Ottobre 02-2007-20 + 02-32007-33 - Tween Sewing

Hi all! I am starting a new Tag in my blog - Tween sewing. It seems that my 10 years old... well, she wants to wear certain things, certain colors, and a twirly dress no longer does the job :-(.
I saw first signs of it last year, but now....
. I promised her that we will buy cloths for her. and we caught some.. but.. these arehard to find forget the price, let's say it's not the issue.. some of the clothes I see are either too short, too adult like, or I just can't find a good fit. we baught some, but I also wnt to mke some.
Ottobree magazine is a good source for that. I don't have many issues (keep thinking of subsribing to the magazine and keep postponing that, because I hate tracing from their patterns!)
This time I made an effort.

I chose this top and skirt. here's what I got..

The pattern review
The top - Ot 02-2007-33
It's OK. good directions, the ft is not very good, it's too big (I made size 140 for my 140 cm girl... I thought the fit would be better, but it's too wide and too long. I don't relly minf, it'll be good for next year, but tht was not my originl intent.
The fbric is cute... very thin, from Nahlat Binyamin... when I saw it I know my girl wil love it. It's getting hard to find fabric that she likes (I mean, other than black..). I have a nother ful meters of it, need to think what to make out of it.
Anyway, nothing special about this pattern, noting complicated, I followed the instructions., no problem, but if you make it, note the sizing.
I'm pretty sure I will make it again, since I already traced it :-) but not until next winter! Then the fit will be perfect!
The skirt - Ot 02-2007-20
I like the skirt because it has an elastic waist, so easy to make. Again, the sizing is too big. I made it once for a 'draft version' and then repeated in stretch denim fabric. (the pattern doesn't call for stretch but I wanted a bit less roomy). I had to narrow the pattern on the sides, and shorten it at least 5 cms... but then it looked pretty!
Changes from the instructions:
1. Had to narrow it a bit
2. had to shorten it a lot...
3. I also gave up the back pockets..
I will make it again.. maybe soon, maybe with non stretch fabric, just to see how it works. It really is an easy and recommanded pattern.. worth the try!!
This is it for now... Goos day all

Many finished items

I thought I'm done with the blog... I don't really have the time to manage it, and on top of that a month ago my computer, with all the pictures on it, stopped working. I'm not sure it can be fixed!!! I hope to get to that soon.
However, I realised that when starting a new item, I often refer to my blog for comments about fit, changes I made, etc. even when starting with a new pattern, I like to document lessons learned from it...
So, I'm keeping the blog. I'll do my best to display the relevant items here... by that I mean that if I make 3 items of the same pattern, identical other than size or fabric... no need to document them.
I have quiet a few months of items to display.. but many pictures are in the old (coruppted!!!) computer. So this is from the last month.
So, first, I want to show pictures from my dd's tenth birthday party!

and the birthday girl.. (I bought the dress, she really wanted and since I didn't buy her clothes for years.. I thought it was a good time :-) )

I'll use this post to just display an Henrika I made for my soon 7 years old...
I already reviewed this pattern... right here so no need to say more. A great pattern!

Will be back soo with more!!! Good weekend all!

Leilani Top - YES!!!!

Hi all...
It's almost the end of the Summer vacation here. We didn't travel this year, we didn't do too much of anything.. except working and waiting for the Summer to be over!

I didn't do much also sewing wise. But I did get to sort out some of my fabrics and patterns, and I realized that over the last two years or so my sewing 'agenda' has changed! I buy far less paper patterns and far more pdf patterns. They are cute, usually very well explained, and they arrive upon clicking the keyboard!

I hate the part of taping the pattern pieces together.. but hey, nothing's perfect, right?
SO, even though I have SO MANY paper patterns that I haven't used yet.. I bought two new patterns last month. These new patterns are a good investment, or so I tell myself, as they fit many sizes and mostly, they are good for teen aged girls...
You may remember I mentioned a while ago that my soon 10 years old no longer wants to wear dresses.. Some are exceptions, but mostly she prefers more 'adult' clothes.
The patterns that I bought are exactly that!
The first pattern is the Leilani Flounce top. You can find it here.

I made it twice already, with matching leggings (I think from the Modkid wonderful book)

Here's one

Need I say more??? How cute is that? My girls LOVE their new outfits!
The pattern is precise, clear, very well explained! The down side, as with all pdf patterns, is the printing and taping together, This is especially true since I don;t have any color printer and so have to count the lines instead of relying on the color of the lines.
There are many variations to this pattern, all detailed. I chose the cute sleeve option. The flounce on the bottom can be left out, as I did for my 10 years old girl. She said it's too childish!!!
Love it, really! I know I'll be making this pattern again!
On my next post I'll have more teen clothes to show and the the pattern that I bought.,.. soon!
Happy school year all!

newlook 6405... old pattern

Hi all...
My computer is back to life! And I didn't fix it. Goes to show that sometimes all of us need a rest!

Anyway, I discovered it's back and right away downloaded all the pictures from the last month. I don't think I'll have the energy or time to show them all now.. But I better start! (These days are very long, finding solutions for the kids, each one in a different place, while I have to work!!! two more days, then I'll take several days off work till the school year starts!)

So the first pattern is Newlook 6405.
I made it before, several times, and then I forgot it for years!
Lately I found it again...
Unfortunately, size 10, which is the pattern I traced and used 4 years ago... no longer fits.
Since I'm lazy, I didn't bother to trace a bigger size again. Instead I just added seam allowance and in the bottom (front and back) I added several cms more, because this top is SHORT!!! So I made it twice. LOVE it!

I see I already reviewed it before.. right here I look at the pictures.. from 4 years ago.. I was so thin!!!!!!!!!!
Now I want to show you a blanket fr my 2 years old little girl... that I started a year ago. I don;t think quilts are for me. I like the result.. but not the process. The top part is fun to make, but the filling and the binding... not my cup of tee. Don't know if I'll make quilts again. Maybe only the tops with fleece for the other side of the blanket...

I have more to show.. but I'm too tired now. So, I promise!
Bye for now, enjoy the rest of the Summer!!

I'm still around...

But I have no computer!!! I'm writing now from work and I have no way to upload pictures here...
So all my projects (and I have a few!) will have to wait...
I hope one - two more weeks.
In the meantime... have a wonderful summer all!

Surprise... It's me again!

with so many excuses...
Seriously, this was one hectic month!
Very busy at work... very busy with kids' birthdays (my twins are two years old!!!) and it ended with my little girl's having a small surgery..


We are home now... hoping to have better and easier month now!
I barely had time to do anything this past month. Ok, not barely anything... really nothing!
But I have a little bit to show of the month before..

This is a version of the Megan dress... for my daughters when they were the flower girls at my sister's wedding..

I have already reviewed the Megan dress many times, It's wonderful! you can see the details and the review right here..
We have better pictures from the wedding... but I don't have the permission to share them.

This is a romper that I made two months ago. The pattern is from the Israeli magazine "World Patterns". I like it, I made size 10, hoping it would be bigger, but the fit was great for my 6 years old.

I hope to have more to show soon...

Good health all!

Butterick 5313 - top and dress

I'm really proud of this..
This is one great pattern!

It started as a simple dress for me..
I made size XXX. I had to widen it a bit on the hip because I'm a bit wider there.. and wide it even a bit more where the dress goes below the hips. but not too much. I first made an attempt that didn't work, the neck binding didn't look good... so for the next try I also interfaced the neck before putting the binding. It was much better..
I also decided that for my purposes there is no need to separate the front top and front middle parts. I cut them together..
This is the dress I made

I think it looks OK. It will look better if I were proper leggings... don't you think?
Then I thought of something.. I have a dress, that I bought years ago... hot red dress. I like it, but the color is too "live" for me... and I don't wear it. Anyway, it has an interesting upper part, and I thought I could make something similar using butterick 5313...
Here's what I did..

I LOVE it!
Here's what I did (I wish I had documented this with photos... because I'll make this again, I know it!
Icut the top front and back as a single piece from the upper top and lower top pattern pieces, I did not cut the skirt for this attempt...
I then cut the front upper top part again... just a bit wider (I didn't place the pattern piece on the fold... about 1/4 inch from it, making the piece just a bit wider), I also made the shoulders a bit narrower (making the neck opening a bit wider).
Am I making myself clear????
I'll take photos the next time I make it!
Following I placed that piece on the front full piece.. right on right, but the 'half top piece' turned in the middle. I sewed the pieces together and following just treated this as the front piece.
I finished the next with interfacing and folding... I thought binding wouldn't look good..
I'm really proud of this top! I usually just follow the pattern's instructions.. but this time I experimented.. and I love it! I'm thinking of making a dress with this top part... Next week is my sister's wedding and if I have the time... it might look good...

The pattern Review:
Easy, simple, cute little dress. The sizing is the same,as all big 4 pattern companies.
The instructions are very clear. Really... nothing much to it!
Changes from the original pattern:
well, a lot..
* cut the upper and lower top parts together
* interfaced before binding
And in my second version. well... all that I listed above.
I'll be making this more times.. as a dress (not to myself - make the top a bit wider in the hip next time!!!!) Possible also as a long sleeve top for the winter... Bye for now!