Normally I can’t stand sewing clothes for myself.  There are many reasons…

#1. I am not a rectangle. Unlike my children, I am not shaped like piece of spaghetti. All the curvy bits make for complicated patterns that involve darts and tucks and cutting just right and actually (for once) transferring markings from the pattern to the fabric.

#2. I am not a child. Which means I cannot make a top out of 1/2 yard of whatever random fabric I have lying around. I need to buy something I like (I’m horribly picky) and I need to buy rather a lot of it (I’m horribly cheap). So more often than not I leave the fabric store with a 1/2 yard of something cute for my kids.

#3. I do not have the world’s most perfect body. I know this, I don’t dwell on it. I just try to accept myself and move on. But when you make a pattern, every way your body differs from the norm becomes hugely amplified. It’s like the damn pattern is mocking you at every turn.

#4. I do not like looking at pictures of myself. And seriously, there were like a 100 to look through just to get a few decent ones. This one has some subcategories: #4a. I make ridiculous faces when my husband takes pictures of me and #4b. Hello?! did you not realize your jeans are dirty? 

But! But! in spite of all that I hate about sewing clothes for myself, I love this shirt! I found a lovely, super neutral, sweater knit fabric in the sale bin that worked out perfectly. The pattern–a free pattern by Kristin from skirt as top–was very simple and easy to follow.  I’m happy to report the pattern did not mock me as I made it. And! And! I’ve worn it multiple times since I’ve sewed it.

This is what victory looks like, wonky seams and all.

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!

Day three of Kid’s Clothes Week  and I finally have something to show you :) I made this blue tee and the stripy shorts using patterns from this book:

It’s called something like My First Kids Clothes or Easy Kids Clothes Sewing Finish in One Day. Depends on who’s translating. You get the gist. The author is Ruriko Yamada, the same woman who wrote Happy Homemade vols 2 and 5 (aka my favorite pattern maker ever).

When I discovered she had another book, I didn’t hesitate to buy it. And the patterns do not disappoint! As the title implies, they are simple, but I think the ones in the Happy Homemade books are too. I can see all the clothes in this book being made and worn many, many times. And it doesn’t hurt that the styling is extra adorable.

You can see the shorts I made in the picture above: pattern Z-b. I changed it a bit by adding pockets in the front and nixing the pocket in the back. I also omitted the elastic, because I thought I could make a double layer of jersey do the job. But sadly, no, they are a bit fall-y down-y as my son says. I’ll have to go back and put some elastic in to keep them up. I’m kicking myself for forgetting to add the drawstring, because even though it’s fake, it’s a nice detail. I also skipped the hem on the bottom, because I liked the casual vibe the overlocked edge gave it (and I’m a little lazy).

The tee shirt is definitely my favorite. It’s just a basic tee with a little lapped bit in the front. The binding in the collar comes to a point where the two sides overlap. This small detail just makes the shirt. And the way the pattern is made makes it super easy to figure out. Knit necklines are not my strong point, so it’s nice to have one I know I can do.

I loved making this shirt so much, I cut out another for my youngest.  KCW is in full swing. Have you been stopping by the blog to see what amazing clothes everyone is making?

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

2. kcwc spring day 4 

3. kcwc day 1 and 2

4. more stripey jersey jim jams

Kristin hasn’t been blogging for all that long, but she quickly became the hot new blogger because wow! can she sew! She sews for her baby boy, her twirling little girl, and now herself (check out that awesome top up there).  For that daughter that never stops dancing, Kristin turned the Flashback Skinny Tee pattern into a dress with extra ruffly sleeves.  It is amazing what one pattern can do. Like Heather said yesterday, you could use this one pattern for all your kcwc sewing needs!

When Meg contacted me with her idea to have a bunch of gals sew Rae’s flashback skinny tee pattern, I immediately knew what to do – remix it into a dress!  My daughter is almost four and wants to wear a dress every day.  She considers them essential for dancing, her most favorite activity.  I like sewing dresses, especially when they’re washable, comfortable, and easy for her to play in (I’m a practical mama).  Jersey knit is the perfect material for all of that!

I made this simple flutter sleeve tank dress with an XXL Old Navy shirt from the clearance rack plus scraps of a t-shirt from another project.  I have trouble finding good knit fabric and I almost always end up using repurposed sale rack men’s shirts – as big as I can get ’em!  Extra bonus points if I can preserve the factory hem, though Rae offers great hemming tips within the pattern as well.

I extended the hemline of the 3T skinny tee pattern about 6″ (use a dress you already have as a guide), and made it A-line by using a straight edge, starting at the armpit and finishing about 3″ from the side of where the original pattern would be if it were dress length.  I trimmed the tops of the shoulder seams about 1/2″ (though I might recommend a little more), bound the armholes per Rae’s pattern instructions, and widened the neckline a bit.  I also added a little pocket for extra detail.

For the flutter sleeves, I added 5″ to each armhole measurement and cut two strips to that length, each 1.5″ wide.  I rounded the ends and gathered them along the longer edge.  I attached each sleeve to the underside of the armhole, topstitching both on the outside and inside edges of the binding to catch it securely.  I left the edges raw, since knit doesn’t fray.

The skinny tee pattern is a quick sew and so versatile, it’s great for adding your own customizations!  I first sewed a “regular” version here as practice before remixing it into a dress.

Thanks for designing such an awesome pattern, Rae, and thanks for having me, Meg!  I’m so excited to sew along and be inspired next week!  Come check out what I’m making over at skirt as top.