KCWC Day 1 Fall 2013

Day 1 of KCWC is here and I actually completed one piece! Yay! I really didn't think I would. It may be the only thing I make this week, because I just don't have time, or energy to sew these days. I will share more on that later.

Here is what I made:

Jasper is in need of hoodies. He has grown out of the Urban Hoodie I made him last year, so I made a new one. This one is also from a thrifted t-shirt. It isn't often I find XXXL t-shirts at the thrift shop that are awesome! So this was a total score.

Jude decided he wanted to be in the pictures, which is not common. They are so sweet!

This is a size 7. It fits perfectly.

We picked this skeleton up at the dollar store yesterday (why exactly is it called a dollar store when almost nothing is a dollar?) and Jude insists on bringing it everywhere with us.

A new hoodie just in time for the cool weather. 

The boys found some cute mushrooms on our morning walk. I have never seen these ones before. 

I had big plans for KCWC, such as new zip up hoodies for the boys, as well as pants, vests and PJ's. You should see the amazing blue cord I found at the thrift shop! It's electric blue. I hope to make it in to cords for Jude at some point. This week may not work out though.

Have a great week!

KCWC Day 4

And back to my regular colourful sewing schedule. 

After Jas saw Jude's red pants yesterday, he requested a pair for himself. These are just simple sweat pants with a fitted yoga waist.

The cardigan is from a felted wool sweater from the thrift shop. 

And now for the blurry photos. My camera has decided not to do auto focus anymore, and I'm finding it difficult to remember to adjust the light meter, AND focus at the sametime, plus I'm in the habit of just pressing the button and letting it focus for me. Sigh!

Tomorrow is the last day of KCWC Fall 2012! I feel like I need to go out with a bang, and still have no clue what I'm going to make. Hopefully inspiration hits me soon, because I'm not likely to last long today. I was up late (until 2 am) reading the second book of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire. OMG! I can't wait to start the third book! 

Staying up until the wee hours of the morning is not such a great idea for me, and I wish I had a little more self control, but it's just such an exciting book, and I couldn't tear myself away from it. So there is a chance I will be making something simple and not too exciting, but keep your fingers crossed for me, because I'm not a coffee drinker and have to make it through without help. 

Have a great day everyone!!

KCWC Day 3

Remember these, from my inspiration board?

Source: oiidesign.se via Jamie on Pinterest

Well I really wanted to try and duplicate them as best I could, because they are so awesome! Who doesn't love leggings on littles? I especially love them on my littlest, with his skinny little, tiny baby legs. I know he isn't a baby, but he is to me.

I have a ton of red heavy knit, perfect for warm cozy leggings. My aunt passed it on to me when she moved to the mainland. It's funny because I'm used to working with tiny amounts of fabric when I'm upcycling, and sometimes struggle with using particularly cool pieces. Deciding how to use them when I can only make one item. For some reason that's how I've been feeling with the red knit. There is so much of it, I can't decide. Plus I love everything to be one of a kind. Anyways, I'm weird that way.

The outfit. Upcycled raglan Tee. Pattern from Sewing for Boys. Leggings altered from Sew Liberated pattern.

A bit of detailing. It was difficult to capture on my fast moving 4 year old.

I apologize for the messy bedroom photos, but he would not let me take them anywhere else! Jude has been asking for a pair of red pants. I'm not sure if you are familiar with Bionicles, but Jude loves Bionicles, and his favourite is Ferno. Ferno is red. The photo right next to Jude's head is a photo where Rob photoshopped Jude's face onto Ferno's body. Jude was pretty excited to have new red pants. Also, he was building a Bionicle, and this is his after building dance/excitement!

I didn't get the zippers on, I just didn't have enough time to remove zippers from old jeans and then put them on the leggings, but I do have plans to add them in the future, hopefully the near future, but I can't make any promises.

So there we have it, Day 3 complete. Now Jas wants some red pants of his own, and refuses to get dressed until I make him an outfit. Oh dear! What have I started?!

KCWC Day 2

Day 2.

I managed to get Jude into his new outfit, AND have pics taken, with no resistance. Thank goodness for big brothers.

So, I have just finished reading Night Circus, which may be influencing colour choices for these outfits. If you haven't read or heard of Night Circus, you should check it out. It's a good one. I loved it because it is everything I dreamed of in a circus and more. At first I was skeptical because of the love story, but it is really well done, and never cheesy. Just to give you some insight on how it has influenced me, there is a lot of black and white, with a splash of red. 

Update: Here is The Night Circus

Source: amazon.ca via Jamie on Pinterest

As you can see Jasper and Jude's pants have been made from the same pair of pants. Two pairs of pants, two different styles. I made Jude's pants long, so he can grow into them, with knit front pockets and a fitted ribbed waist. 

The cardigan is upcycled from a thrifted sweater. I have been wanting to make a cardigan for a while, and I am so happy with the finished product, but what I love most is how easy it was!

My two little goof balls. I love them,

Tomorrow I may add some colour.

KCWC Day 1

Here it is! Day 1 of KCWC. I made this outfit last night, but was in a rush this morning to take the photos, and barely had time to load them on the computer before rushing out the door for Thanksgiving brunch with Rob's parent's. So I apologize for the poor picture quality. Rob did edit one for me tonight. Bet you can't guess which one. Actually I'm pretty sure you can. It's pretty easy to spot.

So what have I made? A cowl neck sweater with puffy pants (for lack of a better name at this hour of the night). Both have been upcycled. I had the best of intentions to take before and after photos this time, but of course once I stepped into the sewing room, all memories of photo taking left my mind and I went straight to work. 

I made the cowl neck pattern myself!! Yay! It took couple of tries to get the cowl right, but I'm pretty happy with it:)

The pants I had to guess the right length, because Jas had already gone to bed, and I of course forgot to measure him. The puffy part is supposed to be just below his knee with the fitted part being longer. I kept the existing fly, waist band and back pockets. 

                         

Voila! We shall see if Jude will put on the outfit I have made for him for tomorrow, and if he does, will he let me take pictures? 

We shall see.

Good night. I will be dreaming of patterns and sewing for the remainder of the week:)

New Patterns!

When I started creating clothing, I was measuring out each piece. every. single. time. I told myself I should really just make some patterns so I wouldn't have to measure each item out, but it never happened, and I know it never will, so I have decided to purchase patterns. Not only does this help me out, but it also helps out the people that create these fantastic patterns. Usually other moms.

Here are the patterns I have purchased so far, and love!

The Sewing for Boys book

I use the patterns from this book regularly. Here are some of the items I have created:

This raglan shirt is a staple for me. I love it.

With the raglan shirt I can also make dresses! Perfect!

Mr. Two face pants! A good pants pattern is important.

And the long sleeve raglan. 

There are many more patterns in the Sewing for Boys book that I still haven't gotten around to. If you are looking for some great boy patterns I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this fabulous book!

Next I was looking for some fun ruffly patterns for girls. I discovered Lilygiggle on Etsy, and was immediately in love! This amazing designer is a homeschooling mother of four, so I felt an immediate connection! She creates these beautiful patterns to share with others, and says she hopes it will help other moms who want to stay home with the children! How generous, and caring. I am very grateful for her generosity.

She has a few boy patterns in her shop, as well as a some patterns for women. If you are looking for some fun patterns Lilygiggle is a great place to start!

Here are a few samples of items I have made using Lilygiggle patterns:

Bubble skirt tunic

Ruffle pants

 Next I decided to take a leap and purchase a pattern from HeidiandFinn. At this point I was completely converted to using patterns. This pattern has been FANTASTIC! I love it! I discovered HeidiandFinn a year ago, but I was still determined to make my own patterns at this point. I am so glad I rediscovered this shop on Etsy, because this pattern is a nice addition to my collection.

I decided to go with the Urban Unisex Hoodie:

This pattern motivated me to learn how to make button holes on my sewing machine, as well as sew buttons. I was intimidated by both of these tasks, but it turns out it is easier than I thought. 

I have a couple of pattern books that I have favorited in my Etsy shop that I am on the fence about. The patterns look amazing, which is why I want to jump in and purchase the books, but they are in Japanese, soooo, maybe I won't know how to put them together. I'm pretty confident that I will, but I'm going to hold off for a little longer. Give myself more time to work with the patterns I have. 

Here are the books, but don't buy them, because I'm going to soon! Both these books I found in the Etsy shop Pomadour's Craft Cafe

Pochee Special Boy

Japanese Craft Book

How about you? Do you have any favourite patterns?