Yes, I am still here, making but not blogging. When I first started this blog I would automatically blog everything crafty I have done but lately I forget to blog it so lets have a catch up.
I’ve managed to make a couple of items for the kids as I had planned to. I made both the girls a pink tartan skirt which went down really well after they had watched Barbie Princess Charm School as its just like Barbie's school uniform.
I used Liers tutorial for this skirt (I love her, she’s so cool!) and made 2 the same. On Miss M’s skirt I unintentionally added in a bit of future-proofing as I made the waist a little too big so I fudged a fix to make the waist smaller by sewing the waistband together a couple of inches. This can be unpicked when the waistband is a little snug for her. I also left a HUGE hem on the bottom and hand sewed a blind hem to hold it nicely which can be easily left down when she grows. Miss M has a pronounced belly so I used my drafting skills that I’ve picked up in various places to accommodate it so instead of dividing the waist into 2 for front and back I made the front a little bigger and the back smaller. This means that the skirt sits properly on her waist rather than hanging down below her bulge as she normally wears skirts. This prompted me to buy some (25m!) button hole elastic so that I can make some more skirts for them that will have adjustable waists and fit Miss M better!
I also made her a tunic/dress which she loves! I used Simplicity 2689 for this and used a lovely dress-weight cotton we got from the local fabric shop. Now what you need to know about Miss M is that she is obsessed with purple so she was immediately drawn to purple fabrics! The one she chose for this reminds me of Liberty fabric but was a fraction of the cost!
I did worry that it was a little too ‘old-lady’ for her but she was set on it. Anyway I needn’t have worried as it looks great!
This was view A dress with a very similar fabric to the pattern cover and can be worn as a dress but looks better with leggings.
What do you think? She loves it, we went out shopping wearing this outfit and she kept checking out her reflection in shop windows! Its just right for her tween age, not too young, not too old but with an air of chic about it. I’m thinking it might be great in a heavier wintery fabric like corduroy or wool mix what do you think? I’m pleased with my make of it, beautiful overlocked seams, perfect hems and matching seam even under the arm, I might be getting good at this sewing lark….
You can tell how much she likes this dress by the pictures we took
Next item to make is McCall's 6156 and I’ve got as far as tracing the pattern out to make view C as a dress. She’s chosen an odd fabric for this so I’m not sure it will look as great as the one above but we’ll give it a go.
I like these tunics that can be worn with leggings or tights on young kids, I think they look appropriate for tween age but allow the kids to feel grown up. I really struggled to find patterns for this age group and everything is little girl pretty dresses so I’m pleased the Simplicity version looks so great. Just need to get my butt in gear and make the next one…….
