Four years ago, I crocheted some edging on a few yards of linen and made myself a beach blanket. I have loved that thing ever since. It’s just the right mix of utilitarian and fancy for me (and for the beach). It has held up suprisingly well. The crochet bit has gotten skrunchy and soft from all the washings. The photos below are from when I made it and today. (more…)
I think this outfit looks pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. It’s far from perfect, but it’ll do just fine.
striped banyan tee and yellow linen prefontaine shorts with beige bias trim.
The shirt was a breeze to sew. The pattern is Figgy’s Banyan tee and it is perfect for summer. I was quite pleased with how the collar came out. The hem on the other hand is on the wonky side. I’m still getting used to sewing with jersey. This striped jersey is from Joann’s and I actually like it a lot. It’s very thin, but the stripes are a bit textured and that gives the fabric some body (or structure or weight or something that makes me not curse when I sew with it). I used the blue colorway on a tee shirt I made for the handmade kids clothes swap.
The shorts gave me a run for my money. I think I sewed every single seam wrong at the start. They are constructed in a different way then I’m used to. I like to sew each leg separate, then put one leg in the other, and sew the crotch seam (if you don’t sew, that was a very odd sentence). In this pattern, you sew the front together, then the back, then sew those two bits together, and then the crotch. I think.
There weren’t enough pictures in the pattern for me and I got lost very quickly. But eventually it came together and they are cuuuute. I love the way the beige bias tape looks with the yellow linen. I just realized this is a whole Joann’s outfit. Sometimes, man, they get it right.
Have you seen the featured projects for kcw day four? They are good, check em out!
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
Sometimes getting a good photo of the clothes is twice as hard as actually sewing the clothes. She loves the clothes–I think this outfit will be worn all summer long—but hates being in front of the camera. There were many, many crabby faces before I got this smile.
the pattern: This wide leg pants pattern comes from the Japanese sewing book Happy Homemade Vol. 2. It is pattern letter o. I’ve had a few questions about this book and Japanese sewing books in general, so I thought maybe I’d do a few reviews after kcwc wraps up.
the fabric: Aqua linen from Joann’s.
the sewing: I’ve made these pants so many times before I could sew them in my sleep. Actually, I made these exact pants in orange linen last summer for my daughter and she wore them at every opportunity. Who can blame her? Wearing linen pants feels so good in the summertime.
the pattern: tee for two pattern by figgy’s. I think this pattern might be out of print, but there is a version in the book Sewing for Boys.
the fabric: Nani Iro knit called Pocho. I would buy every bit of fabric Naomi Ito designs if I could. The knit fabric is just as lovely as her double gauze: super soft, a little waffle-y, and the print is perfect.
the sewing: The tee for two pattern calls for all your seams to be on the outside. I wanted a cleaner look, so I sewed everything with right sides facing. I always have trouble with hemming knits, but this time I used mother’s little helper: steam-a-seam. I kind of fell in love with the stuff. It’s double sided, fusible, a little bit stretchy, and only 1/4 inch wide. Stretch knits and shifty fabrics can be tamed with this stuff. The arm hems turned out perfect because of it. Though, I did feel like I was cheating a bit.
Today’s picks from the flickr pool are brought to you by the amazing stripe and the crazy polka dot:
1. polky dots
4. more stripey jersey jim jams
I had planned for this post to be a little more colorful, with some nice bright tees and crazy socks, but the boys insisted on being perfectly matchy-matchy (their words) right down to matching bare feet. This’ll be yur summertime business casual for boys.
the pattern: This is a new pants pattern for me. I wanted to try it because it was a slimmer cut than my beloved pattern from Happy Homemade Vol. 2 and it had a back yoke (you know that sort of V-shaped part in the back of your jeans). The pattern is from a japanese sewing book called Polka Drops, or rather maybe the series is called polka drops and this specific book is called something else entirely. I know absolutely no Japanese, so your guess is as good as mine. If you follow the link, you’ll see the pants on the front cover.
the fabric: The fabric is the same dyed ikea curtain I used for my daughter’s skirt. I also used the same fabric for the purple pockets that I used in her skirt and for her Ayashe blouse too.
the sewing: The actual sewing of the pants went really well. There were pockets and flat felled seams and it all went swimmingly. The fit though, the fit is crap. They are a nice width–not wide leg, not skinny–but they are way too big in the crotch (it is an awful word, I know, but there isn’t any other that works). If I hike them up old man style, then they fit right, but eventually the crotch gets all saggy again. I don’t really know how to adjust the fit so it’s better. Maybe next time I’ll lob off some of the top on the pattern. If you have any suggestions I’m all ears. Even though my boys do like them (and love that they match) and they will get worn, every time they do wear them the phrase saggy crotch will go through my head. Not pleasant!
Here are some amazing clothes that will have you thinking only lovely things when you see them:
3. beetlebroek
There isn’t room here on the blog to show off all the super fantastic garments in the flickr pool, so I’ve been featuring some on facebook throughout the day too.
