Selfish Sewing Week Preparations

Next week is Selfish Sewing Week and, while I do have some issues with the name, I plan to participate because it is a good occasion to get some sewing done for myself.

This year Selfish Sewing week is on Kollabora.  If you haven't visited  Kollabora, it is a pretty cool site where "makers" can share their projects.  You can see my projects here.  If you are on Kollabora you can link up your projects to the Selfish Sewing Week feed by putting "Selfish Sewing Week" in the "Inspired by" box for your project.

I have several projects cut out and ready to go - more than I can probably finish in one week, but better to be over-prepared than under-prepared!

I have a long sleeve tee cut out using the free Plantain t-shirt pattern from Deer and Doe.

I also have a shirt cut out using the same Boatneck top pattern as this shirt.  It is the same kind of fabric as well - a Stretch ITY Jersey knit from Fabric.com.

I also have this shirt that I cut out ages ago - it is a sleeveless cowl neck top that is self drafted by modifying a basic t-shirt pattern.

Finally I have a couple things that are partly sewn that I would like to finish. 

This is a sleeveless top with pleats at the neckline which is also self-drafted from a basic t-shirt pattern.  It needs the neckband fixed, the armholes finished and to be hemmed.

This skirt I was making from Melly Sews' instructions on drafting a skirt. I think it still needs to be taken in a little and needs a waistband and lining and needs to be hemmed.  I really doubt I will get to this one, but we will see.

Will you be sewing something for yourself this week?

Applique Shirts: Shark and Max Steel

I am starting to work on the clothes the boys will need for summer.  I've gone through the clothes I saved from when the big kid was little and found that there is a severe shortage of 3T summer clothes.  I am not sure why this happened, because I saved practically everything - I must have been going through a purging phase at that time.  So anyway, he is definitely going to need some tees and some shorts.

I wanted to use applique on the kids' shirts to make them more interesting and something they would be more likely to pick out of the closet themselves.  I had ordered this cool ocean blue tie dye from Girl Charlee (the fabric seems to be NLA, the link is my referral link) and I decided to applique a shark onto it for the little guy.  The fabric does remind me of deep water so a shark seemed appropriate.  And the little guy plays with a toy shark in the bath and likes to pretend that it is eating cars and people and soccer balls, so I thought he would be excited to have a shark on his shirt.

I found a picture of a shark that I liked by searching Google images and then I used photoshop's pen tool to trace around the shark (although you could easily do this by hand with tracing paper).  I then printed out my outline and traced it onto freezer paper.  You can actually print directly onto freezer paper - I'm not sure why I didn't do that.

I used a grey knit fabric for the applique and and applied wonder under to the back side of it.  I usually use knit fabrics for my clothing appliques because you don't have to worry about them fraying. I then ironed the freezer paper with the outline, shiny side down, onto the front side of the fabric.  I cut around the outline and then removed the freezer paper from the front and removed the paper backing on the wonder under from the back.  I ironed the applique onto the front of the shirt and then for extra security, stitched around the edges. (sorry I didn't take any process pictures - that is something I need to work on!)

This big kid is in to Max Steel these days, so he got a Max Steel shirt.

I used the same process for this shirt - using the same blue fabric for the applique as I used for the sleeves.  When I showed this shirt to the big kid he was excited!  Too bad it is still not quite t-shirt weather...

The pattern I used for the little guy's shirt was the raw-edged raglan from Sewing for Boys (affiliate link).  I just didn't leave any raw edges.  The big kid's shirt is a raglan tee pattern from Simplicity 5125.  Next time I make this t-shirt though I will definitely add two or three inches to it.  The tees are wider and shorter than I like and than the off-the-shelf ones he has in the same size.

Pattern Release: Fox Lovey Blanket

Today I am releasing my latest pattern - a fox lovey blanket (affiliate link).  I have been thinking about making a fox lovey for some time.  There are so many cute fox things out there, but I haven't seen any fox loveys.  I just know there is a fox lover, or future fox lover, out there who will love snuggling up with their very own fox lovey. 

Peasant Tops

With two boys at home I don't have much opportunity to sew girly things.  Recently, however, it was my 12-year-old niece's birthday and I wanted to sew her something.  Not having any appropriate patterns and not really wanting to spend money on a pattern I wouldn't get much use out of, I decided to go with something simple but still fun and girly.  I decided to make a peasant top for her.

KCW Wrap-Up: Spring Jackets

So, I completed two things for Kids Clothes Week: Spring jackets for both kids.  Getting at least these two items done was my goal for the week, so I am glad I was able to meet that goal.  Jackets are, of course, a little more time-consuming than many of the things I sew so I feel like that was a pretty good accomplishment.

Cargo Duffle Bag

I have been getting some sewing done this week for Kids Clothes Week, but I don't have anything to show you yet.  So, instead, I am sharing a duffel bag that I made for my mother-in-law's birthday a few weeks ago.  I used the free Cargo Duffle pattern by Anna at noodlehead.  The main change I made was to widen the sides.  As it was, the bag looked a little narrow to me and I wanted it to be a good size for a carry on or overnight bag.  I made the sides 9" wide instead of the 6.5" called for in the pattern.

KCW Spring 2014: Preparation

Kids Clothes Week starts tomorrow!  I have cut out several things to sew for the week, but I don't really expect to be able to complete everything.  Usually I can't actually sew for even an hour during the week because by the time I get home and get the kids in bed I am pretty much ready for bed myself.  I do get a lot done on the weekend though.

Craftsy Class Review and Giveaway

(Disclosure: I am a Craftsy affiliate so, if you click on one of the links in this post and register with Craftsy or buy something, I will get paid a small commission.)

 I recently had the opportunity to try a Craftsy class for free (make sure to read all the way to the bottom of the post for your chance to win a free Craftsy class).  I chose Pattern-Free Quiltmaking with Joe Cunningham.  I have really been itching to make a quilt lately.  I don't know why exactly.  I think perhaps I was craving the regularity of the process of cutting the pieces and sewing them together, and doing the same steps over and over again. Also I enjoy watching the small pieces join together into larger and larger pieces until you have a whole quilt.  I was drawn to Pattern-Free Quiltmaking because I prefer a more modern look in my quilt and I really liked the idea of using a process to make a quilt rather than a pattern. When you use a process to make a quilt you can get started cutting and sewing right away without all the planning that would be required to make a quilt from a pattern.  That appeals to me because I am impatient and like to see the results of my efforts immediately.

Easter Basket: Free Pattern and Tutorial

Download the free pattern and tutorial here.