Two Cardigans

I LOVE Georgie Hallam (Tikki)'s patterns and have slowly been knitting up many of them.  I enjoy how each one has extended my knitting skills and produced a range of beautiful garments - all of which have been for either my daughter or one of her dolls!  (See here and here and of course a Milo or two).  Here are two more...

Last spring I knitted up a 'Girls Best Cardigan' in some gorgeous Shepherd merino 8ply in the most delicious pink.  A divine wool to knit with, and a jersey that the kiddo really loves!

These photos taken December 2014

The dress that K is wearing is Oliver + S's 'Family Reunion' dress in a gorgeous floral from the 'Good Life' range by Deena Rutter for Riley Blake.  This has been her go-to 'party' dress and has been well admired, with K automatically replying that 'mum made it'.

And some photos from today...

Over summer I made an 'Elizabeth' cardigan in some Moda Vera 'Sombre' organic cotton that I think was about 5ply (sport) weight.  After adjusting the needle size it made an awesome light cardigan that my girl has just started wearing!

This blue cardigan was on my 'Q1 Finish-Along' list as well... so a second finish... yippee!

Oh yes... I have a 10ply 'Bloom' that only needs blocking and tidying, as well as a series of dolls' clothes... will share those soon!

I'm linking up again to Crazy Mom Quilts for 'Finish It Up Friday'.

The Last Five

Any regular reader will know that I have been working on the Oliver and S 'Little Things to Sew' Cover-to-Cover Challenge set by Bartacks and Singletracks.  Well today is the final day for submissions and I have finished my last five!

First up a set of three bear hand mitts - made in brown corduroy and designed for use in my daughter's puppet theatre.  I used the smallest size mitt for the father bear and then scaled them down to make the mother and child.  I added eye-lashes for the mother, but otherwise size is the only difference between them.  They fit my five-year old's hand just right.

 

I made a circus themed messy-kid's bib using iron-on vinyl and bias binding trim.  This was a simple make but did challenge me with making bias binding go around curves!  We don;t have a baby in the family at present so this will go in the 'gifts to give' collection.

This messenger bag was made in another piece of corduroy - using the green (my girl's favourite colour) as an accent, and with brown straps.  I interfaced the corduroy but it would have been better with more stiffness.

It is a small bag, and if I made it again I would be tempted to add snaps or velcro to hold the flaps down.  A simple and enjoyable pattern to make!

These juggling balls were made with remnants of corduroy (spot the originals above) for my husband's recent birthday.  They were great to sew and not at all fiddly - even in the smallest size.  I gathered up a handful wheat (from the farm's silo) and wrapped it in cling-film and placed these inside each ball, along will some poly-fill.  They are a nice weight to juggle.  I have used the matching bag pattern to make storage for my knitting and card games - so will need to make another for these!

My final sew was a cupcake carrier, using the bento box carrier pattern.  I was inspired by the fabric and used a plastic box I already had as a base, and then adapted the pattern to fit.  Unfortunately it doesn't fit as comfortably as I had hoped, but it does work.  I'll have to try it out sometime soon!

Just to summarize my efforts in the Cover-to-Cover Challenge here is a mosaic of my projects.

1. DSC_0109, 2. DSC_0104, 3. DSC_0111, 4. DSC_0115, 5. DSC_0140, 6. DSC_1201, 7. DSC_0070, 8. DSC_0059, 9. DSC_0056, 10. DSC_0639, 11. DSC_0164, 12. DSC_2213, 13. DSC_2139, 14. DSC_2120, 15. DSC_2112, 16. DSC_2122, 17. DSC_1987, 18. DSC_1645, 19. DSC_1219, 20. DSC_0164

I made 19 items!! Yes there are two puppet theatres there but I did only count them once - and the hat and explorer vest share an image, so I have repeated that one.  These are also items 91, 92, 93, 94 and 95 in my O+S count.

Many of the items have already been very well used, including the backpack, theatres and costumes.  But the favourite is definitely the tutu - worn at least five times a week!  When considering that we live on a farm it has seen more action than even I imagined.

A Sewing Catch-Up

I have been very slack and not blogged for over a month now... so here's a catch-up on some of the projects I have been working on for the Bartacks and Singletracks' 'Oliver + S: Little Things to Sew' challenge.

Firstly I made my niece a bear carrier for her 3rd birthday.

To make it easier for her to use independently I added elastic to the straps.  This was quite fiddly but I think it works.

The two bears are brothers - and both have been loved lots!

Here she is enjoying her present alongside our K - with a bear carrier I made a year ago.

Next up is a baby jaguar costume for K, incorporating both the 'cosy hood' and the 'art smock'.

 

I wanted to make the smock as a neutral costume that would work with other hoods (should they be needed) and I'm super pleased with how easily it sewed up.  I used cotton homespun from Spotlight and made no adaptations to the patterns apart from omitting the pockets.

For the hood I added a front facing of fake fur to the same homespun, as well as making the outer ear pieces from the same.  I used the same pattern a few years ago to make a 'kiwi head' and knew how great it is for costumes.

K's favourite part of the whole ensemble is the tail!  Just a length of the homespun with some fur sewn on the end, attached to a elastic waistband.  Very simple!

The latest item I have completed has been a pair of mittens made from two layers of fabric.  On the outer I used a scrap of waterproof fabric and I lined it with some polar-fleece.  Although I followed the idea from Froo and Boo, I added a separate binding strip between the layers that could hold the elastic.  I sewed it to the outer layer, threaded it with elastic, then inserted the whole inner and edged the bottoms together.

I used a microtex needle to try to keep the mittens as waterproof as possible (small hole = less leaks?) and there is still some more of winter that might provide the opportunity to try them out.

These projects are numbers 87, 88, 89 and 90 in my O+S count and numbers 11, 12, 13 and 14 in my LTTS challenge!  Progress is intermittent, but happening!

I am working on a few more projects from this book, hoping to finish them by the end of this month.  My sewing room is undergoing renovations  at present (very slowly), so craft is mainly in the form of knitting.  And maybe some gardening and chicken watching!

Knitting along

While reading Crazy Mom Quilt's post on her avocado socks I was reminded of two woollen items that I could share.  These had both been completed over a month ago, but I have neglected to complete my Ravelry pages or post about them here.

First up, a jersey for my daughter.

K is five now, and wears a uniform for school.  I am sad that she can no longer wear handknits daily and the motherly desire to keep your child warm and comfortable is certainly not solaced by polyester.  Luckily this 'Olinda' by Georgie Hallam (Tikki) has been a popular garment at weekends.

The beauty of 'Olinda' is in the lace pattern  being completely reversible.  This is a great feature for children's clothing - for many reasons!  The only tricky part is sewing on two buttons for each button hole, and I am really happy with the buttons I found at my local drapery.

The pants K is wearing are my favourite Oliver + S 'After School Pants' in a light weight denim.  A great sew!  I have made these pants before (here and here) and I have also been counting our O+S garments - this is number 86!

This jersey can be also seen at my Ravelry page here.

I also (finally) made a Queen Anne's Lace crochet scarf, using some multi-coloured wool.

 

I made this using the tutorial I found on Mrs Micawber's blog, where the starting scallop was improved upon.  Great tutorial - thank you for the pictures and awesome instructions - I highly recommend them!

My scarf, and information on the yarn used, can be seen on my Ravelry page here.

See you at Finish it up Friday!

Gifts for my girl

A lot of my crafting involves making gifts for other people - I like how it shows the thought and care put into the act of giving.  I always try to involve my daughter K in the process as well, especially if the gift is for a friend or relative she knows well.  When it comes to gifts for her I tend to stock up on ideas, then sew/create madly for a few weeks ahead.

This year, with K turning five, I was well organised.  I made her a school backpack in early March.  I also made her a nurse's uniform to match the one we gave to Playcentre.  To go with this I sourced a nurse's watch and a real stethoscope.  She's had great fun with both.

I kept up the Oliver + S 'Little Things to Sew' theme by making K a tutu.

I used a variety of pink tulles.  Some I got at Spotlight and were about 140cm wide.  Others I have had in the stash and were narrower.  With some overlapping and creative placement the result is impressive.

K loves it - so much so the other day she kept it on when digging in the sandpit!  This tutu is number 10 in  the 'Cover to cover' challenge from 'Bartacks and Singletracks' and number 85 in my O+S count.

I love to encourage K's creativity through play.  We also try to support her artistic skills and to help this I made her an art folder.

It was (very) loosely based on the Noodlehead pattern 'Road Trip Case' but I didn't get far past quilting the outside cover.  I love Anna's patterns but I had quite a few adaptations in mind!

K is a left-hander so I placed the drawing pad on the left side.  The clear vinyl pouch (my own design - partially successful) is attached by two pieces of binding.  This allows the side with the pens to hang from a small table and still be accessed through the gap in the centre.  We will use the vinyl pouch for holding scissors, stickers and other small pieces.

I need to add two small hand-sewn snaps at the top and bottom of the folder so that the pad is less likely to slip out.  I also should have made the fabric over the pen pockets bigger.  It pulls that side in.  But K loves her folder and has been having great fun drawing her interpretation of our life!

What a very lucky girl our K has been!

Little Houses

My daughter K has a great preschool and although she's only been there a year she will miss it when she goes off to school soon.  So just as we did for her Playcentre, we've made a gift for them...

Yes - the little houses from my favourite book (as mentioned in the last few posts, repeatedly!)  Oliver + S Little Things to Sew - in case you forgot!

Mine do look quite different as I chose bright colours - but I still like how they look - well except for the over-large door on the house above!

 

I got extra creative for the blue 'shed' as the tractor was the only wheeled item I could find in my fabric stash.  A shed should work well for farm kids anyway.

Preschool has a large mat with roads and house on it, so these will add a extra dimension to the children's play.  I hope they can use them!

And more houses from a while back I haven't shared yet...

Back at Christmas time Santa made some houses for K using the 'Storybook Lane' panels by Kelly Le Creel.  Now Santa did two silly things - he forgot to purchase the pattern to go with them, and then he forgot about Liesl's awesome houses in LTTS.

Santa made these using Kelly's basic pattern (here) but adapted some to open up.  They look good, but could have been so much better!  It took Santa a while to work out how to do the finger puppets - but he made them work very well - they can both stand on their own and be used as a puppet, having an internal 'hole'.  A LOT of work for Santa.

There are many more puppets but I couldn't find them to photograph today - off on their own adventure!  I also have another background piece that can be used with the puppets.

The foam houses are number 7 in my 'Cover to cover' challenge from Bartacks and Singletracks and number 82 in my O+S count!

 

Who would like to come and play at our house?

Nurse

As with my previous post I'm working my way through the Oliver + S 'Little Things To Sew' book with some gusto at present.  So much so that I have made two bias trimmed aprons!

Only one is shown here - as the other is tucked away for K's upcoming birthday - and she has no idea!  This one is a farewell gift for Playcentre.  I made the smallest size and although it is a bit small on K it fits fine.

Medical set from our local Toy Library

I found some cheap blue poly/cotton blend from Harald's in Christchurch and used some to make my first puppet theatre.  Then I had my great idea - the fabric would be perfect for a nurse's uniform!  Originally I was going to adapt the 'Sleepover Pyjamas' by Oliver + S, but the bias-trimmed apron from LTTS seemed so much easier.  The only adaption to the pattern was the 'v' neckline - a very simple change.

I made my own bias binding and 1/2 metre of fabric made enough for two aprons, comfortably.  I placed the side pockets too high but they should be fine for some of the wee people at Playcentre (ages 0 to 5).  I used velcro at the back.

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The word 'NURSE' was done by writing the words in erasable maker then zig-zagged over with a 2mm wide and very short length stitch.  I did interface the fabric behind the words to give it more strength.  It really finishes off the outfit!

Another finished item for the 'Bartacks and Singletracks' 'Little Things to Sew - Cover to Cover Challenge'.  Number six!

And number 81 in my O+S count...  I love these patterns!

Three, Four, Five...

I've been making some progress... but only on one of my goals!

I want to make as many things as possible from the fantastic 'Oliver + S Little Things to Sew' book by Liesl Gibson.  I started slowly with two puppet theatres and one backpack, but have upped my game by sharing three more today!

Firstly some bags (not for juggling balls)...

These are considerably smaller because we needed them to hold some card games, like 'Uno'.  The fabric is by Riley Blake, 'Pieces of Hope'. 

K is great at Uno and we've been having lots of family fun with it recently.

This one is much larger, being only marginally smaller than the pattern and has a future secret purpose in mind!  Love the lamb fabric.  :-)

18" dolls are not easily found in New Zealand (I've hunted) so I adapted the Doll's Tea Party Dress for our 11" Gotz darling.  I scanned the pattern pieces and reduced them by 75% (with some fiddling for seam allowances).  This is still a bit big so next time I will try about 60%.  In order to avoid fiddly hems and seam finishes I fully lined the skirt piece and it becomes reversible!

I had already made K a hooded cape about two years ago, and it is well used for imaginative play.  So I needed a new adaption - I made it smaller!

The pattern dimensions have been halved, i.e. if one part was 10" long, I made it 5".  I was not terribly accurate in my measuring and did not play with seam allowances, just made narrower seams.  The only issue was fitting in the centre piece to the sides of the hood, it could have been 1" longer.  It worked!

The doll is a fantastic knitted one from a pattern by AK Traditions.  She is about 19" tall, with particularly long legs, and is very cuddly.  Most of K's dolls have over-large heads so it was a bit tricky finding a doll to fit the cape.

I hope my adaptations are allowable in the 'Bartacks and Singletracks' 'Little Things to Sew - Cover to Cover Challenge'.  A lot of thinking and planning was involved!

These are numbers 78, 79 and 80 ( bags counted together) in my great O+S count.

I also must mention that I have finished another two items (bias trim apron and tutu) but these have been hidden as upcoming birthday presents.

How are you going on your challenges??  Doesn't time fly when you are having fun?