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I’ve always wanted to do Elsie Marley’s Kids Clothes Week Challenge. Somehow I have never managed to make it happen. I think it is a great idea and I love to make things for the kids, I just can’t seem to do it when prompted. Maybe this year though. If I write it on the blog it has to happen, right?!
I was, however, able to make the girls back to school dresses this year though and I was rather pleased with how they turned out. I didn’t make any back to school clothes for my boy, but I have made him a couple of cool dress up things lately, so that counts for something, eh?
For Ada, I used (and then adapted like crazy) a pattern from Carefree Clothes for Girls, a book which I have never before made anything from but have had on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time. I made her the 4 size, which turned out a little big (as I expected), but I am hoping she can wear it in the spring and summer next year as well.
For Eleanor, I used the most adorable Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress pattern. I am no pattern expert but I thought this one was very well done – clear directions, easy to follow. The hard part was picking fabric! I love the way it turned out, the pockets with their little V details are my favorite. I might make her another version of this dress, but with a dark linen this time. I also might have to buy ALL of their other patterns. They are just so cute.
The Halloween insanity begins for us tomorrow and I’m frantically trying to finish costumes. Part of it is going well (Eleanor’s bird) and part is a disaster (Henry’s Silver Surfer). Luckily, Adelaide is wearing a hand-me-down.
Here are some pictures from Eleanor’s bird costume. Inspiration came from The Artful Parent’s wings and from Elsie Marley’s owl mask. I used some wool (from old clothes, felted in the wash) from a rug hooking project that I haven’t worked on in a LONG time (a whole other story). I thought it might add a bit of warmth on a chilly fall night. The colors are not traditional, but I’m liking the way it is coming together. (Sorry the pictures are dark, the basement is not very well lit, especially at night.)
I was just looking through old drafts and I am not sure why I never published this one last year. -Edit to add that it appears it did actually get published. So happy re-reading! – Ah, well. I’ll add a little more and publish it now. It just so happens that I finished a set of bat wings for my sweet boy this evening so the timing couldn’t be better. I modeled the bat wings off of the bird wings from last year. I’ll still have to make him a mask but that will have to be another post or this will never see the light of day.
I used some black wool from an old pair of pants (or maybe it was a coat), which I fulled in the washer/dryer. The effect is nice, the wings have a good weight but won’t fray since the wool holds on to itself when washed and dried. The only problem I foresee is a possible allergy to wool. We will cross that bridge, if necessary, when we come to it. (Again, sorry about the lousy photo, I need to get out the better camera!)
The Halloween insanity begins for us tomorrow and I’m frantically trying to finish costumes. Part of it is going well (Eleanor’s bird) and part is a disaster (Henry’s Silver Surfer). Luckily, Adelaide is wearing a hand-me-down.
Here are some pictures from Eleanor’s bird costume. Inspiration came from The Artful Parent’s wings and from Elsie Marley’s owl mask. I used some wool (from old clothes, felted in the wash) from a rug hooking project that I haven’t worked on in a LONG time (a whole other story). I thought it might add a bit of warmth on a chilly fall night. The colors are not traditional, but I’m liking the way it is coming together. (Sorry the pictures are dark, the basement is not very well lit, especially at night.)
I made these little hefty hearts for the kids to put in their pockets on the first day at their new schools. I saw the idea on Pinterest (to which I am now hopelessly addicted) from the blog Curly Birds and thought it would be a perfect little reminder that their family loves them dearly. I used wool felt, stitched with a blanket stitch and stuffed with barley (and love). I had hoped the barley would add slightly more heft, but I am happy with the result nonetheless. I also added a drop of lavender oil, so it smells extra nice. I don’t think I’ll be able to wait on giving them until the first day though.
(Edited to add Curly Birds website on 9/7/11.)
For a boy who likes superheroes, there couldn’t be a better project. This one is from the Sewing School book, which I am absolutely in love with. I had to guide the eye-hole cutting and thread the needle once or twice, but otherwise he pretty much did it himself.
Have you seen this book called Sewing School by Amie Petronis Plumley and Andria Lisle? We just ordered a copy from Amazon and the big kids (and I) are so excited. We have been doing lots of little (and big) sewing projects around here and it really seems to be resonating with both my girl and boy. I think the ideas in this book and the projects it offers will be really helpful and exciting for all of us. Plus, I just realized that these ladies also have a blog by the same name, which I am super excited to explore.
Anyway, here is one of E’s recent creations — Sharpie on muslin, which I sewed with the sewing machine and she stuffed and finished with embroidery floss. It was inspired by a project in Amanda Soule’s book, The Creative Family.
I made this baby blanket ages ago for dear sweet Charlie but then forgot to photograph it before giving it to him. I did manage to take a picture of the fabrics before putting it together though.
Then, a few weeks back I had the opportunity to watch him for a few hours. He came with blanket in tow [big smile], so I took the opportunity to get a couple of shots of the blanket in action. It is similar to the blanket I made for another friend, but I didn’t know if Charlie was going to be a boy or a girl, so I tried to stay gender neutral. The front is pieced from long strips of the green flannels and attached to the flannel backing with no batting. It makes sort of a nice swaddling sheet, bigger than most blankies you get at the store and warm enough but not too hot as the weather turns summery.
And, Charlie is such a cutie, I’m happy to see him enjoying the blankie.
For some reason I have been whipping up a lot of things for little heads lately. A couple of days ago (or maybe yesterday?), I made a chef’s hat for the kids. I had seen the tutorial a long time ago created by Joanna Armour of Stardust Shoes and posted here over at Michael Miller Fabrics. While the little one was sleeping, Eleanor and I cut up an old sheet and put the hat together. It really didn’t take very long at all and the result was very pleasing to both of us. We have been reading the book Whose Hat? by Margaret Miller lately and the first page features a chef’s hat. I think having her own personal chef’s hat in hand made Eleanor really want to cook. She made several batches of “pie soup” as soon as the hat was finished.
I didn’t actually get the hat all the way finished. I stopped at the point in the tutorial just before the raw edges on the inside are finished off. I figured Eleanor wanted to use it right away and I can go back in and tidy it up later. I used what we had on hand (the sheet mentioned above) and I did not have fusible interfacing, so instead I used some flexible plastic screen from the back porch door which was recently repaired. I sewed a little tube in the straight part of the hat and used my handy-dandy little bodkin to thread it through. It worked really well, though if you hold it up to the light you can definitely see the screen! The kids don’t seem to mind though.
The other headpiece I recently made was for a special birthday girl. After seeing this post at tiny happy, I was inspired to both buy one of the flower fairies books (Flower Fairies of the Trees by Cicely Mary Barker) and make a crown.
I tried several attempts at making the crown, I couldn’t figure out how to get the flowers attached so that they lay nice and flat. The trick, I eventually figured out, was to take off all of the plastic stuff on the back — I had bought a big stem of many artificial blossoms and they were attached to the stem with a piece of plastic. I used some of the plastic mesh left over from the little house attached in the back with a piece of 3/4 inch elastic, a piece of nice soft wool felt hand stitched all around, and just sewed the flowers on with stitches across their centers. It is a bit wider than the tiny happy version but I think it turned out nicely.
I made this little boy doll for a friend who is having a baby boy any time now. The little doll sort of ended up looking a bit like a Voodoo doll, or maybe the runaway gingerbread man, but it was soft and lovey nonetheless. I actually tried to make a last minute pair of shorts so he wouldn’t be quite so nudie but the shorts were too small and his legs were smooshing out of the bottom in a sort of obscene way, so I decided he would just have to go without.
The body was made of a soft cotton flannel and the hair, eyes, mouth and heart were all nice wool felt. I stuffed him with tulle, partly because I didn’t have any wool, which would have been my preference, but also so he could go directly in the washing machine. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe putting him in the washing machine would make the wool hair go funky. Hmm.
My good friend Sarah just had her new baby and he is beautiful! I made him a little swaddling blanket somewhat similar to this one in green flannel. Unfortunately, I did not photograph it before giving it to him. However, I did take a couple of pictures of the gift for his big sister.
I found this cute little Love Bird here. My original idea was to make a baby chick to go in the (slightly) bigger chick’s pouch, but it didn’t happen before the recipient’s baby brother arrived and a heart was quicker. The top of the chick is an old linen cocktail napkin I picked up at a rummage sale and the bottom is a bit of beautiful cotton from the first quilt I ever made. The feet, beak and heart are some wool felt that think is just lovely (from here). I used the down from an old pillow that had fallen apart to stuff it and it made a huge, gigantic mess all over the sewing/laundry room, but the end result was nice so it was worth it. Despite my best efforts to follow the pattern exactly, the little chick also turned out a bit square. I’m not sure why, maybe my inexperience on the machine? Or stuffing it too full? I would like to try this again though and see if I could make a more egg shaped chick, maybe when I have some extra free time.
Cygnet Small 