Completed: Eliza's Fall Ensemble #1

First up on the list for Eliza's fall wardrobe is a pair of jeggings. She has a polka dotted pair that she's worn threadbare, and a lightweight knit pair that she loves despite their being two sizes too small.

It was time for a replacement pair.

Here's what I started with:

also, my feet are jacked up. but seeing that flaming duct tape that holds my cutting mat together makes me SO HAPPY.

I started with the polka-dotted pair, which I ripped apart and used to draft a new pattern. When I cut the new ones too short, I decided to add an angled detail at the ankle. For the ankle pieces, the pockets, the yoke, and the front pockets (which I didn't photograph), I used the reverse side of this denim-look knit. It's super shiny, but of course shows up as a dull gray in photos. There's a sheen to the knit that doesn't translate into photos either.

But it does translate into pants that my all-things-shiny-loving daughter will wear. Score.

I used navy thread for all the topstitching. Why? Because I didn't have silver.

And now the Bimaa. I've made this shirt several times (four times, actually), but this is the first time with the shawl collar. I used an old dress of my sister's for the collar, sleeve bands, and waist band. When it came time to find coordinating fabric, I had a tough time choosing from my stash. I knew Eliza would only wear it if certain criteria were met (shine!), so I finally landed on this teal fabric with metallic stripes.

Stats:

Patterns: Bimaa Sweater by LouBee Clothing (shawl option). Self-drafted jeggings.

Fabric: Upcycled knit for sweater bands and shawl. Other fabrics from Jo-Ann. 

Thoughts: I would like this outfit in my size. Really.

I need to bring the neckline up on the Bimaa. I know this and just keep forgetting. Also, I need to shorten the sleeves a tad. Then the 3T will fit her perfectly. There are a few more Bimaas on the list for the Fall, including a hood version and a maxi dress. The Girl loves long dresses.

The jegging pockets are a little big for her tiny tush.

This look was inspired by the "'80s Cartoon" theme for Project Run & Play week one. (I was thinking "Jem" with the zig zags and metallic fabric.) It also fits the upcycled theme (week two) and the denim theme (week three).  Too bad I didn't finish it in time for any of those sew-along linky parties. Ha. And. . . meh.

Up next: a denim skirt with tights and (another) Bimaa. Then my practice version of The Bridesmaid Dress. I'm saving some awesome t-shirts for the boys for Kids Clothes Week (October 20-26).

Sewing School

(Sorry if my Flikr stream showed up in your reader today. I'm trying to figure out how to add social buttons. Obviously I failed. Michelle = Antisocial.)

Martha Pullen Company is known for all things heirloom sewing, but Martha's face is on everything from cookbooks to PBS. The company publishes Sew Beautiful magazine, the premier periodical dedicated to heirloom sewing. Every February and July the School of Art Fashion takes place in Huntsville, AL, and sewists come to learn new techniques and meet others interested in the art.

The School is four days of classes offered in a variety of subjects and techniques. Before the "official" School begins, there are Pre-Day classes -- abbreviated courses attendees can add to their roster. The Pre-Day classes were open this year (I'm told it's the first time) to those not attending the full four-day School. When registration opened, I gobbled up a spot in Lindsay's Ruby Ruffle Dress class.

This was my first sewing class. The classes aren't designed to teach people how to sew. It's more about gathering with others who share mutual passion and learning from the teacher and each other - new techniques, a different way of doing things, a different perspective, etc.

Honestly most of what I learned had nothing to do with actual sewing.

Sewing Bloggers are the Read Deal, No Matter How Many Followers They've Got
Lindsay's blog The Cottage Home is one of my favorites. If I had to describe her online persona, I'd use the words warm, inviting, creative, talented, genuine, ambitious, kind, generous, and smart.

If I had to describe Lindsay after spending the whole day with her, I'd use the exact same words.

I tried really hard to keep my effusiveness in check, and considering we ate lunch together I'm guessing I wasn't too creepy.

Really, if you love her blog, she is exactly as you imagine.

Don't Wear Cowboy Boots to Sewing School
There were two outfits in my overnight bag -- The Cute One and The Comfortable One. I opted for the cowboy boots and polka dotted tights - The Cute One.

It's hard to drive a sewing machine pedal while wearing cowboy boots. I spent most of the day sock-footed.

There's a Sewing Machine. And Then There's a SEWING Machine.
We used the Pfaff Creative Performance. To operate it, we touched a stylus to a screen. There were more button hole options than there are mountains in Appalachia.

Of course, I didn't get the hang of back-stitching until there were two seams left on the dress.

And I didn't find the manual wheel until I was sewing on the buttons (the final step). As nice as it was, my Singer suits my needs.

For now.

Martha Pullen Wears Sequins
Martha was close by while we were tracing and cutting our patterns. Everyone positively gushed when talking about her. Apparently she's every bit as sweet as her accent.

"She's wearing gold-sequinned Uggs," they said.

I should have tracked her down, seen the shoes for myself, and asked for a cheesy fan picture. But I chickened out.

If We Lived In/Near Huntsville, I'd Have to Sell a Child or Risk Going Broke
They trucked the entire Martha Pullen Store over to the convention center and then marked everything 30% off. No lie. Batiste, name-brand quilting cotton, trim, ready-to-smock outfits, patterns, lace -- all you can dream.

And Liberty. Let me show you what I bought.

Tilda. Not sure what it'll make.

Liberty. 1/2 yard of yummy. Not sure what this'll be either. 

Liberty. The coup d'etat. 1 yard. This will be a blouse worn with bright yellow Clovers. 

The leftover fabric from the kit. This will become a lined A-line dress (the Ruby Ruffle pattern view C).

If You Want to be the Most Popular Girl At the Sewing Party, Buy Liberty
And then carry it around and let everyone touch it.

Lindsay took us over to the store and showed us how she chooses fabric combinations. That was extremely valuable information. She also taught us her technique for hemming lined dresses. And she let us pick her brain about blogging, her book (coming out in October), and business stuff.

The biggest slap-to-the-forehead moment came when Darlene, the Pfaff representative who was in the room to help with the machines, was showing me how to sew on a button. When she finished, she pulled on the strand at the back of the fabric, and when a little loop formed, she pulled the thread from the front through to the back.

I almost passed out right there. Do you know how I've always done it?

I've threaded a needle with the thread remaining in the front and sewed through to the back. It's how I tied off every single thread on those train appliqued shirts. Using Darlene's technique, which is one of those common sense things, would have saved me untold time.

Do you want to see the finished dress? It's so precious.

I'll take pictures of her wearing it later this week. She needs ruffled bloomers to match.

I was thrilled with the class. And it was affordable: the cost was $110 for everything - the kit included the pattern, fabric, notions, and they supplied the machines, irons, tracing paper, etc. Plus I came home with enough fabric from the kit for two more dresses at least. (They include enough fabric for the biggest size.)

We may not have a Sewing Summit east of the Mississippi, but we've got The Cottage Mama. And Martha Pullen in gold sequined Uggs.

Layered Ruffle Tee (PR&P Week 5)

(update: a tutorial for this top is available here.)

This week at Project Run and Play it's time for The Men's Dress Shirt Challenge. We were supposed to take a men's button-down (or up?) shirt and design something for a child.

I've been excited about this one since the lovely ladies announced the themes. There's a stack of dress shirts in Ryan's closet that are too gross for donating but too valuable to toss. (The buttons and fabric alone are worth keeping around.)

Among those ring-around-the-collar-stained shirts was one Ryan got when we were newly married. It was an Old Navy button-down that was paired with a red pullover sweater. My heart skipped a beat every time he wore it. Ryan looks good in red. And in layers. Preppy layers.

Oh, hello. I got distracted for a minute. Whew. Focus, Michelle.

Tossing that stained shirt in the trash was out of the question, but I figured it'd be perfect as a remade shirt for Eliza. I've been wanting to make a layered tunic like the one pictured below ever since I bought it at Target months back. It's the Oshkosh brand that Target carries (Genuine Kids), and it's my favorite (store-bought) top in her wardrobe.

source

Turns out it was a little tougher to execute than it looks. It's that extra, bottom layer of gathered ruffle - how to attach it, etc. I studied the Genuine Kids one and tried to replicate it from the inside out, and here's what resulted.

I started with a basic t-shirt pattern (another Flashback Skinny Tee, anyone?) and started hacking away. I'd really like to do a tutorial, mostly because I want to document the steps so I can repeat this look.

The pants are a basic two-piece, self-drafted pattern with heart knee patches made of the upcycled shirt. The denim isn't stretchy, but it seems comfortable enough.

It's a little poofier than the Target version, simply because Ryan's button-down dress shirt is a heavier weight. As much as I'd like to use some of my fun quilting cotton next time, it really needs a lighter weight gauze or voile.

But I'm kind of liking the poofy.

It's hard to see in these pictures, but the arm hole is cut out of the top knit layer, and it also continues in the first ruffly layer. This time I had to do set-in sleeves because I sewed the side seams first. Next time I'll do it the easy way and sew up the sides and arms all at once.

This week I'm off to THE MARTHA PULLEN SCHOOL OF ART FASHION! I have to yell that because, well, it's MARTHA PULLEN! My Christmas gift was a one-day class taught by Lindsay Wilkes, blogger and designer behind The Cottage Home and Cottage Mama. I'm driving down and staying overnight! By myself! In a hotel! Then sewing for a whole day! With other people! Who like to sew! 

I'll try to calm down a little before I write a blog post about it. All the exclamation points are making me a little dizzy. Kind of like the idea of meeting Martha Pullen! And Lindsay Wilkes!

Thanks for indulging my psychosis. I know you get it. 

The Happy Hedgehog (PR&P Week 2)

For week two of Project Run and Play, the challenge is to create a look with polka dots and stripes. My stash is woefully missing polka dots, but stripes are pouring over.

I took the opportunity to use some delicious striped scraps to make a comfortable knit combination for The Baby Girl.

Indoor pictures on a cloudy, rainy day. Bleh. 

At least there are some bright, cheerful flowers on the pants. I tried to make them scratch and sniff, but the lady at the fabric store said they were all out of scratch-and-sniff floral fabric.

I was forced to use a vintage sheet for the pants.

The Shirt:

source

I cannot even take remote credit for this adorable hedgehog. I've had the Mini-Boden cardigan (left) pinned on my inspiration board for months. (Note: Did you see Lily wearing it the other night on Modern Family?! I squealed and said, "That's the HEDGEHOG I'm working on RIGHT NOW!" Ryan was less than impressed.)

The pattern was Made by Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee (size 18 month with extra wiggle room added), and the fabric came from Spiritex's warehouse sale.

I layered a bunch of scraps I had and stitched around each part individually. It turned out just the way I'd imagined. (Another note: When I went to take pictures of Eliza today in the shirt, I noticed a tiny hole right there over the hedgehog. It wasn't there last night, and I have no idea how it got there. I tried to fix it, but it's pretty obvious to me. *sob*)

For the cardigan, I modified the Flashback Skinny Tee pattern, adding a button placket and slicing it down the middle (size 2t to give more room).

source

And the pants. I've had the Mini-Boden pants on the left pinned for a while, too, and I tried to modify a basic pant block to replicate them. It was kind of successful. They have a flat front and elastic back, plus the piping and button accents. There are a few things I'd change if I did it again.

Like I mentioned, they're made from a vintage bed sheet. They're also fully lined.

In fact, I'm planning to do it again, maybe with corduroy or a smaller print. If I can get it looking right, I'll do a tutorial.

This outfit suits her personality perfectly. Spunky, different, fun, and whimsical. Just to prove it, she gave me one of these:

If you're up for it, head on over to Project Run and Play to check out the other sew-alongers and this week's designers' looks.

Failed: Upcycled T-Shirt

Did I tell you my boyfriend's back?

 

He got back from camera rehab a couple of weeks ago. He was gone for a really, really long time. I have suspicions of infidelity while we were apart. We're in the "getting reacquainted" stage, but he's just not treating me like he used to.

That brings me to my latest sewing fail. The outfit and the horrific out-of-focus photo.

It's (yet another) envelope t-shirt. I know, I'm getting kind of sick of seeing them, too. This was my very, very last cut-but-unfinished project from the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. It was weighing on me, pulsing from the sewing table like the Tell-tale Shirt: "Sew me. Sew me. Sew me. You won't be happy 'til you sew me. Sew me. Sew me. Sew me."

I kind of wish I'd kept it buried. I mean, it's okay. Eliza even wore it to a friend's house for dinner Saturday night. But it's just kind of . . . off. Like my camera.

This time I tried to layer long sleeves under the short sleeves. Cute concept, poor execution. The seams don't give, so baby girl can't flex her biceps without losing circulation. Then there's the weird envelope part. It's on steroids apparently. This one is cut from my own pattern before I got the Flashback Skinny Tee, so the proportions are way off.

Bleh. 

Wait until you see her Thanksgiving outfit. I've redeemed myself. (If I get it finished. If not, pretend I never said anything about a Thanksgiving outfit.)

Completed: Christmas Dress #1

You should probably prepare for the Apocalypse.

The impossible has happened, and I'm afraid it may bring about the end of the world.

It's the first week of November, and I've finished one of Eliza's Christmas dresses. (Her Easter dress was completed at 4:00 a.m. Easter morning. Her first birthday dress still isn't finished. She's 17 months old.)

I'm working on a tutorial for this style that'll be a guest post over at Project Run and Play this Thursday. I didn't actually get frisky and abandon my procrastinating ways; this was my practice dress, and I figured I'd go ahead and make it up in a holiday fabric.

This shot almost makes me forget my camera's still in the shop:

I didn't embellish this dress at all, and the one that'll appear in the tutorial isn't embellished either. The fabric was busy enough.  That's my excuse, but some piping or a tiny little bow right along the neckline would have been cute.

Check out the shoes. They are awesome. Very Christmas-y, those Chucks.

Stats:
Pattern: Heavily Modified Simplicity 4711 (lined the bodice, shortened the skirt, made the back cross over -- so basically, just kept the front bodice piece of the original pattern)
Fabric: Michael Miller Nordic Holiday; Kona cotton
Cost: $15

(Check out a couple of other similar versions of this dress here and here.)

On Sewing

We've had some heavy stuff going on in our Families of Origin.

Death. Birth. A very serious diagnosis and upcoming surgery. All in the last three weeks.

The kids and I have been out of town three weeks of the past four. Ryan is at a significant crossroad in his career. I'm at the peak of training for marathon #4. After a five-year hiatus, PMS has returned with a vengeance. Our cat is puking blood. The truck won't start.

There have been moments of bliss, but mostly Ryan and I feel like we're riding a roller coaster in the middle of a tornado.

Last week while I was chugging away at my sewing machine, I probably should have been doing something else (like sleeping). The same questions kept nagging: "With all the stuff going on around you, why are you sewing? Why are you posting pictures on a blog? Why does this matter?"

Those other things are beyond my control.

I can't keep our families healthy. Or predict that phone call that will change everything. I can't shorten labor. Or find Ryan's dream job. I can't fix Ryan's truck. (And apparently neither can anyone else.)

Like running, sewing is my escape. It's something I can control. A + B = C. It's tedious at times, but mostly the effort expended yields proportional results.

The instructions are written and (hopefully) easy to follow. If I complete the steps, there should be a wearable result.

There will be failures, but they are easy to remedy. If not, it's easy to move on.

When I'm speechless from confusion, grief, and fear, there is one thing that doesn't require words. I don't have to find a babysitter or put on a jacket. I can tune out the world and focus on the thread at my fingertips.

I've got everything I need to get away -- right here in my dining room.

So, I sew.

Finished: Goodship Dress

Recently I had the pleasure of testing a pattern for One Girl Circus. Karen LePage, the pattern designer, has designed for Patterns by Figgy's and co-authored Sewing for Boys. This is her first pattern with One Girl Circus -- the Goodship Dress.

I wasn't sure this pattern would fit Eliza when I agreed to test it. First, Eliza's tiny and I knew the length would need adjusting. Second, I wondered if the unique collar and bow would overwhelm her little frame.

It turned out beautifully.

The pattern itself was well designed and easy to follow. It took some time to print the PDF and piece it together, but I like the instant nature of digital downloadable patterns. The explanations made sense. The pieces came together logically.

I did have to shorten the dress considerably, but technically the size was a 2T. The great thing about it is the chest is relatively adjustable with the bow and inverted pleat.

Getting a crisp seam on that inverted pleat worked because I used a trick from Megan Nielsen -- spraying a 50/50 water/vinegar mix onto a paper bag and pressing. (I used card stock. Same principle.)

The only part that gave me drama was the bias binding around the arm and neck holes. Luckily I got more practice on that technique during KCWC and sewing Eliza's a-line tunic, so the next arm holes should be better. In fact, I'm planning to try a winter version of the Goodship Dress with puffed long sleeves to eliminate the binding on the armholes altogether.

It looks uneven, doesn't it? It's the camera angle (I hope).

Here's the link to the Goodship Dress pattern! Check it out!

Project Run & Play "Signature Look"

My signature style is usually whatever's handed down. Or gifted. Or on sale.

But if I have a choice, I gravitate toward a few things for the kids' clothes.

Simple, classic silhouettes. Appliques. Vintage fabric. Upcycled fabric. Knits. Practical, comfortable stuff. Coordinated (matchy matchy).

Generally I like color, but this outfit has been speaking to me for a while now, ever since I saw this dress. It captures my "signature look" pretty well.

I took the tunic and leggings I finished the last day of the Kids Clothes Week Challenge and added an applique and headband.

I'm throwing it into the Project Run and Play flikr sew-along pool. It's the last week for the competition, so the final three are competing with their own signature looks. They're sure to be dynamic.