One of my goals this year in the "making things" department is to make more clothes. There are so many great patterns I already have in various books as well as the hundreds that are out there on sewing blogs--all for free, and usually with step-by-step photographed tutorials. I like low-maintenance sewing and making things without zippers/fuss (I've talked about my resistance to sewing zippers before) and things that I can truly make for less money or a comparable price as buying it. Also, I look for patterns and fabrics that I would actually want to buy as a finished product. Not all patterns are created equal, and sometimes you really have to search to find things that are stylish (for today, not 1989) and wearable.
I've had some success with this goal already this year and made myself a cute tunic out of some pink striped jersey knit that I found in the clearance section at Joann's for $6. The top took about an hour to make the first time around, since I had to cut the pattern out and practice a bit with the slippery knit. The pattern came from the book Sew What You Love by Tanya Whelan, pictured above. Side note: knits can be less than fun to work with. They like to slide, bunch, pull and stretch in weird ways and can quickly become frustrating. If you want to use knit, invest in a ballpoint needle and/or a twin needle, use a zig zag stitch, and sew slowly. And make sure you're not already low on patience when you start or you'll end up cursing. A lot.
I picked up several more knits at Joann's for some other tops, along with some quilting cotton for another project, yet to be determined. I don't have anything specific in mind, but the fabric was cute and it was on sale. I also got a few more yards of knit from Etsy (pictured above, 2nd photo from the top and ordered from the Etsy shop Fabulace) and ended up with a ginormous bag of free fabric cast offs from my mom. She reorganized her fabric stash and I showed up on the right day :) A bag full of free fabric? Yes, please.
I have a heap of patterns for cute dresses and tops for Charlotte. I recently made her one new dress, a pair of leggings, and a pair of pajama pants. Here are the pj pants, which I made out of a cut of flannel from Joann's that I got as a stocking stuffer. I made my own pattern by using a pair of fleece pants she already owned, folding in half, and tracing around. I placed this patten on the fabric on the fold line, and traced around but added 1/2" on the bottom for hemming and 3/4"at the top for the elastic casing.
The dress I made was from the Milk & Cookies pattern by Fig Tree.
I used jelly roll strips from the Poodle line by Jennifer Paganelli. The top of the dress is from a onesie that was wide enough to fit Charlotte for awhile longer but too short. I cut off the bottom and attached the skirt to the shirt to make a bright, summery, empire waist dress. It was a very simple and quick project and I absolutely love the fabric line. I have enough left to make another dress, which I plan to do in the next size up for next summer.
Sewing clothes for little girls is not only super fun, but also fairly simple and doesn't typically require much fabric. Everything I've made her so far has been out of smaller cuts of fabric left over from other projects or out of pre-cuts that I pieced together. Also, little girl clothes are adorable.
So needless to say, I have some lofty sewing goals. I've sewn almost every day for the past week and on days I haven't I have at least cut something out. It's been nice to have no other reason to sew other than because I want to. I find that I enjoy the process so much more without the pressure of making something to sell it or fulfilling an order. When I just keep it a hobby I remember why I wanted to learn in the first place and why I like it so much.
Maybe she will too one day.
~Stacy
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