Various exciting developments

It's a random roundup post! No specific projects to show off, but I have not been inactive...

1) I went to Ikea and bought boxes and sorted out all my fabric and all my clothes for recycling and all my sewing supplies. It was a MESS. Now it's not. No pictures because I am still in denial about exactly HOW MUCH fabric there turned out to be hiding in the pile.

2) This was partly in anticipation of getting a sewing corner once we have 3 new bedrooms (attic renovation in progress!). But also in preparation for this:

Which starts today and which I am utterly signed up for. It's the excuse I've been needing to dive into ...

3) This book. I ordered it a few weeks ago and have been humming and hawing over what to do first ever since. I am particularly pleased about the fact that it contains a lot of intermediate and advanced things, so I can push my limits a bit without getting too fussy about it.

4) However, I'm also going back to the most basic of basics with a (very) beginners sewing course. I'm doing it for the fun - I've been wishing I could find a sewing club in Brussels (there seem to be many, funky ones in Flanders), and then found out about this from a friendly parent at the school gates. So I get to sew with other people and chat and make new friends at the same time! And at the end of it I will have a nice apron.

5) And finally, you might correctly think that I'm not lacking in ideas or inspiration. However, I was getting very frustrated by the bottomless chasm of folders and sub-folders in which my "favourites" were organised. Utterly impossible to remember what I'd bookmarked half of it for, and totally not user friendly. So now I have this instead:

I had heard about Pinterest on various blogs over this spring/summer but decided it was a blogland fad and ignored it. Turns out everyone was right and actually it's great. Instead of bookmarking text, you bookmark pictures, and the internet being a visual kind of thing, it's a MUCH easier way to organise one's creative thoughts.

Upcoming project ideas are here, my list of useful resources for tutorials etc is here, random other ideas are here - all accessible at a glance. I've put the link to my boards in the right hand column in case anyone fancies clicking through to my link treasure trove.

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And that's it for now. My sewing energy was a bit depleted after September's burst of productivity, but after a good bit of organising I'm ready to go again. I intend to be back soon with lot's of kids' clothes made this week!

All wrapped up and ready to go

Well well well, what's all this then?

Let's have a look shall we...

Specimen 1.

  

  

[ Wrapicus Sandwichibus ]

Specimen 2.

[ Pouchus Snacki ]

Specimen 3.

[ Sackus lunchum ]

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Yes, more school-related bags/equipment.

All washable and wipe clean.

Made using tutorials here, here and here (adapted a bit). 

#Tip of the week: cheerful and lightweight wipe-clean fabric can be found in Ikea, at a much lower price than the oilcloth or laminated material usually found in fabric shops.

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What's for tuck today??

Thanks Mum

For this lot!

(And the upbringing etc too, of course).

Which is the result of a recent raid on her box of patterns, just sitting there unused since somewhere in the mid-1980s. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane - I remembered several of the children's patterns from clothes she made for us, as well as a few of the women's ones that she made for herself. Mostly, though, it was just rather amusing to see how dated the designs are. If I was an American I would no doubt call them vintage - but I'm a Brit with frugal tendencies, and I just gawped open-mouthed at how shockingly cheap they were compared to today (yes yes I do know about inflation, but still).

Despite the ageing process, and due in no small part to the abovementioned frugal tendencies, I decided that quite a few of these clothes are still make-able.

First the adult ones, for me. (I left behind a man's suit pattern - G just about puts up with all the sewing so far, but I doubt very much that he's ever going to wear homemade clothes to the office. Even if I tell him that tecnically it's "bespoke").

This one was a find - I had been looking for a dress pattern with a curved/shaped bodice just like it:

This next one is basically the same shape as a much-loved but much-outgrown dress that I cut up to make a skirt for L. Serendipitously, however, it's a size or two bigger (none of the patterns are multi-sized). So when I feel ready to tackle collars, I'll have a go at replacing it.

This I mostly just love for the shape of the trousers, which I am unlikely to ever make. Might have a go at the skirt though. And what about those red shoes?! Such fabulous styling.

Now on to the kids' stuff. It's a fab little collection:

L immediately pulled this one out and has made it very clear that she wants the long version:

She's a tall age 4 so I'd best get cracking! Not sure I can bring myself to go floor length though - but would that be better or worse than the tantrum when she realises she's not going to get it? Hmm.

Then, if L will still concede to wear things I make her when she's 10, I quite like the cap sleeved model of this dress:

I'm not sure I'll ever make any of these next ones, but I just really like the sailor tops with elastic around the bottom. Some possible boy options there too, with the shorts/trousers.

I wonder how he cut his knee? Plus, I had that haircut too!

This one on the left is sized 12 months and might well get used to make first-birthday bloomer suits for various babies next summer. I'm thinking the robe on the right will make an appearance for L next Christmas (it's for age 6).

For now though, the one that really grabbed my attention was this:

More specifically, this:

Hand-embroidered options also available:

Um, no thanks. And I won't be patchworking any fabric either, tempting though that particular 'serving suggestion' is.

No, I used denim:

It has a zip, and a snap fastener instead of a hook and eye (because I hate them):

I also used snaps instead of buttons on the front, because I didn't want to risk messing up a finished garment with a bodged button hole.

Just for the novelty, I finished the seams with bias tape. Looks nice, wasn't much more fiddly than the other options, but did add a little bulk (this only really mattered though because the hem is massive - almost double the depth you see on the finished skirt, to allow for letting down later). All told, I'm neutral - might do it again, might not.

And this time I remembered my label.

No, I didn't change the thread. I couldn't be bothered. 

I finally sewed a boy thing!

About time too! I have been wanting to sew something for T for ages, and given the amount of things I've made for L, it's well overdue. However I have so far been stumped by a fear of trousers and a fear of sewing with knits, which rule out the overwhelming majority of boy outfits. I know these fears are irrational and I will get over them, but not just yet.

So what would it be? Well T is not usually a jealous child, but ever since he saw the bags I bashed out for L the other day, he has been clamouring for his own one. Ping! Lightbulb moment. The ever-obliging internet quickly turned up this tutorial, and T kindly kept me at home for a day by feigning sickness (I have never seen a less ill sick person). So I set to it.

This bag was fun. And not just for the sewist. Here are some of the things T was doing while I was making it.

Making a train with crayons:

Charming his mother:

Hiding:

Spotted him yet?

Phoning: 

Practising breakdancing moves on the Fisher Price garage:

Phew! With all that going on it's a miracle I ever finished it. But lo and behold, I did:

It opens with a flap at the top so he can get into it easily:

I only had a fat quarter of the car fabric so I used a plain grey cotton for the back and the reverse side of the straps. There was one car picture left intact after I'd chopped the fabric up, so I appliqued it onto the back to liven it up a bit. The edge is a bit wobbly which I'm not very pleased with, but then it doesn't exactly matter.

I'm also not very pleased with this square patch which covers the seam at the top here. It's supposed to be aligned in the middle, but it's not (I forgot about it when I was pinning the side on). No-one except me will ever notice or care though.

The thing I am most upset about is that I forgot to add one of my brand spanking new labels to it! Rather gutted about that, as I would be very happy to see T toting around his "Made by Jo" backpack. But it is nonetheless very gratifying to see him with it anyway - because he LOVES this bag.

Here are some things T did straight away while wearing his newly made bag. (Photos may be blurred - I don't actually believe there is a camera with fast enough exposure to catch him without moving).

Cooking:

Climbing:

Exploring the kitchen cupboards:

And the drawers:

Somersaults: 

Choosing a dvd:

Putting chosen dvd in the dvd player:

And finally, sitting and watching the dvd:



After all that, he was ready for bed.

He wore the bag for most of the rest of the weekend too, and proudly strutted into creche with it this morning.

And after such an instant success, I am now on a mission to find more boy fabrics...