20 September 2018

Simply Sewing Polka Dot Headband

I finally got round to stitching up the headband from the first issue of the new simply sewing magazine using the free polka dot fabric which came with the magazine. The mag did provide patterns and instructions for three things which could all be created from the one piece of fabric provided. First was this headband, second a gathered fabric flower and third a fabric covered book. I have done both the gathered flowers and a covered book on the blog already so I have gone for the headband (and I used the rest of the fabric to make the pockets of my new dress!) 
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17 September 2018

Lil Space Critter


Following on from the adorable fox dress I made Miss Fox last week (if you missed it go check it out here) here is the second of the two dresses I made. I know the fox dress is super cute and all that but I actually think this one is my favourite, I mean that colour is just adorable and so perfect for this more autumnal weather that's finally coming our way.

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15 September 2018

Lil Foxy Critter


One of the things that seems to come as part of the territory with being a Fox is being tagged for every item of baby fox clothing imaginable! Now if you've read my blog before, or looked at my instagram you will have seen there has been no shortage of fox related crafts, however it seemed it was time to recreate that ever popular Fox dress we see popping in up in all sorts of guises all over the internet.

I've always been very defensive about people interpreting fox dresses because I have been a huge fan of the work of Wild Things Dresses on Etsy for a long time (honestly, these are the most amazing kids clothes ever!). However it seems that sadly all the high brand kids retailers have cottoned on and copied her designs in one form or another, which as a creative makes me very sad. So if you want an amazing dress like this one, and are not a sewer, please pay her a visit and purchase one of her amazing creations.

 

Here is an image of one of their amazing fox dresses along with the book which so thankfully tells you how to make your own, perfect for the likes of me who get enjoyment out of the process of making as well as the clothes.

I do have a copy of the book, as you can see in my first image, but sadly the patterns don't run as small as Miss Fox, so in this instance I have had to improvise a bit until she grows up and I can use the patterns in this book.

I used a tried and tested pattern the Lil Critters dress from Puperita. This pattern is so easy to follow and is the perfect dungaree bib dress, with slightly flared skirt it really is adorable. As with all her patterns the instructions are really clear and are a doddle to follow so I managed to make 2 of these on my day off today. Go me!


In order to make the fox face I just drew the shapes onto the original bib piece and then traced the individual shapes onto separate paper adding a 1cm seam allowance where I needed to join the pieces together. I am really happy with how it all came out, its a very cute little foxy face and this pattern lent itself really well to this adaptation.

For the fabric I used some babycord or needle cord which is very fine corduroy fabric. I love making dresses for kids in cord for Autumn/winter, its such a nice thick fabric and is relatively easy to sew and comes in a huge array of wonderful colours. It can be a little stiff but that's why it lends itself so well to this type of dungaree pattern.


I'm really chuffed with how this turned out and its a lovely fit on her so should serve her well this winter. I will definitely make more of this pattern and there will definitely be more Fox dresses in Miss Fox's future.

Have you ever made any cute adaptations to a regular pattern like this? I'd love to see them, the more cute critters the better!
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10 September 2018

Sew Over It: Ultimate Pencil Skirt


Hi there, you know I've been putting off making a pencil skirt for such a long time, but I have no idea why. I think its got a lot to do with a skirt I tried to make when I first started sewing from a free pattern which just didn't really turn out that well. Thankfully though I have finally gotten over that hump and I bought the Sew Over It Ultimate Pencil Skirt pattern. I've bought a few fabrics from SOI before, but never sewn one of their patterns.

There are a huge number of pencil skirt patterns in the market but I have heard good reviews about this one in terms of fit from social media and a quick hunt of instagram showed up some really lovely examples. It seemed like a good fit to try out SOI with this pattern. The style and fit of this skirt are just spot on for the way I like to dress at the minute, especially for work.



Lately I have been reaching to my wardrobe for a black skirt in this morning, but the truth of the matter is I actually only have 1 which fits me. So to rectify this I am on a promise to myself to make myself some more black skirts. I have some gorgeous metallic fabric earmarked for this project but I wanted to toile it first so I ordered some plain black cotton sateen from Sew Essential. This fabric is perfect for this skirt because it has a good amount of stretch in it. It meant that even if I cut the pattern ever so slightly on the small side I knew there would be some give in it. Its a lovely quality fabric and I'm glad I bought a few meters. I can definitely see me using the rest for some other projects.

I had absolutely no problem with sewing this up. The fabric was so easy to work with and the pattern was perfectly straightforward. I really don't know why I put this off for so long, and the results speak for themselves, I mean look at how sleek it is. I had no issues with fit and it fit me straight from the packet, which barely ever happens, though I think the stretch sateen might have something to do with that. All in all it only took me a few hours to complete this the first time so I will definitely be making more. I don't know if its just me but I did find the instructions a little simplistic, I had to google the SOI blog for the kick pleat instructions, but that might just be the nature of the drawing inside rather than the instructions themselves.


To Sum it up:
Pattern: Sew Over it Ultimate Pencil Skirt
Fabric: Stretch cotton sateen in black purchased from Sew Essential
Extras: a 12" invisible zipper
Modifications: I took about 6" off the total length in the end as I prefer my skirts to sit just over the knee than below but I am quiet short.
Fit: Like a glove!
Difficulty: Pretty easy

So I love this skirt, I mean its sexy no?! I will definitely make another, and I want to have a go at lining it next time as this one doesn't do to well with tights. I mentioned earlier about it being a toile, I actually don't think this skirt is right for the fabric I had in mind but I have made a couple of alternations to the pattern to change it up a bit and will do another toile shortly to see how that goes on... watch this space.

Have you sewn up this pattern, or are you putting off a project because of something that went wrong in the past? Let me know about it, I would love even more to hear about your post drama successes x


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