Mountains of Memories

I’ve tried out another new grow with me pattern from Appletree Sewing. This is the Banff Sweater. Just look at that mountain!

We took these pictures at the zoo just before the start of the lockdown and it was really quiet! (Spot the Tiger!). This is the 12 month to 3 year size. Isn’t it amazing to think that Toby might still be wearing this for such a long time. It already feels like he has grown up so much already! I’m sure that it will see lots of memories made.

The sweater gets its adjustment from long cuffs and waistband. In the pattern there is the option to add Velcro to keep the waist cuff folded up for the smaller end of the size range. I ordered some yellow Velcro especially for the job. When I had sewn it, I was worried that it was a bit too stiff, but it does mean that the length is great right now so I have left it in and it isn’t so obvious when it’s actually being worn. For next time have found especially soft ‘snag free’ Velcro instead. It does seem to be more pliable than the standard sew in Velcro so it shouldn’t be quite so bulky.

I love the pieced together mountain on the front. I used a little piece of faux fur left over from Toby’s bunny coat for the snow so this whole jumper is just so soft! I will definitely be making more of these. I wish it came in an adult size! I like the way that it is actually a part of the jumper, not just appliquéd on.

It’s a little bright with all that yellow! This is pretty much the last scraps of some fleece I was given ages ago by Minerva which is why the sleeves are blue. There just wasn’t quite enough to get out yellow sleeves too, but I like the way that it ties in with the mountain anyway. At some point I am hoping to share the trousers and top I made for their blog because this will be such a cosy pairing.

I’ve been busy sewing up a couple of little capsule wardrobes of co-ordinating clothing for both Toby and Lottie, and I think I might use this sweatshirt pattern again in Toby’s. The mountain is really fun and will help to tie together a few solid colour co-ordinates.

I wish it came in adult sizes too, but I’m wondering about hacking another pattern to get the same effect. I think the Seamwork Paxton sweater would work pretty well as a starting block, or perhaps I could try it on the Stella Hoodie from Tilly’s Stretch book.

It seems a bit out of season to be sharing fleece, but before we know it it will be time to plan winter sewing. This is going to be great for all the muddy and wet splashing that Toby loves to do!

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Spontaneous Speedy Shorts

Does anyone else feel a bit caught out by all the lovely weather we have had recently? I realised almost right away that Toby has just two pairs of shorts that fit and even they are on the small side so we needed a couple more pairs pretty urgently!

When I made his harem trousers I realised how much I like them on him so thought they would be a good base for some quick shorts. I could have made them even quicker by omitting the pockets, but I liked the idea of a flash of colour, and I’m hoping these will fit quite a while. Who knows how essential pockets might be by the time he grows out of them!

I used a new reel of multicoloured thread to topstitch the pockets, but unfortunately the colour changes are a bit too spaced out so it didn’t work all that well. Next time I will go back to using my multicoloured overlocker cones instead.

For these I literally guessed a length, cutting them about 3 inches below the crotch. I decided to hem them, rather than add a cuff, so I needed a bit of length to turn up into the hem.

I really like long shorts on little children. A bit less skin to worry about slathering in suncream! These have ended up a little below knee length so he has plenty of growing room. If they start getting too short I can always add a cuff later on.

The green fabric is a little heavier weight than the blue, and possibly a better weight for shorts. Both are cotton lycra so they are light and comfy. I kind of fancy some knit shorts myself!

There’s not really much more to add on these shorts. For a spontaneous sew I think they have turned out really well and Toby will get lots of use from them, possibly even into next summer depending on how much he grows.

Time for a change- Toddler capsule part 3

I’ve never really been much of a refashioner. The refashion challenge on the Sewing Bee has always felt like a bit of a mystery to me. How to visualise how something could become entirely different! This means that I usually start with cuts of new fabric, nice and flat and without seams or other features to work around. So it’s a bit of a change for me to be cutting two things for Toby from some of my maternity and post maternity clothes.

I found a pair of linen/viscose Capri length trousers which are far to big on the waist and a Raime Miette skirt that I made after Toby was born, but hasn’t seen much wear. They were both perfect for turning into summery trousers for Toby. I recently downloaded the High Tide Trousers from Made By Jacks Mum so then it was just a case of planning how to make the most of the fabric available.

It definitely took a bit of figuring out how to get all the pieces out and on grain. I had to let out the hems to manage it! There was a lot more usable fabric available in the skirt than the trousers so I decided that the best route forward was a contrast waistband and pockets.

It really is ages since I last sewed a woven garment, so I was a but unsure as to how well these would fit over his nappy. Toby is also quite a bit shorter than the age 3 size at the moment, but I figured that being as these trousers are designed to be rolled up anyway I wouldn’t worry about shortening them. I can always add an extra button to give an additional length option.

At the moment, the rolled up length is ankle grazing when standing, and about knee length when sitting or on his bike which is actually really lovely for this current beautiful weather. Being covered up but loose fitting and cool saves too many worries about sun cream!

I used a nice new fine needle to sew, and then finished the seams on my overlocker because the fabrics do both fray. I didn’t want this to be a really complex sew, so I decided to skip the back welt pockets and Toby certainly wont miss them! The front patch pockets are more than roomy enough for collecting treasures, and I even remembered to pop a handmade label in to the side seam of one pair.

One of my favourite parts of the pale blue pair is that I was able to reuse the faux drawstring from the capris into a functional one in these trousers. The instructions tell you to use buttonholes for the drawstring, but I already had some 5.5mm grommets which were perfect and speeded up the final few sewing sessions too. Because these have an elasticated waist they are still really easy to pull on and off for changes, but look pretty smart too!

Now I’m just hoping that the good weather holds so he can get lots of use out of these for the summer!

Hoodie and Harems- Toddler capsule part 2

I made Lottie some MBJM harems as part of her mini capsule and loved them so Toby needed some in his capsule too! I’ve always been a bit unsure about the dropped crotch on harem trousers, but I think the fit on these is spot on. Plenty of room for a nappy and freedom of movement, but slim legs and cuffs so that there isn’t too much volume.

This purple sweatshirt has only about 10% stretch so it’s been waiting for ages to find a suitable use. These harems work in lower stretch fabrics so it seemed like a good option.

There is a great big through pocket in these trousers, so I thought it would be fun to tie them in with the striped t-shirts. I also used rainbow thread for the topstitching as another fun little detail.

Usually I want the seams to disappear invisibly from the right side, and that was my intention with these. When they are stretched though you can see just a hint of the rainbow overlocking, which I actually quite like!

I have already made Toby an I CAN hoodie since I tested the pattern with Lottie, but haven’t been able to share it yet. This is his second one, and as soon as I saw this monkey fabric on the Poppy Bear Fabrics Facebook group I was sure he would love it! One of his favourite animals is the monkey, and this fleece backed sweatshirt is so soft. This is the basic version without the colour blocking and the pockets so that I didn’t need to break up the pattern.

This time I didn’t have a suitable colour of bias binding, so I went for the simpler version of the hoodie where the seam allowances are just topstitched down. I also topstitched the hood seams, like I have before on some of his hoodies, because I don’t really like the way that the inner and outer hoods move around without it.

I want to save as much of the monkey fabric as possible, so I thought I would use the purple sweatshirt for the hood lining instead. It means that I think I have enough fabric left from my 1m to make another jumper in the future.

Both of these got a thorough toddler road test and passed with flying colours. They have been through toddler gymnastics, climbing on banks, jumping, leaf kicking and stone throwing. He just looked so comfortable through all of it so there will definitely be more. I’m even thinking they might be cute as shorts!

Shorty shorts

Another pattern test! I’m feeling fairly prolific, though I have only been accepting ones with quick outcomes and sewn in jersey! This one has been for Appletree patterns, and I’ve sewn a couple of their grow with me patterns before so I was really excited about being involved in this test. I actually managed to sew up two different options, one each for Toby and Lottie.

These little shorties are super cute. They remind me of the bike shorts and cut off leggings that I wore when I was about 10! The pattern has two lengths, two skirt options and a relaxed or snugger fit cuffs. I think I might try the double height waistband too soon. A bit of extra height is always useful with cloth nappies!

I would also have loved a skirt with the little shorts sewn in too for doing handstands and cartwheels! I dont think Lottie is up to that right yet, but she is very sweet in her skort. She has the shorter version of the shorts, and a half circle skirt attached. There is a full circle skirt option too.

I made the longer shorts for Toby. We had a really active morning in these and they were perfect. Its a bit different to the shorts I have put him in in the past, but I really like them! I tried these shorts on Lottie too, and with her big cloth nappy they fit surprisingly well, so at the moment they can both fight it out to wear them!

As in many pattern tests, small tweaks are made to the pattern pieces throughout so I ended up sewing two different versions. In the final pattern though they have ended up giving both options so that there is a closser and more relaxed fit for the waistband and cuffs.

I made Lotties skirt with a rainbow rolled hem on the overlocker, which actually meant that this was a no sewing machine required make. Definately something to consider, and does make the process very fast. I always feel proud of myself when I manage to use some of the other settings on the overlocker.

As Lottie grows up I can definitely see myself making her dozens of these to wear under school uniforms and dresses for a bit of modesty and freedom of movement. They are such a quick and practical sew. I know I’ve said it before about her grow with me rompers, but I really love the concept of grow with me clothing. It makes so much sense with children who grow so fast!

Tons of t-shirts- Toddler capsule part 1

I have a few bits of sewing to share today, but all of them are from the same well used pattern and fairly simple I thought it best to share them as a group. This is the start of Toby’s 2-3 capsule wardrobe.

I made a selection of pick n’mix T-shirts, which is part of the same MBJM (Made by Jacks Mum) pattern as Lottie’s bodysuits. These are all the basic round neck version, but with a few tweaks to add variety. These first two are as in the pattern. I took my time matching the stripe, and I just love the space print. I even bought a bit extra of the space fabric to add a dress to this capsule for when Lottie gets bigger!

Next I added a simple pocket to a plain shirt using the offcuts from the stripes.

I recently bought some rainbow overlocking thread so I thought it would be a nice feature running through all of the little capsule. I did actually buy 4 cones, but I’ve just been using it in the loopers, and matching the needle threads to the fabric which seems to be helping to let the seams blend in from the right side.

I’ve been making friends with my twin needle again so there is a mixture of twin needle and zig zag stitching. Definitely enjoying the finish of the twin needle and the ease of stitching when using walking foot so I need to stop being so lazy in switching the feet over!

Then I started to get a bit more creative. I colour blocked this t-shirt so that the white background had a better chance of staying stain free! Toby is great at eating independently, but somehow tomato sauces get everywhere so I thought the teal would have a better chance of survival!

I also curved both the front and back hems, so this shirt is a touch longer than the others. As an engineering student I was required to have a set of French Curves among other things to use when technical drawing. I’m glad that they get to have a new use now in my sewing space. I’m glad I took the time to create a hem facing because I love the little bit of teal peeking out of the bottom.

The final t-shirt has a whole load of applique. I think it might have taken longer to prepare and sew all the shapes than cutting and sewing the rest of the t-shirt. I have some fusible stabiliser which can be printed on, so I used that to help cut the sea creatures out. Then it was just a case of slowly stitching each one on.

All of these tie in with the colour scheme I planned for Toby’s wardrobe. I’m going for more pattern and embellishment on the tops and keeping the bottoms plainer to avoid pattern overload!

I think this should be enough t-shirts for now, though I would like to add some long sleeve t-shirts/ light jumpers in to the mix at some point. I like that though these are ‘short sleeved’ they come right to his elbows at the moment, which gives a little more sun protection. I also recently bought the MBJM explorer raglan, so there may be one or two more once I’ve printed and traced that one out too!

Baby mini capsule Part 1- Going Bananas

I’ve had a little bit of a splurge on a few new patterns because a couple of pattern companies have had release sales lately! It means I’ve done another batch cut and sew to create another little capsule wardrobe for Lottie and matching t-shirts for Toby too.

The whole outfit was inspired by these two banana prints that I bought a while ago in a sale at Fabric Godmother. Toby loves bananas, and it’s one the words that he uses often so he was very pleased to see this print.

Toby’s t-shirts are Brindille and Twig ringer tees. I’ve made him the next size up- 18-24 months. It’s a staple that I keep going back to! The fit is quite roomy which is useful when you know that. Toby is a chunky 22 months and still has plenty of growing room.

I made Lottie ringer tees to match, but with my snap neck hack. To go with them I’ve been testing out new patterns. First up is the Made By Jacks Mum pick n’mix bodysuit.

The pick n’mix has loads of options, including a t-shirt cut line and both ‘regular’ and ‘cloth bottom’ fit bodysuits. I’ve gone for the cloth fit, and the snap neckline. There is also an envelope or crew neck option.

I’ve always liked the idea of making bodysuits to go with handmade baby outfits, but I find it hard to justify spending time making something so basic and that can be bought so cheaply. This was a slightly fiddly make. I’m not 100% happy with the binding so I am wondering about doing it as a band in future instead.

On these bodysuits the side seam is sewn after the binding, so I’ve stitched the side seam allowance down with a few little stitches. It’s quite a common feature of shop bought bodysuits too.

The little offcuts from were great for creating a couple of little appliqués. I used bondaweb to fix them in place, and a fusible wash away stabiliser to stop anything from stretching as I sewed. This has been through the wash a couple of times and the stabiliser still hasn’t washed out completely, but it did make the sewing really easy.

I’m looking forward to showing you the next parts of this mini capsule. I have 3 more new to me patterns to share, some of which are about to become firm favourites!