Category Archives: sew & tell

60s Flower Child – Sewing Through the Decades for PR&P

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“If you’re going to San Francisco,
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
If you’re going to San Francisco,
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there.”
– John Phillips 

The theme for Project Run & Play this week is “Sewing Through the Decades.”  The assignment was to pick a decade and design a children’s outfit based on the fashion trends of that decade.  I just took a look at the Flickr pool to see some of the other entries and there are some fabulous outfits!!

I had a hard time coming up with this week’s outfit.  There wasn’t one decade or style that was screaming out at me.  I considered doing a popular 50s girls dress with the poofy skirt and all.  At one point I wanted to recreate one of my mom’s outfits from the 50s.  Or do a 60s mod dress.  I love 20s style dresses, but I didn’t think the ones I really liked would look good on a toddler’s body.  I even considered an 80s Madonna tribute.  It’s pretty random how I ended up picking this style.

I chose this 60s hippie/flower child look because of a picture of a flowy top I came across while doing some research.  It looked so pretty, so I drew a sketch of it and though I kept looking for more ideas, I kept coming back to that sketch.  I wanted to do a hippie look – but not like the tie-dyed, super bright and colorful peace signs and big flowers exaggerated hippie look, but the bohemian flower child, super earthy, war protesting, barefoot kinda hippie of the late 60s.  It’s probably because I could kinda see myself as one, had I lived during that time.  I didn’t realize that San Francisco was the epicenter of the hippie subculture in the mid to late 60s.  It made me want to take my little hippie child down to Haight-Ashbury or Golden Gate Park for our photo shoot to recreate some fun scenes.  It may seem a little inappropriate for a child, considering drugs were such a huge part of the culture, but that part aside, it was a really fun style to try.

I had a few goals in mind for this week:
1. Sew something new and different (this is kind of a goal that I always have).
2. Keep it simple.  I knew I couldn’t go all out and pull off 5 pieces like last week.
3. Make something that fit the theme (was inspired by a past decade), but was something that Yuki could wear again as part of her regular wardrobe.
4. Blog about the outfit before uploading my pictures to flickr by Friday at 8am.

I’d say I was about 75% successful.

I accomplished the first and last goal!  I did attempt something new with both the top and the bottom.  Both pieces were completely new to me.  And look, a blog post before the deadline (barely, but still)!

As for keeping it simple, I tried.  I didn’t have the time to make a super elaborate outfit this week – nor did I have the inspiration.  So I thought I’d do something really simple this week and maybe start a little early on next week’s challenge (didn’t happen).  I wanted to do 2 simple pieces, a top and a bottom.  I made a fairly simple blouse pattern with no real crazy details or embellishments.  I hit a few rough spots when I was constructing it, but I was able to finish it in half a day and once it was done, it didn’t need any altering (thank goodness)!  I kept it pretty simple!

The bottoms however are a different story!  Originally, I made some denim cut-off shorts.  I spent a decent amount of time adding a lot of detail to the shorts to make them look like real jeans (I was inspired by all the great pants made by the contestants for Boys Week).  After they were done, Hideko said that she didn’t think it went with the top and the overall hippie look (she loves to give me her opinion AFTER I’ve finished making something :)).  She thought I should make bell bottoms!  I wasn’t planning on making anything too “hippie” because I wanted her to be able to wear it again.  But I gave in.

I had a pair of my old jeans that I thought I could use for the bell bottoms.  Since I was quite sure Yuki wouldn’t be wearing these again, I didn’t want to spend a ton of time on them.  But they ended up being the most time consuming part of the outfit, BY FAR.  I hacked apart my jeans trying to make them fit my 16 month old and make them bell bottoms.  When I tried them on her, they didn’t look bell bottom-y enough, so I decided to add the triangles of fabric to really exaggerate the look.  Why not go all the way!?  They certainly look the part now!

I didn’t hem the bottoms, so they’ve have a bit of a tattered look – I just zig zag stitched the edge.  I hope to have a tutorial relating to these pants next week, so look out for that, if you’re interested!

So, I was able to keep the top simple, but spent too much time on the pants.  She’ll definitely wear the top again, but probably not the pants (unless we have a costume party to go to).  Overall, I’m not THRILLED with how the outfit came out.  I do like the top, but it looks a little oversized on her.  The bodice is perfectly fitted, but the sleeves and the body probably could have been a bit shorter.  The pants are also too long, so I’m afraid the whole outfit looks a bit sloppy.  Maybe accurate, but still a little sloppy.

I did have fun putting together a few accessories for the photos though.  I just bought some cheap wooden beads and strung them randomly on some string for her necklace.  I got a yard of leather and added some beads and glued a few feathers that I already had at home to the ends for the headband.  I also took a fake daisy and glued it to a clip for her hair, though it fell off half way through the photo taking.

I had a lot of fun on this photo shoot!  It was a chilly morning on the beach, but my crazy child wanted to go IN the water.  The FREEZING water.  She kept walking towards it and though it would have made for some cool pictures, I did not want to lose my child in the ocean while I was snapping away on my camera!  We did both get our feet wet though.  I think I do have a little hippie child.  Take a look at her dirty wet little feet.

After we finished taking these pictures I put her in some dry clothes and had a little cracker treat.  She was quite a trooper!

You like my dirty, hippie, photo-shoot-is-more-important-than-showering look?? 🙂

Next week’s theme is Outerwear!  I THINK I know what I want to make, but it’s going to be quite a challenge.  Have you ever looked at jacket construction?  It’s complicated!  What I probably SHOULD make is a raincoat – it’s finally started raining and it looks like it’s not stopping any time soon!

What have you been up to?  Hope you’re staying warm and dry!

Yuki’s Holiday Dress

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Ok, ok, so I’m finally posting the last of my holiday projects.  Am I the only one still talking about Christmas?  Yes, I’m quite sure most people are already talking about Valentine’s Day projects.  Oops, I’m quite behind.

Anyways, I wanted to make Yuki a new dress for Christmas and New Years, and we had recently seen one in a boutique that Hideko really liked.  So based on that, I made this dress.

Only problem is that it was TOO BIG.  Yuki wore it anyways, but I didn’t get any pictures of her in it and it didn’t look very good on her anyways.  But hopefully it’ll fit her in a few months and I’ll try and get some pictures then.  It’s a bit more on the conservative side, in fact, the first time I tried it on her I thought she looked like an old church choir lady. No offense to anyone.  I added the bow to try and add some youth.  I dunno though, I still feel a bit indifferent about this dress.

I DO like how the pleats in the front came out though.  And the fabric covered buttons!  Oh, what fun!  It was my first time making fabric covered buttons and I’m hooked!  Maybe I’ll show you more about how to make those later (once you try it, you’ll be hooked too!).

I made the sleeves quite long with elastic at the wrist so that you could actually fold the sleeve over for a bubble look.  I think I like this better.

That’s it for holiday projects, I swear.  And yes, we’ve taken down our tree (though all our holiday stuff is still sitting in a bag in our bedroom).  I’m making more kid’s clothes for Project Run & Play’s sew along the next few weeks, but I’ll be trying to get other projects in there as well.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Boy-cycle Wear – Boys Week for PR&P

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I said I was going to post one more holiday project, but before I do I wanted to share my outfit for this week’s Project Run & Play sew-along.

This week the theme was BOYS!  I find that unique boys clothes are hard to come up with and difficult to make well.  I think that if I have a son someday, I’ll really be pushed to be creative and it was fun challenging myself this week.  I have a daughter, but we dress her up in plenty of boys clothes, this was just my first time MAKING any.  It was also my first time sewing with knits!!  Feels so good to learn new things, especially something that I’d been so scared of for so long!  Anyways, here is the finished outfit.  Hideko thought of the name because of the bicycles on the orange accent fabric and because we thought it might be something a hipster bicyclist might wear. 🙂  Presenting Boy-cycle Wear!

For this outfit, I actually made FIVE pieces.  I was being way too ambitious.  I made pants, a shirt, a hooded vest, a hat and a tie (shown later).  The outfit is a bit more mismatched than I had in mind, but oh well.  Kids are supposed to be mismatched right!? 🙂  Here are some of the details.

I made the pants first.  I wanted to try more of a straight leg pant (as opposed to my usual boot cut) with some fun cuffs and pocket detailing.  I’ve been using this orange fabric with bicycles on it (this one) for a few projects recently and thought it’d be cute here too.  That’s how the bicycle theme was chosen.  I made 2 pockets in the front, one in the back and cuffs.  This piece was pretty straight forward.

Next I made the hat.  I used this tutorial from Bandy Canyon.  She actually provides a pattern as well, so if you’re interested, I would definitely check it out.  I drafted my own pattern from a similar cap that Yuki already owned adjusting shape and size.  This piece was tricky and I actually had to do it twice.  The first time I wasn’t sure if my pattern was going to work and it didn’t and the hat came out kinda wonky.  The second time was way better except it was WAY too big.  If I tried a third time I’m sure it would have been perfect, but I didn’t have the time or patience to do it again.  Instead I just added a lot of elastic to the back to make it fit.  It’s still a little on the loose side, but that means she can grow into it!  Unfortunately, Yuki HATES wearing hats and refuses to keep them on.  It’s a miracle I even got a few pics of the hat on her head, but I assure you it was only a split second later that the hat was back on the ground.

Next I made the shirt.  This shirt is a huge triumph for me because it is my first successful KNIT project.  Yes, I am one of those people who is totally scared of knits.  It started this past summer when I tried to make a dress with a knit bodice.  I thought the stretchy material would be great and I wouldn’t need a zipper or button closure because the neckhole would stretch to fit over Yuki’s head.  What I didn’t know was that if you sew it like regular woven fabric the material doesn’t stretch because of the stitching.  I finished the dress and then had to cut it open when I realized it wouldn’t fit over Yuki’s head.  Tragic.

Since then, I’ve avoided it at all costs.  I started collecting some information and doing a little research (there are some great resources for sewing with knits out there), but I was still confused and nervous.  But when it comes to boys shirts I felt like I didn’t have many options, either attempt a knit shirt or a collared shirt.  Both were daunting, but I’d wanted to learn how to sew with knits for awhile and it seems so practical (there are so many amazing things you can make with knits!).  Plus, learning how to sew a collar was not a task I was about to attempt in such a short amount of time (I had about one night for each piece of the outfit).

ANYWAYS, I tried two techniques: the double pointed needle and the stretch stitch (which looks like an angled zig zag stitch).  Both worked well, but I had to play around with the stitch width and length and also the tension for different fabrics.  I made a simple long sleeved shirt which turned out fine except for the neckline which came out too wide.  After the shirt was done, I used a stamp that I had carved a long time ago for another project (so awesome that I happened to have a bike!) and some fabric paint to stamp the bike image on the bottom corner.

The fourth piece was this necktie that kinda ended up getting scrapped completely.  I used this awesome pattern and tutorial from Very Homemade.  Somehow I thought that it would show at the neck under the vest, but it didn’t.  It’s also too big, so it looks kind of ridiculous on Yuki.  I’ll keep it around for some other time or maybe give it away as a gift.  I love this picture . . . doesn’t she look like a mime or a clown!?

Hahaha!

The last piece of the outfit is, without a doubt, my favorite – possibly even my favorite creation to date – the hooded vest.  I had this image in my head and wasn’t quite sure how to make it happen, but it turned out really close to what I wanted!  There are definitely things I’d do differently if I were to make it again, but overall, I really like it.

I’m not quite sure what this type of neckline is called, but it’s kind of popular these days, I’ve seen it on a lot of men’s and women’s sweaters.  In fact, I have a long sleeved sweater with a similar collar.  Except I wanted to turn the collar into a hood and instead of a sweater, I wanted it to be a vest.  The collar/hood construction took a little time to figure out, but it came out just the way I wanted it to (don’t you love when that happens!?).  I lined the hood and the pockets with this new fabric by Lotta Jansdotter called Woven.  I LOVE the print, but it is in fact, a woven, so it has no stretch.  It’s unfortunate because although I love the way it looks, the collar has lost all of it’s stretch and it’s actually a bit of a squeeze to get it over Yuki’s head.  Oh, there has to be at least one problem with everything I make!!  But at least it I’m learning . . .

So those are the 5 pieces that make up Boy-cycle Wear for Boys Week!  Even though we have a daughter, we have no issues putting her boys clothes.  Hideko’s style is more on the masculine side, so Yuki definitely gets the best of both fashion worlds.  I’ve never been into the standard definitions of femininity/masculinity or beauty and we definitely want to raise Yuki as free from gender stereotypes as possible – which of course, is impossible.  So far though, she seems to be a little tomboy, just like us!  She loves to run, climb and play ball and she’s totally obsessed with cars and planes.  Who says those things are for boys??

(maybe I should have made knee pads too!)

Ok Ma, no more pictures!!

Well thanks for checking out my outfit for this week’s PR&P sew-along.  Next week the theme is Sewing Through the Decades – something inspired by fashion from the past.  Sounds fun, but I have NO clue yet as to what I want to make.  If you have any great ideas, I’m all ears!!

Flannel Pajama Bottoms for Yuki and Our “First” Christmas

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This post is a bit delayed but I’ve gotten behind with Yuki being so sick for over a week and Project Run & Play starting up (I got a little caught up in getting something in for their Sew Along).

This year we celebrated what felt like Yuki’s first real Christmas.  Last year, Yuki was 4 months old and just a clueless little newborn.  I don’t even remember how we celebrated Christmas morning, but we certainly didn’t have a tree or stocking or lights, though there were some gifts for Yuki from family members.  This year, at 16 months, we made a little more of an effort for her.  We got a real tree (my first ever!), made a stocking, wrapped some presents.  It was totally low key and really fun!

I wasn’t really going to get Yuki any presents since she’s still too young to understand the concept, but our poor tree looked so lonely so I gave in and got her some fun things to unwrap.  I’m quite proud of my cheap finds, so even though most of them have nothing to do with crafting or sewing, I’m going to share them with you anyways.

The first gift she actually found on Christmas Eve.

Yup, that’s right.  I got her a balloon.  Actually, a whole bag of balloons, but I’ve only had to blow up 2 and I’m saving the rest for rainy days.  And she LOVED it.  Super cheap and so much fun, no?

On Christmas morning, Yuki found a couple of surprises around her tree.  The first was a huge white balloon with a rubber band attached to it.  The kind that you hit back and forth like a super fast yo-yo.  This was only entertaining to her for a few minutes since she isn’t coordinated enough to use it yet.

There was also a stocking filled with little gifts.  The first was a pair of 99 cent sunglasses from the thrift store.

A set of plastic keys on a keychain (with car alarm noises and all).

Looks like she means business.

A new box of crayons!

The Japanese books that Hideko picked out are a huge hit.  They are from the series Nontan and I remember having some of these books when I was a kid too!

Yuki’s favorite toy that morning was this ridiculous toy I got at the thrift store (also for 99 cents!).  It’s a phone that talks, plays music and makes animal sounds.  It’s pretty obnoxious, but I knew she’d love it.  Aren’t her movements/expressions here hilarious?  It looks like she’s been doing some good observing . . .

I wanted to do something handmade, so I decided to make Yuki some plaid flannel pajama pants to go with the ones that Hideko and I wear all the time.  It was perfect for me since it was such a simple project.

I wanted to make something that would fit her for a loooong time, but they ended up being HUGE!  I might have to do a few more minor alterations so she doesn’t trip all over them, but it’s nice that there’s so much room to grow into.

One of my other holiday projects was a stocking for Yuki.  I had this idea to make it out of a an old sweater that I found at the thrift store.  In my mind, it seemed like a great idea, but it didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped.

The main thing I don’t like about it is how lumpy the bottom is.  😦  Oh well, I’ll try again next year!

After our quiet Christmas morning, we went on to spend time with family (where Yuki was spoiled by more gifts!!).  It was a really lovely Christmas and now I can’t wait till next year!  Somehow I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to get away with thrift store 99 cent gifts though :/

I have one more holiday project to share with you this week then I swear, I’ll put Christmas away!

Winter Romper – Junebug Remix for PR&P

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It’s the first day of voting for Project Run & Play! If you didn’t catch it, you can see my breakdown of the competition here or go to the PR&P blog to check it all out yourself!

This week’s theme was a remix of the Junebug dress by Jess at Craftiness is not Optional. Here’s a picture of the original pattern:

You should go see the 8 competitors entries. They are so great, I really can’t decide which one I like best. It’s amazing how different each designer’s visions are!

And yet, one of them looks really similar to what I came up with!!  This season they’ve added a sew along portion for “viewers at home” to participate too.  Here’s my design, the Winter Romper.

It took me a really long time to figure out how I wanted to remix the original pattern.  I decided to go with shorts because I love this other denim romper that Yuki has.  The gray wool was my sister’s idea, which I’m so glad I went with.  It’s actually a wool gray and blue herringbone, though the blue is subtle.  The wool makes it perfect for the winter in California!  Warm and good for layering.  I lined the romper bodice with some fabric I had left over from another project I’m working on.  I didn’t really think it was going to be such a big part of the romper, but at the last minute I decided to use the same fabric to cover some buttons.

Oh, the buttons!  I couldn’t decide what buttons to use, so I bought 4 different kinds at the store.  I knew that the buttons would be such an important part of the outfit, so it was a big decision!  I finally decided to go with the fabric covered buttons and I’m not positive that I made the right decision, but overall, I think it gives the romper a unique and well put together look.

I made the entire bodice a little longer to meet the high waisted shorts.  I added pleats in the front and the back, pockets and a button cuff.  It gives it kind of a newsboy look.  I was going to add a thin belt or bow at the waistline, but when it came time to take pictures, I forgot to put it on.  I think it looks fine without one though.  Overall, I’m pleased with the way it turned out!  I love when things turn out the way you imagined, even though you had no idea what you were doing!  🙂

My poor daughter is really sick right now, so we didn’t get to take many photos.  I’m just impressed she let me put her in the clothes (and she didn’t throw up on it!).  Usually I can’t get her to stay still, but this time she would only stand there with her stuffed dog and hand up to her mouth.  Poor baby 😦

I finally got her to smile!  Kind of . . .

If you want to see the other entries for the Sew Along, you can see them all at the PR&P Flickr pool.  They have 2 judges who are going to pick one winner over the weekend and it’ll be announced on Monday!  I’m not too hopeful, but I’m excited to see whose design is chosen!  The winner gets $25 at fabric.com.

Next week the theme is BOYS.  It seems like it’s always been a challenge to come up with great clothes and other arts & crafts projects for boys, so they often get neglected.  Well all next week is dedicated to boys clothes, so hopefully we’ll see some great ideas.  What do you think I should make?  Any great ideas for a boys outfit??

Tutorial: Classic Jumper

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This post is long overdue!  I made this jumper for Yuki for Thanksgiving (along with the Herringbone Short Coat) and I’ve been wanting to share this tutorial ever since.  I hope you keep in mind that I just kind of make this stuff up as I go along, so I don’t know if this is actually the best way to make a jumper.  It’s just the way that I did it and in case you’re curious – here it is!

I’d been wanting to make a jumper for Yuki for some time.  It’s just such a fun and classic style.  And there is this super colorful plaid flannel (that I’m kind of obsessed with), that I thought would add a bit of a non-traditional, yet still holiday, feel to this piece.  Here is the sketch of the jumper I wanted to make.

You will need:
Main fabric
A little bit of fabric for lining
2 buttons

For this 12-18 month size jumper I probably used 3/4-1 yard of the main fabric and 1/4 yard of the lining material.

So first you need to draft your pattern.  I used a small jumper to get the pattern shapes, and a dress that fits Yuki to get the pattern size.  If you need help drafting a pattern, there are plenty of great resources out there like this one or this one.

The red lines are alterations I made as I was sewing, when I realized the size/fit was all wrong.  If you’re using this to get general shape ideas, make note of those changes!

The pieces you’ll need are:
Bodice front (1 main, 1 lining)
Bodice back (1 main, 1 lining)
Body front
Body back
Pocket (2 main, 2 lining)
Pocket edge (2 main)

Let’s start sewing!

First we’ll do the pockets.  Take one main fabric pocket and one lining pocket and pin them together right sides together.  Do the same with the other pocket fabrics and sew the curved edge together.  Keep the top (straight edge) open!  Flip them right side out and press.

Now we’re going to gather the top of the pocket.  If you need help with gathering, here’s a great gathering tutorial.  I do it the way Dana calls the “proper” way, except I usually only do 1 line instead of 2 or 3, like you’re supposed to.

Sew a straight line across the top edge of the pocket with your machine set to the longest stitch.  Do not backstitch at the end or beginning!  Pull on one of the threads to gather the top edge of the pocket.

For the pocket edge, fold it in half along the long side with the right side in.  Sew up the short sides and leave the long edge open.  Flip it right side out and press.

Then fold the edge in about a 1/4 inch and press.  Now you have this little pocket to stuff the top of your pocket into 🙂  Confusing enough?

Slide the top of the pocket into the opening and sew around the edge.

(why does one pocket look bigger than the other in this picture? 😦 )

Position your pockets onto the front body piece and top stitch around the pocket.  Make sure to leave the top of the pocket open and also sew back and forth several times at each end.  The top corners of pockets get pulled the most, so these extra stitches will make sure the pockets are securely attached.

Now lay the front and back body pieces together with right sides together and pin up the sides.  Sew up the sides and then press these seams open.

With the side seams opened up, serge or zig zag stitch along the arm hole.  Fold the edge down a 1/4 inch, press and sew.  If you can’t serge or zig zag, just fold the arm hole edge down a 1/4 inch and then another 1/4 inch, then sew (like you would a hem).

Now we’re going to gather the top part of the body piece.  Just like before, set your machine to the longest stitch and sew a straight line across the top of both the front and back of the body piece.  Pull one thread to gather the fabric (both front and back).  Set the body of the dress aside while we work on the bodice.

Pin the bodice pieces together: main fabric and lining of the front bodice piece and the main fabric and lining of the back bodice piece, right sides together.

Sew around bodice pieces, leaving the bottoms (straight edges) open.  Trim excess fabric, corners and clip curves.  Turn right side out and press.

(I also added a label at this point, in the center of the back bodice piece.  I just used an iron on transfer that I printed on my inkjet printer).

Turn about a 1/4 inch of the bottoms in (the same way we did with the pockets) and press.

Now you’re going to slide the gathered edges of the body into the bodice pieces (just like we did with the pockets)!  Make sure to put the front of the jumper into the front bodice piece and the back of the jumper into the back bodice.  Pin and sew along the straight edge and continue top stitching around the entire bodice piece (both front and back).

You’re almost done!!  Sew button holes in the back bodice piece and buttons onto the front bodice piece.

Hem up the bottom by folding up a 1/4 inch and pressing, then folding another 1/4 inch, pressing again and top stitching.  You’re done!!!

I hope this wasn’t too confusing.  I’m still learning how to write and photograph for tutorials, so I know this wasn’t perfect, but I’m working on it!  In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

I love the jumper style because it’s so versatile.  Depending on the fabric and how you layer it, it can be appropriate for pretty much any season or occasion!

(It is getting harder and harder for me to keep this one still for photos!)

Pair it with a little coat and she’s all ready for the holidays!

Are you all done making holiday outfits?  I’m not!!  I only have 2 days left, so I better get sewing!

My very first (real) Christmas tree and it’s skirt

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All my life I grew up with a fake tree.  An OLD fake tree that lived in several huge boxes in the basement that was lugged upstairs once a year, assembled and decorated.  It was a family tradition and all we ever knew of Christmas trees.  I loved it and never thought much about a real tree.  A fake tree just seems so practical and economical and easy, and traditional (for us).

This year, Yuki will be 16 months old at Christmas.  She doesn’t understand what’s going on or what presents are and she certainly doesn’t know anything about Christmas trees.  I thought it would be unnecessary to get a tree in our tiny home and our small child would for sure would terrorize, climb, pull, and break any tree or decorations she could reach.  But Hideko thought it would be nice, so when I was at the store and saw these tiny 3-4′ trees I couldn’t resist but get one as a surprise.

After I bought it I kind of freaked out.  I don’t know anything about real trees!  Do I need to put it in water?  Does it need a stand?  Well, thank goodness for the internet!  I got all my questions answered and I think we did alright.

After I brought it home and unwrapped it (it was all tied up in a bundle when I bought it), I realized that it was a bit of a Charlie Brown tree.  The top half was a bit sparse 😦  It sat in our living room for over a week with no ornaments or lights or anything.  Yuki was intrigued by it, but she was gentle.  She didn’t try and rip off all the needles or knock it over like I thought she would.  We kept meaning to go out and buy ornaments, but we never had the time, so one day Yuki found my bag of holiday cookie cutters and started placing them all over the tree!  So creative!  She’s a little Martha Stewart in the making 🙂

And so our tree stayed like this for a week or so.  Yuki would occasionally take the cookie cutters off and put them back on.  It was a fun game for her.

Finally, 2 days ago, I went out and bought some lights.  There was something so magical about turning the lights on!  More like nostalgic.  I was suddenly very glad that I gave in to having a tree in the end.  This tree is the only sign of Christmas in our entire apartment!

I made a super fast fleece star and used fabric paint to add some glitter.  This was just a place holder until we found one that we really like.  Since then, one of my students gave me a Christmas ornament that was a beautiful glittery star (snowflake?) and it’s much too big and heavy for our little baby tree, so I used some wire to attach it to the top.  I took the cookie cutters off (sorry Yuki) and had her help me decorate with some handmade and vintage ornaments from our friend, Sanjai.  Our tree was almost done!

The only thing that was left to be done was the tree skirt.  This project took longer than I thought it would (as almost all of my projects do!), but I’m really pleased with the way it came out!

I had this huge piece of dark gray craft felt that I bought for another project, but never used.  I knew I wanted to use it up and it was the perfect size.  It was a bit dark though, so I planned on accenting it with white snowflakes or stars or something.  I’m a bit obsessed with snowflakes (considering I live in a place where it NEVER snows), so those won out.  I found this tutorial online for a cute snowflake stocking and used it to make my tree skirt snowflakes.  Here’s how I did it:

First I cut my main fabric (the gray felt) into a large square, about the size I wanted the finished skirt to be.  I folded it in half and then in half again, so it was a square.  Then I cut the fabric in an arc, from one edge to the other.  If you want to be precise, you can measure from the corner to the edge (which is your radius) and measure and mark (with chalk or pins) the same distance around until you get to the other edge.  Sorry, I didn’t photograph this part, I hope it makes sense.  I also cut a quarter circle from the corner for the center of the skirt.

This is when the fabric was still folded in fourths, after cutting:When you unfold it, it should look like this.  I cut a straight line from the outer edge to the inner circle for an opening.I wanted to make a scalloped border, so I took some white fleece and cut it into 2″ strips.  I had to cut about 5 strips and sew them together to make it long enough to go around the outer edge of the circle.

I used a round cap to make the scalloped design and then cut it out.

I lined the straight edge of the scalloped border with the outside edge of the skirt and zig zag stitched them together all the way around.  Then I considered top stitching the scallops down for some nice detail, but after realizing it would take too long and be really hard to make it look nice, I opted for some fabric glue 🙂

Now for the snowflakes!  The post I mentioned earlier has some templates for snowflakes that I printed out.  I traced them onto white felt.

I used my machine to sew along the lines.

The most time consuming part of this project was cutting out the snowflakes, but I just turned on a movie and cut away!

Finally I glued them on with some fabric glue and I was done!

The best part about this project was that I already had all the felt, fleece and glue, so I didn’t have to buy anything extra.

Now all we need are some presents!!  Yikes, I better get started on that :[  And I want to make a stocking for Yuki too!

If only this little elf would stop sneaking cookie cutters onto our tree!! 😛

Custom Fabric Photo Book

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**I am no longer taking orders for these books.  Sorry!**

I’m so excited to share this project with you because it is definitely one of my favorite creations thus far.  I love it because my daughter really loves it.  It’s totally one-of-a-kind, made with love for each specific child.  It’s definitely not something you can just buy in a store.  So here’s the story behind the book.

I thought of the idea back when Yuki was very young and a bunch of things kinda came together.  1. Although we loved reading her books, they didn’t stay nice very long.  Yuki would bite off pieces or rip them out with her hands.  Despite our best efforts, most of our books ended up looking like this . . .

Even the heavy duty board books would not withstand the powerful combination of saliva and baby teeth that Yuki would inflict upon it.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a book that really wouldn’t tear?

2. Yuki loved looking at faces.  She loved photos of friends and family members and even strangers.  Babies just like looking at faces.  We also have family that doesn’t live near by, so wouldn’t it be nice to have pictures that she could look at to learn their faces?

3. I found this awesome color fabric book online at Homegrown Happy:

And there are a lot of other amazing fabric books out there too.  Clearly, fabric books were not an original idea, but I LOVED it.  A soft, durable, unique book with pages perfect for little fingers and the potential to become a treasured keepsake.  The possibilities were endless – a color book, a book of shapes, textures, a peek-a-boo book!  But first, a photo book.

The first book I made was with iron on transfers.  I’d used these several times before to make t-shirts and they seemed to hold up pretty well in the wash (a very important test for anything that will be around babies).  I chose photos of all of Yuki’s family members.  I printed them as 5×5 squares and ironed them onto white cotton.

The rest of the book was just kinda made up as I went along.  I cut strips of fabric and made borders around the photos.  I sewed all the pages together with an embroidered cover and a velcro closure.  It came out exactly how I imagined it to be.  I was so pleased!

The best part about it has been watching my daughter interact with it over the last year.  First she would just stare as we turned the pages.  Then she learned how to turn the pages herself.  We’ve seen the recognition on her face as she saw each familiar face.  Now that she’s learned to kiss, her favorite activity is flipping through the book and giving a kiss to all her relatives.  It melts my heart!!  And soon she’ll be able to start saying their names as she points to each smiling face.  I know that this book will stay with us for a LONG time.  Maybe even until she is an adult and can look back at her family as they were in 2011.

In that bottom picture she is leaned over kissing a picture of Hideko’s dad, who passed away over a decade ago.  She’ll never get to meet him, but she’s so familiar with his face because she looks at this picture of him all the time.  It’s very sweet.

The next photo book I made was for a friend’s son, Julian.  For this book I used printable cotton (instead of iron on transfers).  It’s fabric that feeds through your printer and you can print directly on it.  Then you can iron them on to something or sew them and they are permanent!  I really like the results.  The images are sharp and the fabric is very sturdy.

And that’s the story behind the fabric photo book!  Do you know a little someone who’d like one of these?  If so, this truly unique, one-of-a-kind, and long lasting gift could be in their precious hands by Christmas!  I’m taking ONE more order for a custom book before the holidays, then I’m totally booked like crazy with projects, so if you’re interested, buy NOW!  SOLD OUT!

**I am no longer taking orders for these books.  Sorry!**

Sew & Tell: Herringbone Short Coat

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!  I hope you are all able to spend some time with loved ones and remember all the things you are thankful for.  As for me, I have so many things that I am grateful for.  I feel extremely blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing, loving, and inspiring people and feel so lucky that I have everything I need and more.  I’m thankful for my beautiful, healthy and brilliant daughter and my too-amazing-for-words life partner who gets me, accepts me and loves me though anything and everything.  And I’m so grateful that I get to do things that I love like sew, take pictures and blog and that people are encouraging me to pursue one of my dreams.  Thank you!!

I have been able to be super productive recently because I’ve had some rare time to myself (another thing that I’m thankful for!).  After working on a lot of things for other people, I wanted to take some time to make something for Yuki.  I’ve had this image in my mind of a simple coat and I finally had the chance to try it out!!  I’ve never made a jacket or coat before because it always seemed so intimidating.  I’m glad I finally gave it a shot and I learned A LOT from this experience.  Although I’m pleased with the way it came out, I’d definitely do a few things differently next time.  Anyways, here it is – the Herringbone Short Coat!

It’s lined with some super soft flannel.

This is my first Peter Pan collar and it did NOT turn out as I expected (more on that later) and a random button that I found in my button jar that I LOVE.

I used a wool blend herringbone fabric that I picked up out of the remnant bin at Joann’s.  It was only 1/3 yard!!  So I didn’t have much to work with.  I love the slightly dressy look, but it isn’t very practical since I can’t just throw it in the wash.  It’s also a very loose weave so it unravels like crazy!

The original design for this jacket had a hood, but I decided to nix that for this coat.  Yuki has so many hooded jackets and she doesn’t even like wearing the hood (plus, I probably wouldn’t have had enough fabric for that anyways).  I’m glad I went for the Peter Pan collar, but it sure was harder to do than I thought.  The collar turned out way smaller than I’d hoped and I didn’t know how to attach it, so that resulted in some creative (sloppy) sewing.  If anyone can help me with attaching a collar to a lined jacket/top, PLEASE share!

The other problem with the jacket is that it’s SNUG on her!  Which means that she’ll grow out of it by next week!  And you better believe she’s going to wear it every day until then!  I definitely want to make this coat again, but with some adjustments.  What kind of fabric should I try next?

Here’s some pictures of the coat in action.  She’s wearing it with a jumper that I also made so she’d have a complete outfit for Thanksgiving.  I’m going to share all about the jumper in another post.

Oh, how we love the fall!  I hope you all enjoy the long weekend filled with delicious food and good company!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Sew & Tell: Winter Party Skirts

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Our whole house has been sick for over a week, but I think we’re finally getting better.  At least Yuki is better and that makes things waaay easier.  I’m trying to get back into a blogging schedule and this week I have at least two projects to share with you.

This year for my sister’s birthday, I told her I’d make her a skirt as her present.  So we found this tutorial from Creative Spaces for a party skirt and went fabric shopping.  I took her to my favorite fabric store in the city, Peapod Fabrics, and she picked out this gorgeous Japanese fabric that just screamed AUTUMN.  It was perfect.

I like to call this color burnt butterscotch.  It’s such a rich warm color.

It took me forever to actually make, so instead of being an autumn skirt, it ended up being a winter skirt.  But I finally finished it and decided to make Yuki a little matching number with leftover fabric.  Yuki’s has a flat front, elastic waist in the back and ties for a bow that can be tied in the front OR back.  My sister’s has a zipper in the back and a removable sash that can be tied in the front, back or taken off completely.  The only thing I forgot to add is pockets!!  It would have been a great addition.

These pictures are of the kid’s version of the skirt.

Here’s some pictures from our Auntie-Niece photoshoot!

Happy Belated Birthday to my sister, Julie.  Isn’t she beautiful?  I swear, she got the beauty, the brains, and the heart.  She’s absolutely amazing.  Best sister and fantastic aunt to Yuki.  AND she lives close to us.  We’re so lucky!

In shop news, I’m really starting to feel the pressure as holiday shopping season officially has begun.  I think I’m abandoning my “grand opening” idea and planning on just opening the shop with one or two items and adding more as I have them.  I’ll keep you all updated, but here’s a secret – the kid’s version of this skirt (with pockets) will be available in the shop!