Alley Explorer Vest and Hat

There’s a secret place behind our house, the most exciting place ever (if you’re 3).

Full of rocks, and “goody mud”, and trees, and scampering critters.

Much to find. Much to learn. Much to see. Much to hear.

 So many different treasures to collect.

An every day adventure in the alley (when you’re 3)

Details

Patterns: Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson; reversible bucket hat and explorer vest

Fabric: Khaki twill and ladybug quilter’s cotton Joann’s. Navy vest lining, upcycled cotton pillowcase

2 more projects completed for the Sewing Through LTTS challenge! 8 out of 21 done, I’m up to 38% with 3 months to go (and fabric for 2 more in the house already)

Me Made May Wrap-Up

 

Victory! I made it all the way through Me Made May 2014! I have only one more garment to show you, then some reflections.

May 27

Striped sundress, self drafted, blogged here. It doesn’t come out much because the shoulders are too wide and like to slide off.

There was one other me-made garment that didn’t get photographed – a purple quilter’s cotton wrap skirt. I don’t wear it out much because well… it’s a quilter’s cotton wrap skirt. Nothing fancy. I also paired my white woven tee (May 3rd) with a couple different purchased skirts which didn’t get photographed. Pretty much everything else was repeats from earlier in the month. May 1-5; May 6-12; May 13-21. I think I took a total of 5 cheat days – less than I’d allowed myself! Next year I’ll aim for something me-made every day of the month.

Reflections

I successfully wore every me-made item in my closet at least once during the month. Some only got one wear; some were worn sooo much! The pink Liesl + Co tee was worn on at least 8 separate days – it’s the clear winner for MMM2014. This is probably my favorite styling of it:

Things I learned because of MMM2014:

• While I love to sew garments, I don’t like my outfits to look homemade.
• I’ve sewn a lot with quilter’s cotton, and those garments were each only worn once. I hate quilter’s cotton – probably because it looks homemade.
• I wear lots of knit; this means I need to sew more knit.
• My life is pretty casual. I need more separates – especially tops.
• A little denim jacket and a wide belt can pull nearly any outfit together.
• My favorite outfits balance softness and structure. I can’t do head- to- toe floaty or knit.

Which all lead to a resolution:

• Be braver about apparel fabric!

It’s time to learn the different weights and blends of knit fabric. I also want to explore the world of woven apparel fabric – lawn, gauze, shirting, poplin… so many choices. I bought myself a couple patterns during Memorial Day sales and got new fabric in the mail on Friday. It’s time to build the wardrobe I’ll actually WANT to wear, not random garments on a whim that then sit in the closet forever.

I’m grateful for this challenge! It definitely helped my sewing for myself thought process!

You can see how everyone else wrapped up in the Flikr group.

Queen Elsa Costume

We have entered the world of pretend play – specifically, princess pretend play. And if you didn’t know, there’s a new favorite princess in town – Queen Elsa from Frozen. It was only a matter of time before Grace begged for a costume:

It’s not an exact replica, but it hits the necessary point: Sparkly.

Beautiful royal cape.

And sturdy enough to climb the North Mountain.

Best of all, it was completely free. I received the aqua fabric at a swap a couple years ago. I have no idea where it originally came from but it is so sparkly. I flipped it to the reverse for the skirt to better imitate Elsa’s dress. The white tulle cape is left over from a tutu. It’s a rounded rectangle, gathered at one end and top stitched into place along the lower elastic casing line. I made a size 5 which is pretty huge, on purpose – Grace can take it off and on all by herself and her regular clothes still fit underneath.

She spent all morning spinning in circles, “making snow” and singing at the top of her adorable preschool lungs:

“The cold never bothered me anyway!”

Details

Pattern: Perfect Peasant Dress from Peek-a-boo patterns

Fabric: Aqua fabric of unknown fiber content with foil on one side. White sparkle tulle.

A huge thank you to my awesome husband! He did all the Photoshop art on these pictures. Isn’t that snow landscape fantastic?! I love being married to a graphic designer!

Me Made May Days 6-12

Several more days of Me Made May! This has been a fun challenge, thinking through what I’ve made vs. what I actually wear. I’m working on my summer to-sew list now to build my wardrobe more efficiently. Basically? More basics! I don’t live a fancy life; I need more casual every day clothes. I wear the same things over and over and over again. I also don’t like to look homemade. So I need to make more mix and match pieces to combine with my ready-to-wear purchases. I still have 2 skirts and 2 dresses in the closet that haven’t been worn yet; they’re all out of quilter’s cotton so I’m not sure they’ll actually make it out. I’m coming to appreciate things made out of real apparel fabric – the results are much more professional.

May 6 – Tuesday

At home play day. Self drafted quilters cotton skirt and a purchased tee. I love this skirt, but it’s getting too big. I may modify it to run elastic through the waist. It’s a cute drop waist skirt with a big gore in the front for drape and movement… none of which you can see in this picture!

May 7 – Wednesday

Simplicity 1810, made last summer and blogged here. Worn with a purchased jean jacket. I wear this dress all. the. time.

May 8 – Thursday

I had meetings and lunch with friends today, so I grabbed my most purchased-looking clothes… but they’re all me made! The shirt is Liesl + Co Women’s Metro Tee (details here, about halfway down the page) and my upcycled thrift store skirt (details in the same place)

May 9 – Friday

Skip day 🙂 It’s been a crazy busy week and I just threw on purchased jeans and a tank to celebrate surviving to Friday!

May 10 – Saturday

New Look 6184, blogged here. My denim jacket and wide belt are getting quite the work out this Me Made May! They really pull a look together. We spent the day shopping in Saint Louis for my daughter’s birthday.

May 11 – Sunday

For church I wore my pink and gray dress, shown above. Then after I changed into Butterick 5644 (details here) with purchased jeans. I don’t really like this top. The bodice is a little too short and the tunic is a little too long. But it’s linen and cool which is good since all the sudden it’s hot and humid around here.

May 12 – Monday

Liesl + Co Metro Tee paired with New Look 6100 shorts (blogged here). This pink tee is such a favorite! I’ve worn it, what, 3 times in 12 days?! Definitely making more of these! The Riley Blake knit I sewed it from is heavenly. The shorts however are not a favorite. When will I learn to not trust the sizing on purchased patterns? They’re just funny… too big pretty much everywhere, except at the center back seam, which gives me a wedgie. But they work, and it’s hot again. I need to find a shorts pattern I actually like to make it through the summer.

Almost half way through Me Made May 2014! I’m really enjoying this challenge to reflect and actually PLAN what to sew, instead of just hodge podge making what strikes me at the moment. Want to see what others are wearing? Visit the Me Made May Flickr Pool 🙂

Bug’s Third Birthday {Kid’s Choice}

My sweet baby is THREE! When did that happen?! This year her birthday lined right up with the Kid’s Choice series hosted by Elegance & Elephants. Basically, the idea is to let your kid choose what she wants you to sew – pattern, fabric, embellishments, everything. So for this year’s birthday, Gracie got to choose.

Let me tell you something about this sweet child. She has got a fashion OPINION. Her all time favorite outfit is a black and white polka dot dress decorated with neon butterflies. With floral tights underneath. She refuses to wear pants and t-shirts for some unknown reason. I wish I’d gotten a video of her excitement when I asked her what she wanted me to sew for her. “Lady bugs. RED ONES! And polka dots! And zig zags! And circle pockets! And LADY BUGS! And a dress! And and and and!” At which point she got distracted and wandered off singing something completely unrelated.

Alright, Baby. You ask, I deliver:

The pattern is Simplicity 2269. I picked it up last year on one of Joann’s dollar sale days. It’s super cute! I love the neckline (though it was a little tricky to sew…). I made minor modifications: length (always…), rick rack trim on the sleeves (Grace’s request for zig zags), and plastic snaps instead of buttons on the back. Lately buttons have been catching her hair and that always leads to drama.

(She’s smelling the tulip, if you couldn’t tell)

A dear friend and I were discussing age appropriate clothes a while back and we both mentioned how much we love this pattern. It’s so sweet and childlike; not miniature adult clothing. We’re toying with the idea of a sew along – the neckline can be a little tricky and photos would definitely help! Other than the neckline it’s a very easy sew, meaning even beginners could jump in. Next time I want to do the neat 2 part bubble sleeves. If you might be interested in a sew along of Simplicity 2269, would you please comment on this post?

She’s thrilled. Even though I didn’t get circle pockets on, the rest of her requests made it on the dress. We were in the store for all of a minute before she zeroed in on the green lady bug fabric. I was glad to give her just what she wanted for her birthday.

Oh, and the dolly! Her big gift from us this year was one Bitty Twin. I wanted the baby with hair, but American Girl only sells them as twins! Grace doesn’t need TWO expensive dolls (especially since she has no interest in a boy doll – I asked) so I split a set with a good friend. Now the girls have matching dolls 😀

What kind of mommy would I be if the yet-unnamed dolly didn’t have a matching dress?! She’s super fashionable in the Tea Party Sundress from Little Things to Sew. The only modification was to switch the hem facing to the outside, to better match Grace’s dress. I’m one step closer to completing the challenge to sew through the book! I’m starting to think I might not make it all the way, but I’m not giving up yet.

I’m linking up to Kid’s Choice! You can see the other creations here!

Me Made May Days 1-5 {With new clothes!}

It’s Me Made May, where seamstresses commit to wearing clothing they’ve made throughout the month. My pledge and more information are here. I’m going to do summary posts every handful of days through out the month. I’m excited to post days 1-5! I love this opportunity to be creative with my wardrobe, finding the right outfit combinations to use each of the pieces I’ve spent time and effort making over the past couple years.

May 1

Lady Skater maxi modification, originally blogged here

Not super interesting, but definitely comfortable! I paired it with a cardigan and a wide belt for a busy day at class and babysitting.

May 2

Women’s Metro T-Shirt from Liesl + Co (with purchased jeans and sweater)

I’ve been wanting to make my own tees for a while. Most of the ones I can find in stores are too short, too tight, too not right for me. As a result, I don’t have many. When this pattern released a few weeks ago I knew it would only be a matter of time before I owned it. The time is now! I sewed this top on the 1st – it pulled together super quickly. I made 2 shirts from start to finish (including taping the pattern together!) between when my daughter went to bed and when I did. This version is made with zero modifications using a 95% cotton 5% lycra knit available here. I could tweak the fit ever so slightly but honestly? I probably won’t – this is the most comfortable tee I’ve ever worn. We spent all day on the 2nd in the car driving. This was after 10 hours going from central Illinois to eastern Tennessee and I look a little rumpled but the shirt didn’t stretch out funny at all (like some do… cough, old navy, cough…)

May 3

Skirt – self drafted circle skirt with elastic waist. Top – Women’s Metro T-Shirt, modified

Today was wedding day for my dear cousin Erika and her new husband Ken. And it’s a double Me-Made day for me! The ceremony was just beautiful, out on my aunt and uncle’s farm. We had lots of walking to do through the beautiful Smoky Mountains to get to the various parts of the day with a grand finale of swing dancing in the barn. I needed something both beautiful and simple; the right balance between fancy and casual; easy to wear and fun for dancing!

What could be better for swing dancing than a chiffon circle skirt? NOTHING, in my opinion! Light weight and swingy and pretty much perfect. And it moves in such a way that you can’t tell the hem is so not straight. I hemmed each layer before attaching them together. Major no-no on a circle skirt but my time was seriously limited. Will I go back and fix it? Probably not. LOL! Top layer is a floral print chiffon lined with a super light weight polyester.

The top is the Metro tee pattern again, the 2nd shirt I sewed up on May 1st. This time I was using a remnant of fabric I’d picked up somewhere along the way. It’s actually a woven, but it has a fair bit of stretch in it due to the crinkle texture, so I used it anyway. I modified the neckline to be a pretty scoop and slightly shortened the sleeves and hem so that all the pieces would fit on my slightly less than a yard of fabric. I used a favorite shirt of mine to free hand cut the new neckline. The pictures don’t show it well but up close, the white tee is semi sheer and has a lot of texture, so this plain white t-shirt really isn’t!

May 4

I wore all purchased clothes today, because we were making the return trip which for some reason took even longer than the trip down. Must be because we were all so tired from dancing all night.

May 5

Skirt: Upcycled. Everything else is purchased

This hardly counts as Me-Made, but I’m using it anyway! This khaki skirt was a thrift store find several years ago. It sat around in my closet for ages. I liked the idea of the skirt, but when I first bought it, it was such an awkward length. I’m not sure where it was designed to hit, but on me it was about as unflattering as a skirt could be. So a few months ago I hacked several inches off the bottom and hemmed it to be just above knee length. It gets worn all the time now. Here’s a before shot from earlier in the winter:

Be sure to check out the Flickr group to find more inspiration of clothing people have made and actually wear! I think that’s my favorite part about this whole challenge – seeing how other seamstresses integrate their creations into their wardrobes. I love the blend of home made / modified and purchased garments. It inspires me and motivates me to keep sewing!

Me Made May 2014

Have you heard of this awesome community project? It’s Me Made May! The challenge is to actually wear the things you’ve made during the month of May. It isn’t a competition – just a personal challenge to sew things that get worn and wear things that get sewn (IE, find those holes in your wardrobe and fill them; and evaluate if you really need another fancy dress).

Last year I somewhat obsessively stalked some of the participants. This year I’m jumping in myself!

The official challenge is one homemade item per day. Due to the constraints of what I have in my wardrobe (I know I’m heavy on dresses and low on absolutely everything else), I’m adjusting the challenge slightly. Here’s my pledge:

‘I, Jenny at Gabi Sunshine, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’14. I endeavor to wear at least one handmade or altered item at least 5 days per week for the duration of May 2014’

That’s all it takes!

Want to find out more? This page explains all the “rules” and goals. You can find the Flickr community here.

There is a “rule” of no panic sewing for the purpose of the challenge, but I do plan on doing some for-me sewing this month. It was already on the schedule so I’m calling it good 🙂 Basic staples are a must have!

Roller Skates Come in Pairs

So many good things come in pairs.

Pants.

Shoes

Twix bars.

Mittens.

Chopsticks.

And… ROLLER SKATES!

Back in the day, the Skate Corral was The. Place. to be. We’re talking the epitome of grade school coolness. For just a couple bucks you could spend hours skating in a circle inside a somewhat smelly cinderblock building that had essentially no ventilation with all your other cool seven year old buddies. And maybe popcorn if your mom sent an extra dollar.

Oh, the memories. The “classic” skating time where you could chat. The dice game that I still don’t understand, but someone won a soda. Partner skates (but NEVER with a boy. Boys had cooties). Hokey Pokey. Backwards skate. And that crazy skate that may or may not have had a name when they turned the lights off and the music loud, then ran the smoke machine and the disco ball.

In honor of all those nights (or afternoons… we were seven after all), I made Grace a pair of Roller Skate Dresses for spring. Just like that plain cinderblock building (which has since been bulldozed into a Lowe’s parking lot), this pattern may not look like much. Until you get started! I’m in love. It’s simple to sew with super clear directions – a given from Oliver + S. But once you get going there’s so much potential. Something as simple as fabric choice changes the look completely.

The “Classic” Skate

This dress is straight from the pattern – view A, no changes except length. Any more, if I’m going to make a dress for Grace I’m going to make it really long. She’s growing like a weed!

I love how regency-inspired this dress turned out. If anyone knows me, they know I’m more than a little fascinated by Jane Austen and the culture of that era. I’ve spent longer than I will confess to studying the fashion history of Regency Britain. I hadn’t started this project intending to make Grace a regency dress, but hey! The Roller Skate pattern skates that way, too!

The outer is a white eyelet from my stash – I’m pretty sure it’s 100% cotton but I didn’t do any tests to confirm that. The baby blue lining is broadcloth, 65% poly 35% cotton. I’m crazy about the way the blue shows through the white. My plan is for this dress to be Grace’s church dress through spring and summer.

Oh, and shorts out of leftover broadcloth. Because she’s a preschooler and thinks her tummy is cute and the whole world needs to see it.

 

The “Crazy” Skate

Same pattern, completely different dress. Introducing: view B with several key modifications. First, I added a hem band at the bottom. This serves two purposes – to lengthen it a little in a different way, and to keep me from having to hem. I don’t know why I hate hemming so much. It also makes the hem very strong for when she does things like this:

The other big modification is that I only lined the bodice of the dress. This is a summer play dress. Our summers get pretty hot and extremely humid. I decided that one less layer would make Grace a happier girl. To achieve this, I cut the pattern off 1/2” below the lower casing line. I turned that ½” up with my iron then sewed the casing per pattern directions, which placed the lower line just at the edge of the lining.

Grace picked the fabric, can you tell? It’s from Anne Kelle’s Urban Zoologie line. I’ve had it around for about a year but couldn’t decide what to sew with it. The dress is crazy bright, but so is my little girl. Never a dull moment around here!

There will probably be more Roller Skate dresses in my future. I started out just wanting to get my use out of the pattern before Grace outgrows it but now I’m in love. It’s easy to sew and easy to wear. I’d love to make her a tunic version to wear over capris, but Grace is still in her hating pants phase. That’s ok – dresses are awesome anyway 🙂

Details

Pattern: Roller Skate Dress from Oliver + S. White – view A. Cats – view B

Fabric: White: Eyelet from unknown source. Blue broadcloth from Joann’s

Cats: Anne Kelle Urban Zoologie Cats in Spring colorway, from Fabric.com (not available). Pink quilter’s cotton from stash

To The Max

I’m really slow to join on fashion trends. Mostly because I’m oblivious. But there’s one that has caught my eye for years: Maxi skirts and dresses. I’ve never joined in – I’ve tried on occasion, but it just didn’t work. My legs are really long. Most maxis hit me well above the ankles, which is so not cool. Or they have no coverage on top, which isn’t my style. Or colors that I really don’t like. So I’ve just watched, filling a Pinterest board with images, considering but never actually making a move.

But wait. I sew. Cue the duh moment… really sometimes it takes me longer than it should! I blame the toddler.

So for my birthday present to myself I’m finally joining in!

I used the Lady Skater pattern again for the bodice. I showed my first try/ wearable muslin / troubleshooting version here. I got some great feedback on the alterations I needed and I am much happier this time. The skirt is a simple tube across the width of the fabric gathered onto the bodice (following the suggestion from here)

The fabric is a soft jersey knit that I bought from… wait for it… Mood! I know it’s not really that big of a deal, but after a decade of watching Project Runway, ordering from them was definitely on my bucket list. Life goal accomplished.

I’m really pleased. I styled it really simply today, but I’ve already thought up a half dozen variations based on things already in my closet. Some with long sleeves over the top – it got cold again! I’m so ready for spring. This dress is so easy to wear. I’ve been on my knees on the floor, climbing up on ledges, and everything in between. Other than having to remember to lift the edge on stairs (oops) it’s one of those throw-on-and-go outfits that still looks pulled together. Making more? Definitely.

Details

Dress: Lady Skater by Kitschy Koo, tube style skirt

Fabric: 100% cotton jersey from Mood

 

Coco Cay Tankini

Summer’s coming! We’ll be taking Gracie to the beach pretty soon. Which of COURSE calls for a new swimsuit! Mainly because all the ones from last year are way tiny. But also because this child has a very… ah… specific sense of style. If it isn’t neon she isn’t interested. Thank goodness I picked up a swimsuit pattern during all the Thanksgiving sales a few months back! Introducing my first Coco Cay Tankini from Peekaboo Pattern Shop:

So, inside on this windy gray day, we’re celebrating a little sunshine.

As usual with Peekaboo Patterns, this stitched up a dream. Well, a dream considering I’m working with completely foreign-to-me materials and techniques. I’m still getting over my fear of regular knits. 4 way athletic knit? It’s crazy. The suit is far from perfect but I learned a LOT and have no doubt the next one will look very professional, and it’s very wearable. If you can’t tell, the part I need more practice on is getting the elastic evenly stretched. I’ve got super tight spots and super loose spots. I’m calling it a win though because she’s covered and comfortable. Oh and the applique is crooked since Grace wouldn’t decide what she wanted until AFTER the whole top was assembled. Next time I’ll do that very first. But she doesn’t care at all:

She’s a natural model. LOL. I pull out the camera and it’s just pose after pose after pose.

Ready to play in the waves! I’ll definitely be making at least one more of these to get through summer. We’ve graduated to a 2 piece due to potty training – she has a habit of waiting until the last. possible. minute. and I really don’t want to deal with a one piece in that situation. Actually, I hate one pieces in general. I really think a well fitted, long enough tankini is more modest that a one piece any day. Speaking of long enough, that was my only pattern edit – I extended the bottoms up a half inch and the top down about 3/4″. Otherwise it’s a straight 3t. I’ll probably do the top yet a little longer next time but the bottoms are perfect.

Oh, I also got one more project off my list for the Cover-to-Cover Little Things to Sew challenge! That makes 4 so far… I’m super behind but have plans for many of them. This is the juggling bag. Well, mostly – I used the directions and the shapes, but the size is free handed based on the size I needed. The top half is scrap swimsuit fabric; the bottom is mesh swimsuit lining. It’s just right to throw a swimsuit and towel in. And it matches! Which is all that matters to Grace! Here’s my challenge post in case you want to know more about the challenge, see my completed projects, and maybe even jump in too!

Details

Pattern: Coco Cay Colorblock Tankini

Fabric: Athletic 4-way stretch knit from Joann’s

Bag: Little Things to Sew book by Liesl Gibson, scrap fabric