Kids Clothing Week (KCW) – The Finished Garment

Field Trip Tees for the Kids

I’m not sure how your October was, but mine was crazy! October is when work gets busy, homework piles us and then, Halloween! I managed to get a bit of sewing done for Kids Clothing Week (KCW). But did I get around to blogging it? Of course not.

The Field Trip Raglan T-shirt sewing pattern by Oliver + S, as sewn by The Finished Garment.

I try to sew my kids what they need, so with the approach of crisp fall weather, some long-sleeved tees seemed like a great project. I used the Field Trip Raglan T-shirt pattern by Oliver + S, and sewed it up in sizes 2, 4, and 6.

This is a super fast project. The instructions are great and there are only a few pattern pieces. The only change I made was to add bands to the sleeves. Partly, this was because I like the look, and partly this was because my kids are on the tall skinny size and I wanted to be sure the shirts last through the winter. Next time, I might go up a size, at least for the three bigger kids.

I used my regular sewing machine, as a I don’t have a serger, but this worked really well.

The kids picked these fabrics themselves ages ago. Mostly I used cotton jersey from the Riley Blake collection, but the dark grey is from the Robert Kaufman Laguna collection. The Riley Blake colours are really bright, which I love, and the kids do too.

This pattern looks great colour blocked, especially with stripes. I’m seriously considering copying at least one of these tees using a grown-up pattern.

Jersey is usually about 60″ (150 cm) wide, so I found I had a lot of extra fabric left over. But that just meant that I had enough for a couple more cute projects that I’ll be blogging soon. Yay!

I really, really love these shirts. Even though they were super quick and easy projects, I’m really happy with the results. It’s really hard to find t-shirts that are fun and bright but that aren’t pink with sparkles or covered with logos. I’ll definitely be making more.

This project was part of Kids Clothing Week and the Stashbusting Sew Along.

Summary

Pattern Review: Field Trip Raglan T-shirt by Oliver + S available in sizes 6m-12.
Fabric:

Cotton Jersey in Heathered Knit Pepper from the Laguna collection by Robert Kaufman.
Cotton Jersey in small chevron in aqua, small chevron in rainbow, small dots in red, solid red, and 1/2″ stripes in red, all from the Riley Blake Knits collection.

Sizes: 2, 4, and 6.
Cost: Pattern: (gift). Fabric: About $10/shirt.
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: I added bands to the sleeves, and didn’t put pockets on all the shirts.
Results: Amazing. My kids love these shirts and wear them at least once a week.

Rawwwwwr! Dino Shorts

Another pair of Parsley pants! This time with dinos!

I added pintucks to the shorts. — Dino shorts!

Last week was Kid’s Clothing Week (KCW). The idea is to sew for one hour (minimum) each day making kids’ clothing. I didn’t do too badly, but I had trouble sewing all week and blogging too. So this is the last catch-up blog post for KCW.

After all those dresses, a certain someone was feeling a bit left out. And I had been promising to sew up this dinosaur print that has been in my stash for ages. So this was a great excuse. Originally I was going to turn this fabric into a shirt, but it’s way more practical as shorts.

I stuck with the standard pocket placement. — I made these shorts on the long side.

These are the Parsley Pants (as shorts) from Made by Rae. They are the same as the pair I made previously, but I skipped the flat front, and this time I used an 8″ inseam. My son is a fan of long shorts, and this way he might even get to wear them next year too.

I made box pleat pockets, which are a big hit. The pattern says you can adjust the pockets for a cargo look, but I stuck with the standard pocket placement. I also followed the included instructions for pin tucks.

Side view of the dino shorts. I made them an 8 inch inseam.

And again, I followed the online tutorial from Made by Rae on using flat felled seams with this pattern.

A good view of the box pleat pockets. I top stitched and edge stitched.

These were an even bigger hit than the last pair, but then dinos are always awesome!

Summary

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

Fabric: Dino Dudes in Navy by Michael Miller.

Size: 6.

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

Modifications: I followed the included instructions for added pintucks on the front and back, and box pleat pockets. I top stitched and edgestitched the pockets and pocket flaps. I also used flat felled seams in the inseam. I made these as shorts with an 8″ inseam.

Results: Great. I would 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.