Category: Sewing

Sewing has returned, and urge to blog returning as well. About time, isn’t it! 🙂

Early this month Annette started preschool, and to mark the occasion I made her a new outfit to wear on her first day. But as it turned out, it was raining so much that week, that the outfit had to be abandoned for warmer clothing. But no matter, she got to wear them last week.

Here’s the first one that I made. Both the top and shorts are from this japanese craft book, isbn 4579110544. I forgot, though, that these japanese sewing patterns do not include seam allowance, so these are a bit smaller than intended. Lesson learned! They still fit Annette, though, so that’s ok.

For the next outfit (same patterns, from the book mentioned above) I remembered to put in the seam allowance, so these turned out very well.

I’m pleased as punch! The patterns are not difficult either. I think as tops go, this style is very easy to make (no buttonholes or zippers required! two things I still haven’t mastered). I’m chuffed that it looks so cute on Annette. And as someone said to me, making clothes for kids can be very addictive. I am still debating had to resist the urge to make a set of these outfits out of every single fabric that I’ve got in the stash. I like it that much.

Don’t you just love that ‘high’ feeling you get when you just finished something? I sure do. Still high from making the shorts, yesterday I got this finished.

It’s the Note Taker pattern by Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio. I made the small folio, which fits a 5″ x 8″ notepad.

This one didn’t quite take one nap time like the shorts, but still a reasonably quick project. I cut out the fabrics and started some of the sewing a few days ago (choosing the fabrics took a bit longer actually), and then finished off the sewing yesterday, and added the button today.

Some details…

Fabric covered button and a hair tie elastic as closure. Works very well!

Mmm… lace trim…

A scrap of japanese linen tape as pen holder loop.

This one is for me, and I love it!! I have a few more planned as gifts. Great pattern, by the way, easy to follow, and I learned quite a few things while making it too, me muttering to myself, “Ahhh, so that‘s how you do it…” 🙂 I think you can learn a lot from following patterns, you get to see other crafters’ take on how to make things. Thanks for a great pattern, Kathy!

Yesterday I finally stopped procrastinating (gasp!) and got on with the plan to make Annette some summer clothes. About time, really, as the weather is starting to get summer hot. At first I was going to make a sun hat from this japanese patterns book (isbn 4579110544). But then I got distracted by the shorts pattern (from the same book) instead and thought that it would be easier to make, to get me warmed up.

And yep, it was very easy to make! Once you found the pattern that you need to trace, that is… I used the bright and colourful mushroom fabric from Spotlight. Very quick project, all done in one naptime, from start to finish. Now that’s instant gratification!

My sewing machine is nothing fancy, but it does have this zigzag stitch that has an overlocking effect and stops the edges from fraying. Very handy to know, especially if I want to start sewing clothes. Incidentally, my hubby was the one who first pointed out this feature to me, back when I brought up the idea of buying an overlocker/serger. So buying an overlocker is put aside for now 🙂