Showing posts with label girls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label girls. Show all posts

Monday, 21 September 2020

Needles and Thread

 She is good, very, very good. I have realised of late that I am no longer as good at embroidery as I used to be because my eyes are not so sharp. My ten year old however is a demon stitcher. Look at this beauty.

Her first attempt was actually this unicorn on a rainbow but as my youngest goes against the grain of most fashion imagery, she shows a contempt for unicorns that would never ever be necessary in her future life. She was adamant - it was a horse on a rainbow because unicorns aren't real! You go for it girl.


She has persevered with french knots and now has that safely under her belt along with splitting off strands from the main thread which she found tricky at first. She also learnt the hard way about cutting the tail off too short when she got to the end of her thread.




She is off again with a new design featuring a hedgehog.

My eldest daughter, who is thirteen, has taken her stitching to a different place. I returned from work last week to find she had covered a snag on her jeans with some freestyle embroidery. How cool is that? She says it isn't finished yet but I was most impressed.



She returned to them another day to enhance the pockets. 

I have ANOTHER hole in my jeans. This week I decided to use a ready made patch I bought in Italy on holiday last year along with a little homemade applique. The lace covers the long rip repair and the owls strengthen the repair vertically.


Thanks for popping in, I am off to make an appointment at the opticians. Can I do that yet I wonder? These girls have made my eyes feel old and worn out!

Jo xxx

Thursday, 27 July 2017

Doodle

This month Big Sis chose a project from Minerva. A stretch fabric with a doodle pattern and a dress pattern with plenty of variations. Minerva have quite a range of stretch jersey fabrics at the moment which would be perfect with this pattern. 


She chose View D from McCalls M7079 with the softer waist fitting rather than gathers.If you have an overlocker this project is a breeze. It would also be fine on a regular machine using stretch stitch too.

I made it a while ago. She took it to France on holiday because it was comfy to wear on the aeroplane as well as being another outfit with leggings and a cardigan for later in the evenings.


There was just enough left over to make a long sleeved T-shirt for when the sunshine has gone away and Autumn pops up again. AND Little M asked if there was enough for her to have a bit of the fabric too. This pattern is one of my favourites from Ottobre.





Thanks for dropping by. Jo x

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Strawberry Girls

I have taken the opportunity to remeasure my girls this week and use up some smaller pieces of fabric which have been hanging around my cupboard for long. I have had my fingers burnt before making them clothes when they are at school only to find they don't fit when I have the Ta dah! moment with them when they get home.


At the trade show I attended in February I met the lovely people from Ottobre on their tiny little stand and I was really waxing lyrical about their pattern magazines because I absolutely love them, a bit too much probably, I may have looked a bit of a loopy super fan. Anyway, she gave me a badge each for the girls and a couple of copies.


The girls swooned over the childrens copy choosing items to wear. I traced off the long sleeved sweatshirt called 'raw edge detail'. I had some strawberry sweatshirt fabric to use. Originally I had bought it for myself but the strawbs were much bigger than I thought and it just wasn't right for a grown up. It is however perfect for a 9 year old.



...and a 7 year old.




This is the sort of useful sewing that I like to make for us to wear everyday, with mixed weather options of course! 


Jo xxx

Wednesday, 22 March 2017

-3 Photo Shoot

Who would have thought I could write 1000 words about a sewing pattern but I have, especially this brilliant pattern: Simplicity 1332A. It is a pattern review for Sewing World magazine.

 

The girls chose it from the Minerva website. What a brilliant choice! It encompasses an entire wardrobe in just one pattern. I made the whole shebang over Christmas just so that I could test it all out.


I learnt a new technique for applying net to the hem of the skirt so it is not too scratchy on little legs.

This printed chambray is from Minerva, not too stiff and great for all year round wear. I always make a double casing when I make elasticated skirts for the girls, so much more comfortable for them.


Now don't judge me but it was -3 degrees when I asked them to remove their coats, hats and gloves to get photos for the magazine. This was way back in December. They dutifully posed and then I togged them back up and poured hot chocolate from a pre-prepared flask. I did get some funny looks from other National Trust visitors though.


I really recommend this pattern if you are sewing for girls. It takes you from an easy skirt, to beginners jersey sewing with the T-shirts and leggings, on to the more time consuming gathered cardigan. It has a large size range in the one packet too so I will be dipping in and out of this pattern for a while. 


A real corker!

Thanks for stopping by. Jo xxx

Thursday, 16 February 2017

Crochet Hair Clips

I came across two spring hair clips in my cupboard. I don't even remember buying them, maybe someone gave them to me, who knows? Anyway, I am trying to use things up so making them into useful clips was my little craft project today.




I glued the clips on with the glue gun.


Ta dah! They work really well. Little M's hair is too fine for them but Big Sis bagged this make where they looked lovely in her thicker hair.


Quick one today! 

Jo x

Friday, 17 June 2016

Little Apple Sun Vest

I had a strange shaped piece of cotton poplin left over from my Fi Fi set due to cutting on the bias which little M loved. So I set about making her a summer top/tunic/vest thingy to use it up. My girls like these because they wear them on their own or with long sleeved or short sleeved T-shirts underneath depending on the UK weather which is pretty wet at present.



I am quite organised but I even surprise myself sometimes. I found a brown envelope in my pattern box and in it was a traced off pattern for a clothkits pinafore aged 6. I made this dress with Big Sis when she was little and must have had the forethought to trace it onto baking paper before we sewed it together in case I wanted to make another with her little sister when she was older. I had even stuck on photos to remind me - I don't even remember doing this!


I seem to have made loads more bias binding than I needed for the PJ set so I used this to finish the back and the armholes. I added the pockets myself and couldn't resist creating the applique apple details. She is six now and one day this sort of fun girls clothing will not be wanted so I am indulging myself a little.


On the first try on I had 'apparently' shortened the dress pattern too much and she said it was too short so the next night I added the frill to give it another couple of inches.


I used up the rest of the vintage pearly poppas I had in my stash for the back, which I have since discovered can be bought here. The button placket was another detail that made it a real corker of a top.



Here's hoping for a whole day of blue skies rather than snippets between showers.
Thanks for dropping by.

Jo x

Friday, 12 September 2014

Yesterday I made...

Where has the week gone? this working malarkey doesn't half take up your time... anyway...
Yesterday I made a sparkling Barbie evening dress, just because I wanted to knit.



I cast on last night.


Did little bits here and there: before breakfast, when I got in from work, watching the girls playing in the garden while dinner cooked, in the bedtime chair while they went to sleep and then a bit more while I enjoyed a cuppa in the evening.


The pattern is free from here. There is a lot of choice and they are easy to make. One of my most favourite things to do is leave my handmade things at the end of my girls beds so that they can see them when they wake up.

Did I really need to make this? probably not but it was quick and easy and satisfying. It was much sought after this morning, suppose I will have to make another one now!

Ah! Happy Knitting Jo x








Thursday, 10 July 2014

Four things

Four things that have mostly been happening this week are:




1. Loom bands
2. Ballet Exam
3. Allotment fruit and veg picking
4. School induction for newbies

Thanks for stopping by. Jo x


Friday, 9 May 2014

Hair language

My daughter has been growing her hair long - What do you do with long hair? I said to her, "Shall we put a scrunchie or a donut in it?" well, the look on her face.... I suppose if you don't know what either of those things are in hair terms it would sound a bit confusing, alarming even.

I made two scrunchies out of that school dress that had permanent felt pen on. (I cut peasant dress sleeves out of it last week!)to show her what they are. Such a satisfying thing to make rather than buy.



Then we gave the donut a try.


You make a low ponytail with a secure band. Slip over the donut- shaped-net-thingy. Then with your fingers poke around in the centre of the pony and spread the hair over the donut and quickly slip on the scrunchie.
I know it sounds like a whole new language but if you have girls give it a go...


Altogether now....oooooooh! 

I'm off to make scrunchies in all colours, see ya. Jo xx