Shannon, Author at The Finished Garment

Flowers for Summer

I made this dress two years ago, but since I took some good photos this weekend and I haven’t blogged it yet, I thought I’d do that that now.

This is Burda Kids 9702. It comes in sizes 18 months to 5. But if you’d like it in a larger size, it appears to be almost identical to Burda Kids 9755 which comes in sizes 6 to 11. I really like this pattern, so I just recently bought the larger one as well.

I made view A, a sleeveless dress with gathered skirt, buttons in the back and a bow tied in the back at the waist. It isn’t especially clear in the technical drawings, but view A has an almost empire waist, while view B is longer in the bodice. I would probably use the longer bodice if I were to make the dress again. I skipped the flowers on the waistband.

I like the bow in the back. It's girly, but not so much that it annoys me. — I like the bow in the back. It’s girly, but not so much that it annoys me.

I made it this dress a size 5 when my daughter was a size 4. It’s meant to be tea length, but it was extra long at first. But I’m glad I didn’t shorten it because it has lasted two years, which is amazing when you consider how much she’s grown over that time. Crazy!

This was a really easy pattern to make. The instructions were great and there were no hitches – just straight forward sewing. It was also quite quick. It’s a classic style, and I’ve tried other patterns in a similar style before, but this one has been the best. I cannot recommend it enough.

This dress works really well with a big print and it's comfortable for the summer. — This dress works really well with a big print and it’s comfortable for the summer.

I made the dress in quilting cotton. The fabric is Pick A Bunch Organic Blooms in Sunflower by Nancy Mim’s from Robert Kaufman. Quite a mouthful! But really cute, and the larger print works well with a longer skirt. I had a tough time choosing the thread. The entire dress is topstitched, and the colours are so different. In the end I went with a dark pink that matched the fabric background.

This dress has gotten a surprising amount of use. It’s one of my daughter’s favourites. It’s great for summer, but she also layered it over shirts in the fall and spring. But it looks like it’s almost time for a new one, she’s growing so fast!

Summary

Pattern Review: Burda Kids 9702.

Fabric: Pick A Bunch Organic Blooms quilting cotton in Sunflower by Nancy Mim’s from Robert Kaufman.

Size: 4.

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: I skipped the roses on the waistband.

Results: Great. I would strongly recommend this pattern and will definitely make it again.

Indigo Linen Jump Rope Dress

It’s been so hot in Montreal lately, the perfect weather for linen dresses.

This is the Jump Rope Dress (view B) by Oliver + S. The shirtwaist dress features cuffed sleeves, gathered patch pockets, collar and front placket. I made view B which has long sleeves and an a-line shape.

The Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S (view B)

My daughter is between sizes 3 and 4 at the moment, so I made a size 4, which was a little long and slightly large, but leaves room to grow. The linen fabric doesn’t have a lot of give, so making it larger, rather than smaller seemed like a good idea.

Ack! So cute! (The Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S)

As with all Oliver + S patterns, the instructions are great, but this is not a pattern for beginners. Oliver + S patterns are rated by difficulty on a scale of four scissors, and this one gets three. It’s not really a difficult pattern, but it does have a lot of finicky details.

More cuteness! (The Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S)

It’s made like a proper men’s shirt, minus the collar stand. The instructions for the front placket, for example, take one full page of the pattern instructions. On the other hand, the results were great. I’ll be making another. Seems kid No 1 wants one too.

Curved collar and front placket of the Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S

The only change I made was to the hem. The pattern calls for a narrow hem, but the dress was just too long for my little girl, so I made a wider one that I can always lengthen later. I also used contrasting fabric for the pocket binding and inside front placket. I’ve seen other versions where the entire collar and placket were in a contrasting fabric and that looks really nice as well.

Contrast fabric on the inner front placket.

I have been hoarding this fabric forever, so it was time to get it sewn up. The fabric is a cotton linen chambray in Indigo Washed by Robert Kaufman. It has a really lovely sheen, and the colour is beautiful. It handles like a linen, which means it’s a little stiff at first, but also stretches a little while sewing. The key is lots of pressing. It has to be my favourite fabric ever.

I love how this turned out. It’s cute and easy to wear, comfortable for the summer, nice enough for school and quite durable. I really love the pockets.

Patch pockets with contrast bias binding.

This dress is part of the Kids Clothes Week Summer Challenge and the Stashbusting Sew-Along.

Summary

Pattern Review: Jump Rope Dress (view B) by Oliver + S.

Fabric: Cotton linen chambray in Indigo Washed by Robert Kaufman.

Size: 4.

Sewing Level: Intermediate to advanced.

Modifications: I made a wider hem and used contrasting fabric for the pocket binding and inside front placket.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and will definitely make it again.

Barefoot for summer in the Jump Rope Dress by Oliver + S

Shorts for the Win!

shorts on the line - a summer sew along — shorts on the line – a summer sew along

So where have I been, you may be asking? Each I year I co-organize an open source tech conference. It was on June 29-30. It is huge and crazy and getting through the pile of laundry afterwards is an amazing feat. But I am officially back in my usual, crazy, mum-of-four swing of things.

My first job has been to tame the email, and what was awaiting me there? A prize!

Yes, I am one of the official winners of the shorts on the line giveaway. My prize is the Kid Shorts by MADE. It looks really cute and I can’t wait to try it out. And since it fits kids 12 months to size 10, that means I’ll have to make four. Shorts, shorts, shorts! Thanks to Rachel of Imagine Gnats and Carla of Small + Friendly for organizing both the Shorts on the Line contest (which I also entered) and the giveaway. And thanks to Dana of MADE for donating the prize.

And what else did I get to now that life is getting back to normal… the fabric store!

It’s about 40 degrees with the humidex during the day here in Montreal – unbearably hot and humid. I kept seeing all the local mums in these fabulously comfortable jersey maxi dresses. I’ve been having babies for so long now that my (non-maternity) wardrobe is just pitiful, so I figured it was time for some summer sewing for me.

McCall's M 6760 Misses' Dress and Jumpsuit and some spongey bamboo jersey. — McCall’s M 6760 Misses’ Dress and Jumpsuit and some spongey bamboo jersey.

This is some really soft, really spongey bamboo jersey and McCall’s M 6760. The photo makes the fabric look darker than it is. It’s actually a medium grey and medium-weight. Now that I’ve blogged it I will be forced to sew it. No procrastinating allowed!

I know, I know, all the dresses on the pattern envelope are made of georgette or some other airy fabric, but definitely not knit fabric. But there it was on the back of the envelope, “jersey”.

And the bonus is that with jersey, I won’t need to line it or use an invisible zipper. I’m just a bit concerned that the jersey might be a bit heavy and weigh too much on the waistband, but we will soon find out. The waistband is meant to be interfaced, but then it won’t be as comfortable. Hmmm. dilemma, dilemma. I love the fabric, but I could also do a glorified t-shirt maxi dress instead. Maybe a bit dull, in grey though. What would you do? Suggestions welcome.

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Shorts on the Line

The first day of summer! And so I decided to sew up something fun.

Here is the before shot. As part of my collaboration with Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles I received this beautiful fabric. It’s Bella Flower in Blue by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics. I can’t tell you how long I have coveted this fabric!

I have long coveted this fabric. It’s so pretty! Bella Flower in Blue by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics.

And since the shorts on the line sew along is taking place right now, and I’ve been eyeing the new Parsley Pants pattern from Made by Rae, I figured the stars were aligned for a pair of Parsley shorts.

These are the Parsley Pants (as shorts) from Made by Rae. — These are the Parsley Pants (as shorts) from Made by Rae, and the fabric is Bella Flower in Blue. I made the pattern as shorts, added pintucks, box pleat pockets and a flat-front waistband.

I am really happy with these. They aren’t your boring, everyday shorts. The pattern has a number of variations included, and there are additional tutorials for this pattern on the Made by Rae blog. I opted for added pintucks on the front and back, box pleat pockets and a flat-front waistband.

I top stitched and edgestitched the pockets and pocket flaps. You can see the pintucks here as well. I also used flat felled seams inside (sorry, no photos).

I also followed Made by Rae’s instructions for how to make shorts from a pants pattern, and partially followed the tutorial for how to make super seams where the Parsley shorts are used as an example. I used flat felled seams for the inseam on my shorts.

Parsley shorts by The Finished Garment. — I was going for a surfer girl look, and I really like how these turned out.

Here are the shorts are on my 6-year-old. I was going for a surfer girl look, and I think this is a success largely because of the fabric. It’s fun and not too precious for my big girl. I made the shorts in a size seven, though according to the pattern sizing my daughter should be in a six. But seven fits perfectly and should last the summer. I’m so glad I opted to go bigger.

I used a 2.5 inch inseam when making the shorts. They end up being long enough that the box pleat pockets have enough room, but still look girly.

I love this pattern! And kid #2 has already requested his own pair of shorts, so the kids like it too.

There was quite a bit of extra fabric, so I decided to make a headband to match. I used this German pattern from Erbsenprinzessin. But things went badly awry. The headband turned out to be way too small. We don’t have a shortage of small heads here, so I was hoping it would fit my two-year-old, but no!

Baby headband sewn for The Finished Garment. — The first headband was so small that only my smallest could wear it. And she has no hair!

The only head that would fit is my 11-month old, and she has no hair! I’m not usually one for headbands on babies (I think she looks a bit like a ninja), but since I had already sewn it up, I figured it should be worn at least once.

Kids' headband in Bella Flower (Blue). — I also made a matching headband.

So back to the drawing board! I made the whole thing again much larger and it seems to be a big hit.

Now that I have the sizing right, I’ll probably make this pattern again.

Summary 1

Pattern Review: Parsley Pants (as shorts) from Made by Rae.

Fabric: Bella Flower in Blue by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.

Size: 7.

Sewing Level: Intermediate (with the modifications below), or beginner.

Modifications: I followed the included instructions for added pintucks on the front and back, box pleat pockets and a flat-front waistband. I top stitched and edgestitched the pockets and pocket flaps. I also used flat felled seams in the inseam.

Results: Great. I would recommend this pattern and will definitely make it again.

Summary 2

Pattern Review: Haarband für Kinder by from Erbsenprinzessin (in German)

Fabric: Bella Flower in Blue by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.

Size: one size (but I enlarged it by almost 1/2 inch in all directions).

Sewing Level: Beginner.

Modifications: I enlarged the pattern.

Results: Great, when resized. I would recommend this pattern with modifications and will probably make it again.

Parsley Shorts by The Finished Garment. Headband and shorts in action! — Headband and shorts in action!

This project is part of the shorts on the line sew along and a project for the Warp & Weft Sewing Society.

Sewing with Warp & Weft

I have some big news! As you know, I’m a big fan of Canadian fabric shops, so I am super excited to announce an ongoing collaboration with Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.

Warp & Weft is a Canadian online fabric and sewing store specializing in designer and imported cotton fabric, embroidery supplies and notions for creative sewing. The shop is run by Esmari Taylor out of Toronto.

She has some fabulous products (go check them out!), and I’ll be doing some sewing with her fabrics on a regular basis and possibly doing some embroidery (so excited!).

My late grandmother taught me to embroider as a little girl, but I haven’t done very much of it lately, and I’m looking forward to the trip down memory lane. I miss her!

Fabric from Warp & Weft — It was hard to photograph this without opening it. I “may” have ripped a tiny corner underneath to peak inside.

I just got my first package, and there was some great fabric inside. I have some really fun projects in mind and I can’t wait to share.

Fun, fun, fun! These are organic cotton. It's Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics. These prints are Sea Critters, Laddies and Poppets, and The Fleet in Grey. — Fun, fun, fun! These are organic cotton. It’s Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics. These prints are Sea Critters, Laddies and Poppets, and The Fleet in Grey.

The kids love the Seven Seas fabrics. So cute! I may need to get some more.

These two are really pretty. Floral Meadow and in the City Girl Colourway and Curvy Stripe in the Orange Grove Colourway from the Storybook Lane collection by Kelly Lee-Creel for Andover Fabrics.

This one is lovely! It’s Monkey’s Bizness Market Floral in Bright by Alexander Henry Fabrics.

There were also some pretty florals, which are great for summer.

I have been adding this fabric to my online shopping carts for months and then not buying it because I had no specific project for it. But now I do!

I have something special planned for this one. This is Essex Linen in Rose by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

And finally, linen! I think linen is my favourite fabric of all time. I always just buy black and white, so I thought I’d try some colour this time.

So consider these the “before” photos, and expect to see the completed projects in the coming weeks.

In Other Exciting News

Honestly, the fabric is pretty exciting! But a couple of other nice things happened lately. We’ve always wanted to plant trees for each of our kids, and we’ve just been given four baby oak trees. Now we just have to choose where to plant them.

We also had a very special visitor drop in unexpectedly. We live outside of the city, so wildlife sightings aren’t rare, but the kids always seem to miss them. This time our friendly visitor stayed still long enough for us all to get a good look and for me to take some photos. Wonder if he or she will be back?

rabbit — We had a visitor of the long-eared variety.

A New Quilt for a New Baby

I’ve just finished another quilt. This one is for a brand new baby, but not mine. It won’t even go to anyone I’ve met, and to be honest, I’m having a hard time parting with it.

Herringbone Quilt — A little bundle for a little bundle.

This quilt is part of the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild’s project to make baby quilts for the École Rosalie-Jetté, a secondary school welcoming teenage mothers and their babies. All of the fabric was donated, we sewed it up into quilts and the school will distribute the quilts to some deserving young mums very soon. You can read more on the project on the MMQG website.

Because we made our quilts during our guild sew-ins, I can’t take all the credit. Cinzia Allocca of Deux Petites Souris did a good part of the work, including making the quilt binding – which is always my least favourite part. Thank you Cinzia!

This herringbone quilt is heavily inspired by this fabulous grey herringbone quilt by Erica of Craftyblossom. But of course, since the fabric I used was donated, I didn’t have free reign, and that worked out much better than I had hoped. There is a lot more colour and contrast than my inspiration quilt, which I quite like. I arrived late to the sew-in where the fabric was distributed, but no one had taken the checks. How could you not want the checks, people? So fun!

Again, I followed the tutorial by Red Pepper quilts on machine stitched binding. I think this is great for baby quilts because they get a lot of rough use. And I prefer my quilts to be well-loved.

I took a lot of photos of this quilt. I had been waiting for a sunny day so I could have some good light for my photos, but luck was not on my side. It’s been rainy and grey for the past couple of days. Today was my last chance. Oh well.

And then, to increase the difficulty level of the photo shoot, add three small kids. All my shots kept being photobombed by tiny feet.

I really like how this quilt turned out and am a bit sad to let it go. Clearly, I will have to make another one that stays with me.

Herringbone Quilt

Quilt block: Half-square triangles (HSTs)

Size: 34 by 34 inches

Fabrics: unknown.

Meeting Montreal’s Sewing Bloggers

My husband is getting pretty tired of hearing about separating zippers and wool crepe. So I was very excited about the first Montreal Sewing Bloggers’ Meetup. We were seven sewists at the meetup. Not bad, especially on a very cold and rainy Saturday.

We started out with coffee at Caffè mille gusti. The service was great and the owner was super friendly. Also, cannolis! Mmmmmm. Then we had a fun pattern and fabric swap. Check out the damage.

pattern swap — Look what everyone brought to swap! Not much room for coffee on those tables.

I got two nice patterns for myself. A nice pencil skirt from Burda (view C is calling me), and an Anne Klein jacket. I also have a big box of homeless patterns for the next meetup. Ah, the 1980’s!

Patterns from the pattern swap — This is what I took home from the pattern swap: Burda 4400 – Misses Gored Skirts and Vogue 2047 – Anne Klein Misses Jacket, Skirt & Pants.

Then we did the tour of Saint-Hubert. Luckily for my budget, we mostly stuck to the more affordable fabric and notion stores. It was great fun. Heather of Closet Case Files knew all the shops and took us around to her favourites. I picked up a bit of pretty cotton shirting for only $6/yard. I also saw some really nice wools, but couldn’t decide what I wanted. And I think the other sewists convinced me I need a cape. I do need a cape, right?

Cotton fabric — What I picked up on Saint-Hubert: lightweight cotton shirting in white with a turquoise print.

I am so excited to find a group of people who are as excited about sewing as I am! So excited that I forgot to take photos. I’m such a bad blogger sometimes!

Who was there?

Shannon (me) of The Finished Garment
Suzie Suzie’s Sewing Story
Julie
Monserratt
Catherine of Ramble On Cat
Heather Lou of Closet Case Files
Vicki of Another Sewing Scientist

Everyone was so nice! Really! I’m not sure what it is about sewing that makes people so incredibly nice and friendly, but it’s awesome. And of course no one complains if you want to talk zippers and wool crepe.

I think we should definitely have another meetup and Vicki from Another Sewing Scientist and Map the Sewintists suggested somewhere with a terrace next time. But when? Suggestions for dates welcome!

And though we were only seven of us this time, there were other bloggers that just couldn’t work last Saturday’s meetup into their schedule. Hopefully they will be able to make it next time. Here are some of their blogs, in case you are looking for more local talent.

Caroline of Sew-Eng
Emily of La Bobine filante
Sophie of L’effet Créa
Véronik of St-Denis Yarns
Jennifer of Family Buzz
Mémère of Graine de mémère

(If you are looking for more bloggers to follow, but quilting is more your thing, you can find a list of Montreal modern quilting bloggers on the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild website.)

Do you know any other Montreal sewing bloggers? Or maybe you are another Montreal sewing blogger? Let me know who I’ve missed in the comments so I know who to invite next time!

Montreal Sewing Meetup on Saturday

A few weeks ago I asked if anyone would like to go to a sewing meetup in Montreal, and the answer was a definite “yes”. Yay!

So I am happy to announce that this coming Saturday, May 25, there will be a sewing meetup at 2 p.m. We’ll meet at Caffé Mille Gusti on St-Zotique. It’s very close to Saint-Hubert, but it’s a bit small, so if lots of people RSVP, we may change the location. Be sure to RSVP yourself to get any updates.

For those taking the public transportation, the nearest metro station is Beaubien.

We’ll grab coffee at 2 p.m and have a quick pattern exchange (bring those patterns that just aren’t for you). Then we’ll hit the fabric shops on Saint-Hubert: Effiloché, Couture-Elle, Rubans, Boutons and more (or less, if everyone finds what they need right away). We may also try Saint-Laurent. Montreal has some great fabric shops, but there is so much to choose from that it can be overwhelming, at least for me. I need a second opinion. That could be you!

Out-of-towners are welcome and having a blog is entirely optional. If you are worried about language, don’t. All the shop clerks will speak both English and French.

Si vous êtes francophone, soyez la bienvenue. Je serai heureuse de converser avec vous dans la langue de votre choix. Je blogue surtout en anglais (question de paresse), mais je suis complètement bilingue – à part quelques coquilles ici et là 😉

I know some people would have preferred a different date, but that means only one thing! We’ll just have to have another meetup. I just hope my fabric budget can take it.

Caffè mille gusti

1038, rue St-Zotique Est

Montréal, QC

514-278-3696

See a map

If you would like to RSVP, send me a quick email so I know how many people to expect. See you then!

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Dino Patches

It has come to this. Yes, I am blogging my mending.

I know, I know…where have I been? From reading my blog you probably know I have four kids. But I also run my own business, sit on two boards and co-organize a yearly tech conference. Add in a family health crisis and things get a bit crazy. Sometimes something has to give and this time round, it was my sewing.

This is one of the things I have managed to get done – patches. I had two pairs of jeans to patch so I used two different fabrics. They turned out quite well and were a huge hit.

I followed this tutorial, using method number three, by Made by Rae. They are made with three layers: quilting cotton, double-sided adhesive, and standard iron-on patches.

It worked really well. My iron was a bit hot so the double-sided adhesive didn’t work on one patch. Oh well, these would be in the trash otherwise, so I can’t complain too much.

Whale Patches — Whale patches. Just a bit overexposed.

But it did mean that stitching around the patches was no longer optional. Luckily these jeans were size four, so they just fit on my sewing machine arm. With smaller jeans this never would have worked. As it is, it isn’t my prettiest stitching. But my son loves them, and that’s what counts.

Fabrics:

Dino Dudes in Navy by Michael Miller

Bright Whales by Ann Kelle from Urban Zoologie (Robert Kaufman).

Author: Shannon

Flowers for Summer

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Indigo Linen Jump Rope Dress

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Shorts for the Win!

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Shorts on the Line

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Sewing with Warp & Weft

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A New Quilt for a New Baby

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Meeting Montreal’s Sewing Bloggers

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Montreal Sewing Meetup on Saturday

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Dino Patches

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