Stash Avalanche

Charm squares

Somewhere back in the mists of time, Sew Mama Sew hosted Giveaway Day week, and WOO! I won something. It's only now that I'm starting to have an idea what to do with it but I still need to say a big thanks to Nicole at Mama Love Quilts for picking me.

Look what I got...

A charm pack of Simply Color by Moda. Not a pack of plain colours as it might sound but a lovely range of leafy and flowery patterns with a bit of crazy zigzag thrown in for good measure...

I am completely in love with the aqua and green leaf print, and the stems of leaves make me think of more trousers for the wee Stashlet.

Making a quilt seems like a bit of a cop-out so they've been burning a hole in my pocket (so to speak) ever since they arrived. But now I think I know - curtains!. Have you seen Randi's curtains over at I have to Say...? She was inspired by Rita's version over at Red Pepper Quilts. I love the way the light shines through them and does a kind of stained-glass thingy.

So, now I know what I'll be making, I can relax, put them to one side, and get on with some panic, pre-holiday sewing for the Stashlet...

Back soon!

Pinstripe pullover

 Oops! I meant to post this last Wednesday...

Havling shown you the colourblock hoodie I made Stashlet, here is the first top I made with the Kitschy Coo Reversible Zippy Hoodie pattern.

What to say?  It's too short! I love this fabric! It's got spotty binding!

So, as with the colourblock hoodie, I extended the length of the body by the length of the ribbing (about 2½ inches). It was only when I got the thing onto Stashlet that the lack of length showed up, therefore I am considering this top a work in progress and will get some cotton ribbing for it, ditto the sleeve cuffs too I think.

This was made in a size 2T, by the way, and as you can see, is a good fit now, but might be difficult to get over the wee one's head by autumn. We'll see.

I love this fabric! So far I've bought 2m and made a skirt and Casual Lady dress for myself (both of which need posting about), and this top for Stashlet. If there is more at the shop, I'll make a bigger, lined,  zipped hoodie for the boy and I'm starting to fancy a hoodie for myself too now. It's a meduim weight cotton jersey with a little stretch and it sews up beautifully with no curling (hoo-double-rah!). If only it was available in more colours...

Yeah, the binding. Polka dot bias binding for the hood edge, and inner hem and cuffs. I do love a polka dot trim. It can be tricky to sew stretchy and non-stretcy fabrics together but because this binding was cut on the bias it had it's own bit of stretch and went on with out a murmur. I'll keep it when I put the ribbing in but there'll be some unpicking and resewing to do. I'm never very keen on unpicking bias as it never seems to go back to how it was, but hey ho.

To make the jacket into a pullover, I simply cut the top on the fold, with the pattern extended over the edge of the fold by the width of the seam allowance, and then did a tunic-type neck (aka a slot neck). I was going to cut the kangaroo pocket on the fold too but got distracted and cut two separate ones before I realised, so they got pinned very carefully together to match the stripes and sewn down the middle.wich actually workd - usually my stripe matching leaves a little to be desired.

Since this post is a week overdue, there is binding in the post now, and hopefully will arrive by the weekend. Fingers crossed!

 Linking with Randi's Show and Tell Tuesday.

Colour Block Fleece

Hello!

Here's a Show and Tell Tuesday post for you, but to take the pressure off me, I'm going to stop calling them S&TT in the post titles. Just feels a bit less like I have to make deadline, which at the moment is too. much. stress.

So, after much interrupted sewing, the fleece is finished. Yay!

I used Kitschy Coo's Reversible Zippy Hoodie pattern and cut a long size 2T. By which I mean the turquoise is the same length as the pattern, the pale blue is the length of the ribbing, and then there's the ribbing; all in all about 2½ inches longer than the Kitschy Coo original. I did this because I wasn't sure if I wanted, or would be able to get any ribbing, and as Stashlet is tall for his age (98cm as of yesterday!) he needs all the length he can get. However, having matched the finished fleece to an M&S  sweatshirt hoodie that Stashlet is currently wearing, I think I will be making future versions in a size 4T. Anyway, we'll see if this one still fits by Christmas.

I have to admit I haven't managed to get it on the boy yet, but that's partly down the the sudden arrival of summer here - the last few days have had more to do with paddling pools than double layers of fleece.

I did pretty much everything as in the pattern, except for leaving out a few bits of topstitching because there were so many layers of fleece that it would have been nearly impossible to get it to look neat and not a mass of wobblly lines. I also did single layer pockets instead of lined, again for reasons of bulk.

I cut it to be completely reversible, but I didn't have time to search for a reversible zip so that went out of the window when I went to sew everything together.

I'm really pleased with this pattern and there is already a whole heap of jersey on it's way in the post for at least two more. There is also a bigger version so we'll progress to that in a year or two. The pattern instructions are very comprehensively written and for a downloadable pattern, it was the best I've had in terms of the pages fitting together.

A few other notes:

The ribbing was a prepack from Prym. I don't think I'd use it again because as you can see by the length of the cuffs, there wasn't enough to do full length cuffs as well as a waistband. I had been assured by the shop I got it from that there was enough for "an average [adult] size jacket" but it didn't really turn out that way.

The star applique could have been better. I cut it so that it would run across and off the pocket but I think in retrospect, if I'd taken more time, I would have been able to get it on in the same place in one piece. There's on on the hood too; if I'm organised I'll add a photo of that.

Short (ie. less than about 40/50cm) chunky zips are pretty impossible to get in Ireland so mine came from here. If anyone knows where you can get reversible zips in the UK I'd love to know. The fleece came from Ikea (as usual); the turquoise is currently in stock, and the (lighter weight) pale blue is from a few years ago.

This is actually the second top I've made with this pattern (see what I mean about interrupted sewing - I interrupt my sewing with more sewing). I'll try and post some notes about the first one in a day or two.

Linking to Show and Tell Tuesday, and Make It Wear It.

 

S&TT: Colour Block Fleece

Been busy sewing and now can't blog about any of it coz it's all in the wash!

So, here's the current thing on the go, a colour block fleece using Kitschy Coo's reversible hoodie pattern...

Sorry 'bout the photo - I took it with my (not-even-an-I) phone and practically in the dark too.

Happy Tuesday!

KCW: More trousers

I ended up having more of a KCW fortnight than a week and emerged with another two pairs of trousers for Stashlet and that Casual Lady dress you saw me grumping in the other day (not very KWC admittedly).

I used Blank Slate Patterns' Coastal Cargos pattern and based on Stashlet's waist measurement made a size 4T even though the boy is only 2 and a bit! Strangely the first pair fit him fine while the second pair (cut to exactly the same pattern) is a bit big in the waist but wearable with a belt*.

The first pair were made with an old pair of M&S linen trousers. The seam down the front came with the original trousers and I thought it would add a bit of interest.

The fabric wasn't great to work with and a few of the pieces ended up vaguely off straight grain because no matter how much I pinned them things seemed to move.

I made this pair exactly as the pattern (ie. all the pockets - front, cargo and welt) and all I missed off was the bias on the leg seams because some how I completely managed to miss the fact that I would need bias binding.

Look - you can just see the little cars of the lining fabric here. I love putting little secret things in like this.

The second pair were made from some lovely beach-y Ikea fabric which is a heavier weight cotton that the floppy linen. I wanted a quick make for these so I only put the front pockets on - back patch pockets might make it on at a later date.

These are also 2" shorter than the linen pair (which taught me that half a metre is not enough for trousers these days!) but still need a bit of rolling up to be wearable - not much of a surprise given the 4T sizing.

The pattern is graded as an intermediate project and I would say that although it is pretty straightforward there are a few places where a bit more advice would be useful or the photos don't exactly match what you're doing (I put this down to different sizes more than anything else).

That said, in general, it is an excellent pattern and the fact that it comes together quickly and goes up to a size 8 years means I will be making plenty more of them. By the way, Melly at Blank Slate Patterns is giving away three patterns as part of SMS's Giveaway Day week so if you like the look of them you could even win them for yourself.

Linking up with Make It Wear It today and Show and Tell Tuesday next Tuesday.

Happy Thursday everyone!

* edit 12-05-12  Mystery solved! I just went to put them in the wash and discovered that I had forgotten to put the elastic in the back waist band - no wonder they needed a belt.

 

Casual Lady dress

Well, I'm a day late for Show and Tell Tuesday but it's been one of those weeks, or two... 

I do have some KCW trousers (nearly finished) to show you but today I'm jumping on the Casual Lady bangwagon with a photo of me looking half asleep  at 7.30 this morning. Apologies.

I have had this jersey for years, waiting for just this sort of dress, and it turned out pretty much exactly as I hoped.

I made a few changes to the pattern, though. I lengthened the back by 3cm, and added 10cm + 7"  (you'll have to forgive the mixed measurements, it made sense at the time)  to the length, and I  deepened the neckline by7cm and widened it by 3cm at each shoulder. I also didn't bother with the facing; I just turned a 1cm hem and top stitched it with a twin needle which worked out fine. So it might not even qualify as being a Casual Lady any more!

Anyway, I will definately use this pattern again,  it's so quick and simple.

KCW: let's try that again, shall we...

I have triple checked. This week really is Kids Clothes Week. My goal is a pair of Coastal Cargos; let's see how I do...

And just in passing, I made a double batch of these chocolate chip cookies last night for Mr G to take to work this morning. All gone before the camera made it to the kitchen but very delish.

Practicing my pockets

So then. More trousers.

These cord trousers are a remake of a pair I made about 6 months ago that were so horribly baggy they got worn once and pushed to the back of the drawer. I unpicked them and laid Dana's pattern  (the flat front version) out over the pieces. There was a bit of fiddling and a rather narrow seam happened at the crotch but I just about managed it.

The welt pockets are not my best work but considering they're a revamp I'm not that unhappy. Having finally got them on to Stashlet this morning, I feel that they could do with belt loops or the elastic tightening a bit, and possibly another ¾" added to the length of the body for better bum coverage.

I also had to do faced hems because there wasn't enough to do a decent turn back, and I think they come out ok.

These foxy ones are exactly the pattern and length as Dana's pattern and they are a little long at the moment, but the way Stashlet is growing  (he's shot up a whole shoe size in the last 6 weeks) they won't be for too long.

The welt pockets gape a bit on the photo but once there's a bottom inside there, they'll be fine.

I got mildly fancy on the outside hem and did a double top stich so that there is some element of neatness if we roll them up, and I couldn't resist the little colour-check birds on the selvedge, so they got a look in too.

I really like this pattern, especially the flat front element of it and will be using it for as long as I can. It's really easy to run up and play around with.

I'll be linking up this post with Randi's Show and Tell Tuesday next week (this week was hijacked by pc glitches) and The Train to Crazy's Make it Wear it Thursday tomorrow.

The smallest brain in blogland...

Oh dear.  It would appear that I am even more tired and stressed than I think I am.

All that work for Kids Clothes Week back in March.... and I've just discovered that I got my dates TOTALLY wrong and it's this month. Talk about STOOPID.

But that does explain why no-one else posted anything!* And it does mean that I get to do it all over again. Which is actually quite useful because I need to find some time to make the Coastal Cargos that I got from Blank Slate patterns the other week.

So. Moving stiftly on...

Following on from the shark trousers, I'm currently having a small trouser frenzy  - well, really it's just an excuse to make more welt pockets - and should have some photos to post in the next day or so.

*Although it does beg the question, does anyone actually read this blog because not a single person took pity on me to let me know my error. Thanks for that.

Show and Tell Tuesday - shark trousers

I'm a little out of kilter with finishing things off, posting about them and Show and Tell Tuesday this week, but here are a pair of trousers I made for Stashlet over the weekend.

You can read more about them (and the very tawdry stripey t-shirt from Kids Clothes Week)  here.

Added 04-04-13:  Also linking up with Make It Wear It Thursday at The train to crazy. Thanks for the invitation to join in, Andrea!