Ribbon-tie pants and a ribbon-tie blouse

I recently bought a few Japanese pattern books and am now in the happy position of having loads of things I really, really want to make. For my first dip into Girly Style Wardrobe I sewed up a linen version of the pants that I'd seen on Asmita's blog, with ribbon ties (actually bias tape ties) at the ankles. My daughter is a reluctant pants-wearer, so the idea was that the ribbons would provide just enough of a girly touch to get her enthused. And while it's too early to make a call on whether she'll wear them, they really do look very sweet.

I added a little tag at the back so she can put them on the right way without help. And I really like the way the patterns in this book include a permanent opening on the front inside part of the waistband/casing so that elastic can be adjusted if and when required (well that's what I assume it's for, but since the book is in Japanese I can't be sure...).

The sweet linen pants were crying out for a sweet top, so I tried out blouse C from Happy Homemade vol. 2 using Reprodepot seersucker from Spotlight. I love the cut of this top and the slight gathering of the sleeves that gives them a bit of shape without making them too puffy. I made size 4 with size 6 length and the fit is great, although if R's head grows too much bigger we may be in trouble. I'd like to try out more versions  - perhaps with contrast binding, or a bit of piping - but there are so many other new patterns to make first, so it'll just have to wait.

With not much free time last night, but feeling the urge to make something, I sewed a headband pattern from Sewing Lesson Book in fabric left over from the blouse. The bow is a little oversized, I think. I might just remove it and leave the headband plain. Too matchy? Oh well. On to the next outfit...

KCW Project 4 - bleached trackies

As usual, the token Kids Clothes Week effort for my son. I am constantly frustrated by the limited fabric options on offer when it comes to making tracksuit pants - it's either thin cotton jersey, or thick cotton polyester. Why can't we buy nice pure cotton fleecy material in Melbourne? Is there some secret fabric warehouse I don't know about, or is this stuff just not available? But enough complaining. I bought some unsatisfactorily thin black cotton jersey and thought I'd have a go at splattering it with bleach. I was really surprised when, instead of the white spots I was expecting, I got a lovely burnt orange colour - cool! I used one of the kids' old toothbrushes to do the splattering and it was fun seeing the little spots and splatters emerging. I used the last pair of trackies I made as the pattern, but I think I rushed things a bit and the fit is not quite as good. As with last time, I used ribbing for the waistband and put elastic inside it.

K's not completely sold on the splatter pattern, and when he tried on the pants he said they looked too much like leggings. So I added bands of ribbing to the leg hems, which looks weird and wonky when they're not being worn, but does make them look less legging-ish on.

My stubborn boy would only model with his skateboard - like last time - which is strange as he hardly uses it otherwise! I love the splatters and even though the pants aren't the best fit I think they look OK, but it remains to be seen whether they'll be worn or not. Hey, I tried!

Happy pants

For years I've been reading about Happy Homemade vol. 2 and its wonderful patterns for pants and shorts. Unfortunately the book only goes up to size 8 which rules out making anything for my son, who is 9 years old and big for his age. Of course there's my daughter, but she is very much a skirts and dresses girl who refuses to wear pants unless there's a compelling reason (I managed to persuade her when they had 'mud day' at kindergarten) or a bribe (as in: 'if you let me take a photo of you in these lovely jeans with the cute top I just made, I'll give you a chocolate frog'). But hey, I wasn't going to let her fashion preferences stop me from making some of the famous Happy Homemade pants!

I used some black linen left over from a skirt I made myself last year. Black wouldn't normally be my choice for a 5-year-old, but I didn't know if the fit would be any good so this was something of an experiment and not worth buying new fabric for. I made pattern O, wide-legged pants, in size 2. Yes, size 2 - and they fit her perfectly with just a little bit of length added. The pattern is an easy sew, with an elastic waist and back pockets. Now R has black linen pants that she may never wear, but they do look kind of cool...