KCW :: Day 4

I can hardly stand the excitement because I FINALLY have a finished garment to show you! Did I say "a" finished garment because I should have said TWO finished garments!!! I am so ready to get these two off my sewing table because I have some knit fabric that is calling my name!

 

Did I tell you the story about the time I tried Zade's almost finished Goldilocks Halloween costume on her and she cried because she wanted to be something different!? Where I would usually get really frustrated with the situation, this time I was a little heart warmed because she wanted to be a bear like mommy, daddy, and sissy. Sweet girl! Thankfully the crisis was adverted by a little addition to the costume.

 

 

We added her own secret bear in a pocket.

 

 

Needless to say she now LOVES her costume. Whew!

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of our finished Goldilocks costume.

 

(don't mind the pajama pants :)

 

I also finished up her skinny jeans.

 

 

 

They are a little baggier than I envisioned, but I could not make them any slimmer because the fabric was to thin. Guys, it was so thin (CHEAP) that after I sewed the entire pant up, and serged the seams for strength, they ripped TWICE while pulling them up for the final fitting. I am a little scared to throw these bad boys in the wash because I am pretty sure they will fall apart. Instead of being to sad about it I am going to count it as a lesson learned in buying cheap fabric (and call it a muslin for my sanity!) I love love love this pattern though and I will definitely make it again with a better fabric choice!

 

 

They got Zade's silly face seal of approval! I am off to make some leggings for the baby now. Ahhh, I cannot wait to sew with knit and I cannot believe I am saying that! :)

 

Happy sewing,

 

Rachel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KCW :: Day 3

I got in some major sewing time yesterday evening and almost finished Zade's skinny jeans!

 

I have got to hurry and go finish while the girls sleep! Sorry for the short post.

DOn't you just love KCW!

 

Happy sewing,

 

Rachel

KCW :: Day 2

 

Whew! I finished Zbaby's costume. That really was a load of fun but I am so glad it is knocked out of the way!

 

 

The skinny jeans are cut out! Now I am off to start sewing them up. Faux zip fly or functioning.... that is the question of the day.

 

Happy Sewing,

 

Rachel

KCW :: Day 1

This is not going to be a very impressive post because I did not finish anything yesterday. But I am really excited about what I did accomplish!

 

I finished the top of Zadie's Halloween costume! I know it is probably silly to be as proud of this as I am but everything turned out exactly like I imagined so far and that so rarely seems to happen!

 

 

I got my skinny jeans pattern taped together. To stay on key with the sew along I also should have cut the pattern pieces out but crazy me forgot to measure Zbaby before she went to bed.

 

Cheers to a hopefully finished costume tomorrow and being a little closer to some cute pants!

 

Happy sewing,

 

Rachel

KCW :: THE PLAN

It's that time of the year again... time for the kids clothing week challenge which basically means you commit, for one week, to sew one hour everyday for your children. I love this challenge because I always get so much more accomplished when there is a little pressure involved! I am going to be live posting what I accomplish for a little extra motivation and I will be instagramming (@thebrownabode) my works in progress too. So here is the wish list of what I would like to accomplish next week:

Halloween costumes

One costume is just going to be a little altering of an old Halloween costume, making a monkey a bear. The other costume is going to be a little more time intensive. I need to make a sweet dress for my little Goldilocks. I am planning on using the sally dress as a jumping off point and just kind of winging it from there!

Skinny jeans

I have wanted to make Peek-a-boo pattern's skinny jeans for a while now. I even bought the most perfect material LAST YEAR. I finally bought the pattern a few weeks ago and if that is not enough incentive Amy from nap time crafters (the pattern designer) is doing a sew-a-long next week. So I am planning to have this going on as a side project each day.

Leggings

I just bought a load of cute knit material at a local fabric shop ( for 3 dollars a yard!!) that I need to turn into leggings for my girls. Since it does not get that cold here leggings are the PERFECT winter staple and neither of my girls have quite enough. I will probably use the go-to leggings patterns for Z baby and I may try out the fancy pants leggings for the little love bug.

Extras

If the costumes happen to go much quicker than I anticipate and I have some extra time I wouldn't mind also making
* a bimaa sweater
* Some undies for the girls
* Maybe a simple zermatt swing coat

Honestly, my girls already have a TON of clothes because they are the youngest cousins and I have really generous friends. But Z is beginning to enter the "between sizes" phase where she is a 3 in the waist still but a 4 or 5 in the length, so it will be nice to make her some really comfortable clothing. Also, she recently started to ask and get REALLY excited when I make her something so it is just fun. My littlest love bug has caught on to her sister's enthusiasm and she really likes when I make things for her as well. That is enough motivation for me. Besides what girl truly has "enough" clothes?!

                                                 Happy sewing,
                    
                                                         Rachel

FREEZER PAPER SENTCIL :: HANGOUT HOODIE

Just popping in for a minute to show you the cutest little hangout hoodie from peek-a-boo patterns. I sewed this up for my friend's little girl. Her name is Sailor so I HAD to add a little nautical flair! I used a freezer paper stencil to add a gold anchor. She is such a cutie; she is going to rock this shirt!

SEWING :: WIDE LEG PANTS :: TAKE ONE

I really love the town I live in. We have so many fun festivals and our downtown is a blast. As the girls get a little older we have been able to enjoy ourselves a little more and take advantage of the stuff happening around town. It has been wonderful! Almost every event/ place we have been to I have noticed women sporting these wide leg flowy pants. Every time I see a pair I fall a little more in love. They are like maxi skirts on steroids! I first thought I would draft a pattern of my own but after an ugly pant-sewing flop a few months ago I just kept putting it off. Then the stars aligned and I found the greenstyle willow ruffle pants. I wasn't interested in the ruffle for this project but I loved the design of the pants. So I grabbed some stretchy (cheap) fabric and made a wearable muslin.

 

I really like how they turned out but I do plan on making some changes. I cut out a size small for the waist and legs and I used the longest length (xl maybe?). Next time I would cut an extra small in the waist and hips because I would like them a little more fitted on my booty.

 

(Back view)





 

The rise was also a lot longer than I wanted. I plan on removing the waistband and cutting off some of the length on the rise and then reattaching the waist... one day. For now I just tuck the extra material into the waistband but it does get annoying having to readjust every ten minutes, so I will probably fix it sooner rather than later.

 

(front view)

 

I love love love the drape of the legs. I actually wouldn't mind a little more width. I am thinking I might size out when coming down off the hips so it looks a little more like a maxi skirt when I am standing up. I made a total newbie error while I was sewing these pants and I pulled the material because the pant legs weren't quite meeting up and that is why you see all the puckering down the leg. It is actually pretty bad, but this style pant is so forgiving that I think they are still wearable. (and I have gotten a TON of compliments too!)

 

 

These are seriously the most comfortable pants in my closet and they are versatile to boot. I have thrown on some flip flops (it is still so warm here) and worn them to story time with my girl, and I have put on a pair of heels for a date with my man out on the town. They are lovely. AND they took less than an hour to sew up with my serger! What! Definitely expect to see more soon.

 

Happy sewing,

 

Rachel

 



fantastically easy bathingsuit cover

I ordered the cutest bathing suit cover this summer on amazon, Backless Black Bikini Cover-up (affiliate link). I. love. it. when I want to feel a little sexy. Hence I purchased it for a child-free vacay the hubby and I went on this summer. I will warn you that it is made from a really thin knit so it stretches. So if your plan is to walk to a pool or beach and then take it off you are golden. If you plan to carry a baby on your hip while walking to said pool or beach I would recommend making your own from a little thicker material that holds it's shape a little better. Funny story- Last time I wore this cover it was on a beach excursion  with just me and my girls. I wore it to the beach and then I slipped it on again to head into a store to get Popsicles on the way home. By the time I was putting the girls back in the car the cover was so "backless" that is was hanging UNDER my bum. Folks this was NOT made for chasing babies. But it is very flattering if you get to go somewhere without kids ;) If you have kids in tow you should make something a little more sturdy like the version I made for my girlfriend.

 

She was heading on a cruise with her hubby and she LOVED my cover up but she could not get one in time (mine shipped from china) so I decided to make one for her. I could not find a knit as thin as what my cover was made from so I decided to just dye some spare knit from my stash.

 

 

 

 

It definitely holds it's shape MUCH better than the one I bought but the drape is not as forgiving. Luckily she looks like a barbie doll so she can pull it off :)

 

 

 

 







I added braided staps.

 

And a little love note. Overall I think it turned out really stinking cute. I am defiantly planning on making one for myself next summer. If you would be interested in a tutorial for this wrap let me know. I would be happy to make one for you and go ahead and get one done for next year!

 

                                                       happy sewing,

 

                                                         Rachel

nursing cover revisited

A long while ago  in  my "It's baby time!" post series I wrote a (halfway) tutorial on nursing covers or hooter hiders as we call them around these parts! Well one of my dearest friends had a sweet little boy recently and she needed a nursing cover so she could start getting out and about a little more. I am always so happy to sew up one of these little covers for friends who want one. Although I have many good friends who are talented nursers sans a cover alas I was NEVER coordinated enough to manage that. This girl (talking about myself) is a sit down, have a boppy, in a completely private place kind of girl. It takes concentration for me the first couple of months! (my poor babies ;) So that makes me very understanding of the new mommas who want a little privacy while they "do their thing."

 

This was the first project in a long time that I went to pick out fabric specifically to use on it. It was so much fun finding fabric that I thought "matched" my friend and her style.

 

 

 

You know, it always surprises me how quickly these covers come together. I am generally intimidated as a seamstress (I use that term lightly) by hardware, such as D rings in this project, but truly it is not complicated at all.

 

 

 

I added a little hand stamped label to the inside corner because every new momma needs to hear they are loved as much as possible, especially when they are listening the the ear-piercing wails of a hungry newborn :) I really like making useful presents for people and I realized with this present that adding a hidden message makes it even more exciting!

 

                                                      happy sewing,

 

                                                          Rachel







bubble shorts and a pillowcase top

My sweet niece turned one earlier this summer! You know, the same one I was just planning the coed shower to celebrate. Where does time go?! Anywho, that sweet girl deserved some new outfits for her big day. First I made her one of my favorite patterns ever, elegance and elephants  bubble short pattern. You can see the pair I made for Zadie here.

 

                        

 

 

 

Jeez I love these shorts! I also whipped up a pillowcase top paired with some go to leggings.

 

 

 

The top was completely inspired by you and mie's color pop top.

 

 

 

Using a strip of knit fabric for the tie made the project super duper quick and really comfy too. The best part is that she loved it (well her mom did anyways!) Sometimes it is really nice to be reminded that simple sewing projects can be just as rewarding as more complex time consuming ones and it is really fun to make a gift for someone you love.

 

Happy sewing,

 

Rachel

 

 



Craft closet review... How it has held up the last two years

 

I finally took some time to clean out my craft closet, now if I only would find the time to do the same for my poor kitchen! Since the creation of the craft closet (two years ago!) and then the revamping of the craft closet this poor space has seen A LOT of action. It may or may not have gotten to the point of the door refusing to close! ;) I took an afternoon to "organize" (organized chaos is my specialty) the space and it made me think that you may want an update on some of the pinteresty storage ideas I tried and if they worked or not.

 

 

First up, meet the workhorse of my closet. If you only have a little space to store your things I definitely recommend an over the door shoe holder. I have seen this idea many many times but usually they are using one with clear pockets, which looks a little more clean and allows you to actually see what you stored in each pocket. We already had this lovely green one so no easy clear pockets for me. I store my elastic, trims, zippers, glue, and jewelry supplies in this.

 

I also LOVE my peg board. I originally planned to hang a HUGE one but I changed my mind last minute, thank goodness. I don't have a ton of things I would want to store on it but I do have a few things such as my scissors and rotary cutter, that I use all.the.time., that fit perfectly.

 

I forgot to take a picture of just my hanging jars for this post but you can see them in the first picture and you can kind of see them in the pic above. The tin cans on the magnetic strip is by far one of the cuter features of my sewing space, but also one of the most useless. I knock the jars down all the time and they can not hold very much. Maybe it would work better if the magnetic strip was stronger, I don't know.

The three jars that are hanging from the shelf are super useful for holding needles and safety pins but I totally "screwed" up by not using two screws when connecting them to the shelf. For some unknown glorious reason this has mostly corrected itself, but at first they would spin like crazy and I could hardly get them to unscrew to actually use them.

 

The cork board is new. I wanted a place to hang list and pictures/ fabrics that inspire me.

Thread anyone?

 

I also commandeered a shelf sitting beside the closet that use to be filled with old Cd's and DVDs and filled it full of treasure.

 

 

Patterns

Paints and stamps

 

I still wish I could find the perfect size storage containers for the bottom of the closet so it could look just a little nicer but I don't have high hopes due to the closets weird depth (one foot!) I also read the best tip the other day but I can not remember where, that if you share a sewing space with another used area of your house (my dining room) then you should keep a tub for your work in progress and all the supplies you need to finish it. I love this idea because it allows me to keep my dining room neat and also actually complete projects. One day I may show you a picture of my dining room with my sewing machine and serger in it, but not until I magically figure out a way for it to not look like a dining room with sewing machine in one corner and a serger in the other. (I know that sounds crazy but you know what I mean!)

 

Happy sewing,

 

Rachel

 

My dream... Pattern Stash

The spring summer cleaning bug hit me this weekend, like literally when EVERYTHING in my craft closet fell out on my head. (more on that later) After I reorganized all my crafting stash, including my fabric hoard, I felt ubber (definitely a word) inspired to get some selfish sewing done. So I of course spent the evening searching the internet for new patterns to love on. Now here I am sharing the love...
(P.S. I got so inspired I started a sewing pattern wish list board you should check out!)


                       

First off is made by Rae's washi dress pattern. How can you not want to sew this dress after seeing SO many great variations around the web!

                 

Holla Grainline studio! This is the most normal shorts pattern I have ever found. Simple. Sweet. It looks like something I would wear everyday. The scout tee would not have grabbed my attention on it's own, but I have seen some pretty awesome ones on the inter-web.


                   

                   

Megan Neilsen I am in love. truly!  Do you see those culottes? I need that pattern, along with the blouse, tank, and sweater... And I hear they are so pretty in their little packages too. I am thinking this may be the first pattern designer I will have to purchase from.





Victory patterns is rockin' too! This is not my usual everyday wear but if I have a special occasion this is the site I will be visiting.

There are more but I will stop here before my (and your) bank account kills me! Happy sewing!