Hayden's Grammy Jammies

I finally figured out how to get myself back to the blog after a break and that is to make something for Hayden. He is so much fun to sew for and such a good model as well. His momma mentioned that he had outgrown his pajamas and also that it's kinda hard to find them roomy enough for his chunky little arms. I pulled out my Kwik Sew Sewing for Baby book that I bought when Hayden's momma was about his age. It has an assortment of basic patterns for newborn through 18 months. Some of the styles look a little dated but there are great basic pattern pieces for pants, tops, rompers, etc. The fit is much roomier than the ready mades.

Just look at that sweet face! He loves his Grammy Jammies. I've already made a second pair and bought fabric for a third.

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? National Sewing Month began in 1982 with a proclamation from President Ronald Reagan declaring September as National Sewing Month "In recognition of the importance of home sewing to our Nation"

I hope you're keeping your machine humming this month in celebration!

Little Hilltopper

Okay, I know I said I was all caught up sewing for Baby Hayden but I saw a men's red and black striped T-shirt on the clearance rack at WalMart for $3.00 and it reminded me of the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers. Since Hayden has a gown for his dad's school, I thought he needed one for his mom's alma mater. I bought the largest size they had so I would have plenty of fabric for the gown and accessories.

I used Kwik Sew 3090 again for the gown and Kwik Sew 2433 for the hat. The tutorial for the pacifier clip can be found here. I took the pocket off the T-shirt and made a tiny little pocket for the gown.

 I like the elastic at the bottom edge to keep little feet from poking out.

I was able to salvage the knit ribbing from the neckline of the T-shirt and used it to make the sleeve ribbing for this gown rather than the hand covers.

And this is my sewing buddy, Kitty Boo. She loves to keep me company when I sew. I found her at the Humane Society with that "take me home" look in her eyes. It was a trick. She is a stinker!

I mailed this little surprise to the expectant parents last week. I think Hayden has enough gowns. My friend, who is a nurse in labor and delivery, told me that babies need sleep sacks nowadays rather than blankets. So, guess what, I bought a pattern today for sleep sacks. I just thought I was caught up!

Kwik Sew 3090 for Hayden

I decided that Baby Hayden needs a special little gown to wear home from the hospital. I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for some time now but couldn't decide exactly how I wanted to personalize it. I found this fun applique on Etsy for the H and Smell the Roses font from Designs by JuJu for the name.

The gown is Kwik Sew 3090 which I have used a couple of times before. I definitely wanted the little hand covers on the sleeves but changed the pattern a bit so that there were no raw edges when the sleeve flap is flipped back.

Patternreview link

The hat is Kwik Sew 2433. It can be sewn up in about 10 minutes! The fabric is Organic Cotton Interlock from Fabric.com. It was described as white but had a creamy natural look to it. I thought creamy would work fine for this project. I washed and dried the fabric and completed the outfit. When I took it outside to photograph, it was splotchy as if it had bleach splattered on it. I was a little bit upset, thinking I would have to make the entire set again. However, I soaked the outfit in Biz, washed a couple more times, and it turned out white. The fabric is a nice quality, very soft for babies, but, whew!, never had this happen before.

Patternreview link

I think I'm all caught up now for Baby Hayden. It is, however, still National Sewing Month so I need to get busy sewing on something!

Coverstitch Update

I decided to write an update on my decision to buy the Janome Coverpro 1000 CPX since I have received several inquiries lately related to my past posts about my search for a coverstitch machine.

I sew a lot of knits and, honestly, should have purchased a coverstitch years ago. Most of the knits I sew can be done almost entirely with the serger and the coverstitch. The Janome Coverpro 1000 CPX works great for my needs. I must admit it did take a little practice. It does not sew quite as smoothly as a regular sewing machine. But maybe it is not supposed to. I wasn't able to test drive any coverstitch machines before I ordered the Janome from a local dealer who carries Janome machines, but no coverstitch machines, in stock. I based my decision on the information and support from the Janome Coverpro forum at Patternreview.com. I can't imagine any question that couldn't be answered on the Coverpro discussion group. They even suggest the best suppliers for needles and accessories. There are little tricks to be learned, such as how to end the stitching in the middle of the fabric, such as a sleeve hem,  rather than sewing off the end of the fabric. There are great Janome tutorials for this on YouTube and I still refer to them if I haven't used the coverstitch for some time. Believe me, if you don't end the stitching correctly, your entire row of stitching ravels out!

As with any new machine, it takes practice and experimentation with the different fabrics. For example, I soon learned that, when hemming a lightweight knit, I needed to add a little support to the fabric so that the hem doesn't tunnel. I use Design Plus ultra-soft double sided fusible to fuse the hems in place and to prevent tunneling. I haven't tried other brands but I'm sure there are other options available as well.

This is an example of a sleeve hem on a very lightweight knit which I fused first with 3/8" double sided fusible. Not only does it prevent tunneling, it also helps me to press up a very even 3/8" hem. Since coverstitch hemming is done from the right side, it is important to work with an even hem.

For this medium weight jersey knit top, I was able to use the coverstitch machine to finish the neckline band, the sleeve hems and the bottom hem. I made a self-fabric binding and sewed it on with the regular machine first because, sometimes, I  pull the binding a little too tight as I sew it on. I try to get it right with a long machine stitch before I serge or coverstitch so I can easily remove the stitching and sew it again until I get the look that I like. I have experimented with a row of stitching on each side of the seam as I coverstitch as seen in RTW, but decided that I have more control with this method.

This is the sleeve hem of the same top. I fused the hem with the double-sided fusible and sewed the hem before sewing the side seam. Since this is a medium weight knit, I could have sewn this hem without the fusible, however, I have found that it is much easier to coverstitch narrow hems with the fusible.

This is the bottom hem of the top. I sewed the front and back hems on the coverstitch before sewing the side seams and adding the ties. I didn't use the fusible on the bottom hem since this is a medium weight knit. It worked fine without it and did not tunnel.

Now for the fun stuff! I tried to find ribbing for this Kwik Sew 3090 knit baby gown at the local Hancock Fabrics. They don't carry it at all. I went next door to Rugged Wearhouse, an outlet type store, to search for a ribbed garment I could cut up and use for ribbing. I found Gap tank tops in the junior department for $1 each! That's a lot of ribbing for $1. I was able to remove the ribbing from the neck and both armholes and use it for this gown and bib. It was already the right size and pre-folded for me. I guess it doesn't take much to excite me because this find made my day! I still have the rest of the tank top to cut up and use for ribbing on other projects.

This little gown is made from two boys t-shirts I found on the clearance rack at WalMart, a stripe and a coordinating solid. I used the solid for the neck trim, sleeve band, and for the hat. The hat is Kwik Sew 2433.

For this type of binding, I sewed it on right sides together, stretching slightly. Then I pressed to the inside and pinned without turning under the edge. I sewed with the coverstitch and then trimmed close to the stitching. I notice this method used often in RTW knits when I do "snoop" shopping.

I like the elastic at the bottom which pulls in the gown a little to help keep baby's feet covered. I quartered the elastic and the gown bottom, pinned, and stitched with the regular machine before turning to the inside and final stitching with the coverstitch. I used two different colors of thread because I was too lazy to change the thread but I don't think baby will mind.

I made all these projects in just a few days using primarily the serger and coverstitch machine. I have sewn knits for as long as I can remember, but never with the professional results I enjoy with the coverstitch machine. It would have been great to try out several machines before purchasing but they just aren't available to me locally. I especially would have liked to try out a serger/coverstitch combination machine. However, it would have to be extremely fast to convert back and forth to make me happy.

Good luck with your search for the right coverstitch machine. I would still be sewing knits if I didn't have one but, as I mentioned earlier, I wish I had purchased one long before I did!

Winter Street Dress from Patternreview

I'm pretty excited to share with you my two new Winter Street Dresses which are the result of my pattern testing for Deepika's new pattern available here at Patternreview.com. This is Deepika's version which is so cute on her with the ruffled sleeves and pink polka dots.

I downloaded the pattern and put it together very quickly. I sometimes dread this aspect of downloadable patterns but this was probably the most well planned pattern I have ever assembled. I traced the extra small size for my daughter so that I could use the pattern again for myself. The dress is described as "an easy to sew knit dress with a waist seam and a narrow pleated skirt." And, easy to sew is right!

After sewing together the bodice with a similar weight knit and getting a perfect fit, I cut out Hannah's purple ponte knit dress. Hannah is very petite so I took the dress up at the side seams and also moved the pleats in a bit more toward the center. I raised the waistline seam slightly as well just to keep everything proportioned for her height. Since this pattern works well with many different types and weights of knit fabrics, I think it is important to be flexible and let the fabric "speak" to you. For example, since ponte is a heavier knit, I stitched the pleats down for an inch or so.

The assembly is streamlined on this dress. After sewing the bodice front to skirt front, the bodice back to skirt back and sewing the sleeve in flat, the entire side seam is sewn in one swoop from the bottom of the hem, up the skirt, the bodice, and finally the sleeve. This method made it extremely easy to take the dress in a bit at the side seams.

Patternreview Link

As soon as I started sewing up Hannah's dress, I realized that the possibilities were endless for this pattern. I couldn't wait to finish it so that I could start another for myself. I really stepped outside of my comfort zone for this one because I don't wear a lot of prints and I haven't worn a maxi dress since high school when they were popular for a short time!

Patternreview Link

I chose a rayon jersey knit for my dress with a rather bold pattern. I had to be careful about pattern placement so that I didn't have a large medallion in the wrong place. I'm about 5"4" and was able to get this version from about 1 3/4 yards of 60" fabric for a size medium. The armholes are perfect for a sleeveless version. I didn't change a thing. I cut fabric strips for the neckline and armholes and added with the same method that I use for ribbing. I folded in half lengthwise and sewed them on with the serger, stretching the strips as I sewed. I used the coverstitch on the right side to hold everything in place. The coverage is great in the arm area for a 50 something mom like myself.
 

As Deepika, suggested, I stabilized the waist seam with elastic and that worked great to keep the weight of the long skirt from pulling down on the dress.

To adapt the skirt to maxi length, I drew a new side seam straight down from the widest part of the hips to the hemline. This basically changed the skirt pattern from the tulip shape to a rectangle. This gave me plenty of room to walk.

The pleats in this rayon jersey lay nice and flat across my hips so I didn't need to stitch them down as I did in Hannah's ponte version. 

Every time I tried on this dress for a fitting as I sewed, I would model it for my family and say, "I just love my new dress!" Eventually, as I walked into the room, they would just go ahead and say, "I know, you love your new dress!"

It was such fun to be part of the pattern testing group and the blog hop. I think you'll be amazed as you visit these blogs at how versatile this pattern is. It's hard to believe they were all made from the same pattern.

sewcraftychemist.blogspot.com 4/2/2014
detectivehoundstooth.com 4/3/2014
cleverthinking99.com 4/4/2014
trumbelinasews.blogspot.ca 4/5/2014
danikate-designs.blogspot.com 4/6/2014
sewingsaga.blogspot.com 4/7/2014
sharonsews.blogspot.com 4/8/2014
stitchinginmykitchen.blogspot.com 4/9/2014
sewingforward.com 4/10/2014
helloushandmades.blogspot.co.uk 4/11/2014
craftedbycarrie.com 4/12/2014
curveddarts.blogspot.com 4/13/2014
janmade.blogspot.com 4/14/2014
juliabobbin.com 4/15/2014

Thanks to Deepika and Patternreview for the opportunity to test this pattern and join in on the Winter Street Dress Blog Hop!

A Katniss Cowl

I don't often find time to blog two days in a row. Sunday night we had ice and then snow on top of ice so I haven't left home since Sunday. The mailman hasn't delivered mail for two days and I couldn't make it to jury duty today. However, I am catching up on UFO's, Ravelry projects, photoshoots, and blogging.

My daughter loves The Hunger Games and really wanted to knit a cowl similar to the one that Katniss Everdeen wore in the movie. We found a pattern on Ravelry and I helped her start it back in January. It was a quick, chunky yarn kind of knit but she would get busy with classes and put it aside for a week or so. Then we would have to reacquaint ourselves with the pattern and knit a few more rows. I helped her refashion the neck section last night to a more wearable version of the Katniss cowl and she was able to quickly finish it up. This post is a little heavy on pictures but it was good to get out of the house so we really enjoyed the photoshoot in the snow covered field, or should I say, District 12!

Ravelry Link

If you would like to knit your own Katniss cowl, check out these links.....

Katharina Schnorr's blog

Pattern Information on Ravelry.com

My Katniss cowl and project notes on Ravelry

I'd love to see pics of your Katniss cowl!

Welted Fingerless Gloves and Shear Madness

A couple of years ago in Savannah, Georgia, I found this beautiful merino/silk blend fiber at Wild Fibre Yarns. It was very easy to spin so I spun it up pretty quickly and added the yarn to my stash because, as usual, I couldn't decided what to knit with it. I have always had my eye on the Welted Fingerless Glove pattern by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. In my destashing frenzy of 2014, I matched up the yarn and pattern and, after a few evenings of knitting, ended up with these warm and cozy mitts.

Ravelry link

My first Ebay purchase many years ago was an assortment of 1200 small pearl buttons! I used 10 of them to sew onto the welts of the mitts.

If you are looking for some knitting or spinning inspiration, check out Shear Madness on National Geographic about a city girl turned sheep farmer with her husband and five kids. It just started last Saturday night. I missed it but caught up watching On Demand. I don't watch a lot of TV but this is pretty interesting stuff for knitters and spinners.I had to turn my head in one scene - a little more animal science than I needed to see!

Kwik Sew 3740 and Knit Tips

I'm still working on my one and only New Year's Resolution which is to reduce my fabric stash. This is my 12th sewing project this year. I don't blog all of them because some are actually a little boring to sew so I'm sure they would be even more boring for you to read about!

I decided to make a few long sleeved t-shirts since all of my RTW tees have shrunk nearly up to my belly button! I used my Kwik Sew 3740 and cut the neckline about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 higher at center front. I found this dark gray cotton blend knit in my stash which, at first, I thought was pretty ugly. Why did I buy that? I offered to make my daughter something out of it but she wasn't interested. Determined to use the piece, I cut out a long sleeve t-shirt. I had to add a center back seam since I only had 1 1/4 yards. I cut self-fabric neck "ribbing" about 1 1/2 inches wide and folded in half.

Patternreview link

Once I got past fighting with the curled edges and got the thing seamed up, I couldn't stop stitching on it. I used my coverstitch to topstitch the neckline and the sleeve seams.

I decided to add one of those little decorative V's in the center front just because I see them on all things casual and sporty.  I discovered that stitch 309 on my Bernina looks very similar to what I see in RTW. I drew a V with my chalk marker, added stabilizer underneath, and updated my plain, gray t-shirt.

I convinced hubby to help me with the pics. He is actually pretty good! This is the Plain Jan(e) version.

A little sporty with a touch of Burberry plaid.

Brightened up with a red fleece vest.

I showed my daughter my trendy V in the front and she replied, "Ooooooh".  I'll bet she wishes she had taken me up on the offer to make her one!

A few of my Sewing with Knits Tips. 

• Prewash the fabric in the manner that you plan to wash the finished garment, especially if it is cotton or a cotton blend.
• If you are sure of your sleeve length, hem the sleeve before sewing the sleeve seam, especially if hemming with a coverstitch.
• Sew one shoulder seam, add the neck ribbing, and then sew the remaining shoulder seam. Press the shoulder seam towards the back and stitch it in place at the ribbing/neck edge so that it lays flat.
• Sew the sleeve in before sewing the sleeve seam and the side seam which can then be sewn in one continuous seam.
• I usually hem the sleeve just a smidgen longer than I think I want it to be. It always works up a bit with wear and elbow bending.
• When hemming with a coverstitch from the right side, I sometimes draw a line on the right side with my Chakoner marker. If I press up 1 1/4" for a hem, I draw a line about 1 1/8" from the folded edge. I can then "straddle" the chalk line with the presser foot.
• If the knit is especially stretchy, I secure the hems with 3/8" double sided fusible before hemming with the coverstitch. This also prevents the hem from "tunneling" and the stitches from becoming buried in the fabric.

Lyme Regis Scarf

My Lyme Regis Scarf is finally finished, blocked, and ready to wear. Since Spring has officially arrived, I'll be saving it for fall. I used all of the 212 yards of my handspun yarn with only 20 inches left over. I love the pattern from the Spring 2013 issue of Spin-Off and can't wait to spin more yarn to make another scarf.

 

Ravelry link

Ravelry Link

This is turning out to be my catch-up week. Finishing up knitting projects, hems, taking pics of projects, etc. I guess I don't have to finish one project before I start a new one, do I? Do you have a project that you hope to complete this week? 

Copycat T-shirt

My daughter shops at a popular teen store at the mall where the clothing is trendy and not too expensive. I have to admit that I look around the store occasionally just to get ideas for sewing projects. I've noticed that all of their t-shirts are basically the same pattern with different neckline, sleeve, and hem treatments. I decided to trace the simple pattern for one of her favorite knits tops and use it as a basis for her summer top wardrobe.  I added a self fabric knit binding to the neckline and topstitched with my coverstitch machine. The sleeves have a narrow hem also stitched with the coverstitch and the bottom is finished with a band cut crosswise from the same fabric. I used Design Plus Ultra-Soft Double Sided Fusible from The Sewing Place to fuse the sleeve hem before stitching. With very lightweight knits such as this one, hems tend to tunnel even when stitched with the double-needle coverstitch. The fusible makes the hem very even and professional looking.

I decided that I really like the color of this knit and hated to throw away the small amount of leftover scraps. I cut a narrow scarf across the width of the fabric about 8 inches by 66 inches (the width of the fabric). I let the edges roll rather than finishing them.

I also had enough little scrappy pieces left to make a headband and a fabric flower. For the headband, I cut a strip 5 1/2 inches wide and 20 1/2 inches long. I folded the strip lengthwise, serged a 1/4 inch seam, turned the tube and stitched a seam in the back. I stitched on a fabric flower and it's done. Quick and easy. I had enough left to make another flower which I sewed to a felt circle and attached a clasp pin to the back.

I finally decided that there simply was not enough fabric left to make anything else and moved on to my next project. What are your ideas for using leftover fabrics from your sewing/craft projects?

Sewing Undies

Now this was a fun project! I have always wanted to try sewing underwear. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on patterns, fabric, and elastic only to end up with homemade, ill-fitting undies. I ran across this free pattern on indigorchid's wonderful blog. The idea is to recycle old t-shirts to make underwear.

I had rescued a few old t-shirts from my daughter's trash can a couple of weeks ago because I never really throw anything away which is remotely related to fabric, sewing, etc. She agreed to be my guinea pig for this experiment.

I already had underwear elastic in my stash which came from a local, well-known underwear company. Someone gave it to me because, as I said before, I stash all things related to sewing. The first pair I made with foldover elastic at the waist sewn on with my coverstitch machine. Since I was experimenting with size on this one, I got the legs just a bit tight so I finished them with a self-fabric binding sewn on with the coverstitich.

I ran across this lightweight piece of knit at the local fabric store for almost nothing and tried a different type of elastic. This is picot edge elastic which I stitched onto the edge of the legs and waist with the coverstitch machine.

Birgitte at indigorchid recommends Sew Sassy Fabrics in Huntsville, Alabama as a source for elastic. Their prices are great and I received an order very quickly. Now I'm on the lookout for more t-shirts in need of a recycle!

Once you determine the correct size and the length to cut the elastic, these are extremely quick and easy to sew up and cost less than $1.00 each!