Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Cozy Winter Hood

I've lost track of how many times I've made this pattern (from Little Things to Sew).  It's gotta be at least a dozen by now -- bears, mice, monkeys, tigers and now a leopard (or is it a cheetah?).  J. picked the fleece and told me how she wanted the ears to look.  Judging from her reaction, I don't think I quite got them right but I'm not sure how to fix them to for her.  Oh well, if she doesn't wear it, I have a feeling her little sister would be happy to.

The lining is a soft, thick knit I picked up at Dressew in Vancouver last year -- $5/metre and 74" wide (mixing up my units of measurement, there, oops!).  It washed up so nicely, I wish I'd bought more.  Why isn't there anywhere it Ottawa that sells good knits??

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Purple Chambray Playtime Dress

When we first started talking about Halloween, K. said she didn't want a new costume this year, she would choose from our dress up bin.  She regretted her decision when I came home with this purple chambray for J.'s Miss Mush costume but luckily for her I had enough left over for a Playtime Dress (and probably another top!).  

(At the end of the day, she was okay without having a new costume -- for one party she was Anne of Green Gables wearing a hat with braids we bought in PEI this summer and the Alice dress. On Halloween, we painted her face green and she wore J.'s old witch costume.)


This is a straight size 6 with a couple of extra inches in the skirt length.  I used grey topstitching thread for the "collar" and around the bodice.  The next time I make the pattern with a woven, I think I will line the bodice instead of using facings.  The seam where the bodice and the skirt meet bothered K. so I covered it with bias tape but a lining would fix that.  



To liven it up, we picked up some fabric paint (pebeo setacolour opaque in pearl) at the art store.  I thought I would add polka dots but K. requested hearts; she even drew me a picture of how she wanted it to look (I wish I'd saved it!).   I trace my patterns onto freezer paper so it was simple to just cut hearts into my pattern piece and use that as a stencil.  It has a "homemade" look to it but in a good way :).  It hasn't been washed it yet but even if it fades a little, I think it will still look okay.


Cost

Fabric: Chambary used 1.5 m $3.98
Pattern: Playtime Dress bought from Fabrications $18.02
Buttons: stash 

Total: $22