Another swimsuit!

Here is the other swimsuit that I finished this weekend. I got my older dd to wear it and run in the sprinklers! We are having beautiful weather right now! This is a Kwik Sew pattern. It is a tankini, and I made it in a size 7.

I only did a couple of alterations to the pattern. I added the ruffle at the top edge to the bottoms. I lined the top front and lettuce edged the bottom hemline (I used wooly nylon in the serger top and bottom loopers and regular serger thread in the needle). I also fully lined the bottoms. I added an inch to the waistline of the bottoms and the top bottom edge. She isn't petite like her sister. In fact, I think in a few years she'll be taller than I am!!! :)

She got into posing for the camera:

I finished another project over the weekend, but that will have to wait until the next post! Gotta love the nice weather when all the kids want to play outside!

Swimming Anyone?

Hot off the presses, here is one of the two swimsuits I just finished up! This suit shown here is Kwik Sew 3165. I made it in the size 4 with many alterations to reduce the chest, waist and hips! (Size 4 was the smallest size the pattern comes in...). My dd is 4, but she only weighs 28 lbs and is a very petite little thing, hence many alterations to get patterns to fit her.

This suit has an attached skirt that covers up most of the bottoms. I made the bottoms out of a contrast coordinating material. You can see them peeking out in this side shot.

When she isn't running all around the skirt hangs just so you can't see the bottoms. The fit came out great. I always completely line my swimsuit bottoms (pet peeve of mine to see swimsuits creeping into little places they shouldn't be....or showing stuff that shouldn't be shown). Completely lining them gives the added bonus of hiding all the serged seams between the lining and the fabric to give a nice finished inside look. I lined the top front but not the back. I probably didn't have to line the top, but I made my older dd a suit last year where I decided not to line the top and every time she wears it, I wish I had lined it! So, lesson learned and I line the top front piece. I purchased both of these fabrics from Chez Ami. (If you have never visited over there, go now and see the cute kids fabrics you can buy!) All in all, I am very happy with this new suit!

I also finished my older dd's suit, but I haven't got her to put it on yet. I used a different pattern, but the same fabric, so it has a different look to it! Stay tuned. BTW, if you were following my rants about using my stash and not buying more fabric, you'll be happy to know I came to my senses and purchased a whole bunch more fabric and few more patterns!! :P Yep, absolutely no control....

My February sewing!

It seems that I sew in spurts these days, with long periods of nothing in between! I sewed two tnt nighties from Ottobre 6/2009 - 17. These are going together super quickly now that I have made them a few times. The girls love their nighties! I used knit interlock from stash. The little ones has purple unicorns and the older ones had little puppy faces. Cute prints I got from the evil fabric queen.

Such a poser!

Here is a little fleece hat that I made up. I used simplicity 4311, I have had it in stash for quite awhile so it is probably oop by now. Anyhow, it was pretty simple. I found my head circumference in between the medium and large (I think this is a teenager pattern), so I made the large. It was too big (puffy looking) so I just took about an inch deeper seam where the circle top and band around the head meet. I like it now....my little one is my photographer!

Lastly, I found some time to squeak in a shirt for my dh. I made the purple t-shirt under the top shirt. I actually made the top one too, but that was about a year or so ago. He thinks he is funny posing dorky, maybe just dorky.....

Here he is with just the t-shirt. It was made from a knit that is brushed on one side and super soft. I put that on the inside of the shirt. I used Kwik Sew 3299. Another pattern I have had in stash for awhile. There are a few things I would change on that pattern. Number 1, I think the neckband is too wide, I think I would cut it close to in half. The other thing is the neck opening is a little larger than dh's favorite t-shirts, so I would make the neck opening shallower. The other thing he requested is that the body length be a couple of inches longer. I could have made the sleeves a tad shorter, but the shirt was a surprise (he was out of town), so I didn't get his arm to measure!

Well, that is all folks! I am not sure how much sewing I am going to get in the next few weeks....I have my plate full of stuff to do! I am selling a house, my dh's bday is friday, my dd's bday is in march and needs planning, I have my taxes to do, and taxes from a deceased relative to take care of. Plus normal day to day stuff. I may just need to sew to stay sane! :) Take care everyone!

Here are my promised pics!

Here are my pictures of the Kwik Sew 2884 swimsuit. She is having fun! I made a hair scrunchy in the fabric as well. You can see that the bottoms of this suit provide ample coverage.

I have my mind made up to make bwof 4-2009-122. I traced in out in a size 42, adding some extra for a fba to be sure the casing was in the right spot. I had this fabric below picked out and sent it to the washer and dryer because it had never visited them. It is a neat fabric. It has elastic in it making the crinkles. After the washer and dryer I laid everything out and realized I didn't have enough fabric to make what I wanted to make!!! AARRGGHH! So, I still wanted to use this fabric and decided to make a jalie 2805 with it....but I will make it sans sleeves and bind the neckline and arm holes with a black fabric that has some stretch to it. Here's hoping it comes out cute!

Time for a swim!

I decided around lunch time to do a swimsuit today for my older dd. I traced out the pattern (I needed a larger tracing....), cut out the material, and had it sewn up in 1 1/2 hours! How fast can you drive to the store and purchase a suit and drive back home?? This is kwik sew 2884 View B. I made this in a size 7 for my older dd. I got this fabric from the evil fabric queen. It is lovely fabric. I lined the bottoms of the suit (not called for in the directions). I usually line the top front of the suit, but this time I decided not to since this fabric is pretty heavy and dd doesn't have much to show through anyhow. If I were making it for myself, of course it would be lined! I took out an inch on the bottoms through leg to waist area, last time I made these, my dh said they looked too wide in that area.

I lettuce edged the bottom of the top instead of turning and hemming.

I added a little ribbon in the back of the inside top to indicate which way to put the suit on!

I will get a picture of this later today with a model in it! We have swim lessons this evening!

Swimming Anyone?

I got them done, at last. My sewing time has dwindled down to almost nothing these days! With the kids out of school, you would think there would more time at home to do stuff, but it hasn't worked out that way!

I had some bad news about a close aunt having cancer; she lives close by to me and is alone (her dh passed years ago and she never had kids). My mom and her other sister have been here taking care of my aunt. I have had relatives in town I haven't seen in ten years. Anyhow, a lot of my time has been spent visiting and helping out however I can help.

On a lighter note, didn't these suits turn out super cute?! My older dd's has a surfer girl on the top front, I left the bottoms all blue. I used the elastic listed in directions for hers. For my little dd, I used a roxy fabric for the suit. I got both of the fabrics from ebay (lycra4sale). On her suit, I sized the elastic down in the waistband and band for the top (going from 19" to 18"). The leg openings I sized down considerably (going from 13" to 11"). I could have made my younger dd's suit a little smaller in the top. I could have taken out an inch all around and the straps could have been cut down 1/2". Next time! They work fine for now! Best of all, the lining provides the discretion needed so the suit isn't creeping into places it shouldn't! I don't understand why the suit doesn't call for lining!!

The bottoms fit nicely, no gaping leg holes. All in all, these went together very nicely and I will be making more!

Swimsuits in the making

I have started on two new swimsuits for my girls (1 each). I am using ks 2884 (oop now). I am making view A for both of them. I am about half way done, I am up to the elastic insertion stage. Hopefully, I will finish up tomorrow. I have to take some of their measurements for the leg elastic and the bottom band of the top and the top band of the bottoms. My older dd is sensitive to the elastic being too tight (read pain in my a$$ here....) and my younger dd is so tiny that the standard measurements given are too big for her. I was really bummed to see that this pattern was oop! I was thinking that next year I would have to get the larger size up(8-12). I never understand why kids patterns don't call for lining?? I hate to see little girl swimsuits creeping into their privates! Needless to say, I lined the bottoms completely and the top front.

Here are a couple of preview pictures:

Finished Kwik Sew 3484

I finished it! See the happy model below! I think he likes it....he was actually worried where to hang it so the kitties didn't jump on it and ruin it! Then he said he thought it looked expensive. He is definitely my biggest critic. It was a really hard fabric to sew on because the threads in the fabric would get pulled just under the tension of the needle. I started off using a denim needle then switched to a microfiber needle. That definitely helped. The material has some lycra (or stretch of some kind...) in it, so I had some puckering until I lowered the tension considerably. All in all I like the finished product, I am sure I will make another sometime, but not too soon!

Not Done Yet but significant progress

Here is a glimpse of the almost done shirt. I still have to do the buttons and buttonholes, hem the sleeves and hem the side slits. Then I will get a finished product shot! I am happy with how it is turning out. I fussed with the collar a little bit (as I always do....) but it turned out well. I need some couture class of collars, because I want mine perfect and they never seem to be absolutely perfect. Well since my kitty insists on sitting in front of my computer monitor and I can't see and I need to get dinner going (easy to lose track of time now that it stays light later.....), I will have to add more later!

Kwik sew shirt started

So, I haven't actually done any sewing yet....but I did cut out the shirt for dh. I am using view B which is the one with the stripe down the side. The main shirt is a marroon fabric with a slight sheen to it with some stretch around the middle. The stripe is from a black fabric that has an ever so slight nap to it - almost suede like. I finished applying the interfacing - I used a woven weft-fusible, that has beautiful softness and drape. I got it online from www.sewexciting.blogspot.com fashion sewing supply. I am very happy with the interfacing I have received from them! I couldn't find anything close to this quality in my local fabric shops. I love the internet! Maybe tomorrow I will find some time to get some sewing in! First my shirt, then maybe get a start on dh's. My friend next door has some name embroidery requests too that I need to fit in! I really have been dying to sew, I just haven't had the time lately! My youngest dd has had a cold and been requiring much needed attention. Last night she woke up five different times crying and wanting water. The love of a mother is never ending!

Long sleeve black t-shirt

How boring.....but at least tonight I actually cut into some fabric!! I cut into my black siltex knit fabric! I am making Jalie 2805 (great t-shirt pattern, btw!) with a round neck and long sleeves. I seem to be deficient one in my closet! Although our weather this week has been in the 70's during the daytime....but I see rain in the forcast! My two dd have seemed to need me endlessly lately, which I love, but makes me tired by the time they finally go to sleep! Tonight I found the drive to stretch out the fabric and cut away. So, I have a project just waiting to be sewn! So, now what!!! I received my package from the evil fabric queen yesterday. I forgot what was coming, so it was exciting to open! I have been trying to cut back because my incoming was trumping my outgoing exponentially! I found 3 different fabrics and it took me awhile to remember what they were for, but finally I remembered they were to make some shirts for dh using the kwik sew pattern I have shown in my last post! I now am gaining fabric for him at a pretty good rate! Ha! I guess my idea of not buying so much for me is to start buying for him! Got to love the mind's rational! Anyhow, while I do enjoy seeing him wear his shirts, they require more time than most things I make. I find I am becoming an instant gratification sewer. I want to be able to cut it out one day and sew it up the next and be done. His shirts, take more time because I have to make sure that everything is perfect! He inspects the shirts for any possible flaws....HE NEVER DOES THIS WITH RTW CLOTHES!! What is the difference here, once someone thinks "home-made" they think low quality. I had to point out to him, that the last shirt I made was contructed better than his beloved Tommy Bahamas shirts! At least he wears the shirts I make for him often. I told him just think of them as custom tailored shirts like the rich and famous have made! :) So, I think I will have to dig out that pattern and set in.......after my quick and easy black t-shirt!

Some Inspiration Please!

I don't know what I want to make. There I said it. Hmmmmm.

I have reading blogs for an hour now and I am still stumped. I have seen lots of great creations, but I am not inspired. I read the latest sew news magazine and I am still not inspired. I have sewn for my girls alot lately and not for me or dh, so maybe it is time for a switch. I am not sure what I need....or want right now. It is long sleeve shirt weather and I could use a new long sleeve black t-shirt. That would be a quick pick me up. A jalie 2005 with a round neck and long sleeves. That could work. I have some nice black siltex knit t-shirt material in my stash (thank you evil fabric queen!). My dh also saw the black knit and commented that he needed a black short sleeve shirt for under casual button up shirts. I don't have a pattern for that though....any recommendations?? I am laughing to myself, because I think I am the only one who reads this....once in awhile I have another viewer.....but only maybe one! :)

I was also thinking that I wanted to make dh a new button up shirt. I got this pattern from kwik sew (3484).

He also mentioned that he wanted some new boxers....I am not sure if I want to yet though! I did buy this pattern a while back however.....kwik sew 3298. Getting cool looking waistband elastic is a task though. There is one person on e-bay that has a yahoo group as well that sells some stuff, and that is about all I have found that I like!

Creepy looking picture! Oh well, I am getting tired so off for now. Maybe more inspiration will hit later!