Last minute

This combination of fabrics has been on my sewing table all summer. I made a dress last spring with the Snow White fabric and was hesitant to use it again so soon, but it is so adorable I couldn't help myself.

Suddenly we had a few "cold" days, so in panic I quickly whipped this up:

I usually buy imported fabric, the quality is unsurpassed. But my, it is expensive! Expensive is a subjective word, obviously, but you pay less for non-organic fabric or simply bad quality. So I was thrilled to find a domestic manufacturer of organic knits with prints that could appeal to children. This one is from Birch Fabrics and we have to wait and see how it holds up in daily life but so far we like it. A lot!

Patterns: Ottobre

Fabric: Lillestoff, JNY, Birch

Birds

De stof had ik vorig jaar al gekocht maar is zo lang blijven liggen dat de liefde iets bekoelt is. Maar je kan niet alles oneindig bewaren, dus heb ik er toch maar wat mee gedaan. Best leuk geworden ook, kijk maar:

Bij de eerste mag de halsopening wat ruimer. Saskia komt er met veel gesjor maar net in. Maar het is een leuk modelleke, snel en makkelijk gemaakt, prettig om te dragen.
De 2e is wat aan de korte kant, kan niet echt voor een jurkje doorgaan, dus dat is meer een tuniekje geworden. Ook goed.

Stof: Lillestoff
Patronen: Ottobre

T-shirts and dogs

You can not have enough T-shirts, especially at a 3-outfits-a-day rate (kiddy pool, anyone?) So I made a few:

The one with the heat transfer rose is size 80, a bit too big. So the hearts one, with fake button snap closure, is size 74. I don't see the difference. I'm afraid I have to cut and sew more precise. Both are cute. I made 2 more, one with smocked hems at the arms:

I was a bit hasty and realized too late that the bottom hem was not straight. Tant pis.

The fabric for this set was waiting for a long time, the colors af the Lillestoff (dress) are really amazing!

And last but not least the dogs. Thomas has a long sleeve of this fabric, so this shows that it is really unisex:

Patterns: Ottobre
Fabrics: Lillestoff, Joann's (apple Y-shirt and pants), Nosh Organics (dogs)

*Edit: action pictures of the dress

Snow White and things to come

 At the beginning of winter I bought Lillestoff's "Snow White", but somehow it did't turn into a piece of clothing. Until now:

A cute tunic/dress for the in-between season, 3/4 sleeves, pleats at the neckline.
Pattern: Ottobre 1/2014

I also made a sleeping bag for Saskia out of 2 layers or jersey and a quilt batting in between for warmth. The other day I heard someone say that if you work with materials like batting or fleece you should clean your machine afterwards. As I worked with both lately, I decided to do so. And look what I found under the stitch plate:

 I have never seen so much lint in my machine! I'm glad I cleaned it out.

As for things to come, this is a selection of projects to make first. And these are only knits, I also have a lot of wovens waiting....

A hoodie, a body warmer and a dress

It is hard to find fabrics for boys. For bigger boys, that is. The cute little baby prints are not appropriate anymore, stripes are boring, stars are more or less OK I guess. So when I saw this print I grabbed the opportunity.

Fabric: Lillestoff

Pattern: Ottobre Beagle Boy

The weather is still too cold for a body warmer, but one should be prepared, n'est-ce pas?

Dark blue fleece and a Dino Dudes leftover. I added some bright red accents: the decorative stitching done with the cover lock machine (not 100% happy with it, maybe I need more practice?), red piping in the back panels, red ribbing for the pockets and red snaps. Pattern: Ottobre Windy Days.

And then the dress that is actually not a dress. It is way too short, it hardly covers the diaper, but it is pretty cute as a tunic!

Fabric: Robert kaufmann Brussels Washer linen-rayon blend

Pattern: Ottobre

Little Elephants x 4

I love Ottobre patterns for kids. They provide good basics patterns that you can make over and over again, like this one:
Nr 1, size 62:

Nr 2, size 74:

Nr 3, size 80:
This one has a fake piping: a strip of very curly jersey.

Nr 4, size 80:
I wanted to repeat the fake piping, but used a folded strip of jersey. It did not turn out that well, I should have used a proper piping, a folded strip of fabric with a cord in it, or the curly version like in nr 3.

Also, I got clumsy with the framilon in the bottom hem. I first stitched it to the bottom edge of the skirt, and then cut it off again when attaching the ribbing with the overlocker. Not clever. So this one does not have the bubble-effect. No big deal, though. This is still a bit too big, nr 3 is thicker fabric (sweatshirt) and fits nicely, so this will be more of a spring dress.
I really like how this fabric (Little Elephants from Lillestoff) turns out once it is sewn into a garment. In general, Lillestoff is wonderful to work with.
Pattern of the 3/2013 issue of Ottobre.