Another Washi Dress

 We're headed to Florida soon and my thoughts are on warmer weather.  Perfect excuse to whip up another Washi Dress.  I like my first Washi Dress, it definitely needed some fit adjustments.

 This time around, I made some adjustments to the bust.  I moved the darts up a bit, shortened the bust, brought the shoulders in and widened the neck.  I also cut just about 2 inches out of the middle.  I also did a partial lining instead of the facings.  Rae has a series of videos to walk you through it.  I think it's actually easier than the facings.  I had my computer next to my machine and it felt like Rae and I were sewing together.  How fun!
 The result of my haphazard adjustments is a shockingly perfect fit!  This is my first attempt at fitting and makes me think that I might actually invest in a dress form.  I've got my eye on this one. 

I really like adding a tie to the Washi.  This time I made it wider and added some belt loops to the side.  

I'm sooo happy with this dress. I picked this fabric up on clearance for $2/yard and really didn't think it was that great. I figured for the price it would make a good muslin. 

I think my next venture is going to be figuring out how to add an invisible zipper to the back.

Hurricane PJs and Some News

Somehow I missed the news that Rae is now offering the Flashback Skinny T in larger sizes.  Since we're in the middle of a hurricane, might as well buy a new pattern and do some sewing. 

 I've had a really hard time finding good PJs for the 6 year old in the house.  She's tall and skinny and all the 6T PJs are too short in the length and arms.  Rae's pattern is perfect!  I cut a size 6 and added length in the torso and arms.

I made 3 shirts and 2 pairs of fleece pants.  So much easier than going store to store, buying and returning...

And now for the news....I'll be releasing my first e-pattern in the new few weeks.  Remember this bag I made too late for Purse Week, well I thought it was so cute that maybe others would like to make it too. 

Roselee, my good friend and bag maker extraordinaire, is testing out the pattern to make sure it makes sense to someone other than me.  Then she'll be giving away a copy of the pattern and it will be up for sale.  So stay tuned!

KCWC - Raglan T

 KCWC is such a great motivator to sit down and make clothes for the kids.  But, sometimes I find it overwhelming.  The other night I was paralyzed with indecision and ended up getting frustrated and doing nothing.  I did catch up on Project Runway, so that's something. 

 After a night off, I regained my motivation and threw together this shirt.

 FABRIC:  2 repurposed T-shirts
PATTERN: self drafted using an existing shirt, Rae's Skinny Tee pattern and Hey June's Greenpoint Cardigan Pattern.
RESULT: a perfect fit and he loves it.  He was even excited about the elbow patches.

Have a great weekend! 

Back to School Backpack

In the blink of an eye, this little baby girl

became this big girl, heading off to kindergarten. 

The first day was tough, but we all hung in there and she had a great time and can't wait to go back next week.  The backpack she was using seemed too big and heavy for her, so I finally used Rae's instructions to enlarge her toddler backpack and made a big kid backpack. 

Miss M picked the fabric and was happy with the result.  I'm curious to see how it holds up on the back and forth trips to school 5 days a week. 

If nothing else, at least I know I'm sending her off in style, with a little reminder of me on her back. 

New Pajamas

  New fabric + new pattern = new pajamas!

I've been seeing a lot of posts out there using Rae's Flashback skinny tee pattern.  The little ones are in need of new pajamas, so I jumped on the bandwagon and bought myself a copy.

I found this fabric in the clearance section at Joann's, which was 50% off last weekend!  Major score.  

I made the pants using a pattern in Growing Up Sew Liberated.

Both patterns are really easy to follow and the sizing was right on.  I've made pants and tees before, but I've always traced a piece of clothing to make the pattern.  It's nice to have a ready to go, sized right pattern.

Just for Fun Top

So, do you think anybody will notice if I wear ruched-sleeve tops all Spring?

I couldn't help myself, I made another Spring top...just for fun.  

This time I did a boatneck and longer sleeves, and I love it. 

Spring Top Flop

 I started working on another Spring Top a week or so ago, and it ended up as more of a spring flop.  It doesn't look so bad on the hanger, but there are some definite construction problems.

 You can see the little oopsie where the sleeve meets the armhole.  I do really like the contrasting thread on the sleeve ruffle hems. But, the sleeves are just a bit TOO puffy.  I feel a little like I'm wearing shoulder pads.

   This is what I was going for.  

 

image source 

Maybe I'll try again....or maybe just move on to something else.

 Here's to more successful projects in the future!

 

Easter Cookies and the News...

 Growing up, one of my closest friends would invite me over to celebrate Easter with her very large, very Italian family. I decided to try to recreate the delicious Easter cookies I looked forward to enjoying at her house ever year.

 I used this recipe and made mine with almond extract.  I packed some up to share with friends.  
These cookies are soooo yummy.  Light and almondy, with a sweet icing. 

The perfect Easter treat.

And, if you haven't popped over to Made-By-Rae yet, you haven't heard the news....

my Simple White Pleats top won the Reader's Choice for Week 1!  And only by a small margin, so thank you to all of you who voted!

There will be a whole new batch of tops next week, so be sure to check back.  And keep your eye on all the great submissions in the Flickr pool. 

Happy Easter!

Spring Top #2

 Well, I wasn't planning on entering another top in Rae's Spring Top competition, but this top needed to be made. 

 I drafted the pattern from a H&M top that I have.  I ruched the sleeves by sewing a thin elastic to the seam allowance.  Very easy and really cute!

 The fabric is from The Fabric Fairy and is a really nice cotton/lycra with the perfect amount of stretch for a top. 

 Online, it looked more yellow.  It's a bit more orange in real life, but still really great.
Wishing you a fun and Springy weekend (it's snowing where I am).

Simple Pleats

 My first, and maybe only Spring Top Sewalong Entry. 

I had a lot of fun making this shirt.  If you looked at my Sewalong Inspiration Pinboard, you might have guessed I was thinking about pleats.

 They ended up being easier to do than I thought.  This fabric is so slinky and stretchy, it definitely called for my walking foot this time.  Worked like a charm. 

Despite the possessed look on my face, I am absolutely in love with this top.  Very comfy, flattering and wearable. 

Check out all the other great entries here. 

Have you Heard the News.....KNITerviews

If you haven't been over to Made by Rae recently, you need to head over!  She's featuring a series of interviews about sewing with knits. 

 

My KNITerview will be up next week, so stay tuned.  I'm hoping to put together a few tutorials to go with the series....so I better go work on that :)

Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to stop by next week.

I'm an Official Backpack Seller!

I'm so excited to announce that I just purchased my license to sell Made by Rae's Toddler Backpacks! I made a few for my kids as travel packs for our trip to Florida, and I'm hooked. I've got my supplies, I just need some time to actually make some.

Here's the one pack I've made so far, with some old IKEA fabric I had in my stash. I really like the contrasting red piping. Should be listed in my shop soon.

I made my packs smaller than Rae's original pattern because.....well, to be honest, my printer scaled it the first time and it came out smaller. But when I went back and printed the full size, I went back to the smaller pattern because I thought it worked better on my 2 and 4 year old.

So, if you're in need of a toddler or preschool backpack and don't want to buy the pattern and make your own.....check back soon!

Have a great week!

Travel Packs

We are leaving for a week long vacation this weekend and I decided the kids need a good travel pack. I bought this amazing pattern at Made by Rae and I'm hooked!

The pattern is great and these bags came out amazing. As usual I made a few tiny modifications. I did the polka dot bag first and didn't use any kind of interfacing, just did it according to the instructions. For my son's I decided to fuse a mid-weight interfacing to all the pieces except the bottom piece and really loved the result. So I went back and fused interfacing to my daughter's already sewn together pack. It helped give it more structure, but I definitely prefer the result when I interfaced the pieces before sewing.

I also added a little ribbon to the zipper for a zipper pull. Definitely makes it easier for those little fingers. I already have another pack cut out as a big brother present for a friend and I might add a little tab at the end of the zipper to hold onto when opening and closing. Check back if you're curious how it comes out.

I also made some fun pack accessories.

I love the "no-cash" wallet from Amy Karol's, Bend the Rules Sewing. I did mine with velcro instead of a snap. I have a hard time sticking to a pattern....

I also made these fun toy bags, inspired by my kids constantly begging for ziploc bags to put toys in. I'm hoping to have a tutorial for these done before I leave.


Did I mention how much my kids love these backpacks? And, how I can't stop taking photos of them....