Ottobre Hipster panties finished

Hello everyone!

It's a new week, and I have another new project to show you!

I am currently immersed in potty-training my 2 1/2 year old daughter, and she is right on the verge of taking the leap from Pull-ups (disposable training pants) to "big girl" underwear.  So, in light of this fact, and the fact that I just made underwear for my son (see here), I made some undies for my little princess as well.

The style I chose is from the Ottobre Design magazine winter issue of 2010.  They are a pretty hipster panty for little girls.  I immediately knew I wanted to choose a bright, vibrant fabric for spring, and to have a little fun.  This fabric is another one from my stash.  Only this time it is a cotton knit that I have tried to use over and over with little success until now.  I guess I am not too great at matching up stripes, so I could never be happy with the project I used this for; however, these panties turned out wonderfully!!

I didn't concern myself with matching stripes too much, I was only careful to cut my pattern pieces the same way, and they turned out just fine.  The waistband is a pretty punchy red, and I like the contrast of the red with the orange and yellow pastel colors.  When finished I noted how plain the panties looked even though they were pretty, so I added the flower accent for a pop of "girlness."

I also learned something new with this project that will undoubtedly help me in further projects.  As you can see above, the panties I made have the leg holes turned up and stitched.  Once again I used my stretch stitch on my sewing machine, but it was a real booger to maneuver correctly.  After my first pair of panties was finished, I looked at the model picture of the hipster panties and noted that they used the serger in order to get a cleaner finish.  What!!  I was on that immediately.  I just had to figure out how to use my serger to get the same effect.

It didn't take me long to figure out how to "detach the knife" so that the serger would stitch, but not cut my fabric.  I'm not kidding when I say it was a simple sliding of a lever while my needle was down!!!!  So here is what I came up with when I sewed a second pair of panties:

Voila!!  And it is SO pretty, and SO easy!  I did alter the steps of construction a little bit by stitching the leg holes before stitching the side seams together.  This made constructing these a snap, and I was done before I knew it.

Overall, I still really enjoy sewing Ottobre magazine patterns.  I have found them to yield excellent results aesthetically, with the proper fit for my children.  Of course there are some more advanced patterns that I know I will need more information and resources to sew, but I have been thoroughly pleased with the simpler patterns I have tried.  If you are interested in Ottobre patterns, don't hesitate to go for it!  I even find it much simpler to trace their patterns than when I had to trace the trousers I sewed from Burda magazine.

Here is a look at all three pair of underwear I finished for my little one:

And I couldn't leave you without showing you the smile on my sweetheart's face, as she is holding her new underwear:

She's been carrying these around like they are a new toy.  Hopefully, they will be a great incentive to being successfully potty-trained!  And, in case you missed the boxer briefs I sewed for my son, here they are.

Up next, I am back at it with the Burda trousers!  There's just no good reason to leave them unfinished for another month, so here I go again.

I wish you all many blessings in the week to come!

Stay sew-filled!  

Boxer briefs for little boys

Hello everyone!

I am back with a finished project!  I know, I know, you probably didn't expect me to say that, but it is true!

In my last post I told you I would be sewing, and I was, only to come down with bronchitis.  So the beginning of the week I was mostly resting and trying to figure out how to handle two active children.  However, everything worked out, and I was still able to come up with a sewing project to get me going in the right direction again.

It all started a little over a week ago when I noticed my son was outgrowing his underwear.  He is 5 years old now, and takes after his tall daddy : ).  Well, seeing his "too small" underwear made me think back to a wonderful project I tried a little over a year ago...

Yes!  The Pikummies boxer-briefs I made from the Ottobre 06/2010 issue!

They were quick, easy, and fit my son amazingly well!

I dug out the magazine and re-traced the pattern for a size 110, and ended up with these:

The fabric is from some leftover cotton knit I had when I made an outfit for my friend's baby.  I had it sitting in my sewing room,and while cleaning out my space, I discovered it, and knew it would be perfect for underwear!  

I didn't have many issues sewing it together.  My only tip for sewing these boxer briefs is to note that the pattern pieces don't have a precise "fit" like most patterns.  You have to maneuver them a bit, but I'm sure that's because of the way it fits the body.  And it fits my son like a glove!  

There is another special part to these underwear:

Do you see it?  I included my "Sweet Ness" clothing label on the back of the boxers!  Here's a closer look...

I sewed the label down with brown thread because I was too lazy to change it to white, but I still think it looks okay.  For the rest of the topstitching I used the stretch stitch on my sewing machine because I didn't have a twin needle available.  It worked just fine, and I would use it again.

So...I bet you're thinking it doesn't make sense to only sew one pair of underwear when my son clearly needs more than one.  Well, you are right!  That's why I sewed a total of three!

It's a start, anyhow!  My son is pretty excited about his new undies, and plans on wearing them for the first time when he goes to bed this evening.

And I have enjoyed getting my sewing groove back!  Up next, I plan on sewing some underwear for my little princess from the same Ottobre 06/2010 collection.  They will be in happy bright colors, so stay tuned for those!  I pray everyone is having a super week, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Stay sew-filled!

New Look Spring 2012 patterns

That's right!  March is here, and I am ready!!

The weather here has been getting warmer and warmer, and I must tell you that it truly feels like we just skipped over winter altogether!  Yeah, we've had some rainy, cooler days, but nothing that resembled cold weather.  So God seemed to give us early spring weather when it should have been winter, and now it feels like we are headed into summer.

Who knows about the weather anymore, but I will tell you one thing--I am looking forward to making the most of this March (warm, cold, or whatever).  I have a few things I am working on, and I will be checking back with you soon, but I wanted you to know I am still sewing.

In the meantime, I thought I would talk about a couple of cute spring patterns:

If you are following the trends (or if you have done any shopping for clothes lately) you will see that everything is trending back to short again--namely shorter shorts and skirts.  As for me, I definitely won't be participating in this trend.  I prefer a jegging or skinny jean anyday to a pair of short shorts.  It's just not my style.  But this top is me!  I prefer View B, and I like the added fabric waist tie.  

I recently bought a shirt with a fabric waist tie and it is one of my favorites to wear, so I would like to experiment with this style more.

Now, believe it or not, I (at one time) owned a dress exactly like this about 11 years ago!  It had horizontal stripes in blue and pink, and it was adorable.  Now, mind you, it was also a little too tight, but I loved the way it hugged my curves.  So when I saw this, I immediately thought "I would love to own a dress like that again."  Of course this time I plan on making it with a more relaxed fit that I had back then (to my hubby's approval, I am sure).

And here is a top that is a little more sassy!  It has an interesting shape for sure, and I like the asymmetrical hemline.  I would definitely have to see this sewn by someone else, though, before I jumped on the bandwagon.  Have you ever done that?  Saw a pattern you liked, but waited patiently to see if/when someone else would sew it so you could see if it was you?  Or maybe you stalked Patternreview to see if a review was ever written for a pattern you thought was cute?  I have done it because I usually don't take risks unless I really love something.  Hey, sometimes you don't know you love something until you see what someone else does with it, right?

NL 6107 is one that I could probably pass over, except for the blouse in View A.  Love it!  I like the slightly ballooned sleeves with the ruffle tie in the middle.  And as far as the skirt goes, it is simple and classic, with a good yoke.  

This dress is oh so adorable (the little girl is too)!  This may be something I could look at sewing later on for my princess.  And when I say princess, that is what she really is!!  Growing up, I never was a "girly-girl."  I was mostly a tomboy, and wanted to play rough and play hard.  How did this tomboy have a princess?  My little one takes pride in choosing her outfits for the day, and even has requests for styles when I do her hair.  I'm only glad that she hasn't really gotten into wearing a bunch of cute shoes (one or two choices suffice for now), but I feel like she eventually will.  So I say all of that to say, I love this dress, and I know my princess will too!

This last pick is also too cute for words!  The ruffle going down the front of the dress with the attached bow is darling!

Well, those are my picks for New Look's spring collection.  Though I really like these, I am doing my best to not get distracted, and to sew patterns I already have.  If you want to see more, click here.

Stay sew-filled!

Projects on the horizon

Hello everyone!

I hope all of you are doing well, and enjoying February, since it will be over soon.  There have been so many things that have happened in my life since the last time I posted, I'm not even going to get into them because it would distract me from my original intention for today--to let you know I'm still here, plugging along!

I tell you though, for some reason, I just can't seem to finish my Burda boys trousers!  Everytime I look at them I get excited that they are so close to being finished, but I still hesitate to "close the deal."  I have even set aside time to finish them, only to get frustrated and leave them on my sewing table.

So...I have to find a way to get unstuck.  I really don't want to go on to a new sewing project, but maybe it might be good to cleanse my palate, and take the pressure off of these pants (why did I want to sew pants)!!

Here are some things I have been thinking about...

This is an OOP pattern that I purchased when I first got into sewing.  I wanted to try my hand at a bag, but wanted it to be something easy.  I have never sewn it before, and I would like to sew one for a special friend of mine who will be moving to another state soon.  She is a wonderful woman, and I thought of making her a bag she could use when she is out and about running errands.

This NL6648 is one of the tops I must sew for 2012!  I have to admit, upon first seeing it, I thought it would be a cute spring/summer top.  However, after seeing this top made in The Sewing-ista's sew-along, I was thoroughly convinced that I HAD to sew it!  And soon!  Here is a photo of her finished top.

Remember this lovely dress I wanted to make last year?  Well, as Easter is rolling around this year again, I would really like to make this dress for my little sweetheart.  After all, it is already cut out and waiting to be sewn, so I have a small head start, right?  I do remember there were just so many steps (40, I think) that I got tired only a few steps into this project.  

Of course, if I finish this dress I'll have to make my son a nice tie to wear.  I'm sure I could find some great resources for a proper boy's tie somewhere online!

                   

These two Cynthia Rowley patterns are also two that I MUST sew this year!  I have been in love with 2443 since it first came out, and I saw a replica of it at Joann's one day.  2593 is a nice basic top with a pretty collar.  It takes me down memory lane, and reminds me of when I tried Simplicity 2892 with botched results.  Hopefully, the results on this top will fare much better!

So I did happen to blow away a whole month of sewing!  

How about you?  How has your year been so far?  Have you gotten a lot of projects under your belt, or have you only just begun?

I'm believing that March is going to be a whole lot better...

Stay sew-filled!