Every once in a while, I get a hare-brained idea. Like, “Wouldn’t it be nice to sew jeans from scratch? For a growing boy? Solely on the treadle machines?! Cool! I’ll have it done by next weekend!” Yes, I thought that. I still stand by it, except for the ‘next weekend’ part. In September, as the weather was finally cooling off, I finished up B’s jeans. I started them a long time ago, but was savvy enough to put a bunch of extra length in them. This kid grows up far faster than he grows out.

Mostly, I wanted to see whether I could make “real” pants that didn’t look homemade. These pants represent my first yoke, half-elastic waistband, pockets, placket, inset zipper, belt loops, and back pockets. Whew. I’ve made pants before, but of the elastic pull-on variety with no pockets.

My favorite thing about these pants is that the front pockets are sewn down, which eliminates the annoying white bunch of lining that always seems to appear at the top of my boys’ jean pockets. Pushing down the lining when they put their pants on in the morning is not high on the boys’ priority list. B’s favorite thing about them is the gingham lining on the inside of the front pocket. It was a piece of fabric from Aunt Ellie’s stash, and he’s thrilled that it is now his. That, of course, charms me to no end.

I managed the whole shebang on my treadle machines, with the exception of the button hole. I *could* have done it on my Necchi, but I managed to mess up my timing on it, and so brought out my trusty old electric machine for the button hole just to have it all done. B was terribly patient, and claims these as his favorite pants. Consequently, I only have the photos that I snapped in a hurry when they were first complete.

The pattern is from Ottobre Design’s Autumn 2007 kids issue (#39: Boy’s slim-fit pants.) They fit B perfectly. Well, two days after I hemmed them, they were too short again, but that’s not the pattern’s fault. Luckily, I left enough fabric to let out the hem. I can be taught.

In other clothing news, I’ve been playing about with embroidery. Both of these patterns are from Urban Threads. I did them on soft plain T-shirts. I’m lucky that I have boys who want to wear the things I make. One of these days, I’ll get around embroidering something for myself. At least I won’t grow out of it!

I sewed up this quick tote for a friend’s birthday last November. It was a lovely pattern and quick to come together. It is technically reversible, but with the fabrics I’ve chosen, I think it looks better this way. I used a decorator-weight fabric for the outside just to give it a bit more body. In my case, the decorator weight fabric shrunk down to below the amount I needed for the pattern, so I shortened the handles a bit. Next time I’ll be sure to buy extra to ensure I have enough fabric.

I know there will be a next time for this bag. It’s cute, functional, and easy. What more could I want?

There are pockets on the outside and inside. This photo of the bag inside-out will give you a better idea of its construction.

Details:

I’m operating under the code of ‘better late than never.’ This was the upshot of Halloween sewing this year.

The ghost was an adult-sized costume that I pared down using J’s measurements. Considering I did it on the fly, it came out pretty well. The hood and shoulder area could have used a little more attention, but it worked for the Halloween party and trick-or-treating. It was excellent practice in working with slippery stuff, and I got to use the narrow hemmer on my serger for the first time. He’s wearing his brother’s skeleton costume from last year underneath to look as scary as possible, though the big grin on his face ruins that effect.

Next to the ghost, Mr. Wizard was dead easy (pardon the pun.) The cape went together in a day, and the robe was almost as fast. You can’t see it in this photo, but I also threw together a felt scabbard for his wand, so that he’d have his hands free to play party games and beg treats. The cape fabric did all the work for this costume; I’m glad we found it.

I was silly again this year, and made the costumes in the week before Halloween. Details below:

Ghost

Wizard

Today is day one of the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. I’m diving in, because it’s at this time every year that I find myself without clothes for the kids. They sprout up all summer long, but I don’t really notice because they’re in shorts. Then, the dreaded fall weather arrives, and suddenly we have wrists and ankles poking out from clothes everywhere.

B, in particular, is a skinny kid. Every once in a while we’ll find a slim fit pair of pants to fit him, but it’s not too common. So, I’m going to find out how far I can get on a pair of pants for him this week. The challenge stipulates working an hour a day, but I imagine I’ll end up doing a bit more than that just to get somewhere.

Of course, I made it a bit more challenging for myself by making this the first pair of pants I’ve ever made with a yoke in the back. And pockets. And a zipper. Oh, and I’m making it my first pattern from Ottobre, too. Yes, I might be in a bit over my head, but I’m sure to learn something along the way.

Day 1:

• Got B’s new measurements (he’s 10, so it seems like they change hourly.) Checked them against the Ottobre slim fit pattern measurements, and they are the closest fit height- and waist-wise that I’ve ever seen for him.
• Dug out denim from the stash that I bought years ago. Determined that it’s definitely not 10-year-old-boy-pants denim. It’s thin and soft, and he’d have a hole in it within five minutes. Two, if he was outside.
• Ran to the store, found heavy brown denim on sale. B loves it (whew.)
• Found correct pattern sheet (see photo, above.) After recovering from the initial shock, found out via Google that I’ll be adding my own seam allowances. Cool, except for I don’t know which parts actually need them, or what that interesting flap thing is on one of the patterns. Must be the fly that covers the zipper. Hrmm.
• Found pattern tracing paper in the closet, gathered everything together, and called it a night.

So, does anyone out there have any advice about sewing for kids? I’m all ears.

B now has a new pair of pajamas, sewn in 20 minute stretches over the past several weeks. Or months, but who’s keeping track? I love this pattern; I think it’s because they remind me of baseball uniforms. Seriously cute, without me having to mess with setting in a collar. The pattern is New Look 6131, and I picked up the fabric some time ago at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics store.

This boy grow up much faster than he does out, so I’ve gotten crafty with the bottoms. I added three inches when I cut them out, and made cuffs at the bottom of his pant legs. So, the first time he grows out of them, I’ll simply let the cuff down (they’re simply tacked up at the seams.). That will leave a deep hem, which I can let down for the second growth spurt. I think I’ll be rather lucky if the pants make it that long without getting worn out in the knees. But, he loves them, so I want to make them last as long as we can. Now his brother is asking for a cuffed pair of PJ bottoms, as well.

I have been knitting and spinning a little, and working on a quilt for charity. I’ll have some picture to show you all soon!

Book covers are another quick gift idea for kids or adults. I just realized that I never shared my first two book covers with you; they were paperback covers for my boys. This particular cover is for a composition book. I hope it will make a nice place for the hopes, doodles, and lofty plans of its new owner, who wants to build and fly airplanes someday.

I used the same basic design as I did for the paperback cover. My brilliant mother-in-law used to sell them in craft shows way back in the 80′s, and she taught me this method. Each cover has a ribbon bookmark sewn in at the top for ease of use.

Since composition books aren’t variable in size, I didn’t have to worry about an adjustable back flap. I sewed pockets on both sides for the cover to slip into.

I decided to go for a magnetic closure for the ‘wow, spiffy’ factor. It really added to the cost of the cover (the closure was about $5.50 at my local fabric store.) My boys each want a cover, but I think I’ll try to find a regular magnet and piece of steel for the next ones. This particular closure has little pointy bits on it, and I’m afraid they will wear through the fabric eventually. If, like me, you are sewing on a metal-bedded sewing machine, please make sure your sense of humor is in place before sewing anything containing a magnet. It helps. Also, if anyone has advice on other ideas for a magnetic closure, or a good source of small, strong magnets, please let me know.

Here’s a quick shot of the inside of the cover. I didn’t bother with a lining fabric, as you don’t see the white of the interfacing when the composition book is in place. I was hoping to put a pen pocket along the spine, but I ran out of time. Birthday presents are like that, sometimes. Hopefully I’ll get it worked out for version 2.0.

Time for the annual Halloween recap. This year, we had a ghost and a skeleton in our midst.

The ghost costume is about eight layers of tulle put together in the fashion described in this tutorial. However, it looked nothing like the photo. You could clearly see the little ghost’s front, as it came out basically like a cape that covered sides and back. So I took leftover tulle and made about eight layers, enclosing one end in material that could stretch across J’s chest. I sewed one end to his white zippered sweatshirt, and pinned the other end after he zipped the sweatshirt closed. He thought he wasn’t white enough over his legs, but he wanted dark pants so he looked floaty. I whipped up a ‘ghost skirt’ from some stash knit fabric (I have no idea what I originally bought it for) and then snipped the bottom for a rag effect. He giggled, but it did what he wanted it to do. We took this photo right before trick-or-treating. After about 10 minutes, we figured out that he had the cape on inside out – the fabric actually floated around more than this as he walked around, and away from the porch lights he did look rather like he was floating. Spooky!

The skeleton costume is simply paint and a black sweatshirt and sweatpants. I tried glow-in-the-dark paint, but it wasn’t showing up. Two coats of the white fabric paint did the trick! For this costume, I sketched out skeleton bits on paper, cut a stencil with an xacto knife from thin template plastic, and then affixed the stencil to the fabric with re-positionable adhesive. B and I painted the bones with foam brushes. The skeleton actually lines up well – he’s all fractured here because he was running about like a maniac and had twisted his shirt a bit.

Another year done! Next year, I need to start in August.

Last night, I sat perched on my chair in a corner of my living room, bare toes working the cool iron of my newest toy, a Singer treadle sewing machine built around 1918. She followed me home a few weeks ago, and I am in love. She’s simple, elegant, and I am utterly entranced by her. She’s making me want to sew.

She’s been christened Ellie after my aunt, one of the kindest and most generous souls I’ve ever known. Isn’t she beautiful? I’m amazed by how little has changed in the basic mechanics of sewing machines. The bobbin looks like a bobbin, it threads like my modern machine, and both the bobbin and top thread tension work in the same way. It even takes modern sewing needles.

Here’s the bobbin winder, over by the hand wheel.

Already Ellie has helped me with rice packets (for moisture absorption in my sugar storage), book covers for the boys, and a pair of pajama bottoms. Next up: pajama tops!

If you have a penchant for sewing and a love for old pieces of engineering, a machine like this might be right up your alley. If you’re considering one, or already have one, I highly recommend the Treadle On site.

We’re well into the rhythm of summer around here. Lazy mornings, no school, games, lego, reading, and a little crafting jumble together with camping trips, visitors, and finding ways to avoid the muggy heat (thank you, central air!)

My latest finished project is this scrappy baby quilt. When I look at it, I see bits of things I made for my own kids scattered throughout, which is an extra layer of fun just for me.
This is from the Quilt in a Day series of books, though that title is laughable from my point of view – this project was started the same year this blog was. Three years ago.

As my first all-machine pieced and quilted quilt, this little gem has more mistakes than I can count. No, I’m not telling. This year, I’m concentrating on finishing things. My thought is that something imperfect but done can be loved far more than something perfect but unfinished.
So far, so good – the tyke that received this ocean quilt loves it. It’s been gone out of my hands less than 24 hours and it’s been napped with, shown to Daddy, and used as a playmat while playing games. I’m pretty sure he’s not looking at the crooked stitching.

Details:

I can never find a purse small enough for me! I’m one of those wallet, pen, phone types of people. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll stuff any size purse I decide to carry around, eventually. Then it hurts my back and shoulder to lug it about! So, smaller is better.

After scouring the ‘net for a pattern, I ended up with this wristlet. Turns out the lady who made the pattern lives all of about 30 minutes from me – small world!

The fabric is two fat quarters that my sisters gifted me with years ago. They haven’t made their way into a quilt yet, so they were fair game. I made plenty of mistakes putting this together, but I’m not about to show you what they are! It’s serviceable, and the fabric hides a lot. Whew.