A Reversible Hooded Vest

EDITED: Seven hours later I'm back as I promised with the good photos! This little girl always wakes up in such a good mood! (I wish I was the same, ha!) I can't delete the photo above because that's the one I have linked to PR&P's link-up. Now to the good photos and the best smiles. :) 

A Floral Jacket

  

In this photo it seems that the jacket doesn't fit, but it does! She was moving and her left shoulder is lowered, that is why it looks a bit lopsided...

I had the chance to test this pattern about 2 weeks ago just a few days after I pinned almost every single outfit from Dolce & Gabbana's Fall/Winter kids collection to my kids fashion pinboard on Pinterest. I was in love with those bold floral prints at first and then, oh well, I fell in love with the whole collection... So I just had to make this jacket in a bold floral print. :)
I waited until week # 4 of Project Run and Play to post about it because I think this jacket actually shows my signature style - florals and details, like piping! (I have joined Signature Style challenge on season 8 of PR&P also with a floral + piping. :) You can check it here.)

Pattern: the Beetle jacket by Mamacosesola.
Fabric: floral cotton piqué as main, and a polka dot rayon for the lining.
Details: I love this jacket! I love its design and details, as the piping (you know how I love piping... :) ), the peplum style and the sleeves that are slightly gathered - adding to the overall design. It features a peter pan collar, it closes with a button placket or with big sew-in snaps on the inside (which is what I used) and it is fully lined! It is a feminine short jacket that goes well in several styles, depending on the fabric you use. The instructions are in spanish but there are lots of images to help you through the construction. 

I should have ironed the lining... :)

This jacket is perfect for Fall weather.! I can't wait to make a few more with other fabrics, such as corduroy or tweed. I think they will look great!

The Little Man Color Block Polo Shirt

Every time my little man sees me starting a sewing project he asks "Who is it for?". And 99% of the times I answer "It's for your sister A" or "your sister B" and he walks away... head down... with a sad look... It-breaks-my-heart... 

These last (6...8...?) weeks have been sewing madness weeks. Lots of pattern testing to do, sew-alongs and series... I think I have made more garments in these weeks than in my whole life (no, seriously...)... And only two things out of a bazillion were for him... (you can see them here).

So, this week I wanted to sew something for PR&P w4 - Signature Style challenge -, and for this April's Flip This Pattern series. I immediately started to sketch something for one of my girls that could figure in both challenges... A Dress... No, a blouse... Color block... Tulip sleeves... A-line... a bit of lace... In my mind it was beautiful! 
But, again, my little man came by and threw the question "Who is that for?"... It brook my heart knowing that I was going to break is heart... again... "I am making something for you, my sweet little man!", I said. His eyes glowed! In that instant I decided I was going to make something for him.

Well, I had just put myself in a lot of trouble... I had my mind set in a project for a girl and now, all of a sudden, and with just a day to work on it I had to come up with something suitable for a little guy...

I didn't know were to turn to!
"Focus, Sara, focuuusss!"

Ok, I had something to start with - this month's project for Flip This Pattern series is the Colorblock dress from Heidi & Finn. It couldn't be a dress so... it had to be a shirt. A polo shirt! And, as always, I wanted to keep the main design or main feature, so I decided to keep the color block design.

How I flipped the color block dress to a polo shirt:

• The opening was turned from the back to the front (I add to adjust the neckline) and I added a placket (I left it open but I think I'll add snaps - I made it a bit narrow for buttons...)
• I added a collar
• I adjusted the armholes and added sleeves
• A color block pocket at the front

I used piqué cotton (after all it is a polo shirt, right?) I had in my stash, in three different colors - white, red and navy blue.

He loved it! I made it in about 4 hours (from drafting and cutting to sewing and finishing) with 4 kids at home, and just in time for him to use it for a walk to the park.
While I was trying to sew I had to bribe them saying we would go play at the park if they'd let me finish this... If you ever tryed to spend a whole day with 4 kids locked at home you know what I mean... Well, I always always always keep my promises.

So, how does this relate to PR&P s9 w4 - Signature Style challenge? It does. 

I sew 99% for my girls - it's all pink and girly colors, florals and polka dots, blouses and sweet dresses, piping and lace - this is my Signature style. But I want my signature style to be also blue hues and green shades, stars and space rockets, shirts and trousers. So, I want to take a pledge. I pledge I will sew more for my little man - he deserves it! I don't ever ever want to feel like I am breaking is little heart... 'cause I know that is one thing he will remember when is all grown up... And I want to change that. I want him to remember of all the cool clothes his mommy made him when he was a kid... And I just have a few more years for that... He is 6, you know?...

Does anyone want to join me?...



Project linked to:

Silver stars print

This week's theme on Project Run & Play is "Design Your Own Fabric". 
Well... I have never designed my own fabric so this truly was a challenge for me! (And I love challenges!)

I searched all over the internet, looking for ways to make my own fabric and there are in fact many ways to make a custom fabric print using one of several printing techniques:

• Fabric painting 
• Tie dye
• Ombre dyeing
• Stamping
• Block printing
• Shibori
• Sun dyeing
• Silk screenning printing
• Masking tape stripes
• Freezer paper stencils
• Crayons
• Sun printing
• Bleach dyeing
• Embroidery (by hand or free motion machine embroidery)
• Glue/ wax resisting
• Joining different fabrics
• Iron-on transfers
• Digital printing

First I thought about tie dying but I have never tried it and I didn't had much time for a trial and error process... So I decided to go for the most easy thing to do: fabric stamping!

I had made recently a plain navy blue sweatshirt for my 2 1/2 year-old that was perfect for this! 
I used a star shaped button as a stamp (the shank was cut off and the button was glued to a wood block) and I went for a silver glitter fabric paint.

I really like the result and I foresee more homemade fabric printing in my future!

If you want to see lots of beautiful and fun ideas check out this week's PR&P linky party!


(My sweet toddler is already in bed so I will edit this post tomorrow with some modeling photos.)

O tema desta semana do Project Run & Play é "Desenha o teu próprio tecido".
Bem... ora aí está uma coisa que nunca fiz por isso isto foi mesmo um desafio! (E eu adoro desafios!)

Como não fazia a mínima ideia de como fazer o meu próprio tecido (ou desenhá-lo) procurei na internet que técnicas poderiam ser usadas. E encontrei várias (ver lista acima, em inglês - não sei o nome em português para muitas delas...).

Primeiro pensei em tingir um tecido, mas é algo que nunca fiz e não tinha muito tempo para um processo de tentativa-erro... Por isso decidi usar a técnica mais simples - estampar com um carimbo!

Recentemente tinha feito uma sweatshirt azul marinho para a minha pequenina de 2 anos e meio e achei que era perfeita para isto.
Usei um botão em forma de estrela como carimbo e tinta para tecido na cor prateado.

Gosto muito do resultado e vou voltar a usar esta técnica mais vezes!

Se quiserem ver muitos projectos giros - com técnicas diferentes - vejam os vários links na página do PR&P desta semana.

(A minha pequenina já está a dormir, por isso amanhã vou editar esta publicação para adicionar algumas fotografias com ela.)

The mini fashionistas infinity scarf

Project Run & Play - season 9 kicked off this week. It happens that I am on a pattern testing marathon these last two weeks so I was left with very little time to make an elaborate outfit...

The solution was making one of my all-time favorite projects: infinity scarves! I love the way they just add a bit of a flare to a simple outfit.

It is easy and quick to make! Who doesn't love an instant gratification project?

This week's theme is "Put me to the zoo" and the concept is to create something inspired from our favorite or our child's favorite animal.

When I asked my girls about their favorite animal they started "humm..."... "haaah..." I must be doing something wrong as a mom because my girls don't have a favorite animal... Can you believe that?! I had to go and grab all animal books in the house and read them to them... And I finally got an answer: butterflies and kitty cats! Ok, so now we had a starting point! (Thank you!...)

Now, the next problem was... I had no butterflies or cats fabric... So I had to run to my local fabric shop and luckly they had just one butterfly print (a very soft quilting cotton) and I could actually like it but they had no cats print...

When I was heading home I thought "Humm, cats are felines so... maybe I could use a feline print of some sort..." So I used this kind-of feline knit I had just bought a few weeks ago from an end-of-bolt bin.

I decided to add a cobalt blue ric-rac to match the butterflies print and a neon pink pom pom trim  to add color to the feline B&W print.

They are wearing store bought blouses but the leggings and the skirt were made a few weeks ago. The leggings were made from the Go To Leggings pattern (Andrea Pannell) and the skirt was drafted from this repurposed skirt I made for season 8 of PR&P (for the Refashion week).

So here they are: my little fashionistas ready to go to the zoo with their animal inspired infinity scarves!

I will be posting a tutorial for the infinity scarf this weekend, so stay tuned!  Tutorial published here!

Signature style - PR&P

Season 8 of Project Run & Play is coming to an end and I am quite happy with my first time joining this project. I wasn't planning to join all 4 week's challenges but I made an effort to sew something for each week and I managed to do it (well, except for week 2, which was a sewing fail...)

This week's theme was the most difficult - Signature style! 

I am not sure yet what is my signature style because I love to sew pretty things with lace and ruffles and piping as much as I love to sew comfortable simple things...
But looking to the things I have sewn in the last (let's say) 6 months I have used a lot of... corduroy! And I seem to love fabric with small flowers... So I think those two could be a signature fabric style for me. 
And the things I have loved the most to make have some details on it (lace, piping, vintage buttons), so I would say that is a signature look.

So... this week I have made this...

She had just came from Ballet School, thus the fancy hair...

A corduroy (with small flowers print) dress! With a white peter pan colar, piping at the front bodice, an invisible zipper at the back, fully lined.

I used the "The Caroline's Party Dress" by Welcome to The Mouse House - a perfect dress pattern! I altered the original pattern by adding piping to the front bodice.

Remember that bodice piece?... It is from my attempt to enter week 2 challenge - Let's go to the movies (see post here). It was a sewing fail and I was not able to finish the piece I intended to do for that week. Since the fabric wasn't enough for the dress I had in mind for that week (Lucy's Play dress) I decided to use it for this dress and I think it is perfect for my signature style!

She loves to twirl! I am definitely going to sew a few more Caroline Party dresses - for her and for tiny!

(Oh, I will try again to make the Lucy's Play dress! I already found several tutorials on how to sew that scalloped edge piping and I found the perfect fabric - a Liberty lawn floral print!)

It's Refashion time!

Today my sewing time was all about refashion!

I think it is wonderful to give a new life to non-fitting or out-grown clothes. This week is Kid's Clothes Week and Refashion week for Project Run & Play, oh and January is the Refashion Month sew-along at House of Estrela, so I definitely had to do some refashioning!

I was raised since a child to give away all the clothes that don't fit me or don't suit me anymore to someone else (usually to low income families or friends). I still do that with my kids clothes. So, when I first thought about joining this refashioning sew-alongs I was sad because I knew that I wouldn't have any old clothes to refashion... But then I remembered that I had a found a lost box of my kids clothing on our recent house move! And I was able to find a few pieces that were suitable for refashioning. Oh happy day!

Project #1 - From dress to top!

Before!

This was a 9-12 months corduroy dress that first belonged to my middle one and then to tiny. 
It is as new as it was not much used mainly because although it was a piece of garment for Winter it had cap sleeves and a gap/ opening in the front and so it always seemed to me that they were going to be cold even with a sweatshirt underneath... 

I love this thin corduroy and the color! So I was really happy to be able to refashion it to a top.

I took the cap sleeves away and redrafted the armscyes to make them larger. 

  Then, I just added lace to the edge and to the gap! 

I also changed the button (ballerina shoes, of course!) and the button placement. And that was it! 

The funny thing is that it fits both my girls (they are 2 and a half years apart, but the oldest is really thin...)!

Project #2 - From dungarees to skirt!

Before!

This was a 12 months size denim dungarees skirt.

First I have cut off the chest and back pieces. 

All separate pieces!

Then I took off one of the skirt's ruffles layer (the smaller, upper one) and took some width off of the remaining main layer (from the center and from the sides). Then I have joined the smaller ruffled layer to the bottom edge of the skirt to add length to it.

This was the harder step... Hello seam ripper and hello broken needle! 
To sew it back together was an huge test for my sewing machine as it had to sew several (I have counted 6!) layers of denim.

Waistband + main layer (with less width) + previous upper layer now at bottom edge.

I have add an adjustable waistband and voilá!

I am being inspired by several wonderful people (mainly by Magda!) to make new clothes out of used ones and I think it will be my new hobby! 
I keep finding myself these days looking at my kids clothing and thinking about ways to refashion them...

If you want to be seriously inspired check Magda's blog and all the refashioning she does every day, along with all the amazing people she invited to join her this month and stop by Project Run and Play's Refashion Week and by Kids Clothes Week (there are a lot of refashioned garments around there too)! 

Believe me when I say that you will want to join this refashion movement!