Sometimes, it’s nice to sew something that is quick and easy and almost guaranteed to succeed. This is one of those projects.
It’s a small drawstring bag I made in between other projects. It was a gift.
The pattern is the Lined Drawstring Bag from Jeni Baker Patterns. It comes in eight sizes and this is the smallest. My finished bag is about 4.5″ by 3.25″ by 1.5″(or 11.5 cm by 8 cm by 4 cm).
This really is tiny – just the right size for a handful of dice. It’s not the first time I’ve used the pattern. You can see some other examples in an older post.
I used quilting cotton left over from a quilt I made. The flat cord is from Our Social Fabric, a non-profit fabric store selling donated deadstock fabric and supplies.
This pattern is pretty foolproof and I’d highly recommend it.
Summary
Pattern Review:Lined Drawstring Bag from Jeni Baker Patterns. Fabric: Quilting cotton (from my stash). Sizes: Available in eight sizes. This is the “Tiny” size. Cost: Pattern: $9 (but made four times). Fabric: 0$. Sewing Level: Easy. Modifications: I used cord instead of fabric ties. Results: Great!
Apparently, lime green is on trend, and so are the 90s – though maybe not this part of the 90s. Lol. Hopefully this reads a bit more Colors of Benetton and a bit less Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Either way, it’s lots of fun.
I have a couple more lime green pieces in the sewing queue, so hopefully I can get some full outfit photos soon.
The fabric is a cotton french terry from l’Oiseau Fabrics that I bought ages ago. The lime green cotton ribbing is leftover from some t-shirts I made when my kids were really little.
This pattern is Jalie 3355 Sweatshirt, Hoodie and Sweat Pants. Jalie uses their own sizing system, and this is size AA. This is this is the equivalent of a size 14 in ready-to-wear.
The pattern instructions say to “use the size corresponding to full bust measurement for the sweatshirt”. Haha! No. Don’t do this. I mean, I know I’m a D-cup, but this is a knit!
I did try this first, but the sweatshirt was huge and very unflattering. It would be “ok”, if you had a drapey fabric and were looking for an oversize look. And yes, this is on trend right now! But for this project, I wanted something a bit more “standard” in terms of sizing. And the fabric I used is a more structured cotton terry.
So I recut in the size that matched what I usually buy in a ready-to-wear sweatshirt (two sizes below what the pattern maker recommends), and that was indeed the right size.
I made a couple of changes. The neck band looked a little wide in lime green, so I made it a bit more narrow. I think it would look great as is, if I had chosen monochromatic ribbing though.
I added a little tag to the back so you can tell which way the shirt goes.
I also removed 3″ (about 7.5 cm) from the length. I didn’t want this to look cropped, but I also didn’t want it too long. This fabric is a bit structured, so it doesn’t pool nicely at the waist. But in another project, depending on the look you want and fabric you choose, the length might work. With the reduced length, the waistband just covers the waistband of my jeans.
If I make this again, I might make the body narrow a bit more towards the waist, instead of the more rectangular default cut. I have a store-bought sweatshirt like that and I find it’s flattering on my figure. But it will depend on the project.
The instructions were great. Again, I love having the instructions as a PDF download. I usually sew with my tablet nearby, and this is very convenient.
Summary
Pattern Review:Jalie 3355 Sweatshirt, Hoodie and Sweat Pants. View B. Fabric: Cotton french terry from l’Oiseau Fabrics and cotton ribbing from my stash. Size: Available in sizes size 2T (toddler) to about size 22. This is size AA, the equivalent of a 14. Cost: Pattern: About $14. Fabric: I can’t remember! Sewing Level: Beginner Modifications: I reduced the with of the ribbing at the neck, and removed 3″ (about 7.5 cm) from the length. Results: Fun!
My kids have gotten into Dungeons & Dragons, so I made them tiny bags to hold their dice.
The pattern is the Lined Drawstring Bag from Jeni Baker Patterns. It comes in eight sizes and this is the smallest. My finished bags are about 4.5″ by 3.25″ by 1.5″(or 11.5 cm by 8 cm by 4 cm).
They really are tiny – just the right size for a handful of dice.
These were really fast to sew up. The pattern is very clear and this would be a great pattern for a beginner. The pattern maker has also done a sewalong with this pattern and there is an expansion pack.
The larger sizes would make a good replacement for wrapping paper, but here the bag is the gift. These were Christmas gifts, but I have a bit of a blogging backlog, so I’m just posting to these photos now.
The fabric is all from my scrap bin. You can use any quilting cotton, and buy fat quarters of course. But this is also a great stash-busting project if you do any quilting.
Each bag uses three different fabrics, so there is a lot of room for making these really unique. Each bag I made matches the personality and preferences of each of my four kids.
The only change I made was to use cording instead of sewing ties for the bags. That made the project a little quicker and I like the look. The cording was leftover from makinggym bags.
Summary
Pattern Review:Lined Drawstring Bag from Jeni Baker Patterns. Fabric: Quilting cotton (from my stash). Sizes: Available in eight sizes. This is the “Tiny” size. Cost: Pattern: $9. Fabric: 0$. Sewing Level: Easy. Modifications: I used cord instead of fabric ties. Results: Great!
What do you need for easter, besides a large quantity of chocolate eggs? Bunnies!
I used a free tutorial from ikatbag.com for Spring Bunnies. This is a very simple pattern – the most difficult part is embroidering the faces.
I used some fleece I had leftover from making Arctic Trapper Hats. It’s maybe a little thick for this project, but I made it work. It does make them a little more hard-wearing.
I used silk embroidery floss for the faces. My embroidery skills are nothing to write home about but these turned out all right. I should probably practise a little. lol
The cutest part of this pattern: tiny bunny tails!
We do a chocolate egg hunt every year and these bunnies helped out and have been dragged around the house ever since.
Summary
Pattern Review:Spring Bunnies from ikatbag. Fabric: I used some leftover fleece, in two colours, from another project. Cost: Pattern: $0. Fabric: 0$. Sewing Level: Easy. Modifications: None. Results: Great!
Why do something simple, when you can do something complicated?
I haven’t sewn much in a while, so this spring, when I got out my sewing machine, I decided to sew something just a bit more challenging – a classic white shirt.
The pattern is Liesl + Co.’s classic shirt. It’s fantastic!
The designer behind Liesl + Co. is the same as the one behind oliver + s. Her patterns are like mini-sewing lessons. Everything is presented in detail and you end up a better sewist by following her instructions.
This pattern includes a two-piece collar, tower sleeve plackets with buttons, and a continuous (cut-on) placket or a separate set-in front placket. There are faux-felled seams, double rows of topstitching, and a rolled collar. There are also tutorials for adding a popover front placket, turning the shirt into a shirt dress, or a tiered dress, and several pocket variations.
The best thing about this pattern: separate pieces for A/B, C, and D cup sizes.
I wasn’t sure what size to sew. During the pandemic there was a lot of snacking (sigh). Oh well! So I stuck to the measurement chart and ended up sewing the size 14 with a D-cup.
I wasn’t sure it would fit. The whole time I was sewing this shirt, I kept telling myself “It’s just a wearable muslin!”. “This is just practice!” “It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t fit, you’re learning!” And it takes a long time to make a shirt!
In the end, the fit was excellent. I usually buy shirts with some stretch so I can get them closed. I don’t think I’ve ever had a plain white shirt really fit properly. But this one is good, great even! It’s definitely better than any ready-to-wear shirt I’ve worn.
The fabric is some 100% cotton shirting that I got from Our Social Fabric, for about $14. The pattern calls for 2m, and I thought I would make a short-sleeved version of the shirt, but in the end, I was able to Tetris all the pieces onto 1.5m of fabric.
Our Social Fabric is a non-profit and its goal is to keep fabric out of landfills. They sell deadstock and donated fabric. I’m sure this particular piece was part of someone’s fabric stash once upon a time.
If I had to be really picky with the fit, I might add a centimetre or two to the sleeve length (a typical adjustment for me) and a centimetre to the arm with a full-bicep adjustment. I don’t really need it with this fabric, but I’d like to make the shirt again in linen and that has a lot less give. And in some fabric, like flannel, I might go up a size for a relaxed look. But my shirt is very wearable as it is.
The pattern doesn’t ask for interfacing on the sleeve placket, but my fabric was really thin (though opaque!) and sewing the buttonhole caused the fabric to bunch a little. You can barely see it. Still, I’ll probably add some (very lightweight) interfacing if I sew this again in a similar fabric.
I used faux felled seams around the arm on the inside, and everything looks as nice on the inside as on the outside.
This isn’t the first shirt I’ve made of course, but the number of professional features if higher than on any other I’ve made. I’m really happy with the results.
I’m already planning a couple more.
Summary
Pattern Review: Liesl + Co.’s classic shirt, available in sizes 0 to 20. View A. Fabric: Cotton shirting from Our Social Fabric. Size: 14, D-cup. Cost: Pattern: $18.95 USD. Fabric: About $14. Sewing Level: Intermediate. Modifications: None. Results: Fantastic!
Over spring break kid #1 decided they wanted to sew something!
Although they’ve made some small hand-sewn projects over the years, this was the first time sewing a garment with a machine. The results were great! Especially for a beginner. I’m a very proud mama.
The pattern is Jalie 4020, the Florence Shirt and Shirtdress. The pattern-maker describes it as follows:
Boxy button-front shirt and shirtdress with band collar, cut-in sleeves finished with a band, and rectangle chest pockets.
I can confirm, it’s exactly as advertised.
This was my first time working with Jalie patterns. All the sizes come on the same sheet of paper (not tissue), nested (generally) and you just trace out the size you need.
The instructions were good, but a bit brief, and printed right on the pattern sheet. However, Jalie also offers stand-alone instructions for all their patterns as PDF downloads on standard printer paper. You can see the instructions for this particular pattern here. I love this! It’s so convenient for screens while you are sewing, especially tablets.
I also appreciate the large size range. It makes it easy to use the patterns more than once, and to grade between sizes.
The pockets are really large. We’ve already sewn this a second time in cotton gauze (photos soon) and in a more drapey fabric they look a bit less boxy. But that’s the design! It’s just like the picture.
This is a nice, easy beginner project – though I helped with the buttonholes and buttons.
There is no tricky piecing and no set-in sleeves – which is unusual for a button-up shirt, but handy when you are learning to sew.
The most difficult part for a beginner was turning the one-piece collar and edge-stitching neatly through all the layers of fabric.
The fabric is a floral cotton poplin – a great fabric for people just learning to sew.
Summary
Pattern Review:Jalie 4020, the Florence Shirt and Shirtdress, available in 28 sizes from 2T to 24. View A (shirt). Fabric: Cotton poplin from Fabricville. Size: T. Jalie uses their own sizing system, but this is about a size 14 in Big Four pattern sizing. Cost: Pattern: $16. Fabric: About $20. Sewing Level: Easy. Modifications: None. Results: Great!
I’ve never really sewn with sweater knits before, so I wasn’t sure this project would turn out, but it’s lovely and very, very comfortable.
Also, spring is a long way away, and there is still lots of time for sweaters.
The fabric is a waffle sweater knit from Our Social Fabric . Our Social Fabric is a Vancouver-based non-profit fabric store selling donated deadstock fabric and fibre arts supplies. Buying deadstock keeps fabric out of landfills, and the price is right.
This fabric very drapey, and very soft, (and it makes a lot of fluff when you are sewing!). I had to finish all the seams really well to keep it from ravelling. But it’s worth it.
I used some matching charcoal bamboo ribbing for the neck and cuffs. It’s also really soft.
The pattern is Hey June Handmade’s Lane Raglan. I knew I wanted a raglan, but I wasn’t sure which one to get. This one has a built-in full bust adjustment, and there is nothing fun about testing out an FBA on a raglan, so I was sold!
In retrospect, I probably didn’t need the FBA in this particular fabric – it’s very drapey. Other folks who have sewn with this have mostly gone with cardigans, and loose tops.
I made the version with full-length arms, no hood, and a curved hem.
I made one change – I lengthened the cuffs to be extra-long, and made them a little cone-shaped. The default short cuffs are single cylinders. And because this is a drapey fabric, I tool a quite a bit off the arms and also narrowed them a bit to fit the cuffs.
This fabric is a little slouchy, and adding the structured cuffs gave it a bit more shape.
If I had to change something, I’d probably raise the neckline a little. I did shorten the neckband because the bamboo jersey did not have great recovery when the weight of the sweater knit was taken into account.
I considered a different pattern with a high neck, but I already had a similar grey sweater with a large turtleneck, and it is distinctive enough that I didn’t need two. A funnel neckline would also have been nice.
I usually finish the hem in knits with a band or a double needle. But here I used one of my machine’s jersey stitchs (the one I never really use, lol) and it’s almost invisible, which is perfect. It looks a little bumpy here, but that’s just the lighting – it’s quite flat in real life.
This make has caused some jealousy because other people in my house want one too. We’ll see if there is any fabric left to buy!
Summary
Pattern Review:Lane Raglan by Hey June Homemade, available in sizes XS to 2XL (roughly size 6-20 in Big 4 sizing). Fabric: Waffle sweater knit (49% Viscose 49% Polyester 2% Spandex) with 100% cross-wise stretch from OSF. Size: XL. Cost: Pattern: $10. Fabric: $18.75. Sewing Level: Confident beginner. Modifications: Extra-long cuffs, and narrowed arms to fit. Results: Great!
When you haven’t been sewing for a while, it’s nice to start off with a nice easy project. Flannel pyjamas definitely fit the bill – or so I thought!
A photo of an Ottobre magazine pattern sheet.
The first challenge was finding a pattern. My youngest are tweens now and finding a pattern in that size range is tough. Most Big 4 patterns stop at size 12, and tend to be a little “young”, while women’s patterns often start too large, the fit is off for tweens, and the look can be a bit “old”. Ottobre Magazine to the rescue!
The Zen pyjama set from Ottobre Magazine.
The two great things about Ottobre magazine are 1) the size range (50-170) which covers tiny infants to about age 14-15, and 2) the styling. The styles are age appropriate and fun, but cool enough that my kids will actually wear the clothes.
Of course, you need to trace out each pattern piece from the cryptic pattern sheets onto tracing paper. You might want a cup of coffee before getting started!
Ottobre patterns come on double-sided sheets of paper – each about 60 cm by 100 cm. This issue comes with three of these. They include all the pattern pieces for all the garments in the issue, in multiple sizes. You trace out only the pieces you need.
The cut of the garments is always great, and the instructions are good, if brief. There are some tutorials online for plaquettes, cuffs, etc.
Once you get the hang of it though, it’s worth the effort! It’s also a good value, since you get 40 patterns in this issue. And even if one is a rectangular scarf, the others more than make it worthwhile. More recent editions have about 25 patterns.
So the next challenge was the flannel. I love sewing with flannel. The fabric sticks to itself, in the best way, making it unnecessary to pin much.
Of course, my kids suggested solids, but it seemed so boring.
Two types of flannel and some bamboo jersey.
Me: “Don’t you want a colour, or something fun?” Also me, but later: “Wait, this is a window pane and a wobbly stripe! &^%@#!”
Anyway, I got a perfect pattern match on the window panes and a close-to-perfect match on the stripe.
Window panes have been defeated!Cats have been conquered!
I made a couple of modifications. I lengthened the boxer short to a pant, and I added a really wide hem at the bottom – maybe 5 cm/2″. I really like this look, but it also lets me lengthen the pants when the kids grow.
It’s tough to see, but these pants have a super wide hem.
I remember how amazed I was when I learned that most men’s pyjamas come with pockets, so I was determined to add some. I just copied the pocket from Vogue V8964, which I’ve made previously and trimmed it down a little.
And I added ribbon to the back of the waistband so you can tell which way they go.
A ribbon in the waistband for sleepy pj wearers.
For the top though, they wanted bamboo jersey. This fabric has an incredibly soft hand – amazing to sleep in. But of course, it’s slinky.
I finished the neckline with fabric bands, and used a double needle to hem the sleeves and bottom.
This pattern also had some modifications. I made a short, cap sleeve. I also lowered the neckline by about 2.5 cm/1″. I found the neck was really high, and not great for pyjamas with this slinky fabric.
It’s a really good fit.
I have to say the sizing from Ottobre was perfect! And my kids love these pyjamas and insisted on wearing them immediately. I had to wait until clean laundry day to fish them out to photograph them.
Summary
Pattern: Zen t-shirt/pajama top (38) and Green check boxer shorts (37) from OTTOBRE design® kids WINTER 6/2011 which includes sizes 50-170 (EUR pattern sizing system). This issue includes a section on sleepwear.
Fabric: Ivory bamboo jersey, and two types of cotton flannel from Fabricville. The cat pattern was one of their in-house prints.
Size: 158 (about a kids’ 14).
Cost: Magazine $13.50. Fabric: About $70 ($35 per pair)
So something looks a little different! Last summer I chopped off all my hair, went platinum (yes, blondes do have more fun!) and lost over 30 pounds (more on that in another post).
The thing about losing that much weight, is that nothing at all fits anymore. I went from a decent me-made wardrobe to nothing. But the thing about that is that you get to start over. I was feeling kind of stuck in a wardrobe that didn’t really fit me, both literally and figuratively. I didn’t really want to dress like a mum anymore, and I don’t have the kind of job that requires the corporate wardrobe stuffed in the back of my closet which suddenly fit again.
I like the black ribbing a lot.
So when I made this dress I decided to choose something way more fun than I normally buy. Roses and skulls. I feel a bit more badass than normal, so I figure I’m doing it right.
Love this print.
This pattern is perfect. It is super easy to make and the fit is great! The only problem I ran into was of course the infamous Awkward Skull Placement™. There was a 1/2 inch of skull on the bodice front that I thought would be fine but then I decided it would irritate me constantly. I had to shorten the bodice by just a sliver. If I hadn’t, the length of the bodice would be perfect, but what’s a girl to do!
Summary
Pattern: Lady Skater Dress by Kitschy Coo available in sizes 1-8 (using their own pattern sizing system). I chose the short-sleeved view. There is also a long sleeve version.
Fabric: Red Goth digital jersey: 92% cotton, 8% spandex, and 200 g/m2 with black tubular ribbing. From l’Oiseau Fabrics.
The fabric is from l’Oiseau Fabrics. I used their jersey for the dresses and ribbing for trim. All are really high quality and perfectly suited for the pattern.
This is the size 3/4 in turquoise and purple.
The pattern combines two sizes in one, and this works great for my kids, since they can wear the dress for a long time. I didn’t make any alterations at all.
Various cotton spandex jersey prints in a sky theme.
Pattern: Little Girl’s Skater Dress by Kitschy Coo available in sizes 18m-8y. I chose the sleeveless view. There are also short sleeve and long sleeve versions.
Fabric: Starlight Jersey Knit in red and turquoise. Cloudy jersey knit in pink. Stretch ribbing in Aqua, purple and lime. All 95% cotton, 5% spandex. All from l’Oiseau Fabrics.
Size: 3/4, 5/6, 7/8.
Cost: Pattern: £7.20 Fabric: About $24/dress.
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: none.
Results: Great. Makes a cute, comfortable dress the kids love.
Little Girl Skater Dress sewing pattern by Kitschy Coo, as sewn by The Finished Garment
The Finished Garment 