KCW: Day 4

Which is my final day for this KCW. I did cut out another dress for Alyssa, but not sure when I will finish it. All the different things suddenly caught up with me so I did not have time for sewing these last days. That's okay though because KCW will be happening every season from now on. So no pressure.

On day 4 of the KCW I made a sundress for Emma. She is the one who needs clothes the most. Isn't it always the case with the oldest child?

Pattern is from the Japanese book Happy Homemade Vol. 5. Size - 130cm. Fabric - cotton from my stash. As usual, Japanese patterns do not disappoint. This one was quite simple and looks very nice finished.

I am glad I participated again in KCW. Usually I am so productive during the Kids Clothing Week but this time around I had some things that disrupted me from being fully invested in it. Good thing there's always next time.

KCW: Day 3

I have been drooling over Citronille patterns for so long I cannot even remember when this obsession started. I had purchased a couple of their patterns while on my vacation in Paris. And have been meaning to use them since then but did not have the chance. KCW was a good time and excuse to dig that pattern out and work on it.

I am so glad I made this blouse. It is perfect in every way. I love how easy it was to put together. I was a little intimidated by not being able to understand the instructions but I shouldn't have. There were some drawings which helped a lot. So I went with the drawings while making it.

Pattern - Capucine by Citronille. Fabric - lightweight cotton from my stash. Size - 6 but I lengthened it by an inch as my kids are giants.

Emms was very excited about her new blouse that she wanted to wear it to school today. Good thing the weather today is absolutely beautiful so I let her do it.

KCW(C): Day 1 & 2

Yesterday started Kids Clothes Week for me (and for everybody else who's doing it). I was very excited about it until the last minute. Then I realized that we are having friends come over for almost a two week visit next week and that I should be getting my house in order instead. That and some other things slowed my sewing down. So I don't have anything finished to show for the Day 1. But I did finish it today after K's doctor's appointment, thus Day 1 & 2 progress.

The pattern of this dress is out of one of the many Japanese books that I owe. Usually I love Japanese instructions as they are very clear because of all the drawings in them. But this book is like a comic book with no instructions. So I had a pattern and kind of went to town with it. Maybe that's why it took me longer as I love detailed instructions. Size - 90cm.

The fabric is from my beloved un-ending stash. (And, yes, I do have that much fabric. I am pretty much a fabric hoarder.) As much as I like the fabric color and polka dots, I really disliked how it behaved when ironed. You can still see all the wrinkles and, I promise, I did iron it many times.

Sorry, there will be no picture of K wearing it because she got shots today while at the doctor's and not in the mood for modeling.

April 22 - 29

With spring comes the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. Now the challenge is dropped but the week stays. :) And Elsie Marley changed it from being twice a year to being every season. Woot! Now I won't stress out if I don't sew as much as I want in one week. And I don't have to wait for a half a year for another KCW.

So now with all the good news I should start planning what to make for the girls and start getting everything ready. Cannot wait!

KCWC Fall 2012 Round Up

I am done! I am kind of glad it is over. As I said I wasn't in the mood for sewing and it is hard to do something when you don't really want to. I did make six things over the week and I am glad I did as Emma needed some new things.

I was thinking about why it was so hard for me this time around and I found a couple of reasons. First, is that my sewing room is still not very organized and I really don't like when I cannot find things. Second, this time around I really only had an hour or so to sew after Matt would come home from work. Last spring I'd pick Matt up from his training at noon and I still had tons of energy to tackle my projects. Third, the availability of a craft store nearby. This one is a big one. When I planned what to make I jumped from thing to thing just because I didn't have enough fabric, right colored buttons or an invisible zipper. I am still looking for a craft store here in Bulgaria and even if I find one it won't be as close as it was in DC. Crafting overseas is hard.

On day seven of KCWC I started pajama pants for Emma but was too tired to finish them. So I don't know if I can actually count them as another item made for KCWC because it took me an hour to finish them on Monday.

The pattern is from the Growing Up Sew Liberated book. I don't know if I was tired and made a mistake while tracing but the front of these pants looks a little weird. It "balloons" (sorry, forgot the right word) in front. Otherwise I like how it turned out and Emma was happy to have another pajama pants. She likes pajamas. :)

Oh, and I am proud of myself for using only my stashed stuff. I do have a lot of fabric and I promised myself that I would use most of it before we move again. But apparently I don't have enough things because it seems like most of the things I want to make require something I do not have. Or even better, all my fabric is half yard to one yard cuts which is not enough any more for my growing girls. Bummer.

KCWC Fall 2012: Day 7

On day seven of KCWC I woke up full of energy and ready to tackle one last project before calling it done. I had a pattern traced and cut out for a raglan dress for Alyssa (size 100cm). But after I finished making the dress it turned out a little too big. So I told Alyssa that she needs to do some growing and Emma will borrow the dress for a bit while Alyssa is doing her growing business. It looks like it's going to fit Emma for a while. And she seems to like it a lot so I will have to make another one for Alyssa.

Pattern is from one of my Japanese Books. It was easy to make and not much hassle. The main body of the dress is made out of the knit fabric that I've had in my stash for quite a while. The sleeves, the pocket and the neck binding I made out of one of my old shirts.

KCWC Fall 2012: Day 6

So now, when the KCWC is officially over I can catch up on blogging about it.
By day six of KCWC I remembered that Emma asked me to make her a dress for her coming birthday. I had to oblige.

I had this beautiful japanese double gauze cotton (Nani Iro) that I wanted to use. I only had a yard of it though. Which is obviously not enough for a dress size 6. I went through all my books again looking for a perfect pattern but could not find one. Then I remembered about the Ice Cream dress by Oliver+S. And it worked perfectly.

Emma loved her dress! But who wouldn't?! I wish I had enough Nani Iro fabric to make something for myself out of it. I've heard a lot of good things about it over the years. When I tried it I knew why people love this fabric. It's so soft and sews like butter. And it is very pretty.

The pattern as usual was easy and straightforward. This is my second time making this dress so it went even better this time around. The only thing I changed about it was the bottom layer. It calls for double the fabric but I did not have enough of that purple cotton. So I just cut it longer and hemmed it as a normal dress.

I just hope Emma doesn't hit one of her growth spurts and doesn't overgrow it by summer. I want her to wear it more than once.

KCWC Fall 2012: Day 4 & 5

I worked on this tunic/dress longer than I wanted. My machine kept giving me lemons. My automatic buttonhole option stopped working and I had to figure out how to make buttonholes without it. They all came out wonky but the good thing is that buttons cover buttonholes perfectly.

Notice the sleeve detail. I love how it turned out.

This is a Burda 9503 pattern. I bought it from JoAnn's when K was born and forgot about it. I am glad I found it and decided to make it for this KCWC. It turned out very cute and it would look even cuter from the lighter fabric. I used shirting flannel (is there a thing like that?) for this dress so Alyssa can wear a dress during winter.

Ruffles are always a good touch, aren't they?

On to the day 6 & 7 of this KCWC. I am hoping to make a birthday dress for Emma. We have a lot going on tomorrow but hopefully on Sunday I can catch up.

KCWC Fall 2012: Day 3

On the day 3 of KCWC I tackled another refashion project.

These were my old AE pants. I liked them a lot but they were two sizes too big. I held on to them for pregnancies when my butt grows big and wide and I need bigger pants. I decided I cannot hold on to things and should just make something more useful out of them. Emma needed some transition pants. Her size 6 pants are too long and her size 5 are too short. I made these comfy but still good looking pants for just this purpose.

Because they are 'transition' pants I did not spend a lot of time on them. They have elastic waist and no pockets. It was late last night when I was making them and I decided not to spend more time than needed. She grows like a weed and these pants will probably last her a month or so. Also they are not very warm so when the weather gets colder they go into the warmer clothes storage case.
I still like how they turned out. And the most important thing is that she likes them.

KCWC Fall 2012: Day 1 & 2

I am still looking for my sewing mojo. Have you seen it?
I was tracing and cutting patterns like a mad woman for three days straight. I also got sick with a "head cold" (is that what they're called?) on Monday and had a massive headache that held me from doing anything. Then on Tuesday when I finally got to my sewing room I had weird distractions that kept me from sewing, like I could't find my bobbins, couldn't find fabric cut long enough for Emma's dress, couldn't get my buttonhole foot/option to work, etc. You see, when a mojo isn't there nothing goes as it's supposed to.

I do have something to show you. Project fail perhaps. Ha. You tell me. I wanted to refashion one of my old tops that was a little too tight and a little too short. I decided to make a little tunic for K. In my head it looked adorable. Not so much in reality.

Sorry for the wrinkled look. I tried everything to unwrinkle it but nothing works. I did iron it. Multiple times.

K likes the pocket. I had to put some jelly beans in there for her to stand in one place instead of running away from me.

The pattern is from one of my Japanese Books. I have no idea what the name is but it has a crawling little girl on the cover. Size 90cm. Because it was a refashion I used the existing bottom hem.

The project was easy and pretty fast. Will make it again but closer to summer so she can wear it without a shirt underneath it.

Back?

I think I might be back. We successfully moved overseas, got all our stuff and our car, almost unpacked everything, put two out of three kids in school, and so I might have some time to sew and do my own things. When I have so many things to do during the day I think of escaping to my sanity corner and sewing or creating something. The problem is that when I get some free time I don't feel like sewing. I need to find my sewing mojo because Elsie Marley just announced this fall's Kids Clothes Week Challenge. I am definitely in. So I will see you in October. I just have to set up my sewing nook and pick out patterns and fabrics.

Yay!

Look At Me!

I was featured by Elsie Marley here! I was so excited to see Emma in her new PJ's there! Yay! :)

It's pretty funny, but I am going through sewing withdrawals. I come home and think that I need to be making something instead of resting. I almost feel guilty about not making anything anymore. I should start sewing again as it gives me serenity and even better feelings of accomplishment.

Sorry, for no picture post. I just needed to brag really quick. :)

KCWC Day Five: Paperboats Top

I think I am getting tired of sewing everyday. Or to be more precise I am getting tired of making a thing a day. It's too much pressure. Usually I cut the fabric out then procrastinate for a while before finally getting to sewing it. On average it takes me a week to make something. So this week has been crazy. I've been spending a lot of time at my sewing machine. I made five clothing pieces so far and have one more to go. I have Sleepover Pajamas cut out and ready to be sewn. I am also going to cheat and count it as two projects for Day Six and Day Seven.

So for Day Five I decided to make something easy-peasy. You can tell I am getting to the end of my rope. Ha. I had some fabric cut out for one top from Everyday Girls Clothes book. It was a breeze to sew and turned out cute.

The pattern is top #15 from Everyday Girls Clothes. The fabric is from Children's Lisette line. I really love this line. The cotton is very soft and light. It is also super cute. I made the biggest size they had in the book which is 120cm.

Emma loved it and insisted on wearing it even in the rain with a jacket on top of it.
I think Emma had a change of heart and now she is more willing to wear stuff I make for her. I know how sensitive she is to anything inside of her clothing and try to make changes with that in mind. I made almost all the KCWC things with french seams so E wouldn't complain. So now instead of complaining I get a happy smile and lots of twirling. Gotta love that!

KCWC Day Four: Seashore Sundress

For Day Four I planned another thing from the Oliver + S.These patterns are just so easy to put together and I don't have to strain my brain to read the instructions. Before the challenge started I had to come up with the things to make during the week. Emma came into the room, found fabric that she liked and asked me to make her a dress. Right away I thought of the Seashore Sundress. I bought the pattern last summer and then recently got the same pattern for smaller sizes to make matching dresses (I know, lame, right?). I will be making this dress again in sizes 3T and 18 months.

The girl could not be happier. She's been asking me for a cute dress for a while now. I think letting her pick the fabric from my stash makes it even better.

I made size 6 because Emma is quite tall and I did not want it to be short. It fits her great. I made the facings and pocket lining out of blue cotton and it looks very nice. I also added some topstitching in some places. I love Emma's fabric choice as it is very summery.

KCWC Day Three: Ayashe Blouse

So for the Day Three of KCWC I decided to make Ayashe blouse. I've been seeing a lot of them lately on the blogosphere and all of the versions look very cute. I bought the pattern long time ago but put it away waiting for the perfect time. So when the KCWC rolled in I decided that this is the perfect time to make the blouse. I went with the short sleeved version with no strings at the neck or waist and no elastic at the waist. Just a simple and straightforward little blouse.

Pattern is by Figgy's. I also have her 'Tee for Two' pattern but haven't made it yet.
So this was my first time sewing something from Figgy's patterns. After Oliver + S patterns it was a wake up call that not all of the patterns created equal. The instructions were minimal and I had to re-read couple paragraphs more than five times to get what I was supposed to be doing. I had a hard time making the collar so I just winged it. I did it backwards first and so had to rip it out. Then I just somehow attached it to the blouse but I am not proud of it. I was too tired and frustrated to rip it out again and so I left it as it is… with ugly stitching and all. Thus I do not have a picture on the hanger because it looks quite bad inside of the blouse.

I made size 4/5 with 6/7 length added to it but as you can see it is still a little on the short side. Either Emma is too tall for this blouse or I did something wrong (which can really be true when considering I was a little frustrated).

KCWC Day 2 - Linen Dress

I am still sewing and kicking. I finished a dress yesterday but it was too late to get a picture of it. I could barely wait till the morning to take a picture and share. The only problem is that I was very busy today and did not have a chance to sit down and write a post about it. After dinner I went to the sewing machine again and sewed for a couple of hours. Then I started making mistakes and when I made a big one I just turned everything off and was done for the day (let's just say tomorrow will start with lots of ripping). So Day 3 is done but I am a little behind on posting and will be sharing the dress from the Day 2 today.

The pattern is from one of my Japanese books - Everyday Girls Clothes. I've been meaning to make it long time ago. When Emma was 3 years old I cut it out and put it away. Then when we were packing out to leave Moscow I found the fabric pieces and threw them away as Emma wasn't 3 years old anymore and I did not feel like making the dress back then. I am so glad I decided to try it again. I love this dress!

I did have a hard time with this ruffle thingie at the top. I have no idea where it went wrong but it came out a little wonky as you can see. It was my first attempt at making a ruffle like that so I had no idea how to treat it and japanese descriptions did not help with it. When I will be making it again (and yes, I will be making it again) I will take more time to figure out how to make it.

The pockets are my favorite part of this dress. Loved making them and they came out very cute. Every 5 year old kid loves having pockets in their clothes and Emma is no exception. She was quite excited about having pockets to store all her little junk treasures.

While I was making this dress I had a moment of a disappointment. It looked quite big and I thought it will end up being huge for E. When I finished it though it was just perfect. I mean, yes, it is roomy but that's how it is supposed to be. Japanese people do like to have their clothes a little roomier than us.
I am in love with this dress. And that's all I have for today. Now I am going off to bed.

KCWC Day 1

Today started Kids Clothing Week Challenge (KCWC). I woke up all ready to tackle my first project. Yay! The only problem was that my kids did not want me to do anything but cater to their needs. Thank goodness for my husband and his amazing language training schedule. We picked him up at noon and after lunch I started sewing. I started with Oliver + S pattern. I knew how easy and straightforward Oliver + S patterns are and thought it would be great to start the sewing with one of them. I was so right!

This is a Classic Picnic Blouse pattern. I cut it out on Sunday and it was all ready for sewing. It came together pretty quickly. The only problem was my perfectionism as I had to do some ripping out to make it look just right. I probably spent the same amount of time ripping out the stitches as I did the sewing. The fabric is from JoAnn's and I love how colorful it is. It just screams summer to me.

Alyssa was so happy for her new shirt! She couldn't wait for me to finish it. Then she put it on and ran to show everyone. I love how happy this girl gets when I make something for her. Sadly it probably will be the only thing that I will sew for her this time as she has a ton of clothes.

Tomorrow I will be tackling a dress for Emma from a Japanese book - Everyday Girls Clothes. It will probably take longer but I hope to finish it by tomorrow night.

I discovered a new very neat little blog named Trula Kids. It was love from the first sight. I love blogs like that with beautiful pictures and amazing mom behind it who makes clothes for her two kids. I was blown away by her creations as she sews without any patterns (I guess she uses patterns for some things). I spent an hour just reading the posts and looking at the pictures of the clothing she made. I am definitely feel inspired now to make some clothes for my kids. The only difference is that I cannot make a thing without a pattern. I am a nerd like that - I need all the directions and patterns you can get. In other news, KCWC starts on Monday. I am starting to freak out. I know it's not like somebody will be grading me on it but I feel like I should be sewing a thing a day. I told Matt that I will be sewing like a mad woman next week and that he's on a dinner duty for the whole week. Ha. He wasn't very happy about that.

That's my fabric stash all washed and ironed. So ready for cutting. I wanted to cut some things before the week starts so I would just sew next week. But it looks like I don't really have time for that. Maybe over the weekend I will get some time off and get to work. That would sure help.

Well, I am half ready myself and cannot wait to see what other bloggers create next week.

Excited!

I am so excited about this one. I've been longingly watching it every year and drooling over every creation but never had a chance to participate. I mean I had a chance but always had some other things interfering like pregnancy/tiny baby, moving, sewing machine in the storage or too much whining from the kids. Now I think I have the perfect opportunity to do it. It's now or never! :)

Emma needs some new clothes for summer and I am ready to tackle it. I am sure I will make something for Kate and Alyssa too. Alyssa is a fan of my sewing so I will be happy to do it for her. Katelyn needs some summer things too so this is the perfect timing for the sewing. I better start deciding what I want to make for them.

The rules are to do something sewing or knitting related every day for at least an hour. That's easy. I will probably trace and cut out some patterns before the KCWC week so I can just sew every day instead of spending precious time on prep work.

You can see I am pretty giddy about this event. Let's hope it goes well and doesn't end up being a disaster that makes me feel all overwhelmed and heartbroken because I was trying to do too much in one week.