Kid sewing

Today I have a post about teaching my girls to sew.  Check it out at The Itinerant Seamstress.

I'm here - and also over there.

Man, we have been sick. Sick sickity sick.  And just when I thought we weren't sick anymore, Gabriel puked.  Then a few days later, Natasha puked.  And today Zoia was complaining that her tummy hurt.

I am sick of being sick.

Started a new blog, though.  A proper sewing blog so I can get all the sewing stuff that many of you could not care less about, off this blog, and make this blog more about life and traveling.  So if you do care about sewing, you can read about my projects in depth at The Itinerant Seamstress.  Or, you know, not.  Whatever.  I'm breezy.  (Please comment if you got that!)

And if you don't care about sewing, stop back here later this week.  I will have new posts then, promise.

Sewing for me!

UPDATE: See more information on these projects at my new sewing blog, The Itinerant Seamstress.  

Since May, I've lost 29ish pounds.  It's the thinnest I've been since about 1/3 of the way through my pregnancy with Natasha, and only 10 pounds away from my pre-kids weight.  It feels pretty awesome, but it also means that I don't have any clothes that fit.  So I've been motivated to try sewing for myself, with some wearable results!

This is the new Liesl & Co. Late Lunch Tunic.  It does not fit me quite right, and the pattern itself is, I think, not the best shape for my body type.  But I sewed it and I think that is pretty cool.  (Also, look - those are skinny jeans.  My first ever!)

I sewed this top from a pattern I drafted myself, using a top I already own.  That top is the miracle top - it fits across a 20-lb range.  I retired it only because it developed a few holes from so much wear.  This purple top is made out of a rayon lycra knit and was my first "draft" of the pattern.

I was pleasantly surprised by how this one turned out: the Lisette Traveler Tunic/Simplicity 2246.  I want to make another one in a more fun fabric and maybe with a different collar.

I think this is my biggest coup - skinny cords from the Sew Liberated Simple Skinny Jeans pattern.  I had to make a bunch of modifications to the pattern to get it to fit me, but even with all of that, it probably took me seven hours from start to finish.  I had to let out the legs on the sides, but (yay) I had to take in the waist and hips A LOT.  I also had to lengthen the pants about five inches and raise the back yoke so they wouldn't be totally indecent.  They work with flats and boots, and after a full day's wear they still stay up!  Hopefully they will hold up in the wash too.

Sewing again

In an effort not to turn this into a sewing blog, I haven't been blogging each individual item that I've made lately.  But I do want to show them off, so I will cram them all into this post.  Of note is that I've been trying to sew more for myself lately.  I will save those for another post (check back tomorrow!)

Kwik Sew nightgown in flannel.
I made three of these - one for each
daughter and one for my niece.

My new favorite pattern - the
Oliver+S Playtime dress. This one is in
interlock knit.

Another Playtime - embroidered corduroy. 

Playtime back.

Fleece mittens from Little Things to Sew book

Oliver+S Music Box jumper, modified, for a friend's daughter.

More Playtimes in fine-wale corduroy.

Oliver+S Art Museum vest
and trousers for G for Christmas

A Davy Crockett costume for a friend's son, sewn using
the Oliver+S Nature Walk pattern and some finicky
faux suede.

A few projects

Sleep-deprivation notwithstanding, I've been sewing.

Top: Japanese pattern.  Oliver+S Puppet Show shorts. 

Set for my new nephew. 

Top: Japanese pattern. O+S Puppet Show shorts. 

Knit swing top tutorial from here.

More knit swing tops.

Nursing cover, knit blanket and baby hat for a pregnant friend.

Set for my niece: O+S Puppet Show shorts and Lazy Days
skirt; self-drafted top.

Simplicity 5136 made as pjs for a grumpy,
teething baby.

A mermaid tail.

A "first day of school dress" made using the Oliver+S
Ice Cream Dress pattern that, alas, is much too big.

Oliver+S Family Reunion dress.

Baby hat.

Another O+S Family Reunion dress, with added collar.

O+S Bucket Hat.

I'm guest-blogging today!

Today I am honored to be guest-blogging over at Oliver+S.  Go have a peek!

T-shirt mania (and cool things Jeremy has done, part 2)

I've been watching what I eat and working out (a bit, anyway) for a couple months now, and I'm down 15 pounds.  As a result, all my post-partum clothes are too large, but my pre-pregnancy clothes are still a little too small.  This prompted me to search the Internet for some easy patterns for summer staples.  I hit the jackpot.  In the last 48 hours, I sewed three tops and one skirt.  My serger and I are very close now, and my confidence sewing with knits is way up.

First up is this totally awesome tutorial for a knit pencil skirt.  It was so easy to make and it really does fit perfectly.  I envision many more.

I made the top using Maria Denmark's Kirsten Kimono Tee pattern - free! This navy is my first effort, made of a slinky rayon jersey I picked up in the $2.95 section of G Street Fabrics in Virginia.  It was much too big at first and I took it in twice.  I also lowered the neckline to make it more flattering to me.

This is my second attempt at the tshirt.  I drafted a drape neck for this one.  I love how it turned out, but it is a hair snug on me (which is why it's being modeled by the Lady In Red - Jeremy's birthday present to me and the cool thing referenced in the title of this post).

And my third effort, which is the best yet:

I need to bring in the neckline a little on the sides to keep it from slipping, and I think I could still take in the sides a tiny bit, but how cool is it that I made my own tshirt?  I'm pretty excited.

Independence Day

July 4 was Thursday, but the community celebration with fireworks took place last weekend, starting at 6 p.m.  At 2 p.m., midway through naptime, I realized that my girls did not have appropriate attire.  I turned my stash upside down in search of the right fabric, and then sewed furiously until 5 p.m. Thanks to the very easy Oliver + S Popover Dress pattern, my girls had patriotic frocks by party time.  The girls had a blast and even stayed up to watch fireworks at 10 p.m.

Then on July 3, the Embassy held its official Independence Day reception. Jeremy was the emcee and I sang the national anthem.  No recording to share, but just as well since I did hear a snippet and my "see" was spectacularly off-key.  Well-supported, clear and with good tone ... but staggeringly flat.  Yikes.  Sorry guys.

I sewed myself a dress for the occasion (Made By Rae's Washi dress plus a ribbon belt) and I do have a photo of that for you.

Big and yellow

The pool in our neighborhood is open now, and the weather has gotten warm enough to go a few times a week.  Now that I have three kids, two of whom are in diapers, in tow, even a 90-minute trip to the pool requires a lot of stuff.  And I didn't have a bag big enough.

So I made this.  The yellow fabric is a remnant bought on a whim at IKEA.  The denim is also a remnant, from Joann's.  I think the yellow fabric is home dec, so I don't know how well it will hold up to a wash, and it is already stained from rubbing against the stroller wheel.  But that's ok - it hold everything we could possibly need with room to spare.  Love it.

New summer dresses

Over the last week I managed to sew two new dresses for the girls.  Each picked fabric out of my stash; I chose the sewing pattern.  I'm quite pleased with the results, though very sad that we are reaching the top of the size range of my first crop of Oliver and S patterns!  Soon it will be time to buy the next size up.

This is the Seashore Sundress.  It is made of a light cotton shirting with textured stripes and metallic silver threads running through it.  I made a size 4 but had to take in 2" around the chest so that it would fit my skinny minnie properly.

This is the Bubble Dress.  The fabric is from Joann!  I love it and I really enjoyed sewing the dress.  This pattern only goes to a size 5 so I plan to make several more for the girls before they outgrow it.  Zoia's is a size 3 with a little length added to the skirt.

And of course, I have to give a big thanks to my wonderful husband for giving me the time necessary to sew these.  I'm lucky.

KCW Days 1-3 - something to show, finally

This three-kids-of-which-two-are-toddlers-and-one-is-a-newborn thing is no joke.  It is a minor miracle that I finished anything at all, let alone that I got photos taken.

I actually finished sewing the skirts on Tuesday morning. I pulled out my box of elastic ... only to find that I was clean out of the 3/4" width I needed for these skirts.  Drat.  I knew of a fabric store about 25 minutes away.  You know I was determined when I grimly loaded the kids into the car Wednesday morning and made the trek. Success! Not only do they have elastic, but fabric, pretty lace and a lovely array of buttons. This store is by our church so I will make sure to do my notions shopping on Sundays.

Yesterday I also started sewing summer nightgowns for the girls. I hope I can finish them by the end of the week.

KCW Day 1

So it's time for Kids Clothes Week again.  This is my third one. In the past, I have sewn much more than the requisite hour per day.   When I thought about whether to participate this year, it occurred to me that, while I might be able to carve one uninterrupted hour a day, I wouldn't get very much done in that time.

Uninterrupted?

Yeah, I was very optimistic.

I did spend a little over an hour yesterday working on two Lazy Days skirts for the girls, but it was far, far, faaaaaar from uninterrupted.  It was more like, spend five minutes measuring and cutting fabric, then spend 49 minutes getting everyone in and out of various princess costumes.  Spend 13 minutes sewing and ironing a couple seams, then spend 33 minutes serving food, wiping spills and throwing in another load of laundry.

So, despite the fact that the Lazy Days skirt should really be a 30-45 minute project from start to finish ... I have nothing finished to show you today.  Better luck tomorrow.

Little mamas

Somewhere, amid the insanity of adding a baby to a household already bursting at the seams with unbridled toddler energy, I have been trying to find little moments to hang on to.  You know, the little snippets of time that you want to freeze.  The ones that get you through the screaming fits when your kid runs into traffic, or opens the door and walks out of the house without your knowledge or permission (both of which occurred yesterday).  The ones that you envisioned before you had kids.

Thankfully, we had a couple of those yesterday, too.

Gabriel spends most of the day strapped to me in one carrier or another - usually my Babyhawk mei tai or my Beco Gemini.  The girls have started trying to create their own baby wraps with scarves.

Thanks to the confluence of two events - 1) my finding this excellent tutorial for a doll mei tai, and 2) Jeremy taking the kids for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday - I was able to sew this weekend.

And, tada!  Some precious moments: