Happy New Year!

My kids got creative with their new Bendaroos.

I have so much to tell you all. So many projects to review. I have been busy sewing and not wanting to take the time to do reviews. I will fill you all in on what I have been up to soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great New Year's Day!

Until next time...

Wardrobe Contest Item #1 Burda 9-2009-131 Brown Corduroy Skirt

Burda 9-2009-131

I have finally finished something for the wardrobe contest and have reviewed it. I originally didn't know what skirt pattern I wanted to use my brown cord. I poured through my Burda magazines. I really like this skirt when I first looked through the magazine but didn't think it would work because the pockets would accentuate my hips. Looking through this time I fell in love with this one again. Looking again I realized that since there is no bulk from the pockets it would still be flattering. I decided to give it a try.

Pattern Description: Large leather-bound patch pockets with buttoned flaps provided the main attraction on this classic cord skirt.

Pattern Sizing: 36-46 By my measurements I a made a 42 tapering out to a 44 at the hip. I had to take it in a inch and it is still a bit big.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Very much!

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were pretty easy to follow.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like the pocket styling.

Fabric Used: Brown fine wale corduroy

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't have any leather so I did do the pockets as they described. I used tan piping instead.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would definitely recommend this pattern.

Conclusion: This was a quick skirt to sew up. I did have to take some time to get the pockets to match but after the pocket application it went smoothly.

I really liked how this turned out. It is a easy skirt with cute style. I think I would make it again but would probably change the pockets to different locations.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

How Much Fabric? Card Giveaway

Grosgrain posted about a giveaway for these awesome pocket cards that help you figure out how much fabric you need for different garments.

Check them out they are really neat!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

I'm Still Around!

I know it has been a while since I have checked in with you all. Life has been happening and not as much sewing. I have finished a couple more garments from my wardrobe challenge and sometime soon I will get pictures and review them. I wore them today and forgot to get pictures (as usual).

It seems like my motivation for sewing has been a little lacking lately. The skirt I made took way longer than it should have but I like the results. I think I have been a bit frustrated lately because that garment haven't gone together as I would have liked. I did get a Jalie shirt made up last night that went pretty quickly so that was a nice boost.

Well, enough rambling. I will hopefully be back soon with some garments.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Something to Make You Smile!

I saw this very cute YouTube video on Portabellopixie's blog. I loved it so much I had to post it here also, just in case you haven't seen it yet. Enjoy!



Hope that made you smile! :)

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

Until next time...

An Inspirational Movie! 500 Days of Summer

Last night My husband and I went to see 500 Days of Summer (we were celebrating his birthday and mine) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. This was a cute movie. But the reason I really like it had nothing to do with the story of the movie. I was totally oooooing and ahhhhing over the clothes that Zooey Deschanel wore throughout the movie!

I don't think that I have ever watched a movie and been so inspired by the clothing. I loved every minute of watching her clothes. I would describe "Summer's" style as a bit vintage but classic. I had a hard time putting my finger on it exactly. Today I went in search of pictures on the internet to show you some of the outfits I liked. I found out that they called the style retro-chic. Well named.

I absolutely loved how simply she dressed. The clothing was simple with great detail. Now, let's enjoy some fun pictures.

I think this is my favorite dress! I really want to recreate this one.


This skirt is so cute. I really like the shirt also. Below is closer up picture of the shirt.


Here's another really cute dress. I love the look of the lightweight cotton. They are so springy and fun. The skirt is so flowy and flirty.


This is my favorite shirt. The pintucks are fabulous. The shirt is hip length with a very cute thin tie around the waist. I would love to recreate this one also.


Here is a link to a MTV interview with the costume designer Hope Hanafin. And here is another link to a blog talking about the style in this movie.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Just Checking In

But nothing interesting to say. I haven't had much time for sewing or anything. I have been busy keeping my daughter focused on her homework. I did get my Burda (from July '09) knit shirt mostly finished. I still have the hems to do. I also got a pair of Burda trousers traced out. At this rate I certainly will not finish my wardrobe by the end of November. This weekend is my birthday and I am hoping to get some focused time to sew.

That is all I have to say. Next time I will be more interesting.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

PR Wardrobe Contest Fall '09

I never thought I would be doing something like this. Before I never thought that I would have enough coordinating fabrics to make an actual wardrobe. The other day I decided to read through the contest discussion. I was so inspired by all the fantastic wardrobes. It looked like so much fun. I thought it might be fun to take a peek through my stash and see if I could pull together something that would resemble a wardrobe. Surprisingly, I was found enough coordinating fabrics to make up a fun wardrobe. I got a few of my favorite fabrics in the mix and some that have been in my stash for years. I am very excited to make the Ottobre and Burda pants.

This wardrobe is a huge challenge. Every pattern is new except for Jalie 2804. Even though this is very ambitious I wanted to end up with a wardrobe that I was proud of and very excited to wear. I didn't want to pick easy things just to get everything completed by the end of the contest. I will be so happy with myself if I get them all finished. I am going to try very hard to get it done by the contest end on November 30th.

The requirements:
5 tops
4 bottoms
1 topper

All tops and topper must go with all bottoms.
There must be at least one print.

I think my wardrobe fits these requirements. I still need one more bottom (brown cord skirt I think). I am up in the air with the topper. Burda 8-2009-119 was originally going to be the topper. It will go over everything except the pink fleece. I might go with a brown check wool coat.

I am off to get started and trace some patterns. It all seems so overwhelming right now. I just need to get started.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Finished (Finally!)

Finally I was able to get a picture of my daughter in her coat. I didn't want to post without her so I waited. All the rest of this post was written on Tuesday just after I finished.

It feels like I have been working on this one forever. I know in reality I haven't but it sure feels like it. I think it turned out very nicely and my daughter really likes her new jacket.

Actually, finishing this one is very satisfying. This is one of a very few projects that was a real need to make. My daughter really needs a fall jacket. This wasn't simply something that I wanted to make. It was a necessity to clothe my family and that makes me feel great about my ability to sew.

This project turned out to be quite tedious. Since I didn't line it I had to finish all the seams. I wanted to make sure that the inside looked very nice since I know my daughter will be tossing it hither and thither. The way I chose to do it, I ended up sewing up each seam three times. Talk about making a project take longer! PHEW!

Here is my full review:

Pattern Description: Ready-quilted fabric with vivid zig-zag pattern inspired us to design this winter jacket for schoolgirls. It is equally suitable for city wear and ski slopes. The pockets are inserted in the panel seams and there is a zipper down the front. The collar can be worn either up or folded down. The jacket is lined with slippery outerwear fabric.

Pattern Sizing: 128-170 I made a size 128. I did make the shoulders a little wider since my daughters shoulder measurement was quite a bit wider than the size 128. I also lengthened the sleeves.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looks very much like the picture. Were the instructions easy to follow? I only used the beginning of the instructions for the shell since I made it without a lining (I didn't have any). They seemed pretty straight forward.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The construction of the pocket was explained very well. I was able to get some nice looking pockets without any trouble.

Fabric Used: Polyester quilted/embroidered fabric from Joann's

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't line the jacket. Instead I finished all the seams. I used a mixture of trims because I kept running out of stuff. I had quite a few yards to begin with but you need a ton to do this. I think I had 5 yards of teal FOE, 5 yards of woven foldover and still had to bind the hem with fleece.

Inside Front
Inside Back

Finishing all the seams was not too difficult but it was tedious. Every seam ended up being sewed three times. It took a while but the result was nice. To do this I: 1. Sewed the seam. 2. Sewed the FOE (flattened out) right along the very edge on top of the seam. 3. Folded down the FOE and the seam allowance and stitch right along the very edge of the other side so the seam allowance was completely covered. I also "bound" my zipper (and pockets) with woven foldover. This was simple. I just sandwiched the fabric and the zipper in the foldover.

Bound Zipper


Topstitching

My other alteration was to take out 1" from the height of the collar. I didn't think that my daughter would want it up past her chin. By taking out some height it became a length that was more comfortable for her.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would recommend this pattern. I think it turned out very good. I may or may not sew this again. It was a nice pattern and it is not so distinctive that you would know it is the same thing out of different fabric.

Conclusion: I am pleased with this jacket. It was tedious because of the way I constructed it. But even the instructions have you topstitching most of the seams. It is simple yet striking.

While I feel like this jacket took a lot of time it really was quick to sew up as far as making jackets goes. I am very happy with it and so is my daughter!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Color Me Happy Quilted Jacket Sneak Peek

I thought I would give you a sneak peek of the jacket I am working on for my daughter. She would like it to be done before we go to the state fair tomorrow. I'm not sure that will happen but I will do my best.

Ottobre 6-2008-38 Tellu Quilted Jacket (pictured below in pink)


According to the pattern this is a fully lined jacket. I didn't want to do any lining (originally my daughter wanted this to be reversible) so I had to figure out how to finish the seams so they looked nice on the inside. I decided to cover them with FOE (unfolded). I think it has turned out nicely. Below is a picture of the outside of one side front (black) and the inside of one side front panel (pink). The teal covers the seam. The black binds the pocket to give it a finished look.


I am really happy with how it looks so far. My daughter is very excited to wear it. Better go get working!

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. Have a great day!

Until next time...

What to do? What to do?

I am supposed to be starting a light fall jacket for my daughter. I'll get to it as soon as I am done with this. She is very anxious for me to finish/start it. I bought some really cute embroidered quilted fabric from Joann's last year that I am going to use. I think she has reminded me about this coat everyday as she leaves for school.

What have I been thinking of instead of making her coat? Let me share.

I was reading over at pattern review about the wardrobe contest. Never before have I even thought about doing this as even a remote possibility. I have quite an assortment of fabrics that I couldn't possibly find enough coordinating fabrics for 5 tops, 4 bottoms and one extra. As I was pondering the wardrobe contest I mulled over my stash. Guess what! I think I would have enough to coordinate. It would be an interesting mix of brown, denim, burgundy and pink. I'm still not sure if I will try but the thoughts are there.

Why wouldn't I try? Three months should be long enough to get the garments finished.

Well the other thing I have been contemplating is overhauling my house (upstairs living area that has been the same since we moved in more than 11 years ago). This would include new flooring, painting kitchen cabinets and replacing wood panel with glass, tile under cabinets, repainting whole upstairs, and, what the whole process hinges on, reupholstering my living room furniture.

I have never upholstered. I really have no idea how to do it. I saw a basic tutorial and it didn't look too hard. If I am able to redo my furniture I would want to redo the rest of the upstairs. If I can't then we wouldn't. I have a chair I was thinking of starting with. I am very nervous to try. What if I mess the chair up? Then I would be out one chair. If I am successful then the whole chain of events start. Are we up for it?

Has anyone out there tried upholstering furniture (other than simple chairs)? Can anyone suggest good books or tutorial videos? I would really love some helpful advice.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 7-2009-104 My Plaid Shirred Dress Finished!

I was determined to get this dress finished to wear to church this morning. Last night, at about 11 PM, my husband came in and asked if I was going to be finished soon. I told I thought I would be finished soon. Silly me! I finished 5 hours later. Guess I not a very good judge of how long my projects take. I really enjoyed this project. I learned a lot. As I said before there were many parts that I had never done before. I thought I would take you through how they went.

1. Shirring-I used elastic thread and zig zagged over it. I really liked my plaid fabric. I was able to follow right along the line which made it very easy. I was pleased with how easy this was to do.

2. Welt pockets-These went pretty well. I used "Sew any Set in Pocket" by Claire Shaffer to help. One of my pockets looks pretty good (picture below) the other one overlapped a bit at the end. I liked how the had me construct the inside of the pocket. Burda's instructions were understandable for someone who hasn't done it before (me).

3. Flat Felled Seam-Boy, did I have trouble with this one. For some silly reason I had great difficulty getting my head wrapped around this one. Finally, I remembered to look in "Shirtmaking" by David Page Coffin for some help. After a few attempts I finally got something that resembled a flat felled seam. This was definitely the biggest stretch on this project.

4. Collar with stand-I referenced "Shirtmaking" for this also. Understanding the pictures took a bit but finally I got a collar that turned out really well. I really liked this method. My edgestitiching actually looked pretty good on the inside doing it his way.

5. Blind Hem-Just as I was about to hem the dress I decided to do a blind hem (about 3 AM) that I had never tried before. I consulted my sewing book by Simplicty to find out how to do it. It was so easy! I had no idea. It looks great on my dress.

So, here it is. My plaid shirred dress: Burda 7-2009-104.

Front of Dress

Back of Dress

Pattern Description: What an enchanting, feminine shirt-waister! With roll-up raglan sleeves front button fastening and lightweight fabric it's sure to become one of your favorites. Elastic shirring at the sides gently sculpts it to your waist.

Pattern Sizing: 36-44 My bust measures a size 40 while my waist and hip measure size 44. I decided to make size 40. I didn't want there to be too much fabric since I was using a heavier fabric than suggested. I really like how it ended up fitting.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? It looked very much like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were kind of easy to follow. I liked the pocket instructions (I did use other sources for the actual welt part). Now that I am looking back at them they are quite sketchy. They are fine if you know how already to do the different parts of the construction. Since I didn't know how to do the welt I looked at another source.

Welt Pocket

I also used Shirtmaking by David Page Coffin with pictures for constructing the collar.

Collar with Stand

I was able to easily construct the dress (with a bit of extra help) so the instructions were easy enough.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked so many parts but my favorite is the waist shirring.

Front Shirring The raglan sleeves were very easy. This pattern is drafted very well. All the pieces fit together perfectly.

Fabric Used: Cotton woven plaid. I really liked using the plaid. This really helped keep everything on grain. I was able to match the front and the top arm seam. I also matched the collar and stand.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't change anything.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This is a great pattern. I really liked the finished result. I probably wouldn't make a second of the same design though. Another great thing about this dress is that it can really look different in so many ways. Check out Christina's version and Dawn's version to see two other very different looks.

Conclusion: Great dress! This was a fun challenge to make. I hadn't done shirring, welt pockets, or flat felled seams. I have made shirt collars before but not very well. This was my first try with Coffin's method. It turned out well for my first try. I am very pleased with this dress. I think it will become one of my favorites just like Burda said.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

Until next time...

It's Been Slow Goin'

Just thought I would check in. I was able to spend some time on the Plaid Shirred Dress on Saturday. I was able to get the shirring and the welt pockets completed. The both look pretty good and I am happy with how they turned out. I haven't had a chance to work on the dress since then. I am hoping to have some time tomorrow. I need to get it finished soon because my daughter is very anxious to have me make a fall jacket for her.

Hopefully, I will have something to show you soon.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Burda 7-2009-104 My Plaid Shirred Dress in the Works

I love reading other sewers blogs! I have been inspired so many times by what other people make. They will make up patterns that I saw but didn't pay any attention into something fabulous. That is exactly what happened to me with this dress.

When I saw it in the magazine I didn't pay much attention to it. Then Christina made it and I thought her version was very cute. Then Dawn made up her version and hers was great too. So I decided to give it a try.

After I decided I was going to make this dress I had to find some fabric. Since I wanted to pull from my stash I decided on trying a plaid that I have had for a while. I have always really liked it but haven't had any inspiration for it. This one is not too heavy with nice body and drape. I have seen a lot of plaid lately so I think it is still in. I also figured that If I didn't like it for this dress the pieces are big enough that I could refashion it into something else. I draped it over myself to get the effect of the dress and I liked the initial look.

Now, there are many things about this dress that I have either not done before or am not very good at. This will be a real skill builder even if it doesn't turn out right.

Have not done before:
1. Shirring
2. Welt pockets (Christina and Dawn didn't do them. I would like to try. It depends on how the pocket placing falls on the plaid.)
3. Flat Felled Seams (Now I will finally take the time to try out the flat fell foot I bought a while ago.)
4. Raglan sleeves (I don't think these will be any problem. I am good at sleeves.)

Things I am not very good at due to lack of experience:
1. Shirt collars with stands
2. Pockets
3. Matching plaid

So this project will definitely be an experiment and a fun challenge at the same time.

I cut it out of muslin already to see if I even liked the style on me. I cut size 40 because I didn't want tons of gathered fabric. The shoulders and bust fit beautifully. I did have to take an inch out of the length so that the shirring was at my waist. But that is it. I am off to cut it out.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great Saturday.

Until next time...

Road Trip: South Dakota--From the Badlands to the Border

It has been a little bit since I have done a road trip post. This post will focus on our couple days we spent driving from the Badlands in South Dakota to the border of South Dakota and Minnesota. We saw some amazing things!

1. Badlands National Park--We didn't do much other than enjoy the amazing scenery. We drove the Badlands Loop Highway (Highway 240) through the park and were amazed at what we saw. For miles on one side all we saw was prairie. On the other side the prairie drops off hundreds of feet to the prairie below. In between the two levels are these amazing dirt/rock formations that were 100's of feet high peaks. They looked like if you walked on them they would crumble. There were fascinating stripes of colors through the "mountains". The stripes of different types of rock were amazing. I know I am saying amazing a lot but I just can't think of any other way to describe this. You will just have to look at the pictures which really don't do it justice. The drive through the Badlands was really neat because some of the time you are at the top of the "mountains" and you looked down on everything. Other times you were at the bottom and you could really see how tall they were.

2. Wall Drug--In Wall, SD just a little way from the Badlands off I-90(I think). We saw cryptic signs for this place miles, and miles, and miles before we were even close to Wall Drug. They really peaked our interest with, "Coffee 5 cents Wall Drug" or "Free Ice Water Wall Drug." This is one crazy place. It is HUGE! You go inside and it is like a frontier town main street. Each store has a store front like you would see on a street. There are different types of stores-bookstore, western wear, shoes, apothecary, and so much more. If you take a side hall way you go into this drug store like place with a huge crazy assortment of different stuff-trinkets, souvenirs, health and beauty items, candy, and lots of other stuff. Then you walk into the ice cream parlor and their dining room. The dining room was huge! We had to have the full experience so we ate there. It was a bit expensive and the food was decent. If you can find you way out to the back there is a strange assortment of stuff. This is a fun area for kids. There is a covered wagon, giant jackalope, giant dinosaur and other things. I think this was called the backyard. Then you can walk into the back building and do some mining, play some video games, shop at the toy store or try not to be eaten by a large, smoke-breathing t-rex. I know this all sounds weird and it was. We spent a few hours here just looking around. It was quite an experience. RoadsideAmerica.com has a good page telling about Wall Drug.

3. Corn Palace--As I told my husband as we were driving through South Dakota, South Dakota creates its own tourism. The Corn Palace is no exception. This is a large building in downtown Mitchell. It is attached to the city hall. The cool thing about this building is that the outside is covered completely in organic products-corn, grain and grasses. They had created pictures out of corn and stuff. It is a very interesting sight. We didn't go in but I think they have some info and a movie inside about SD agriculture. Again, RoadsideAmerica.com has some info about this attraction too.

This ends this road trip post. I hope you enjoyed these interesting activities. My next road trip post will focus on Minneapolis, MN, our last stop on our few thousand mile trip.

Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Brown Velveteen Pant--Ottobre 4-2007-32

This is the first pair of Ottobre pants I have ever made. I know that I already posted my son's pants but I made these first. It just took me longer to get pictures of these. These pants were quite a project. They weren't really difficult. They just took careful precision in order to make them look great. I really enjoyed the challenge of making these. I think this is the first real pair of pants (jean, cargo style) I have ever made (I am not counting easy elastic waist pants).

This is my daughter again on her first day of 4th grade. She is wearing the Velveteen pants along with her tunic top I already posted about.

While making these I used techniques that I have never done before in order to be very precise. In order to place the back pockets in the correct position I used tailor tacks. Prior to this project I never wanted to bother with using these to mark my fabric because they were time consuming. This time I didn't want to mark up my fabric with anything so this was the best option. The other thing I did was thread trace my darts. Again, I never bothered thread tracing due to taking too long. It really didn't take too long and it made the darts so easy to sew.

There was quite bit of topstitching on all the seams and pockets but it sure made the pants look great. It is difficult to pick up all the details in the pictures. I tried to lighten up the pictures enough so you can see the details. The actual color is a dark chocolate brown.

Ottobre 4-2007-32

Pants Front

Pants Back

Pattern Description: These pants are pepped up with lots of topstitching, bar tacks and bottom-leg trims with rows of buttons. The back-pocket facings and facings for the leg-pocket flaps are cut from printed floral cotton poplin. the knee panels are gathered at the sides, both for looks and added comfort.

Pattern Sizing: 134-158 I made a 134 width and 146 length. I knew this would be big in the waist but thought I would put in an adjustable waist band.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My pants looked just like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were fairly easy to follow. I had a little bit of trouble with the fly zipper because no measurements were given.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like all the details in these pants. The pockets are so cute.

Cargo Side Pockets
Back Tulip Pockets

I was even successful with the tulip back pockets with their method of application. I found it was important to edgestitch very close to the edge so that my light colored facing fabric didn't show at the edges.

Fabric Used: Polyester that is like velvet on the right side and slippery on the wrong. It is a very drapey fabric. I am not sure the exact name for this fabric.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't add the bottom leg trim. I also didn't follow their instructions for the waistband. I stitched the waistband and top of pant right side together and turned to inside. Then I stitched knit binding on the bottom edge of the waistband,turned it to the inside and then stitched the waistband from the right side to finish it off.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would certainly recommend this pattern. It makes an awesome pair of pants that look very RTW. I didn't think these were difficult but I did have to take my time and be as precise as possible.

Conclusion: The extra time put into these pants was well worth the great result. Attention to detail is very important for making these pants a success.

These are great pants I probably will make another pair. Next time I will remember to put in the adjustable waist before topstitching the whole thing. They are a little big on my daughter now. I took some large tucks in the waistband in order to get them to fit her. You can't see the tucks at all since her shirt is so long.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day.

Until next time...

Funky Flower Tunic--Ottobre 4-2007-31

This is another pattern that I have been wanting to make for quite a while. I thought this would be a perfect first day of school outfit-short sleeve since it is still kind of summer and cute pants. I will write about the pants in a later post. My daughter really like this and was actually excited for me to finish. Here she is on her way to her first day of 4th grade.


Ottobre 4-2007-31



Pattern Description: The tunic with sweet puffed sleeves can be worn on its own or paired with a turtleneck. a single-jersey belt tied around the raised waistline highlights the empire cut of the tunic.

Pattern Sizing:116-152

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes! Mine was longer because I added length.

Were the instructions easy to follow? This is very simple to put together so I didn't use the instructions too much. The seemed very easy to follow when I read through them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the styling.

Fabric Used: Knit blend probably poly, rayon or something. It is a thin knit that is very drapey. This pattern would work well with many different types of knit from lightweight to heavier. I bought it from the Michael Levine upstairs room full of boxes of extra fabric in Los Angeles, CA.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: None

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes I would sew this again. It is very cute.

Conclusion: A very quick top to sew up that turns out very well. I like the longer length so my daughter can wear it with the pants (I also made the ones pictured with this tunic in the magazine) or leggings.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great day!

Until next time...

Ottobre "Kalle" Outdoor Pants

I have been very busy the past few days sewing, sewing, sewing. My children started school today and I finished some things for them to wear on their first day. This first post will be about my son's pants. There will be posts to follow the next couple of days about my daughter's outfit.

My 7 year old son told me a week or so ago that I needed to make something for him. Well, of course I am going to make something for him. Ottobre has so many awesome patterns for boys so I turned there first. Actually, I knew exactly what I was going to make for him. I had been wanting to make these pants for quite a while. While I was in Portland in March I made sure I went to Rose City Textiles because I wanted some fabric for these pants. I ended up finding some fantastic dark grey Supplex in the Annex.

Ottobre 4-2008-24 "Kalle" Outdoor Pants

Front
Back

I thought these would actually be harder than they really were. This project took me about 7 hours from tracing to completion. This pants were a joy to make even though the side seams and hip pockets had 5 rows of topstitching and all the other places had three.

Front Pocket and Topstitching

I am actually in awe that I finally made a pair of awesome boys pants from Ottobre. I can't wait to try another pair.

My complete review:

Pattern Description: The pants sewn from lightweight outerwear fabric have logs of beautiful details, including pleats on roomy back pockets, knee pleats on pants front and bar-tacks stitched with contrast-color thread. They also have multiple topstitching in various colors.

Pattern Sizing: 104-134 My son is taller and thin (his height is b/w 122-128 with his waist/hip between 104-110. Thank goodness for multiple pattern sizing. I cut the top at 122 with the width 116. Then I cut out 128 at the bottom. The pants ended up fitting him great. Next time will cut all length 128.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? My finished product looked very much like the photo except my knee pleats don't hold in quite as well. They still look good though.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were good. These seemed to be more detailed than some other Ottobre instructions I have used.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love these pants. They have such great details. I love the pleats and all the topstitching even though it took a bit of time the effect was well worth the time.

Knee Pleats

Back Pocket Pleats

Fabric Used: Supplex from Rose City Textiles in Portland, OR

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't change anything except I didn't put on the belt loops.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This was a fun pattern to make. I love how the details you spend time on really make a difference in the look of the garment. I would (and probably will) definitely sew these again. They didn't take too long and look great. It took me about 7 hours from tracing to completion (a lot less time that I originally thought).

Conclusion: Fantastic pant and my son really likes them so they are a definite winner.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Garments in My Sewing Queue!

While I have been sick I haven't been sewing but sickness certainly didn't stop me from thinking of sewing. I decided to go through my Ottobre and Burda mags and make a list of the garments that I wanted to sew up. As I was going through I limited myself to only picking patterns that I most likely have fabric now to use. This is the measly list that I came up with. Note: This list does not include Jalie or my big 4 patterns.

For my kids:

Ottobre 3/2004
#22 pants for my boys

Ottobre 1/2005
#29 high cross front shirt for daughter

Ottobre 1/2006
#37 eyelet cross over sleeveless blouse
#16 basic dressier pant for daughter

Ottobre 4/2006
#16 Star hooded fleece sweatshirt for son
#17 slim corduroy pant for son
#23 trench coat
#31 T-shirt with cross neckline for daughter
#32 hooded vest for daughter

Ottobre 5/2006
#33 belted jumper
#32 shirt with cute shirring on the sleeve

Ottobre 4/2007
#21 Jacket with shawl collar
#20 elastic waist a-line short corduroy skirt
#29 denim pant for boys
#34 hooded sweatshirt w/ front pocket for daughter
#32 velveteen pant/ jean--finished
#31 tunic w/belt--finished

Ottobre 4/2008
#26 raglan t-shirt for boys
#24 cool pants for outerwear fabric for son--finished
#35 shirtdress w/belt
#38 raglan t-shirt with hood for son

Ottobre 6/2008
#29 sweater with mock button up shirt for son--finished
#26 outerwear vest for son
#36 jacket w/sweater knit for daughter
#38 light outerwear jacket for daughter

Ottobre 1/2009
#22 raglan t-shirt w/contrast long sleeve and cuff for son
#18 t-shirt w/ contrast yoke, sleeve, and shirred front for daughter
#35 tunic with button front
#32 leggings
#24 polo shirt for son

Ottobre 3/2009
#33 flared t-shirt with criss-cross in back
#24 t-shirt for son with contrast cuff and stripe on shoulder
#27 t-shirt w/polo color for son
#19 jersey jacket w/gathered yoke

Burda 8/2009
#139 short plaid jacket
#141 dress
#145 cuffed skirt

For Me:

Ottobre 3/2004
#41 hooded fleece jacket

Ottobre 1/2005
#38 high cross neckline t-shirt
#40 quilted outerwear vest

Ottobre 2/2006
#3 collared pullover shirt
#18 sweater cardigan with tie
# 5 basic button up shirt (no pockets)
#1 v-neck t-shirt

Ottobre 5/2007
#10 jeans
#19 hooded sweatshirt

Ottobre 5/2008
#5 cargo pant
#13 jacket

Ottobre 2/2009
#1 cami

Burda 8/2008
#129 long blouse w/tucks at shoulder

Burda 2/2009
# 107 skirt
# 101 dress

Burda 5/2009
#103 wrap v-neck top
#112 shirt jacket w/zipper
#110 blouse

Burda 6/2007
#129 wrapped top dress

Burda 7/2009
# 122 wrapped top w/tie

Burda 8/2009
#104 ruffled blouse
#119 jacket w/interesting collar
#107 pleated skirt and buttons


Now I certainly don't expect that you did any more than skim through the above list. The only reason that I typed it out is to keep a list for myself. Also, I couldn't believe all the garments that I could make that I already had fabric for. Of course I already knew that I had a large fabric collection (that I don't feel guilty about) but making out this list really put my fabric collection into proper perspective. I guess I really don't need to buy any more fabric for a while. I think that I will keep very busy.

I am so glad now that I didn't do any clothes shopping for my children this year. Earlier this year I purchased some things for really good sales. My plan was to sew up anything they would need. I certainly have the resources.

What have I done so far? Tonight I traced a Ottobre shirt and a pair of pants for my daughter. Tomorrow I will hopefully get around to cutting them out and sewing up at least the shirt and maybe the muslin of the pants. Before I do any sewing though, I have to have my daughter try on all her clothes to see how much she really needs. No need for me to sew up more than she needs when I could be sewing for myself. :)

Wow, what a lot of rambling.

Just so this post isn't pictureless I leave you with a picture of my children climbing on this really neat rotating climbing wall. We went for the first time to Pump It Up, an indoor inflatable playground. They had as much fun on this wall as they did all the big blow up stuff.


Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day.

Until next time...

Update 8/13: My daughter tried on all her clothes. She has plenty! What is a sewing mom to do?! I am going to have to finish her first day of school outfit then sew for my son (who does need some things) and then for me. But I have so many cute things to make for her! I am heartbroken!

I have a question for you moms. Do your children outgrow their clothes because of their width or height? All of my kids outgrow things because of their height. Width wise my kids can wear clothes 3-4 sizes smaller than their height. For my daughter this means that all her shirt sleeves become 3/4 length and she can wear them another year or two. She has had a couple of things in her closet since 1st grade (she is going into 4th). My 7 year old son can wear a size 4 t-shirt or short but needs size 7-8 to be long enough for his arms and legs. How do your kids grow? Are mine weird or just normal?