I’m guessing instagram friday is a thing. Seems to fit with the lazy blogger friday vibe. Here is a bit from my week:
I am elsiemarley on instagram or webstagram, if you want to follow along online. Happy Weekend!
1. Fiyel Levent 2. Made by Rae 3. Clever Charlotte 4. Tea Collection 5. Babushka Girl 6. Figgy’s 7. Magpie Patterns 8. My Poppet 9. Wink Handmade 10. Ida Pearle 11. Threadbias 12. The Wildwood Flower 13. Vistaprint 14. Not So Mellow Designs 15. Re-New 16. shiny happy world
First the sponsors of KCWC need a round of applause! There are so many wonderful shops, artists, and bloggers up there who helped make kids clothes week a success. Often when I am looking around online shops–for fabric or patterns or just nice things–I instinctively say, “Oh, that costs too much, I’m not going to buy it,” but then I stop and remind myself that most of these are women like me, working hard to make and promote handmade goods. Rather than thinking of it as just buying something, I think of it as, in part, donating to the handmade movement: creating beautiful things with thoughtfulness and intention. You are also helping out a young entrepreneur. Everybody wins!
1. color theory top 2. rabbit pajamas 3. train flashback tee 4. urban duck hoodie 5. obscure animals alphabet t-shirt 6. alligator pants 7. sandbox pants, flashback tee 8. dino flashback tee 9. peek-a-boo stripes 10. quiet cats lazy days skirt 11. t-shirt to dress refashion 12. I’m on a boat 13. sunki dress 14. gray boy shorts 15. cloud hopping tee 16. sleepover pajamas
Everybody won this kcwc with all the fantastic handmade clothes that got made this week. With 600 participants, the flickr pool was overflowing with beautiful garments everyday. I could almost feel the creative energy of all of us sewing together, even though we are scattered across the globe! Even if nothing turned out the way you wanted, or everything didn’t get finished, or the pants are a leeeetle too tight, I hope you are inspired to make more clothes for your children.
I would love it if you told me what you thought of this kcwc: what could be better? what you liked the most? what more you do want out of kcwc? what is the worst bit? Anything, I want to hear it all!
I’m a little late with the last post of the week, sorry. Yesterday was so dark and rainy we couldn’t take any pictures (hence the wellies).
the fabric: this awesome star fabric is from JoAnn’s country club collection. I only remember the name because it’s hilarious. The fabric is a really nice bottomweight print, which I have the hardest time finding.
the pattern: half pants pattern letter S from Happy Homemade vol. 5 I’ve made the pants version of this pattern before–here–but added all kinds of piping and pockets.
the sewing: I made this pattern last summer, but never got around to finishing them. Ever do that? Well the half finished shorts don’t fit this year, but I liked the pattern so much I traced a bigger size. The pattern is nicely tailored and the tiny pocket is adorable, even if it’s totally useless. I have to say, these skinny star shorts are pretty much the bomb: simple, long, good for school and play. I think this would work well for boys too, maybe in a size up from what they normally wear so it’s not so, so tight.
Each day in the flickr pool has been better than the last. On this, the final day of kcwc, your handmade clothes are pretty much blowing my mind. Check out these amazing garments:
3. robot baseball tee with rainbow stripes
Sometimes the idea is much more exciting than the actual outcome. But still matching, stripy pants and shorts are pretty cute
the pattern: same as these pants, letter o from Happy Homemade vol 2 in two sizes. This was totally the wrong pattern to use for the shorts, but the perfect one for the pants. The idea I had for the shorts was something more like this, but then I got all wrapped up in saving the pockets from the original pants (see below). The front pockets were nice, slash pockets, but the back ones, I discovered later, were fake. It was a waste of time and energy and screwed up my plan.
the fabric: those pants up there. They were mine, but I felt like a fool every time I walked out of the house in them.
the sewing: I didn’t intend to get two garments out of one pair of pants. I was only going to make shorts and really to make the shorts I wanted to make–bloomers with a contrasting band–I shouldn’t have made the pants. Oh well. The little pants turned out super cute and the shorts are fine, I guess.
The flickr pool is bursting with amazing garments, many of them upcycled ones. Of all the discussions on flickr this week, my favorite has to be the one about all our mistakes and straight up sewing failures. Late at night, when I’m screwing up every possible way, it’s good to know I’m not alone!
2. top naii
3. raglan tee
My youngest has a thing for hoods. He would be happy if every shirt he own had one (this tutorial makes that a possibility). He was looking a little like the incredible hulk in his old hoodie, so a new one was definitely in order.
the pattern: the hoodie pattern from Happy Homemade vol. 2. I made this pattern a few years ago and my son still wears his–has it on today actually. Successful boy’s patterns for tops made from woven fabric are few and far between. That makes this hoodie pattern practically perfect. I added a kangaroo pocket to make it actually perfect.
the fabric: yellow linen from JoAnn’s. I’ve been using a lot of linen this week. I can’t help it, it is just so perfect for summertime kids: sturdy but still soft, lightweight but still durable. Also, my youngest is crazy for the color yellow and there aren’t a whole lot of tasteful options out there for that color. This yellow was yellow enough for him, but mustard-y enough for me.
the sewing: This pattern comes together crazy fast. The elastic in the front is a little fiddly and I know it doesn’t look the greatest, but whatever. The hoods on the last hoodies I made seemed small, so I made this hood bigger. Except I made it bigger in the back and now my son looks like a conehead. I fixed the hood not so it’s not so pointy (after this photo shoot), but it’s still elf-y. An elf is cuter than a conehead, right? I think the hood pattern needs to be made bigger in the front so it covers his forehead. I already cut out another of these hoodies for my five year old son, but I may re-draft the hood before I start sewing.
Here are today’s cuties from the flickr pool:
1. kcwc 2012
