1. girlies in pjs  2. Hand dyed, wool jersey vest and leggings 3.  raincoat 4. fishsticks and fries austin lee romper 5. pocket shirt 6. Peasant top and repurposed skirt 7. pockets 8. crazy stripey crawler pants 9. pink sweater II 10. gypsy forest 11. elephant and elbow patches 12.  Abby jacket 13. strawberry skirt 14. raw edged raglan tee--bamboo knit 15. school days coat  16. 90 minute shirts

Another KCWC has come and gone and you have made it amazing! One little nudge and suddenly all these cute kids have  closets full of beautiful handmade clothes.  The momentum this kcwc was unreal. Usually there is about a 50/50 split between the fizzle outers and the get 'r doners, but it seemed like everyone was getting stuff done this fall.  No reason to let that good sewing mojo go to waste. I know you have a life to get back to, but don't forget that just a little bit early in the morning or after the kids go to bed a couple times a week adds up to a lot of finished projects!

1. clever charlotte 2. too sweets 3. tea collection 4. charm stitch 5. crafty mamas 6. ida pearle 7. secret cake 8. sew many patterns 9. re+new by five green acres 10. vistaprint 11. little part 12. that's me! want to be a sponsor?

I was very excited to see all the new faces this kcwc as well. You can find some great new (to you) blogs I'm sure either in the comments section of this post or from this flickr discussion.  We all need to support each other in our crafty endevors! You can continue to support your fellow sewist by subscribing to their blog (and mine right there in the sidebar)-- it's like a virtual pat on the back. A little encouragement can do a lot, just look at the kcwc flickr pool! And my amazing sponsors could use your support too. We are all in this together!

Whew! You made it! The last day of kcwc fall 2011. I hope it went well for you this year. All the clothes I've showed you so far I made two weeks ago, but this coat? I've been working on this beauty all week. An hour here and there at the sewing machine and finally the baby gets something to wear.

Here are all the details:

• pattern: same as the coat I made for his older brother (that one was still too big)
• elbow patches: from Kristin's tutorial. At first I top stitched a diamond pattern on them, but an oval shape + diamonds = ham. He looked like he had big hams on his elbows!

• fabric: brown tweedy wool (same as these pants) found at a thrift store
• lining fabric: felted cashmere sweater

• buttons: wooden buttons from Joann's plus one green one I've been saving forever.
• pockets: patch pockets lined with green and ironed to make faux piping like these pants again.

Here are some more pictures just because:

Did you have a good time during kcwc? Did you get a lot done? I love this pile of handmade clothes! Makes me want to do laundry (a little). I will be back tomorrow with a big round up of all the amazing things from the flickr pool. Here are the ones from today:

1. wraparound jacket
2. ottobre majava pants
3. ruitjes
4. unicorn dress

Wow, sorry I'm so late with a post today. I forgot about actual work :)

I am pretty proud of this little skirt. It's a basic, a-line denim skirt with a flat front, a bit of topstitching, and some good pockets. Nothing flashy about it, but it just looks right. You know what I mean?

What is it doing in a circle of glittery gold? After kcwc is over and done I tell you all about it (hey, you might even want to subscribe...)

1. kcwc x hoodie
2. little boy jacket
3. reversible corduroy caplet
4. origami pocket skirt

These are a little over the top to be sure. But so are four year old boys. The patterns is from Happy Homemade vol. 5 modified it a bit, okay a lot. I stole the pocket pattern from a different project in the book and I threw piping in all over the place. The back pockets are my favorite.

I also totally wussed out on the zipper fly and just make a fake fly, that got all janky anyway. Being afraid of putting in a zipper is ridiculous, I mean a zipper isn't going to kill me or anything. Whatever, here they are: crazy ass orange tight pants with bright blue piping.

He rocked them.

And here are today's highlights from the flickr group (they are all a little muted today, maybe the rain is affecting me):

1. polaris
2. red riding hood dress
3. library jacket
4. snappy milo cables

only two more days to go!

I'm running a little bit late this morning (and there is sewing to do!) so just the deets on this one:

• idea: blatantly stolen from oeuf
• pattern: tee for two from patterns by figgy (the pattern is also in their new book)
• fabric: one felted cashmere sweater, the neckline and some scraps of another felted sweater
• skill level: easy peasy

When I was making this sweater a friend of mine (hi amanda!) was asking me about the mitten pockets but slipped and called them mockets. Now the top will always be known as the mocket sweater. I think it's pretty catchy.

Here are todays pretties from the flickr pool:

1. lazy days skirt for fall
2. elbow patches
3. no-ruffle rosy pierrot tunic
4. fall basics

Someone commented that all these finished garments are making her look like a very slow sewer. I don't want anyone to be discouraged this week. So I thought I'd tell her--and all of you--that I have been plugging away at a little coat all week and I am still nowhere near done. No plopping on the couch this evening (unless that is where you sew). Keep at it! Make yourself to sit down in front of your sewing machine and I promise you will have a finished garment by the end of the week.

These are the pants with the silly bunting tag I showed you last week. And look! they aren't on backwards! The pattern is from Happy Homemade vol. 2 and it is by far my favorite pants pattern.  I've used it to make these pj pants, these crazy pants, these linen pants, and the exact same corduroy pants in gray (plus a few more I never blogged about). And now these blue beauties. The corduroy is a navy wide wale from joanns and it is so soft.

I found this beautiful brown wool at the thrift store and knew I could use the same pattern for some good, old man pants.Do you think I am addicted to this pattern? I am. I lined the pants with flannel using Dana's tutorial, except my waistband was separate, so I had to fake my way through that. The pockets are pretty much like Dana's too only more rounded and I pressed the top bit so the lining would show--sort of like faux piping.

The fake fly (faux fly?)  is one of my favorite things about the pattern and I gussied it up with two lines of topstitching. I also did flat felled seams along the crotch and down the sides, which you can kind of see in the picture below.  I put the pockets up way too high, so now my little boy has old man pants with a big, old man butt.

And just so you don't think all my garment are perfect (trust me, they are far from it) here is a shot of the inside waistband. That'll be yur Hot Mess. Part of KCWC is screwing up and soldiering on!

These people sewed on and look what amazing things they made! From the flickr pool today:

1. checked shirt
2. recycled hopscotch shirt
3. rust corduroy pants
4. denim jumper with ribbon embellishment 

happy day three of kcwc!

When I started KCWC my kids were much smaller and their clothes did only take an hour to make. Now it's pockets and more pockets and buttonhole elastic and nice, sturdy seam finishes (i.e. lots more time for one stupid pair of pants). I made some baby clothes for a new(ish) baby and wow! you can just crank those teeny things out! The pants came from the sleeves of a felted cashmere sweater and they came together so quickly I did a bias bound seam finish along the crotch seam, because I felt like they couldn't be done already.

I still had more of the hour left, so I made a hat to match. The pattern is from Martha Stewart. Originally, the hat is made from felt and the seams are zigzagged together so they lie flat. I made two hats with normal seams and then sewed them together: cashmere on one side, jersey on the other. I've made this hat many, many times. I like how the orange tag on this one make the hat look like a skate punk blue bird.

I finished both things in about 45 minutes, so I thought what they hell, I'll make a ball with the scraps. Well, the ball took longer than both. The pattern is for a paper pieced, hand stitched pentagon ball. Hand stitching isn't really my favorite thing, but when you do it with your best friends on a beautiful fall day and a hot cup of coffee it's not all that bad.

The flickr group is really starting to fill up. One day and you guys are already on a roll! I already mentioned this on twitter, but one of my sponsors, Too Sweets, is offering my readers a 15% discount on her patterns (they are in pdf form, so you could use them today!) just enter KCWC15 when you check out. And while you are at it, check out my other lovely sponsors--many of whom sell very stylish children's clothes patterns.

1. button fly skirt
2. fake fly pants
3. baby leg warmers
4. tunic or vest from scarf

Happy KCWC!

The first day of the kids clothes week challenge is finally here! Full disclosure: I had my sewing week a few weeks ago so I could have a garment to show you each day, but that was a little challenge to myself. Don't feel the need to finish something everyday. One hour sewing, pattern making, or fabric cutting--it all counts. What's important is that you do it every day. Blogging and laundry can wait a week.

It seems silly to be making a sleeveless top for a fall challenge, but I only had the littlest bit of this awesome stripey fabric (thanks, lil!) and I wanted so badly to make something for my daughter from it. The pattern is from Happy Homemade vol. 5, a japanese sewing book. I've raved about Happy Homemade vol. 2 in KCWCs past, so I thought I'd see what vol. 5 is all about. It is everything you would expect from a sequel: sort of like the original, but not as good. Still, this is an adorable top, that came together quickly and uses just a bit of fabric. So really the book isn't without it's merits.

edited: I get all my japanese sewing books off etsy, search for either of these titles there and you should find them.

Just because I've done a bunch of sewing already doesn't mean I'm not up for more. The good sewing vibes the come out of KCWC are too good to pass up. We are 300 strong and counting this time around! If you haven't already, go over to flickr and join the elsiemarley group so you can show off your fabric piles and patterns and finished garments. While you are there check out the eager beavers who have already posted some gorgeous pictures, like these guys:

1.  de-stash dress
2.  dog shirt
3.  tula pink tunic
4.  stripey pants

It's time again for another edition of KCWC: kids clothes week challenge.  KCWC is a twice-annual event where I challenge you to commit to sew children's clothes for an hour each day for 7 days. Fall is coming (at least in these parts) and my kids could use some cozy pants and sweaters--and pretty soon we'll need hats and mittens too! All that sewing is a little overwhelming, but I am always amazed at how much I get done by putting in a bit of time every day.

If you have more questions about how KCWC works, you can jump over to the FAQ page. Then jump back here and leave a comment on this post telling me you are in! That's all it takes. Then on the second week of October there will be hundreds (really, hundreds) of people cheering you on to make awesome clothes for your kids.

In the mean time, feel free to browse around the elsiemarley flickr group for inspiration--join the group so you can post pictures for this one--and look at my posts from older KCWCs! If you have a blog, you can copy and paste the button below (fancy, html code to come when tech support/husband returns).  So leave a comment and sign up! spread the word! sew like crazy!

kcwc fall 2011 buttons:

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1.by ashley cubly 2.by ressica jachel 3.by a p's 4.by lgjcunha 5. by day7577 6. by sew responsible

One last KCWC photo montage. It was such a treat to see all the knot shorts that popped up in the flickr pool. They all turned out so well.  I'm so glad you all liked my little pattern. There might have to be more pattern making in my future.

I loved reading all you had to say about KCWC on the last post! There seemed to be equal numbers of those who took the challenge and ran with it and those who got bogged down and stopped, which is to be expected. Sometimes KCWC comes at the right time, creatively, and sometimes it doesn't. I know I had to give myself a few pep talks during the week.  Sabine's comment sums the week up nicely, I think:

SabineC says:

May 19, 2011 at 4:46 pm(Edit)

This was my second KCWC - and I fully intend to play along with the next one, too!
I started off well, the sailor pants for my son came out in just one day of "patterning" and one day of sewing - as I had hoped. The tunic I had intended for my little girl went all wrong, though. Started on Day 3, I had to unpick almost every seam after the fitting on Day 4.... And everyone knows that unpicking a seam goes w-a-a-a-y slower than sewing one! So that kind of took the wind out of my wings. A splitting headache on Day 5 prevented any sewing then.

So there I was, on Day 6, far behind on my schedule and feeling bad because of it. Until I realized that that was not the spirit of KCWC at all! Sure, it is nice if you manage to finish more projects, and, well, let's face it, there's something terribly addictive of showing (off) your pictures on Flickr, for the world to peruse and to cheer at your work (and your sense of pride ;-) ) But there's something else.
I think that the KCWC is about giving you that little nudge to go and to KEEP going, using different motivators: the online "audience", the inspiration you get from seeing all those other wonderful creations, the interviews and articles on the Elsie Marley Blog; the idea that one hour a day is (most of the time) really feasible, the personal drive from "within" that makes you believe that "Yes, I can do it!" and the pride that you feel when you do succeed.

So I single handedly opted to extend the KCWC and finished the tunic on, well, Day 8 and Day 10. Which meant no public cheering, but when my almost 2 year old daughter saw herself in the mirror with the tunic on, she went all "Oh! Mooooooi!" (*)
(and if that doesn't give me the nudge to prolong the KCWC even more, then I don't know what will :-) )

See you next time!

Sabine

(*) In case you are wondering: yes, "Mooi" is the equivalent of "beautiful" in our language ;-)

If you played along then of course you are a winner, but the ones who one the contest were #9 for the I Love Paris doll kit:

Katie Strong says:

May 19, 2011 at 12:18 pm

After flaking completely last Fall, I approached KCWC Spring edition with a zip of manic energy. It was great motivation to use up my stash, to put to use the cute japanese patterns I spent so much time tracing a few months back, and to share the images on Flickr. I loved checking out other moms' (and dads'?) creations every day. The part I liked best? I think it really upped my confidence. My kids are actually wearing the stuff this time around, too. Added bonus. Thanks again!

and  #21 for the Charlie Tunic Pattern

Wendy says:

May 19, 2011 at 2:28 pm

I bottomed out after day two, simply because I didn't want to make my own bias tape, and the nearest fabric store with the right color was 45 minutes away. But the challenge did get me started again, even though I didn't finish anything. I will be better prepared in the fall; all of the gorgeous inspiration in the flickr pool has me planning already!

Congratulations! I'll be in touch soon!