Guest Post at CailaMade

I am so excited to be guest posting over at CailaMade today!

Caila sews the most amazing clothes for her kids (the shorts she makes for her boys are so inspirational), she is the sweetest person and just recently hosted #BOSS (Best of Summer Sewing). #BOSS was such a fun series and I had to add a few items into the Flickr group and I'm so glad I did. These adorable swim trunks I made for Henri were chosen in her top 12 favorites on Flickr! Such an honor.

Hop on over to CailaMade.com and check out my fun image-only interview. And be sure to visit every day this week for a new blogger sharing a bit more about their love of sewing.

April

KCW Day 2: T-shirt and Skirt

Day 2 of Kids Clothes Week was a pretty good day! I was able to sew this simple shirt in the morning, during the babies nap. And the skirt was completed during the afternoon naps.

I decided to sew everything from my existing stash of fabric, thread and trims. So even though I would have loved some different patterns or colors for the accent pieces, I'm happy to say I didn't go to the store once!

The shirt came together in about an hour. So simple to sew and I really want to get some fun patterned bias tape and make a few more of these! I know I can make bias tape but I'd rather spend that time sewing clothes. 

Pattern: Toddler t-shirt tutorial by The Purl Bee

Size: Fits 4-6T

Fabric: Dusty rose and natural striped linen-type fabric found at an estate sale

Additional info: Used brown bias tape

The fit: As you can see, it's a little wide in the neck and its actually too narrow in the waist. She still has her baby tummy and this fabric doesn't have any stretch. The seam allowances were 1/2" so next time I will probably sew 3/8" or cut it wider.

She was telling me the colors of the stripes. And standing still for a split second! Always moving, this girl.

I've been trying to sew with knits more and Miette loves to wear them. She loves to be comfortable and have plenty of room to dance, run and play. I love skirts but they aren't ideal when she plays at the park. I found a tutorial for a skirt with built-in shorts and knew it would be perfect!

Pattern: Skirt with built-in shorts (tutorial) by The Long Thread

Size: 4-6T, can be adjusted based on waist size and elastic

Fabric: Gray jersey knit

The fit:  It was a little long and the waistband looked a little strange. So I adjusted the length, from the waistband, and it fits much better!

Perfect for climbing trees!

I'm taking Wedneaday off to actually do chores around the house but hope to sew some more Thursday!

KCW Day 1: Geranium Dress and Bubble Skirt

After all the sewing I've done in the past month, I needed to take a little break. I went on vacation with the family and then I cleaned, made a big batch of baby food, did the laundry that was piled up and just took some time to relax. And now I'm ready to finish some projects and start a few new ones!

It's Kids Clothes Week and I'm excited to participate. Basically it is a challenge to sew for your kids, at least 1 hour per day, for a week! Miette is at vacation bible school this week for 3 hours every day (!!) and so I hope to be able to sew while she is gone, assuming that Henri takes good naps!

Today I was able to sew a few things that needed fixing or just finishing.

I started this geranium dress last week and finished the piping, hem, buttons and pockets today. This is for a friend of ours (and coordinates with the pleated playsuit and flat front shorts I made for the kids) but of course I wanted Miette to be my model.

I love this print and it turned out so cute. I wasn't so sure about the contrasting pockets in brown linen...and I'm still not sure I love it. It helps to tie this dress in with the other clothes (more on that later!) so I think I will keep them for now! This is my fourth geranium dress and I added piping for the first time. It was so much easier than I thought it would be! And I think I may add piping to everything that I make from now on.

I also used french seams for the skirt portion. This was my first time doing that as well and I love how it turned out. So much nicer than using my zigzag stitch and it really didn't add that much time. 

Pattern: Geranium dress by Made by Rae

Size: 5T with added length
Fabric: Les Amis in peach by Michael Miller

(Styled by mommy)

(Styled by Miette)

I made this skirt last year and the waistband was too large so its been sitting in the closet, unworn. I dug it out, removed the waistband and made it smaller, sewed it back on and now we have an adorable knit skirt!

Pattern: Bubble skirt tutorial by EmmylouBeeDoo
Size: 4T
Fabric: Pink and white polka dot knit jersey

My list for the rest of the week includes two shirts, a knit skirt with built in shorts, pillowcase dress and maybe a cardigan! All for Miette, Henri doesn't need a ton of things right now and she is growing so fast!

What are you sewing or making this week?

Baby Shorts from Men's Shirt

This boy. He is just the happiest, cutest, funniest little boy in the world. And it turns out making clothes for boys is just as fun as for girls! Shorts are such a simple, easy thing to make. I had this button down men's shirt in my stash for quite awhile and knew it would make the perfect pair of shorts. I was cutting the pattern pieces and night and didn't notice that the front of the shirt was cut on the bias and the back wasn't. So I ended up with a diagonal pattern on the front and straight pattern on the back. And I love it!

The two top teeth are breaking through, thus the crazy amount of drool!

Pattern: Cargo shorts by Seamingly Smitten Patterns

Size: 12-18 months

Fabric: Cotton shirting from a mens button down shirt

I made a size 18 month (again for my 8 month old who wears cloth diapers) and the fit is pretty good. They ended up being pretty long but I wanted to be able to save the length for when he gets bigger. Last weekend I picked up this vintage hem tape, at an estate sale, and thought I would give it a try! It went on easily but I don't think it will last through the first washing. But it was fun to try it out!

And this is his newest trick. Pulling himself to standing. Really? Let's slow down a little baby boy! And how cute are these shorts?