kcwc: the end

Okay, for the sewing that I did manage, this is absolutely my favourite piece. Sure, it's just a sweatshirt but it's red and white - and it has red and white stripes in the hood! I would wear this everyday if it was my size. And I made it using a pair of pre-loved sweatpants from my dear friend Ragdoll, so as long as Milo doesn't stain the bejeezus out of it, her little baby boy will be next in line to wear it. It's funny, I love raglan sleeves in knitting, but this is the very first time I've sewn a raglan sleeve. I didn't use a pattern but drafted a pattern from an existing hand-me-down. I know I will use this a few more times.

As soon as I finished the sweatshirt, I took the inspiration from this skirt (oh my goodness, it's awesome) and pulled out a thrifted shirt hoping to cut a few triangles out of it. But the shirt had these crazy diagonal sleeves and I realized I could make the whole skirt out of the two sleeves cut open. Fifteen minutes and three serged seams later and Sadie had a skirt. She wore it instantly (yes, over top of rainbow leggings).

Almost forgot this shirt! I made this on Tuesday with the same jersey as Sadie's pants. Easy style and it seems anything with a ruffle gets a thumbs up from my girl.

So another KCWC week done. I may not have sewn as much as I'd hoped, but no matter - I got to make a few wearable pieces and have some fun photo shoots with the kids. I know I've already said it, but this last photo reminds me even more - there's sewing and then there's spending time with my little people. I'll take a laugh-off by the blackboard anytime.

kcwc: a bit more

This funny romper was supposed to be my big plan for the week. I had sketches, I drafted pattern pieces...but it has ended up as a so-so experiment. The whole layering-for-pockets is what had me excited, and I suppose that worked (even though Milo was much more interested in dropping toys down the inside of the romper so that they fell out onto the floor - I guess pockets don't excite him yet). And I did like attaching the ribbed edging on the inside and then turning it to the front to top stitch, so that's a good lesson for the future. But as for the wearability and look of the romper? Not sure.

What will get worn is these shorts. Funny how thirty minutes of investment can be so much more useful. And now there's no more gray fleece left (points scored for using up every little scrap of this fleece) so I've moved on to other colours. More to show later today!

kcwc: the beginning

So far, this week hasn't gone as planned.  Double shifts at work, hardly seeing the kids...so sewing has taken a total backseat.  But on Monday I accomplished a little, starting with a quick kerchief for Sadie -  pretty scraps of fabric to help keep hair from her eyes.

And then a pair of desperately needed pants (well, that's according to Mom, because I'm not a fan of her all-tight-pants wardrobe, but I'm trying to be subtle about it).  The fabric is a lightweight, almost pique jersey so they should be great in warmer weather.  I used some older pants as a guide and dressed them up with the ruffle cuff. There were two tiny holes in the fabric so I covered them with the blue heart above and Sadie seems pleased with her "peek pocket". Already they've been worn twice and washed once, so I think they're a success.

Hopefully more to come, but I'm predicting a blow-out single post late in the weekend. My fingers are crossed, hoping for sewing time to magically appear (and work related projects to magically disappear). But I'm also overdue for some serious kid loving, so we'll see. Kids beat out time at the sewing machine any day.

adventures in fleece

How is it that you can have shelves of fabric but still realize you have nothing of something-or-else? For me it was fleece. Now that I'm comfortable sewing with knits, fleece seemed like a natural next step and wouldn't you know it, Fabricland had a pile of awesome jogging ends for $5/metre. So I stocked up even though I have nowhere to pile it and already way too much fabric in my stash.

At least I have a plan - sew through the pile quickly. Everything got washed right away and my first experiment is this cardigan. I used my adapted t-shirt pattern for the basic shape and then copied a fleece cardigan of Sadie's that I love. Hers buttons all the way down but I'm a sucker for comfort and I think the single button is a little more sophisticated - if that's at all possible with a fleece garment. To break up the all gray look, I added striped cuffs (better photo below) which are actually attached on the wrong side of the fleece and then folded up. Then one pocket, a little striped loop and a button from Paris finish it up.

It's probably not one bit flattering, but I love wearing it - it's really comfortable and the striped cuffs make me smile, so I've got a black version planned next. As long as this spring stays cold, I'll have plenty of chances to wear it. But then again the Kids Clothing Week Challenge  is coming up soon, so my sewing should switch over to Sadie and Milo. Hopefully I can make a dent in my stash for that.