SEWING FOR TODDLERS PT.2

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comToddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Fluffy Dots!

Oh, dear! I completely forgot to post these cute makes for my nieces from Christmas 2016 (!!!). I just found them while editing photos of my most recent makes for them. Better late than never!

This little jumper deserves its own post. It turned out really cute and my niece loved it.
It’s a La Maison Victor pattern. I used some scrap sweatshirt fabric for the bodice and cuffs. The shoulder insets are a faux suede jersey in blush pink. The little felt poufs are from a craft store. I pre-washed them to make sure they wouldn’t bleed and stain the fabric in the wash. So this whole project didn’t cost much at all.

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comToddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Although I took care measuring and cutting the pattern and fabric, I had a feeling the neckline wouldn’t be wide enough to fit comfortably. I couldn’t be bothered to take the neck binding out again, as I had already overlocked the edges, so I had to come up with an alternative solution. This is how this quirky little keyhole opening came about. I found some matching pompom trim and button in my stash. It’s not very well done and a bit wonky, but it did the job! (My nieces aren’t very harsh judges anyway.)

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I had such fun making this little quirky sweater. Unfortunately, they grow so fast at that age. It’s sometimes hard to consider whether it’s actually worth putting so much effort into a tiny little toddler sweater that won’t be worn more than just a couple of times. Well, luckily a nephew has been born just before Christmas – so I will make gender neutral clothes now that can be handed down the line.

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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Off-the-shoulder top + voucher for your own Dutch Label Shop labels!

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

GOODBYE SUMMER

Hello everyone! We had a super warm and sunny weekend here in southern Germany – I suspect it’s gonna be bye bye summer clothes from tomorrow on for good. Before I get into the mood to get out all the knits and wools I want to share this cute little top I made this summer.

I made this top with less than 1 metre of cotton fabric and it only took me around 30 minutes to make! I followed Elisalex’s tutorial for drafting a very quick little pattern.

Instead of making the full-length dress I decided to go for a little top. I made quite a few dresses last summer, but found that I actually prefer wearing separates at work and at home. This is why I made a bunch of tops and jeans this year.

Making this top requires only a minimum amount of fabric. I used less than 1 metre plus some trim and elastic. This top has very few seams and doesn’t necessarily require hemming if you hide the overlocked raw edges under a cute trim. No darts, no fitting! This is the perfect Sunday morning project.

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I love how this top works both off and on the shoulder. The fabric I picked is fairly stiff, even after a few washes. I’m definitely going to make this top again, but probably a drapier fabric next time.

I really love the lace trim at the bottom! It makes this top so much prettier. Off the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.comOff the shoulder top by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.com

You seemed to really like my new labels, so the lovely folks over at Dutch Label Shop have a discount for you all to use if you want to create your own! You can use the code “thisblogisnotforyou15” to get 15% off your purchase in the next 30 days! 

Have a great week everyone!

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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New clothes labels & SEW OVER IT Silk Cami

Sew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Summer is almost over and I haven’t even shown you any of my summer makes yet! I made a couple cute summer tops this year I’ll share nonetheless, because they’re just too cute not to.

This one is an oldie but goldie! You all probably know the Sew Over It Silk Cami by now. I’m pretty late to join the party – but as I said, better late than never. I always knew this little pattern had massive potential to become a wardrobe staple in many ways, but for some reason it took me a couple of years until I finally bought it. I have no excuses. I probably thought this pattern was too basic to spent money on, but these are actually the patterns you want to invest in! A basic, well-drafted pattern is perfect to first get to fit right and then use as base for endless variations.

The Silk Cami comes together super quick and is perfect to show off really cute prints that don’t work well with garments that have a lot of seams, darts and pleats.

So this top was the right companion for this super cute fabric I have had in my stash for a few years now. I bought it at the first SewBrum Meetup in Lauren’s shop, Guthri & Ghani in Birmingham. It’s 100% cotton and was something around 18£/metre. I normally don’t spend that much money on cottons, but the print was love at first sight. I kept it in my stash for ages, because I was waiting for the right project to come along.

For me, the longer a fabric sits in my stash the less “valuable” it becomes. At first, I hesitate and dare not cut into the more expensive ones, but give it a few years and I will use them for wearable (well, mostly wearable) muslins. I know this makes no sense.

Well, this is why this gorgeous cotton ended up being used for my silk cami muslin. And guess what? It doesn’t fit! Good thing is, it fits my best friend perfectly and she’s more than happy to take it off my hands.

It’s just too tight around the bust and gaping a bit at the back neckline. I adapted the pattern accordingly and the second and third top I made are a great fit. But I have to say goodbye to my bear-behind-a-tent-fabric. Life is tough!

Sew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Sew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Another great thing about this top – it colour-matches perfectly with my new labels. I’m so, so happy about them that I had to give them some more screen time on the blog. Here we go!Sew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.com

These wonderful labels are courtesy of The Dutch Label Shop who kindly approached me and offered to try out their costum-design labels. I was getting tired of my old ones that I’d been planning to update for a while, anyway.

I picked a sew-on label with very practical end folds –  so I could use these as a coat hook for lightweight cardigans, as well. I’m very happy about going back to the sew-on type. I had some iron-on ones made a few years ago by a different brand, that come loose after a few washing circles.

These labels might certainly be quite an investment for some, but the quality really shows compared to other brands.

What I really love about the ones from Dutch Label Shop is that you can upload your own design, costumising fonts and colours as well. This made it possible to incorporate parts of my blog’s design into the labels. Don’t they look fantastic?
Sew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.comSew Over It Silk Cami by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I have 200 labels now – I’m probably not anywhere close to having sewn 200 garments over the years – so these will last me a looooong time! I already started to sew these into some of my older handmade garments, just to take off some of the pressure, hehe.

Falling leaves or not, I’ll share some of my other summer makes soon!

Have a great week,

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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A second, fitted Alice Top!

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com
Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Hello there!

As mentioned in the previous post, here’s another version of the Alice Top from SEW OVER IT’s new online class.

This time I used a lightweight jersey with a black and white owl print. Adorable, right? I’ve talked a bit about the online class and the construction of the pattern in the previous post. So if you want to know more about the pattern and the class, you can read about it here.

These are all the adjustments I made:

  • The front neckline was gaping ever so slightly. I took out 2 cm on length from the front neckline at the shoulders.
  • The sleeves were rather tight. I added 1 cm width at the sleeve seams.
  • The fit at the waist was quite loose. I took out about 2 cm of width on each side an around the waist and about 1 cm around the bust.

The fit is much better now and the top more comfortable to wear, although the changes are probably hardly noticeable. I’m really pleased with this top and can’t wait to wear it more often! We’re having a heat wave at the moment, so anything with sleeves is out of the question.

Wanna hear a fun story?

I wore this top when I went out to a restaurant with my family. When I wanted to put it in the wash a few days later, I only then noticed that there were still pins in there! The little bust tab at the front was only secured by two pins on the inside. This was one of the times I was glad I’m quite flat-chested. Otherwise, eating out might’ve become quite uncomfortable…
Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Have you left the house pins still sticking in your clothes?

xx

Charlie


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Green Jersey Alice Top (SEW OVER IT online class)

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,comSew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com
Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago, I got to try out the new SEW OVER IT online class ‘Intro to Sewing with Knit Fabrics’. (As always, all opinions are my own!) I’ve never really made use of online courses before. I bought a couple on Craftsy ages ago but never actually made anything from it.

When the lovely ladies over at SEW OVER IT approached me, I immediately wanted to try after getting a glimpse at the patterns included in the class. I love their work and most of my favourite patterns are from SEW OVER IT. The Alice Top, with a faux bow front, was incredibly tempting! (There’s another pattern included, the Emma dress, which looks lovely, but I haven’t tried it yet.)

About the class:

It was pure joy to follow this online course. It’s always great to see lovely Lisa in action and she perfectly explains all the steps involved in making this cute top. The construction is not too tricky, but a bit unconventional and seeing it being put together on camera helps a lot. There’s a lot of useful information about sewing with knits included. As a more experienced sewer, I really enjoyed this class, none-the-less. It’s delightfully relaxing, as you really get immersed in the project.

My first Alice Top:

I used a green lightweight jersey, as was recommended in the class. (The fabric was gifted to me by my mother-in-law, so I’m afraid I cannot tell you where to buy it!)

For this first version of the Alice Top I went through the class step-by-step, pretty much cutting a straight size 10 without making any fit adjustments. It turned out really well! There were a couple of minor fit issues, I could easily fix before cutting another version of this pattern:
(Remember, these have nothing to do with the pattern itself, but are specific to my body measurements and posture)

  • The front neckline is gaping ever so slightly
  • The sleeve were rather tight
  • The fit at the waist was quite loose

The only thing I adjusted on the green top was taking in the waist by approximately 2 cm on each side. I’ll show you the fitted version of this top in the next post!

But perfect fit or not, this trial round went really well, don’t you think? The top is perfectly wearable and I’m really happy with it.

A few words about the construction: The Alice Top is fully faced, front and back, to create a perfect, close-fitting V-neckline and stabilise the gathers at the front. With the very detailed video instructions, this rather unconventional pattern isn’t very hard to construct. Once I finished the first top, I hardly had to revisit the course to make the second one.
The construction takes a bit longer than the average jersey top, as you have to stabilise the neckline and sew a couple more seams because of the facing. But the finishes look incredibly neat and professional.

No overlocker needed!

For this first top, I only used my sewing machine. So if you do not have access to an overlocker, this is the perfect project for you. Because of the specific construction techniques used in this course, you’ll get very neat finishes without having to use any professional equipment.

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

This was also the first project Aslan very helpfully assisted with modelling. I didn’t realise he might be a bit too big to use as accessory until after seeing these photos! Man, he’s grown so much in the past two months!

As I don’t want to post too many sewing-unrelated pics on my blog’s social media accounts, Aslan now has got his very own…For those of you, who want to see more of this cute little face, you can FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM to watch him grow up!

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com
Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

What are your thoughts about online classes? Are you a fan?

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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