I Won!

Earlier in December, I'd done a little blog hopping hoping to win one of the many giveaways in the fabulous Giveaway Day {Week} hosted by Sew, Mama, Sew.  Much to my delight, I actually won a wonderful assortment of goodies from Sew Mental Mama.

I've been reading Angela's blog for quite some time.  She is so creative and sews the most beautiful clothing.  Not only that, she finishes her garments impeccably.  They are as gorgeous inside as they are on the outside.  Take a look here and you'll see what I mean.:)

What did I win?

Angela is also very generous. She stuck some extra goodies in the package, like the Liberty binding & Farbenmix ribbons. There were also some candies but the kids got to those as soon as I opened the package.  Little stinkers.

Thank you, Angela, for such a wonderful package! 

The Rest of the Christmas Sewing

I realized Friday night that the 2 zipper pouches were going to have to be removed from the list if I wanted to get any sleep.  But that's okay 'cause birthday season is starting in three months.

Here's what did get done:

Pajamas for the kids

Specifically...

Kwik Sew 3105, view A

I lengthened the sleeves an inch since the sleeves on last year's nightgowns are getting a little short.  And I cheated chose to do a rolled hem again on the sleeve edges and the ruffles.  The nightgowns are flannel.  I ran out of the horse fabric while cutting it out and of course, the fabric store no longer had that print.  But I found a good match...the ruffles and the back yokes are cut from it.

Ottobre Design 06/11 #37

I lengthened the Boxer Shorts into pants.  They are a size 140 and fit great.  I love the little button fly that closes with 2 orange buttons.  P wears boxer briefs right now (and I'm sure he's delighted that I'm sharing his underwear preferences here) but if he decides to wear "real" boxers this will be a great pattern to use.

Oliver + S Class Picnic Blouse and Ottobre Design 06/09 #39

K's pants are the "Darla" pajama patterns in a size 134.  They have a pretty low rise so I added an inch to the top of the front and back pattern pieces.  I wasn't going to make a top originally.  K has lots of novelty knit shirts that she wears to sleep in.  But there was plenty of the polka dot flannel so I went for it.  I used the Class Picnic Blouse pattern in a size 10.

And the rest...

top to bottom:  K's star inspired by this, M's Gingerbread girl from here, P's Green Bay Packer ornament, and B's candy cane was inspired by these.

I hope you all had a joyous and happy holiday!

A Christmas Dress & Peek-a-Boo

Version 2 of the Winter Cosy Dress from Ottobre Design:

Miss M took part in her school's Winter Holiday Celebration tonight and needed a red top or dress.  Since she had been wanting a top like BK's purple tunic, I chose to use the same pattern. 

Small changes:

-I skipped using the clear elastic tape except for inside the cowl neck. 

-I lengthened the pattern to make it a dress.

-I added length to the sleeves so that the dress would be good for at least 2 years.

Once again, I upcycled.  The red velour was a no longer worn top from my mom.  As with the purple tunic, I used the existing hems. 

And for the present...

Using the Peek-a-Boo Bag Tutorial from Make It Perfect, I made a bag to house building blocks that I picked up at a thrift store for BK. 

The fabrics used were all from my stash.  The stripe is a home decor weight that was originally used to recover the seat of K's desk chair 5 years ago.  The heart fabric was used for Valentine tops for the little girls last year.  And the plastic for the window came from packaging on a pair of soccer shin guards.


It's a great bag and a really quick sew.  I had this one made in less than hour. 

It's all ready to be wrapped up and placed under the Christmas tree!

Now the question is, Will BK put the blocks away in the bag when she's done playing with them?

Probably not!

Explorer Vests x 2

I seem to do a lot of sewing times 2 for my little girls.  This time, it's for my two favorite little boys...my nephews S (6 years old) and A (3 years old).

Red is currently S's favorite color.  I lucked out in finding this great print at Jo-ann's.  I love the sailboat drawings!

Especially the blueprint-esque one.

Matching reds can be difficult.  The only red buttons I had were a very primary shade.  They just didn't look right against the deeper tones of the sailboat print and the binding.

 I decided to go with these metal buttons that are from the grouping my mother-in-law gave me over the summer. 

The bellows pocket were a little time consuming but well worth the effort.  Think of all the treasures it can hold!

My B modeling her cousin's vest.  Notice how short the sleeves of her shirt have become?  Good thing I lengthened them last year, now they are 3/4 sleeves like the original pattern.

On to #2....

Mr. A loves the color purple.  Finding a purple print that is boyish is not an easy task.  I really wanted A's vest to have a fun lining like his big brother's but the only purple prints I could find at first screamed "girl".  If I'd had more time, I'm sure there are some lovely, more masculine purple prints out in the fabric world.  But on my quick trip to Jo-ann's I despaired of finding a fabric that would work.

Thinking outside of the box, I found a black print that had different colored bicycles on it.  And there is a purple bike!

I used a purple batik fat quarter to make bias binding for this vest.  The purple buttons are also from my mother-in-law.

Both Explorer Vests are made from tan twill from Jo-ann's.  And both are a size medium.

M is modeling A's vest and just happened to be wearing a purple shirt!

The vest pockets are the perfect hiding place for the small toys that I've purchased for the boys. I wish I could be there to see their reaction when they put on the Explorer Vests and discover that there's toys in the pockets!

Another winning pattern from Little Things to Sew.

Linked up to Project Run and Play's Sewing Kid's Clothes Linky Party

and

Sew Country Chick:  Sew & Tell Saturday

Bring On the Gift Sewing!

My original list has dwindled down to only a few items.

You're thinking, "Wow!  She really has it together and has finished almost all her Christmas sewing."

Um, no.

I've come to the realization that if I want to sleep at all over the next 10 nights that the list is going to have to be culled down. 

What's on the list now?

-2 Explorer Vests for my nephews (which are about half way completed and need to be done by Saturday so they can be shipped).  The pockets will be stuffed with some little toys that I hope they'll enjoy.

-Ornaments for my kids.  Each year they get an ornament in their stocking.  I haven't picked who's going to get what but I have several ideas on my Christmas Ornament Ideas pinboard.

-Zip-Itself Coin purse for MG.  I came across the tutorial several months ago and think it will be perfect for her to use for her school lunch money.  Plus, I have plenty of cute ribbons that are crying to be made into something.

-Circle Zip Earbud Pouch for someone in our family who is going to be getting an Ipod Nano for Christmas.  That person will remain nameless in case he/she reads my blog.:)

-Peek-A-Boo Toy Sack for the wooden blocks that Miss BK will be getting.

-PJs for all 4 kids.  I'll use the same pattern I used last Christmas for the little girls' nightgowns (Kwik Sew 3105).  P will get 2 new flannel pajama bottoms.  I'm going to try Ottobre Design 06/11 #37 which are boxer shorts and lengthen them to pants.  Target had knit shirts for $5 each so I bought 2 that will coordinate with the flannel.  I feel like I'm cheating but for $5 I can't buy enough fabric to make a long sleeve knit shirt for him.  K will get new pajama pants too. 

-I'm also hoping to finish K's duffle coat.  It won't be a gift but it would be nice to have it finished by Christmas.  The hood is sewn on and the zipper is in so the finish line is in sight!

What's on your Holiday Sewing List?  And how much of it is done?

2+2 for Chorus

This is K's second year of participating in chorus at her school.  For the winter concert, the kids are to dress in black bottoms and a white button down shirt.  K's shirt from last year (a Burda magazine pattern that Grandma sewed) still fit but her skirt did not.  Time for a new skirt!

Inspired by Nicole's black 2+2 skirt for her Miss Z (okay, totally copied!)

Miss K's chorus skirt is made from black cotton sateen that I picked up from the The Rain Shed when we were in Oregon specifically for a chorus skirt.  It's the 2+2 skirt from Oliver + S in a size 8.

The skirt closes at the side with 2 snaps hidden in a placket and a loop and button.  The button is vintage and from my mother-in-law. 

The pleats are stitched down the front the first 5 inches below the waistband.  I also put a black velvet ribbon around the waist like Nicole's.

The kids put on a great show.  And bonus, they finished early enough for me to get to P's first basketball practice of the season.:)

Now it's time to begin the Christmas present sewing...

Sprout for 2

Once upon a time, I had a little girl who would only wear dresses.  How I wish I had had the Make It Perfect Sprout dress pattern back then!

That little girl is now 12 years old and doesn't wear dresses very often. But she has 2 little sisters who were in need of new finery for every day wear.

MIP Little Sprout x 2

First up is Miss BK's dress...

Her dress is a pink floral print fine wale corduroy from Hancock Fabrics that is lined in white flannel, courtesy of a generous lady from church who no longer sews and passed on all her supplies to me.

The dress has a hood and is fully lined.

The front has a keyhole opening that is fastened with an elastic loop and a button.

And there are pockets!  Perfect for keeping chilly hands warm or for stashing treasures.

Daddy's pick up truck makes the perfect place to stand!

Miss M was being a little cheeky for picture taking.  Usually, she's my tried and true model.  Not so, this time!

Perhaps that was because she lost another front tooth!

MG's dress was made from a purple, butterfly print fine wale corduroy and lined with an aqua polka dot flannel.  Both were purchased at Jo-Ann Fabric's Black Friday sale. 

Both dresses are a size 5.  According to the measurement chart here, MG could have worn a 3 and BK a 4.  However, I'm lazy and only wanted to trace one size off and didn't want to worry about sleeve and hem lengths.  These dresses will definitely last the winter and might just fit next year too!

As far as construction, I did not finish or neaten my seams as directed since the dress is fully lined.  I chose to press them open instead.  Also, I understitched the pocket openings to keep the pocket bags from rolling out. 

The girls approve of their new dresses.  This morning, MG told me at breakfast that she loved her new dress and that it is so warm.  "I must be pretty special to get a beautiful dress like that."  Yes dear, you are!

linked up to:   The Train To Crazy: Make It, Wear It Thursdays

Project Run & Play:  Sewing Kids Clothes Linky Party

November's LTTS Challenge

One thing the little girls' have asked for is new clothes for their Webkinz.  They constantly raid the doll clothes box and put outfits on their various animals.   So, when it came time to choose a project for November's sewalong challenge I had to try my hand at the doll dress.

A few scraps of fabric and a little sewing time =

The dress fits so nicely on K's almost forgotten American Girl doll.

And it works for Jewel, BK's weimaraner...

Though the dress could be a little shorter on Jewel.

The dress is adorable with it's little details.  It has a fully lined bodice and a hem facing.   Another great project from The Little Things to Sew book!