Birthday Outfit Done and Re-done!

I finished making the skirt for Lydia's Four and Fabulous outfit this weekend. Unfortunately, seeing the skirt next to the "finished" shirt prompted some back tracking and re-working to better the outfit as a whole. Maybe I am obsessing. Maybe this is the reason I rarely make two piece outfits!

Let's start with the fabrics and thrifted garments that were to become the skirt. The dress was a goodwill, buy two get one free deal. I grabbed that shirt to make striped legs for sock sculptures. The fabric is home decor thick cotton.with almost a canvas weave texture.

I couldn't make the large circle print on the dress work with the rest, but it had a wonderful black polka dot ruffle attached to a full cotton slip. I cut the slip at the waist seam and used it as the starting point. I found a green and white stripe that used to be a bed skirt and made a second ruffle.

Even though I wasn't using the dark pink dot dress, I liked the shape so I made it the pattern for the pink fabric. To finish off the pink skirt,I added some strips from the striped shirt to the hem.

And then I excitedly put the shirt next to the skirt and I began obsessing. It may seem minor, but the details can really bug me when something isn't right. In this case, the ink I used on the shirt ended up being really dark and the skirt was mostly pink, light green, white, and yellow. They coordinated in style, but not in color.

I decided to start with the girl's dark blue pants. There wasn't any blue in the skirt! I had used a diagonal line to draw them and that reminded me of the diagonal green stripe ruffle on the skirt. I decided to appliqué green pants over the blue.

I ironed some "Heat n Bond" to the green fabric and peeled off the paper backing. (I am really starting to like this stuff!)

Because the fabric was thin, I could lay it on top of the original shape and trace before cutting, ironing, and top stitching the new pants in place. Next I decided to adjust some of the cars to be lighter colors. They hadn't been top stitched yet, so they were easy to peal off and replace.

That's when I had my "ah ha" moment! Instead of trying to make cars that match the original fabric design, why not just cut the cars FROM the original fabric! The biggest issue was the canvas weave of the cotton wanted to unravel at the cut edges of the appliqué. After top stitching, I applied fray check to all the edges, hopefully solving the problem.

Now that I was appliquéing with the images from the French fabric, I couldn't stop myself from adding the lady walking her poodle. I hope she doesn't crowd things too much, but I love her SO much. Besides, the little girl looked kind of lonely. Lydia took one look at the shirt and proclaimed that she was the girl and mommy was the lady with the dog. Yippy, we are both off to see the world!

Above is a comparison of the birthday shirts, versions one and version two. Below is the fabulous finished outfit. At this point, it just needs a hair-bow ( I can probably handle that) and then we are ready for a birthday photo shoot!

A Fabulous Shirt!

Every year, so far, for Lydia's birthday I have made an outfit to coordinate with her party theme. There was a 1 year old butterfly dress, a two year old tea party dress, and a sea inspired dress last year. This year I needed to come up with something "fabulous"!

I saw this shirt on Zulily.com and thought that it had the right feel. Unfortunately, it was a close out sale and only available in size 12. I got the idea to try and make a similar shirt, but with our pink and black color scheme. As long as I was changing things, I figured I could try to make the girl look more like Lydia.

I had some thrift store clothing that I was going to play around with to make an outfit. Then I saw this pink and black fabric with scenes from Paris and I just had to have it for the birthday outfit.

Looking at both the inspiration shirt and the Paris scenes on the fabric, I sketched a few ideas.

When I slid the drawing inside the shirt, I could see through the fabric so I only had to trace the image.

I used a fabric marker, which took a bit of work to get it all uniformly thick and even. Fortunately, Lydia didn't mind spending some time in the studio while I worked on it.

Once the drawing was finished, I added a few appliqué pieces. This was my first time using anything like "heat n bond" prior to sewing and I really liked the results. The "heat n bond" was thin enough that I could just trace the shape and then cut the fabric to fit the right shape.

And here is the finished, FABULOUS, shirt. All I need now is to get a few ideas for a matching skirt and the outfit will be finished.

Matching Outfits!

I LOVE coordinating what I am wearing with what Lydia is wearing.  I don't usually get too matchy-matchy but we have similar coloring and often are able to wear complementary colors.  Siblings, however, can go a bit further, especially if mama can sew!  I'm sure they will roll their eyes at me later, and I promise to try and keep it in control, but I am a little excited about making a few fun matched outfits for Lydia and baby Joshua.

It all started with an article of clothing that I was convinced Lydia would NEVER wear.  I LOVE teal and bought this top because it was a super soft fine sweater knit in a pretty shade.  I have since realized that I buy a LOT in this color and its hard to get it all worn in a season.  I also have discovered that sweaters, especially with hoods, just don't make sense in short sleeves.  It is either warm enough for short sleeves and, therefore, too warm for sweaters and hoods OR it is cold enough for hoods and sweaters and, therefore, too warm for short sleeves.  We never end up wearing this type of a shirt and, even at thrift store prices, that is a waste!  So this top was in a pile of clothing that I was hoping to re-make during the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge a while back.

So were some plain white onesies and this really boring pair of plain white pants.  Maybe you can already guess where this is headed.  Lydia has lots of clothing in this color, but Joshua doesn't.  It is REALLY soft fine knit that would be perfect for a baby.  AND the length of the smooth front is EXACTLY the same as the length of the pants.  I used the white pants as a pattern, only making the legs wider at the bottom instead of tapered.

Somehow I managed not to take any pictures along the way, but I think I sewed the inseams first, then the crotch seam, then the side seams. Here is Joshua's teal outfit, next a teal dress for Lydia.  They aren't an exact match in color and they need some details.  I have been wanting to make a onesie with a tie appliqued on the front for a while now.  When I saw this grey polka dot fabric at Walmart, I thought it would be a nice accent to all that teal.

I cut the polkadots on a diagonal to make it easier to work with as a trim on Lydia's dress (the bias will bend and give more than a straight cut).  Then I laid out the outfits to get an idea of where I wanted to add the trim.

Here is the basic idea without anything being sewn.  I was able to sew one edge of Lydia's trim on the machine, but then the rest had to be turned to the inside and hand sewn. I decided to hand sew all of Joshua's tie because I wanted it to look more like a real tie and less like an applique.

Here is an in-progress shot.  Lydia's dress was finished and so was the bottom of the tie. I did not sew the very top inch of the tie to the onesie because I wanted to be able to tuck the edges of the "knot" under the tie for a more realistic look.

Here is the finished tie and until Joshua comes along, here is the only view I have of the matching outfits minus his pants.  There should be a picture with the teal pants somewhere, but for now, I think you get the idea.

A Bee Birthday Dress!

My cousin needed a gift for a one year old who is having a bee themed birthday party.  I normally don't do well with crafting very specific requests, nothing about the person asking, I just like to make what pops into my head and don't follow direction very well.  However,  this is the cousin who ALWAYS puts us up when we come to visit (and cooks for us...and invites other family members over to see us... and cooks for them).  I wanted to do something to return the hospitality, but I knew from my own recent Bee Party planning, that cute bee themed fabric was difficult to find.  I left town saying that if she could find fabric, I would make something.  And then I went to Walmart (of all places) and saw this....

Walmart has been getting rid of their fabric section in a lot of stores.  My closest Walmart still has one and I hope it stays that way.  While I can't find really great designer fabrics there, every now and then, when I just need something basic, it is an easy solution.  And then there are times that I not only find something great, but I find it at a super great Walmart price!  (Lydia's brown smocked dress was made from Walmart fabric) This was one of those lucky fabric trips.  I found several really great pieces of fabric for $4 a yard! Then I saw this pre-gathered, elastic top, bee themed dress fabric.  It was a little pricey ($11 a yard) because of the elastic detail, but not much more than regular fabric at an actual fabric store would have been, and certainly not more than I was willing to spend for this very hospitable family member.  Also, they did measure it by the gathered part, so I got twice the fabric for the actual yardage that I was charged.  The only issue for me was that it was really long. It would have been perfect and super easy for an older girl, but I knew that this would swallow up a one year old.  

I decided to buy it and base this project on Lydia's "Tea for Two" dress, where the skirt was made from three rows of progressively larger rectangles that were gathered together to create a really full skirt.  What I love about this idea is you sort of see what you have and do a little math about the best way to divide it into strips.  Then you gather and sew and gather and sew! (there are slightly more detailed directions for this technique posted here) This time, I started with a width of the bee fabric that seemed appropriate for the elastic part to be the top of the dress.  At the time I couldn't remember if it was a one or a two year old, so I guessed on the big side and figured I could cut it down later.    So, the gathered elastic part took the place of the pink top on the tea party dress and cut out a lot of work.  Because the fabric was long and I wanted it to be full, I cut the bee fabric just below the elastic and then cut it again to separate the yellow bee section from the black and white dot section.  Since there was more of the yellow bees and less of the black and white, I decided to reverse their order.  I cut the black and white fabric in half, making a long thin rectangle for the next layer.

Because the black and white strip was being sewn to the already gathered part, I decided not also gather it.  I just stretched out the elastic part as I held the black fabric in place, sewing right sides together.

You can see how full the black and white strip looks even with out any extra gathering.  In the end I only needed one half (or the original width) of the black and white because I didn't gather it any more.  It already WAS the same width as the elastic part once the elastic was stretched out, if that makes any sense.  Either way, I had some extra black and white so I saved it for making the dress' straps.

Next, I took the long bee section and also cut it into two equal halves.  Since the black and white dot section was one width, I sewed together and then gathered the two strips of bee fabric so that it was twice the fullness of the preceding (black and white) layer.  At that point, I had used up all of the original parts of the elastic bee print and the dress appeared as it does above.  It didn't feel finished to me.  Fortunately, I also bought some black and white smaller dot fabric at Walmart in case I needed to make a diaper cover.  After cutting out the diaper cover pieces (using an actual pattern!), I had just enough small dot fabric to make a finishing edge to the bottom of the dress.  Basically, I took what was left and cut it into two strip to match the width of the yellow section) There wasn't enough to gather like on Lydia's tea dress (that last pink ruffle was 4 widths of fabric!) but the dress is already so full, it really doesn't need it.

I still have to sew those straps on, but I think I will do it so that they just tie at the top.  This dress can stretch and grow with the kid, so I like the idea of the straps not "bee"ing a fixed size.  This dress was SUPER easy, and I only had to gather the one yellow layer.  Everything else just worked off of the pre-gathered elastic!  I am SO happy I saw the fabric, so glad to fulfill my cousin's request, and so hopeful that the birthday girl LOVES it!

Hair Bow How To!

So what felt like a little muscle soreness last night has turned into a raging head cold, sore throat, knock you out, and screw up your GI tract virus.  I am home from work (AGAIN), this time taking care of myself.  I did not do any sewing last night for Elsie Marley's KCWC day 3 (but I did devote some time to buying those snaps) and I am NOT doing any new sewing for KCWC day 4 tonight.  I am however holding to my pledge to spend an hour or so doing something related to kid's clothing.  I may be stretching it a bit, but I have been meaning to post about making hair bows for a while and it took about an hour (from the comfort of my couch) to draw all the directions.  Still not convinced that this qualifies?  

Just LOOK at that sweet face and that darling outfit, that wouldn't be nearly so darling without the hair bow!  Still not convinced that I am not being a total slacker?  Let me show you excuse #2.

Just after I typed up my sub plans and just before I returned to my sick bed, the sky turned black and the wind blew sideways, and I went and sat in the bathroom under the stairwell.  When I came out, I saw this. A really big tree fell exactly between our house and our garage, narrowly missing everything that could have easily been in its path.  Speaking of paths, this giant tree is now blocking my way to my studio and has probably done some minor damage to the stairs that go up to the studio.  Seeing as everything I need to sew is up there, I feel totally feel justified in finding alternate projects.

OK, back to the bows.  These are SO simple and I use pretty basic supplies.  I get any kind of ribbon that I like (I buy the whole spool for less then I would spend buying a finished bow), then I go to a hair products store (I use Sally's) for my other main ingredients.  I only use alligator clips and I buy a box of 100 at Sally's.  Now that Lydia is bigger and has more hair, the alligator clip won't hold it all. I have tried bigger barrettes, but the clips are SO much easier to deal with, I just use a hair band to hold her hair and then clip in the hair bow.  

Here is my other secret weapon.  I buy the clear kind for hair bows and the only other thing I need is some fabric glue and fray check.  Once you have your supplies, it's time to get started.

I don't cut the ribbon off the spool, I just wrap it around my hand as shown in the picture above.  If I want a bigger bow, I spread my fingers out wider.  If I want a smaller bow, I only use two or three fingers but I wrap it the same way, two loops on top and two loops on bottom.  Then I cut the end free from the spool of ribbon.

Next I slide the loops down my hand and begin gathering them in the center.  With my free hand (and sometimes my teeth if they are stuck together) I grab a rubber band and work it around the center as shown bellow.

Now it is time to arrange the loops.  Sometimes they end up lopsided or overlapping in a weird way.  Because the loops are joined by a rubber band, it is easy to adjust them.  Once the loops look good, it is time to deal with the ribbon ends.

This is what I usually do.  I angle the edges as shown above.  The other option is to fold the ribbon ends in half long ways and cut at an angle from the outer edge to the center, where the ribbon is folded, as shown below.  Use some fray check on the ends of the ribbon to keep them looking nice.

Next, we need to attach the alligator clip to the BACK of the bow.  The alligator clip has one flat side and one angled side.  I slide that clip under the rubber band so that the flat part would be against the child's head.

The final step involves covering the rubber band and securing the bow to the clip more permanently. Cut about a 2-3 inch length of ribbon and tie a knot in the center.

The final step involves the fabric glue.  First glue the knot to the middle of the front of the bow.  You may want to wait for the knot to dry to make it easier to handle.  Then, hold the alligator clip open with one hand and wrap one of the knot ends around the bow and glue it to the bottom part of the clip.  If there is extra ribbon, cut it off just outside of the clip.  You may want to wait for the glue to dry before trying the last step.  The good news is, if you let go of the alligator clip, it will clamp down and hold everything together.  When you are ready, repeat the process with the last end.  You might want to add a little fray check after you trim the last ribbon end, or just use enough glue that it covers some of the ribbon edge.

And that is the exact process that I use to make almost all of my bows!  A multi-layered bow like the one Lydia had on at Easter, usually begins with the technique shown above.  In this picture, the gold part is this type of bow.  Some other day, when I am not so wiped out, I will share those other types of bows.

Until then, Happy Hair Bows to you!

$2 and 2 Hours (so far)

I have been hunting interesting t-shirts at thrift stores with plans to make unique boy's clothing.  I actually made some infant gowns out of adult t-shirts before the big gender reveal.  I have also used the scraps from those t-shirts to applique baby outfits.  This project bounces back to using the whole t-shirt, and WHAT a t-shirt I found!!!!

If you saw our Christmas Card, then you got a glimpse of our Chevy Impala station wagon, or "daddy wagon" as we refer to it.  When I found this shirt at my local AmVet's where all the children's clothing is 89 cents a piece, I got SO excited.   I LOVED the vintage feel of the color and the logo.  AND it is super soft, which can be less likely in the thrifted shirt category, but is SO necessary for baby stuff.  This shirt, was a smaller adult or teen, so priced at a very reasonably $2, instead of my usual 89 cents, but who cares!  

I loved this one so much that I didn't want to make a night gown that no one would see.  I also wanted to avoid anything newborn size because I wanted it to be worn for a while.  I had looked at some tutorials on line for making shortalls from old t-shirts.  This link includes an actual pattern that you can download.  I am not really a follow a pattern kind of gal AND I kind of wanted pants instead of shorts, so I created a pattern using an existing baby romper.  First, I laid the one piece outfit on top of the t-shirt and checked for placement of the Chevy logo.  

Next, I started cutting out the basic shape.  I was leaving a little extra room for the seam allowance (the extra fabric that will go into the seam) and noticed that the bottom hem of the shirt was only a little longer than the legs on the outfit.  I didn't want my pants gathered at the bottom, so I just decided to roughly use this distance as the amount of room to leave for the seam allowance everywhere.  The original outfit was a 3-6 month size, so I hope the upcycled outfit will be more like 6-9 months in size and length. At the top, I carefully cut free the neckband and used that as the edge of the new neck.  I did NOT cut above the shoulders, I just left the original shirt in tack all the way up to the shoulder seam, because this design has those shoulders that overlap to allow a head to go through without needing to button in the back.

Here is a close up of the neckline.  On the right is the shoulder as originally cut at just the t-shirt shoulder seam.  On the left is where I have trimmed the shoulder to match the overlap on the baby outfit.  Once you have one of these figured out, it is the same shape for the other side and also for the front and back.  It is also the same neckline shape that I have been using for the baby gowns from upcycled t-shirts

Moving down to the crotch, notice that the front and the back are different here, to accommodate for a bulky diaper butt. I only wanted the front shape for now, so I tucked under the back side to get the right shape.  Just make sure you are cutting the front and back separately if you try something similar.

I also folded my t-shirt fabric in half, so that I could cut once and have both of the front halves be symmetrical.

At this point the main front piece, with the logo was finished.  I used it as a pattern for the back piece up until I cut the crotch.  I had to use the back of the baby outfit to get that shape correct. (sorry no pictures) Also, the crotch had one extra piece to also help with the extra room needed for a bulky diaper.  Don't miss that detail if you are doing something similar.

For the trim at the neckline, I discovered that the off white of the Mickey Mouse shirt that I turned into a night gown was a good contrast.  (I also used some scraps from the MM shirt in the peace sign applique the other day!) I cut it in half at the fold to accommodate the front and the back piece.  This took the place of the sock that I used on the blue night gown and i liked the way it sewed much better.

Here the trim has been sewn to the right side of the front and it just needs to be turned to the inside and edge stitched.

Because the Chevy shirt was smaller in size, the sleeves wouldn't have been long enough.  So I uses the extra from that Mickey Mouse shirt (it was really HUGE) to make a full length sleeve and then overlapped it with a shorter dark grey sleeve.

This picture shows everything during the assembly process, so it is inside out.  I lined up and overlapped the shoulders first.  Then I sewed the sleeves to the shoulder.  Finally  i sewed all the way from the end of the sleeve, into the arm pit, and then down the side seam to the bottom of the pants.  It is SO similar to what I did on the gowns.  The only difference is that I have to deal with that crotch and that requires SNAPS, which I am hoping to buy tonight and spend my hour completing this outfit.  However, Lydia is home sick AGAIN (I am VERY thankful for my sister taking a turn with her so that I didn't need a 5th day off from work in a row!) and I have one work commitment this evening.  So I am cheating a little with 3rd post for Elsie Marley's Kid's Clothing Week Challenge.  I am posting this (almost finished) view of the Chevy romper with my promise to spend an hour shopping for, buying and figuring out how to install those crazy diaper changing snaps in baby clothing.  Honestly, it won't look any different with the snaps, so enjoy a glimpse of the (mostly) finished outfit!