Faux Smocking

 I like to try new sewing techniques.

 It's part of my personal style... a willingness to try new ideas.  

So when I saw this technique featured on a Project Run Play Sewing Challenge, I knew that one day I would give it a try.

The dress features this lovely back, with piped edges.

She loves the big pockets.

Smiles,

Deborah

The Star Front Pirate Hoodie

YoHoHo...A Pirates Life For Me!!!

I think kids like how pirates disregard the rules and societal conventions, that they would never dare break themselves, or even want to. Kids find their 'bad behavior' funny. If your children like a character full of naughtiness and grossness, you can hardly find a better character than a pirate in children's books! 

So this hoodie pokes fun at a pirate that is now a skeleton, which is perfect for this time of the year....Halloween. Yet, it isn't just a costume, but a fun shirt to wear all winter long. 

This comfortable and soft knit hoodie also has matching knit pants.  My grandson reminded me that he likes my comfy pants, and not to forget to create a pair to go along with the hoodie.

I love this treasure map fabric, and how you have to look for

 the "X" marks the spot. 

                 Instead of candy for Halloween, I think I will send 

these books to go along with the hoodie.

Smiles,

Deborah

Using my Left-over Knit Scrap Fabric to Make a Hoodie!

When I see a pile of left-over scraps like this
or 
that drawer of saved scraps,

I see possibilities!
Yeap, that is one of my personal style traits:
Using those little bits
that others would throw away! 

I just finished making my granddaughter 

some new summer clothes that 

are mix- and match with

similar color tones...watercolors.

While cleaning up my sewing room, I began to think 

of how I could incorporate these

scraps into a shirt.

The fabrics are 220 gram cotton/spandex 

and they feel so soft yet durable.

So, I didn't want to waste an inch.

The shirt front features a log cabin square, 

and this sets the tone of soft watercolors.

Each sleeve has 4 or 5 color-blocked

layers of prints, stripes, or a water-color print

that feels like a solid more than a print.
And it turned out like this:

So many wonderful 
color-blocks
that just need 
a bit
of fabric.

I used a larger
scrap of the back, 
because your eyes
need a break
when you use so many 
different prints and stripes.

 

YUMMY




So much fun to make that I just 
had to make another
scrap shirt. 

So that is my
Personal
Style

Use those left-overs
and keep 
your money in the bank.




The dinosaur scrappy t-shirt turned out better that I imagined, but what to wear with them? Scrappy shorts with Dinosaur footprints on your butt, of course. I appliqued the dinosaur footprints onto a piece of the original black fabric from the panel, 
then cut out the shorts back. 

Transformations Through a Collection of Garments

When you sew a collection of garments that all work together transformations are possible. 

 Add a few solids, such as, lavender knit shorts, white t-shirt, and lime green leggings and the collection is greatly expanded.

  

So to create my transformational collection, I used this analogous color scheme as my overall plan to make the garments so much more versatile.  

Dragons and Fairytail Clothing for Boys

Dragons

Fairytails and Dragons...they just seem to go together. 

In this modern fairytail, Toothless the Dragon, finds a girlfriend to share his adventures. When you add a girlfriend that is gentle and playful by nature, like Toothless, but fiercely protective when danger is present, there is a lot of action in the story.

Since my grandson enjoys clothing that is comfortable and athletic in cut, I made sure that this garment met all his requirements. The fabric is a cotton/Lycra blend that is so soft. Inside the garment, all the seams are serged to make it even more comfortable.

 I even added a slouchy beanie hood to go with the outfit.

By the way, this hat is made with a free Internet PDF pattern from "Patterns for Pirates" website and is called the Free Slouchy Beanie.  It was a very quick sew.

Smiles,

Deborah

 

Open Weave Hoodie with Color Block Inserts

    
 The theme for the Project Run and Play Challenge, that I planned on entering,  is to use analogous colors when creating a garment for a child.  This analogous color scheme is one of my favorite, and I began to search for a print or stripe fabric in a softer tone of this color scheme.  

Summer is coming and this is the perfect time to create a new hoodie for summer.

 The hoodie that I made is banded on the edge of the hood, and features a analogous Cotton/Lycra stripe that has been inserted as a color block in the sleeves. The print was used on the diagonal pockets. Lastly, athletic mesh was used to create the body of the hoodie. I love one aspect of the pattern I chose... the diagonal inserts on the side front and back.  The pattern used is the Hideout Hoodie.

Since I had never sewn with an open weave mesh like this, I did a little experimenting with the fabric first. First, I tried to sew the sample by just serging the seams and it puckered. So, next I sewed it with a slightly longer regular stitch than normal, then I serged the seam slightly inside that row of stitching. This created an enclosed seam that was just perfect.
On the color-blocked seams on the sleeves, I sewed them with a regular straight stitch, then I coverstitched the seam from the right side of the fabric. 

A Different Way to Color Block

Sometimes I actually plan my color blocking for garments by directly pinning (the top of the sleeve) onto a scrap of fabric that I want to incorporate into the pattern piece (sleeve). I measure how large I need the color block, then I sew the next piece (bottom of the sleeve) onto the scrap. On this sleeve, I even coverstitched it too. Lastly, I cut out the pattern piece with the incorporated color block already a part of the fabric.

 

Smiles,

Deborah

Harry Potter at Night in London Garment Collection

As my granddaughter gets older, they want  to have input in what the garments that I sew for them

look like when finished. You know what happens during

  those pre-teen and teen years.

So I started with this fabric.

Harry Potter at Night in London

Since the print is so saturated with color and design, I went with a solid navy blue fabric for the base of the bomber jacket.

The applique, "London" was drawn right from the fabric.

The navy fabric is a sweatshirt fabric that is soft and comfortable. Inside the jacket, I lined it with a soft cotton interlock knit. Ribbed knit finishes the neck, waist and sleeve edges.

By letting her sit down and draw out what the finished outfit would look like, she likes the finished garment. In fact, she's wearing it to school tomorrow.

So that jacket lead to a shirt with this applique.

If you have a print with cute illustrations- use them to carry out your design inspiration. Since the fabric is a 220 gram cotton/Lycra knit, I didn't have to worry about the cut-outs fraying. I did back the letters with WonderUnder and iron them on the fabric first.

Then I straight stitched around the cut-out. (Now I don't have to worry what will happen when my daughter launders them.)

Since this print is all about Harry Potter, I had to include him in the collection!

Now I know I am not the best artist, but it definitely has that Harry Potter look. I used knit fabric and fabric markers to create it. My friend told me that it looks like Betty Boops brother. Yikes!

Lastly, I sewed a simple pair of leggings to go with the collection.

Done!

Smiles,

Deborah