T-shir resizing - boxy to girly

At the end of the school year, Jerome brought home a men's size small t-shirt from the D.A.R.E. graduation, that he had no interest in wearing. Asha said she wanted it, so it got dropped in the resize pile. Fast forward to this week, and I realized that Jerome and Asha could use some t-shirts. I dug in the resize pile and came up with a few things.

This one came out the best because the sleeves were wide enough for some puffy details. I used a Milimili pattern in size 140. More shirts using this pattern here and here.

T-shirt Romper

Book:  Lockstitch Baby
Size:  70 cm
Fabric:  size L men's T

This one also started out as a T-shirt but this baby needed something cool for summer.  The romper was not as quick as the pull on pants but I'm very happy with the slim fit.  The placket is a bit messy and at that point I was kind of wishing I could read Japanese but got through it.   This is a good pattern for refashioning big T's into baby stuff.

And if you want to match your baby, here's a great tutorial  for re-fashioning a large boxy T for yourself.

T-shirt pants for Babies

Book:  Lockstitch Baby, Style #7
Size:  70 cm
Fabric:  Children's knit T

This is going to be my new favorite book!  There is nothing more satisfying than a quick sewing project when you have a little one to care for.

I also love the fit.  Sure these are simple enough to draft on your own but I don't have time for even that!  They fit great over a puffy cloth diaper so I know I'll soon be making piles of these.  Time to start picking up even more old T's.

Knit Jacket

Pattern:  Shell Button
Size:  Small (with alteration)
Fabric:  Cotton quilted knit with bamboo lining

I finally got to sewing!  This jacket is now off season but it was on the top of my pile so it had to get done.  I love that it is super comfy and a step up from a hooded sweatshirt.

Keep in mind that this pattern is designed for a Japanese woman, you can see how slender the model is above.

Since I am nursing my 7th baby there was obvious need for pattern alteration.   I drafted size small because my shoulders are narrow and just added width and length to the bust line with an additional 1" down the side seams for my hips.  I originally planned to sew darts but decided since I was using a knit I could just ease the excess in.

I especially love the antique metal snaps - that made a quick finish instead of having to do buttonholes.

I also probably won't attempt anymore adult Japanese patterns until I lose some of this baby weight so stay tuned for some Spring sewing for little girls.

Oh the Joy of a new Book

Look what was delivered to me this afternoon - the newest book from one of our favorite designers.  Here is a peek at what's inside.  Of course I want to make them all!

Customer Uploads

A lot of Japanese online stores have a place they call "gallery" or "BBS", where customers can upload their creations made with their fabric or patterns. I've gone through my bookmarks and made a list of links here. Click away and enjoy! If you know any I didn't mention here, please share it in the comment section, so Alison and I can go check it out!

HARU (Pages take a while to upload. Be patient.)

http://9028.teacup.com/2739haru/bbs

Solei

http://bbs10.as.wakwak.ne.jp/bbs.cgi?id=41460

Check and Stripe

http://bbs.as.wakwak.ne.jp/bbs.cgi?id=1603

Couleure

http://bbs6.as.wakwak.ne.jp/bbs.cgi?id=120303

Slowboat

http://www.play21.jp/bbs/slowboat/index.html

*iroha*

http://bbs2.as.wakwak.ne.jp/bbs.cgi?id=58627&key=irohabbs168

Milimili

http://bbs3.sekkaku.net/bbs/milimili.html

Hibi+ (This one is a little slow, too.)

http://mb1.airbbs.net/bbs/index.php?usid=banira1225

Petit etalage

http://www2.rocketbbs.com/11/bbs.cgi?id=ninana

*K's Bam Boo*

http://ksbamboo.web.infoseek.co.jp/gallery-2007.html

Pattern Label

http://0bbs.jp/pattern-label/

Polka drops

http://www.polkadrops.com/category/bbs.htm

Candy Floss

http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~ange-s/garally/ga_top.html

Recherche

http://bbs2.as.wakwak.ne.jp/bbs.cgi?id=58069

Lilla Blomma

http://bbs4.as.wakwak.ne.jp/bbs.cgi?id=220331

whirlygiggles baby girl quilt

Remember the quilting fabric I got in Japan last summer? I used the red, pink, and yellow tones, and came up with this baby quilt.

Having a hard time parting with it, as usual.

Easy Summer Dress

To kick off the winter blues, I have started sewing summer clothes.

Pattern: Style 114 of May 2009 Burda Magazine

First I made a muslin with a cotton poplin from my stash. The sizing turned out perfect, and the fabric turned out really cute for $1/yard, so I decided to finish it up.

The fabric I used for the actual dress came from an online store in Japan called Soleil. It is a herringbone cotton with a gauzy texture. Everything is in Japanese on the store site, but you can click around to see what they carry. They have nice linen, double gauze, knit, among others. There is also a "gallery" where customers can upload pictures of what they made with what they have purchased from the store here. I get a lot of inspiration and ideas there, and also have a better feel of what the fabric might look like. It is a great place to find new blogs to follow also. If you see anything you like, click on the house shaped logo on the upper right corner, and it will take you to their blogs.

Itching to sew

My baby is 5 weeks old today!  I'm starting to feel a bit more normal but unfortunately I can't sew one handed like I can type.

Marie' is in the works of many great sewing projects but all I can do at this point is plan - which I do in the middle of the night while I'm up nursing.  Every time I call her I hear the sewing machine buzzing and I get a bit jealous - go Marie!

But spring is creeping up on us so this year's Easter dresses will have to be very simple (although I plan to make them full enough to wear with last year's puffy slips) .

Meanwhile I'll be scrolling through this site for some ideas on nursing wear - thanks Marie' for sending me the link.  

Wish me sleep!   

 

Gathered camisole

Another gathered camisole (the first one posted here.) I cut up my tunic. It was one of those "I will wear this when I loose weight" purchases. Now, two kids later, I would be happy if I could go back to the size I was then, and the tunic had to find a better purpose. I kept the side seams and bottom hem intact, so it ended up being a quick and fun project.

Pattern: Everyday Girl Clothes from Pattern Label

I graded up to size 130

Big box of fabric and goodies

Marie' just got back from her sister's wedding in Japan.  For months leading up to it we've been carefully planning online orders of fabric and patterns that would only ship within Japan.  What a super friend she was to make so much room for me in her suitcase!  And her sister was just as kind to go through the hassle of ordering it all at the same time as planning a wedding.

The fabrics themselves don't look so spectacular in the photo but they have a beautiful buttery feel that will certainly be a joy to sew and wear.  Included in this pile are the following fabrics: triple gauze, double gauze, lawn, linen cotton blends and quilted knit.

 The patterns are from a company called shell button and I'll have to wait for Marie' to share the links because I have a whole bookmark folder full of Japanese sites that I can't make sense of.  

But my goal this year is to do more adult sewing so I ordered these three for myself (quilted jacket, empire knit dress, and button up shirt dress) - I will post them after I have lost baby weight and found time for proper fitting and sewing.  That means I'll be lucky to have them ready to post before 2011.  

Felt Fruit

Book:  Felt Fruit and Vegetables

  

If you can't tell from the picture here is one tomato and one apple. With the tiny hand blanket stitching they took a long time to finish - I started them almost a year ago but was never in the mood.  Late pregnancy/ nesting urge got me to finally finish them and I'm happy I did.  Once things settle down a bit after the baby I hope to make more but instead on the machine.  The leaves of the tomato were done on the machine but you can see it doesn't look as clean.

Also, if you look closely you will notice the apple has a fuzzier texture.  That is because that felt was from JoAnn's where as the tomato was cut from some special felt Marie's mom sent from Japan - it is so much nicer!  I recommend splurging on the nice felt (you can find it here or here) if you plan on hand sewing because it feels better in your hand.  I will use the cheap stuff from JoAnn's as I experiment.

If you look even closer you will notice the fruit are resting on my very pregnant belly - a perfect table top!