Tuesday, December 22, 2015

WIP Winner.

Last year I cleared out nearly all of my WIP's.
I figured if I had not sewn in by now it was not going to happen.
But I hung on to this rugby.
It is a Kwiksew, I am not sure which one, I cut for Hugo.
I must have been short of fabric as I didn't match the sleeves.
It still sort of works.
The fabric is a thick poly/cotton knit, think Canterbury tops form the 90's.
I made it with Liddy in mind but Elsa snaffled it.
Paired here with City Gym shorts.
I added cotton webbing covered side vents and extra tape at the collar neck.
And some sporty stencilling.
It is nice to have a win.

xx N

Saturday, December 19, 2015

White Shirts

Everyone needs one and I have been sewing a few lately.
Another McCalls 2353, size 8 with a FBA (full botty adjustment)

In a fine white linen with black buttons.
A coloured button hole is the look de jour.
Tres jolie, très chic.
And another for Elsa.
This time in a cotton/linen mix.
With reversed MoP buttons(stitched with brown thread) and a navy feature button hole.
Such a nice shape.
Love a white shirt.
Perfect!
And one more for me!
The same fine linen as Zara's.
Double red button holes for me.
And again at the sleeve placket.
My collar stand worked!
Modified for my tiny shoulders....
With lots of room for my big other bits.

I love a nice white shirt.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Roller Skate Girl

Seriously, I am always late to the party.
The Roller Skate dress party.
I don't have a lot of sewing time anymore so I like my sews to be interesting.
I had dismissed this dress as a 'quick sew' and possibly a bit ho-hum.
Liddy needed a yellow tunic for Presentation Night. I thought it might be a good time to crack out my Roller Skate pattern.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed sewing it.
Buttery soft butter yellow linen lined with cotton poplin.
I really like the wee Puppet Show-ish sleeve caps.
I used embroidery silk to work a simple running stitch and found a lovely painted MoP bird button for the roulette loop.
Such a nice finish.
So flattering on her willowy frame.
Yellow is her colour.
Isn't she gorgeous?
She did a great job dancing.

xx N


Saturday, December 12, 2015

Last Turn for Tildy

MissTilly's last outfit.
A mix of smart and play clothes.
Inspired by this outfit I pinned.
I thought the Badminton top and
The Afterschool pants fit the bill.
Whilst I was hunting out the grey linen I came across this pretty denim blue Oxford cloth.
I thought it would flatter Tilly's blue eyes.
I used a firm white linen for the neck line.
If using a softer cloth I would interface.
For the ribbon tie, a piece of black&white stripe ribbon.
I am so pleased with this top and can't think why I haven't sewn it before.
Instead of white linen (elegant but impractical) I used the leftovers from my Everyday skirt.
A spotty linen/cotton mix from Spotters.


I used a very soft voile for the ruffles.
Although fiddly a soft fabric works really well here.
I *love* the little back pockets.
Tildy's is tiny, her measurements put her in a size 3 but I made her the size 4 with the length of a size 7.
It is perfect, just enough growth to see her through Summer.
So a sweet little top, it took me two and half hours to sew up.
A straight two hours for the trousers.

The nitty gritty Kitty!
The blouse was a little fiddly but I took my time and did all the advised basting and that helped a lot.
Good instructions, solid O+S stuff.
I personally think it is a wee bit short, I would add a couple of inches as you can always trim it off.

I have made the skort in the past and that is a brilliant piece.

The trousers are a super quick, super cute sew. They are a great fit for a skinny child and have a nice high rise.
I have a step by step tute here.

So that is Tildy done and dusted, on with Liddy.

xx N


Thursday, December 10, 2015

Play Clothes for Tildy

Just as a girl needs smart things .....
She needs clothes for play.
The School Bus tee
And the Puppet Show shorts.
Not a bad little combo.
Tildy is quite slight, her measurements put her in the size 4 but she is of average height so I lengthened the tee to a size 7.
I used a very stretchy cotton/lycra and resisted top stitching the neck line. If I had it would not have gone over her noggin.
The transfer is from VanIkke and they are worth every penny.
The shorts are sewn in some Ikat scraps. I didn't have quite enough to do bias leg bands so I cut them on the straight grain.
So far, so good.
Perfecting her 'Blue Steel'
I am really pleased with the fit of this tee.
I think I may try running the cover stitch over the neck line on my next one as I do like a topstitched seam.
She still has a toddler tummy....
Pockets!
Perfect!

xx N