Favorite Wardrobe Staple- Jumpers

If I were asked what my favorite item in a little girl's wardrobe is I would say the jumper, no question. I literally  start with jumpers and build my girls' wardrobes around them every season. They are so versatile and can easily be worn year round. In the fall I pair them with a blouse and little cardi, winter a turtle neck and tights. When spring rolls around a feminine little T and in summer the jumper can stand alone. I have to say fall is my favorite time to make jumpers because of all the fabulous fabric choices. This year I did many in corduroy as well as some wool tartans and cotton flannels that have the look of wool but wash and wear like cotton, gotta love that. I also plan on making a jumper in velveteen for each girl in a deep scarlet red that can be worn for the Holiday season as well as through to Valentine's Day. Last week I stopped by Joann's to pick up some basics and saw that they had all their Fall/Winter plaids 60%!!!!!! I LOVE, I mean LOVE plaid, it is by far my very favorite print and I use it all the time in both my wardrobe and the girls', so I nearly passed out when I saw this. I normally am not a fan of Joann's fabrics and rarely buy fabric other than muslin and utility fabrics but this was quite the fantastic find. Here is a pic of my haul!

There are hundreds of jumper pattens out there and a lot of them are pretty much the same so which do you choose or do you just sketch one yourself onto pattern paper? Most of the time I select the most simple and clean design, unless  I am wanting  something trendy and of the moment I always gravitate toward timeless and classic. I do like a lot of boutique pattern but for something like a simple a-line jumper why spend the extra money? For  the following two jumpers for my two year old I used one of my go-to faves New Look 6578 and customized it a bit in size and leaving the applique off.

So here are my finished projects in size 3 for my 2 year old. I think they turned out great. Two more adorable pieces to add to B's wardrobe!(excuse the horrible photo of the bottom jumper)

Vinatge Children's Patterns

 Lately I have been so inspired by vintage children wear designs.both modern takes on retro styles like Oliver +S,  and actual vintage pattern designs. I've spent the last two nights shopping for them and purchased several. I am counting the seconds until those weathered envelopes holding fabulous little designs arrive!
 I have discovered several fantastic sources for vintage patterns. The first of course is Etsy, THE place for all things vintage. Three of my favorite Etsy sellers for these gems are Sew Much For You, SewUniqueClassique, and Vintage Vice.
 I also found a couple of website that carried a great selection of children's. Among them isVintage Stitching. So far this is the best site I've found for selection and price. I found a couple of other sites (so vintage patterns,Betsy Vintage.) that have a great selection but the prices are Waaaaay higher than etsy and Vintge Stitching, by $20+! HERE is a link for a list of vintage pattern vendors.
  In all my research I've learned a few things. First off is that you will be hard pressed to find unused, or uncut patterns and if you do the price is high! This doesn't bother me personally, I enjoy imagining who that person was and who she was sewing for. I find myself wondering if they were a mom like me and if she too loved that  sense of pride that comes from creating one of a kind clothes for your child.  Something else I discovered is that many of the patterns most from pre-80's are not multi-sized which is kind of  bummer! I also learned that sizes are MUCH different now and that MEASURING your child is KEY!!! I actually learned this years ago when one of my favorite things to do was scour consignment and resale shops for vintage designer and couture pieces. Oh just imagine my horror to be looking for a vintage size 10(!!!!) when I wore a 4/6. Here is the size chart from the dress I chose for my younger daughter.

  

  It seems there were only a few pattern manufacturers that offered designs for children, the vast majority were made by Mc Call's and Simplicity. After looking at hundreds of patterns I got a feel for where my taste lies and most of my favorites were designs from the 1960's. I did like many from the 1950's however with their very full skirts and fitted tailoring they seem a little "period piece" to me and more difficult to make modern. My favorite children's wear designer of the time is Helen Lee and Mc Call's produced patterns of some of her designs. Here are a few of my top picks from Helen Lee

Her coats are simply incredible! I just love how these designs are absolutely timeless, they transcend time and fads and are just as stylish today as they were then. With just the right fabric you can make a modern classic that is all yours.

 So maybe you are wondering what patterns I chose for my very first "modern vintage" project?  I Chose two actually, one for each of my girls. For N(my 5 yr old) I chose This 1967 Mc Call's jumper with an inverted pleat fromThe Vintage Taurus on Etsy.

And for my two yr old I selected this adorable little a-line dress from Simplicity bought fromKimtedrow on Etsy.. THIS is my most favorite of the patterns I purchased, it is beyond cute. I will be making the red dress view.

So now my goal is to pick the perfect fabrics to bring these stylish pieces to the present. I'm thinking that N's jumper would look great in a print, possibly  plaid, wool maybe? For B's I had velveteen in mind. What do you think, any ideas for me?

Oliver +S (Part 2) Freebie!!!!!!!!!!

I think I'm a little late to the game so most die hard children's ware sewers already know about the fabulous free patterns available that are already out there, though I will continue to blog about my favorites.

Oliver +S has several fabulous FREE pdf patterns available on their site. My favorite is The Lazy Days Skirt and I'm counting the days until my girls can wear this skirt made in an airy lawn or voile fabric.

I have my eye on THIS fabric for the skirt, Anna Marie Horner's Little Folks in voile.

Stay tuned for more on this project.

Heirloom Sewing for Children, my new obsession

It all started with a desire to make the perfect little monogrammed jumper for my two yr old. In my opinion there is nothing sweeter or more stylish than a crisp little a -line jumper or pinafore in a classic gingham check on a little girl. When I got my new Bernina Machine with embroidery module my plan was to make my girls several of these. So I started asking around in embroidery circles about the perfect high quality gingham and checked fabric. Again and again I was told Fabric Finders Fabric was what I was looking for.

So online I went to look for my ideal fabric, and yes I quickly found that indeed Fabric Finders made exactly what I was looking for. They make high quality, long lasting classic children's fabrics. Too many adorable tri checks, ginghams and plaids to count, not to mention the sweet and feminine piques and batistes, heaven! I found a list of retailers that carried their fabrics and happened upon a new passion, heirloom sewing, I heard the words over and over again on just about all the sites I visited. Heirloom sewing is creating classic children's design in high quality "heirloom" fabrics, many times involving smocking but I'm not quite to that just yet. In my humble opinion it is the perfect antidote to the overly mature styles for girls that are so popular.

Here is a  my first "heirloom" project, the Kayla Jumper by Bonnie Blue designs

Here is a example of it that I am considering, but without the scotties. I'm thinking cord or velveteen with the tri check lining and covered buttons.

I am also going to make this dress for my older daughter for Spring

Fabric finders paisley lawn, perfect for the "Shelby"

I found an amazing site that carries everything you need to start making heirloom quality garments for your child. Farmhouse Fabrics is incredible! It was there that I discovered two lines of patterns that are to die for gorgeous, classic yet very sweet. Bonnie Blue Designs and Children's Corner. Don't let the old fashioned illustrations fool you, these are classic timeless deigns that you can easily put your own modern take on. Here are some of my faves all available at Farmhouse Fabrics.

Bonnie Blue Designs
                               "Kitty" My FAVE!!!

Children's Corner

                                                              

Needless to say I'm in love with these adorable styles, I can't wait to post pics of my Kayla Jumper!

Today I am inspired! Oliver +S (part 1)

Today while nursing yet another migraine I parked myself on the sofa with my netbook and just surfed fabric and sewing sited. I happened upon some really great shops and blogs in the process, among them the Oliver +S.

If you're not familiar with Oliver +S  you're really missing out. They produce the most fabulous line of retro and vintage inspired children's clothing patterns, they also have recently launched a fabric line for Moda but more on that a little later. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that while I have scooped up and brought home several of their patterns I have yet to make a garment from one. It's not that I don't have the desire it's that when I bought them I  was so excited I just grabbed them without a firm plan. I  LOVE patterns, the promise they hold, the anticipation, I think that's why I started sewing in the first place. I will admit that I am a bit of a pattern hoarder and I often write checks my already crazy schedule cannot possible cash and without an actual project in mind, complete with fabric and a free afternoon or evening, many of my patterns are doomed to an eternity in one of my many "had to have it, I'll get around to it" pattern baskets. Here are the patterns I have in my stash,

Sailor Top and Skirt/Pant

Ice Cream Dress

Birthday Party Dress

Given the season I think I've decided to start with the Birthday Party Dress because I can pair it with a long sleeved t or turtleneck and top it with a classic little cardi.


After spending some time on the site and blog I was excited to go and dig out my Oliver +S patterns and start shopping for fabrics. Normally I would NEVER choose a fabric from the collection that is featured on the website. Choosing your own fabrics and making your own one of kind piece is really the whole point of sewing isn't it? It is for me especially when it comes to sewing for my daughters, to save them from the mass produced cookie cutter outfits that anyone can buy at Janie and Jack at your local mall(did that sound snobbish?) I think I'm going to make an exception this time because the new City Weekend fabric colloction by Oliver +S for Moda is simply amazing! I recently got a chance to see and feel the fabrics firsthand at A Common Thread, a local sewing and fabric store that I just adore. Not only are there tons of fantastic printed wovens in the collection but there are also yummy super soft knits. I seriously love them all, they are a welcome departure from your typical children's fabrics but I think I am leaning toward the coral on top on the stack paired with the aqua pindot.

Check out these a-ma-zing prints!

City Weekend by Oliver +S for Moda

What do you think, any favorite fabrics you're loving right now? Got any ideas for me? How about on these patterns in general? Have you worked with any of their patterns or fabrics, what did/do you think? I'd love some input. In general I could talk endlessly about sewing, especially for my children so I welcome all your comments and opinions :)