Sewing
1. Cate's Blue Pants
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| Cate's Photoshoot or Why It's Difficult to Get Good Pix of Handmade Baby Items Image Copyright Elisabeth Montegna, All Rights Reserved |
Pattern: Big Butt Baby Pants by Made by Rae
Fabric: Navy Blue Cotton Sateen (remnant from blue Meringue)
Notions: 1/2 inch non-roll elastic
Notes: I cut a 12-18 mos size because Cate is nearly 11 mos and I want her to be able to wear these for awhile. They were, not to put too fine a point on it, GINORMOUS. Of course, eventually they would fit her (you know, maybe in March, or possibly June) but I wanted her to be able to wear them now. There are no side seams, so I just pinched some fabric and sewed up each side, taking them in by 1.5 inches total. Then, I folded the waistband over twice, thus removing an inch from the top, and made a very wide hem at the bottom, taking about 2 inches off of the length. I measured her waist and sewed the waistband as directed (leaving a little extra elastic on the ends so I can let out the waist later). However, the pants kept sliding down her butt, so I tightened them up this evening. I trimmed all of the seam allowances and zig-zagged the seam allowances together.
2. I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie
Pattern: Big Butt Baby Pants by Made by Rae
Fabric: Stretch Denim (remnant from an ill-fated maternity skirt)
Notions: 1/2 inch non-roll elastic, single-fold bias tape
Notes: I really liked how the first pair of BBB pants turned out, so I decided to make a second pair out of a denim remnant I had laying around (I love that I can use my remnants to make clothes for Cate!). This time I cut a size 6-12 mos on all sides except the bottom hem which I cut at the 12-18 mos length so that I have plenty of fabric to let them out. No pictures because I haven't finished them yet. This time I'm finishing the seams with single-fold bias tape.
3. Little Red Riding Hood Cape
Pattern: Maisie Cape
Fabric: Robert Kaufman 21 wale corduroy and Moda A Walk in the Woods/Bluebell Mushrooms; both purchased from Purl Soho
Notions: Velcro
Notes: This project is still in its infancy since I just got the fabric. I need to figure out how I should go about getting the wrinkles out of the corduroy (I have this feeling I'm not supposed to just iron it) and there is a slight issue with the Bluebell Mushrooms lining fabric (see below). I'm going to start cutting it out as soon as I finish BBBP #2, though, since Halloween is coming soon.
Knitting
1. Purple Cardigan
Pattern: Anya Cardigan from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies
Yarn: Knitpicks Comfy in Blackberry
Needles: US sizes 3 and 5 circulars
Buttons: Good question!
Notes: I've been working on this cardigan for forever and a day it seems. Fortunately, I like how it's turned out! I still need to pick out buttons, however. I'm having a bit of difficulty with that seemingly simple task. I've got some vintage metal buttons with little flowers on them, but I'm not sure if I can wash them and I don't want to have to snip them off and reattach them every time I wash the cardigan (and, seeing as how it's for a baby, the cardigan will likely be washed frequently). I've thought about somehow pinning them on, but I'm a little nervous about putting pins in Cate's clothes, even if they are safety pins. Anyone have any ideas about how to get around this issue (aside from using different buttons which I have already thought of!)? I also want to add grosgrain ribbon to the button bands to help stabilize them, but otherwise the cardigan is done. I hope to get pix of it soon.
Lessons Learned
1. Setting aside time to craft for an hour a day does my heart and soul good. It also means my projects move along faster. Not just because I'm actually setting aside time to work on them but also because committing to an hour of crafting everyday means I'm less likely to rush to get something done. This results in fewer mistakes, less ripping out, and more forward progress.
2. Don't order fabric at 3AM. I meant to order 1.5 yards of the Bluebell Mushrooms fabric and instead ordered 0.5 yards. I'm going to call around to local quilt shops to see if I can find more because I really don't want to pay shipping again!
3. My baby is not as big as I think. However, better to make something too big than too small!
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