Drool bibs

My husband raised his left arm all the way up, above his head, yesterday.  His therapist took a video of him on his iPhone and emailed it to me while he was at rehab.  As I watched it, I was reminded that three months ago, he could not move that arm at all.

 

He's also walking much quicker now.  When he came home from the hospital in mid-July, I had to spot him walking up and down the stairs.  It was a slow process.  But now, he'll tell me he's coming upstairs, and I figure I'll see him in two or three minutes, only to turn around 20 seconds later and see him clearing the last step.  He seems to have made tremendous progress in particular the past two weeks.  Our prayers are being answered.

Although I'm still incredibly busy, I did get a chance to sew a few weeks ago.  This hour of time happened to coincide with my realization that there was an alternative to changing Niko's shirt five times a day - drool bibs!  Most of you probably had that figured out with your own babies, but in my house, bibs had always been mealtime attire.

 

So one evening after dinner, I disappeared downstairs, tossed through the scrap bins and sewed up a bunch of bibs.

These are just the ones that were clean today.  A few more are in the wash, and I have another half dozen in the sewing cave in various stages of assembly.  I need to finish them as Niko can go through four or five of them on particularly wet days.

I looked up a few tutorials to see how big to make them.  The measurements varied from 11" squares (cut in half) to 14" squares.  I made a few of each since I didn't know what would work.  They all do - though he will outgrow the 11" ones sooner. 

I used a bunch of different fabrics - linen, double gauze, flannel, quilting cotton and corduroy.  I'm really liking the ones that are flannel on one side and corduroy on the other - they seem to last the longest before soaking through the back.

I'm happy to see some of my favorite plaids around his cute little neck.  And Niko is happy to have a dry chest (mostly).

New Look 6374 and my Larry the Cable Guy arms

There was a Hancock Fabrics on the road to the hospital where my husband spent four week in acute rehabilitation. There aren't any Hancocks near me, so I took the opportunity, when I was driving back and forth nearly every day, to stop in a few times.  I liked their selection of apparel fabrics a lot more than the selection at my local Joanns, though that may be a case of the grass being greener at the other fabric store.

In any case, it was love at first sight for me and this rayon print.  I have a thing for bright colors on a navy background - this fabric reminded me quite a bit of a navy Asian-inspired print I bought when we lived in Moscow.

I used that fabric to make these two Ice Cream tops for my girls (they were 18 months and 2.5 years in this photo!).

While I was shopping at Hancock, I also spied New Look 6374.  Mandarin collar? Front and back yokes? Front placket? Yes, yes and yes please!

But despite all of those yeses, this top never gets worn. The main problems are a) the shoulders are too wide and b) the armholes are too low.

The width of the shoulders and my fluffy upper arms make me think of Larry the Cable Guy every time I put this on (only to take it off again, having confirmed that it really doesn't look good on me).

I think the top would be more flattering if it showed a little more shoulder.  It's not an issue of me cutting a smaller size - I had already cut a 14 shoulder according to my high bust measurement.  The pattern builds in a whopping 8" of bust ease, which seemed excessive.  So I just widened the pattern to a 16 at the bottom of the armscye (for 5" of ease at the bust).  In any case, fixing the Cable Guy shoulders isn't a hard fix - the armholes are finished with bias tape, so I'd only need to pick that out and then cut some width off the outer shoulder before rebinding - I just need to find time to do it.

But there is no fix for the low armhole.  It is bra city down there.

Though as it turns out, the placement of the white flower on the pattern and my light-colored bra means that it's not that noticeable unless you're all up in my armpit.  No one ever is except Niko, though, and he doesn't care if my bra is showing.

The top features front and back yokes with gathering where the bodice meets the front yoke, and a pleat in the back.  I did not use a contrasting fabric as suggested for the front yokes,  so they get lost in this big print.  The top of the bodice did not gather as much as I thought it would based on the line drawings. The gathering gets lost in the print too.

While the end result has me thinking that this shirt was not the best use of the big print (which would may have been better suited to a simple tank top that did not break up the pattern), my choice of substrate was spot on.  I don't think I would want to wear this top made up in anything less drapey.

I should have done a forward shoulder adjustment. It's been so long since I've sewn myself a woven top that I had forgotten that I really always need a forward shoulder adjustment.  Otherwise I am constantly shrugging my clothing forward.  And finally, the shirt is just a bit short (yes, that is the waistband of my maternity jeans in the photo above ...).

All that said, the actual sewing of this pattern was very pleasant.  The placket and mandarin collar are very well drafted and the instructions throughout are quite thorough.  The pattern recommends French seams, which I forgot to do, but I imagine the inside finish would be very nice if I had done them.  The yokes are unlined and I used my serger for all seam finishing, so my insides aren't as nice as they could be.

I would consider trying this again, redrafting the armholes to fix the depth and the shoulder issue, and lengthening it a smidgen - maybe 3/4".  But who knows when I will find time.  I sewed this a couple of months ago and all I've had time for lately are baby drool bibs.

Fabric Dreams

Life. 

It has been very busy since we got back from our vacation two weeks ago.  We started our school year this week.  I also gave the girls their first piano lessons.  And the changes around the house and in our family mean that I can no longer count on having 60-90 minutes to myself in the afternoon.  I'm hoping that will change as our new routine grows more familiar to us.  

So, while there is no sewing, there are the occasional daydreams about fabric and what to do with it.  Like the lovely cuts that I scored in a very lucky series of blog giveaway wins!  Back in the spring I won five giveaways in a row.  It was crazy (and also awesome).  From Urban Sew, I got a yard of this Riley Blake stripe knit, and two yards of Nani Iro double gauze (my first).  I chose the stripe for boys' clothes.  I was a little disappointed when it arrived and I found that it was a printed stripe (I had assumed it was yarn dyed, I don't know why), so I hope it holds up in the wash.  I have no idea what to do with the Nani Iro other than pet it :)

In two of the other giveaways (Skirt Fixation and True Bias), I won a bunch of Art Gallery knits.  These are destined for little boy Field Trip raglans and comfy baby pjs whenever I can find a minute to make them.

In addition to my giveaway fabric haul, I have a few other pieces burning holes in my stash.

Like this cozy rayon/cotton French terry, grabbed from Fabric Mart a few months ago.

Three yards of this J. Crew cotton flannel voile (who knew there was such a thing?), also from Fabric Mart.  

I usually wait to buy fabrics from that site until they are on sale (which never takes long as there is always at least 40% off going on a couple of categories of fabric at a time - part of the reason I love that site so much).  But I actually bought this one at full price because there wasn't much in stock and I was afraid it would sell out.  I am imagining it made up in a simultaneously floaty and cozy Late Lunch Tunic.

Bought last winter with an Etsy gift card that I got for Christmas, this whimsical Lillestoff print.

I had intended to make baby clothes out of it before Niko was born but I never got around to it.  Now I would like to make a pair of Reversible Bubble Pants from Growing Up Sew Liberated and a Lullaby Layette jacket.

Finally, there is this gorgeous piece of silk dupioni - 1.5 intact yards found at a thrift store for ... wait for it ... 99 cents. 

I have no idea what to do with it.  Girls' dress?  Skirt for me? Top for me?

In all likelihood I'll just stare at it for years.

But I would much rather sew it up. Any ideas?

Kirsten Kimonos in rayon

Three months postpartum, the most comfortable thing to wear is still my assortment of ribbed maternity tank tops.  So right before our beach trip I decided to round out the wardrobe with a couple of Maria Denmark's Kirsten Kimono tees (sign up for her newsletter to get the free pattern).  

Despite having sewn eight of these tees over the last two years (1, 2, 3), I had never actually sewn the pattern without modifications.  I always scoop out the neckline, and for my maternity Kimono tees I either lengthened or trapeze-d them.  This time I decided to sew the pattern with the neckline as drafted.  

As I had to retrace the pattern to do this, I decided to do a dartless t-shirt FBA using the instructions on Maria Denmark's website.  I used a medium as my starting size and added a 2.5" FBA (yikes), grading the hips out to XL. 

I sewed up two tees using some stashed rayon jersey.  I picked up the blue fabric off the $2.97 table at G Street Fabrics last spring.  I am pretty sure the tie-dye effect is the result of the dye running when I pre-washed the fabric, but I don't mind it.  That spot by the neckline is just water, which did not leave any marks after it dried.  I did not finish the neckline with a band this time.  Instead I just turned over and zigzagged the neckline.  I had read about people doing this before and was skeptical that it would work without stretching out, but it has actually held up just fine.

The black is a rayon/lycra remnant from Joann's; I think it was a little less than a yard. I finished that neckline with a raw-edge band.

These photos were taken on our vacation which, sadly, is now over.  It was a nice escape, and the whole family enjoyed the sand and the surf.  I'm suffering from a mild case of post-holiday blues now.  The girls asked me today why we can't just live at the beach.  Now I'm wondering the same thing.

I did not finish the hems (or even even out the bottoms very well) of these tees, as I plan to hem them once I get my new coverstitch machine out of its box :) There isn't much more to note about these projects, other than that I finally invested in clear elastic, which works much better for stabilizing the shoulder seams than the regular old 1/4" elastic I had been using.  I should have done that a long time ago!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

A few weeks ago I received a lovely package in the mail.

The package was from our sewing fairy godmother, a sweet lady who wanted to do something to help during our time of hardship, and it was filled to bursting with gorgeous clothing sewn from Oliver + S patterns.

Four perfect little bucket hats.

Reversible for fickle beachcombers.

Two adorable Puppet Show dresses.

With matching shorts.

A dapper Sketchbook set (which I somehow managed to leave out of the vacation suitcases).

And a fully lined Lullaby bodysuit in breezy seersucker,

Perfect stripe matching across the snaps.

And on the side seams.

There were even some lovely gifts for me - a beautiful pair of embroidery scissors with a handmade beaded fob, a handmade pincushion and a box of pins.

We are thoroughly spoiled!

Quilty Aspirations

I often drool over photos of gorgeous quilts online, though I myself have never been very good at putting fabrics together. I made this quilted table runner with matching napkins three years ago, but I drew all my fabrics from the same collection (Valori Wells Karavan), figuring that would be foolproof.

Then last week I read a great post at Stitched In Color where Rachel took her readers through her fabric selection process, step-by-step.  It was fascinating.  I realized that, while I very well just may not have a knack for pairing fabrics, I definitely do not spend enough time on it.

We are on vacation right now, and today the stars aligned.  Rachel announced a fabric mosaic contest, and I was stuck inside with a napping infant and a sick toddler while my girls were down on the beach with family.  I spent about 90 minutes making two mosaics.  The theme is "almost primary, as in primary colors."  I spent the bulk of my time on the second mosaic, and I really love how that one turned out.  So much so, that I am seriously considering trying to turn it into a quilt.

For the first one, I focused more on colors than on prints. I ended up with more of a rainbow effect than a primary colored one.  I like it, but looking at it compared to the second one now, it definitely looks a bit more krafty than I think I actually like.

This is the one I spent most of my time on.  I had it in my head that I should avoid using multiple color ways of the same print - and yet, as you can see, I did it twice! Turns out I really love the Alison Glass Handcrafted line - I could not leave out any of the pluses or the flying geese.  I particularly love the chartreuse pluses in the bottom left hand corner and the storm geese in the top center.

The contest is open through August 18, and winners will be chosen by popular vote! Go make your own mosaic or just check out the beautiful mosaics people have put together. And if you like mine, they are #24 and #25 in the linkup ;)

Late to the Mabel Party

I was on the fence about Colette's Mabel when it came out last year.  I liked the idea, but the modeled photos on the web site just weren't doing it for me.  Meg made a couple that I liked, at which time I added the pattern to my mental shopping list.  I didn't actually buy it until a couple of weeks ago when it was on sale for $10 at Fabric Mart.

I used a gray ponte with flocked back diamonds that I bought a year ago for $5/yard (also from Fabricmart - I seriously love that site).  I sewed the XL according to my current measurements.

It seemed to fit pretty well, but after a few hours' wear it had stretched out significantly.  Hate that.  The ponte felt like it had pretty good recovery so I figured the skirt was too big, size chart notwithstanding.  I took it apart and took in the waistband seams and the top of the skirt seams 5/8" inch for a total decrease of 2.5" around (basically the L size with an XL hip).  I tapered the seam to nothing about five inches down.  It fits better but still stretches out more than I'd like with wear.

  

As you can see, I photographed this skirt on a number of occasions.  I used my self-timer (reasonable), my husband (best quality photos but he stinks at looking critically at the clothes to make sure they aren't on crooked/have a flipped up hem/etc), my 5-year-old (use your imagination) and the old standby mirror shot.

As others have noted, the kick pleat does not behave well in knit fabric.  The ponte would not hold a press, so I edge-stitched the outer fold of the pleat.  It works but still is not perfect.



The skirt really doesn't need the pleat for purposes of wear but I like the idea of it, or something similar, to give the skirt a little flair.  I think I will definitely make another of these*, so I'll have to mull over what to do in back next time.

I did not notice until I uploaded these photos to the blog, that the skirt pulls in front, looking too small.  It doesn't feel too small at all, it feels comfy and snug, but maybe I will grade out the next one a little at the widest point of my hip.  Or maybe some of this baby weight will come off and I will have to resize :)

*Am I the only one who is always blogging that she will "definitely make another one" but then rarely does it?  I should go cut another Mabel right now to avoid making a liar of myself.