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
I can’t believe summer is almost over. I just added fabric for a swimsuit to my stash and created a caftan inspiration board on Pinterest. But really, it’s just the right time to get started sewing for fall.
So to get in the right state of mind, I’ve collected some of the best new patterns for early fall sewing. Because even when you’re stash busting, it’s fun to have something shiny and pretty.
The big four pattern companies have just released there fall patterns, or sometimes just their “early fall” patterns and there a few really good ones.
I sometimes find that Butterick patterns don’t really grab my attention, so I was really happy to see three new patterns I like. Gertie has a new vintage-inspired dress pattern, Butterick B6380. Lisette has a great coat pattern, B6385, with various cup-sizes included. And I also spotted a cute and original dress pattern, B8388, that looks great for knits.
Vogue has some new patterns, but one real stand out, V1517, an amazing Anne Klein jacket with skinny pants.
Over at Simplicity, Mimi G has a really cute motorcycle jacket, 8174. I just wish you could still buy Simplicity patterns in Canada.
Not many indie pattern companies have released their fall lines, but quite a few have some nice spring patterns that also work for fall. Oki-Style has a very unique cowl-neck dress. Vanessa Pouzet has her Folk dress, which could work for work or evening. And Named patterns has released a sleeve addition for their very popular Kiehlo dress, making it a great addition to a fall/winter wardrobe.
In separates, there is the new Rosarí skirt by Pauline Alice. Closet Case has the new Morgan boyfriend jeans pattern. And over at Bootstrap Fashion, the tunic with yoke, though an older pattern, I think, would make turn everything into a little mini capsule wardrobe.
And finally, over at Waffle patterns, is the Tosti utility jacket. I think this one is my favourite.
Now that summer is officially over and the kids are all back to school, it’s time to bust that stash!
For a couple of years, I’ve been participating in the Stashbusting Sew along. It’s a very casual sew along, where the goal is to use up the fabric (and patterns and sewing notions) that you already have. There are themes each month and people are encouraged to participate when they can – which is exactly the type of easy going sew along I like best.
Brindille & Twig slouchy beanie.
This year, there are guest leaders, and this month it’s me! My theme is outerwear, and seasonal change- both of which are perfect for september sewing.
In my sewing room, the one fabric that keeps piling up is fabric for outerwear – but often it’s “reserved” for big, complicated projects that I never seem to get around to. So my goal this month is to complete some outerwear projects.
Arctic Trapper Hat sewing pattern from See Kate Sew.
But I also wanted to share some cool links for outerwear projects to help get people in the mood. I decided to feature some independent patterns that you might not have spotted before, and to choose ones that are especially quick to make. Hope you see something that inspires you!
The Spring Showers Jacket sewing pattern by Elegance & Elephants.
For the third year in a row I’ll be taking part in the Stashbusting Sewalong and this year I’m also a monthly theme leader. It’s a super casual sew-along where everyone is encouraged to use what they already have. Instead of going fabric shopping, we try to shop our fabric stash.
Personally, I have trouble finding the time to sew all the things I plan. That means that the fabric (and patterns!) start to pile up. Making a game out of using up what I have helps keep everything under control. I also like that this sew-along is very low-key. My favourite kind of sew-along is the kind where there are no deadlines and no pressure.
I just added everything up and it looks like this year I sewed about 47 metres of stash fabric. Crazy! And that’s not counting all the notions, batting, buttons, etc. I used every piece of batting I have larger than a place mat. Next year, I’ll try for 10 pieces of fabric. I’ll count up the metres at the end of the year.
This year there will also be monthly leaders and I’m one of them! I’m super excited! I will be stash busting outerwear this September. Will I finally get that wool coat made? A cape? Or maybe a Minoru jacket? Find out this fall!
If you’ve followed the sew-along before, you’ll notice there are new themes, and project sew-alongs too. But you can also participate by sewing whatever you like, as long as it is from your stash.
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 added bands to the sleeves for a bit of extra length.
I used my regular sewing machine, as a I don’t have a serger, but this worked really well.
Love those stripes.The polkadots are fun tooWho doesn’t love rainbows?Love this colour combination.
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!
This is the shirt in size 2.This is the size 4.This is also a size 6, but Kid No 1 is just a bit taller.This is the size 6.
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.
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 $10/shirt. Sewing Level: Beginner. Modifications: I added bands to the sleeves, and didn’t put pockets on all the shirts. Results: Amazing. My kids love these shirts and wear them at least once a week.
We’re just experiencing the last bit of summer here, so I’m taking the opportunity to show you one of my very last summer projects – two fun summer skirts.
It’s a very quick, easy pattern, and makes a nice, basic skirt. I made this in sizes 4 and 6. The only changes I made were to lengthen the size 4 by one inch, and the size 6 by two inches, and lower the kick pleat to match. I also added the pockets from the Oliver + S Sandbox Pants, to the back of the larger skirt.
I lengthened both skirtsAfter I lengthened it, the skirt is just right for looking for chipmunks.
I used stash fabric for both skirts, leftover from otherprojects. This pattern takes a little under 3/4 of a yard of fabric, per skirt, which is what I had.
The print is really fun for summer. I’m glad I could get two garments out of the fabric I had.
It’s a great pattern if you have just a little bit of fabric left over. But unfortunately, it meant that pattern matching was out of the question. Since this fabric would have been wasted otherwise, and these skirts were meant for casual fun, that seemed fine, this time around. I settled for an absence of awkward print placement, but I had to trace out the pieces with chalk a couple times in the size 6, to get that right.
This print is Bella Flower in Blue by Lotta Jansdotter. And I swear I ironed it right before this photo was taken.This print is Scoot Scoot in Blue from the Havana collection.Each skirt took less than 1 yard of fabric.
The skirts are a big hit and seem to get worn at least once a week, which is a lot with my sometimes finicky kids.
Scoot Scoot in Blue from the Havana collection by Monaluna (organic).
Sizes: 4 and 6. Cost: Pattern: 0$. Fabric: 0$ (all was leftover pieces from other projects). Sewing Level: Beginner. Modifications: I lengthened the skirt, by 1-2″, depending on the size, and lowered the kick pleat. Results: Great. These were fast, are super comfortable, and are now in heavy rotation.
I have two kids in school this year and both needed new pencil cases. I had great success with the Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!, so I decided to use it again. Why mess with a good thing?
This bag was made using the Seven Seas collection by Cloud 9.
The first bag was made using leftover scraps from the Seven Seas gym bag I made last year. Now it’s a matching set! Kid No 2 helped pick out exactly which creatures needed to show on the outside.
This bag was made using leftover fabric from my latest pj sewing project.
The second bag was made with leftover fabric from my latest pyjama sewing project, and from a quilt I made ages ago. Kid No 1 picked all the fabrics. Even the interlining is from scraps from another project.
Rainbow in Purple, from the Angry Birds collection and licensed to David Textiles by Rovio Entertainment, LTD.
Ta Dot in Mustard, from Michael Miller fabrics.
Flannel scraps for the interlining.
Size: Large (View A), with inner pocket and wrist strap. Cost: 0$ Sewing Level: Beginner. Modifications: None. Results: Great. I would strongly recommend this pattern and would make it again.
Just to be clear: The Angry Birds name is trademarked by Rovio Entertainment, LTD and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The bags shown here are not official licensed products and are not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!
There was a birthday at our house this summer, and it involved a teddy bear sleepover party.
I wanted to make something fun for all my kids, something that wasn’t too young for the biggest one or too old for the youngest. But I’ve had all four kids at home all summer so time has been limited.
I started with these cute tiny bears. I used the free pattern for Warren the Charity Bear by Shiny Happy World. It is a super easy pattern, and very squeezable.
These are just right for little hands.
I thought the original pattern looked a bit big, so I scaled the PDF down to 50 per cent. It’s just the right size to be snuggled by my littlest. Instead of buttons for eyes, I just embroidered the whole face and because of the small size, I embroidered the hearts as well.
It’s a bit tough to see, but each bear has slightly different coloured eyes, just like my kids.
I hand embroidered the faces.
I used some white minky fabric that was left over from an Easter bunny costume (never blogged) for the bears. It’s super soft and cuddly.
The bears were cute, but they took no time at all. So I decided to make them each a sleeping bags. There are couple of cute patterns around, but I ended up using The Three Bears’ Sleeping Bag by Flossie Teacakes.
This print is Licorice Cats by Anne Kelle.
It’s an adorable pattern. I made the Daddy Bear size. It’s just right for a typical 12-inch baby doll, but mostly gets used for stuffed animals at out house.
This print is Sunset from the Fly Away collection by Amy Schindler, and the binding is Kona cerise.
I used quilting cotton and batting left over from previous projects, but I matched the fabric in each sleeping bag to clothing that I’d made for each kid, so that they would know which one was theirs. With four sleeping bags, there was a lot of switching thread.
Here I used Ladybugs by Anne Kelle and Kona in medium grey for the binding.
The pattern was good, but the fabric requirements were a bit off. If you want to make a large sleeping bag, you’ll need 1/3 yard for the sleeping bag lining, and 1/3 yard (possibly a mixture of assorted prints) for the outer fabric, as well as 1/3 yard for the batting.
I made three changes. I quilted the entire sleeping bag, I used double-layer bias tape for the binding, and I machine-stitched the binding in place. I think this last part will make them a bit tougher.
The print here is Whales in bright by Anne Kelle, and Kona cottons for the pillow and binding.
I’ve seen some very cute versions with quilt blocks for the main front section, but I had to make four, so I stuck to simple single-fabric panels and straight-line quilting.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any action shots of these, but I can definitely say they see a lot of playtime. On any given day, I might find a single bear, a pair of dolls or an entire menagerie of sea creatures inside. And best of all, they are machine washable.
My first tiny bear. These took no time at all.
I love making toys for the kids. It is so much fun. I have to keep myself away from adorable doll and stuffed animal patterns. They are just way too tempting.
I didn’t make many modifications. I shortened the pants to shorts. I also left off the drawstring waist and used a simple elastic waist. I left off the buttons on the pockets as well. Kid No 2 is not a fan of either. Drawstrings and buttons are his kryptonite. They also take longer, so I’m not complaining!
The pattern calls for 1 3/4 yards for the pants, but I got these shorts out of 1 yard of fabric.
A nice basic short.
The print is Scoot Scoot in Blue from the Havana collection by Monaluna. It’s a really nice, smooth organic cotton. I love the print, but unfortunately it was printed slightly off grain, which made cutting and pattern matching a bit of a pain. I’ve used other prints from the collection, without any problem, so I guess I was just unlucky this time.
Check out the pattern matching with those pockets.
Kid No. 2 loves bright colours and fun, but age-appropriate prints. Unfortunately, most of the clothes in the stores for boys his age are in darker, and/or more serious colours – lots of navy, grey and beige (yawn). One of the great things about sewing my kids’ clothes is being able to make them the things they really like.
The pants were a big hit.
This is also a stash-busting project for the Stashbusting Sewalong. I bought this fabric maybe a year ago, so I’m really happy to get it into regular rotation.
Last week was Kids Clothing Week (KWC), and what did I get done? Not much. I did plan a lot of projects though, so that counts right?
The one thing I did finish, was four sets of pyjamas. The spring PJs were a big hit with the kids, and they needed more so I just did the same thing again.
All the sizes!
The kids chose the fabrics – all Angry Birds prints. I used the Bedtime Story Pajamas sewing pattern by Oliver + S, for the bottoms, and appliquéd an angry bird from each print onto store-bought t-shirts for the tops.
Of all the prints my kids chose, this one is my favourite.
I’ve made thesepyjama pants eleven (!) times before. Yikes, that is a big number. But they are definitely my go-to pyjama pattern for kids. Quick, easy and great results every time.
Fence in White, Stars in Blue, Rainbow in Pink and Rainbow in Purple, all from the Angry Birds collection and all licensed to David Textiles by Rovio Entertainment, LTD. I bought this at the local chain shop.
Sketch in Grey by Timeless Treasures for the waistbands and leg bindings.
Sizes: 18-24m, 4, 6.
Sewing Level: beginner, intermediate if not just the pants.
Modifications: None.
Results: Excellent! I’ve made these 11 times before. I would highly recommend this pattern.
Taking photos of tired kids at bedtime is sooooo difficult!
Just to be clear: The Angry Birds name is trademarked by Rovio Entertainment, LTD and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The pjs shown here are not official licensed products and are not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!
The Finished Garment 