Scrap-busting Sailboat Skirts

Spending a lengthly spell at Christmas staying with relatives meant that I couldn't WAIT to get stuck into some sewing projects when we got back home. I finally articulated my plans earlier this week, but I'd been aware since we returned that the scraps-and-small pieces tubs needed dealing with. So I went to work...

Pattern:

I'm setting you the following challenge: type 'Oliver and S Sailboat' into a Google image search. If you have a small person to sew for, I dare you to try and NOT immediately buy the pattern! Unless you already own it, you may find it almost impossible. 

One of the things I love about this pattern is that the garments genuinely seem to look awesome on girls as well as boys. Just as great looking sewing patterns for men are relatively thin on the ground, it seems that there are slimmer pickings for boys as well. When I looked into the independent children's sewing pattern companies last year, I did find some fantastic boys patterns, but the quantity of options was significantly less, which makes this pattern a total win, IMO.

I bought the Sailboat pattern in PDF form in the smaller size range, which runs from 6-12 months to 3T. I used the straight up size 2T for my first version (the pink one) and it although Dolores's waist is slightly smaller than the pattern sizing was designed for, it fits her perfectly right now. I made the denim version in the size 3T to keep for later this year. For that version, I lengthened it by a couple of cms and made a back waist facing piece rather than folding over the denim to encase the elastic, as I felt the denim would be too thick and potentially uncomfortable. 

As with all my experiences of Oliver + S patterns, this was a total joy to sew. Their patterns are usually fairly involved (for a child's garment pattern), with well drafted details and clever constructions steps. I finished the pink skirt and almost immediately dived back into the scraps-and-small pieces tub to see what else I could find for another go-round. 

Fabric and notions:

Although I'm not a fan of dressing Dolores in pink, I can't deny the fact that she is already responding to that colour more powerfully than I would like. However, this pink needle cord is a raspberry shade that I can handle better than most others. It was a small piece, no more than 40cm in length, that was left over from some sampling work I did over a year ago. It is beautifully soft and a real pleasure to sew. The buttons were from my stash, which I originally bought from Britex in San Francisco back in 2006-ish. I've seen these buttons crop up elsewhere on sewing blogs, and the reason that I hadn't used them until now is that I only bought four. Perfect for this project, and Dolores adores them. 

The denim is thicker and much crisper than the cord, although it has some stretch content so hopefully it'll still be fine to wear. It was the final scrap from the piece that also became the Sweet shorts Fail and super cute fawn pinafore dress. Consider this denim busted! The front facing and back waist facing fabric was a tiny whisper of a piece that I got from the scraps bin whilst teaching a sewing class at the Village Haberdashery. 

No voyage into a nautical sewing pattern would be complete without some anchors somewhere or other! These gorgeous plastic buttons were in my stash and I believe were a gift from a sewing friend. HUGE apologies but my memory is too foggy to remember from whom exactly. Please know that they are loved and I am so grateful!!!

Thoughts:

These projects made me soooo happy, both in regards to the construction and the outcome. And as you can see from these pictures, Dolores was equally happy dancing about in her new pink skirt. Whenever we put her in a dress or skirt, she instantly and automatically starts circling the room!

Although they are more expensive than many children's sewing patterns, particularly PDF's, I feel that Oliver + S patterns are totally worth it. I intend to make both the top and trousers parts as well to justify the purchase further.

Cost:

Pattern: $13.95 (approx. £9.80) available here
Fabric: £0

Buttons and notions: £0 (if they've been in the stash for longer than I can remember the original price, then that's £0 in my book)

Total: Either £9.80 or £4.90 per skirt. 

Which leads me to my current conundrum that I would like your opinion on please. I'm not sure how my project total costs should work. If a pattern costs me £10 but I use it twice, does that make each garment cost £10 because that is what it would cost if I only made one? OR does each garment end up costing £5? If you think the latter, what happens if I go on to use the pattern a third and fourth time? Do those garments then cost £3.33 and £2.50 respectively? Or do all four then become £2.50 each? I'm obviously not going to go back to previous blog posts and adjust the total cost, that would be insane. I'm over thinking this aren't I? Even if I am, I still need to come up with a strategy I can stick to. Please help!

Scrap And Small Piece Busting

(my 'collection' of woven scraps and small pieces)

Do you ever feel like you are at risk of drowning in fabric? That's how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm not talking about the (relatively) nicely folded, garment-sized pieces that live on my set of shelves. I mean all the bits that are left over from completed projects that are too nice to chuck in the textile recycling bin, but too small to make much from.

I have one sizeable tub for scraps and small pieces of woven fabric, and another for knit, that are meant to stack up neatly next to my sewing table. Except they don't. They are now too full to stack neatly, and are over-flowing onto the floor. I'd estimate they currently contain (and I use that term loosely) double their suitable volume of fabric and it's time to do something about it. I don't mean that negatively: these tubs are full of really lovely fabric that deserves to be turned into things that will be loved and used. Perhaps you too have a similar treasure trove to mine.

(knit-ageddon)

I am NOT planning on or advocating making stuff for stuff's sake just to reduce the volume of scraps and small pieces. I've seen a bunch of links on Pinterest to lists of projects designed for using up scraps and most of them seem to me like an utter waste of time and fabric-potential. I'm talking about making great stuff that will see lots of use and enjoyment, but might require a tiny bit more thought than if you were to cut into a fresh piece of adult garment-sized fabric. It's an extension of the points I made in my Sewing When Your Skint post: finding the value in what you already own to make the kinds of things you really want to make.

I've been giving it some thought, and aside from kids clothes (more on that in a bit), here's what I'll make a more concerted effort to use it for:

• contrast pocket bags
• contrast facings (always makes garments look fancy, eh?)
• bag linings (the Anya shoulder bag, for example, only requires 35cm of lining fabric)

(image source: Emily's Three Things)

• headbands (I'm wondering if I could rock a headband like the one pictured above whilst my fringe grows out)
• vests and pants (someone messaged me recently saying that they use my pants pattern to squeeze a pair of pants out as well whenever she's cutting out a knit garment)

(image source: Making Ends Meet)

• cloth sanitary pads (yes, I am genuinely considering trying this. Call me a big ol' hippy if you wish. You can't argue that they wouldn't get used!)

And of course, if you have children in your life to sew for, little clothes, bags and toys are a great uses for smaller pieces of nice fabric. Things I plan to sew for Dolores and her friends include:

(image source: Kixx Online)

• vests and pants (I've got both kids vest and pants patterns in one of my copies of Ottobre magazine to try, but panelled pants like the ones pictured lower down in this post would mean even smaller pieces could be used)
• dribble bibs (Dolores is still a heavy dribbler, even now she's two. Plus, some my friends are busting out  new babies in the next few months)

(image source: Dana Made It)

• summer shorts (those who follow me on Instagram will have seen I've already started rustling up some of these)
• sun hats (I'm going to try the free Oliver + S reversible bucket hat pattern)

(image source: Swoodson Says)

• beanie hats (I'm going to check out this blog post (pictured above) for the low-down on some freebie pattern options)

(image source: Purl Soho)

• skirts (skirts can be as fancy or as simple as you like I guess! This gathered version pictured above would take so little time to make, it's the clever colour combo that makes it pop)
• patchwork duvet cover (Dolores is still in a grobag/sleep sack at night, but before long we'll have to upgrade her to a duvet set. I'm thinking about making a basic patchwork duvet cover when the time comes)

And when the scraps and pieces are too small to cut even a child's sized garment out of it, there's always combining, panelling and colour-blocking to make the most of the hoard. Here are some images I collated via Pinterest that are inspiring me in this fashion:

(image source: Boden)

(image source: c'est bien fée) 

(image source: groovymama via Burdastyle)

(image source: Upcraft Club)

(image source: Boden)

(image source: thatdarnkat on Etsy)

(image source: Delia creates)

(image source: Craftaholics Anonymous)

(image source: Sloppop Yeah)

(image source: Une Rose Sur La Lune) 

(image source: The Chriselle Factor)

(image source: Carolyn Friedlander)

(image source: Blune)

(image source: Shwin Designs)

(image source: Boden via Nordstrom)

(image source: Zulily)

(image source: Sloppop Yeah)

(image source: Boden)

I would love to hear your thoughts. How do you make good use of your scraps and small pieces? 

Refashion Friday: Leopard Coat to Leopard Costume

I nearly got rid of this ropey old coat about 300 hundred times, but something kept stopping me. Turns out that 'something' was the need to make it into a child's fancy dress costume....

Pattern:

The owner of Sewabaloo contacted me last autumn to see if I was interested in trying out a pattern for free. Yes, I was interested. They currently have this animal costume pattern and a dress/top pattern available. I went for the animal one as I don't have anything like this in my stash at present and thought it'd be fun to be pushed outside of my sewing comfort zone a bit. 

This PDF pattern comes in three sizes (S, M and L) which is meant to span from 2 years old to 10. The cover illustration (pictured above) is adorbs and the instructions and step-by-step diagrams are clear. Thankfully, there's some useful tips included about how to cut and sew with faux fur if, like me, you haven't tackled it before. There were, however, a couple of things missing IMO. On the front pattern piece there is no CF indication so it was unclear how much the front pieces should overlap. It was also difficult to tell where the front edge of the hood should meet with the neck edge of the front pieces. Not massive issues by any means, especially for a fancy dress garment, but I personally would have preferred that they be included.

In the list of notions needed, 'sew-on hook and loop fastener tape' (or optional velcro) is mentioned. However, there was no mention in the instructions of how any fastenings should be applied, nor any indication on the pattern pieces as to where. I brought this point up and the instructions have since been edited to include information about applying velcro. I used large sew-on press studs in the end because I had some in my stash. 

I choose to make the cat version because of the leopard fabric (coat) I had to work with, and I made the tops of the ears a little less pointy. I ended up omitting the contrast tummy panels, inner ear panels and tail tip because the only solid coloured faux fur I could find in my town looked terrible with the leopard print's shades. 

In general, the construction of this pattern was simple, especially if you choose to make it in fleece or felt I'd imagine. Man, it's hard to sew several layers of faux fur! The ears and tail are applied by sandwiching them in-between a seam, but two broken machine needles later, I realised I had no choice but to hand stitch everything together at these points. Having done that, I then took a look at the hood. The ears were RIDICULOUSLY big. In this pattern, the ears and tail pattern pieces are not graded for the different sizes, so you make the same ones for a two year old or a ten year old. I was cutting it fine making this close to Christmas, so I was super reluctant to get out my seam ripper. But honestly the ears made it look more like a hyena rather than any type of cat, so I was forced to rip out the ears. I trimmed them down considerably, and re-stitched the ears and hood seams together whilst swearing a bit.

Fabric:

I bought this vintage faux fur leopard print coat (pictured below) for £25 via eBay three winter's ago. It had looked pretty good in the photos, but when it arrived I found that is was in wayyyy worse condition than the listing would have you (me) believe. But I had just given birth and was trying to cope with life with a tiny new baby and didn't have the headspace for making any kind of complaint. I wore it that winter because I didn't have anything else nor the spare funds to get another coat. Then at the beginning of last winter, I scored the faux fur jacket from a charity shop at the bottom of this post, and the ropey leopard one went to live in the cupboard under the stairs. 

When I got this pattern, I was excited to finally extract and repurpose this coat. It took a couple of episodes of Narcos to unpick all the seams to get to all the usable fabric. It was fun to discover that a lot of the coat had been stitched by hand, and with no labels at all, I can only assume that it had been home made back in the 70s or something. The costume's pattern pieces just fitted on to the harvested faux fur.

Aside from learning that sewing through several layers of the stuff is extremely tricky, I also learnt that cutting and working with it covers you in fluff that sticks to your clothes and gets up your nose. I was relieved to finally stitch up the inside side seams which meant the raw edges were finally enclosed. I will not be sewing with faux fur again any time soon. 

Thoughts:

I can't lie, the outcome is cute. But the journey to cute wasn't as fun as I had hoped: partly because of my pre-Christmas time pressures, partly because of the difficulties of working with faux fur, and partly because of the pattern flaws. It's come out super big, so I think Dolores will be using this for several years to come if she wishes. 

Cost:

Pattern: £0 in exchange for a review (it can be bought here for £8)

Outer fabric: £0 (I'm counting this as zero because I already got a season's worth of use from the coat)

Lining: £3.75-ish for a metre of brown poly-cotton

Notions: thread and press studs from my stash

Total: £3.75-ish

Five Genuinely Useful New Baby Makes #1: Trousers/Nappy Covers

I've been writing a little series of posts for the Village Haberdashery's blog, The Daily Stitch, which they have kindly allowed me to also share here on my own blog. I'll be dropping them once a month, please read on for part 1...

If you are craftily inclined, the birth of a new baby can often inspire the desire to get making. Unless they are crazy, the parents will certainly appreciate receiving a handmade gift over another pack of shop-bought onesies, but embarking on the right baby-sewing project will ensure that your hard work actually gets used! I’ve compiled this mini-series of blog posts that will give you some ideas for items you can make for a new baby that won’t languish at the bottom of a drawer. ‘Well, what qualifies you, Zoe, to write such a ground-breaking series of posts?’ you are no doubt asking. Well, my daughter is nearly two years old now, so exactly which gifts we found useful and which never got used is still pretty fresh in my memory, but the fog of new parenthood and sleep deprivation has cleared sufficiently for me to string two sentences together.

So first up, may I recommend making some baby trousers or nappy covers? To first-time parents, it is genuinely shocking to discover that their tiny new person may require more outfit changes in one day than Britney Spears did during her last tour. Whether you choose to make trousers that cover the legs, or nappy covers that (as the name suggests) are pants designed to cover the nappy, you should be guided by what season the baby will be wearing them in. The season can also give you direction on what type of fabric to use for the project. It is frustrating to be given something lovely for your beautiful baba to wear but it doesn’t get used because the weather is too warm or cold for it to be appropriate. I know it is obvious to say, but babies grow super quick so it’s very likely that if you put a garment aside for suitable weather, it won’t fit them anymore. Sad face.

Now that we are firmly into autumn, I made these baby trousers in a delightfully soft needle cord in a fun print. After a couple of laps of the baby section in any department store, the parents will probably be very much over looking at pastel pink or pastel blue stuff, so this project really is your opportunity to pick something fun. The repetition of nappy and outfit changes will be brightened considerably if they are trying to clad that squirming little bottom in something that makes them smile. This needle cord also has the benefit of being made from 100% organic cotton by Cloud9 Fabrics, it’s called ‘Oh My Darlin’Clementine’ (https://www.thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk/small-world-oh-my-darlin-clementine) from the Small World range designed by Rae Hoekstra. The Small World range is comprised of fantastic, colourful, gender-neutral, perfect for this application. If you’d prefer a subtler look, this project would also work really well in these deliciously soft double gauze or striped or solid interlock knits.

The pattern I used was the Modern Baby Set by Green Bee Patterns which includes patterns for both trousers and nappy covers for babies aged 0-3 months. One of the awesome things about this pattern is that the front and back pieces are cut from the same pattern piece. Explain that to the new parents, then it’ll save them a lot of bleary-eyed attempts to figure out which way round the trousers or nappy cover goes during nappy changes. If you use a different trouser or nappy cover pattern that has front and back pieces that are different, then why not stitch a loop of ribbon into the back waistband so the back can be easily identified? Happy new-baby sewing, friends.

Sewing When You're Skint

Happy New Year!!! How exciting to be looking ahead to a whole year of sewing-based fun. And all the other types of fun. I don't know about you, but a new year always feels like a fresh start and I'm buzzing with excitement to get cracking on new projects. Except... No. Funds. Ugh! It's good to think about how we can get more from what we already own, sewing-wise and more generally, but it always seems more pressing at this time of year, doesn't it? I wrote a piece five years ago (WHAT?!) about cutting the costs of sewing, but here's some more ideas about how to get your sew-on if you're feeling the financial pinch at this, or any other, time of the year:

• Comb your pattern stash. This one may seem obvious, but I think it's worth adding because it's easy to forget about stuff you already own. A couple of months ago I bought some new storage boxes for my sewing area so I ended up sifting through all my patterns and was amazed to find that I'd forgotten about over half of them! It really got my mind racing with possibilities and I have renewed excitement about finally making some of them up this year. Also, if you don't immediately print out your PDF patterns once you've acquired them, like most people I'd imagine, it might be worth trawling through the downloads folder on your computer to see if you've got some digital gems sitting in there. 

(awesome free kids bucket hat pattern. image source: Oliver + S)

• Hunt out some freebies. There are literally thousands of free sewing patterns and tutorials out there on the interwebs that can be the starting point for a new sewing project. Simple Google searches will unearth them, and I'm always seeing them popping up on Pinterest. Of course, I can recommend to you my free vest/camisole/singlet and knickers/pants/undies patterns and my cowl neck scarf and bustier line T-shirt (part 1 and part 2) tutorials. Some others that I've tried or plan to try are the Oliver + S kids reversible bucket hat pattern, the Oliver + S sunny day shorts pattern, the Brindille & Twig kids hoodie pattern, the Maria Denmark Kimono T-shirt pattern and the Delia Creates Headwrap bands tutorial. 

(my fabric stash, three years ago)

• Refold your fabric. The beginning of a new year is a great time to take stock of your belongings and get things straightening out. It may seem a bit drastic, but if you get a chance, why not get your entire fabric stash out and refold everything? Unless you have some kind of permanent set-up where everything is neatly arranged and always on view, taking everything out is bound to unearth something you had forgotten you owned. I'm going to get all Marie Kondo on you now, but by handling your fabric through the process of sorting and folding means you'll be more likely to connect with each piece and either remember what project it was originally intended for, or perhaps you'll receive a zap of new inspiration for what it should become. Plus, having everything neat and in order (at least for a short while!) can have a great impact on flagging sew-jo. 

(a fabulous fabric swap that took place in Brighton four years ago!)

• Hold or attend a fabric swap. Refolding your fabric will hopefully help you fall back in love with some of the pieces you've stashed, but finding some duds that you can't remember why you ever acquired in the first place is just as likely! You should find this second category of discovery almost as exciting as the first, because unwanted fabric, and sewing patterns for that matter, is currency. Find out if there is a sewing meet-up with a fabric/pattern swap going on that you can get to in the near future, and you can give the stuff that was languishing unloved a new loving home, whilst picking up something new-to-you that floats your boat. If you can't find anything already planned, why not try arranging a meet-up yourself? You'll probably make a heap of new sewing friends and have an ace time as well. 

• Selling out. If attending or organising a meet-up/fabric swap isn't possible, selling those unwanted pieces of fabric and sewing patterns will get some funds flowing and make space for more appealing replacements! Jen from My Make Do And Mend Life's fabulous Top 5 Tips on Sourcing Secondhand Fabric post gives great ideas for how you could sell, as well as acquire, pre-owned fabric. 

(my snappily-titled Refashioning Project Ideas Pinterest board)

• Refashioning, remaking and upcycling. Using existing clothing as the basis for sewing projects is not only a great option for cutting down on the environmental impact of making clothes, but it's also freaking cheap! Whether you plunder a charity shop/thrift store/op shop for your starting point, or merely the cupboards in your own bedroom, it's got to cost less than heading to a fabric shop for your next sewing project. I've been harping on here on this blog about reusing unwanted clothes for yonks, but I feel that last year's Refashioners challenge hosted by Makery really breathed new life into the whole concept. So. Much. Creative. Awesomeness. If you've ever fancied having a whirl at refashioning, but weren't sure where to start, the community Pinterest board for the 2015 Get Shirty Refashioners challenge is packed with amazingness that might get your creative juices flowing. My Refashioning Project Ideas Pinterest board is also chock full of all manner of upcycling ideas that I personally found inspiring. 

(image source)

• Let the cat out of the bag. This one might take a bit longer to bear fruit, but it could be a fantastic way to open yourself up to heaps of free sewing stuff. Often we keep our passion for sewing to ourselves, especially if we work in a non-creative environment, or we are (sadly!) mixing with people who we fear may think that sewing your own clothes is a bit of a weird thing to do. But by occasionally sharing the fact that you love to sew with people that normally you might not tell, you are more likely to benefit when they hear of someone who wants to get rid of their sewing stash. People don't generally want to throw something in the bin if it might be used and loved, so even if the relationship link is really tenuous, you could be the one to luck out if somebody has decided to stop sewing, or they are clearing out the belongings of a relative or something. By making sure people knew I like to sew, I once received an enormous stash of buttons that I will literally never be able to use up and some great pattern cutting books from my ex-boyfriend's grandma's friend. I never met this women, but I made sure to send her a thank you card! 

So tell me about you! Are you feeling fired up, creatively speaking, at this time of year? Are you waiting for a payday/paid invoice to get back to piercing-fabric-with-needles?! Do you have any ideas for cutting sewing costs whilst on a budget?