In the midst of doing my wardrobe, my youngest came downstairs one morning in her shorts--that were too short. Normally, I don't care, but seriously, they were showing things from below. This isn't what I want my almost 12 year old to be doing, apart from the fact that she has grown about 3 inches since march break!
She went down to the basement, and then came upstairs with two patterns, and some stash, and said: Mommmmyyyyyy, can you ppplllllleeeeeaaaaassssseeeee sew me some new shorts? Here is the pattern, and the fabric I like....?! (Add cheesy grin, cute smile, hugs, and you get the idea).
So I went away for a sewing weekend with my Mother in law, at my Mother in law's house, with a pile of fabric for me and a pile of fabric for the child. All other living beings deserted the field to the cottage (smart people that they were!).
This is what came back from Grandma's house: a complete wardrobe (yes, complete!). And yes, it is possible to sew an entire wardrobe in 48 hours. I started with cutting and tracing on Saturday night, and finished the last embroidery about noon on Monday of the long weekend. Of course, sewing like this means that you don't cook, play with the children or speak in coherent sentences, but....such is the price you pay for beauty.
From start to finish:5 tank tops, from Kwik Sew 3519:
pink double knit, yellow poly cotton ribbing, green, white and blue cotton lycra.
Adapted from the tank top pattern: colour block dress/tunic top, from the leftovers of the tops. (There was not a lot left after that, let me tell you!)
Shorts: View B of Kwik Sew 3519:
Green twill, and pink cotton fabric.
Long pants from Kwik Sew 3101: Blue stretch denim, and black flowered cotton print. (This pattern is for a knit, and I adjusted the pattern slightly for the lack of stretch of the fabric, since I didn't have my tried and true pattern with me--Kwik Sew 3056).
Jacket: same Kwik Sew pattern 3101. This is one that included pockets, and my very first professionally faced separating zipper. I adapted the instructions from Fashion-incubator.com for a centered and lapped zipper to do this, and I am totally happy with how it turned out.
We didn't do any sleeved items, since she has about 5 tshirts that already go, as well as a couple of pairs of jeans. Getting pictures was a bit of a challenge: I had to defend the clothes long enough to take pictures. (She climbs trees, and they tend to leave black marks everywhere--not a problem, but I wanted to have a nice picture or two to start!).
I did all the embroidery with my Janome 300E, and used colours that co-ordinated with the rest of the wardrobe, mostly in a flowered theme, since that was in the print. But, the ducky was too cute, and she totally loves them, so I used that for the dress, instead of a cute flower.
Can you tell how she feels in her new duds?
2 comments:
WOW! I am a beginner sewer and would love to make clothes for myself and the kids. It takes me SO long to do even a pair of EASY pj pants! Something that says, "One Hour" takes me two evenings after they go to bed, LOL. Not to mention how overwhelmed I feel when I go into a fabric store. Hey, if I remember, aren't you in Guelph? Is there any good stores there, besides Len's Mill? You know, a store where you can actually ask the staff a question and they have a clue what you're trying to ask, LOL.
The north end fabric land is actually pretty good, and I'm always open to questions too. Try Stacy, who manages the Fabricland at the north end. Also, you can ask questions at Triangle Sewing Center; they usually answer well.
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