By Brienne

Everything Old is New Again

Phew! So far so good. Ok, so the theme for this week's Kids Clothes Week is "Disguise." And what I'm up to is this: why not "disguise" some of our old favorites as new? This dress is from several kids clothes weeks ago. I think it's two years old, probably the 18 month size. One fabulous thing, though, about the Geranium dress is how flexible the sizing is. Somehow, without looking sloppy, the bodice leaves plenty of room for growth. My daughter is almost five and it still fits her like a dream, except for the length. 

So, in true lazy lady fashion, I added a border using some thrifted polka dots that I had lying around. Done and done! 

And the mask? That's from Wintercroft and was assembled by my husband. Amazing, right?!

 

 

Tell Me

It's happening! Kids Clothes Week kicks off tomorrow. Will you be playing along? 

I have printed out patterns in fresh sizes, made a couple of muslins and hauled home a bunch of fresh fiber from the thrift shop. I have to admit, I'm very rusty. I had to toss a whole dress out yesterday and spent what felt like hours pacing around the sewing room and dragging out boxes of notions. I looked at the fancy sketchbook that I bought to keep organized but just couldn't put pen to paper. Sometimes a girl just needs to cut and stitch and that's what ultimately got me going. It is my lofty ambition to post here a bit about what I'm making and I'm hoping to connect with you all about it if you're still out there. 

Tell me, what will you make?

Why I Sew (and Knit)

This post was originally featured on the Kids Clothes Week Blog last February:)

I spend as much time as I can making things. And even when I can’t, it consumes my thoughts. And kids things in particular. As I considered this post over the last few weeks, I couldn’t come up with exactly what it was that compels me to make. Compulsion is the nature of it, to be sure – but why?

There was a time when my marriage was new and my babies were both so little and unfamiliar that hand-making helped me to make sense of domesticity – a concept that I had always flailed hard against.

But that’s not why for me anymore.

As I worked on this leather-feathered vest (using this pattern), I finished listening to a novel, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. About midway through, the book’s writer answered this question for me and much more eloquently than I could have.

“In the evenings, she lit a lamp and unfolded the fabric on the table. Following the pattern offered a kind of comfort, a quiet balance [to her day's work which was] coarse, exhausting [and unpredictable]. Sewing was different. She knew if she was patient and meticulous, if she carefully followed the lines, took each step as it came, and obeyed the rules, that in the end when it was turned right-side out, it would be just how it was meant to be (205-6).”

That passage about a woman sewing a coat for a child is one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Even though she’s musing there about stitching, the passage also contributes to the book’s persistent theme of impermanence. The stitching, it helps us to cope with the fleeting nature of things. Of kids and of youth and of thwarted meant-to-bes. And, I think, that’s why I do it.

 Joining Frontier Dreams readers today over here:) And the Small Things knitters over here:)

 

Handmade Halloween

Sometimes (most times) when I talk about parenting, I stick my foot in my mouth. Like last spring when I was chatting, poolside with this gal. I was rolling my eyes about Disney and Frozen and just plain bragging about how clever we were for not letting our kids get sucked into all of that when my daughter began to recite the plot details for Frozen. Um, she had seen it. And the truth is, I had been wanting to see it too. So, we watched it together after that. And, ladies, I am not a fan. I'm just not. I mean, c'mon. We can do better. But that's a topic for another post, perhaps for another blog altogether. 

Of course, she wanted to be Elsa this year for Halloween and of course I agreed to make something that would resemble Elsa's snow diva outfit. It's shown here post school day and banana smearing incident (sorry) but you get the gist. 

She wanted all of the good glitz but I refused, knowing that it was going to be freezing (literally) on Halloween and thanks to the interwebs, I was able to show my girl Cheri's girl in a Frozen-ish costume that included some knit fabrics and my daughter agreed. 

I did buy one panel of Frozen Fabric Glitz for the cape but the rest was stuff that I could put in the wash. 

I badly wanted to make a circle skirt for the bottom of the dress but I didn't have enough fabric plus I think that the dress would have been too heavy. Instead, I used the Flashback Tee  patten as a base. For the top of the dress, I color-blocked the arms and bodice with a heavy double-knit that I had plus some Laguna knit from Imagine Gnats. For the bottom, I made an A line skirt that was 4" wider at the hem than at the waist.  I added a layer of stretch tulle over the top of the skirt. I stitched the cape crudely over the top of the whole works and had to take it off to attempt what was an unsuccessful attempt to treat a smashed banana stain on the dress. Boo. Then I had to re-attach it. Double boo. 

She loved it. And I swear that I purchased and used hairspray and bobby pins during the first part of the day on her braid. Although, I must admit - I put that braid in on Wednesday morning and my mom finally took it out today. Because that is how we roll. We are not hairspray girls. 

The little guy wanted to be a skunk, which I thought was awesome. I got his mask and tail from Hunting Faeries and I made him a Bimaa to match. 

We had a big party. It was a blast. 

How did it go for you?

Sewing Stories

I grew up here. 

But this pointy shoreline and I, we have a tenuous kinship. I remain here because I am desperately in love with a boy that I met here and a boy that I grew here who are both blissfully entangled with the landscape and with its extraordinary occupants. 

My clever, perceptive littles absorb a lot about this place that I never had the capacity to notice. My son is fascinated by the stories of old, big cargo ships. And, in particular, the Edmund Fitzgerald. Both of my littles know all of the lyrics to the song. And they have forbidden me to giggle as they solemnly sing them. 

Eero talks about the "Fitzgerald" incessantly (quoting my Dad who also loves the old ships) and his kindergarten teacher even let the kids listen to the song in class today:) When he made a representative self portrait this week at school, he chose to construct the "Freedom Bell" from the book. At five he is certain that the ship is inextricably linked with who he is. And I think that's cool. 

Yesterday, as I struggled to come up with an appropriate answer to the Kids Clothes Week Challenge, I realized that the answer was literally sitting right in my lap. We have been reading this book over and over and over.

I sketched a boat, then simplified the design to make it easy to print. I used a freezer paper stencil to put the boat and the name on the Oliver and S's School Bus Tee. The whole thing from print to finish probably took me two hours, although it is a little sloppy:(

I used a gray knit from Simplifi, which appears to be gone now and I am not surprised. It is the MOST BEAUTIFUL, buttery fabric that I have ever used. LOVE! 

The Fancy Pants Leggings took about 30 minutes. And I made them out of a Laguna Knit from Hawthorne Threads but I must warn you - the fabric is cheap looking and faded after the first wash. Boo. 

So, boom! Another Kids Clothes Week make complete. And now that I have the storybook challenge off of my chest - there is certainly NO EXCUSE to avoid the Elsa Dress that I have promised my girl any longer... 

 

Our Favorite Knit Dress Pattern: The Ponderosa

We adore knit dresses. 

This season's Kids Clothes Week is all about stories and books. And for me - for our family, there could be no more apt theme. Because, although our "rhythm" (in spite of my most ardent efforts) is one of chaos and our family culture up in the air, we are a family of readers. For some reson, though, this theme has had me stumped due mostly to the fact that my kids need clothes. Staples. So, before I pump a few of those out, I feel like I can't quite attack this season's spectacular theme. But, I try to think of the Kids Clothes Weeks as a seasonal jumping off point where the squeaky wheels get greased. Where creativity is inspired anew. Maybe I'll get to making storybook clothes over the weekend...

With neccessity in mind and fancy temporarily having been set aside, I diligently carved out a couple pair of pants for the little guy, some long sleeve shirts and a Geranium or three for the girl. And I was quite pleased with the path that I had laid, predictable though it was. And then, I spied Sanae's striped Ponderosa Dress at 10pm on Monday and I was smitten. I had to have the pattern. I snatched it up, printed it out, cutit out and stitched on it late into the night. Fueled, in part, by Project Runway and the cold press coffee that I had consumed late in the afternoon - yikes. 

For the most part, I dug it. Swingy, comfy AND warm with the double layer on top. I didn't love the fit though. It was just too roomy for me. So, the following night, I set to work shearing length and width off of the pattern and sharpening the distinction between the armpit and the outer layer of the dress. Essentially, I used the Flashback Tee  to re-draft the entire pattern top. And I made a fuller skirt by just cutting the fabric from selvage to selvage. And ooh! We like it. 

I mean, what a stroke of genius on the part of Elegance and Elephants!!! C'mon, the layered top, the swingy skirt? I die. 

The pattern is good. I definitely do not think that most people will need to hack it to the extreme the way that I did. I like the first version very much too and I know that both dresses will get a ton of wear. But I adore the Flashback Tee version ADORE. 

What are you working on?

Breaking the Law: Kids Clothes Week Day Two

The quest for flashy boy duds continues. I think that this top counts. 

I grabbed this knit from Simplifi several months ago now without really having a plan for it. When the little guy (not so little) saw it this summer he asked to have it be his and I was happy to oblige. 

I did worry, though, about the busy print and wanted to man it up a little (which I am ashamed of - I see no reason at all philosophically to do such a thing) so I added these shoulder patches ala Trine. And I like the effect. The tee is the Oliver and S School Bus Tee with about two inches added to the length plus cuffs for the arms and waist. 

Also, I broke the law. Well, not really and not just now. I made these for his first day of school but I haven't shared them on the interwebs yet. I think because they're so plain. But they are his favorites. I've made several pairs of these skinnies now, in harlequin here and in seersucker here and I even re-drafted the whole pattern to relax it for wovens here. Obviously, I like the pattern a great deal. But I have just a terrible time finding wovens with stretch that feel good and that would work well for the boy. So here is my solution, unlawful though it is: USE A KNIT!!! So, the pattern instructions say not to. But I'm telling you, I think that you should. I did here and I think they're quite perfect. 

They've taken a few runs 'round the playground now and they're showing some wear but that is because I typically cannot separate the boy from these trousers. He LOVES them. They look like jeans and feel like fancy sweats. Perfect for kindergarten. Perfect for running and tumbling. Do it, you'll be glad you did. 

Joining Frontier Dreams today over here:)

Fall KCW Day One

 And we're off! It's fall Kids Clothes Week and I have WAY WAY more planned than could ever be squashed into one week of clothing sewing. 

This time around feels particularly exciting to me because it was just after last fall's KCW that I started this little rant over here on Typepad. A year! Woot! So, if you're out there - thanks so much for following along! And if you're interested in seeing what I made last year, you can find me over here:)

For the day one extravaganza, I made the little guy (not so little...) a fresh pair of Kudzu Cargos. This is my favorite pair of boy pants to date. They take a little bit of time to make but the details make them really worth the wait. One of few fun boy patterns out there.  You can see a pair that I made him last spring here. And I couldn't resist a Bimaa because it is the best although he has definitely outgrown the sizing:) This hoodie is TIGHT!!!

Her dress is a muslin for a dress that I'm working on getting just right. It's basically a little girl copy of the one that I made for myself. Hers still needs a bit of work but she was excited about it and set to work breaking it in straight away. 

What are you working on?

We Won! Plus a Humble How-To: Embroidered Kitty Tee

I still have quite a bit to share from Kids Clothes Week. Getting pictures of everything has been a bit challenging, being that we were so desperately in need of new clothes that they were being worn hot off of the machine AND my trusty photo backdrop (which, incidentally is also our camper) was dropped off at the repair shop to get ready for our camping trip. It's been gone for more than a week and I still step outside with garments and camera in hand, ready to use it and realize that there is nowhere outdoors in our weedy, jungled yard to safely snap a photo these days:) 

Anyway! Last week, in addition to sewing for KCW, I snuck a couple of entries into Papercut Patterns' Anima Pants Competition.  I actually made myself two pairs and one pair for my girl. The pattern only comes in adult sizes but I really thought that the pattern would lend itself well to kids too. 

I really love converting an adult pattern to kid size, like when I made a tiny super tote for STYLO. I didn't know how it would work out with clothing, but I am stoked. To get the pants pattern in my daughter's size, I did some kind of fuzzy math. I wanted to get a percentage so that I could reduce the size of the printed pattern. So... I measured my daughter's height and waist and then divided those numbers by my height and waist measurements. According to these measurements, she's about 60 percent of my size. I printed the pattern off at 60 percent and then proceeded as normal. It worked! And even though we didn't win the grand prize (so many FABULOUS entries!!) I was surprised and thrilled to be included as a "highly commended" competitor. 

To go with the little girl Anima Pants, I made this Flashback Skinny Tee and embroidered a kitty face on it - heavily inspired by Made by Rae's DARLING kitty-faced-baby set from last spring.  

Now, I hesitate to ever call anything a "tutorial" because I am such a novice myself. Just the same, embroidery can be tricky and in case knowing how I did this inspires you to make something yourself, I'll share what I remember about doing it:) 

First, I cut out small shapes using knit stay tape and fused them to the front of the tee to use as a map for the embroidery. This step is fussy but the embroidery will look way better of the shapes are already outlined. If you were embroidering on a light-colored fabric, you could just draw the shapes using a dissapearing ink pen. 

 I used the satin stitch on the eyes and nose. And a split stitch for the whiskers. 

I didn't fuse anything to the inside of the tee to cover the knots but they are holding up well to washing and not feeling scratchy to her either. After the tee was embroidered, I assembled it as usual. Have you embroidered on knits before? Any tips?

Joining Frontier Dreams readers today. 

Seersucker Skinnies plus Kid Shorts

 

Here's phase three of what I finished up last week for the summer 2014 round of Kids Clothes Week. 

I had made a few pairs of shorts already for the boy but he reminded me that he didn't like to wear shorts and that he wanted pants that were lightweight for wearing in summer and fall.  So, seersucker Small Fry Skinny Jeans it was. 
 The pattern calls for using wovens with a bit of stretch. I used this snappy little seersucker print that I got from Miss Matatabi, which was a bit of a cheat - the seersucker does "stretch" a bit more than some wovens but there's no lycra or anything in it. I cut these pants out two sizes bigger than the ones that I made last winter and phew! He has grown. I hope he'll wear them because I think that they are darling and he likes them but they are a bit snug (because I chose not to use the right fabric). 

I also whipped out a second pair of Dana Made It's Kid Shorts. This time, I made my own bias tape using one of Sarah Watson's Arcadia Prints for Cloud Nine. I kind of felt like a loser buying another shorts pattern when we can only wear them for such a teensy amount of time around here (as you can see, we are needing heavy sweaters still) but I'm glad that I did because the fit is spectacular, worth every penny to me. I hate having to fuss around to get the fit to work. 

 I was pleased with how both projects turned out. I'll be using both patterns again. I'm plotting a pair of skinny jeans in a denim-looking knit for fall and maybe another woven pair too with some width added. 

 

How did it go for you?