The Oh-So-Fancy Fancy Pants Leggings

 

Recently I had the pleasure of testing Craftstorming's Fancy Pants Leggings in the extended sizes (all sizes from birth all the way to 10 years are now available!).

When I say that it was a pleasure to test, I'm not being facetious.  Laura's drafting and thoughtful instructions are impeccable.  Funny story: when I commented on her blog to say they were 'a joy', I mistyped and said they were 'a job'.  Proofreading matters.

What sets the Fancy Pants apart from other legging patterns is the bum panel.  In order show off just how Fancy I could be, I used a contrasting star print, turquoise for the leg bands, and golden orange for the waistband (no elastic, yay!).

So fancy, you'll levitate.

Can I just say that Maia is really, really enjoying all this modelling I'm asking her to do.
 

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The Fancy Pants Leggings are part of the Sew Fab bundle for one week only.  So if you're still thinking about buying a Sew Fab bundle, I'd suggest you head over to Laura's blog and show her some love for the Fancy Pants Leggings that have (rightfully so) taken over the internet.

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Panelled Pinafore 3.0 and New Fabrics

I guess that old adage threes a charm is correct because the Panelled Pinafore is oh-so-close to being ready for testing!  After the slightly too big Colour-blocked Pinafore I moved Maia back down to the 5/6 and it's slightly too small.  I'm okay with that though, she is genuinely bigger than both my standard 5/6 block and other kids her age so (semi) yay for proving myself right.  If you need me I'll be making this dress in the 7/8 because she loves it.

Having two very similar prints mixed makes it hard to notice the seam line but it's got a lovely princess curve.

And this is Maia noticing a spider on the wall, ha.  Girl will not be an entomologist. 

Fabrics don't look familiar?  They're new!

Little Forest and Forest Brown are both gorgeous autumnal prints featuring deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, snails, owls, acorns, flowers, mushrooms, leaves and trees. The colour palette is amazing with golden orangey yellow, bubblegum pink, bright pinky red, and white.  And unfortunately they photograph poorly by themselves- the background is a very deep purpley, maroony brown.  The garment shots are more accurate for colours.

Also added is Vichy Red, a small scale gingham print in red and white.  Lime green plain organic jersey has made a reappearance, and petrol and dark red have been replenished as well.  And now we're going to get nuanced!  A new organic cotton / lycra blend has arrived in Mustard.  It is a fantastic coordinate for almost all of the prints I have with a yellow element.  However.  It is nearly identical in shade to Sunflower, which I got from the supplier at a time when Mustard was unavailable.  Sunflower is currently the only jersey I have without an elastane content, and consequently it less suitable for mixing with my prints.  To make things less confusing for customers, I've put Sunflower on sale to clear it out.  It is a great organic jersey in its own right, with a lovely drape and a mahoosive 180cm wide width, just not cohesive with the other plain jerseys I offer.       


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Double Woven and Double Knit Zippy Hoodies

When I was getting ready for the Sew Fab sale I realised that I hadn't made reversible hoodies for the kids for several years and wanted to get some better pictures to showcase the versatility of the pattern.

It's kinda crazy but I'd never even made one with two knits before!  So for Maia's I used Frogfriends for one side and Lemon Dots for the other.  The only additional step you need to make to the construction is to add a strip of interfacing to the wrong side of the centre front pieces to make inserting the zipper easier.

This derpy photo is courtesy of Maia's endlessly itchy legs.  She scratches the bejesus out of them for reasons I can't fathom.

Jamie's hoodie is two sides of quilting cotton, cassette tapes on one side and Androids on the other.  My woven stash of yore is ridiculous so it was good to make even the smallest dent in that.

I got quite a few emails yesterday asking about using fleece and also about how easy it is to omit the lining.  If you're curious about fleece, there's no better place to look than KID, MD's post yesterday with this glorious rainbow version. Her daughter designed the pocket appliques!

For the latter question about making the hoodie non-reversible by omitting the lining, check back later this week for a tutorial! 

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The reversible zippy hoodie is part of the Sew Fab bundle in both sizes together for one week only.  As a designer, I get a portion of the sales made through my site so I really appreciate your support! You can get your hands on it here:

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Sew Fab Pattern Bundle / new and improved Reversible Zippy Hoodie

I'm really excited to be part of the second Sew Fab collaborative designer sewing pattern pack! If you're unfamiliar with the concept, twenty six designers have each donated a pattern and for one week only they're being sold as a bundle at 80% less than their individual cost. The reversible zippy hoodie pattern is my contribution and not only did I have Susan work her digitising magic on it for a cleaner look, but for the first time ever both sizes are together so you get 18m alllllll the way through to 8y.  So what else is included? A whole lot of awesome:

Reversible Zippy Hoodie from Kitschy Coo, Ananda Pants from CHOPSTIX, The Sally Dress from Very Shannon, Best Harem Pants from Too Sweets , Notebook Slipcover from Gingercake, Junebug Dress from Craftiness Is Not Optional, Fancy Pants Leggings from Titchy Threads, Skinny Jeans from peek-a-boo, Pajama Eaters from Sew Fearless, Ruffle Dress from Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Go To Cape for Women, Sadie Grace Nightgown from Seamingly Smitten, Vintage V-Neck from Blank Slate Patterns, Zermatt Bow Swing Coat from See Kate Sew, Tumble Tee from imaginegnats, Nituna Jacket from Figgy's, Greenpoint Cardigan from Hey June, Gathers and Giggles Quilt from Sew Much Ado, Billy Car Play Mat and Roll Up from Handmade Therapy, Bimaa Sweater from LouBee Clothing, Candy Carousel Dress from Molly Blossom, Convertible Clutch from LBG Studio , Infinity Sweater from One Girl Circus, Undies Pattern from From the Red Kitchen, Owl Backpack from The Sewing Loft, Ethan Shirt from the Scientific Seamstress

I've already made six of the patterns; it's a great selection of boys', girls', womens', and accessories. The bundle is only available for one week, and you can get your hands on it here:

As a designer, I get a portion of the sales made through my site so I really appreciate your support! For more information about the patterns and Sew Fab, keep reading for the official information below.

 

Welcome to the Fall and Winter 2013

Sew Fab e-pattern Sale Event!

Last February was the first ever Sew Fab e-pattern Sale and it was so successful and was so well received that Jenny Yarbrough of The Southern Institute, the creator and administrator of the sale, decided to have more!  This sale is bigger and better than the first, with plenty of patterns to get you through the fall and winter (if you live on this side of the hemisphere), and a few warm weather patterns thrown in for those of you who live on the other side of the world.  You'll also find more gender neutral patterns for those of you who are sewing for boys.  And what about you?  Of course there are a few women's patterns thrown in for some selfish sewing too! Over the past several weeks a lot of behind the scenes planning has taken place to bring you this newest bundle of ePatterns from many of the top established and up and coming online sewing pattern designers.  The result is a bundle of 26 PDF sewing patterns that you're going to love! For one week only, twenty-six pattern designers have come together to bring you 26 of their best PDF patterns, valued together at well over $2oo.oo, for the incredible price of $29.95!!!  That’s over 80% off of the combined retail value! 

For less than $30.00 you will have a library of resources that you can use over and over again.

The designers that have joined this sale are experts in their craft.  Each designer has contributed one of their favorite patterns to create a bundle that is sure to please!  Whether you are sewing for your own family or making gifts for others, these are patterns that you will love to use.

If you’ve never sewn with a PDF pattern before, let me tell you how great it is!  After downloading your pattern instructions and your pattern, you will print out the pattern itself, creating pattern tiles, if you will.  Simply tape the tiles together to create the full pattern!  At that point you can cut out the size that you need and pin the paper pattern directly to your fabric, or you can trace the pattern size that you need onto sewing paper or tracing paper and cut it out, saving the paper pattern for later when you need to sew another size.  Pdf patterns are so convenient because you can print them out as many times as you need!

 

Now for the good stuff... the PATTERNS!

26 amazing ePatterns from 26 well-known and up and coming designers are instantly accessible to you by PDF download upon purchase of the Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle.  Here are the patterns that you will receive (click on the links below the images for more  information about each pattern.):

Reversible Zippy Hoodie from Kitschy Coo, Ananda Pants from CHOPSTIX, The Sally Dress from Very Shannon, Best Harem Pants from Too Sweets , Notebook Slipcover from Gingercake, Junebug Dress from Craftiness Is Not Optional, Fancy Pants Leggings from Titchy Threads, Skinny Jeans from peek-a-boo, Pajama Eaters from Sew Fearless, Ruffle Dress from Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Go To Cape for Women, Sadie Grace Nightgown from Seamingly Smitten, Vintage V-Neck from Blank Slate Patterns, Zermatt Bow Swing Coat from See Kate Sew, Tumble Tee from imaginegnats, Nituna Jacket from Figgy's, Greenpoint Cardigan from Hey June, Gathers and Giggles Quilt from Sew Much Ado, Billy Car Play Mat and Roll Up from Handmade Therapy, Bimaa Sweater from LouBee Clothing, Candy Carousel Dress from Molly Blossom, Convertible Clutch from LBG Studio , Infinity Sweater from One Girl Circus, Undies Pattern from From the Red Kitchen, Owl Backpack from The Sewing Loft, Ethan Shirt from the Scientific Seamstress This Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle is only available for one week and will never be available again!  You can purchase the bundle from September 30th at 8 a.m. EST through October 8th at 8 a.m. EST and there will be no late sales offered.  Due to the nature of the sale there are no refunds.

You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity to purchase a ready made collection of 26 PDF sewing patterns from 26 of the best designers out there!

 

  *Patterns included in the Sew Fab Pattern Bundle are intended for personal use only.  The selling of patterns without designer's permission is prohibited and punishable by law.  Please contact individual designers for licensing requirements if you desire to create and sell clothing from patterns that have been purchased through this sale. **For answers concerning sale terms and customer service questions, please see the FAQ page.  

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Take Two: Colourblocked Panelled Pinafore

I'm getting infinitesimally closer to a final version of the Panelled Pinafore.  Baby steps, baby steps.

For version two, I used plain organic jersey in navy, boysenberry, and turquoise to show off the seam lines and colour-blocking potential.

I swapped out a straight-forward hem for a turquoise band to tie in with the neckbands, sleeve bands, and pockets.  I think this pattern will be a really fun base to play around with.

The plain jerseys aren't quite as stable as my printed jerseys and I made the (as it turns out, incorrect) executive decision to make the 7/8 size for Maia so this is a slouchier look than the pattern is intended.  She's between sizes but I think next time I'll use the 5/6 with a bit of added length.  It does, however, look ridiculously comfy. 



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Selfish Sewing: Maritime Shorts

In case you didn't notice, I am a Featured Stitcher on Made With Moxie's blog today with a pattern review for her and Imagine Gnat's Selfish Sewing Week.  When Jill asked if I'd be willing to review a pattern I jumped at the chance to a) actually make something for myself for fun and b) step out of my comfort zone and learn some new skills.  The Maritime Shorts from Grainline Studio fit the bill on both counts as not only have I never sewn myself woven shorts (or trousers for that matter) but I've also never sewn a zipper fly.  Shocking.

The printing, taping and tracing was a doddle and my measurements corresponded to a straight size 8 without blending between sizes.  Aiming for a wearable muslin for my first time, I used a nice teal thick canvas as it's already very autumnal in Scotland (as evidenced by the mid-shoot sweater addition- let's just say it was noticeably cold).  In hindsight, this wasn't the very best fabric to choose but more on that later.

I absolutely love the two cute pockets to the back; between these pockets and the tiny pocket I sewed on my Tumble Tee I think I've got a burgeoning pocket obsession.  Could they be behind my two cute pockets on the Panelled Pinafore?  Perhaps.  Crisp pressed edges, neat top-stitching, triangle corners... what's not to love?  And now the moment of truth... just how did I get on with that fly?  Not too shabby.  I admit that I had some issues with figuring out exactly how it would work (there is a separate tutorial on the Grainline blog with pictures that helped a lot) and I made some mistakes.  Clue: when she says baste she actually means baste because that stitching comes out later.  Despite knowing in my heart of hearts that no good would come of stitching both sides of a zipper face down, my cavalier attitude towards basting zippers (clue: nobody has time for that) won and my prize was a seam-ripper.  See also: baste the fly shield.

Now that we're looking at the inside, I'll extrapolate a bit about the problem I had with this fabric - it has no right or wrong side.  Not a problem where the main pieces were concerned, but the cutting instructions had the waistband facings in the same fabric as the body fabric so I had two back pieces, two front right pieces, and two front left pieces in the same fabric, looking the same on both sides, and it all went haywire.  Because of the fly, the front left and right pieces are not symmetrical.  First I ironed interfacing onto the wrong pieces and had to cut them again.  And then I assembled the waistband wrong.  Finally I decided to find the precise back, front left and front right pieces needed to do the waistband correctly, set them aside and cut facings out of the pocket lining fabric.  In the end, this was a good idea as the canvas is so thick that a self-faced (with interfacing as well!) waistband would've been very bulky.  While we're talking about the pocket lining fabric, I also want to mention that you might need to notch the curve of the lining before pining and stitching it on, I just couldn't manage it without.

 

I made one final schoolgirl error (entirely my own, no fault of the pattern!) in that I fitted it before attaching the waistband.  I have a tremendous swayback from my long career of standing louche-ly and when I tried it on I ascertained that I should pinch out an inch at centre back.  So I did, amended my waistband to reflect and soldiered on.  What I forgot, however, is that what I lack in the centre back I make up for in the centre front and that extra inch would be desirous at waistband height.   It's not a disaster and they're still wearable but I think I'll go right back to the original pattern for my next go.   Overall, I'm very pleased with how they turned out and I'm looking forward to making more for the summer in snazzier fabrics.

Disclosure: I received this pattern free as part of Selfish Sewing Week. All opinions my own.

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Handmade Costume Series: Minecraft Jamie

Inevitably, it's that time of the year where we're starting to think about our Halloween costumes.  Technically speaking I would've commenced the actual costume-labour the day before Halloween much closer to the end of October but I'm up on The Train To Crazy's Handmade Costume Series today!

Despite applying extreme pressure on the kids to chose a Doctor Who theme for which I could sew (I will never forgive Maia for turning down the Sister of Plenitude Cat Nurse), they had their hearts set on Minecraft Costumes.  If you don't have children or know children, you might be unfamiliar with Minecraft and I am currently jealous of you.  Jamie is obsessed, all of his friends are obsessed, Maia is working on it.

I couldn't find any conceivable way that I'd be able to utilise an actual skill of mine like sewing, so I was forced to deploy other crafting techniques (I hesitate to call them skills) of painting and 3-D construction.  The good news is that Minecraft is a 16 bit game designed to look heavily pixelated with all straight edges so it was fairly straightforward to replicate.


What you need  (a lot of these are do as I say, not as I do):

• White heavy paper (I used normal printer-weight and would definitely recommend something heavier so it doesn't wrinkle from the paint) 
• Cardboard to make the box (I salvaged corrugated cardboard as that's what I had to hand but I would definitely recommend choosing something with a smoother surface)
• Paint (I used brown, black, white, red, peach, and yellow acrylics)
• Ruler and pencil
• Adhesive to fix your paper to your cardboard
• Tape to form your box

I wanted to concentrate most of my efforts on the front view so I Google image-searched and used this larger file for the basis of just the face.  I blew it up and printed it on glossy paper so I'd have a big visual reference and also somewhere to get the shades correct before committing it to paper.  Counting the pixels the face is 8x8 so I decided to use a 1.5" grid to yield a 12"x12" box.  Using a ruler I made the grid on my paper five times (front face, side left, side right, back head, and top head).  What I didn't do (but wish I had) was to add a margin of half an inch around all edges of the grid so it would be easier to wrap continuously around the box.

I started with a colour I already had and tested it right on the photo to make sure there was a colour-match  before committing it to the grid.

Once I'd exhausted the straight matches, I started mixing colours together on a palette to form the rest.  If you're attempting your own Minecraft Steve and following my advice to add margins along the edges, extend the paint on the border cells that extra half inch.

Keep on mixing paints and in four short hours, you'll have something like this (but with borders, because you're cleverer than me).  After the front was down it's time to do the remaining four sides, which thankfully are a lot less work.  I'd tracked down a different file for the remaining panels, printed that out on a much smaller scale and set to work on painting the rest.

After all the panels are complete, leave the paint to dry (or stay up all night depending on your time-scale).  Once dry, cut five 12"x12" pieces of board and them together at the edges like so:

Then fold the panels in to form a cube.  Use your adhesive of choice to attach the painted panels to the corresponding sides of the cube (told you those borders would come in handy).  And you're done!  Find an addict and make him stand in the garden at dawn for reasons-confusing-to-the-neighbours.

Make it up to him by superimposing his Minecraft avatar into a screenshot of one of his very own servers.  Before you ask, nope, I haven't dealt with the eye holes yet.  This box is going to go on top of a body box closer to Halloween so I need to wait to see at what level his eyes are sitting at.

Thanks for having me, Andrea, and make sure you check out the rest of the series!

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