When we made the decision not to send out children to the city to finish their schooling we decided to use some of the money we had put away to put in a swimming pool.
It is extra work for all of us but absolutely worth it.
It has greatly added to the quality of our life.
However, lots of extra swimming has meant a lot of exposure to the sun.
We have very strict rules of rash vests MUST be worn during the day.
So this KwikSew pattern is amazing.
Tilly started it with this suit and Trixie badly wanted to be 'matching'.
So we did!
I made Trixie the Size 5 as per her chest measurement but we could have done with some length, in the body and the leg.
Not that she has complained.
The sparkly fish scale fabric is from Spotlight and is not actually swimsuit fabric, it's dance but it has held up to chlorine really well.
The knees have rubbed of slightly but our pool has quite a rough concrete edging and I think that may have contributed to it.
I like to make my girls a new PE Kit for our Victorian Holiday
This year, sadly cancelled.
So I made Trixie a lilac suit.
Psst, if anyone asks, its purple, right?
Trixie L O V E S this one!
(And look how much she has grown)!
This is proper swimmers fabric which I purchased in a bulk lot with a mountain of thread (from eBay) a few years back.
Any one is Australia need wooly nylon, I am your girl, my cover stitch doesn't like it.
I did add extra length to the body and legs but my baby girl has grown!
Trixie is very taken with her 'rainbow' writing which is holding up to the chlorine really well.
~Trixie's Verdict~
I love it!
I always wear it when I have a swim.
I love it too much, I want to wear it to bed.
I like both of them but I really like the mermaid one.
The mermaid is most special in the whole wide world.
I am sad we are not swimming or going to the blow up place (Inflatable World-Ballarat) (Vic Holidays)
I got a wedge-y in the mermaid ones (I knew I needed to add more length)
I like having my picture taken, I like it a lot, I feel fancy
(Trixie then starts singing Fancy, to the tune of 'Shiny' from 'Moana)
~My Verdict~
This pattern is an absolute ripper!
I was a pleased as punch to track it down (second hand on eBay) in the larger size.
Matilda is covered with moles and I have hammered into her that she will ALWAYS need to be covered up in the sun.
The is an easy sew, lots of pieces but very easy.
I actually sew it on my sewing machine, with a ball point needle, using the stretch knit stitch. I find this a sturdier stitch than my overlocker.
PS How cute is that tummy?
Thank you for reading.... xx Nicole
Remember these?
I used McCall's 7241 and shaped the leg using the Hudson pants as a guide.
Elsa asked me if I could sew her a shortie pair.
She texted me from Spotlight to be exact.
I was happy to (and pay for the fabric) if she got the mustard as I wanted to sew Trixie some dungarees too
I cut the legs 3/4 length as I was not quite sure what shortie translated too....
This is 'shortie'
Way too short for this little black duck.
Elsa didn't fancy them either.
In retrospect, I should have left the legs a lot wider, like shorts, the clue was in the name, 'shortie'.
As the cool kids say 'My bad'.
Luckily Zara loves them.
And rocks them!
I really liked the mustard pair (before the chopping incident) so I decided to make a pair for me!
The fabric is a super stretchy corduroy from deep stash in a lovely coffee cream colour.
I reversed the nap (thank you Liesl Gibson) for a lustrous finish and top stitched all the seams.
They are definitely very cute.
And the back keeps you so warm!
They are certainly baggy but that is the easy fit style.
As the day went on and the fabric stretched I wasn't finding them as nice to wear.
I had a lot of fabric 'bunching' around my middle.
I usually wear jeans and a belt. I like the firmness around my waist as it reminds me to stand up straight and tighten my stomach muscles which is important for my back health.
I find if I wear Hudson pants all day I get a sore lower back too.
So, while I really like them I don't think they are for me.
So when Elsa popped to for a visit and to use our internet for study (after stripping down, showering, wearing my clothes and I disinfected her Macbook and phone) I encouraged her to try them on.
So.
Adorable.
I think her fuller derrière takes care of the excess ease that was causing issues for me (I have a pancake bum) and she can wear those tiny tops to show off her tiny waist.
~My Verdict~
I love sewing this pattern.
It goes together beautifully and quickly (4 hours tops)
I have re-drafted the legs and altered the straps (adding 3 inches) so I can whip up a pair stat!
They have enough details to to look professional with our being fiddly and the pocket are great!
But.... not for me, not this pattern anyway.
I think I will try again in a rigid denim, in another pattern as I really, really want a pair.
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| image from Pinterest |
Something like this ^^?
~Elsa's Verdict~
The overalls are utterly gorgeous, I also have a pair in denim but the corduroy ones are so much warmer and more comfortable.
They look great with a cute tank too for when it’s warm but also looks stunning with a turtle neck and a jacket! Thanks so much Mummy x
~Zara's Verdict~
Really cute and fun overalls that mum and I actually have a matching pair of (not anymore...)NMK.
I think these are going to be really cute with a graphic T for my teachers placement. Sooooo comfortable and stretchy.
Thanks Mum!! x
So there we have, I tried something new but it wasn't for me.
I am going to try again, I really think I can make them work and I have an enormous roll of denim I can muslin with.
This pattern is a great one and worth snapping up if you find it. Elsa would like the pinny version sewn up in bottle green so it will pulled out again soon.
PS, My tee is the Plantain by Deer and Doe with a cuff (due to fabric restrictions) my go to tee.
Thank you for reading.... xx Nicole
Thank you Tilly for the photos
Now I love an inspiration photo...
Especially when sewing for teenagers.
Lidia had a very particular outfit in mind.
Oversize sweater, batwing, round neck.
A gored skirt, short but not too short.
I sent her a-pattern busting.
Her find?
A OOP Kwiksew from the 80's.
Lidia didn't want any of the panelling so I figured it would be simplest to cut two backs, cutting a lower neck on one of those for the front.
Rather than a basic ribbing (or self fabric) I remembered some lovely polo top collars my sewing gal/pal Colette had set me.
These make great neck, wrist or ankle bands and I also use them as a pocket trim on Hudson pants instead of ribbing.
I bound the back of the neck with cotton webbing.
This stabilises it and well as giving the garment a lovely finish.
Let's talk about fabric because it is lush!
A poly/cotton matelasse fabric that is thick and stretchy.
I purchased this (and some in a navy colour way) from Eliza's Fabrics it is very wide and was around $3/m (I only found a few flaws in my cut)
I took a great deal of care fussy cutting the pattern to be perfectly symmetrical.
This left quite a few 'scraps' but I was able to cut a top each for Matilda and Beatrix by cutting to the grain but ignoring the matelasse finish.
The skirt is OOP Style 1717, from deep stash.
Lids plumped for View 3, but a bit shorter.
This is a lovely pattern and if you are using a fabric that is not directional, a very economical cut and sew as the gores flip and nestle together nicely. I have cut Liddy another from the scantest piece of black drill.
The fabric is a stretch cord from Spotlight.
The leftovers from Beatrix's dungarees and Elsa's shortie version (to be blogged)#ninjacutting.
The skirt is short but not too short.
To get the perfect hem, I measure from the floor, inevitably the back ends up a few cm's longer to cover the derrière evenly.
With her fabulous new boots it is a snappy outfit.
Those sleeves are ridiculous...
But just what she wanted.
~My Verdict~
This was a lot of fun, from the planning to the sewing to Lidia's joy and how it all came together.
Her style is very different to her sisters and she know her mind but is ever so sweet when expressing it.
The Kwiksew jumper gave her the batwing look she was after and, being Kwiksew, it sewed up beautifully.
(Kwiksew are not a 'sexy' pattern company but the patterns are extremely well drafted, the instructions are straightforward with good (basic) diagrams, my only grumble is the 6mm seam allowance which doesn't give you any jiggle room, that said, they are multisite so you can draft across sizes to your measurements)
The Style pattern is a lovely skirt, I originally cut the skirt with an extra inch side seam to fit (Lidia wasn't home and I was concerned about her hips) but I didn't need it and cut it off.
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| Image from Pinterest |
Liddy wanted it quite short but not too short so I used my hem measurer that Jed picked up at a Clearing Sale for me.
It's a great tool that helps me get the perfect hem and looks good in my sewing room to boot!
~Lidia's Verdict~
This is such a cute outfit!
The jumper is one of my favourite in my cupboard and it can be a part of so many outfits. I really love the fabric, the pattern on it is unique and beautiful. I haven’t had many opportunity’s to wear this out yet but once the Covid19 is sorted out it will be one of my main outfits. My favourite shoes to wear with them are my white heeled boots but the outfit also works with my flat black boots and a few pairs of my flats.
I really, really love this outfit and can’t wait to wear it more, thank you Mumma x
Thank you for reading... xx Nicole
