I think this occasion calls for a celebratory dress, don't you?

Here's Eliza's Thanksgiving dress.

It's Hayley's (Welcome to the Mouse House) first pattern, and it's precious. The Norah Dress and Tunic. I was thrilled when she sent me a copy to sew up. I'd been drooling over all the testers' versions popping up and couldn't wait to try my own for Eliza.

The neat thing about this pattern are the endless possible variations. It can be a dress or a tunic. It can be sleeveless, short sleeved, or long sleeved. It can have a collar with or without a tie, with or without a cinch, with or without piping. It can be collarless. It can be knit or woven. See what I mean? Endless possibilities.

For my first version, I decided to use my organic cotton from Birch Fabrics that I won last month. It was pure torture to have to choose one fabric from Fabricworm's stock. (Okay, not torture per se, but still. It's all divine. And I forgot how much I love fondling new fabric.)

I landed on this orangey, rusty print from Emily Isabella. It's fun and autumnal-ish, I thought. It's softer than standard quilting cotton, being organic and all.

Isn't it weird how the center pattern lined up, but the others didn't? Hmmm. It's on grain. No clue.

She was pretending to be a robot. It worked well. "Eliza, pretend to be a robot who walks toward me."

"Okay now pretend to be a robot who's looking at the camera."

This isn't the last you've seen of the Norah Dress. I'm participating in the pattern tour in a couple of weeks, and I've got a groovy upcycled version planned for that.

Also - this dress goes up to size 12, so my mother-in-law and I plan to collaborate on one for my niece. I'm really excited about sewing for a tween, especially since one of Hayley's testers was generous enough to share with me details of her own tween version.

I love the sewing community.

Stats:
Pattern: Nora Dress by Mouse House Creations, view A with optional cincher on bow
Fabric & Notions: Emily Isabella for Birch Organics c/o Fabricworm. Pink gingham from my stash. Mauve button from Grandma's collection.
Size & Fit: 2t. It's a tad long in the arms and length, which is perfect for us. Eliza's on the small side anyway, and it just means she'll get to wear it straight through to Spring. (And she'll be able to wear it as a tunic next year!)
Modifications: I overlapped the shoulder seams at the neckline a bit because I thought it would make the collar lie perfectly flat, but it wasn't necessary. I did a blind hem on the bottom and sleeves -- not because I'm an overachiever but because I didn't have matching thread. In other news, I nailed the blind hem.
Thoughts: I really, really like this pattern. The a-line silhouette is my favorite, and this unique vintage-style collar is delightful. The bodice is lined, which is important to me, and the back closure is simple. No button holes. Score! Hayley's instructions were easy to follow and complete.

The only hiccup I had was with the set-in sleeves. They look okay; I simply need more practice with set-in sleeves. Next time I'll do more than one row of basting stitches for gathered ease.

Hayley's got another pattern coming out soon -- a woman's cardigan. I've been waiting for it since she first mentioned it months ago. It'll be a good one.

If I don't see you next week, Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. readers!

Completed: Super Skinny Pants and a Bimaa

Today Melissa released the latest from Blank Slate Patterns -- the Super Skinny Pants. I got to test these twice, so here's the version I made for Eliza.

Two is my favorite age. Really, it is. And 12. 

But two. Oh my. She's independent, moody, and completely cuddly. She feels everything in such a big way. 

She's starting to have an opinion about clothes, too. I'll start my review by telling you she loved these pants. The first version I tested for Lee, and he was willing to help but wasn't thrilled with the style because he likes more ease in his pants. 

Every time I slipped these on Eliza to adjust the fit she said, "Ooooh. I yike these."

Don't be fooled by the face. She "yikes" them. 

I'm a sucker for matching ensembles, so I sewed up a Bimaa Sweater to match the striped ribbed knit on the side of the pants. The Bimaa is my girlfriend. Eventually I'll venture out into other options besides the cowl, but look. A cowl on a toddler? I'm swooning.

This pattern includes a zip fly, which isn't optional as these pants are designed to be tight and require unzipping. Don't fret if you've never sewn one; Melissa's instructions for a fly zipper are awesome. She's led me through three now, and they've each turned out beautifully.

The stripe down the side allows the pants to expand, but it also adds interest. I thought it'd be neat to add stamped fabric or something with a graphic print next time.

Also, I like the elastic in the back waistband. Eliza is slim, so I was able to custom fit these while still maintaining the trendy flat front.

A few things to keep in mind if you sew this pattern:
The fly is necessary.
Rib knit with at least 50% stretch is necessary.
Choose size based on hip measurements. They are tight.
There aren't pockets. (I guess you could add them, but with the stripe and tightness it might be tough.)

Eliza is long-waisted, so I probably need to add a little to the back rise for the next pair. Maybe by then she'll be out of diapers and in underwear. Ha. Hahaha. Hahahahahahaha.

Because I can't resist the cheeks, here are a few more just for fun. (Or for her grandmothers.)

Stats:
Pattern: Super Skinny Pants by Blank Slate Patterns / Bimaa Sweater by EmmylouBeeDoo
Fabric: Knits for the Bimaa and side stripe from my (dwindling) stash / upcycled khaki pants for fabric, zipper, and button for the pants. *the pants were mine from waitressing days in college and were practically worn through*
Size and fit: 2t all around. Melissa worked hard to get the fit right on these. I'd check measurements carefully because they're designed to be tight.
Thoughts: The only issue I had was with the cowl on the Bimaa. Trying to sew across the rib of the knit left the seam wavy. It hides easily with this style neckline.

The pants are marked Intermediate, and I'd agree with that designation. They came together pretty easily, though. Man I love PDF pattern instructions. A photo with every step? Yes, please.

Eliza needs more pants like these.

KCW Leftovers

I finished all the projects I'd planned for Kids Clothes Week with two exceptions: the Music Class Shirt and Skirt will wait until Spring (the salmon linen I'm using is suited for that season) and the Henry Shirt for Lee was a fail.

The collar tripped me up again. The whole stinkin' thing is finished except for the collar and snaps. Alas, I'm calling it quits. As much as I love this design, too many hours have been spent trying to make it work. Maybe it was me goofing up the seam allowances; maybe my brain just won't wrap around attaching a collar without a stand; I don't know. I ripped it and re-sewed it three times and the collar just wouldn't meet up with the placket. (You'll see what I mean in the third picture below.)

It was made from two of Ryan's old shirts -- one of which had a hole in it -- so at least it wasn't a heartbreaking loss of fabric.

My sister bought Eliza a precious little striped sweater dress from a resale shop. (It's Gymboree brand.) She needed a purple shirt to go underneath it, so I whipped up a Flashback Skinny Tee in a violet knit from my stash. (Her tights are Children's Place.)

I also sewed up another Bimaa Sweater and Sunki Leggings (the same denim, which brings the count up to 3 of the exact same pants). The cowl neck is from the same upcycled dress as my first version, and the orange knit is leftover from one of my Renfrews.

We went to Audubon State Park for these shots, and a woman passing by teased this smile out of her. Our new friend was smitten with Eliza. It was a gorgeous place for a hike.

All my plastic bins that held outstanding projects for KCW are empty! That feels good. It feels even better to know that Daniel and Lee are set for clothes this season. Eliza could use a few more things that I've already got planned.

I'm itching to finish a couple of things for myself, too -- finally getting around to my Thurlows is first on the list. They've been cut, interfaced, and ready to sew for six months now. It's amazing how that happens, isn't it?

Signature Style (PR&P Week 4)

This is the third time I've sewn along with the "Signature Style" week at Project Run and Play. (The first time is here. The second time is here.)

Here's how I described aspects of my "style" last season: "comfort (knits), upcycling, classic silhouettes, shortened bodices, applique, and muted colors."

I'd say that's still mostly true.

"Muted colors" must've meant mauve and gray because that's my favorite color scheme for the girl. But I'm starting to use more bold colors, too.

And of course I'd add "vintage" to that list!

Here's my Signature Style look for Season 7!

Details:

Pattern:  shirt -- Maggie Mae by Shwin Designs; pants -- Sunki leggings by Figgy's Patterns; hat -- Fedora Hat Pattern by Elegants & Elephants

Fabric: shirt -- upcycled stretch cotton blend from a hand-me-down shirt of my sister's; pants -- stretch medium-weight denim from my stash; hat -- upcycled twill from a hand-me-down skirt

Notions: I used vintage brown bobble buttons for the back. (My signature style definitely includes vintage things.)

Size: 2 (shirt); 4/5 (leggings) for added ease and growth room; Medium (fedora) 

Modifications: Added piping to the yoke seam on the Maggie Mae tunic. Shortened the length of the tunic (but left plenty of room for the hem to be lengthened).

Thoughts: I love, love, love every piece! I've been waiting to sew up the Maggie Mae for a while with this specific shirt upcycle in mind. I'll be sewing this pattern again. I may try to line the whole thing next time.

And the fedora and leggings are wonderfully versatile and will work with several different looks, as you'll see next week. (Hint!)