FO: The Vintage Coat

This project has been somewhat of a labour of love.  I have wanted to make Miss M a winter wool coat for a couple of years but haven't ever been brave enough to actually get around to it.  This year however I got separate inspiration that pushed me into it.  Way back at the beginning of the year I signed up for a "Yellow/Grey Challenge" run through a Facebook page.  Twelve people signed up and everyone sent in 4 fat quarters of fabric on a yellow/grey theme.  Then we all received 48 charm squares and had until the end of April to create something with them.
At the time of signing up all I was thinking of was the pretty fabric, however when faced with a pile of tiny squares I realised I was probably way out of my depth, I don't do patchwork!  After much trawling of the internet for what to do with 48 charm squares I was still at a loss, then the idea of the coat starting creeping back into my thought processes.  A little maths told me that I would probably have just enough fabric to patchwork a coat lining from my charm squares and it all grew from there.
This project would never have got off the ground had it not been for Jennie the fantastic tutor at the monthly sewing workshops I attend.  She held my hand through all the new techniques I tried and gave me confidence to actually get this thing done.  Over all this took 3 full sewing workshop days plus many hours at home to complete but I got there and I got there on time.
First port of call was my vintage pattern collection.  I found a gorgeous pattern but it was a size 2 and Miss M is now 3.5!  But she is 21" chest which is the size the coat was designed for so herein lies the first of many 'firsts' of this project.  I made a muslin!  I cut up an old flannel nightie I'd been given to use for fabric and made a mock up of the top of the coat to check the fit.  And it was perfect - woohoo.

Next it was time to choose the outer wool.  I was very lucky to have a selection that had come from Mum's fabric stash.  I was immediately drawn to the grey but was worried it would be a bit drab, in the end I'm glad I went with it.
My first sewing workshop was spent very carefully patch working all the charm squares together and then very bravely cutting them out, I knew if I stuffed this part up it was all over. My first ever go at patchworking!

By the end of the second day I had part of the outer together and had completed many more firsts and had the front and back of the outer coat together.  I had also done the following for the first time:
*made a bias strip and turned it into button loops using piping cord
*properly stabilised the front seam of a tailored coat
*made piping

I knew I had to do a lot of work before my last workshop if this baby was going to get finished so the attaching of the piping I had to do by myself but I was pleased with how it went.  I also used bias on a hem for the first time and by the time I was back in 'class' the lining and outer were both all together and just needed attaching and finishing.
The last workshop still held some more firsts in the form of first time making covered buttons and learning how to do french tacks and to properly attach the sleeve lining to the outer to allow for movement. Phew by this time I was exhausted but with 15 mins to spare the last button was sewn on - woohoo.
So here it is straight from the workshop.

And here it is after being professionally pressed (makes such a huge difference)!

Here are some pics showing off the bias hem detail and the french tacks, very proud of these, lol.

And finally on the model herself (she loves it but doesn't look too happy here because I dragged her away from something far more exciting than having her photo taken).

So there we go, The Coat!  Would I do it all again?  Yes, but probably for me so it won't be grown out of, and without the patchwork lining.  I am so pleased I finished this and have now learnt so many proper tailoring techniques along the way.  And now Miss M will be wearing it ALL winter.  I need to make her a yellow hat to wear with it, just having trouble deciding on the style.

FO A Birthday Hoody

Today Mr A turned 7!  Can you believe that, where have the years gone.  Anyway I'll write more about that later once his celebrations are complete.  Because it's Easter quite a few of his presents haven't arrived yet in the post so I decided on the spur of the moment to make him a birthday hoody.

I've had my eye on this pattern since the new Ottobre mag arrived in my letterbox a couple of weeks ago.  Yes you read that right, this must be some kind of record, they usually sit in my stash for a lot longer than that before getting used.  Anyway there was  a cute hoody in there and the shape and style really took my eye.  I actually traced the pattern out in Mr A's size a couple of nights ago but then when I read the fabric recommendations it was designed for a stretch knit and I wanted to use a sweat shirting with zero stretch.  This combined with the fact that its a slim fit meant it was back to the tracing board.

So this afternoon I went down to the garage and dragged out the fabric and then traced, cut and sewed the whole thing.
So here it is the car hoody.  The appliqué I got from an earlier edition of Ottobre 4/2008 to liven up the black a bit (Mr A chose the black), I also lined the hood and added a band on the bottom.

 The hood lining is fabric I got in a huge destash bundle and was the inspiration for the whole hoody really, it works well as a lining for my car mad boy.

The edge of the hood is meant to be bound in ribbing so I used this to nicely finish the hood and enclose the lining instead of stitching and turning.  I also tried the Kitschy Coo method for rib binding for the first time (been meaning to try this for ages).  I probably should of cut my binding strip a little wider and this was quite thick to do this way but I do like the tidy finish, esp on a hood where you see both sides.

 And on the birthday boy himself:

 I think it may be time to remeasure Mr A as the fit of this is pretty good.  Due to the lack of stretch instead of using a 104 with 116 length like I usually would I cut a 116 with 122 length.  I still had to add the length of the bottom band (well didn't have to but it didn't hurt and Mr A wanted a band) and the sleeves are barely long enough).  Overall I would definitely make this again.  I like the shape of the hood (cut on the fold at the front) and it's a nice slim fit on Mr A.  The only problem is he really prefers zip up hoodies as they are easier for him to get on and off so this may not get worn to school.

So all that remains for now is to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mr A.  Love you!

It's Been A Little Quiet

I've been pretty slack at keeping things moving in here.  Partly because much of my spare time has been taken up planning a big family trip for later in the year, partly due to end of term chaos, and partly because our family of 4 celebrates 3 birthdays in April.
I have still been crafting away.  I have a couple of knitting projects on the go and one test I'll blog about shortly.  I've also been sewing when I get a chance but everything is still in a "not quite finished" state (maybe I should learn to finish one thing before starting another).

Anyway I have the next 10 days off work and I'm hoping to fit some knitting and sewing into that time.  Here are some of the things I'll be working on...

A winter jersey for Mr A which has seen more time spent unpicking than moving forwards in the last week or so, back not he straight and narrow now though.

 A winter coat for Miss M, this is a bit of a labour of love and I can't wait to blog about it when it is finally done.

 A quick wee top for me, well actually I started it about a month ago and it's been sitting ever since.  I suspect it will take me about 30 mins to finish when I finally get around to it.

Does anyone else have crafting plans for the Easter weekend?

FO: Leila's Everyday Blouse (+ Giveaway)

This wee blouse is another test for Lydia of Little Kiwis Closet.  This is the third time I have been lucky enough to test one of her patterns and I have been impressed each time by the attention to detail in the pattern, the myriad of options that she fits into each pattern and also the thoroughness of her testing process.  This time around unfortunately I only had time to test version one of the pattern, which while it is just adorable has actually been improved upon and made even more adorable (can you believe that?).

When I got the call to test this I had a look through my stash and Miss M's wardrobe and I decided to use up some lovely vintage broiderie anglaise that I inherited from Mum's stash, every girl needs a nice white blouse in their wardrobe after all.  In keeping with the vintagey theme I went with the sweet peter pan collar and the puffed sleeves with frill (rather than a band).  I am so thrilled with the result and Miss M loves it.

Although Miss M is 3.5y I actually made her the 18-24m size and added length as required as this size best matched her chest measurement.  I would suggest sizing this by chest measurement as it has plenty of positive ease built in anyway.  After this version was made up the pattern was adjusted slightly to have be narrower in the shoulder so that the sleeve isn't too 'dropped', but other than that (and the fact that I lengthened it) the overall silhouette is the same.  I finished off the sleeves of mine with some vintage lace and used cute kitten buttons I picked up at a fabric sale last year.  I found that this pattern went together well and the instructions were very easy to follow.  The skirt worn in the photos is by the lovely Anne of Threadalicious.

This is a fabulous staple blouse pattern.  There are two collar options (peter pan and a ruffle collar) and size different sleeve options (puffed with band, puffed with frill, puffed with long sleeve, flowing long sleeve, flutter sleeve and cap sleeve), so there really is a blouse for every occasion in there.  It also covers sizes 9-12m up to 8y :-)

Because I love this pattern so much, and I haven't had a giveaway for ages I've decided to run a little giveaway with this post.  Just enter via rafflecopter below and I will draw the winner on 30/3/14 (NZ time).

Thanks for looking and happy sewing.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Staglands

Over the summer holidays our local library ran a a reading challenge for school kids.  There were a series of stages which were completed by reading a certain number of books and completing activities, and with each stage completed you got an entry into the prize draw.  We were very lucky to get a phone call to say that Mr A had won a prize and he was so excited when it turned out to be a family pass to Staglands Wildlife Park.
Today we decided to use the pass, packed up a picnic and headed off.  We had an awesome day there getting up close to the animals.  Here is our day in pictures.

This must be one of the few places anywhere where the main things bugging you for food scraps at lunch time are magnificent peacocks.

 The kids loved the obstacle course and flying fox :-)

 And we ended the visit with a well deserved ice cream and coffee.

A huge thanks to Staglands, the library and Mr A for a fab day out.