Kid's Clothes Week July 2014 Day 1

It's time again for Kid's Clothes Week. I had forgotten about it until the other day.  I'm late at getting started, but I figured better late than never.  I may not make the whole week, but I'm giving it an honest try.  Today I prepped the pattern, the fabric, cut out and stitched up most of the dress.

Olivia has been away all week at AWANA camp, so I did not have her here to have her participate in the making of this dress.  I spent more than an hour today, working on this dress, having most of it done before she arrived home.  I have decided to leave the hemming for tomorrow.

Olivia picked out this fabric and really liked the bright, stripes, so I decided to make a T-shirt dress with it.  The dress form is not set up for Olivia's measurements, it's a couple sizes smaller than she is.  I used the Oliver + S pattern, Women's Metro T-Shirt, and changed it up a bit.  Instead of using the smaller size for children, I decided to use the women's sized shirt, and made a few changes to it.  I made a t-shirt for Olivia from this pattern, before she went off to camp, so I knew how it fit her and what changes I wanted to make.

Changes I made to the pattern:

I used the size M through the shoulders and then size L for the width.  The M fits, but it's too snug for my liking, so I wanted the shirt to have a more relaxed fit.  I shortened the bodice in the waist by 1", and then of course cut off the rest of the length of the shirt and added a skirt.  I also added width and a tiny bit of length to the neckband.  

Another dress from the pattern is in the works for tomorrow. :)  Olivia is also thinking of a couple of art ideas she wants to dry for a garment or two.  

Good Night....... :)

Selfish Sewing Week.....

This past week was deemed, "Selfish Sewing Week".  The idea behind it is that so often, we are sewing for other people and here is one week we set aside to sew for ourselves.  It's nice in theory, but reality says otherwise. ;)

In keeping with the theme of trying to do at least one hour a day, throughout the week, I attempted Selfish Sewing Week, but I didn't accomplish a lot. ;)

I started out learning a very, very valuable lesson.  When printing PDF patterns, 1/6" of an inch off, makes a HUGH difference.  I did check the measurements of the testing square, first, but I was in a hurry and I thought it was correct, or so close to correct, it must be correct and I'm just picky! :P  Well, after taping, tracing and cutting out a muslin, then sewing, I knew something was off.  Sure enough the whole thing, along with the other patterns I had also printed off, taped together, traced off and cut out the patterns, were going to be off, too. :(  I took a great deal of time to fix this error.  I will have a post coming about the PDF issue, just to warn others who might have this same error.  I may not get to that post until next week.

Once my pattern was correctly printed, taped and traced off, I was finally able to do my Women's Metro T-Shirt pattern, by Liesl + Co.  Here's what I did each day:

-Day one of the week was spent tracing off the wrong scaled pattern, cutting and sewing a muslin.
-On day two, I spent the day fixing the error on the scaling, then doing that for the other patterns I had incorrectly printed off.  I traced off and cut out the pattern and my new t-shirt.
-Day three, I sneaked in some time to sew the shoulder and side seams.
-Day four, I decided how I wanted to finish the armholes since this was to be a tank t-shirt. I put the neckline together and hemmed the shirt.
-Day five, no time to work on the shirt, but hit the fabric store while out doing errands and purchased a 3 metre length of silk fabric for a skirt and scarf I want to make for myself...that's truly selfish!
-Day six, I cut out the binding for the shirt, the rest of the time I selfishly spent repairing a skirt for my daughter so she could wear it (much more important than my tank t-shirt and I was so happy to do that. :)
-Day 7, I sewed the binding on the shirt.... with the exception of tying off the coverstitch tails, which I will do tomorrow, in the light of day.

The Salsa Skirt was made back in February for when I attended Sewing Expo.

Until tomorrow,

Good Night......

More Salsa Skirts

Back in February, I was busy getting ready to attend the Sewing Expo.  I was on deck to make a few Salsa skirts for us to wear.  I made a total of  7, two for me, two for Olivia and 3 for my sisters.

All skirts are made out of knit fabric.

This skirt is Olivia's and it's made from a cotton/poly blend from Girl Charlee, which I see is not in stock at this time, but is in the cream with green writing.

 These three skirts are made from a cotton/poly blend as well, again, from Girl Charlee, which they do still have in stock. This picture is before I finished up the rolled hems on the skirts. ;)

There are only two in this picture, but I did make three of them.  They are made with fabric from Fabric.com, the designer is Robert Kaufman and the fabric is so wonderful!  So, so soft and just the right weight.  It has 95% cotton and 5% lycra, which make it a dream to work with and to wear.

I have seriously lost track of how many times I have made this skirt...LOTS!  I have made it in floor length, stretch denim, knee length stripes, and all for small people, too.  Great, fun skirt to make and wear. ;)

Good night......

Carol

Sewing For The Market

Booth at market

This past Christmas, I decided to participate in the Christmas markets in the area.  I attempt to get in, starting in August.  To my surprise, the ones I wanted into were already completely booked.  I decided to go on the waiting list and see if anything became available.

To my surprise, 3 weeks before one of the ones I wanted into was to take place, I received a call asking if I wanted to participate.  This particular market is usually very full and the same vendors come back year after year after year.  I said, "yes", but quickly asked myself, how are you going to do that? ;)  With three weeks until the market, I had to sew an inventory....which meant I also had to source out some fabrics.

Fortunately for me, I had already been considering what I would like to do, but wasn't going to invest the time or money, if I didn't have a spot at the market.  At three weeks before the market, I had a ton to do to prepare.  Being in Canada and to get the fabrics I wanted, meant a possible couple of weeks until I could receive fabrics and supplies...and then there is sewing to be done. ;)  To my utter shock and surprise, two of the companies, one in particular, was able to get my order to me in just 3 days!!!  Wow!!!  I was impressed.  The other business took about 1.5 weeks, but enough time to allow me to sew.  Since I had one market to do, I wanted to find a couple more...and I did. :)  I had a wonderful time participating in the markets and am seriously considering doing it again this next year.  I am already signed up for two and on the waiting list for one. ;)

Salsa Skirt

Here are some of the items I made for the markets.

Simple pull on skirt

Moustache Infinity Scarf

Onesies for boys and girls

 There were several other products I sold, and I had a great deal of fun and learned a lot!  I confess to having a few very late nights in order to sew inventory, but I made it. :)

See, I still am sewing, I just don't get to show it all the time.....

Good Night........

Fashion Revolution/ Inside Out, What I Wore Today....

I spent a few hours out of the house today, taking daughter to the dentist and then running errands afterwards.

I wore my knit denim Salsa skirt, inside out, along with my shirt, which was made in Canada and my vest, which was made in Sri Lanka.  My tights I did not wear inside out, but they were made in the USA.  Not sure about my shoes where they were made.

Olivia joined me in wearing her chevron Salsa skirt, inside out, too.  Her fabric was made in Korea by the Riley Blake company.

I did get a bit of a laugh today as people did not realize my skirt was inside out!  I have six seams and they are all serged, but it's funny how this type of seaming/finish has become more fashionable, thus why people didn't realize my skirt was inside out.  My vest got noticed for it, but my skirt caught the attention of people because they liked the look of my skirt...it wasn't until I pointed out it was inside out that they noticed. ;)

It was nice being able to engage in conversations with people regarding this anniversary and about Fashion Revolution.  Becoming more aware and educated on this subject of 'where are your clothes/fabrics made'  is important.

Did you learn anything new today about where your clothes are made? :)

Good Night......

Worst Garment Industry Disaster Anniversary

Today marks the 1st anniversary of the worst garment disaster in history.  Here's an up to date story from the CBC.  Do you want to help bring light to the tragedy and help make a difference?  Today is:  Fashion Revolution .  Inside Out is also a name being used for today.  On these sites, you can find out how you can help draw attention to the fashion industry issues, surrounding the production of the clothing we wear.

HERE is a great article on ways in which we can draw attention to this issue, today.  Since I sew a great deal of my clothes, I will be wearing handmade clothing, inside out.  :)

Today, I will be joining in the campaign to draw attention to where my clothes were made and ways in which I might be able to make a difference.  I think in today's society, it's very important for us to not turn a blind eye to what's going on in the fashion industry with respect to how we produce, sell and get the clothes/fabrics we have today.  Do you know where your clothes were made?  How about the fabric?  Are the workers being paid a fair wage?  What about the conditions the workers work in, are they safe?

Here are the goals for today:

THE THEME: Who made your clothes? 

WHAT TO DO:  Wear an item of clothing inside out.

AND: Ask the retailer the question WHO MADE YOUR CLOTHES.

HOW: share across all social media by USING THE HASHTAG #insideout 

WHY: The voicing of these questions, on a global scale, will raise awareness and encourage the fashion industry to continue the process of change.

Please join me in drawing attention to where are clothes are made and how we can help promote better working conditions and compensation for the workers making the clothes and fabrics we wear.  Let's help make a difference.

Warmly,

Carol

April Sewing

Here are a couple of projects I worked on this month.

First, I had a birthday gift to make for my sister.  With her gardening well underway in Texas, I thought she could use a lovely new apron.

The apron is made out a medium weight linen with extra large pockets to help her carry in some produce, or packets of seeds.

This apron is made for a friend of my daughter in law, who recently had a baby.  I made one of these for my daughter in law, after he baby was born.

When my children were little, I wore aprons to bath my babies/toddlers.  It kept me dry and most importantly, especially for babies, I was able to hold onto slippery little babies. :)  I was always afraid my baby would slip out of my hands, so having something to hold onto them with, was very helpful for me.

I made these aprons out of an extra large bath sheet.  The large pocket is designed to put an infant baby's head into it, while baby is up against the chest.  As baby grows, the bottom of the apron will work to go over baby's head.  There is a snap at the back, to hold the corners out of the way while bathing baby, and for ease of unsnapping with one hand.  The neckband is also snapped on with two snaps on one side (stitched in place on the other) to keep it in place.  The pocket is also usable for storing bath toys or wash cloths in, while bathing baby.


Good night for now! :)