finished projects 2012 Archives

Picture perfect purple for a prickly party princess – FO 30 & 31/2012

December 16, 2012

Well we almost didn’t make it to the party today…but that was more to do with Madam Button von Stroppypants having a major attitude problem and Mummy foolishly rising to the bait!

However all was resolved 5 minutes before the allotted hour and following a quick change, our prickly party princess was ready to go.

You may remember this dress from That Bloody Wedding…the pattern is New Look 6881 and it’s a pattern I just love.

The fabric is a poly duchesse from Abakhan lined with poly habotai also from Abakhan.

As the dress is sleeveless it really needed a cardigan and this is the finished Langston

knitted in Debbie Bliss Rialto DK.

I did a very cursory block of this cardigan hence the frill isn’t lying as flat as I’d like, but this doesn’t really detract from the overall loveliness of this little cardie.

As you probably know by now, I’ve never met a cable I didn’t like, and this is no exception.

Such a lovely pattern…one I can definitely see myself making again.

And madam had a lovely time at the party and is now, finally asleep. Don’t be fooled by those big blue eyes! I’m off for a very stiff drink 😉

A little winter dress – FO 29/2012

November 24, 2012

Oh it’s been wild here. We drove to Basingstoke on Thursday to visit our beloved friends Jani and Ian (of whom we don’t see enough) and could only manage about 50 mph, if we were lucky, due to the high winds sweeping across the motorway.

Today is very chilly and I’m thankful that I recently finished another iteration of Heidi and Finn’s delicious cowl neck dress for Button.

She’s on a bit of a growth spurt at the moment so she’d grown out of the navy striped one I made, but the next size up is a little big…although I don’t think it will be for very long.

The fabric was a dress of Ma SIL’s which I cut into with gay abandon, but explains why the sleeves are 3/4 and the cowl a little shorter that the pattern…I simply didn’t have enough fabric so made these little modifications with surprisingly pleasing results.

This is a dancing dress…

…and great for twirling in…

…and just fabulous for jumping, too!

I think she likes this dress…and wasn’t in the mood for standing for photos this morning!

Thank you to Nana for the makings of a lovely and cosy new dress.

Oh Suzanna…you’re back again. FO 28/2012

November 4, 2012

Here’s Button in another Oh Suzanna smock.

This was once one of The Husband’s shirts, so looks super cute with the button placket up the front.

Hey…it’s not only the top that’s cute!

I also changed up the sleeve a little. The pattern calls for elastic or to use the cuff from a long sleeved shirt. I decided to play with the existing turn up and stitch a little inverted pleat into each sleeve.

All in all it’s another adorable little top. Button couldn’t wait to show it off to her Grandma today, which I’m taking as a good sign.

The knitted dress is almost done…just the serger tails to sew in.

And the jeans are on the table.

I’m sewing these production style, so hopefully they’ll come together really quickly. I’ve got an impatient client!

PS…you may have noticed the light is grim here today

…but I really wanted to share!

W is for Washi – FO 27/2012

October 21, 2012

Following the exam fiasco and the operation-that-wasn’t, this week has been decidedly quiet. And I’ve spent much of it doing not very much except taking a breath and relaxing.

I did however find the energy to finish the hems and binding on my first Washi top.

I love it!

I know it makes the girls look ridiculously humongous…but, what can I say, I’ve got boobs…nothing’s going to change that!

Anyway…moving on…this is a great pattern. The downloaded pattern pages match up really well, making taping them together remarkably painless. Rae has written such clear and comprehensive instructions that you’ll have no trouble putting this together.

My only alterations were to add a bit to the length and a FBA. I was glad of the additional length when I carried out an impromptu burn test with my iron that confirmed that this fabric is, indeed, polyester!

The fabric is from Ma’s stash. It’s one of those that comes under the category of “what was I thinking” as this isn’t the best colour for either of us. But it just about works and it’s a very wearable muslin.

The Husband thinks its a lovely top…I can’t imagine why. I’m planning to make the dress version with another piece in my stash, but the next one will have the sleeves variation that Rae is teasing us with at the moment.

And then there’s the black cotton that would make a fabulous maxi…

I may have Washi fever!

The small print:

Pattern: Washi from Made by Rae. $16

Fabric: Polyester print from Ma’s stash. £0

Notions: Thread, interfacing and shirring elastic from stash. £0.

Total cost: $16

kcwc – days 6 & 7 – FO 25 & 26

October 14, 2012

Phew…made it! I actually finished the outfit.

But before I share can I just say thank you for all the kind comments on my last post. You are all just so very kind.

For my first kcwc I was planning to make one of Heidi and Finn’s Cowl Neck Jumper Dress

image courtsey of heidi and finn

and Stitch and Whimsey’s Oh Suzanna Smock.

image courtesy of stitch and whimsy

Both patterns were in my pattern library and I planned to upcycle one of The Husband’s shirts for the smock and a dress donated by Ma SIL.

However, this plan changed at the beginning of the week when Button was invited to a birthday party today at a children’s play centre. She needed something new, but not a frock. I wanted her to be able to run and play and have fun without being encumbered or losing her modesty.

Muuuuuuuum! Let me go and play!

So I went with the Oh Suzanna Smock and Peek-a-Boo skinny jeans.

As the top was made from new fabric rather than an upcycled shirt I went with the elasticated sleeve:

Button loves the pockets:

Speaking of pockets…I lined the jeans pockets with the same fabric:

It’s these little details that make me love sewing clothes.

There are cute little back pockets too:

These are just begging for embellishment! Maybe on the next pair…

I used a triple stitch and good old Gutermann thread to do the topstitching:

It’s the first time I’ve used this technique and I’m really rather pleased with the result.

As is Button. She got to run and climb and slide and jump in complete comfort, with room for cake. Which, in my book, makes my first attempt at kcwc a success.

These two patterns are going to get some use over the next few weeks. I’m planning to upcycle those shirts, and I have a pair of Daddy’s jeans to use too…she has outgrown her current pair of denims so these are a priority.

But, I still owe her that little knitted dress, so tonight I downloaded and taped the pattern:

This should be a quick make. I think I might be on a roll.

kcwc 1 – Kitty – FO 24/2012

October 8, 2012

Ok…so strictly speaking this has been finished for a week or so, but I’ve not had the opportunity to share it with you yet.

And it’s a really cute way to kick off my first ever kcwc.

Pattern: Kitty from Donna Higgins at Heirloom Stitches

Yarn: Araucania Sock Yarn -it’s a mystery which one!

I love this pattern and I love this yarn.

The colours are even more saturated in real life, but because of the variegation of the yarn, it’s not too bold.

Unlike my daughter, who, quite frankly, is ‘bold’ personified!

automne – FO 23/2012

September 28, 2012

So I have preparation for my final exam to do.

And the kids have brought home back-to-school-lurgy so I’ve been feeling quite a bit under par this week.

So, of course, I’ve been making a dress for Button.

And not just any old dress…no! A forest themed dress for FSC Friday!

When school told us that today the children could go dressed in green instead of uniform, or in something forest themed, I first planned to do a quick dress out of cord to represent the tree with a few felt leaves tacked to it!

These leaves are all properly appliquéd onto the dress…by hand! Thanks to the lovely Liz for letting me raid her felt stash!

I must be mad. I swear I need to learn to leave well alone. But this has gone from being a one off costume to a little dress she can wear all winter. And a self drafted one to boot.

Because you know that the leaves go round to the back of the dress too.

Yep…I did…I’m crazy! Even more so when you consider that that is a hand picked zip.

It was so worth it though to see her face light up as she saw it coming together, for the ecstatic thank yous, and the bear hug and face full of kisses she bestowed.

I know she won’t always want Mummy’s handmades, so for now I’m happy to pull crazy sewing out of the hat now and again. Even if I should be studying. 😉

Edit…

I forget the credit for the squirrel appliqué ..I do apologise.

I sourced this from Wee Folk Art and you can download it here.

Brockholes – FO 22/2012

September 24, 2012

This sweater has been knitted forever and has been languishing in a drawer waiting for colder weather…which has arrived with a vengeance in the last couple of weeks. Sunday was the first opportunity I had to get a photo of it. And they are not glamorous in any way shape or form, but at least you can see it earning it’s keep.

You’ll remember the yarn from the ill-fated Fairhope cardigan I made at the end of last year and promptly ~~unravelled~~ got Ma to unravel.

The pattern is Placed Cable Aran from Interweave Knits:

You don’t need to be particularly eagle eyed to notice that my version is slightly different from the original pattern.

Yep…instead of cabling both front and back to create the circular cable, I just cabled front to achieve this effect.

And whilst this isn’t the most stylish sweater in the world, nor has the yarn taken kindly to being frogged and re-knitted…this is a spectacularly comfortable and cosy sweater that is perfect for a Sunday afternoon walk around your local nature reserve.

Button wore a fabulously inappropriate outfit, having spent the previous couple of hours on a barge at a friend’s party. She just threw on her wellies and off she went!

The Boy was more suitably attired for scrambling about:

Yep…a giant carved acorn with a happy small boy.

Brockholes is a fantastic afternoon out with small people. It’s a great walk:

There are woods in which to hunt Gruffalo:

How can one so small be so fearless?

And there’s a play area that could entertain for hours:

Bumblebee wellies!

Dinosaur wellies!

I can’t wait to take this sweater back to Brockholes for another visit. The kids are keen to go too!

Puerperium cardigan and a hat – FO 20 &21/2012

September 11, 2012

Before you get overly excited I have to tell you that I’m not knitting for another little Stitch! I wish! No, it’s for Alice-who-isn’t-a-cat! She’s having a baby! In February. It’s going to be either a boy or a girl. Who knew? 😉

Obviously I have to knit for Squishy and where better place to start than with the lovely Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Brooker which is available as a free download on Ravelry. Thank you Kelly for this adorable pattern.

Such a simple little cardigan to construct. It’s knitted all in one piece from the top down with the sleeves knitted on dpns, so no sewing up. Hurrah!

The asymmetrical closing adds a touch of flair to an otherwise simple style, and I’m thinking, having never done the newborn bit, that this will be easy to get on and off Squishy in those precious early days.

The yarn is Debbie Bliss ecobaby in colour 14020, a lovely soft gender neutral pale sage green. It’s a little splitty to knit with but so soft you forgive it. It will be gentle on newborn skin so I can suck up a little bit of temperament in the knitting. I used two balls bought from Knitting Heaven in Leyland and I got the cardigan and hat from two balls and a smidge to spare.

The hat is the Simple Baby Hat by Alison Williams, which again is a free download from Ravelry. I knitted this in an evening. I sang Alison’s praises. And this little hat has several sizes so I may make one each for my two. They won’t take very long.

I suspect there will be more knitting for Squishy over the coming months. Ma is working on a blanket too. I’ll share, of course.

The skinny jeans and Bowland top – FO 19/2012

September 9, 2012

Finally I’ve finished the jeans and I wore them out today with a new top. Both of these garments still need some tweaking.

Let’s start with the jeans. I wore these all day today and they are just so comfortable its ridiculous. I’m not used to comfortable jeans so this was a revelation.

I’ve also never had a pair of jeans before that I could wear without a belt. I didn’t wear a belt with these. They stayed put. This is also pretty flipping amazing.

Most amazingly is that I made these jeans. They are not perfect but they are wearable and I know what I need to do for the next time:

I need to add some length to the legs. These are wearable but I’d like a bit more length for sure.
I need to bring the pockets in more towards the middle. They aren’t necessarily placed in the most flattering position at the moment, but some of that is down to the fact that I needed to size them down after I’d top-stitched the pockets so I couldn’t move them.
I also need to take a bit more out under the butt. This is because I’ve lost weight from the original alterations. I’m not complaining!
The next pair will be slightly less skinny. This is just a matter of evolving taste. I’ve always worn skinny jeans but I think I’d like them a bit less so. More like classic Gap jeans.
I need to redraft the pattern because the grain line sure ain’t straight on these. I have twisty side seams. But then Levi do that and call it a design feature. So that’s what I’m calling it!
I need to use heavier denim. These are too lightweight for my taste and have too much stretch.

But… I. Made. Jeans.

And even with all these flaws they are still more comfortable and better fitting than any pair of jeans I’ve ever bought. I was freaking about the creasing in the legs until I realised that every pair of skinny jeans I saw had the same creases. Nature of the beast, I suppose.

Now to the top. This is made from Vogue 9771

V9771

Again, there are flaws.

I know there are drag lines across the bust…I did do an FBA on this pattern, I just need to make it a larger one. And, when I tried the toile there weren’t these lines, but the toile fabric was heavier.

And I know the bust darts are waaaaaaaaay too high…goodness knows how this happened because they surely weren’t doing that on the toile.

And the neckline is higher in real life than on the illustration…but in every version of this I’ve seen made up by someone else, this has been commented on. And for me it works. It keeps the top modest when I’m picking up children or bending down to them. Which is essential for me and something I struggle with in RTW.

But, despite these flaws…this top is really comfortable and I have had several compliments on it today. Which just goes to show that us seamstresses are overly critical of our work.

This doesn’t mean that I won’t be making the necessary alterations to both these patterns before I make them again, but is just a little reminder to us all to be a little kinder to ourselves and our abilities.

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