Entries Tagged 'A Make A Month' ↓

I know!

Having taken a couple of months to make a top for myself, during which time my body changed enough to make the exercise almost futile, I decided to put down the needle with regard to clothes for myself for a while. I’ve still got a hankering to make garments, and realised I have the perfect recipient: Fitz. Being small, his clothes are too, which translates as super-quick to sew.

I was gifted this wonderful book by Kyoko when Fitz came along, which is a japanese pattern book dedicated to sewing with knits for babies.

Knits are wonderful for little ones, especially once they get to the wriggly, shuffly stage that Fitz has reached (so quickly!). It’s also good practice for me to work with the overlocker (or lock machine as they call it in Japan), since I realised that my skills aren’t quite as smooth as I’d like them to be, though I think in part the trouble is confidence, for which the only remedy is more practice.

I decided to make the little trousers on the front cover, since they have a gorgeous flared hem, and a cute inset bottom. Sadly I didn’t have contrast jersey so it’s all one colour, but Mr J offered one of his red t-shirts for next time. I’m yet to be convinced… The sizes in the book are 60, 70, 80 and 90 cm, and I made the 80cm – wonderfully, even if they did turn out to be a little long, Fitz is going to continue growing. Rather splendidly, the trousers are called Monkey Pants, which I was compelled to call out several times during the making of, just because it sounds so joyous. I’m still compelled to shout it whenever I put them on him. I really ought to find other ways of being entertained.

Florence has just done a great post about japanese pattern books, so I won’t repeat anything about how simple they are to follow, especially since I hope you can see from this picture how indecently easy these were to make. (One thing I will mention though – I so want the little plastic clips used throughout this book instead of pins. So clever!)

Monkey pants! A little long, but no matter. He seems happy enough in them, and in all I think they took less than an hour to make. It might have seemed longer but that’s because I made the pair of shorts on the facing page at the same time. See? Indecently easy.

They’re not pressed due to ‘must make the baby wear them immediately’ excitement, hence the slightly wibbly looking seam – it’s not wibbly really. I’m going to make another couple of pairs, which will hopefully save some more of his better going out of the house clothes from weaning disasters (weetabix, tomato based sauces …) and give us go to house pants for days when we can’t be bothered to get dressed. Cheap, cheery and above all, replaceable.

You know, I kind of want some for myself…

It seemed as if this tunic would never be finished, but it is and I’ve learned some valuable things in the making.

The most important one is that the adage ’sew for the body you have’ does not apply to new mothers. Your sewing time might not come as frequently as you desire so it will take you much longer to sew a garment than you anticipated. This means two things. The first is that the winter top you were making might seem a little warm when you finally finish the top well into spring. The second is that in between starting and finishing you might do something radical like finish breastfeeding and discover that your bust measurement is now a good three inches smaller.

Dear me. It flaps about a bit. Which is a shame, because I do like the fabric and I do like the design, but I may as well be wearing a kaftan for how glamourous I feel in it. I remember reading somewhere that Hot Patterns sometimes make up big, which is another way of saying they have a generous amount of ease, but in this case I could do with rather less. I’m thinking that I might have a go at taking the side seams in a bit, and see if I can give it some shape. Another thing, which is possibly related to the general tent like proportions, is that it is rather revealing in the boob area and could not be worn out without a cami underneath, lest I wanted to get myself in trouble. (There is an option for a modesty panel but I declined to add it.)

Pluses are that I like the tunic length, I like the gathering for skimming over my  midsection, and I like the rouleau loop and button fastening on the sleeve. Would I make it again? Possibly, but about three sizes smaller…

I also realised that I need to practise a lot more with the overlocker, and with knits in general, which has led me happily to my make for May. Perhaps that’s the other lesson I learned – sewing begets sewing, and the more I do the more I realise my potential and limitations when it comes to sewing time, which is making the whole process much less fraught than it was a couple of months ago. Onwards!

Don’t forget to vote today, UK folks!

Yes you are still waiting for February’s, but not finishing one thing has never been a bar for me moving onto something else. This week I decided that Elizabeth’s idea of sewing for 30 minutes at a time was a good one, given, oh you know, everything. I also figured that it was about time I sewed some bibs for my dribbly boy, who has entered a new phase of teething. The previous phase was mainly about red, hot cheeks, but this one is all about soaking the outfit in fifteen minutes flat.

I know I made them, and therefore should display some English modesty, but I love these bibs. They really look like part of his outfit, rather than just something flung on to protect the outfit from drool. I made a little batch in various fabrics so that he has something to go with all of his different coloured tops and trousers, but I could do with making another bunch of them since he gets through them so fast…

This was taken later the same day, as we were on our way out to our baby group. I just love that fabric, which was part of my japanese haul. I have also been loving the weather this week, which has been warm enough for picnics in the park – we’ve had three so far and it’s not even May. Naturally, with it being a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, the temperature has plummeted and the rain has returned. It doesn’t matter at all – we’ll just have fun in the ball pond at home.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, long weekend or not, have a great time!

It’s been a busy month at Joleo Towers, some of it good and some of it not so good (another bout of the winter sickness bug anyone? Sheesh.) There have been hundreds of photos taken, but I refrain from posting them because who needs to see billions of pictures of Fitz chomping on pear or broccolli or pasta or peach or yoghurt? Aside from proud grandparents and obsessed parents naturally – look! he has a mouth! look! he puts things in it!

(Although his ability to eat a peach is quite spectacular…)

We did make another simnel cake this year. Instead of moulding eleven balls of marzipan to represent the apostles (minus Judas of course), myself and Mr J, godless people that we are, take the opportunity to mould animals and bottles of wine. We also added a baby in a moses basket, in honour of our Easter guests, who are expecting a baby in the summer.

As for A Make a Month, you can also see that in this picture. Yes, the table cloth is a piece of oilcloth that has been sitting in my stash for almost two years, so even though I technically didn’t make anything, I did unfold it and put it on the table for Fitz to smear with fromage frais. I’m staying within the rules (just), since the aim of the game is stash busting, and this piece is now well and truly busted. February’s make is also almost complete (oh a long sleeved knit just in time for the warm weather), and I have turned my attention to April’s project. You should expect that sometime in June I think…

When it comes to plans, I’m pretty good. I’ve got tons. One evening I sat down and quickly wrote the things I could be doing if I wasn’t writing down the things I could be doing; I ended up with an 8 point list, and those were just the projects at the forefront of my mind. I didn’t go anywhere near the back, where the dusty projects lie, having been overtaken by other newer shinier ideas. Project butterfly, that’s me. It’s not very productive if I’m honest, especially not now.

Since the sewing needs to be slotted in rather than pounced on in every spare moment I’ve realised that what I need is much more detailed planning. Unless I head to the sewing room with a clear idea of my objectives I’m much more likely to faff about stroking ribbons and pulling out the fabric drawers one by one (a common complaint), and since I notice that we’re sliding towards the middle of February rapidly if I don’t make some sort of plan soon, then I’m going to be scrambling for a make on the 28th. Now the boy naps for a maximum thirty minutes, so five minutes rooting around in the pattern stash, and another five in the fabric…

There’s an upcoming family party, and it will be the first time Fitz meets some of Mr J’s extended family. I am still cultivating a mum tum with restorative Kit Kats (so hard to give them up when you’re tired), although battling the same with the help of a pedometer. I walk everywhere with the boy in his buggy and I love it, although since I can’t do one thing without something else falling out of balance I feel constantly guilty about not using the car enough to justify the expense, and worry that the battery will die. We will have to go to Ikea for a rug to redress this. This is a roundabout way of explaining that I want to have something to wear but am unwilling to spend money in a shop, since I feel my shape is in flux.

The red jersey was bought with the intention of becoming a second cosmo dress, with long sleeves this time. Then it got stuffed in the stash because I was up the duff (a legitimate excuse!). Now I can’t decide if it should be the cosmo dress, or become a delicious dress, which I would wear as a tunic (and thank you to Lisa for tweeting the suggested combination of tunic and trousers.) While I was debating, I realised that whichever I chose I would be partaking not just in a Make a Month, but also in Experiments in Dressmaking, which is Florence’s new obsession (so thrilling considering how she always said she couldn’t do clothing). Not as experimental as making my own patterns, but it will do.

And so my next thought was that if 2010 should have sewing themes (because I don’t want to be left out here) then my theme ought to be finishing. I mean that in both senses; actually completing projects, and also completing them with care and precision. So often when I make things for myself (not for others I must add) I slap dash my way to the end because I get too excited and want to use whatever it is I’m making. It’s unsatisfactory. I also think I’m not learning anything new by ploughing on like that, so a bit of additional care and attention, and a little use of a sewing bible, even when I think I know something, might prove illuminating. I think as well it might help to restore some of the lost joy – sewing for the fair felt too much like work, and I’m not in it for that.

All aboard. I’m going to Finishing School.

I’ve decided to join Helen’s challenge for the year to make something every month using the stash. Oh the stash. Back when I first started sewing seriously I used to see people talking about their fabric stash, but at that point I was still buying for specific projects and had no idea how you could amass a stash of fabric and notions for which you have no plans. It seemed ludicrous and yet, here I am several years later, with a cupboard full of fabric, for which there are mostly no plans. Here’s how to go about getting your own stash if you don’t have one:

1. Become excited about your new sewing hobby & buy a book of projects, perhaps by Amy Butler or Amy Karol. Or both.
2. Earmark several projects you want to make & make a shopping list.
3. While you’re at it you might as well come up with several ideas of your own for things you want to make.
4. Expand shopping list accordingly, and add some things you know will come in handy one day, like zips, buttons, interfacing. (Yes, you should have learned to love interfacing by now)
5. Order some stuff online from your favourite retailers. Don’t worry about the extra stuff that falls into the basket because it looks interesting / inspiring
6. Make one project at the weekend instead of six because some friends came to stay and you went to the supermarket and you stayed up late watching a movie you’d already seen half of and you decided to make a cake and you went shopping for shoes.
7. Buy another sewing book and maybe some patterns by independent designers, because everything looks so interesting now your skills are improving. Make another shopping list.
8. Meet up with like-minded chums specifically for fabric shopping. Buy fabric for things you’ve already got fabric for because you forgot about the internet shopping you did. If the chums pick up anything nice get some too, and don’t worry what it’s for.
9. Decide it’s time you gave up buying small amounts and never get less than a metre of anything.
10. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Helen is right. It’s time to stop saving for best.

My first make for the year had to be a swift one because I came late to the party, so I settled on finally running up the ‘taggie blankie’ for the boy. Fittingly Helen herself provided two ingredients for it, in the minky for the back and in a sample of wadding she sent me last year, which I impulsively decided to use when I thought it ought to be slightly padded. I also used the fabric Kyoko sent as a present for Fitz’s birth, which seemed only fitting.

One thing I’ve always had trouble with is cutting into the precious Trefle tape, since it is so difficult and expensive to get here, but once you start it’s surprisingly easy to carry on, perhaps in this case because I was doing it for the wee one. How nice to see the various bits of ribbon, ric rac and tape sticking out ready for inquisitive little fingers!

This only took one episode of Grey’s Anatomy (yes I’m sewing to a box set again) thankfully or I’d never have finished it in January (Helen said I could have an extension but I like to play by the rules). February already, I see, and it’s a short month, so I’d best not take too long to figure out what I’ll be making next…

Thanks so much to Helen for the inspiration and starting the flickr group!