Tuesday 29 October 2013

Kimono Pyjamas

My visit to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace saw me being remarkably restrained in my fabric buying but I couldn't resist a metre of this lovely, pink, mustard and brown floral fabric for just £4. It was quite clearly destined as pyjamas for Sophie and after a flick through my books I settled on Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. I choose the Kimono top and Huck Finn Pants to make Sophie's Pyjamas but as the pattern didn't go up to her size I needed to adapt them. 


I started by drawing out the pattern pieces onto wallpaper lining paper (cheap and strong!). I then took a top and measured it and added the necessary extra width and length to the pattern pieces. I did the same for the trousers.


Once cut out the sewing together only took a short while. I made my own bias binding using some soft brown and white dot fabric.


I adapted the trousers to have a tie waist and so sewed two horizontal button holes in the middles of the waistband before making a double channel for the tie. The tie was made from left over bias binding.




They were so easy to do and took less than a metre of the main fabric that I shall be making more soon and increasing the pattern as she grows!

Friday 4 October 2013

Captain Findlay

I seem to have started a tradition of making Finn a dressing up costume for his birthday, when he was two he got the epic dinosaur and the last year it was the super hero cape and mask. This year I went light touch with this pirate ensemble...


I bought some lovely thick black felt from eBay and found a template on Pinterest. A quick sketch and embroider of a skull and crossed cutlass and it was done. The eye patch has a simple, hand stitched pleat to create a 3D shape and the some thin elastic - I would have preferred black elastic but had none in!



The lovely cutlass is from Cox & Cox - there are cheaper out there but this is good quality and hopefully will last more than one swashbuckle!