Alder Skirt pattern testing

I was so fortunate to be able to test the new alder skirt (for girls) for Rachael at Imagine Gnats.

This is such a cute, basic skirt pattern - great for beginners! 

I really love the way it came out, and I can't wait to make some more - I think this will be a great option for school skirts - cute, flattering, and just the right length. 

Plus pockets! My kids are obsessed with pockets, so this is definitely a winner in their book!

I encourage you to pop over to Rachael's shop and pick up your own copy - there is even a pattern sized for women! I'm excited to make one for myself too!

P is for Plaid, Pleats, Piping and PINK!

I had so very much fun making this dress for Samantha for P week. I had bought yardage of this great DS plaid at JoAnn's a while ago, saving it for the perfect dress. And I think it looks pretty great!



I used the Oliver + S Library Dress, and added some length (I think I cut the size five dress with the size seven length). It is a little too big around, but she will be able to wear it for a while! The only other mod I made was to tack down the front overlap so it wouldn't gap.



I used hot pink piping around the waistband, and pink buttons on the back. I really enjoyed the process of putting this dress together and I am really happy with the cute pattern - I know it will be a regular addition to my arsenal! And she wore it for picture day - another P!

O is for Octopus

My apologies in advance, I didn't get a shot of the girls wearing these on O day, so this is what you get.



I had picked up some of this cute fabric a few months ago, and when I went back to get some, they were out of it. I had a hard time choosing something else I liked, and then I thought I could order online! Duh! Luckily, when I went to do that I saw that JoAnn's now has a 'check store stock' feature, and it said my local store had some more of this print, so I stopped by and grabbed some. Samantha really wanted her and Ellie to have matching skirts again, so I made two. They really like them, which is always nice!

N is for Numbers

I found this fabric on clearance at fabric.com a while back, and thought it would be perfect for N!



Samantha specifically requested ruffles on her dress, and pockets on the sides. I made the Geranium dress (again!), with some mods. I did the option for the ruffled sleeve, but I made it with the cap sleeve choice. I ruffled the skirt instead of making pleats (pleats are my preference!) but added in the inseam pockets that the pleated skirt offers (I traced the pocket separately on a sheet of paper, and laid it to the side of the skirt pattern when I was cutting it out)  and cut extra fabric to make a ruffle at the bottom. I also added length, as she is going through a growth spurt.

It was nice to make changes to a pattern, and understand enough about what I am doing for them to come out correctly!

M is for Monkey

We had too many ideas for M, but it came down to the outfit being due right after school started, so mom ordered some fabric and whipped up a skirt.



I feel badly making so many skirts (it feels like cheating), but she loves them and really does wear skirts more than anything else.

I used a cute Ann Kelle print - she was very excited that it was pink! :)

L is for Leaves

When I found this print on sale, I knew it would be perfect for L!



(Sorry for the crummy indoor photo - it was cold and rainy all day that day!)

I used the After School Shirt pattern again, and lengthened the sleeves and body - her other shirt from last year fits well through the chest, but it is getting too short. Hopefully she will be able to wear this one for a while.

I also made her a ladybug skirt, but somehow managed to not get a picture on the day she wore it. I had to talk her out of wearing it with her leaf shirt! (The skirt is blue and red and pink!)

Almost halfway through the alphabet!

Finished Sweaters

I finished Ben and Samantha's sweaters recently, and they were both big hits!

For Samantha's sweater I used the pattern Kindling Season. It was very well written and I enjoyed knitting it. It obviously didn't come out to be a size 6 (damn gauge!), but I was planning to knit her another one for school next year, so it's OK if it only fits for this year. 

The back has a chevron pattern on it - subtle but something more than stockinette! And I love the tall collar. I left off the pockets because I was ready to be DONE knitting it. 

For Ben's Sweater I used Grow Old With Me, and I think it is adorable. It is supposed to have positive ease, and I knit a size 2 - guess he is a big boy! This is one I would definitely knit again when he is older. It was a bit confusing at the beginning with shaping for the raglan, and the collar and then the extra stitches for the button band, but I figured it out. He loves it, and he loves the bike buttons I chose for it. 

He wore it all day the day I finished it, so I consider that a success! Now to finish Ellie's and Henry's! 

K is for Kitty

I had a hard time thinking about what to make for K, and then one day Samantha was wearing this shirt and it dawned on me - Hello Kitty! She loves Hello Kitty, and I had used this fabric before, so I knew it existed.

I just made a simple skirt, since we didn't need a Hello Kitty dress (especially as sheer as this fabric is!). It was a big hit!



I've got L done, and now it's time to plan the rest of the alphabet!

J is for Jungle

I was stuck on what to do for J for a long time. I finally came up with Jungle, and was going to make a skirt with panels of different animals. Then I remembered I had yardage of this print stashed, and that it would be much better!

I used the Oliver and S Class Picnic Blouse again. I didn't hem the bottom and cuffs as much as it calls for. I knew it would be roomy in the chest for her, and I wanted to leave enough length so that she could still wear it next fall. Her blouse from last fall is just now getting a bit too short for her.

She was a sad girl today - no school because of snow, so no J show and tell. :( Hopefully they will make it up with K show and tell next week!

I is for Ice Cream

As soon as Samantha saw me bring home this fabric she asked for an Ice Cream Dress, so I week was a no-brainer!



Of course, I had to use the Oliver and S Ice Cream Dress pattern! I made a size 5 again, and it will last through this spring, but then probably be too short.



Sometime last year, we were going through my stash of vintage buttons, and she saw this ice cream button, and well, of course I had to use it!



This is her new favorite dress, and Ellie keeps asking for one too, so it won't be the last!

H is for Hippo

H week was last week at school, and H at our house was for Hippos and Hats.



I added a skirt to Samantha's collection, with this adorable Ann Kelle Hippo print. (Aside - I just love every one of her prints!)

The school had Hat Day as part of H week, and Samantha wore a Cherry Hat from Itty Bitty Hats that I knit before she was born! (She does sort of have a Where's Waldo vibe with the stripes here!)



She also took her stuffed Hippo that I knit when she was a baby for show and tell - a great way to keep the theme going! :)

G is for Gingham

When I started thinking about G week, I thought of the pink gingham fabric I had recently bought. When I went through patterns and came across my Music Class Blouse pattern, I knew it was a perfect match!



This was one time consuming pattern! I also ran into a few problems (of my own failure to cut out all the pattern pieces and trying to use the cuff as the sleeve placket!), but once I had it figured out, it came together perfectly!



I ran into a mom at the library who sews and she was asking me if I made Ben and Ellie's outfits that day. When I said yes, and that I had made Samantha's shirt, she was shocked! That is always a great feeling - when it doesn't look mommy-made!



This was my first time to add a collar, to do pintucks, to have cuffed long sleeves, and the first time to construct a buttonband like this one. I love that every time I sew an Oliver and S pattern I feel like I learn something!

KCW Day 5 and Wrap Up

On Friday I managed to finish two more pairs of pants for Samantha, and two shirts for the boys!

Since I had little to no plan for the week, I decided that I should use some of the pant weight fabric I had purchased at JoAnn's last fall to finally make pants for Samantha. I used the After School Pants pattern from Oliver and S and some crazy fabric! (I figure I can only get her to wear these things for so long, right?)





I really like this pattern - easy and straightforward. The dots were a Lisette fabric from a year or two ago. They are a heavy cotton fabric.





The stars fabric just says made for JoAnn's. It feels like a twill of some sort.

I also was able to get the boys matching Sketchbook Shirts made for our family photo. I used a Michael Miller pindot in navy. It was very difficult to see any marks on the material, so I utilized the wonderful feature of tracing patterns on freezer paper - I ironed the pattern pieces onto the fabric and then cut them out!



That makes my total for KCW 4 pairs of pants, three dresses, six shirts, five skirts and one Halloween costume. Not as great as in years past, but many of these were time consuming patterns! I need to make some leggings for Ellie, but I'm taking a week off of clothes!

These were far less fussy than Samantha's Music Class blouse (post to come!), and they look so professional! I wasn't able to get a good picture of them, but they turned out great.

KCW Day 4

I started off yesterday with very little 'plan.' I knew what I wanted to make this week, but didn't have a plan for each day, like I have in the past. I also didn't have all of my patterns traced and fabric cut like I have before, so that has been taking additional time each day. Since the kiddos were playing nicely, I decided to trace out some Treasure Pocket Pants for Ben.



This pair is a light weight twill with some adorable car fabric for the sides and pockets.



I made these with a remnant of something that feels like a lightweight wool suiting fabric, combined with an adorable Riley Blake woodland print.



I also remade an Oliver and S Ice Cream Dress using some of the bargain Lisette fabric in the ice cream print.



I remade the Class Picnic Blouse as well. This pattern was difficult for me last year (I had trouble with the lining up of the sleeves and bodice and getting the overhang for the elastic casing to be the right size), but was very easy and came together quickly this year! I made this one a bit longer in the body and sleeves, since Samantha is tall and skinny.

KCW Day 3: Tops

I decided recently that I needed to sew more with knits. I bought a few yards at JoAnn's to try out some different types.



For Ben I used this red and black striped knit to sew the Pauley's Pullover from Sewing for Boys. I sewed the 2/3 size, and it is a bit long in the arms and the body is very wide, but he likes it! This knit was fairly thick and very easy to sew.



For Samantha I used a thin knit to make the Bimaa Cowl. I made the size six, as some of her fives are getting small. However, it is huge! She will have to wear a shirt under it for a while so you can't see her bellybutton from the weight of the cowl! But it is cute, and will fit for a long time. This knit was a pain to sew with - my machine kept wanting to eat it since it was so thin.



I purchased a yard of this cute Lizzy House print on sale a few weeks ago, with the intention of using it for 'L' week. Samantha wore the one I made last year the other day, and I was reminded of how cute it is. And easy to sew up! I really like the way this one came out - I hope she likes it!

KCW Day 1: Family Reunion Dresses

I made two dresses yesterday, though at times it was touch and go! These dresses took a great deal of time and mental capacity, which was hindered by the sick little girl who didn't go to school yesterday. And our general lack of sleep lately didn't help either.



But I powered through and I am so pleased with the way they turned out! These are the girls' dresses for our family picture photoshoot coming up in November. I really like the print, which I was unsure of once I started making the dresses.



As always, I learn something new with every Oliver and S pattern I sew! I was stymied on the hem facing for these, until I figured out that when you fold the button placket right sides together you pull the facing out of the way. Then it fits fine, but man, that stumped me for a long time! (It didn't help that I sewed the facing to the wrong side of the dress, first, then to the wrong dress next!)

There are a lot of buttons on these dresses, but they are so cute! I love that they button all the way up the back. And the pleats/collar/facing/button placket are adorable all together and add a touch of fancy without being too much.



I'm taking a brain break today - some simple skirts and a Halloween costume on deck. I've got two more Oliver and S time consuming patterns to make hopefully this week - two Sketchbook Shirts for the boys for our family picture.

I'm planning some Treasure Pocket Pants for Ben, a Bimaa Cowl sweater for Samantha and an Ice Cream Dress as well. I've got several other things lined up if time allows -we will see!

F is for Flowers and Fuchsia

For F week I was so excited to use this floral print! I've been hoarding it for a few years, wanting to use it on the perfect project. Samantha had asked me to make a matching dress for Ellie this time, so I paired it with the fuchsia dots, to maximize the yardage I had. I used the Sasha Jumper pattern again, (previously made here and here). This is a great simple dress that is very versatile - my girls wear them in the summer and with shirts and leggings when it's cooler.



We picked out cute flower buttons for the back. This is one of those dresses I know will get worn and worn again!



Kid's Clothing Week is next week, and I'm hoping to knock out H and I (G is done!), and work on the kids' clothes for our family pictures next month. I need to plan some shirts and pants for Ben as well! Poor guy is getting the short end of the stick lately!

E is for Embroidery

This week is E week, and Samantha couldn't wait to wear her new shirt!



I used the Embroidered Denim Tunic tutorial from the Purl Bee. I made some modifications - I made mine tunic length (instead of 4 year old dress length, per the tutorial), since I didn't have enough fabric. I found the neckline to be too wide, so I took it in on the shoulders, but probably need to do more, as it's still slightly too large.



I used blanket stitch on the neckline, and then filled in with some other stitches - running stitch, french knot and a zig zag backstitch. I was going to add another, but ran out of time. I used DMC perle cotton and I really liked it.

Samantha loves it - she thinks the stitching is so pretty, and loves the french knots - she wants to know how to make them! :)

Linking up with Katy!

D is for Dragonflies and Daisies

D week was this week, and I am so pleased with the way this dress came out!



I had purchased a TON of Lisette fabric on super sale at JoAnns (it was on sale for 70% off, but they had already clearanced it, so they gave me 70% off the clearance price - I think I paid about $1.72/yd!), and when I saw I had dragonflies and daisies, I decided to use both of them for D week.



I was also so excited to finally use the awesome Roller Skate Dress from Oliver and S, and Samantha was so excited that she could wear her dress twice! :) This is a great pattern  - I think it took me longer to trace and cut out the pattern and fabric than it did to sew it up!



I very very very highly recommend this pattern! And I really enjoyed sewing with the Lisette fabric - it has such a nice feel, and is a great weight. I'm  glad I have tons of it to use!



Samantha was also excited to wear her polka dot shorts under her dress. :)

Linking up with Katy's Sew All 26!

C is for Cowgirl (and Christmas)

For C week (Sew All 26), I thought a cowgirl vest might be cute. I had visions of fringe, and fake suede, but when Samantha went to the store with me, she picked this fabric (she is very literal, and it needed to look like a cow, of course!)

I used the explorer vest pattern from Oliver +S Little Things to Sew, and shortened the length.



She added in her Cowgirl skirt (which is too small, but I let her wear it this one last time), and on of her Christmas pajama shirts, which I didn't have the heart to tell her she couldn't wear because it was pajamas. She looked a little crazy, but hey, she's having a good time! Oh, and the cowgirl vest is off to the dress up box now, which all the kids are excited about!

Linking up with Katy!