Cords for Chloe that actually fit!

First of all I have to apologise for not blogging for so long, I struggle with pregnancy and although this pregnancy is going really well, keeping up with blogging was just a bit much. I also have been a bit slack with my crafting and gardening this year for the same reason so there hasnt been much to report. Ill do a gardening post in the next couple of weeks and I do have a few catch up knitting and sewing posts to do before this bub comes. Ive just hit the third trimester and now I am really feeling it physically and I still have a ways to go!

Now, what got me back to my sewing machine the past week was a desire to sew some pants for my pre schooler that actually fit her. She is short but skinny and doesn't really have a waist or hips. I found this hipster, slim fitting pants pattern over at http://indietutes.blogspot.com/ . This is the pattern . The description was exactly what I was after. Chloe is very picky about her pants, they cant be too long, sit on her belly or be too restrictive or she just wont wear them. They can't look like boys pants either and if she can wear them with a dress or pinafore thats even better. I wanted to make some pants that could fit easily into her boots as well so that the bottom of her pants don't get wet as we walk rain, hail or shine to get to kinder, daycare and playgroup. Ok, maybe not hail.

Being tired and feeling heavy and big I decided just to whip up a few pairs from the fabric stash but once I got started I decided I needed to fancy them up a bit or the chances are she wont wear them. Plus whats the point of making them if you can't get a bit creative, right?

The first pair I made was from a pair of adult sized cords from the op shop. My machine struggled to sew the thicker material, I broke about 4 needles. Eventually I caught on I might need a different sized needle so I bought one, then my cheap thread kept snapping. I kept going though and I am happy with the results, although the waist band is a bit dodgy. I appliqued some hearts on it out of the same material. I left the edges of the hearts raw so that they will start to fray a little bit after a few washes. Chloe loves them.

The next couple of pairs were alot easier to make because the cord was thinner. I did some applique on one pair and added some owl ribbon to the other pair. This girlied them up a bit for her.



Chloes New Party Dress

Chloe has out grown her favourite red party dress. I am going to miss it because it is just gorgeous. The best part about having another girl though is that it will get worn again in a couple of years. I bought some fabric from Crafty Mammas recently and decided it would make the perfect party dress. I just needed to find a pattern. I came across this tutorial over at From an Igloo and decided it would be perfect. A little bit special with a big skirt for lots of twirl.

I was also up for a bit of a challenge with this project and liked that the tutorial included shirring, which I had never done before. It also had a button hole in the back, which is never easy..



She NEVER stands still



Check out the Shirring :) it was really easy

Overall it turned out really well, in fact better than I expected. It was a good use of some special fabric and I like that the dress should fit for at least a couple of years. It has a big hem on it and the shirring makes it a bit stretchy so there is room to grow. It has long straps too so it can grow with her.

Robot dancing

The hard part is convincing her to take the 'special' dress off. She was so excited when she first saw it she went and gave it a hug and a kiss!

reversible Pop over pinafore - Again!

I have a little girl I look after while her mum works called Ava. She had her first birthday a little while ago and I wanted to make her something special. Like me, her mum Ann really appreciates home made things and she also likes alot of the same types of kids clothing as I do. I made her a reversible pop over pinafore in a size 1 although it is slightly smaller than a size 1 because I didnt have enough of my fav material to make it that bit bigger. Luckily she is a slight little thing and it fitted her well (which is funny because it was too small for Elyssa when I tried it on her!) I love this top and I loved seeing her in it. Now I will have to make one for Elyssa as well.

Another Pop-over Reversible Pinafore

I love this pinafore E-Pattern. The pink ladybug one I made Chloe gets worn twice a week. One day I face it one way, the next day I reverse it! On hot days she wears it with shorts and nothing underneath, on cooler days she wears it with jeans or cords with a top under it.

Today I made another one out of cord and Im sure it will get just as much use! It is a bit heavier so will be used more in cooler weather rather than warmer weather. I love it because I put in a bit of effort and added appliqued flowers to one side. I love the floral print on the reversed side as well. The material on the appliqued side came from my mother in laws stash and is probably ten or twenty years old!

This time I made the pinafore in a size 4 because the pink pinafore could have been a tiny bit bigger. The floral print side would probably look the nicest with a pair of pink or white plain leggings with a matching top to go underneath because it is pretty 'busy'. The appliqued side could be worn with cord, jeans or leggings. Pinafores are perfect for Chloes busy life, particularly Kinder and Daycare. I might make one more pinafore for her as well, not that she needs it but they are sooo easy to make. It took less than 30 minutes to sew todays pinafore (I had already cut it out and done the applique though) and I have ALOT of cord material to use up. I need to make her some more pants too.....

Hoodie dress out of fleece - Febuary Challenge -make something out of Knit

OK I think I just out did myself! Im very excited about this jumper dress I made for Chloe. I bought a recycled T-shirt hoodie pattern off Etsy and adapted it to make this fleecy hoodie dress for Winter. Its totally my own design, right down to the heart applique!! I haven't tried it on Chloe yet because she is asleep but I hope it looks good and fits her! Im going to make her some strippy leggings to wear with it. The best thing about this little project is that even my sewing is good! All my seams are really straight!!!!! After I make some leggings Im going to make Elyssa a little matching one. It will be a little bit different though but I think Ill put a heart on it too and make her some leggings out of the same material. Im very excited about this hoodie though, Ill post a pic of Chloe wearing it tomorrow. I really hope I like it on her!...It would be wrong to wake her up, wouldn't it.....

I have just edited this post to add that I have just discovered that this little number fits the bill for the 12 month sewing challenge (see button on side) I wasn't sure if fleece counted as a knit fabric or not and it does (silly me). I had been planning on making leggings for the girls, I bought some material from Spotlight and also found some at the local op shop, I bought a pattern off Etsy but alas it wasn't to be! The pattern appears to be a corrupt file and I can't get it to open. Im waiting to hear back from the seller...waiting and waiting and waiting.....

The next challenge is to make a Softie which should be good fun. I might make a giraffe or maybe a dog. Mum made one for Elyssa for Christmas and gave me the instructions. It depends on how much of a challenge I want!

Some Very Fancy Pants!!

I had lost my sewjo lately because I was lacking motivation. Both girls have plenty of summer clothes and I wanted to start sewing winter clothes but I didn't have any material. Pay day was last week so I made the one hour trip to Spotlight to see what they had. I decided I need to make Chloe a few pairs of cord pants, a few jumpers, tracksuit pants, a pinafore and some leggings. Im also going to make a hoodie dress out of fleece using a pattern I bought off Etsy. I found what I needed at Spotlight (I was there an hour and a half!) including a beautiful floral printed brown cord. It was rather pricey so I bought a few matching colours in cord so that I can use it in a few different pieces rather than just as an item itself. So here is my first creation! I used a pattern my mum gave me. Mum made Chloe a pair of pants using this pattern last year and they are a great fit. She still wears those pants all the time. I added the floral panel which is why I love them so much! Its so much fun putting together your own creations! We call them her fancy pants and she adores them. They are certainly a bit different and you probably wouldn't find them in a shop anywhere which is why I like them. Next Im going to make Elyssa a pair as well although her pants will be all floral cord. A bit too fidly  to add a panel to such a small pair of pants.

Itching to do some stitching!

Well today I had so much to do as we are heading to Mum and Dads for Chritmas and are leaving here on Wednesday. So what do I do? I sew! I was totally overcome with the need to create! As we are catching the train to mum and dads and its going to be a hot day I decided that Chloe needed a new summery, girly top to wear. I have had this yellow cherry print material in my stash for a while and have been wanting to use it for weeks but wouldn't let myslef until I had finished all the Christmas presents. I found a pattern in my stash that I picked up cheap at Spotlight a while ago and decided to have a go! I have wanted to make a bodice for a while and now that I have a pattern for it I can make heaps of different dresses and tops.

I love how it came out and it wasn't too difficult. I do need to adjust the straps though and move them in on the back as they keep falling off chloes shoulders. I also love my little model, as soon as I said stay still so I can take a pic she started wiggling all over the place! I got heaps of cute photos though!

Play Clothes

I have been having fun making some play clothes for Chloe. I didn't make the denim shorts, just added the cuffs and belt! These are fun, quick projects that are good practice while I rediscover how to sew.