"Elsa" inspired dress

Well my little girl now has the Frozen bug and wants to wear an "Elsa" dress all the time.  Since I've been been cleaning out old clothes for the last several weeks, I found a shirt that could work as a new dress for W.  As a women's shirt, I had problems with the neckline and the sleeves were too long for me.

Right now she's not willing to wear any of her dresses unless it's blue.  I convinced W the neckline's rhinestones were "snowflakes" too.  I used the Skinny Tee Pattern to measure out a size 4 torso and then did an A line for the remainder of the bodice.  Instead of using the original neckline, I cut the shoulder areas narrower so both front and back pieces would overlap like a baby onesie.  The original neckline didn't have any stretch to it and i think that's how it got "pulled" over time. I wanted to make sure it would fit over W's head yet still look decent around the neckline.

I basted the modified shoulders before attaching the sleeves.  Then I stitched from the sleeves all the way down to the bottom.  By using the existing hem lines (shoulder, neck, and dress length), the dress only took a few hours to make and the result was a happy little girl.

Kids Clothes Week, Feb 2015 - Upcycled

A bit behind on this post since I immediately went on work travel right after the KCW for Feb 2015. 

So the items I upcycled all belong to my husband - one green Ruehl t-shirt and a couple pairs of boxer shorts.

For the shirt, I used Made By Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee Pattern and cut out a size 4.  Normally I would place the pattern to use existing hems but I wanted to focus on the Ruehl logo on the left side of the shirt.  For the sleeves I reused the existing hems and estimated a short sleeve length to cut out.  I also reused the collar instead of cutting out new ribbing.  The result:

The shirt was originally falling part (little holes) in back where the label is located but the rest of it was so soft and comfy.  This is the perfect type of shirt to sleep in along with a pair of PJ pants I upcycled from me.

J's new PJ set: Ruehl tshirt and Ralph Lauren flannel pants

The second item I used an Oliver and S Sunny Day Shorts pattern and made a size 2.  This was my second attempt at using this pattern and so much better than my first take at it.  The first time I tried this pattern, I accidentally cut out two of the same side and one side ended up with the hemmed seam on the wrong side after the flip.

When I initially tried them on they were too big on her.  The suggested elastic length for a 2 year old was too big on her so I had to trim it down an extra 2 inches.  These shorts are now part of W's PJ shorts rotation and have a nice loose fit so she can sleep comfortably in them.

Now it's to start preparing for the next round of Kids Clothes Week!  The next theme sounds like a lot of fun and I hope I can get all the materials prepared ahead of the time. 


Baby doll basket, version 3

Another birthday, another handmade gift.  This time the baby doll basket is for our neighbor's little girl who just turned 2.  By request I choose a fabric with Minnie Mouse and found some complementing pink fabric for the inside of the basket.  I usually choose a soft flannel since I personally enjoy the softness and figured a doll would too. (Sounds weird, right?)

The third time using the pattern was such a breeze.  It helps when the Minnie Mouse image is all over the place so I don't have to line up everything.  It messed me up the second time since I didn't notice the pattern turned upside down as the big rectangular piece is sewn from top of the basket and folds up towards the end. 

This time I actually made a decent mattress to include with the basket (pink with stars).  The first attempt at the mattress and pillow came out a disaster - nothing was rectangular and it was a little lopsided. This time I took my time by basting the batting and material layer first to help keep everything straight.  I cheated with the pillow and just made the case first by sewing right sides together, flipped it and stuffed it with leftover batting scraps.

The blanket is using up the leftover material from the outside fabric and interior fabric of the baby doll basket.

Hopefully no more baskets in the near future.  It's time to work on something new for the kids!

Fancy stuff for J

My sister has this really nice Banana Republic merino wool sweater that no longer fits since it probably shrunk from the washer and dryer.  I couldn't bare to see it go to waste so I decided to make a nice sweater for J to wear when we have cool nights.  I used the Flashback Skinny Tee Pattern to create the sweater.  I added an extra inch to the length of it in hopes he can grow taller and still be able to wear it.  I used the original hemline for the body and sleeves to save some time and also used the original neckline trim to finish it off.  The result looks pretty good except my model wouldn't cooperate.

Shirt Details:
Pattern: Flashback Skinny Tee

Changes made: Extended length

Size sewn: 4T

Fabric: Upcycled merino wool sweater from Banana Republic

Let's hope he doesn't grow too fast.  I can't believe he will be 4 next month!  =(

KCW: day 6 and 7

It's Kids Clothes Week Challenge Spring 2014 edition and I actually participated this round!  The first 5 days I couldn't participate actively since I was out of town for work but used some half sewn garments from the last KCW challenge.

The first item I made was a pajama top for J using the Made By Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee Pattern.  I used size 4 and added a little more width since the husband thought the first couple attempts at this pattern look too tight on him.  (Little does he know this is the "skinny tee" pattern.)  I also made the neckline a little larger too since I think J has a larger head than most kids.  I added cuffs for the first time and they go so nicely with the neckline ribbing.  I didn't sew the bottom hem since the material won't fray. 

Shirt Details:
Pattern: Flashback Skinny Tee

Changes made: Increased width, wider neck

Size sewn: 4T

Fabric: Purchased at Joann's, clearance section

The second item I made for J is a pair of pajama pants using the Parsley Pants Pattern, another pattern from Made By Rae.  This pattern is so easy to sew and a great way to make a new pair of pants.  The fabric is from my former pair of A&F pajama pants which finally started ripping in the crotch area.  I saved the logo to use on the back side of the pants and used the original hemlines for the bottom hem.  I think I made the size 5 so he could grow into it and use the pants for a few years.    

Pants Details:
Pattern: Parsley Pants

Changes made: increased length

Size sewn: 4T or 5T

Fabric: Upcycle from my A&F pajama pants

This concludes my participation for KCW April 2014.

Next up, a few more upcycled clothes for the kids and another birthday gift.
 

Minion bathrobe

Ever since I discovered Dana's bathrobe pattern, I was hooked on making bathrobes for my kids and for making them as birthday presents.  The whole concept is genius since there are times where it's just easier to slip the robe on and keep the kiddos warm and dry.

I originally made the largest size for a friend's kid but he outgrew it so quickly.  So I did my first attempt to "hack" the pattern and make a larger version of it (approximately a size 5 for kids).  I looked up some tutorials on how to grade up; I cut up the pattern and added a few inches to make it wider and longer.  I also enlarged the arm holes and draped the hood a bit longer so I could add an eye for a minion from Despicable Me 2.

The end result ...

J modeling the bathrobe.

I used this tutorial to get an idea on how to create the eye.  I had to buy some wonder under to use on the eye and the black band.  The wonder under is paper backed fusing and made things so easy to sew onto the towel. 

The hood with the minion face on top.

J is only 3.5 years old and currently fits in the largest size (size 3-4) of the beach robe pattern.  I'll definitely use the "new" pattern to make another beach robe when he grows a little bigger.