Fun with fabric scraps

Anyone who sews knows that in a very short time one can amass a pretty big fabric scrap stash. I cannot bear to  get rid of them but since I don't quilt(yet!) I'm not really sure what to do with them. 

On my weekly Target trip I came across some nice quality white towels on clearance. I snatched them up even though we didn't really need them. Then while straightening up my sewing room I came across my plain white burp cloths and had a thought, I could embellish those towels the way I do burp cloths for my Etsy shop with fabric ribbons and embroidery! The bonus to this was being able to use some of my scraps. Here are a couple I've done.

I found another project for fabric scraps. Often times when cutting patterns you are left with narrow but long strips from along the edge of the fabric. I found a great project for those strips from one of my favorite sewing for children books, Making Children's Clothes(I discuss this book in detail in my earlier post about favorite sewing books.). It is a cute little scarf, here is the project in the book

I decided to make the scarf in polar fleece rather than the wool the book suggests. I also made it easier by cutting my circles out using my Cricket and ironing my fabric onto Heat and Bond.

I detail how to cut fabric on the Cricket in am earlier post, HERE is the link.

I think the scarf is adorable and Nat loves it! I used fabric from Riley Blake, the collections they come from are Quite Contrary and Summer Song.

So there ya go, a couple of ways I found to use some of my huge stash of scraps. 

A New Project

My latest project is a jacket for my oldest daughter who is 5 1/2. With my recent success with collars and sleeves I wanted to kick it up a notch and make something really special. I also wanted to use a fabric kit I recently bought from my FAVORITE fabric store onlineFarmhouse Fabrics.

 I talked a little about Farmhouse in my post on Heirloom Sewing for Children. I am absolutely in love with their fabrics and trims, they also have an amazing selection of patterns. I had been going to their site often and drooling over the fabulous fabrics, mostly high quality imports, for a while before I placed my first order. I finally decided I HAD to have several of their fabrics bundled as "Garment to Go". They consist of  a yard or two of coordinating fabrics along with buttons and trims, brilliant I have to say! Here are a couple that I recently purchased,

and the description ,

Coat Kit". "Lime Sparkler" includes: 1 yard (60" wide) spring green cotton velveteen; 1 yard (60") pretty lime, and yellow cotton print for lining; nice white 4-hole buttons! We suggest Children's Corner pattern, Robin's Jacket, or Gail Doane's jackets from her book, "Sew Cute Couture" for this fabulous combination! Click for close-up view. 

This one, though out of season I couldn't resist,

"Garment to Go". "Beach Vacation" includes: 1 Yd. (60" wide) sea shell pique; 1 yd. (45" wide) pagoda pink broadcloth; 1 yd. fine white twill; 1 1/2 yds. of white grosgrain pleated trim; 3 yds. pagoda pink piping; 10 white 2-hole buttons, and 4 shell shanks. 

Back to the project,  I decided to use the first kit, the coat kit for, well,  a coat! The two fabrics are incredible, I mean really really beautiful and the finest quality. The velveteen is to die for. I figured that this was the perfect color palette to usher in the new year and look forward to spring. I've got my materials all I need is a pattern.

I am a big fan of Sew Mama Sew. It is an online sewing store and a terrific blog, it is also local here in the Portland area. I was browsing there and came upon the perfect pattern for my coat and a huge bonus, it was a PDF download so I didn't have to wait for it to arrive. It's a darling little reversible coat, just perfect for my fabrics. Without further ado here it is

Reversible Girls Jacket 3-9 Years ~ Bettsy Kingston PDF Sewing Pattern

A simple and wonderful reversible baby jacket with peter pan collar and long sleeves. Beautiful and easy to make with a relaxed fit. The pattern is designed for use with a sewing machine. An overlocker is not required.

Here is the link to the patterns listing on Sew Mama Sew. So off I go for a late night of sewing in a quiet house once all my children are fast asleep. Stay tuned for pictures of my progress and finished product!
'

Great books on sewing for children

Not long ago I started collecting sewing books, some reference but mostly books with specific projects that include full size patterns. I LOVE them and when you factor the price of one pattern(up to about $15) a book with 8-10 patterns for $25 is a GREAT deal!

I wanted to share some of my faves. The first is called Making Children's Clothes and right now it's on sale on Amazon for only $13.57. The title is an active link straight to the listing on Amazon.

 

I LOVE this book, it is probably my favorite book for all around sewing for kids as it includes basics for both boys and girls. It includes the full sized patterns for everything in the book, the downside is that the patterns have to be traced or copied onto pattern or tracing paper because all the patterns are overlaped onto one another. I have made a couple things from this book and plan on making many more, I honestly like and would make EVERY garment in this book. It contains 25 projects for children 0-5. The baby patterns are adorable, unfortunately by the time I bought the book my baby was too big :( It includes all the basics for a complete wardrobe from pants to tops, dresses to pajamas. There is even a great little dressing gown(robe). I  love the accessories as well. There is a simple appliqued scarf and fabric headband with a couple variations. I have made probably 10 of the headbands to match outfits for my girls. I tried long and hard to find images from the book but to no avail so I'll just say a bit about the projects I like the most and have made. The first thing I made was a simple little cord skirt with a banded hem of printed fabric trimmed with velvet ribbon. It took less than an hour and is adorable.I'd show a pic but it is buried in the laundry somewhere. I also made the simple lined a- line pinafore dress that is embellished with yo-yo flowers with grosgrain ribbon stems. Again, it was very simple and the instructions were clear and easy to understand with photos. I highly recommend this book, it is great for all skill levels and has something for everyone.

Little Girls, Big Style by Mary Abreu is another of my current favorites. If you click on the linked title it will take you to the listing on Amazon where you can see pages from the book. The basic premise of the book is several  basic designs that have several variations. The book includes the full sized patterns for the basic pieces and step by step instructions with photos for making the variations. There is the "Barely Basic Bodice" that makes 8 different variations. I used this pattern for my first project from the book, the Pocket Pinafore. Here is my finished product

This little piece took only a little over an hour. Other basics from the book are the peasant top/dress which has 5 cute variations. There are also pants in 6 variations and 6 skirt styles. I especially like the "On the Border Skirt" which is an adorable drop waist skirt made of two fabrics and with a ruffle trim between the two, it's my next project from this book. Over all this is a good book with lots of great ideas for spicing up the basics. I will be honest though, I am not a fan of  the big ruffle look so some of the styles I'm not interested in but other than that, great book. Here are a few photos from Little Girls, Big Style

Everyone knows that little girls LOVE American Girl dolls so what could be better than a book filled with patterns for matching girl and doll outfits! There are lots of great doll pattern sources out there but I especially like All Dolled Up by Joan Hinds again the link goes to Amazon. I just recently bought this book so I haven't made any of the projects yet but I do have a few faves here are a few

t shirt dress

cupcake apronjumper

 The book includes the full sized patterns and a bonus DVD with tips and techniques from the author herself. I have read through the book and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. I'm excited to make the matching aprons they are so sweet. I also want to make the tshirt dresses because I love to reuse and upcyle old clothes, especially Ts.

While gathering the info and links I happened upon a few other books I just have to have! One of them is an upcoming release titled Oliver +S Little Things To Sew, made by the pattern company Oliver +S. Very excited for this one, off to preorder :)

Practice makes perfect

I was on a mission to conquer my big sewing fears, invisible zippers, collars and set in sleeves.Believe it or not I have managed for the most part to avoid them altogether. I make mostly sleeveless dresses and jumpers or had elastic waists in the pants and skirts. I can sew zippers just great into bags and such but a nice invisible zipper in a garment? A totally different story. I'm not sure where my fears of these came from. Perhaps hearing my mother grumble under her breath while sewing a dress for me or maybe just from other sewers? I honestly don't know where, when or how the fear of these sewing techniques started but I know I have avoided them like the plague.

 I recently decided to conquer my fear and just go for it. I started with a a sweet little vintage blouse with slightly puffed sleeves(there was a margin of error allowed in the puff) and a darling small pointed collar. The collar was
 a bit tough to get to lay flat and the bias tape to cover the seam was kind of tricky as well but not AT ALL how difficult I thought it would it would be. Next the sleeves. I gathered at the top and figured out how to place the sleeve against the shoulder so that when turned right side out it would be in place properly and pinned it into place. I have to say that THE most difficult part of sewing the sleeve in was that I was making a size 3 blouse for a toddler, so tiny. With the extension table off I tried to put it around my sewing machine in a circular fashion but it was just too small so I had to go very very slow and make sure nothing got caught so it would lay flat for me. For some reason I just couldn't believe I had done it right, it seemed too easy but when I had gone all the way around the arm, took it out and turned it to the right side miraculously it was done right and looked ok! Could it really be all there was to it? I was so proud! It wasn't perfect, not by any means. The  puff was a bit irregular from the difficult position I had to sew in but my daughter can wear it, that's what counts right? Here it is, I haven't finished it yet with buttons, I want to find just the right ones :)

I was so impressed with my first real attempt that I chose another pattern to try flat lying sleeves thinking they would be much harder. This time a vintage dress from a 1966 Mc Call's pattern.

This dress had both sleeved and a long invisible zipper, it would be a disaster, right? Determined to give it my all I decided NOT to make it from muslin but rather from a darling navy and white pindot. I checked online for tutorial videos and referenced a couple of my sewing "bibles" The Vogue Book of Sewing and The Dressmaker's Bible and decided to go for it. I basted the back closed and pressed the seam out. Next I placed the zipper and sewed each side to the proper side of the seam. So far so good(LOVE my Bernina zipper foot!)Last was top stitching around the zipper on the outside. That was a bit tricky but I did it and the end result again was satisfactory, not the best but wearable for sure. Here is the dress.

So all in all I am pretty pleased with the end results and I'm so excited that from now on I won't be held back by limitations in my sewing. Bring on those darling little peter pan collared dresses! Practice DOES make perfect, well ok, practice makes wearable, at least for now :)