Sew & Tell: Yuki’s Dresses

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For some of you who have been following my sewing adventures for awhile, this post may be old news.  But in an effort to archive some of my older projects, I’m going to post it anyways.  Over the summer, I got on a dress sewing kick.  I suddenly had ideas for simple dresses and wanted to see if I could make them for my daughter, Yuki.  I based them off of dresses I’d seen, or something similar that Yuki already owned, but I didn’t use a pattern so it was really trial and error sewing.  I learned A LOT from each of these projects.  So here they are and some of the lessons I’ve learned.

Dress #1: Earl Grey Summer Dress (Hideko named this one!)

I had actually bought this fabric to make my friends M&M some cloth napkins for their home.

I had some left over, so I decided to use it for a simple (and a little sophisticated) dress for Yuki.  (I love how little fabric you need to make baby clothes!!)

Lesson #1: Make sure armholes are big enough.  I had to squeeze her arms through from even the first time she tried it on, so she didn’t get to wear it very much.

Dress #2: Sailing Dress

I based this dress off of the popular elastic waist skirts and dresses I’ve seen around.  I topped it with a stretchy striped knit.

Lesson #2: Be sure to measure your model before you cut and sew.  The first time I put together the skirt part of the dress it was WAAAAAAY too big for Yuki.  Instead of taking it apart to fix it, I decided to just sew it up in the back.  But this meant having 3 seams instead of 2 or even 1.  And the side seams were not even on the side anymore, they were pulled towards the back.  Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.  Luckily, you can only tell if you look real close.

Lesson #3:  Knits are great if you know how to sew them.  If you sew regular stitches on a stretchy material, it will either look bad, lose all of it’s stretchiness, or both.  I had originally made this dress with a normal neckline in front and back, thinking it would just stretch over her head.  But it did not stretch after I had sewn it.  So it would not fit over her head.  So I had to cut the back open and do more sloppy stitching and add a button.

Dress #3: Neapolitan Wrap Dress

Yuki had another wrap dress that we loved her in, so I thought I’d try and make her another one.  The colors on this fabric remind me of neapolitan ice cream.  Yummm!

Lesson #4:  I don’t actually know what the lesson is here.  All I know if that the dress doesn’t fit her too well on the top.  I guess I just need to try things on Yuki as I sew instead of finishing the dress and then realizing that it doesn’t fit.  The problem is, I only sew when she is asleep.

Dress #4: Birthday Dress

I wanted to make Yuki a special dress for her birthday.  When I went to the fabric store I saw this beautiful material with the most precious print and soft feel.  The shop owner told me it was double gauze from Japan.  When I came home I read all about it here.  It. is. dreamy.  It’s really the only word I can think of to describe it.  When I washed and dried it, it had gotten even softer!

Anyways, I’m not really one to dress my daughter in pink dresses with a bow, but I could not help it.  I used a style very similar to the Earl Grey Summer Dress, but used a zipper in the back instead of buttons and added a waistband (that ended up being covered by the ribbon) AND made sure there was more room in the bodice to put the dress on easily (no more too small armholes)!

Lesson #5: Every time you make a mistake, make sure you learn how to avoid it next time.

This 4th dress was by far the easiest and least mistake ridden dress.  I’m happy to say that I have learned so much about sewing and dress making from these projects and I’m very excited to make more!  And I have some lovely polka dot double gauze waiting to be sewn up!

Best Gift EVER!

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Yesterday I came home to the most amazing gift I’ve ever received.

My jaw dropped.  I cried.  This is NOT what my sewing set-up looked like when I left for work!  Hideko and our very good friend, Sanjai, spent the day cleaning, clearing, building, reorganizing and rearranging to give me the most amazing sewing/crafting center ever.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

The left side of the “office” was always mine and I’ve had this narrow desk set up for sewing since we moved into this apartment.  But the large desk was Hideko’s and there was not nearly as much storage or desk space on the right.  She cleared off the entire desk so I can use it for sketching, cutting, and ironing (and of course for Hideko to use too).

Hideko had this sign made for me!  We’re not quite sure what to do with it yet, but it does make me feel quite official.

I LOVE my new crafting area – I’m still in disbelief that I get all this space!!  I guess Hideko was tired of seeing me hunched over on the floor.  Although, I do enjoy working on the floor sometimes, this is definitely an appreciated upgrade.  Not only is the space a gift, they cleaned up EVERYTHING for me!  I will not deny it, I am a total slob.  Before yesterday, there were piles of fabric, patterns, unfinished projects, clothes and other crap all over this office space.  Sanjai was shocked that I could get anything done in that mess.  Now I have to work really really hard to keep this place clean so I can use it efficiently.

And it’s not quite done yet.  I’ve had shelves that I’ve wanted to put up over my desk for a long time and some other new organizational and decorating ideas.  But I’m inspired and touched and so motivated.

Hideko and Sanjai – thank you for the most amazing gift ever.  Thank you for believing in me.  I hope I can make you proud.

And thanks, Hideko, for making my lil fabric wallet gift pale in comparison! 🙂

Sew & Tell: Seersucker Tie Front Pants

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What kid doesn’t need a pair of seersucker pants??  These are your standard pants with an elastic waist.  I added a tie with two belt loops to add a little extra touch of character.

These are our new favorite lightweight pants for Yuki to go running around and exploring in.  They are nice and roomy in the legs so she can move freely.

Does your kid need a pair?

Sew & Tell: Repurposed Tank Top Turned Girl’s Halter

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This was a fun project because I got to take something old that I wasn’t quite ready to part with and turn it into something new for Yuki!  I’ve had this top for years and it was one of my favorite summer tank tops.  It just screams “let’s hang out at Golden Gate Park on a sunny day!”  But unfortunately, I grew out of it (literally).  Here it is before:

And you can see that it’s already too small for me 😦

And one year later!

Looks the same, huh?

This was an extremely easy project because I kept almost everything the same.  I didn’t touch the front and I kept the back the same except I tightened the elastic a bit.  I removed the straps and moved them closer together.  The original straps criss-crossed in the back and were attached with buttons.  I decided to skip all that and just tie them like a halter.  Then I sewed up the sides and cut and hem the bottom and I was done!  Easiest top I ever made!

This project has really inspired me to start looking at things differently.  There is so much old clothes (and bedding, towels, etc.) that I just toss or donate, even if it has just a tiny hole or stain.  Now I look at old things and try to imagine what I can make with the fabric to turn it into something fresh and new!  It’s good for me, good for Yuki, and good for the environment!  The only one who loses out of this deal is my sister, who, as an adult, has come to embrace the hand-me-downs. 🙂

Sew & Tell: Hideko’s Wallet

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Last week was Hideko’s birthday and I had no idea what to get her.  We also are trying to save money so I think we said “no gifts” but I figured if I made her something small and it was inexpensive it wouldn’t really count.

A year or two ago we were at a craft fair and we saw these cool wallets made from old ties and suits.  She really liked them, but didn’t want to buy one for herself.  I totally should have bought one for her then and there, but I didn’t and it’s been floating in my head since then.

Then recently when we were shopping for fabric for Tucker’s suit, we came across some great suit-like fabrics that Hideko really liked.  The idea to make a wallet didn’t really come to me then, but all the pieces were starting to come together.

Finally, the day before Hideko’s birthday, I realized that I had no gift (unfortunately, this happens quite often).  That’s when the fabric wallet idea came to me!  I picked up some fabric at Fabrix that I knew Hideko liked because she had pointed it out during our last visit and whipped up this wallet.  It was surprisingly easy!  I didn’t use a pattern, I just modeled it after other fabric wallets out there and used cash and credit cards to get the right size.  And it requires such a small amount of fabric that you could easily make this with scraps in your stash OR repurposing old fabric you have laying around, pants, ties, shirts, whatever.  All you need is coordinating fabric for the outside and inside and some interfacing to give add some thickness and stiffness so it holds its shape.  Maybe one day I’ll do a tutorial on this one.

Now with all the leftover fabric I’m dying to make Yuki a casual reversible vest.  Another project to add to the list!

Anyways, Happy Birthday to my beautiful and loving partner, Hideko!  I hope you like your wallet!

Sew & Tell: Tucker’s Suit

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Friends of ours are taking their 8 month old son to a couple of weddings on the East Coast in October and they wanted a baby friendly “suit” for him.  I’d never made anything like this before, but I love trying new things.  Here is the finished outfit!

I made the vest from a pattern I purchased on etsy and the pants using this tutorial from made.  The part I had the most difficulty with was finding the fabric.  I wanted something that looked suit-like, but was machine washable and dryable – incredibly important for anything coming within a couple feet of a baby!  This is a MUST for most of my projects and ruled out any wool or wool blend fabrics.  I also didn’t want it to be too thick or stiff so lil Tucker, who is starting to crawl, would be free to move.  Lastly, I didn’t want it to look too old for a youthful guy like Tuck.

What I ended up getting was a polyester fabric from Fabrix in the Inner Richmond.  This place can be great.  It’s like shopping at Ross or a thrift store.  You have to dig and dig for something amazing, but when you find exactly what you want, it’s like striking gold.  And generally it’s very very inexpensive.  Most of the time I walk out empty handed, especially when I’m looking for something very specific.  But if you are just looking for some fun and cheap fabric, I highly recommend it.  I found a bunch of great suit-like fabrics that are all polyester (machine washable) and I’ve already made a wallet for Hideko and I can’t wait to make some vests for Yuki!

The best thing about this project is that it forced me to make buttonholes.  Up until now, I’ve avoided them completely by using zippers, snaps, and button loops.  But for a vest, it was unavoidable.  I found the buttonhole foot, read the instruction manual for the sewing machine and . . . I could not figure it out.  For the life of me.  I could not get it to work.  So after trying about a hundred times, I gave up and just made the buttonholes with the zig zag stitch.  It’s essentially the same thing.  Maybe I’ll figure it out someday, but for now, this will suffice.

But wait, there’s a surprise bonus . . .

A necktie!  I haven’t talked to Tucker’s moms about this, but I couldn’t resist adding this little accessory.  I don’t even know if he’ll wear it with the suit, but that’s ok!  He can pair this tie with any outfit, even just a t-shirt and jeans, to add a little character.  I used this tutorial from Very Homemade.

Hopefully we can get a picture of Tucker looking dapper in his new outfit.  I’m afraid he’s going to steal all the attention at these weddings – he is one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen!

Well, as you can see, I’m still a beginner and I use other people’s patterns to make a lot of my stuff.  As I gain more experience, I hope to come up with my own projects and patterns to share with you guys.  Until then, I’m so grateful for the wonders of the internet and all the generous people who share their stuff with the world.  Thank you!

Welcome . . .

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to you & mie: THE BLOG! 🙂

I’ve been sewing, knitting and crafting passionately for the last few years and now I want somewhere to share it all.  I find so much of my inspiration from crafting blogs and websites, so I figure I should put my stuff out there too, in case someone likes what they see and wants to create something too (or buy).  For now I’ll be posting current projects and ones from the past too, in an attempt to archive them.  Eventually I hope to have tutorials and patterns to share with you as well!  You can also check here for general updates like my upcoming etsy shop opening!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  And to all my friends and family, thank you so much for all your love and support as I pursue something I truly love.  Thanks for joining me on this ride!

peace.