KCW Spring Bubble Skirt

I don't often get to post during Kids Clothes Week, sewing, photographing, and posting are too much.  But today I am throwing caution to the wind and posting a bad cell photo because I really want to be part of this fun group.

So, here it is.  I cut it yesterday and sewed it up tonight.  The pattern is here and the fabric can be found here (I love the mustard color too).

Look out for another post later this week with little sister's coordinating tunic.  I just can't help myself this time.

P.S. In case you haven't checked out my shop lately, there are some new designs available.

Nani Iro Blankets

My obsession with Nani Iro will not go away.  I just can't get enough.  And then, when I saw these blankets from Purl Soho, already knowing how wonderful the Michael Miller Cotton Sherpa feels, I just had to make the girls blankets combining the two.  

swaddled

The blankets were supposed to be Christmas gifts, but it didn't happen and I just finished them last week.  I guess that's one upside to the LONG winter we've had this year.  And the best part is, there was no competition with other presents and the girls love them. 

The specks:  The Nani Iro brushed cotton came from Superbuzzy and the cotton sherpa from fabric.com.  I followed the Purl Soho instructions more or less.  But, instead of using the machine to make the quilting stitches I hand tied them.  It was faster than I expected and made for a nice couch activity.  

Chalk Cloth Portfolio

Do you remember in college seeing the "real artists" walking around with portfolios?  I always wished I was that cool.  My only hope now is that I give my kids the tools to become artists if that's what they want to be. 

Finally a good use for the 200+ embroidery stitches on my sewing machine.

I've been dying to get my hands on some chalk markers and finally got a set.  They're GREAT! 

It's not a full tutorial, but in case you want to make one too, here are the measurements.

Chalk cloth, lining and canvas interlining  21" x 14"
Separating sports zipper, 36" but shortened to approximate 32"
1" Webbing, 2 pieces 12" each

To hold the paper pad:
1" Grosgrain ribbon, 11" long
 
For the pencil case:
Plastic 8" x 19" (I used a piece from a sheet set packaging)
8" Zipper
2 #16 snaps

Happy Valentine's Day

She's very particular about her clothing.  She likes the clothes that have pictures especially.  So I know she would love this one.  And she does. So much so, she has asked to wear it almost every morning this week and it's too dirty to wear today.  (Picking battles over here.)

I love the mock cover stitch on my machine. 

The pattern is from Ottobre 6/2007.  I converted the jacket pattern to a dress by using the Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress as a guide for the bottom portion, eliminating the opening at the front and using binding at the neckline and wrists instead of a hood and hem.  

MMMUAH...

Lucia's School Days Jacket

It has taken me way too long to get this post out into the world, but the the jacket itself has been serving her well in this very cold winter.

It's the Oliver + S School Days Coat with quite a few modifications.  The main fabric and toggle buttons came from Britex.  The fabric is a wool tweed in a spring weight that is mostly pink (rose? bubble gum?) with flecks of purple and yellow.  I loved the fabric until I started cutting it out and realized just how much pink I was working with.  But, it goes perfectly with her mini doc martins.  And, now that she's worn it a bit, I really love it.  The lining is Anna Maria Horner's sinister swarm in blueberry.  I bought it for another project, but it was really too perfect for this one that I couldn't resist.  I also interlined it with 157 gram Thinsulate.

So, for the modifications.  First off, I added a zipper like in this beautiful version. And I added hand-knit ribbing at the cuffs and the neckline.  The yarn is Spud & Chloe sweater in grape, my all-time favorite yarn for kids items.

And, I added a vent.  This was something I should not have done.  I've only sewn a vent once before and it is tricky!  I could never get it to sit just right and it still sticks out when she wears it.

And, don't forget the thumb holes in the cuffs!  Can you see them?  Just a bit of fun for a 3-year-old. 

Shop update: Mayorga Coffee

A couple of weeks ago I contacted Mayorga Coffee, a local coffee roaster and asked them for their empty coffee sacks.  I was so grateful when they said I could take as many as I needed.  

When I stopped by I got to see a bit of their enterprise, meet some of the players and left with a trunk full of coffee sacks that once held coffee from Peru.  Since then I've learned a bit more about their practices and their mission and am quite impressed.

Since I left with those coffee sacks, I've made a few new french press cozy designs which are now in the shop.  

Valentine's Special, Golden heart

Valentine's Special, Red Heart

Yellow bird print

And, I've had the chance to drink some of the coffee that originated in the bags I brought home after finding it in the grocery store just last week.  Isn't that cool?

Thank you Mayorga!

Deer and Doe: Plantain

This is my entry to the Deer and Doe Plantain Challenge.  I am so excited about this pattern.  I need some new t-shirts and I had just bought a bunch of fabric from Girl Charlee but I didn’t have a pattern.  This one came out just in time, and it’s free!  Merci, Deer and Doe.

I actually made one other version of the shirt first to get the fit just right.  I found that I needed to shift the shoulders slightly to the front—this is a typical change for me, but I didn’t need to adjust the neckline at all (I love the neckline, I think it’s so flattering).

For the dress, I was inspired by the dress below by Boden.  When I saw this dress in their catalogue I fell in love with it and actually bought this fabric to make the dress.  For the dress I kept the neckline the same but shortened the sleeves to elbow length.  I marked the waist and drafted an a-line skirt for the back.  For the front I marked the waist and then marked 2 inches above the waist for about 6 inches in the middle and drafted a soft angle to match the two.   On the front skirt I did the same thing but opposite and added 12 inches in the middle for the gathers.  On the inside I used interfacing strips on the front bodice waistline to strengthen the seam.   I hope that makes sense!

I don't know why it didn't rotate when I uploaded it, but I was in too much of a hurry to fix it.

Elena, the best photobomber in town.

I’m so excited about the dress (I already wore it to work once this week), that I feel like I already won. Thanks for stopping by.  I can’t wait to see what everyone else made.