KCWC SPRING 2012 - PART TWO

i have felt rather silly sewing summer clothes when it's more like winter outside - i have seriously had it with this weather, really enough is enough! that said i'm feeling rather pleased with myself, i made little O the sweetest little blouse, for when the weather does decide to brighten up

the pattern is from the 'les-couleurs-francaises' japanese pattern book i got from 'm is for make' quite a while ago & i used some red dobby cotton i'd had stashed away, this fabric was great to work with & worked really well with this pattern, having followed a few japanese patterns in the past, i found this surprisingly straight forward to follow, it all came together beautifully 

she likes this one too! - although she informed me that it's too cold for 'out sleeves' & she's quite right too! only one day left of KCWC & i hope to post one more project before the day is out

KCWC SPRING 2012

what a week- too much work, too much poorlyness {child & dog} definitely too much rain & not nearly enough sewing for the spring kcwc over at elsie marley's, there has been a little sewing though, i had tried to be organised & last week had pre-washed & ironed some of the fabrics i wanted to use, i had also drawn out some of the patterns & had cut them out ready to go, first up i've made a little pair of shorts, from the 'mademoiselle' pattern book i've had for a while, i went with the 100cm size & used a thin cotton drill with a fine 'minty & white' stripe {which had been picked up very cheaply from fabric land when we last visited brighton} 

this was my fabric choice, not little O's, but i have promised her a pair in the pink floral fabric she chose! although i do think she'll wear these & providing the weather warms up a little, they will be great for our summer camping trips

i actually didn't think i'd like these as i was putting them together, but once finished they are actually quite sweet - girly but perfect for mucking about in, which is exactly what she did whilst i was trying to get a photo of them on her! the pattern was easy to follow & although the book has a few less step by step pictures than the japanese pattern books, it was far easier to translate {even with my school book french!}

hop little bunny

another project from the zakka sewing book, although not quite as quick as the last one - a super cute bunny pencil case, it was rather handy i had some neutral cotton/linen mix fabric & some black cotton gingham left over from other projects, as i think this combination works really well together

zakka sewing

i was brought this book as a christmas present a few years ago & have often looked through it, picking out the things i'd like to make, i've had the sewing urge this week but just haven't found enough time to even think about what quick little project i'd like to tackle, well this afternoon i just couldn't ignore it anymore, i just had to sew, so sew i did, the little ones were watching 'fantastic mr fox' {we had been to the swimming pool & park earlier in the day - so they had earned some tv time} i just grabbed these fabrics without much searching, i love the Kokka print & have been hanging on to a small piece for ages, then just teamed it up with some dark purple cotton {it's quite thick - no idea of where or when i came by it} the basket came together so quickly, i think i even surprised myself

i think it turned out ever so sweet, as usual it's already been claimed by the little one - well it is rather the perfect size for her play food! think i might just have to make a few more!

mademoiselle

i've spent far too much time on Amazon lately, what with three birthdays all very close together {last one being tomorrow - happy birthday hubs!} it's been hard to just stick to the list without being tempted to add a little something for myself, well with my final order i buckled - oops! this pattern book found it's way into my basket

technically it's not really for me - given that anything i make from it will be for little O or a gift for another little one, but it's oh so precious, i think i'd want this even if i didn't have a little girl to make clothes for, such sweet patterns & beautiful pictures, it's hard to choose what to make first

i also thought i'd stand far more chance translating the French, instead of Japanese, although it's set out in a very similar way to the Japanese versions, with plenty of step by step photos & pictures

sweet dreams

when i found myself home alone on friday night {well as alone as one can be with two sleeping children in their beds & one faithful puppy following my every move}i took the opportunity to spend a little time with my sewing machine {& said faithful puppy at my feet} i've been planning to make this pattern for a while, & had it in my mind to make it as a nightie, now i'm normally a pj's kinda gal, but there are occasions when a nightie would be nice, so i used the tunic pattern from this Japanese sewing book {pattern D} & used some lovely light cotton i'd brought on a trip to ikea, which i'd never really known what to use for 

it came together quite easily & quicker than i'd thought {i'd already cut the paper pattern pieces out a while ago}i still find the whole process quite magical, how it all comes together & from a flat piece of  fabric i can make some thing to wear, which actually fits me! the fit is good, although i would only ever use this pattern to make a nightie {as it does rather look like maternity wear, great on the comfort front but not so great for the being seen in public when you're not actually pregnant front!} it's long, finishing past the knees, which is another thing i like, i added a couple of pockets, as i'm a big lover of pockets, i would however make these bigger next time, i think i'd also make the top bodice part longer & i might change where the pleats fall maybe, i'll wear this one for a while to see how it goes

*i'll close the comments on the give-away tonight, then pick a winner in the morning - good luck*

pea pod cuties

one of the lovely ladies i.work with at pre-school recently lent me this japanese knitting & crochet craft book, it's full of sweet patterns, mostly for house slippers & socks, 

the downside is that there are no english translations for any of it, there are lots of diagrams & a few pictures of what stitches some of the symbols mean, but with regards to sizes & yarn weights i was a little lost  (my friend is japanese, so i can always ask if i get really stuck)

i thought it best to try a small pattern out first, these baby shoes were the smallest in the book, relatively easy to follow & also very quick to make, i used some sublime organic cotton dk, (in the 'pea pod' shade) which i'd brought from kemps last summer,

i'm guessing they have turned out at about 12-18 month size? (if anyone has a 12-18 month old foot in their house, it would great to know how long their little feet actually are?) i'm sure by adjusting the yarn weight & hook size i can make up a smaller pair, as i think these would be better suited to a smaller baby, 

ravelry notes found here

stylish top b

i'd been itching to sew myself something & found time to cut this pattern out last week & then with fitting in a little sewing time where i could, i've made myself this lovely top

i used the 'stylish dress book' again, this time opting for pattern b, i'd stashed this fabric away ages ago, i have no idea what it is, but it feels like a soft 'almost but not quite' brushed cotton & the second best thing about it is it only cost me 50p from a charity shop (the first being i absolutely adore the colours & print)

i didn't have enough of the fabric to make the sleeves as they are in the pattern (i had a small nagging voice in the back of my head telling me to make something sweet for little O) but i was so determined for this to be mine (as little O is growing so very quickly) i just went with it & made my own version of the sleeves,

& it works, i love it (so much so that i've had it on all weekend) my nearest & dearest even asked me if i'd really made it myself! (how could he doubt me) i was so pleased to tell him that it had only cost me 50p! 

which on another note is a good thing as we've had an offer accepted on the house (trying not to get too excited but fingers crossed) 

Japanese sewing part two

i tell you, i'm never going to be able to wipe the grin off my face this time! not much to say other than 

'LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!!!'

from the stylish dress book this time, i really do seem to be lured in by the dress on the covers of these Japanese craft books (but then there are also a lot of other patterns in this book i plan to make too)

i used a neutral linen blend to make it, with a few small snippets of Denyse Schmidt's hope valley fabric & a little lace on the pockets (i do love a pocket)

this one came together easy enough, slightly more tricky than the last, but nothing too scary

& i love, love, love it, so much so that i've been wearing it all weekend (but i have needed to throw on a 3/4 length t underneath - just to keep the chill off)

there's no stopping me now

a new term

what a week, back to school for big G, starting pre-school for little O & back to work for me, it's all been a bit of a shock to the system, well for me anyway, the little ones have taken it all in their stride (aside from being a little more tired than normal) 

not that i'm complaining, it feels good to get back into a routine & in amongst it all i have found time to knit up a few things, 

firstly a hat, this was going to be a birthday present for another little lady, but little O became rather attached & it looked so cute on her that i couldn't resist, so i guess i'll be knitting another one of these!

the finer details can be found over on ravelry

i also started on the Christmas gifts, first up a pair of fetching mittens, these knitted up a treat in some lovely Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran, they were so quick too

i have also embarked on my next sewing project, as i haven't yet found any fabric i like enough to re-make the first dress i did, so i chose another to make in the meantime, 

from this book, i traced out the pattern last week, then cut the fabric earlier this week, thankfully i had a very productive nap time sewing session today, so should have something to share this weekend & i have to say i am even more excited about this one than the last one - (if that's possible)

clever bean

*apologies in advance for the crazy amount of photos in this post*

i am feeling ever so slightly pleased with myself, because you see, i made myself a dress, well i made the practice version of a dress, using the Japanese pattern book i brought a few weeks ago from m is for make

i did take my time with this, having traced the pattern a few weeks ago, then spent an evening cutting out the fabric, 

i then spent yesterday afternoon sewing it all together, thanks mostly to the very helpful diagrams in the book, it all came together very easily

the sleeves were the trickiest part,

most unlike me, i thought it best to have a practice run before i went out & brought some fabric with which to make this, so i used the off cuts from a cheapo pair of ikea curtains i had taken up when we moved, so it's just a light natural cotton, 

but thinking i may just be able to wear this around the house i couldn't resist adding a little touch of colour!

i love how it all turned out & even more i love the fact that i made it, i have spent today day dreaming about the possible fabrics i will use to make the 'real' version (i'm thinking a fine baby cord for the winter - worn with tights & boots)

now i just need to wipe this silly grin off my face!