kid clothes week part two

June 26th, 2008

When I made a plan to just sew one kind of thing for a week, it was a good plan and I should have stuck to it. I completely lost my momentum and now it’s just a chore to go down in my studio.  Sewing from actual patterns didn’t help.  Everything was going fine and then suddenly:  step 12. put in zipper or step 7. sew continuous lap.  I still need a little hand holding when it comes to zippers (and who the hell wrote the instructions on the zipper package anyway? because they’re crap) and they could at least define continuous lap even if they’re not going to tell me how to do it.  I did figure them both out (thank you internet) but they are definitely a little off. A continuous lap is where the buttons are in the cuff of your sleeve, if you’d like to know.  You cut a slit in your fabric and then sew a piece of fabric to it in order to hem it, but not make it any smaller.  That’s very confusing, sorry–maybe that’s why they didn’t explain it in the instructions. Anyway, it’s on the back where the buttons go on this striped jumper.  The striped jumper that’s too big. Oh well, at least it’ll fit for sure next summer. I just can’t figure out sizing with patterns. I measured her and picked the size that matched, but I guess it just runs big, like one size too big.  The same thing happened with the other pattern I made.

But this is heavier than I expected–Joann’s linen is not the finest quality, duh–so it might work well as a fall jumper.  I haven’t hemmed it yet because I can’t decide whether or not to use the striped fabric I used on the collar and armholes or just fold it up and hem it.  If I use the striped fabric do you think I need to make bias tape, or can I just cut it straight?

So I have a few things to finish up this week for my kids and other people kids, but next week I’m moving on whether I’m done or not.  But when I do get back to sewing kid’s clothes I’d like to be able to sell some, but I don’t have the foggiest idea how to size them.  Does anyone have any good resources about this?

*edited to add*  both the patterns I got at a thrift store, so I don’t know if they still sell them, but the striped number is Simplicity 6500 and the one with ruffles is Butterick 6089.

Posted in sewing clothes.

20 Responses to kid clothes week part two

  1. Stephanie says:

    The striped jumper is about the sweetest dress that I’ve ever seen. Will you share the pattern you used to make it? I just love it.

  2. Carrie says:

    I love both of these dresses so much! I am sorry I have no advise on sewing for children. I actually attempted a tank top for my daughter today. This is the first article of clothing I have made for her and I decided to make up the design on my own…well, it really looks home-made in a not so cool DIY way. (I’ve been getting Project Runway on Netflix, so I think it made me a bit more confident in my skills than I should be.)

    Great job on your outfits—the striped fabric on the bottom of the ruffle dress would look so lovely.

  3. lily says:

    don’t give up ! they’re awesome!!!

  4. Rashida says:

    These are too sweet! The first one is my favorite.

    I’m no expert but imho- Bias tape will allow the hem to pull and stretch and it will prevent it from warping as well. They’re so lovely, so I’d probably make bias tape because I’d want to keep them for a while. But if it’s just a beater garment, then I’d say go ahead and just use straight grain. No harm in that. ^_^

  5. amy says:

    i love the striped dress! so cute! i think hemming the second with the striped fabric will be great and i would use bias tape so the dress will “move” better.

  6. I love the striped dress so much. It doesn’t look too big to me, but I know what you mean about sizing issues, it’s something I’ve been wrestling with a lot lately. It’s always worth checking the actual finished size of the garment (usually printed on the pattern itself), because I’ve noticed that they give a little too much extra for ease.

  7. Jenna says:

    Those are such cute dresses. I’ve always been pleased with the linen from Joann’s, but it is heavy and I’ve used more of the white than natural. It might soften up after washing.

  8. sewbettie says:

    I am new to sewing clothing so I don’t have any advice but your clothes are too cute.

  9. Beetlegirl says:

    I am so intimidated by zippers, that I still sew them in by hand, that is, when I can actually work around my intimidation of making a garment. Your children’s clothes are adorable and inspiring. I will leave the clothing to the talented seamstresses, and stick to making beasties.

  10. Joanna says:

    I think they are very cute! I would definitely add the contrasting trim, but contrary to some of the above, and I’m sure way more experienced sewers than me, I would just use the straight grain, because I’m lazy! :)

  11. R. Robyn says:

    I so loved that dress at top, that I didn’t even read the post (I will!) I just had to comment on how lovely it is.

  12. R. Robyn says:

    Okay, now that I’ve read the post: I totally understand your frustration with patterns. I am a self-taught sew-er (except for what is learned in middle school) and I take to make things up as I go along. I’ve made garments this way, and while it can be time-consuming, it works for me. I was determined to make my own swimsuit this summer, and I thought a couple of patterns might be helpful. I started the top with a pattern, and then disregarded it for the rest after I was overwhelmed by all the terms and notions I wasn’t familiar with. I finished the suit, but it’s not as perfect as I wanted it to be, not that it would be any better if I followed the pattern. I haven’t yet decided if I’ll buy more patterns or not. I’m only limited by my own imagination, so I’ll see how it goes. Good luck with finishing off the dress. I’m not entirely familiar with bias-tape.

  13. Katherine says:

    Both of these jumpers are lovely. Way to persevere past the lack of adequate pattern instructions!
    It has been my experience when sewing kids clothes from patterns that the run a little big, but that’s okay as kids will grow into things. In my opinion, I would use bias tape for the armholes and neckline. Cut on the bias will allow the tape to fit the curves smoothly and will look fabulous.

  14. shannon says:

    Both dresses are so cute, you did a lovely job. I think the striped one is my favorite.

  15. Thimbleina says:

    So many lovely clothes that you have made

  16. Rach says:

    Your clothes are just lovely. Following patterns can be frustrating – I am terrible and miss steps and just do what I think should happen. I would go for the bias tape on the hem.

    I also find US patterns quite large (I am in Australia) so I have to make my daughter 1 or 2 sizes smaller.

  17. Megan says:

    Conventional sewing patterns are evil. They’re written to make us feel like idiots. I just use them to get the pieces I need and then I figure it out from there.
    Your clothes, your photography, your blog … so, so lovely. It’s such a treat to stop by.

  18. lera says:

    Another good thing about cutting the bias tape on the bias (especially for striped fabric) is the way the stripes are diagonal. I love that about striped bias tape.

    Have you checked http://www.graylinelinen.com for linen? It’s affordable and shipping is free with online orders.

  19. Estee says:

    Hi, really cute dresses. I especially love the linen one, maybe try hemming in the bias tape.

  20. […] by the end of the week I had a bunch of clothes for my kids. The momentum actually lasted for the next week and the one after too (I hoped it would continue through the summer, but evening cocktails on the […]