Preschool Olympics T-shirts

Today at Sprog and Widgets preschool was a celebration of the Olympic's opening. Kids were encouraged to dress up in national costume. My boys have worn their All Blacks outfits from their uncle so many times I decided  not to go the easy route, but do something new.

Sprog has been fascinated by maps lately, and we have put a world map on the wall for him. So far he loves New Zealand, Australia (though he often calls it Melbourne), Daddy's country (Daddy is from Britain) and Russia. Russia is big. Russia covers half the map, and on a NZ central map, Russia is one complete county smack bang in the middle.

When it came to choosing what country he wanted to represent he chose Russia. Given the the other idea I was going for was Wales which has a dragon on it's flag I was happy with Russia, with it's standard tricolour flag.

Widget got Israel. because his name is Hebraic, and it's an easy flag to sew.

I woke a little early and dashed to my sewing space. I had some white knit in my stash that I had picked up from the op-shop, and some coloured felt left over from the Paw Patrol vests to use for the flags.

I hadn't made T-shirts for the boys before so I used a T-shirt from each of them for a pattern, folding it down the middle and cutting on the fold. I kept Widgets a little away from the fold to allow for a seam allowance, a bit too much really, Sprog's I just cut about 1cm away.

I cut a base flag for each boy from white felt, then layered the blue or blue and red on top, pinned and stitched. Sprogs was easy two strips on top of the white. Widgets I cut 6 little thin strips and pinned three in a triangle, sewed, then put the other three on inversely, and sewed again. The flags were sewn onto the fronts of the t-shirts, then the front and back sewn together.
Sprogs was quite narrow, and Widgets quite roomy, probably as a result of the T-shirts I used as patterns.

Sprog was very pleased with his. Widget still just wears whatever we throw at him.

Both shirts were worn again two weeks later for the closing ceremony, still unhemmed, but as the're knit it doesn't really matter!

Leralynn Muslin

I decided to have another go at sewing for myself. The first time I tried it was when I was pregnant with Sprog. I didn't have any idea about doing a Full Bust Adjustment, and I need a Full Bust Adjustment. The end result was OK, but only OK and had gaping armholes and a sloppy neckline.

Since I started sewing again I have been hanging out a lot in the MellySews blog archive, and the Blank Slate Patterns Facebook group and I have been learning a lot of theory. It was time to put the theory into practice.

This was my first attempt at a full bust adjustment, so just in case, I didn't use the fabric I bought for the project. Instead I went for the cheap and ugly cotton I had bought at the hospice shop especially for use as practice fabric.

The thing I love about the Leralynn from Blank Slate Patters is the pockets and hood. I am a pockets and hood kinda gal. I carefully cut some bias strips around the laid out pattern for finishing in order to keep as much fabric for future practice as possible.

My first FBA was a success. This particular pattern was a bit short for me. I added length by putting a bias trim hem on rather than a turn up hem, but it is still too short for me to wear as anything other than a beach cover-up. Not to mention the printed pattern is not really the look I am going for. I love the little covered shoulders, as my shoulders are always the first part of me to get burnt. 

Next up: the proper Leralynn, in the intended fabrics.

Towel after Towel

I'd seen these towels and these ones too, when looking for something I can't remember now, but I liked the look of them and just needed the opportunity. We had a bought version given to us for our widget and had found them really useful. I found some brilliant waffle towels to use and stashed them in my sewing pile.

We were invited to the birthday party for the two children of friends we don't catch up very often, in fact it had been about a year since we had seen each other. Present-wise we were a bit at a loss. For Master 4 we went for a double whammy of Pirate Lego, either Pirates or Lego is usually a hit with Master 4's, but for Miss 2 it was the perfect time to give the towel a whirl. I whipped it up in the morning before the party and tied it up with a ribbon. I'd made the bias tape myself on an earlier night so it was all ready to go.

It was a big hit with Miss 2, apparently she guards it jealously from big brother Master 4.

It was the beginning of a trend with towels for many others following. 

One for the Sprog's friends birthday, this time with a name on the hood.

Then one for a friends newborn, a little baby version instead, and matching flannels.

Then a matching set for another friends children, One for her Miss 4, who is also Sprog's friend, and one for Miss Newborn, again with a matching flannel for each.

I've one more in the works, for yet another friend's newborn, but now I've run out of towel's and the shop I bought them from has stopped selling them. 

Little Pink Riding Hood

Sprog was invited to a birthday party for one of the girls at preschool. I don't know her so I asked their teachers and was told that she is a girly girl. I decided to make something for her, a pink cape, and because I could, with a hood. I did a bit of googling and came across the Red Riding Hood cape from Fleecefun.com. I like working with fleece and fleece from the local emporium is cheap. Double win!

I also bought a length of pink sparkly gauze and some wide write ribbon. The basic cape is an easy sew. I made it more difficult by adding the gauze layer. The gauze moved a lot as I sewed. If I was to do it again, and I've had a request, I would cut the gauze a bit larger and baste the fleece edges in place before sewing seams to ensure  it didn't bunch during assembly. I finished all the edges with the white ribbon, and also used it over the join between hood and cape to make a clean seam, then extended it into a tying ribbon around the neck.

Sprog wouldn't model this one for me, (who knew he was so entrenched in gender traditions) so I made do.


The birthday girl liked it, the mother thought it was brilliant, and another mother has requested one!

Pink and Sparkly for the win!

Little boy pyjamas

Sprog needed some new shorts so I went shopping coming home with three pairs, but his favourite has to be the Star Wars shorts. He liked them so much that when he needed new pyjamas he said

"Mummy, I would like some Star Wars jammies. We will have to go 'round the shops and look, but if we can't find some we will have to make some."

Having found the free patterns on Melly Sews straightforward I went for the Lazy Day Pyjamas from Blank Slate Patterns. It has optional piping, but I liked the look and I'm pretty gung-ho about trying new things sewing so piping it was. I decided to make pyjama's for each of my sons.

Sprog chose his favourite of the Star Wars flannelette's on offer. Licensed fabric is expensive so Widget's fabric came from the clearance table. It was a choice of cowboys or sharks.  Husband was consulted. Cowboys won. They are really good brothers so I chose the same contrast red in order to let them "match". I couldn't find many piping options so they ended up with the same blue piping.

 
    

I had to redo the cuffs for Sprog as he couldn't get his hand though them. I must have cut the wrong size from the pattern. I french-seamed most of Sprogs' pyjama's

For Widget's Cowboy pyjama's I flat-felled as many seams as I could. There are little bits and pieces that I'm not happy with, but they feel so much more solid than their storebought pyjamas. They are my favourite pyjamas for each boy by far.

Sprog's Pirate Party

Sprog was invited to a 5th Birthday party. A pirate party. When asked he said he wanted to get Birthday Boy a telescope. After a bit of thought I figured out the best place to go and found an awesome extendable kaleidoscope in just a few minutes. With time to spare I decided to go the extra mile for the pirate dress up.

I found some cheap pleather at the local Emporium and set off home. Rather than faffing about, I decided to just use the Simple Vest pattern I used for the Paw Patrol vest. I trimmed all the edges with white bias trim, then attempted a couple of darts in the back to shape it a little, and wrapped a length of pleather around the middle for a belt.

Sprog dressed up with his stripey pirate t-shirt and a bandanna on his head. He had some hand-me-down jagged bottom dress-up pirate trousers too, then to complete the look we added the sword and scabbard I had hurriedly made for the last pirate party he went to.

In hindsight I would have extended the fronts a bit wider to make for a better coverage crossing over, and to create more of a floppy foldback collar.

He kept this outfit on all day, we went to a friends housewarming, and onto a fundraising quiz, all with him as Pirate Sprog.

Dress-up win!

Mending Mr All Black

Sprog is in the big kids group at preschool. The big kids have been taking turns to take Mr. All Black home for a trip, and this weekend was Sprog's turn.

Mr. All Black went swimming, and for a walk, but his top kept falling off. Sprog and I bought a little bit of black velcro, then Sprog helped me sew it on to provide a new closure for his mid back.

 

No more naked Mr All. Black, and Sprog was so please to be able to sew with me.