Star Wars and freezer paper

Not two things you would normally think of at the same time but if you add in fabric paint well, it all makes sense. I have wanted to have a go at freezer paper stencilling for a very long time and this week I did it! I had my go, I had a lot of fun and Hubby and Boy both have a new T-shirt as a result. A fanfare if you please...............



How cool are they?? I am so incredibly pleased with how they came out, the stencils are done with Dylon silver fabric paint and took three coats each to get a good even coverage over the black cotton lycra. They're very shiny :D





You can also see in those photos the glint of the metallic silver thread I used for topstitching and hemming. The hems are all sewn with a closed overlock stitch which took f...o...r...e...v...e...r to sew but looks really good when finished.



I haven't used metallic thread before and it was horrible at first, it kept shredding and breaking every few inches but after changing the needle from a stretch 11 to a topstitch 14 that all stopped and it behaved beautifully. I really, really like these T-shirts. Oh, pattern details! Hubby has Jalie 2918 again and Boy has Ottobre 03/10 #25 with an extra 2" added to the length. It's a nice slim fitting raglan T-shirt that I will use a lot for this summer.

The perfect leggings

Ottobre have finally published the perfect leggings pattern. These are #20 from 03/11 and are supposed to have an attached skirt but I left that off as Princess really only needs plain leggings now. Perfect fit and length, I have wanted a decent capri legging pattern for the longest time and even better the size range covers all three girls, woohoo! Plain black and pretty boring but I just had to share anyway as I'm so happy with the pattern.

Jalie 2918

Jalie are another pattern company that offer great value patterns with a huge range of sizes in each. This is my first time using 2918 for Hubby, it's a basic T-shirt pattern with neck and sleeve options. He went for a short sleeve crew neck which is what he wears 99% of the time and the blue interlock is from stash. Orange embroidery and topstitching brightened it up a little, the embroidery is from Urban Threads. I made one alteration before cutting out the fabric which was a usual alteration for Hubby to allow for his high round neck (we are the computer generation! I need the same adjustment). Other than that the T-shirt is made as it comes and it's a great fit on him, he really likes it. Or at least he does a good job of pretending :D





Without the high round back adjustment the back neckline gapes away from Hubby's neck, the front neckline is pulled up and he is always tugging it forwards throughout the day and the shoulder seams sit too far back. With the adjustment it looks like this, it's well worth taking the extra five minuets when tracing.

Farbenmix Antonia

I keep seeing versions of the Farbenmix Antonia pattern and absolutely loving them so I finally made time to sew up three testers for the girls. Random fabrics from stash (there was a fight over the pink butterflies but I squeezed some out for Toddler and it was all good) and one for each girl as per the pattern. I need to lengthen them all slightly in the body and shorten the sleeves for Toddler when I make the next lot.







It's a useful pattern, the sleeves have colour blocking options as well as a short sleeve and there are alternative body pieces to make a bound keyhole opening. It's worth a look if you haven't got it.

Ottobre sewing for Toddler

Toddler got three new tops last month and I got to use three new patterns, two of which I have been meaning to sew for a while and noticing that Toddler was in the last size for them I thought I better hurry up. First shown is the Muksis envelope neck tunic #5 from Ottobre 01/09 with a velvet iron-on to fill in the very empty looking space above the pocket. The second is one of my favourite fabrics, I love the colours in it and have been hoarding it for ages trying to decide what to make. The Muru tunic #6 from Ottobre 01/09 was the pattern of choice and I just love it, I want to make a couple more before she completely outgrows it. The third and final top is a basic long sleeve tshirt, #6 from 01/10. The dragonfly is an iron on applique I bought ages ago, no idea where from.

Three new tops

Yet more sewing for Princess! You can really tell that she's had a growth spurt can't you? I sewed up three long sleeve tops for her today and I think I'm finished sewing for her for a few days at least, Toddler's tops are getting to be skin tight so I think it's time to re-measure her.

These are all new patterns for me, I've had the magazines since they were published and all three have been on my ToSew list but I just never quite got around to them until today. I can't quite believe these will fit her, they're a size 128cm and they just look far too big for my six year old but hey, that's what she measures so we shall see.

First up is #28 from Spring 2009. The fabric is a horrible, slippery, thin knit which I could only sew without pulling my hair out thanks to spray starch. I think the pockets are a little low, I forgot to trace the marking for them so I eyeballed it. I will definitely sew this one again but in something less yucky to work with!



While I personally like the velvet iron-ons I have a feeling Princess will not approve. The bodice needed something though and the fabric was just too thin to try applique or embroidery. Don't they just look like they've been Photo-shopped on there? They haven't, honest!



This second one is from the same issue, it is the Orvokki tunic #18. Layered sleeves and shirring on the front and back panels add some interesting detail, the fabrics are cotton lycra I bought from The Fabric Fairy quite a while ago. The neckline and short sleeve edges are bound with fold over elastic, the long sleeves have a regular hem.



The third is my favourite and I think it will be Princess' favourite too. She has been asking me to make her something from the horse camouflage fabric for a very long time so this one should get a big thumbs up! The pattern is from Autumn 2009, #21. It was the quickest of the three to sew (making it my favourite for two reasons lol!) and I will definitely use it again.



I used green FOE at the neck and sleeve hems and green top stitching for the hem and yoke seam.

Ottobre Summer 2011 #26, Rosy Posy Dress

This, I think, is the last dress Princess will be getting for quite a while. Surely it's someone else's turn?

Another new pattern for me, this one is #26 from the summer 2011 issue of Ottobre. I have lengthened the skirt on this particular dress by eight inches as Princess has enough shorter dresses to wear already. This now hits her lower calf instead of above the knee! The fabric is a lovely pink rose print from my stash and the velvet ribbon and ricrac were also laying around waiting to be used, it's nice not to have to run out to the shop for something midway through a project.



The ricrac is used as a trim around the neckline seam. This is the first time I've inserted it into a seam instead of sewing it straight on as a trim and I need more practice! As you can see it's a little wonky in places. The top of the invisible zipper is also a bit wonky, I had an Oops moment when I was cutting the corners off and while I've fudged it so the zip works and the hole is hidden it doesn't look great. Fortunately Princess' hair will hide it :)



The pattern says to make the ribbon at the bodice seam into a belt by attaching snaps to the ends so it can close and threading it through loops at the side seams. I have instead stitched it on and left the end long to tie in a bow, the girl really does have a thing for bows!



I think I'll come back to this pattern for the other girls too, it's a nice fit and I like the little puff sleeves. I need to work on my ricrac skills though :)