Showing posts with label zboy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zboy. Show all posts
Friday, April 27, 2012

Wow, finally back!

Things have been so busy around here-I can't believe I haven't posted since November. I'm hoping to get a bit more sewing time, so I can post more regularly. My last post-the pants with piping, were a flop, fit wise. They got thrown into the closet with the pile of other ill fitting garments. Perhaps someday they will see the light again!
Right now, I'm still plugging away at the kids' clothing week challenge run by Elsie Marley. I have been so exceedingly tired this week that I've only finished one thing and am just now cutting fabric for another. I made the treasure pocket pants from the book Sewing for boys (which is amazing and has wonderful patterns for anyone-not necessarily just boys!). Zboy is really into cowboys right now, so they got a cowboy print, sheriff star button and red contrast stitching-his favorite color. Sadly, the 4/5 ended up being too large. I got cocky and didn't bother checking, because the 2/3 was too small. Poor chunky boy-wonder how long his clothes will have to be custom fit? So I'm putting them away until the fall, when they should fit. I'll be redoing the waistband as well. It came out much skinnier than it was meant to and I don't really like the look of it. Now, off to cut fabric for another Oliver + S seashore dress (sans pockets this time)


Posted by Mama G at 6:36 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, October 15, 2011

KCWC Days 4, 5 and 6-mistakes and adding long sleeves


Days 4 and 5 were spent making pj pants for the Zboy. I had lost my pattern that I used to make his rocket pants, so I retraced...and made an error somewhere. Of course, I had thought I would get fancy and make 2 pairs at once. So they are both too small. I'm in the middle of remeasuring and cutting them down for Zgirl.
Day 6, I cheated a little and made a shirt for Zboy's Halloween costume. He's going as Harry (from the book Harry and Horsie-Zgirl is going as an adaptation of Horsie) I took a plain white T, added black long sleeves underneath, and an H applique. I love upcycling-the black knit is from an old tanktop of mine that no longer fits. Even better, I used the existing hem so I didn't have to hem the sleeves. This is a fantastic way to lengthen the use of kid clothes! Take a short sleeve shirt you love, add some long sleeves, and new shirt! I even saw a tutorial online where they added the same fabric used for the sleeves as a band at the bottom of the shirt.

Just trace a sleeve shape, sew it along the seam, and pin inside the existing sleeve. Pin it wrong side to wrong side. Here I didn't, and didn't realize until I sewed it. Ripping out seams from knits sucks.

Here is the right way.


I used the stretch elastic seam (looks like a lightning bolt) to sew it in place. It's not very obvious. I could have made it less obvious by using a double needle and sewing over the existing hem, but I was feeling lazy.
Posted by Mama G at 7:27 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, September 17, 2011

Wolf costume



I was lucky enough to be selected as a pattern tester for the new woodland animals pattern that was made by Jess of Running with scissors. I have followed her blog for a while on my RSS feed, and I always love the creative things she posts. If you don't already follow her, you definitely should!

The pattern will be on sale Monday (9/19) and even if you're a beginner sewer, this is a great pattern. The zipper, gusset, and hood are the parts that might give you issues if you're a beginner, but her photos and instructions are very clear. I love PDF patterns because with 2 little ones, it's hard to get to the store and have time to look at all the patterns. I also love supporting other people, rather than a huge corporation.

It took me 2 nights of working to finish this (from printing the pattern to finishing the sewing) This one was for Zboy. I was pleased with how it turned out, only I need to finish the top of the zipper in a better way, and I used the wrong kind of zipper. I wasn't looking at the type, only size and I grabbed a "sport" zipper, which comes completely off (like for a jacket) Oh well, I wasn't going back!

I've got the fabric to make one for Zgirl as well, with some changes. For her, I'll make the gusset bigger for her cloth diaper booty, and I'll make the tail smaller and shorter and not as weighted.

He's a ferocious wolf.
See those claws?

Running away into the wild
Posted by Mama G at 7:42 PM 1 comments
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Monday, June 20, 2011

Pirate outfit in action



Zboy adores his new pirate T and shorts set. Just for fun, here are some action pics! (I always like to see what the clothes look like on)

Showing off the flat front-I really like it this way, instead of an entire elastic waistband.
Posted by Mama G at 7:54 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, June 19, 2011

I fear buttonholes no more! (or Zboy's new whale shorts)



Be warned, this post has a lot of pics. I wanted to explain what I was doing as I did it.

To go with the shirred whale print dress I made for Zgirl, I sewed up a pair of shorts with cargo pockets and matching T for Zboy.

I've never really done pockets before, and as you may have noticed, I had a huge hate for buttonholes. My old machine was a 4 step process, and it always looked terrible. With my new machine and it's 1 step automatic buttonhole, be prepared to see lots of buttons coming!

I again followed my altered version of the basic pants/shorts pattern found here. I sewed the crotch seam together, and then the outer leg seam. I figured this would be the easiest way to add pockets. Measure the size of pocket you want, then iron under the raw edges. I should have serged them first, but I didn't. Now is the time to add a button if you want to sew it on with your machine. Mark the spot for the pocket, making sure both sides match. Topstitch the sides and bottom (I used a contrasting thread to add interest).
Then you want to measure for your flap. You want it to extend a little beyond each side of the pocket. Sew the short sides and one long side, leaving the other open. Trim the corners. Turn, and use a crochet hook or something to push the corners out. Iron it carefully. It should look something like this.


Then, if you want, topstitch the flap, leaving the unsewn side still open.




If you want a buttonhole, now is a good time to add it! Lay it with the side you want on top against the right side of the fabric. Match it up with the pocket and sew a straight line across.


Iron it down carefully, folding it over where you have sewn. Then, topstitch. This isn't necessary, but it helps keep the fold in place.



Then, sew the inner leg seam together, and follow the rest of the tutorial for adding elastic. Cute cargo pockets (with buttonhole! and handsewn buttons, because I forgot that step) on a cute pair of shorts.


Posted by Mama G at 7:39 PM 0 comments
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Monday, June 13, 2011

Easy embellished t-shirt


Have a plain shirt, or a shirt with a stain? Make it fun again by adding some embellishment! I had this robot applique cut out from an old shirt, and with a little wonder-under and a zigzag stitch, we have a fun new shirt!
Posted by Mama G at 6:09 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, June 11, 2011

Piratey goodness



Zboy's friend turned 3 this week, and we were invited to his birthday party! As you all know, I have an unabashed love of all things piratical. I made a set for Zboy as testers, and as they're mostly the same size, I'm hoping it will fit the birthday boy well!
I made the shorts using the tutorial here (I just adore this blog) and the first pair was way too small. I ended up adding 3" total around to the pattern. I added my favorite cut-out applique, and piratey goodness ensued.

The fabric is an odd shade, so I decided to make matching initial appliqued shirts as well. Done on my new machine with the applique/blanket stitch-so super fast and easy!



Posted by Mama G at 9:00 PM 0 comments
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Monday, May 30, 2011

Animal bread

I get the Fleischmann's Yeast newsletter, which is always full of yummy recipes. The most recent was for animal shaped bread. It was quick and easy, and fun for Zboy to help add ingredients, mix, and shape. The bread didn't last long before legs were ripped off, mouths eaten, and little mouse bits appeared all over.
It's quite tasty, and could be altered to be even more healthy, but I usually like to follow a recipe exactly the first time.


Beginning shaping. The oddball shapes are his own version of a gator, a turtle, and a snake.


Yes, I need to clean off my counters before pictures, but I just never think of it. I'd rather do fun things, like make alligator bread!



I wore her for a while, but then Zgirl wanted down, and just hung out by the learning tower.


The alligator, complete with teeth. The mouth was the first thing Zboy ate.


The turtle and snake.
Posted by Mama G at 8:29 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Cars shirt




Today's the last day of the kids' clothing week challenge. This was my 2nd attempt at trying to trace a pattern from an existing piece of clothing (the first was the pirate pants) This went ok, but trying to trace a thick flannel long sleeve pajama shirt to make a thin cotton short sleeve shirt was probably not the best choice. My first try, I made the collar inches too short. The second try was long enough, but once I got it on Zboy, I saw the proportions of the collar were ridiculous. Oh well, it's just for pajamas. It still needs snaps, but I take pics when I can get them!

I'll attempt to adjust the pattern some, but the shirt itself fits well, and will obviously look more done and fitting once the snaps are on it. Snaps, again? Yep, I hate making buttonholes on a machine, and I have a snap press and tons of snaps!

Zgirl wanted to take a turn as well.
Posted by Mama G at 8:02 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Fleece dinosaur tail

This tutorial made by Running with Scissors caught my attention as Zboy adores dinosaurs! Sadly, he was not in the mood to model, so we'll have to make do with pictures of the tail itself.



I don't have any velcro, so I just left it off and will add it once I get some. Start to finish, the project took around 45 min. I used fleece, which saved time on the spikes, and primarily sewed it with my serger. Fun and easy project for any kid who lives dinosaurs or dragons.
I was happy to find a use for this fleece as it is leftovers from Zboy's Halloween costume (he was a turtle)
Posted by Mama G at 7:35 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Quick fun with cardboard


Zboy is coming down with something, and it's taking all my willpower not to just zone us out in front of the tv. We have a ton of boxes and cardboard around all the time, so I made a quick and dirty car for him. I made it in about 10-15 min. so it's not all that sturdy or great looking, but he didn't seem to care (except when the steering wheel wouldn't stay in) I'll have to take more time one day and make one a little better.
Posted by Mama G at 6:30 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Wearing the Super Z shirts



I finally got both kids in their super Z shirts (from my previous post here) We got a ton of compliments on their shirts (and Zboy's pirate pants) today. The fabric on Zboy's shirt is the same as the side panel on his pants.




Posted by Mama G at 4:05 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Pirate pants



I traced a pair of Zboy's pants for this pattern. Unfortunately, I didn't trace well enough, and they were too small. The appliques are cut out from some fleece fabric I had and sewn on. I ripped out the side seams and put in a panel of contrasting fabric, installed an elastic waistband, and voila! The piratiest pirate pants of all!

You can also see I finally got around to painting the rocket Daddy G made. He loves the new paint job!
Posted by Mama G at 3:55 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Super Zs!

Families, Create! A Monthly Make and Play Carnival



It's that time again! The theme this month is heroes and heroines. My idea may be a bit cliche when it comes to it, but I think they're still cute!

I made my own pattern for an applique, putting a Z in the middle of the Superman shape. It took a while to get the size down, and a straight ruler and pencil are an absolute must.

I then traced the pattern (backward) onto Wonder Under and attached to the fabrics I was using. I originally planned to make the applique three pieces-the background, the shape outline, and the letter. However, I don't have a lot of solid fabrics or pieces that go together, so I decided to just cut out the open spaces of the applique. Here's one to show what it looked like.



I then ironed on the appliques.


I sewed them using the blind stitch on my machine-I don't have a fancy machine with an applique stitch, sadly. This was a bit tricky and required some practice. It's not easy to rip stitches out of an applique-it frays the fabric and messes up the wonder under, so practice on a scrap first!



I'm going to try to get pictures of Zboy and Zgirl in their super-shirts soon.

February brought many heroic crafts to the Families, Create! Carnival. Check out some of the wonderful posts from last month's participants below, and be sure to visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival.



Visit Code Name: Mama and Living Peacefully with Children to find out how you can participate in the next Families, Create! Carnival. Our March theme is "Animals" - what animals are your favorites and why? Get creative and share with us how animals are a part of your and your children's lives.
Posted by Mama G at 7:40 PM 3 comments
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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Clown toss




I got a book from the library that is part of a series-it's called "Year of Fun-Just for Twos" (there is a book for each age group). They have seasonally appropriate activities by month. It's a fantastic resource, with ideas I haven't seen or heard of before. One for February was making a clown toss game.

All you need is a cardboard box, some markers or crayons, and something to cut a mouth with (I used a utility knife). Zboy loved helping color the box, and while my art skills leave something to be desired, it was a quick, dirty job. We have a couple of beanbags I had made a while ago, and I looked around for anything else soft and small to throw. Next time, I'll put the mouth up higher and make it bigger-it was a bit too small for Zboy to get anything in easily, which is frustrating for him. I'll make some smaller beanbags too as mine are a bit too large. It was a fun game, and lasted double the time activities usually do, since we had to color it and then play with it.
Posted by Mama G at 9:22 PM 3 comments
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