Lucy´s Kimono from Weekend Sewing book

Here is Lucy´s Kimono from Heather Ross´ Weekend Sewing book. Well, not really. Shrunk to teddy bear size. I didn´t trace a pattern, but drew one up using my new skills from Cal Patch´s Design It Yourself book. But its based on the Lucy´s Kimono picture. Anyway, teddy seems to like it. Its purpose is to stop ted´s arm falling off through excessive cuddling, so I made the sleeves snug.

Ankylosaurus

Is that a table cloth?








Or a small heavily-armoured dinosaur...

This is an ankylosaurus from the terrific Sew a Dinosaur book by Michelle Lipson. He was pretty quick to make,just taking my baby´s afternoon sleep to do. I´m thinking of putting spikes down his back. Next on the list will be the stegosaurus, t-rex, triceratops, and pteranodon from the book.

Toy Library bags

I got some fabric from wonderful Jellyspec and I´m going to turn them into bags for the UH Toy Library. Here is the first one. Not a good photo because the bag has side inserts so it has turned out absolutely huge and doesn´t lay flat well for a photo. It has a drawstring at the top so it doesn´t gape open. If they ever need to loan out an elephant, this the bag. It could fit several small children (stacked vertically). Might make the other ones a tad smaller...

T shirt I designed

I have just bought the Design it Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified book by Cal Patch. I´m very, veryhappy with the book, and I hope she writes a sequel. I´ve tried reading patternmaking books from the library several times, but they have all been too technical or aimed at fashion students designing for other people. This book did make everything very clear, and was really easy to read and understand and its about designing for yourself. I already have several other designs that I want to make (nothing totally original of course - just ideas from things I see in shops etc).
I also found it very helpful to read the book Perfect Fit which helped with finer points like adjusting patterns for a broad back and shoulders, and finding the edge of the shoulderbone etc etc.
When drawing ideas, I found it helpful to trace a line drawing of my shape from pictures of me, and enlarge it. Then its easy to draw ideas for clothes over the line drawing (I have the outline drawing of me under the piece of paper I´m drawing my clothes ideas on), and to see how the clothes I´m thinking of sit on my actual shape. Like how they relate to my width, where my waist is, my shoulders etc.

This is a t shirt from some fabric my friend Anna gave me. The neckline is shirred, and then sewn onto a straight ungathered neckband. Its based on the Charlotte Top in the book, although a bit altered.

Swing swing smock for painting

I´ve just made the Swing Swing Smock from the Bend the Rules Sewing book as a birthday present for a 3 year old. It is made out of water resistant material for being a painting smock. That´s a bow at the top - doesn´t come out well in the photo.

Bags for mum for Mother''s Day

More bags from the Weekend Sewing book by heather Ross, this time for mum for Mother's Day.

Fabric runway for my son

I made a fabric runway for my son, who loves planes. Its about 10 cm wide, and the piano keys, etc are just zig zag stitch on my sewing machine. I ran out of puff to do them again at the other end - have to make the next one a bit longer...

Pirate waterproof dining chair covers

I was supposed to have finished re-covering the dining room chairs and sewing waterproof seat covers about 10 months ago. Arghh!! Just two more red covers, and another pirate patterned one (for the boys) and then I´m allowed to sew fun things again... Blleuuhhh...