Children's clothing

I bought this Ottobre magazine to make some onesies.



Then found a shirt and sweatpants to make for my grandson.

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From lois

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From lois

A few projects

Thought I would take a few minutes to post some of the sewing projects I have worked on and completed the past few months.

First of all is this little winter table runner. I made the pattern up myself.

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From lois

Next is a skirt I made from a vintage pattern

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Close up of the pocket. I love this skirt!!!

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My daughter gave me this funky monkey kit for my birthday and I made him up and decorated him:

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I made this jacket from Simplicity 2341 I love the jacket and the fit! It went together so easily - the fabric was from Joann's. A 100% polyester.

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Did you know it's almost impossible to buy a dark brown jacket zipper? I used black and it looks okay.

And last, but not least, is this Amy Butler coat that Carissa (daughter) and I made over the holidays. It turned out great after some adjustments!

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The armhole pattern is WAY too small. You would have to be extremely small or a child to fit into the arm opening. Not having a lot of experience or time in adjusting an armhole, I found a reference book that recommended slicing across the top (about 4 inches from the top) and adding ease. We added 3/4 inch across the sleeve and both front and back and then sewed it in. That seems to solve the problem, although I still think there may be a better way.

Anyway, she wanted to make a heavier coat, so we added batting in between the lining and main fabric. Luckily the lining fabric (Joel Dewberry I believe) had a pattern to it so that we didn't have to draw lines to complete the quilting. It really worked great!

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We cut the darts out so they wouldn't add additional bulk. Actually we did the sleeve hem and bottom hem slightly different than the pattern recommended and the coat is reversible (except for the buttons).

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Fabric Pick-up Today

Here's some fabric I picked up today at the quilt store. I had a gift certificate from my DH so I had a grand time. I plan to make a table runner - haven't quite decided on pattern.

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Quilt Festival

Quilt Festival 2010

I made this quilt purely for fun. Plus I wanted a new quilt to snuggle under during the winter evenings. This one has a pretty striped pink flannel backing. I found the pattern in a jelly roll book and thought it looked fun.

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It makes a fun accent to my husband and my "corner."

New Nightgown - Just in Time

When the weather turned cool recently I decided it was time to get out this medium-weight knit and make myself a new nightgown. The pattern was from a thrift store.

It turned out great. The shoulders are a bit wide, but that's okay for a nightgown. Otherwise it fits good, i.e. nice and loose. I am especially happy with the way the neckline facing turned out. I cut a piece of fabric 1 1/4 inches wide on the bias. First I measured the neckline, then cut the piece 1 inch shorter than the neckline, plus the seam allowance. Next I closed the seam on the facing piece and pinned it onto the neckline, just stretching ever so slightly. I used the reverse side of the fabric for the facing. It was the greatest thing about this project!!! I also made the sleeve length long - to come down past my wrist about an inch down onto my hand. Also cozy in the winter.

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A Finished Quilt

I have been sadly neglectful in putting up anything. I haven't done a lot of sewing lately. Summers are so busy, but I guess it's over now, judging by the weather.

This quilt is for my "corner" chair, where I sit and knit and read, and... etc. I put a flannel back on it 'cause I like to throw it over my legs in the winter. It will put a spot of color in my corner.

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A Summer Blouse

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I had read on a blog that this pattern is one of the few patterns of this style of blouse that you can use cotton or silk fabrics instead of knit fabrics, so I thought I'd try it. Of course I didn't read the Pattern Reviews on it before I started it!

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This pattern is huge! Luckily I did a muslin, but unfortunately didn't get a picture of the muslin that was huge.

Here is a photo, though, in which you can see the permanent marker lines showing how much I folded the front and back pattern pieces over to make it smaller. I used the size 14, which corresponded to bust and waist. Sorry, I tried to make these bigger, but couldn't get it to work for some reason, so it's hard to see. You can click on the photos though.

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From lois

So I ended up taking out several inches. You can see by the pattern envelope that the neck facing doesn't lay nicely and that there are wrinkles extending to the armholes. I decided to extend the neckline up about 2 1/2 inches. Luckily, it turned out great! I made my own 1/2 inch self-facing and put that on.

All in all, I really like how the blouse turned out and would make it again with these corrections. I also did a rolled hem on the serger for the sleeve hems.

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