Made/Given/Worn



I wanted to catch up on some projects I've made lately that have been made/given/worn by little ones I know. You'll remember "Junior". He was the first cloud pillow that I made for my favorite 5 year-old. I ended up making a duplicate of him as well as a rainbow blanket, for Lulu (Ravelry link HERE). They both make her crib area just a bit more charming.

Penny wore her Balloon Pants toward the end of Summer. I'm going to take them into Fall with some tights underneath. I loved them, and when standing in front of our new wallpaper she looks similar to the Japanese craft books I so revere.

I recently finished a gray rainbow sweater for her, too (Ravelry link HERE). She's been wearing it on the crisp mornings lately, and to special events around town (more on that, to come).

Speaking of special, I entered my Sasquatch Sweaters into the Oregon State Fair's Original Knitting Pattern Competition and won second place! I love these sweaters, and want to make a few more in coming months, as well as publish the pattern. Here's their original post (and here's my other second prize win, for my HarVest - a free pattern).

Next up is Halloween costumes, of course. This is the first Halloween I'll be dressing two children, and the second Halloween the adults in this family will be completely ignored :). The good thing is that we're still in the territory where the babies don't understand Halloween, nor have any opinion of what they should be! The fun will be all mine ;).

File Under: Clothes I'd Like to Own

Oh, I'm really getting into these Japanese craft books.  I love the styles of the clothing and the styling of the photographs.  I love the mystery of not being given every pattern piece.  I love the challenge of no instructions.  I'm especially loving this book, my favorite so far:

After seeing these photos, I had to make the whole outfit.

First I made the linen shirt:

Then I made the jodhpurs:



The button closures on the legs are killing me:



What age are these girls?  I'd say 5ish, perhaps?  I like all of the clothes.  I'd wear any of it, and I plan to sew it all! I even love how all of the wrinkles in the linen look. So cozy.

I finished off Penny's shirt with wooden buttons at the back.  

Cutest, cutest girls, and such great outfits! Not too girly, and in nice, neutral colors.  If only all girls women could dress like this! We'd either be in a stage play of "Oliver!" or an English show jumping competition. The good news is, we'd never have to pick up an iron.

You're the Tops

Estate Sale: two words that can make my heart beat fast, and get me in the car to go to unknown parts of town as often as I can.  When I got a tip-off from my smocking club comrades (yes, I have these) that there was an estate sale with tons of craft supplies (TONS, the email said), I was sure to stop by.  Thank goodness I got there in the last hour of the last day, when everything was half off, and there wasn't as much as there had been! I still came home with too much, including a bag of vintage fabric scraps perfect for making toddler clothes.  I made these two shirts immediately:

The pattern is from a book I've had for a while, part of my Japanese collection:

Penelope has been wearing them on Summertime adventures around town, doing her thing and, I dare say, collecting compliments along the way. 

The most comment thing I hear is, "I think I used to have a shirt like that! The print looks so familiar."  I tell them they could have!  It's this sentimental affection that I just love about anything vintage. 

Right Trousers

Do you ever crave some easy pull-on pants?  I certainly do.  Something as easy as sweatpants but a tad more stylish: easily sewn, easily worn, easily washed. I made these from bottomweight organic cotton from Fabric Depot.  They fit the bill.

They have a simple ribbon drawstring instead of elastic so when my tummy is out, it can come out.

The pattern is from the book below.  It's an English translation of a Japanese craft book containing cute clothes from simple patterns.  I made a muslin of these pants in size small, added an inch to the "seat" (ahem) and sewed the final version.  I also made a pajama pair for my friend Peg.  

The only strange thing about the book is that it's missing grainlines on the patterns.  Sewers, any clue?  

I added some patterned bias tape to the bottom edges to match my favorite shoes (and also my favorite scooter).  Mr. Jones declared them "very Diane Keaton".  Sold! Even if I secretly know that means they look oversized and androgenous.

They're great to pull on in the morning, and pull off after five minutes, when the baby has thrown up on them.  I'll be making a few more pairs for the laundry rotation.

For walks, for shopping, for the plane (the plane?  yes, we'll be on one in no time), these pants are working for me.  Hoo.Rah!

Must Have Been a Seersucker Baby

I'm calling this dress "Another Sunny Spot", it being the second creation from the Japanese craft book I'm so smitten with these days.  It's another children's garment made from my scrap box: seersucker from this dress, and a gray suiting from this dress.  Voila!  I love it.

Please be warned that this book is in japanese, so you do need to know how to make clothing first, before you attempt the projects.  What I love about doing it is that it takes a good amount of problem solving.  Not every pattern piece is given to you (like facings and such), so you use your previous knowledge to work it out.  

Whereas I thought that might be tricky with the limited sewing time I have these days (and the limited brain capacity I seem to have, as well), this way of working actually suits me.  When I wasn't sewing, I was thinking about the next steps, instead of following strict instructions in more conventional patterns.  Once I got to the sewing table, I knew exactly what I should be doing.

The result is almost as cute as the example shown in the book.  I also customized a bit, choosing to not gather the arm bands like the book's version.

Though I have no idea what size it is (the measurements are in centimeters, and I haven't looked at what age is for what measurement), I'll be putting this one away for when Penny is bigger (maybe 12 months?  Maybe 18 months old?).

The projects have been so gratifying, I'm not done with this book quite yet, though whatever happened to sewing for myself?  It's been quite a while...

From Bubble to Balloon

I've fallen in love with this Japanese craft book called "A Sunny Spot".  I haven't sewn from a Japanese craft book since this shirt, way back when.  But having someone so small to sew for in my (almost) 3 month old daughter makes these patterns easier to trace, and the projects quicker to finish.  I've also loved digging in my scrap stash for odds and ends to use, seeing how much yardage I have and making the biggest size I can.  She'll have a few things to grow into!

My first project from the book were these balloon pants, made first from shirting previously used here and here.

I liked the pattern so much I made a second pair, from the ikat fabric from Sunki.

If Penelope looks as cute as this sweetie in balloon pants, I don't know what I'll do.

Maybe make that fur collar, to match!

I Think I'm Sewing Japanese

If you are a sewist, like me, and you live near an amazing Japanese bookshop, like me, you will have bought many Japanese craft books.  The simple patterns and beautiful styling are just so inspiring.

The books come with pattern pieces in the back for all garments , but you have to "extract" the pattern you want, add seam allowance, and then have enough garment sewing expertise to know how to put the pieces together. Unless of course, you read Japanese. I've been terrified of the whole process...until now!

I started off with the most simplistic garment I could find and went for it, using the rest of the bed sheet I had left over from a previous shirt. 

I really like the result!

The only change I would make next time is the elastic on the sleeves. It's a tad too tight.

I love the ties at the shoulder, and the fact that it's only 3 pattern pieces for a comfy, simple, go-to shirt.

I can see one being made from a cotton lawn or voile. A liberty print would be gorgeous! And now that my fear of Japanese sewing is temporarily abated, I can move onto more complicated garments in these beautiful books. Stay tuned!

PS. If you're here in Portland, you can get help with these patterns by taking a "Sewing Japanese" class or going to a help session at Modern Domestic. I'm gonna keep it in mind, in case I get stuck on the next one!