KCW Project 7

After making the flamingo shorts I decided that Bug needed some as well.  I didn't have any animal inspired fabric that seemed quite right for him.  He really likes math so I thought this nautical fabric with numbers would make him happy.  I really liked making the Sunny Day shorts a second time. 

I can't believe Kid's Clothes week is over!  I've had so much fun seeing what people have made! 

Project 6 Flamingo Sunny Day Shorts

This Kid's Clothes Week has encouraged me to try new things.  In the past, I have avoided sewing pants or shorts with an attached waistband.  I saw some really fabulous Oliver + S Sunny Day Shorts pop up in the KCW finished projects, you can check them out at the Oliver's Fancy Blog.  Aren't they great?  I decided to give the waistband a try.  Next time I make them I think I will try the pockets. 

KCW Project 5 - Zebra Maxaloones

The Wild Things Theme inspired me to make some pants with a bunny face on the bum.  When I went looking for patterns to adapt I found the Maxaloones pattern.  I sure love the idea of pants that fit for so long and cuffs that can keep little legs in baby carriers or strollers warm.  I decided to try it out without the bum circle for my first try.  They are a bit wonky, but room for improvement means another excuse to sew so that's ok with me!  I used some micro-fleece for the body of the pants and an upcycled cotton/lycra t-shirt for the cuffs and waist.  I think I will try to make a large a few times before trying the newborn size again.  It is pretty tricky sewing a cuff with such a small circumference. 

KCW Projects 3 and 4

For my third project I made an Oliver + S raglan t-shirt.  I was pleased to find instructions on the Oliver + S blog to modify the pattern for short sleeves.  I used grey interlock for the body of the shirt.  The sleeve were upcycled from a t-shirt.  I was pleased that I was able to use the existing hem.  I had planned to use the red for the neck binding, but it didn't seem to have quite enough recovery.  I upcycled a cotton/Lycra tank top for the binding.  With the added color from the binding it seems finished.  I had planned to add a shark applique but I think I like it as is. 

My fourth project was a t-shirt dress made from a unicorn shirt. The shirt is pretty blingy so I am pretty sure my niece will love it.  I went wild and decided to make the skirt from purple confetti dot fabric.  I love having the circle skirt rather than a gathered one on the t-shirt.  It took me maybe thirty minutes to make from drafting the pattern to finishing the sewing.  I

KCW Project 2 : Flamingo Dress

For my second project I planned on whipping up a quick peasant dress with Butterick 5776.  When I pulled my pink flamingo shirting out of my sewing basket I decided that the fabric really called for a circle skirt. 

Doesn't that fabric just seem right for a circle skirt?!  So I shifted gears and picked up a copy of Simplicity 2377.  I had added a circle skirt to this pattern once before, so I knew that it would work.  I quickly constructed my bodice so that I could draft the pattern for my skirt.
This was supposed to be my quick and easy flamingo project but as I started to cut out the skirt I realized that my fabric was directional so I wouldn't be able to do the dress without  seams.  At first I thought about just having side seams, but that would have resulted in some of the flamingos and trees at a 90 degree angle.  In the end I decided I would cut out the skirt in eight pieces so all of the flamingos would be standing tall. Not such a quick project after all. 
For some reason when I measured the bodice at 13 inches I thought I was getting the diameter. The fact that I was creating a pattern for a 40-odd-inch finished waist for 20-odd-inch waist didn't even slow me down.  I figured that I would just add some elastic to cinch the dress in and went on my merry way.  I had to shorten the skirt so that it would work with the fabric I had left.  I might need to make some cute shorts to wear underneath. 
It wasn't until I had all 8 panels sewn together to form the skirt that I realized my mistake.   I ended up removing two of the panels and getting a skirt that was just slightly larger than the bodice.  Have I mentioned how much I love Clover Wonder Clips? They are so much easier to use than pins.  I find that when I use them I no longer hate attaching the skirt to the bodice. I added some pink gingham bias tape to help camouflage the gathers.  I centered it over the seam and glued it down with a fabric glue stick  before adding two rows of stitching.

I would never had thought to add the bias tape if  I wasn't hiding my mistake from myself.  I think the bias tape pretty much makes the dress.  I love happy accidents like that.  Anybody else have any miss steps with happy/unhappy outcomes?  I have already tossed one garment into the I make this rags bag.  Lessons learned this week don't make decisions late at night, when making a plan take some time before acting so you can see your mistakes, and mistakes can wind up with happy endings if approached with a happy attitude.  Maybe I should revisit my rag bag and try again.... 

KCW Day 1

Yay!  I am happy that Kid's Clothes Week is here!  I have been having lots of fun seeing what other people have made. For my first project I decided to try my hand at making some Parsley Pants.  I would like to try a pair with a flat front waist, pin tucks, and box pleat pockets so I wanted to be sure that the pants would work well for my nephew first.  It seems like there will be a few more nights of flannel PJ pants wearing this season so I whipped up a pair of PJ pants following the basic pattern out of some moose flannel.  I plan to mail them in the morning with any luck I will here how they fit quickly so I can proceed with some other pants!

Hopefully the rest of the week I will manage to finish before dark so I can get better pictures!  Now that my sewing is done I can go check out to see what others have made!

Kids' Clothes Week Sewing Plans

For my favorite flamingo fan 
Cascading Ruffle Skirt - Light pink interlock base with fuchsia ruffles 
Scarf neck cardigan
Raglan T-shirt with pink lace overlay inspired by this tutorial 
Simplicity 1379 in a flamingo print with a coordinating floral 
Butterick 5776 - in a flamingo shirting 

For serious shark studier
Oliver + S Raglan T-Shirt  - in grey with contrasting sleeves and shark applique
Prepster Pullover  - in a blue grey homespun fabric
Parsley Pants - flat front with pintuck and pouch pockets in navy
PJ pants to test the Parsley Pants pattern sizing made out of some moose flannel
Shark Attack! inspired long sleeved t-shirt

And maybe just maybe some bunny bum pants inspired by this Swoodson Says post.

That seems like a lot for a week, but I plan to spend any free time I have next week prepping.  I also took some time off the week of Kids' Clothes Week to ensure that I would have plenty of sewing time. Anybody have any advice for any of my projects or suggestions of projects to add or swap out?  I can't wait to see what everybody does!