The week 1 projects are in and it’s time to vote! You may vote for your 2 favorite entries. Please note that the contestants were allowed to use patterns and tutorials as a launching point for their designs. And remember the Week 1 Champ will win a $15 Gift Card to Little Lizard King! And here’s the projects: #1 The Garden Party Twirl Outfit Sewing Mama RaeAnna I love it when the fabric you want to use inspires your design! This simple circle skirt top and matching capri pants are perfect for a little garden party this summer! I love the addition of the bias tape ties on the back of the top and the pants! The jacket is a little more modern with an angle in the front and a button closure tab at the top. Because the top is made with a circle skirt it works perfect under the jacket – giving a little flounce and twirl to the ensemble! I can’t wait to take my little girl on a picnic in her new outfit! Come check out my blog for more pictures of my cutie!
I have 3 boys and no girls…so when my sister asked me to make a “birthday party dress” for her girl, I jumped at the chance! I rummaged through my stash and used the bodice pattern from “NEW LOOK #6309 pattern”. I wanted to utilize the ribbon-like selvage from my floral taffeta fabric scraps. My scraps weren’t wide enough, so I pieced the bodice with a scrap of selvage seamed in down the center front. I then utilized the same long scraps with selvage on one edge and created a triple tiered gathered skirt (bonus…I didn’t have to hem the ruffles). I had some other upholstery weight fabric that coordinated, and couldn’t resist…. I sewed a jacket from the same pattern…I topstitched the collar and around the facing to give it a more finished look.
I have a long wool coat, bright yellow, that I bought years ago on holiday in a little boutique. It has an asymmetrical collar that I just love. For ages, I thought about replicating it, so this contest was the perfect opportunity! I went into my stash and found this teal corduroy that perfectly matched my daughter’s eyes, and decided to make her a spring jacket. Using the shape of the coat as inspiration, I made my own pattern using sweetheart lines, shortening it to hip length, and adding side pockets for stashing girly treasures. I used big wooden buttons, sewn on with yellow thread, and lined it with one of my favourite floral prints from Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane collection. I was very proud of how well it turned out, and am happy to report that it passed the “daughter test”! And of course there is a typical Kristie-story involved in the making of this jacket that I haven’t room to share here…let me give you a hint, the original name was “peecoat” not “peacoat” 😉 If you dare to hear more, it’s all on the blog!
I was very excited for this week’s challenge. I created a Spring inspired outfit for my daughter, since Spring has just started over here. My outfit is composed by three pieces: ablazer jacket, a top and a pair of denim pants. The blazer is made out of polka dot cotton fabric and lined in white. I created the pattern for all the pieces, and for the blazer’s collar I have – on purpose – made it wide. It is a Spring blazer and it looks fresher this way. I added a single button and placket, and fluffy pockets with a ribbon on each. The top is made with knit fabric, with a ribbon detail on the front (same pattern I used here), and the pants are made of denim, with side strips matching the blazer, back placket pockets and front button closure. For more info and photos, visit my blog HERE.
Greetings from Sew Chibi! Let’s talk about color & spring! Flowers are in bloom and with it color back into our wintry lives!
This outfit is completely handmade except for that Pokemon backpack. Heck, even that banner is made by me!
thehandmadeelements:
suspender bloomer shorts with cloud pocket, handmade buttons and a sneaky pocket built into the top seam. modified from Japanese pattern ISBN9784529050678
orange jersey t-shirt topped with pink lace and a fun patch pocket. (self-drafted)
mini orange arm cuff
teeny envelope clutch bracelet modified and resized from see kate sew’s pattern with pink and red snaps.
ruffled bias elastic headband (self-drafted)
hand-stamped leggings. red and black triangle stamps (self-drafted)
I am so excited to be here in this competition! eeeeek! : ) This dress was totally inspired by my lovely little girl Addison, isn’t she just adorable?! She is all girl and definitely a little princess! I knew I wanted to work with knits for this project. I also knew I wanted ruffles, and knits do make beautiful ruffles. The pink and cream striped fabric was what sold me on the knit fabrics in the end though, I saw it and just knew I would use it somehow. I added a fabric flower on the top that is removeable and I used lace ribbon for the straps. I can’t take credit for the lace headband though, while I was measuring the straps Addison insisted that the ribbon was her crown, and we all know princess get what they want : ) Tutorials for the outfit will be on my blog soon!
I started with a self-drafted peplum shirt that I made from very soft linen and fully-lined it with a fun salmon colored print. I cut the feather out of the lining fabric then stitched the veins of the feather onto the front of the shirt. This is my daughter’s favorite part. She has now requested feathers on everything she wears. The sleeves have a circle cut out on top with some handmade bias tape from the lining fabric. The skirt is made from the same lining material as the shirt, and has loops sewn into the band. Attached to the loops are feathers that can be velcroed on or off (whatever mood she is in). I also thought it would make washing much easier (no tangled strings). When they are on and she spins, she looks like a maypole.
The fabric in this dress didn’t come this way. I took 60 squares of fabric, 30 pink and 30 white to create the new fabric, then cut out the dress pattern. The squares were pieced together so that all the edges line up in order for it to look exactly like a checkerboard. The entire dress is fully lined to hide all those carefully pressed open seams and to make it nice against the skin. It was made with the Oliver+S Roller Skate Dress pattern, also I added on seam side pockets using Freshly Picked’s free pocket pattern. Other modifications were that I added a square notched neckline, modified the waist line, and shortened the length. I’m so pleased with how it turned out, all of the squares are positioned exactly where I wanted them. Please visit my blog, nest full of eggs, for more photos and the tutorial.
For us, the weekends mean spending time as a family. Play dates with friends, farmer’s markets, swimming lessons and road trips. A pair of stretch-denim, tuxedo-striped Hosh pants mean Vince can jump and climb with his dad looking for geocaches while a black soft jersey cowl scarf keeps him amused & trendy with it’s red pompom trim. His shirt is just two pieces, a front & a back with a bound neckband & a small placket on the shoulder to help his big head get through. The fabric doesn’t stretch, so it is a loose fit to enable him to lose his shirt when its swimming time. Throw on his favourite kicks and the boy is set for the Weekend.
For this week’s challenge I made my daughter Mallory’s Easter dress. I used pattern A6118 from New Look Patterns and switched it up. I added pin tucks on the bodice, an additional slip under the skirt with ruffles, and also a tie/bow around the waist instead of the ribbon the pattern called for. There are three large wooden buttons down the back too.
Boys get short shrift when it comes to nice clothes. Formal suits are beautiful, but children tend to be wary of clothes that they’re constantly told to be careful of. What to do for a dressy occasion that might last for hours or involve running around or eating a meal? Filling this gap for a hundred years was the ubiquitous sailor suit – dressy enough to appear in children’s portraiture, but sturdy enough for play. When I recreated this look, I wanted to emphasis comfort and hassle-free laundry days – the boy’s equivalent of a jumper dress. The white fabric is poly-cotton twill and the navy is broadcloth. The collar and cuffs are embellished with white ribbons – as the mother of a little boy, I never get to sew with ribbons! The suit is completely finished inside with a combination of bound and French seams. This is a very wearable head-turner!
Sailor Suit Resources
The Middy Shirt
The middy shirt was based on the bodice and sleeves of New Look 6746 pyjama shirt. To learn how to make my self-drafted sailor collar stand away from the neckline slightly, I used the tutorial at Tuppence Ha’penny.The tutorial atColette Patternswas helpful when I needed to narrow the shoulders of the shirt without having to redraft my sailor collarorthe sleeves. I relied heavily on the drafting series atikat bagto make pleats and create appropriately-sized facings
The Shorts
The basic pattern pieces came from my much-loved (and abused!) print-out of Dana’s Basic Pant at Made.
Little Kool J
10 Responses
Wowza!!! That’s a lot of awesome sewing – you guys amaze me!! Great job!
I wish that I could have chosen more than two!
Yikes, it was so difficult to choose! Great job everyone!
Just fantastic! I’m blown away by the work and creativity on display here. Thanks, Amy, for the opportunity.
Wow, how to choose. They are all so wonderful. Great job ladies!
So hard to choose!
Great job ladies!!!! {clap clap clap clap clap}
The last contestants images aren’t showing up on my screen… Perhaps it’s just me? These are some amazing ensembles! 😀
I see them now!
The images aren’t coming up for #12 and the link isn’t working to try to go to the site to see it.