Can you be a sweat shop when sewing for your own family?

My youngest 2 children do NOT like to wear jeans.
I'm not sure how they are related to me.
I love a good pair of jeans.
Either way, they have to wear long pants some time, especially living in Minnesota.
Daughter #3 is currently 12 and absolutely won't wear jeans.
It is leggings or nothing for her. No lie.

At least my youngest son will unhappily wear jeans if all else is dirty.

But if he has a choice, sweat pants are preferred.

So a week or so ago I de-stashed and sewed all at the same time.
It was like a mass production site in my basement.
It felt great to sew.  I haven't really sat down and done a lot for a few months.
But then I did get to thinking, can you be a sweat shop when sewing for your own family?

Anyway....
After all was said and done I made for her

• 1 pair black sweats
• 2 pair black leggings
• 1 pair red leggings
• 1 pair green leggings
• 1 pair orange leggings 
• 3 pair of blue leggings

Seriously, if she even remotely complains about not having any pants to wear I might have to hurt her.

Another set she wore for her "Anabeth" costume for Halloween.
She is currently super-obsessed with the Percy Jackson series.

My son got 2 pairs of black sweatpants and so he is super happy.  Almost all his other sweats have been turned into shorts because he had either wrecked the knees or they were turning into capris for him.  Not a good look for 9/10 yr. old boys.

Details:

• Favorite girls' legging pattern is Kwik Sew 1591.  It is out of print, so you could try KS 3476 or KS 3958.  The thing I like about this pattern is that there is no side seam.  Front and back are cut together.  Sews up super fast!  Also, the leggings aren't super skin tight.  I don't love that on girls.
• All the knit fabric I used for her was from my stash. However, I can't decide if I actually made a dent in my knit supply or not.  Sad!
• The sweat pant pattern I use most often for the kids is Kwik Sew 2617. I use this pattern for flannel pajamas as well.  It is, of course, out of print as well, but it appears that 3786 is their updated pattern version.
• Black sweat pant fabric from Jo-Ann's.  Use a 50% off coupon as it is a little pricey, but it washes up really nice.

Dandelion Jeans

When talking about "jeans" for daughter #3 we use that word loosely.  She will NOT wear store bought jeans--zip up the front, scratchy on the waist, unable to move, too much bulk in crotch region kind of jeans. That is her description of why she doesn't like them.  She will however wear denim pants that I make for her--i.e. loose fitting, elastic waist, and no butt pocket.

Recently she informed me that she didn't have any long pants for school.  Yeah, it has been a rough couple months around here.   I had bought her shorts for gym class--first year of middle school and all, but they were a bit big in the waist.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to buy her pants that were long enough but skinny enough to fit her body.  So I pulled a couple pieces of denim and chambray that I could find and cut out 4 pairs of pants.  I then tried to make them all a little bit different from each other so that people wouldn't think she was wearing the same pair of pants over and over and over and over again.

On the dark denim I asked her if I could do a little embroidery design.
She agreed.
I only did it on one leg because I didn't think I could duplicate it well enough on the second leg.  And really I was just winging it on the design and idea.  Maybe if I had a white washable fabric marker/pencil I could outline it and do it but she was fine with just one leg fancied up.






Details:

• Thrifted fabric--about $3 for 3 yds. or more.  I got 2 pairs of pants out of the dark denim and 2 pants and a skirt out of the chambray piece.
• McCalls 5135 and lengthened the pants a bunch.  The pattern is out of print.
• Used heavy thread (I think quilting thread) for the dandelion detailing.  I had practiced with regular thread and didn't think it stood out enough.

Dress Week---Easter Dress for the youngest

This year's Easter dress for my youngest daughter is bright and happy.
She is currently going thru a green and blue phase.
I found the green floral at the thrift store for about $3 for a couple yards.
Then I bought a coordinating blue to match and break it up a little.
She is super pleased with it.
And happy day we hit 71 degrees on Easter Sunday.
First time we've seen a 70 degree day since last October.





Details:

• Simplicity 2715
• Contrasting yoke with white piping
• 3/4 length sleeves
• Added sleeve and lower hem bands
• Invisible zipper

Past versions of this pattern to view:

• Butterfly dress
• Recycled Easter dress

Bring on the Ombre

Two of my three daughters are ALL about comfort first when it comes to their clothing.  If it doesn't feel right then forget how cute it is because it won't be happening.

My youngest always wants to "see" the fabric, which actually means she wants to touch and feel it first before she decides if she will wear it.



Recently I made her a fun ombre t-shirt dress for Spring and Summer.  She is getting taller and a good portion of the clothes we held onto from last year for this year will be heading to the giveaway pile because they are too short.

She informed me exactly how she wanted this dress.
White on top
Light blue in the middle
Dark blue on the bottom

Luckily I had all those pieces of knit in my stash.



Used pattern McCall's M6276--which is crazily already out of print.  I swear I just bought this pattern last year. I cut and determined the widths of each section.  You can do this with any good t-shirt pattern and adjust accordingly.

I am in the process of making a color blocked t-shirt dress for me.  Got sidelined a little in that process by house stuff over the weekend.

Dressing for Spring---10 yr. old style

We aren't quite technically to Spring, but we're having a few Spring-like days here and there.  Last Sunday was one of those with almost 50 degree weather and barely a need for a coat even with the huge piles of snow everywhere.

What to wear, what to wear...

If you're 10 yrs. old this is what you wear.

A fun Spring tiered peasant skirt and short sleeve shirt, with your fuzzy boots.



It's all good.

Skirt pattern--Simplicity 4650 (old Lizzie McGuire pattern)
Shirt pattern--Simplicity 4565
Thrifted sheet.

We're ready for Spring to arrive permanently.

Peasant Tops

I used to make peasant style tops all the time for my bigger girls back when they were little.  They are super easy and super comfy and really you can use cottons or knits without any problem.

I had to buy a new pattern, however, because it appears that I either gave it away or tossed it, having not used it in awhile.  Most likely the pattern I had was too small of a size currently for even my youngest daughter.  Luckily I found a couple on sale at Jo-Ann's for $1 each in bigger girl sizes.

McCall's 6500
Simplicity 4206  Have to say I preferred this one for the top.

The McCall's pattern was so MUCH wider in the body of the top.  We didn't like that.  And the sleeves were 2 pieces--you can't really see it on the pattern, but the McCall's sleeve has a slit in it.  So if you like that style this would be the one for you.  I did like the length of the sleeve better on the McCall's, but I don't have a problem lengthening a sleeve pattern.   And I did use it for the leggings pattern, just not the top.

For the Simplicity pattern on the first top alone I had to add 3" in length for a size 10.  And even then my daughter would've liked it even longer.

So on round 2 I made the shirt more like a tunic for her to wear with leggings.


She liked it so much she wore it 2 days straight before I told her she had to put it in the laundry.

Details:

• Blue & white floral fabric from thrift store for $1.49 or less--it was about 1 1/2 yds. worth

• Navy leggings from a thrifted knit sheet.  We'll have to make some more before school starts as this daughter refuses to wear jeans of any kind.

NOTE:

I've had a few people ask me about the yardage fabric I get at the thrift store.  I go to Unique Thrift Store near my home and they actually have a fabric section in their store with big pieces of fabric, yarn, patterns, notions, etc.  I tend to go every week just to browse--some days I'm lucky to find good stuff and other times they have nothing that interests me.

Striped Skirts

Love stripes.
Here are few of the projects that I've put together in the last weeks or months that involve stripes.

A knit chevron skirt for daughter #3 that she wore on Easter.


Did my neck binding technique on the hem of this skirt because once again I had limited amount of fabric and with matching the stripes I could only cut it so long.  We wanted every inch we could get.


I think she might be wearing it sideways in this picture......hmmmm.

Red and blue maxi skirt for daughter #2

We chevroned her skirt slightly based on how much fabric we had and the fact that she wanted it flared and not straight.  Had she wanted it straight we wouldn't have done the chevron style.


When she wore this outfit to Church for the first time she said it was the most comfortable skirt E.V.E.R.
I don't doubt it.
Inspired by this post
Fabric find at the thrift store for $3 or less.

Another summer dress for the girl

I don't intend for this to happen (well maybe I do) but it seems that I rarely follow a pattern exactly as directed.  I'm more likely to use it as a base and then embellish it how I see fit....or how my fabric dictates.  I say that because I tend to buy remnant pieces from the thrift store, or end bolt pieces and so I get what I get and then I have to work around it.

That is what happened with this dress.

Had I used a different style and pattern I would've had enough but #3 wanted this particular dress and so I had to "wing it" a bit.  Not enough of the bird print to get the entire dress.  So I substituted one front panel with some red dotted Swiss to make it appear to be an "apron", added an upper band at the empire seam for the apron band and Voila! she is happy with it.





Details:

• Simplicity 5645--used this same pattern for #3's Easter dress in 2012
• Heidi Grace fabric that I probably bought at the thrift store.  Design is "We are Family".
• Topstitched rickrack to each side of the "apron" panel to make it appear more like an apron and not like I had run out of fabric.  

• Added band at empire waist to create the illusion of waistband of the "apron".  It is attached into the side seams and seam attaching bodice to skirt.

• Once again I didn't put elastic in the sleeve hem but added a contrasting band by gathering the sleeve edge onto it.
• Added tiny piping to the faced neckline.  Just sandwiched it between the bodice and facing pieces. And then topstitched it all down.

• Finished the skirt hem edge like I do quilt bindings.  It gives it some body and shape too.

New church dress

My youngest daughter has needed some new Church clothes.  I am tired of her wearing the same ratty-ish t-shirts with her skirts.  (I have plans to make new white tees for everyone.) This dress I made from some of the thrift store fabric pieces I found within the last month or so, and since it is blue she was more than happy to let me make her a new dress.



Details:

• Pattern Simplicity 3513
• Made this pattern before--you can see the dresses here.  I think the turquoise blue one I've kept because it is just too cute and I can't part with it yet, even though no one in my house can wear it.
• Michael Miller thrift store fabrics for about $6
• Made size 10 with added band on the dress hem.
• Didn't put elastic in the sleeve hem.  Made a little band to gather the sleeve onto instead.

• Added piping to the neck facing for added interest and contrast.

Maxxed Out

So the maxi is in this year as you all probably know.
Not sure how I personally feel about it.....still....

I am 6' 2" and that is a whole lot of fabric if I make myself a dress that almost hits the floor.  Plus (no offense Mom if you are reading this) our mom has always worn a "house dress" as she calls it when she is just hanging out at home in the evening and this sort of reminds me of that.  I'm just not sure I can or want to go there.  You know what I mean?

With that being said I still bought McCall's M6552 pattern.  It doesn't seem so much like a house dress when the pattern envelope has "FASHION STAR" written on it in big bold letters and the model is all glammed up in strappy sandals and chandelier earrings.

I started with a swim cover-up dress for me first before making something from this pattern that I'd wear out and about.

My girls, however, have none of my qualms.

____________________________

McCall's M6552

Showing off a bit

• Border print fabric--with the amount I had purchased (2 yds. I think, because this was originally going to just be a skirt) we were limited on the length we could make.
• Shortened version and took very small hem.  If it was long enough or just close you could also just add some navy bias tape to edge the hem or a wide fabric band in a contrasting color.  I actually tried to get her to add a navy band to the bottom, but she didn't want to.
• Instead of a drawstring we just put in elastic at the waistband.
• I have to say that the pattern pic of this dress shows the model wearing ONLY the dress.  After making it 3x, with 3 different kinds of fabric, I am not sure how you could wear it that way. Really!  It is cut SO deep and regardless of your sized bosoms or your modesty comfort level it seems that you'd be flashing people all over the place with this dress unless you had a tank or cami underneath.

_______________________________________

Simplicity 2437 is what I used for my 9 yr. daughter.
Top version

• Fabric from the stash.
• Embellished with white rickrack and orange 1/2" single fold bias tape also from the stash.
• Sewn in white "cami" made from white interlock.  She didn't want to actually wear a shirt under it, just look like she was.
• Although she hasn't worn this shirt much I'm confident she will once school starts in September.  Especially after I purge her clothes of ratty tees.

________________________________
Maxi Version

• Thrifted floral sheet--love this fabric.
• Double fold 1/4" bias tape (from the stash) to edge neckline and hem.
• Adjusted pattern to desired hem length.
• She says she may use this for her swimsuit cover-up.  That will probably change if I add a little piece at the neck so it appears she is wearing a shirt underneath.

____________________________________

After making these I found this piece of fabric while Tiffany and I were shopping one day and decided this would be an awesome maxi skirt--with a pretty brown top.

I bought 1 1/3 yds. thinking that would be plenty to go around me.  And it would have been great, except that once I brought it home, washed and dried and then got ready to cut it I realized that it wasn't cut straight at all.  So I lost about 4 or 5 inches off the width--maybe more once I got it all lined up.  I would have preferred it a little bit looser at the hem, more A-line cut, but oh well.

It is also a border print too--so that limited the direction of cutting, etc.  This piece was a bit interesting too as it is a 4-way stretch (similar to swim fabric) but the majority of the stretch ended up being vertical--stretching from waist to hem.

I just added a yoga style band at the top and it is super comfy.  

Tee pattern Simplicity 1808--same as daughter #1's top here.

This pic makes the bottom of the hem look super tight, but it isn't this much.

The first time I wore this hubby and I went out on a date.  His comment, "Do I need to dress up?"

"No, just trying to remind you why you said yes when I first asked you out."

Although it looks like raglan sleeves, this top has dolman sleeves--sleeves and front/back are all one piece.

Not to be left out...

.....daughter #3 wanted a funky skirt like her sisters.  

I whipped one up one evening after all the kids went to bed.  

I think we'll call this the fireworks skirt because of the print. 

She'll be able to wear it with a black, pink, red, yellow, or turquoise shirt--depending on her mood.

Details:

• Pattern McCall's 4363 (discontinued pattern that I've had for at least 8 years--copyright says 2004)  
• You could easily make this pattern yourself.  All you do is cut the front piece shorter slightly angled down towards the side seams.  Then for the back piece start where the front side seams end and then cut longer and curve the back hem.
• Used view C--size 10.
• Fabric from thrifted knit sheet--$3.
• Super easy with elastic waist.

Easter Looks

We didn't get all the Easter dresses done in time to actually post them for Easter.  But here is what my girls wore for that day at Church.

Daughter #1's style is much simpler and more relaxed than the others.  She is all about comfort and then if it happens to look good too, well that's a bonus.

Here's what she wanted for her Easter outfit this year.

Simplicity 2850 Top
And happy day, we didn't have to adjust the neckline on this pattern to make it modest enough. 
This is probably one of her fav tees.

Simplicity 2609 Peasant Skirt
We only did 4 layers instead of the longer 5 because of the amount of fabric we had.  But it was a nice length and she was happy with the result.
__________________________
Daughter #2 is always very particular about what she wants. 

For those of you who sew for your kids and they have not yet voiced an opinion about what you are making for them.  Gear up!  The time will come, it always does, when they will no longer wear what you think is awesome for them.  It may happen when they are 2 or 5 or 12, but I guarantee it will happen.  And no amount of bribing or cajoling will change their mind to wear the creation you present them.  From experience.....just saying.

Her dress was inspired by this Land's End shirtdress and after searching and searching we used pattern New Look 6587 to make her pretty pale yellow linen shirtdress.

She did the majority of the sewing.  I mostly took care of serging, attaching the collar, and the snaps.  The rest was all her.  She did a really good job and received LOTS of compliments on Easter Sunday.

We couldn't find buttons to match so we ended up using snaps (19 sets) instead.
We had to adjust the neckline up a bit and then she wanted 3/4 sleeves with a cuff.
Lengthened it about 4 inches.
She found the belt at the thrift store for about $3.  
And she is pleased as punch.

I think I need to make myself and daughter #1 one of these dresses too.  Should start looking around for the right fabric choice.
___________________________
And finally for Daughter #3
We used pattern Simplicity 5645 and some lavender linen that I had originally planned on using for myself.  The skirt I made I didn't care for and so cut that up and used both that and the remainder yardage to make her dress. 

I used a little embroidery scallop detailing option on my machine to dress up the edges some.

Love this fabric....rats, so sad it didn't work out for me.