Hits and Misses for Miss K

 Sewing for tweens is hard.  Here is a little catch up on what has been sewn for Miss K lately.

Vintage Kwik Sew 1077 vs. Purl Soho City Gym Shorts



Kwik Sew size 14 - in stretch denim with self made cotton bias tape (both fabrics from the scrap bin).
Kwik Sew was way to small to even be comfortable on K; she could barely get them up over her hips/butt.  I did scoop out the rear but it did not help.  This is sad because they turned out so stinking cute!



City Gym Shorts (CGS) in women’s size 35-37 in cotton woven with self made cotton voile bias tape (both fabrics from scrap bin).

CGS were too small too, but only a smidge in the rear.  I did not scoop out the rear on these but may try again in the future. I going to be honest here - I didn’t follow the directions for these because they are just weird.  You can tell the author is a quilter and not a clothing sewist. Luckily, they are simple to make and no directions are needed.

Fabric is from this dress K never wore. 100% cotton woven, it was simply called Vines Multi when I purchased it for $2.79 for the 1/2 yard. 

Jalie 3024 mash up with SUAT Aurora
I used the top from Jalie and the skirt from Aurora.  Size Q for Jalie and 14 for Aurora.



I really like this dress.  It's cute.  Miss K picked these fabrics but still hasn’t tried it on.  I hope she will like it once she finally does put it on.   Miss K refused to wear it so I chopped the top off and used the skirt to make her an Aurora.

Fabric: 1/2 yard of Coral Cotton Lycra – this stuff is nice and heavy at 11 oz a yard.  Purchased in March 2016 $1.98 from fashionfabricsclub and 2 yards of Mint Green/Gray Stripe Jersey Knit (poly, rayon, lycra) also purchased in March 2016 for $5.93.  Dress total: $7.91  

Jalie 2444 Sport Tank in size Q for shoulders/bust and S for waist/hip. I added 1/4” to each side at the bust and lowered the neck by 1” because the reviews on Patternreview said the neck was too high.



Miss K wears this tank but it is way too tight on her.  Lowering the neckline was also a bad idea – don’t listen to the reviews.  It looks so much better with the higher neckline. I will remake this for her in a larger size because it is such a cute tank. 

Fabric: Turquoise cotton lycra 1/2 yard purchased in April 2016 for $4.80.  Small bit of Shattered Showers poly/lycra that I’m hoarding from March 2015, it is from a custom fabric group "Cuddle Muffins".

Vintage Kwik Sew 1077 – tank
Size 14; this turned out super, super huge on Miss K.  Which is ironic because the shorts at the very top of this post are with the same pattern and way too small.  I ended up cutting this up to make her underwear. I totally forgot to snap a picture of it until I was cutting it up. Oops.



Ottobre 01/2011 #29 Yoga pants
Size 152 with 1/2” shortened.  You’ve seen me make her this pattern a million times. 



These are sewn with super soft French Terry.  They are nice and lightweight.  She loves them. Fabric: 1 yard of Black Two Tone French Terry Fabric (poly, rayon, spandex mix) purchased in Nov 2015 for $7.40 from Stylish Fabrics.


And here are a bunch of SUAT Scrundies that I made for Miss K from scraps and clothes she won’t wear.  I went with the “Adventure Time” theme.  Now she has 7 days of Adventure time to wear.  All characters were done with my Silhouette and Heat transfer Vinyl.  Miss K will only wear these underwear now, claiming them to be the most comfortable ever. I used size XS for her.  


As you can see, the only thing that survived from this tween sewing stint was the undies and the yoga pants.  The rest were either too tight, too big, or not wanted.

Happy Sewing!
Kristin

Clothes for the girl

I had a relatively uneventful procedure last week and am pretty much recovered.  I wanted to thank you for your kind comments on my last post.  I have the results already but do not meet with my doctor for 2 weeks to discuss. 

So, Miss K hit a decent growth spurt recently and needed some new clothes.  I’m trying to bribe her to take pictures so we will see how many of my makes I can get photographed.  Here are the first 5 things I made her.



First up is Jalie 3355 Hoodie
I used size Q for the shoulders/bust/height and size R from the waist down.  This is 1 size up from her measurements because last time I made this hoodie it just fit and I wanted a little growing room added in. 



I’ve made this hoodie for her before: January 2015 I made K a polka dot hoodie;  March 2015 I made her a pac man one  and also a teal hippie bus one. This hoodie is the perfect pattern and I’ve even made it for myself in purple and tie dye.



The instructions are fantastic, but all Jalie ones are.  I am such a visual person so the written steps are nice but the pictures steps are what really help me.
 


Fabric: 1.5 yards of red sweatshirt fleece.  “hearts on red”  I picked this up in February 2015 for $4.50 a yard.  I wish I had bought more!  Do you ever get fabric that you wish you had just bought a whole bolt of?  Anyway, I also used some navy cotton lycra scraps.  Hoodie total cost was $6.75



Next time:  I think I will take 1” out of the overall height because with the band that you can’t always see in these pictures, this hoodie is a bit long on K.  She likes to wear it but asked for it to be shorter next time.  She also asked to have a kitty heart put on the front with my silhouette machine. 

(here is before Kitty heart was added)

The pants she is wearing here are Ottobre 01/2009 #29 Saija Sweatpants.  These pants are no stranger to this blog.  This is her favorite pants pattern.  I think if I counted right this is the 10th and 11th pair I’ve made for her. 





I used size 152, reduced the front rise by 1” and shortened by 1” in length.  I use 1.5” wide elastic inside the yoga waistband to help hold them up.



Fabric: Dark Navy Blue Jersey Knit, cotton lycra.  This fabric is super nice and beefy at 11oz in weight. It was a dream to sew and it feels so nice in hand.  I purchased this in March and used 1 yard for $3.95.






I sewed her up another pair in a light french terry.  It is a Ruby Two Tone French Terry Fabric and made of 87% Polyester 9% Rayon 4% Spandex.  This fabric is so super soft I knew K would like it. 



She actually didn’t like them at first – hated the heathered look of the fabric – but now has come around and likes them. I picked this up in Nov 2015 for $7.40 for the yard.



With the leftover 1/2 yard of sweatshirt fabric from the hoodie I decided to try a shorts pattern out for K. This is Jalie 2445.  I used size R on the shorts and Q for the rise/height.  They turned out really cute but also really, really short.  K uses them for bedtime because she’s a hot sleeper.  Shorts: $2.25



I made this pattern a second time in Lilac Purple Cotton Spandex Knit.  Same R sizing and Q for the rise.  I added 1/4” to the side seams though to give K’s hips more room.  I added 1/2” full butt adjustment and 3” to the length of the legs.  These are just ok.  They fit nice on the hips and nothing is wrong with them, K just doesn’t prefer them.  These are pajama shorts now too.  I picked up this fabric in August 2015. Cost of shorts: $3.25



In summary, K received 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, and a hoodie for $23.60 total. 

If you follow me on Instagram you have seen that I am almost finished with a Maxi dress for me.  It is turning out nicely!  I’m also working on a tank for me as well as K.  I have started putting together my summer “want to sew” list.  Have you started your summer sewing yet?

~ Happy Sewing! ~

Kristin

Last Sewings of 2015

Here are the last things I’ve sewn in 2015.  I made them all in the last week and hoped I could get pictures before the new year! 

Pattern: I just couldn’t stay away from the Patterns for Pirates patterns.  I wanted to try the Henley.  It is a bit more fitted than the Raglan so I went with my actual measurements.  I cut and sewed a size L in the bust/waist and XL in the hips.  I sewed the placket neck, long sleeves hemmed, and curved hemline.  Of course this pattern has a ton of different options to sew, like all P4P patterns. 



Instructions and Sewing: The instructions are great but I was just slightly confused with one step of the placket.  You know how I struggle with those plackets!  I still think Jalie’s 2562 incturctions for a placket are the best yet.  The curved hem was very sharp too.  Usually there is a small flat part at the hip which makes it easy to turn up the hem.  This one met at an angle and was a bear to hem.  I had to snip my fabric just to get it to turn.  I’d modify this curve a bit if I sew it again. 



Fabric: The very softest French Terry I’ve ever felt.  Wearing this fabric is like wearing a cloud!  2 yards of Navy Two Tone French Terry Fabric from Stylish Fabric.  Purchased Nov 2015 for $14.80.  I thought it would be much thicker and have 4 way stretch.  It only has 2 way and is really thin, but still super soft.  87% Polyester 9% Rayon 4% Spandex mix.  I can’t recommend Stylish Fabric as a place to buy though.  They took forever to get my fabric to me and most of it was so thin. 



Thoughts: I love the feel of this top.  I love the color.  I’m not sure if it looks to much like Pajamas to be worn in public though.  I also have a bit of pulling across my butt so I need to add a 1/2” of fabric there next time.  I don’t want to take it off, however, so it must be a win!




Pattern: The P4P raglan strikes again!  This is the 3rd one I’ve sewn this month.  This shows how much I love this pattern!



Instructions and sewing: You can read my thoughts on the instructions in my other two posts: elephant raglan and hooded raglan.  I added 2” to the length.  This one is also a size M bust/waist to an XL at the hip.  I used the curved hem, long sleeves with cuffs, and round neckline.  The curve on this hem is perfect and I had no issues turning it up to hem it.  I slimmed 3 inches off each side seam from nothing at bust to 3” at waist to nothing at hip.  I like the slimmer fit. 



Fabric: 1.25 yards of Teal/Purple Print Double Knit, 97% Polyester 3% Lycra; purchased from fashionfabricsclub in Oct 2015 for $6.19 and 1 yard of Peacock Blue Solid Cotton Spandex Knit from Girl Charlee, Aug 2015 for $6.50.  Total for shirt: $12.69



Thoughts: I love this one just as much as the other two I made.  I like that this one is long enough to wear my leggings with!  My hooded one was just a tad too short for leggings.  I feel that leggings aren’t pants, and my tops must be long enough to cover my butt to wear the leggings, lol. 


Next I made a ton (7) Pairs of Jalie 3242 underwear for myself with fabric scraps.  I found this blog post showing me how to have the front and back crotch seams enclosed so I modifed my pattern for this.  I love them all but the bird one (yellow) has to be my fav. pair.  Yes, I used my silhouette to vinyl my underwear!  I’m addicted, what can I say : )  Anyway, I’ve made this pattern numerous times and I just love the fit.  They are so comfortable and actually cover my whole backside.  The best part is that they do not ride at all.  I used fold over elastic on all the leg seams and waists. 




Miss K received two new pairs of Ottobre 01/2009 #29 Saija Sweatpants.  This is her favorite pants pattern.  I think if I counted right this is the 8th and 9th pair I’ve made for her.  I sized up to the 152, reduced the front rise by 1” and shortened by 2” in length.  I use 2” wide elastic inside the yoga waistband to help hold them up. 



Fabric: 1 yard of Bright Purple Velour purchased Oct 2015 from fashionfabricsclub for $3.75; and 1 yard of “mouse” gray velour purchased Dec 2014 from Natures Fabrics for $9.




And Mr. T received a new pair of pajama shorts from the pattern he loves most Ottobre 06/2011 #37 Green Check Boxer Shorts



These shorts have been made 10 times before!
Bear Flannel and Space Nov 2014
Bart Simpson and Perry the Platypus May 2014
Long pjs pants and fuzzy shorts Jul 2013
Altered to shorts with piped pockets Jun 2013
Terry Cloth pj shorts Feb 2013
Space pj shorts with mock fly Jan 2013
Blue gingham shorts with mock fly Jan 2013

Fabric: 1.5 yards Pokemon Characters Blue Cotton Woven.  From Hancocks in Sept. 2015 for $7.71 on sale. 

I sized up to a 164 this time and added 1” to the waistband to fit in my 2” elastic.  They were a bit low before this and is rear was starting to show.  Now they fit great, if a little bit to grow into. 




So that’s it for 2015.  My next post will list my stats for the year and such.   I'm giddy with excitement to look over all my charts and data because I'm a numbers geek like that :D

Easter and such

Friday before Easter I set out to make Miss K's Easter dress.
In 2012 she picked the fabric for this crazy dress. 
In 2013 she also picked the fabric and it was so pretty in this dress.
In 2014 I simply skipped making her a dress. (whoops)

So I felt that in 2015 I should make her one.
I picked out some pink/yellow/light blue plaid chambray from my stash and McCalls 6919.  I was going to try the plus size 12.5 but I considered the finished measurements and went with a straight 12 for K.

The pattern uses facings for the bodice by the buttons; it uses bias tape for the neckline and armholes.  I know facings are usually left as is but I despise them and after I spent all that time on this dress the facings started to unravel on the edges.  I ended up pinking them.  If I made again I might run bias tape along their edges.  K picked the buttons - pretty turquoise blue vintage ones.

The skirt portion is almost double wide of what the bodice is.  I took this opportunity to try out my newest toy - a ruffler foot; It worked great on the "6" setting with a 12 stitch length on my old Kenmore.  Ah, no more cruddy and uneven gathers.  The foot takes a quick getting used to but after that it is so nice to have.

The bodice on this dress is quite big in the neck/shoulder area and K isn't too fond of this.
Also, the fabric was not as nice as I hoped. It is sturdy and cute, but everyday cute and not Easter fancy cute.  I bought this fabric from fashionfabricsclub in February, 2 yards for $8 total.  It was listed as "dress weight" 98% cotton, 2% lycra so it has a tiny bit of stretch. It seems a bit heavy to me for a dress.

So... I ended up not wanting this to be her Easter dress and proceeded to start a new one on Saturday (our first Easter gathering was Saturday at 3pm).

I let Miss K pick the fabric and pattern for this second attempt.
She choose the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress

The top, green fabric has been in my stash since June of 2012. It is Moda Marble Swirls Green and I had only 1/2 yard for $4.49
The middle fabric is 2 yard of cute little bunny fabric that I picked up August 2014 from Mill End Textiles - I used 1.25 yards I think. (no idea on price but most likely $3.49
The pink I had 1/2 yard of from Feb 2013 Monkey's Bizness Market Stalls Pink $4.49

 

Since I have made this many other times, I was confident I could bust it out in the course of the day just in time for the party.

Miss K wanted the dress, with the pink fabric on the bottom - but I cut out only 1 front panel and then didn't have enough fabric for the back panel. I only had 1/2 yard so this was changed to a shirt.

This time I made sure to interface the "V" portion of the neck as well as the parts of the pocket.  This allowed for crisp lines when I turned them.  I lined the middle portion with scraps of an old sheet because it was a tad see-through.

I finished just in time for this to be worn Saturday.  I had to do a really tiny hem because the original hem would have went right up into the pockets.  I had no time so I just serged the lining hem.

I tested another peasant type top (to try to find something for a tiered dress K keeps asking for).  I've made this once in the past but it was short on K and she outgrew it right away.

Kwik Sew 3169

I made the long sleeves with the elastic in them like the pattern indicated but K despised the elastic part - and the sleeve is in two parts, top and bottom, seam allowance makes up the casing. So there was no way to just take out the elastic without cutting the sleeves to short sleeves. I hacked the sleeves off and hemmed. Let's hope she wears this. She is ok with the top but not in love. This was the only good picture I got of the shirt.

Fabric: a Blue/Brown print from fashionfabricsclub.  They call it a cotton lawn.  1.75 yards at $5.01 total.  I ordered it Jan this year with this project in mind.

Moving on, the weather is warming up around here and shorts are on my mind.  I tried out a new size in Jalie 3243 for K, size 152 or "p".  These made great shorts for her in Fall 2013. I shortened the rise to her height of 146 and she thinks they are to short in back.  I will have to go for a straight size  next time though the front rise was great.

I also used up scraps from my awesome Lady Skater dress to try out the size of these cute Ottobre capris in 152. 03/2012 #29  I foolishly shortened the rise of these too - before K tried on the other shorts. She hates these and won't even wear them.  She couldn't understand why they were not pants and not shorts. Capris aren't for her. 

Now on my table I have a Jalie sweatshirt for me, sweatpants for me, Corduroy pants for K, another Jalie swimsuit for both K and me, and a Jalie tank or tee for me and K.

~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~