KCW - days 3,4 and five

days three, four and five were spent making these shorts.

they're style S from happy homemade vol. 5

i love the finish you get from japanese sewing books, the top stitching down the side seam and the centre seam give it a really nice finish, and i'll definitely be utilising that in other garments.

and made the 110cm for my four and a half year old and they're a perfect fit.

the fabric is some essex yarn dyed linen (maybe in flax?)

they would probably benefit from a good iron - but the linen is quite creas-y so why bother!

KCW Day 1 and 2

days one and two were spent cutting out and making these shorts.

the fabric is an indigo linen which looks kind of denim-y, from fabricland in kingston, and they are lined with a floral japanese voile from spotlight in singapore.

i loosely followed the pattern from some shorts in happy homemade vol 5. and wanted to use the method from anna maria horner's quick change trousers to line them. but i didn't add enough length to the rise to accommodate an elastic waistband, so in the end i cut out a waistband and came up with my own way of attaching it. i think they turned out quite well.

days three and four were a bit of a disaster and i don't have much to show! bring on day five, six and seven....

Back in blogland...

well it's been a whopping 21 months since my last post! guess i wasn't quite ready to commit to a blog back then (hopefully i am now!)

and in that 21 months i've managed to move 9321 miles back to the UK, with a six week holiday around the US on the way, oh and had another baby!

kids clothes week has lured me back to blogland, and hopefully i'll manage some regular posts on my latest creations.

on my to do list is the tulip pinafore from too sweets patterns, a pair of shorts from Happy Homemade Vol. 5 and a hat for the little man. there is of course a huge list of other things i'd like to make, and a whirlwind of fabric combination floating around in my head - but let's be realistic and leave it at those three and be happy for any extras.

KCWC - days 2-7!

welllllllllllll, i did manage to sew for an hour a day, but i don't have a lot to show for it. i went for quality over quantity and tried to focus on the details.

inspired by these gorgeous shorts, i set about making a girly pair.

lots of faffing around later et voila!



i used this tutorial on made, really good and i'll definitely be making some more, think i'll try the lined trousers next time with some old t-shirts for the lining.

things i've learned - sew pockets onto trouser panels before sewing the trousers together!

and i made harriet a matching pair.



i just traced an old pair of shorts to make a pattern, and i'm really pleased with how they turned out, i think i'll make some more adding a little bit into the bum and the rise and they'll be perfect!

i even made little name tags for them both, i just stamped onto cotton webbing using ink which once ironed will stand the up to the washing machine.





i still have lots of stuff i want to make so i think i'll continue my own personal kids clothes challenge for the next few weeks..... but first i need a week on a thai beach......

kcwc - day one from an iPad!

a rather dark picture of what I achieved on kcwc day one - two pairs of yellow gingham seersucker cut out and ready to sew - goodnight!

KCWC

not as prepared for KCWC as i'd hoped...

i had grand plans to have loads of things all cut out before the start of kcwc, and ready to sew together, resulting a very productive week.

as usual my actual output this week has fallen monumentally short of my rather optimistic predicted (hoped for) output. and i have nothing cut out, not even a list of things to make.

so here we go....

here's a little stack of some of my fabric i've pulled to work with



and i'd like to make knot shorts in yellow seersucker for S, and little shorts in yellow seersucker for H, a skirt with heart pockets in the chambray, and some sort of dress in the spot seersucker.

this funky japanese print is just calling out to be worn by cute little people!



this dress



in this strawberry print.



another dress for S and a peasant top or shorts for H in this pink gingham



and i really want to make some of these for both of them for when we will be in slightly cooler weather (wooohoo!) but i'm undecided on fabric.....

maybe this for one side...



so there we have it, a rather optimistic plan of action for kcwc! what are you planning on making?

vintage treats + KCWC

do the 80s count as vintage?!!!

my mum came to visit a few weeks ago, and brought with her a few sewing bits and bobs which she's had in her cupboard for yonks! (she's a bit of a hoarder!)

all packed up in this cool tin



filled with lace and broderie trims, some lace collars, cutout patches.....



i think some of them came from my aunt who used to be a designer, and then had her own boutique.



and these cool tapes, i remember playing with these when i was a kid, not sure what to do with them though - any ideas? especially the number one?



and she also brought these beauties



Burda magazines from 1986! two in german and one in english (at least the german should be easier to figure out than the japanese craft books!)



how cute are these two?..



nice specs!...



i actually quite like this one...



and these could be cute in some nice fabric...



kind of scary but cute too!..



i really like the boys all in one



and as it's KCWC in a few weeks I'll definitely be making use of some of these trims and patterns.... now i just need to find some leg warmers and velvet scrunchies to complete the looks!