Origami Tunic

When my friend Jess  did a destash and offered me to come and go through what she was getting rid of, I jumped at the chance. 

Who doesn't 'need' more fabric? 

Especially when it's free! 

One piece I picked out was a decent sized, somewhat sheer, knit piece with a bit of sheen to it. 

I had in mind to make a maxi skirt or the like, but after some debating how best to go about lining it, I decided it best to not use it as a skirt but to use it as a flowy top. 

I went through my pattern library, (Yes, I think I can call it a library by now....) and chose to finally make the Origami Tunic by Love Notions. 

I've had this pattern for a long time but never had just the right fabric for it. 

I love the handkerchief hem, and the flowiness (is that a word?) of the top. 

It works perfectly with my black band pants. 

Yeah....band pants. From high school. 

Back in those days we had to wear black pants and a white shirt. 

I only wore them for band and once or twice since we've been married. 

So, they're still in great shape and amazingly still fit. 

Perfect to dress up a little without really dressing up. 

I actually ordered some more fabric to make another one. 

At least that's the plan. 

And plans may change....

Real Life Real Sewing

1. What do you look for when choosing a sewing project?

I look for practicality and *usually* if it fits into a need. I do sew some fun projects that don't fill an immediate need or are not practical per se, but for the most part, the items I sew need to be wearable, usable, sell-able, or pretty enough to hang up. 

2.  Is there anything you would like to (or wish you could) do differently when selecting projects?

I sometimes wish I could plan better so that I'd have more of an interchangeable wardrobe for each person instead of certain items that can only be worn with certain other items. 

In other words, I need to do more fabric shopping! Ha! 

3. What is your most used/worn sewing project? This either could be of all time or currently.

I think right now it is my daughter's blue Camille dress. 

She'll take it off the rack even if it's damp, and I have to tell her to wait until it is completely dry again before wearing it.
I actually had to mend it last week...she had snagged it on something and made a huge tear in it.
For myself, it would have to be my Seena Dolman top that I made out of a super comfy Girl Charlee knit.
I've worn holes into it!

All time most used/worn, I think it'd have to be the rag blankets I made for the kids' beds. 

They use them every night, and they're great for making forts as well! 

4. Do you have a project that you thought would be used/worn frequently but just did not end up working out?

A dungaree dress I made for my daughter.
She loved it, I loved it, but the closures I bought were junk.
They didn't stay shut, so if my daughter wasn't careful, she'd lose her dress while playing.
And, then the buttons for the closures kept falling off as well, no matter how tightly I sewed them on, the thread holding them on would wear through after a couple of wears.
If you have any tips on how to keep those types of closures from ruining an outfit, please let me in on it! 
I also sewed up a pair of boxers for my husband (which never got blogged about for obvious reasons) from the Thread Theory Comox Trunks pattern, but he didn't like the fit on them and only wore them once. 
They lie dejected in his closet. 

5. What is your favorite tip or quote that applies to sewing for real life?

-Make it wearable, make it practical.-

-Make/wear what you like and are comfortable in--not necessarily what is the latest fashion.-

Do you have any examples of Real Life, Real Sewing to show off? You can play along by using the #realliferealsewing on social media. 

You can also win one of two $25 gift cards. 

More details at Sew 20.

Be sure to visit the other participants on the tour!

6/20 | Sew 20 Tour Kick-off | The Wholesome Mama | Wild & Wanderful | Randoms by Rydz

6/21 | Daydream Believers | Sugarplum Cuties | Friends Stitched Together | The Inspired Wren | PenSeb&Rox

6/22 | Sewstarly | Very Blissful | House of Estrela | The Berry Bunch | Musings of a Seamstress

6/23 | mahlicadesigns | sewingbyti | Candice Ayala | Call Ajaire | Sunflower Seams

6/24 | Beri Bee Designs | Lulu & Celeste | FABulous Home Sewn | Mae & K | Sew 20 Social Media Round-up

6/25 | Sew 20 Tour Wrap-up

Make Laundry, Don't Do Laundry Blog Tour

(This post contains affiliate links. Thank-you for clicking through and buying using my affiliate links--it helps pay for my sewing!) 

When I had the opportunity to join in on this tour, I had to. 

I had to because it is a bit of a joke around here about my Mount Washmore. 

You know--the mountain of laundry that is clean, but is waiting to be folded, and that everyone digs through to get the clothes they need. 

It makes it even more ironic that since I was a kid, my laundry folding skills were abysmal and my mom often made me refold the laundry I had folded rather haphazardly. 

I still fold it that way, when I get to it.

 Sorry Mom! 

It is true that instead of folding the laundry at night when I could sit down and do that in peace, I'd rather sit behind my sewing machine and ironically make even more laundry! 

(Nevermind the prewashing of the fabrics that go into my sewing hobby...) 

My first project that is a go-to sew that adds to my lovely mountain that continually grows, are the Go-To Leggings. 

This is my favorite legging pattern for my girls, and is a super quick sew...especially when you make them assembly-line style. About 20 minutes each.

I made four pairs. I only got pictures of two of them since the other two have already joined my laundry mountain.

Next up, I made a pair of shorts from the Tree Climber Trousers pattern.

From start to finish, I'd say it took me about two hours, and that included cutting the fabric, and all the fun top stitching.

Don't mind the wrinkled shorts...they had gone through the laundry a couple of times before I had a chance to actually photograph them, and they're from a very wrinkle-prone fabric. 

Who has time for ironing clothes?

Now, I have a child who is very petite, and getting him enough clothes that fit without having to dig through the laundry pile daily is an important thing for me.

So, when his pants became too short, and wore through the knees, I thought I'd transition them into shorts. 

I didn't want to just leave them as cut-offs, so after cutting, I hemmed them and reattached a button that had fallen off a long time ago.

A quick 10 minute fix! 

Thanks for reading this far--now the exciting part--a giveaway!

Make sure to enter the giveaway featuring the above designers (Yes, you can even win a pattern of choice from my shop!) 

We have some great prize packages to be won and there's a link up too, so come join in the fun!

Layer Me Up and a Tiered Skirt

It's mid May and I finally finished my Sunday spring/summer outfit. 

 First, the skirt was sewn with a chambray from Fabric.com. 

It is a self-drafted skirt, perfect for warm summer days! 

The top is the Layer Me Up from Patterns for Pirates. (affiliate link)

I was a little worried that the front would be too low, and that I'd be showing off more than I wanted to when I'd bend over, but it doesn't gape at all, so I'm quite happy with the fit. 

You do need to size up if you are going for a not-too-snug look. I'm on the lower end of this size and I wouldn't want it any tighter.

(I used 3/8" seam allowance for the sides instead of the 1/2" as well.)

It is sewn with a super soft, cotton lycra from Fawnette Fabrics.

The fabric is available for pre-order right now until the 24th of May, in their Facebook group.

(On a side note, you NEED to check out the cat head fabric that she has for pre-order as well! If I could justify buying a yard of the grey or purple, I would!)

Raglans, Raglans, Raglans...

A while back, I won some fabric from JoyFits a fabric shop in the Netherlands. 

Having a very Dutch background, and also having heard of the great quality of Euro knits, I was super excited to get some fabric from the Netherlands. 

Like, really excited. 

But, I had no idea what to choose. They have so many fun choices--how could I chose only 1.5 meters?! 

The kids came to the rescue, and each one of the oldest 4 chose their favorite print. It was super convenient that the older boys chose the same print. 

The plan initially was to make just the front panel in these fabrics, but when Marloes emailed that the fabric with the steer heads had some paint spots on it, and she'd include a whole meter, I had enough to make the boys a whole shirt out of the fabric. 

(And, I looked, but I could not find any paint spots on it, after washing...so if they were/are there they are so inconspicuous that I haven't noticed them yet!) 

These fabrics are super soft, and after countless washings, they still look just as good. 

For the two older boys' shirts, I used the Rascal Raglan from Ottobre. 

For the youngest boy I used the raglan from the Sewing for Boys (affiliate link) book.

I have some fabric yet to use for my oldest daughter and depending how I use it, I may be able to whip something up for my youngest daughter as well. 

I'm a little intimidated because my oldest daughter wants a dress and I have 1/2 meter of the fabric. 

We'll see what I come up. 

In the meantime the boys are enjoying these shirts. 

Thanks for the great prize, Marloes! 

You can get the Monkeys here but it looks like the Steers are gone. 

Polo and Pants x3

My boys all have new Sunday outfits for the spring and summer.

After sewing up the penguin polo, I was inspired to make all three boys somewhat matching outfits.

Polo shirts and linen pants.

 

 

The shirts are all made using Jalie 3137.

I really like how this shirt sews up, at least for the sizes I did.

(I know some people have had some trouble with the fit not accommodating a toddler tummy.)

 

Fabrics used for the two other polo shirts are from my stash--one is from Girl Charlee that I bought quite some time ago. The brown argyle is from a Facebook destash site.

For the pants, I ordered some Essex Linen from Fabric Spot and I used the Butler Britches pattern from Brownie Goose. I opted to leave off the cuffs, and I modified the pants by cutting the pattern in half to insert side pockets in the seam. The boys wanted front pockets, and the pattern doesn't include them, so I had to fiddle with that a bit.

 





 Overall I'm quite happy with how their outfits turned out.

They'll be all dressed in their Sunday best....as long as the pants don't get holes.

 

 

My boys were pretty happy about their new clothes and also quite the bunch to try to photograph.

Mabel Madison Boys Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Mabel Madison's Boy Blog Tour--Duds for Dudes! 

My boys don't get nearly as much as my girls. It's often more fun to sew for the girls as the fabric is pretty, the dresses are pretty, and they just look so pretty when they dance around in their new dresses. 

But, boys need clothes too, and how much more fun is it to sew boy's clothes when the fabric is cool!

I was super excited to try out some Birch Organics knit from Mabel Madison.

I had heard great things about them and I'm not disappointed with the Murre Grey (looks like it's all sold out) that I received--it definitely fits into the cool category. 

(Yes, I received the fabric for free, but all opinions are my own.) 

I chose to make a polo shirt from the Jalie 3137 pattern. 

It'll be perfect as a Sunday shirt for summer, along with some navy linen pants I plan to make yet.

This fabric is so soft and cozy in the inside, and yet, because it's a cotton it's breathable.
Plus, the print is gorgeous--I didn't want to cut into it.
I used some snaps instead of buttons as I did not want to mess up the lovely placket, and my son voted for snaps as well.  

Unfortunately for my son, the snow is all melted, so he couldn't pose in something that resembled the penguins natural habitat. 

Make sure to stop by all the other amazing stops on the tour! 

Mabel Madison is really thrilled to host a week-long blog tour focused on sewing for BOYS! Every day this week, you'll have a chance to visit with a few of our friends and see what they have made for their boys. Here are today's stops:

FABulous Home Sewn

PenSeb&Rox

BeriBee Designs

Mabel Madison