Someone once told me that if you want to get better at sewing the first thing you need to do is quit those quick and easy sewing projects. A 30 minute skirt is a great project for a beginner, or somebody who is happy with off the rack style clothing, but not for someone who wants to master their skill.

I think I've reached a point in my sewing where I am ready to take that leap. I'm no longer happy with quick and simple, just like ready to wear items I've made. In fact I am not very happy with most of the ready to wear item's I've bought either. 

• I want clothes that I love so much, I can wear them again and again and never get tired of them. Not more clothes than I know what to do with.
• I want clothes that fit me like a second skin, that glide over my curves and flatter my figure. Not something that the fashion industry has decided is a “good enough” fit for most people.
• I want clothes that will stand up to repeated washing and wearing, and on the off chance that they do get ripped or stained, I will care enough about them to fix them. Not clothes that are cheap enough to throw out when the seam comes apart after the first washing.

I want quality over quantity, and that is why quick sewing projects just aren't working for me anymore. What I don't want is a bunch of clothes that will amount to nothing more than clutter.

So that's the decision I've made when it comes to sewing clothes for myself. But what about the children?

Kids grow out of clothes so quickly. Is it really worth spending so much time on something that they're only going to wear for a little while?

For me it is because I currently have 6 nieces and nephews, with number 7 on the way, all of which are younger than my own children. And all of which are beyond worthy of high quality homemade hand - me -downs. Spending more time on each item means that they will last longer and still be in great condition by the time they are handed down.

If I am spending more time sewing each item, won’t I have to buy more ready to wear clothes to fill in the gaps?

If I am spending more time on each thing I sew for them, you have to assume that they are going to have less finished items. I don’t want to make up for it by buying them more low quality clothes, but I can't afford to buy them designer jeans.

That answer came to me when I was putting away their winter clothes. Most of the store bought items were in rough shape and ended up being cut up and made into play clothes for the summer. But two items stood out to me. A pair of Nikes and a Hannah Anderson long sleeve T shirt. They were both in impeccable condition. The Hannah Anderson T shirt looked almost brand new, and the Nikes only had slight wear and tear on them despite the fact that they had been worn almost every single day of that school year.

The best part, I had spent less than $10 on each of them. Turns out those more expensive clothes aren't just made well enough to be handed down. They are also made well enough to be purchased second hand.

Of course finds like these take a little bit of searching. I keep a Thred Up Pinterest board and every once in a while check to see if the items I pinned have been reduced in price yet. Usually the item sells out, but every once in while something great will slip through the cracks, just waiting for you to grab it up.

Which Brings Me To The Reason I Haven't Been Posting

Right now I am working on the Hawthorne dress from Colette Patters. I am on my third muslin and I have almost got the fit just right. Once I do, I’ll post pictures of the finished dress.

So what are your thoughts? To you prefer the instant gratification of a quick and easy sewing project, the lasting reward of a slow and meticulous sewing project, or a combination of both?

July Sewing Events

I sometime think of sew-alongs like a drug addict would think of crack. Sure, too much of a good thing is bad for you, but who cares. Just look at this line up. How could I say no. And if my overflowing fabric stash grows a little bit more, or the kids miss a meal here and there, who's going to notice?

Colette's Hawthorne Sew Along June 26 - July 29

Sarai kicks things off with the Hawthorne sew along. Technically it started yesterday with a post about choosing fabric and starting your muslin. You still have plenty of time to catch up, with another post coming up on the first about fitting, before they get into sewing the actual dress. 

As far as adult patterns go Colette patterns are the Pièce de résistance. 

I copied and pasted that word. Do you really think that I had any clue how to spell that. Besides I don't think my keyboard even has those characters.

Flip This Pattern: Oliver + S Rollerskate Dress

Next up is Flip this pattern with the Oliver and S roller skate dress. This sew along starts on the 1st of the month and entries are do by the 20th. The goal is to change up the pattern, by adding interesting details and then add it to the sew along linky to be judged. Judged sounds so harsh. How about this.

You add it to the sew along linky to be compared and possibly granted prizes.
That sounds much nicer.

Basically Oliver and S do for children's patterns what Colette does for adult patterns. They are the pinnacle (another really cool word "p" word) of the sewing pattern world.

KCW Summer 

And last but not least we have kids clothes week, where we all agree to spend at least one hour a day sewing clothes for our kids and post pictures in the Flikr. Then we all look at each others pictures and ooh and ahh, and get started pinning outfit insperation for the next season.

Okay, it's actually way more fun than I made it sound. I kind of love it.

What sewing adventures do you have planned for July? Are joining any events or flying solo?

Matching Girl and Doll Skirts: A Tale of Two Patterns

The girl and doll skirts seen in yesterday’s post were made using two different patterns. They were designed by two different designers and sold by two different companies, and follow completely different construction techniques. But when finished they look exactly the same.

Liberty Jane sells a collection of doll clothes patterns from a variety of designers. Most of whom also sell their finished work. Sew Urban is the designer of the Savannah skirt that we will be using today.

Violette Field Threads is a pattern company owned and operated by two best friends, specializing in boutique style children’s clothing patterns. The designed the Vivienne skirt.

After sewing both patterns Savannah appears to be a mini me of Vivienne, but on closer inspection you see how unique each skirt really is.

I’ll start with the overskirt, since it is the first thing you see.

Overskirt

Vivienne - The front of the over skirt is self-lined which makes for a beautiful polished finish but adds to the most significant problem with the pattern - the bulk in the waistband, especially after the flaps are overlapped.  The back of the overskirt is a single layer of fabric that is hemmed and then attached to the front at the side seams.

Savannah - The over skirt uses 4 pattern pieces, 2 for the front and two for the back creating a center back seam that we don’t see in the Vivienne pattern. All four pieces are sewn together and then hemmed as one piece.

Ruffles

The only construction detail these patterns have in common is the ruffles. Both use a narrow hem and a row of ruffle stitches on the top. Pretty Slandered Stuff. The similarities ended when it was time to attach the ruffles to the underskirt.

Underskirt

Vivienne – To make the underskirt the front and back are sewn together at one side seam and then hemmed. The ruffles are then pinned and sewn in place across the length of the underskirt before being sewn together at the other side seam. This does add a tiny bit of bulk to one side seam that you don’t see in the other. After the overskirt is attached it won’t be noticeable.

Savannah - Each ruffle is first sewn onto a strip of fabric, Then the strips of fabric are sewn together crating the under skirt. The skirt is then sewn together at the center back seam. I’m still not a fan of the ruffles being sewn into the seam, but it does look a little bit more natural than having them sewn into only one side seam.

Waistband

Vivienne – The underskirt is attached and then flipped to the inside. A row of stitching creates the elastic casing. The waistband in the front is way too thick to insert elastic. Perhaps that is why the elastic is only inserted into the back of the skirt, or maybe it is to give the front a smoother finish. Either way it does affect the fit a little bit. The skirt will sag a little in the front if you don’t get the elastic tight enough in the back.

Savannah – A similar method is used for attaching the underskirt, but with only a single layer for the front flaps there is slightly less bulk. Elastic is inserted all the way around. It is still a bit of a challenge to get it past the seams but I managed.

Conclusion 

I learned more about sewing while making to matching skirts from different patterns, than I ever could have learned from sewing either one of these skirts alone. If I were to sew the Vivienne skirt again I would incorporate a couple of the techniques form the Savanna skirt.

• Use a single hemmed layer for the front flaps
• Cut the Underskirt on the fold and sew together at the center back seam 

I hope you enjoyed my comparison of these to patterns. Don’t forget to subscribe to see more sewing projects for the whole family, including the dolls. 

If I Could Just Keep Her Wrapped In Ruffles Forever

I'm holding my breath, thinking that maybe it will help slow time down. If I don't breath the moment won't pass, and then the next moment would take just a little bit longer to get here. We could sit here in this patch of flowers forever while I watch her play with her doll. 

I'm still not breathing. My son, at his wise old age of 11, teases her when she calls me Mommy. Pretty soon she won't want to call me Mommy any more and then it will just be Mom. Then nobody will ever call me Mommy again.

I have to breath now, and blink a little, just so that I don't cry. If I cry she will see me and ask why I'm sad. I don't want her to think I'm sad. I want her to know how happy she makes me. How proud I am of the amazing little girl that she is becoming.

I tilt my head because I think I see just a little bit more of myself in her today, than I did yesterday. That makes me worry that she will make the same mistakes that I did. 

But of course she won't. She will make her own mistakes, lots of them I'm sure. She will suffer her own broken hearts.  Maybe from a boy who won't realize how lucky he is to have her in his life, even if it is just for a little while. Maybe from her children, who will one day have to grow up as well. Probably both. My heart will break along with hers, because I want her to never be sad. 

I'm still breathing, but it's slow and controlled. I don't want this moment to end yet. I'm not ready. If I could keep her wrapped in ruffles and daisy shaped buttons for just a little bit longer, maybe just for forever. That would be long enough.

There are things that I should tell you, things about sewing, and matching girl and doll skirts. But I just can't today. I'm to busy savoring. We can talk about that stuff tomorrow. 

Girls Swimwear: Inspiration, Patterns and Fabric

Inspiration

How do you design?  For me the process always starts with inspiration. Sometimes I'll see an outfit in a movie or while browsing at the store. Other times I'll go looking for it. When I am looking for inspiration, I look for shapes, colors, and interesting details that appeal to me. 

Here are a few of the most inspiring swimsuits that I have found so far.

Patterns

The next step in my design process is the pattern. Most of the time my pattern choice will be based on the overall shape, but a pattern that can teach me something new is also a great find.

My favorite swimsuit patterns

Santa Monica Sweetheart Tankini                                                              Hang Ten Rash Guard

Kwik Sew Girls Swimsuits and Cover Ups

Fabric

The final stage of my design process, and my favorite part, is choosing the fabric. This step always takes the longest because I tend to get easily distracted in the huge selection of fabrics that are available. I can find something that I love in all of them.

Follow the links to some of my favorite swimsuit fabrics. 

Animal Print Swimsuit Fabric        Polka Dot Swimsuit Fabric        Floral Swimsuit fabric 

Tell me in a comment about your design process.