kid clothes week

June 23rd, 2008

I kept my word and worked (almost) every evening this past week on my kid’s wardrobe.  Actually I had such a good time I’m going keep at it this week.  Mostly I used tutorials, but I’m working on some patterns too. The two skirts are from the twirly skirt tutorial by Erin from house on hill road.  It is a seriously twirly skirt–my daughter calls it her swirly skirt.  The tulip fabric I picked up at the thrift store and there was just enough.  A good friend gave me the fish fabric and even though there was only a quarter of a yard (about half of what is called for) it still twirls a little. I looked forever to find a tutorial for the shirts. I knew what I wanted, but didn’t want to spend 10 bucks on a pattern for something so simple.  I finally found it on Just Tutes, which is a fantastic resource for kid’s clothes (click here to go right to the shirt tutorial).  I made the yellow one first and it’s ridiculously small (I’m worried it won’t even fit the 4 month old babe it’s going to) and the second one I made is too big, so I’m guessing next time I’ll get it right.  That’s the problem with sewing at night–no one is around to try anything on.  The striped pants are for my son and I blatantly ripped off the design (and fabric choice too) from Leah of go monkey designs, but she did a much better job (serves me right). I traced a pair of my son’s pants for the little shorts and made up the cuffs and tabs as I went a long.  I used a contrasting bright green thread for all the details and damn if it isn’t stylish.  They turned out better than I had hoped and have been worn and washed many times already.

whew! if you’d like to see bigger and better photos head over to my flickr site.

Do you have any good garment making tutorials to share? I’m kind of addicted, so if you know of any good ones–for kids or adults–please leave a comment so we can all see. thanks.

Posted in sewing clothes.

24 Responses to kid clothes week

  1. erin says:

    wow! great work, meg! i wish i would have made more clothes for my girls when they were little. now, at 6 and 8, they have too many opinions. i’m still trying to sneak a few things in their wardrobes, though. :)

  2. Julia says:

    I love, love the fish skirt! So unexpected.

  3. Candace says:

    thanks for the Just Tutes link. I love those peasant tops….and your tulip fabric is to die for!

  4. stephanie says:

    Wonderful…it all looks so good! I am excited to get back home and get started myself. How inspiring. I might have a few links to share in my bookmarks at home. I’ll pop back in if I do.

  5. Angie says:

    Great job, those are adorable!

  6. DeerDominique says:

    Wow! How inspiring. The tulip skirt is wonderful
    I’ve been making my 2 year old skirts from vintage pillow cases. They are a little over twice as wide as her waist, which makes for the perfect amount of gather. If you are interested in my silly how to directions, let me know. I taught my sister how to make them over the phone, easy peasy. Just email me.
    Also, the ‘sew mama sew’ blog has tutorials galore, way too many to mention.

  7. Terra says:

    Oh i love that fish fabric! It is so cool that it is used for a little skirt also, not something one would usually expect. I am off to make one of those cute shirts now, thanks for the link!

  8. molly says:

    All lovely! I really enjoy your blog (LOVE the diggers) and can’t wait to see what else is to come. Thanks for the links, you’ve inspired me to try some of these ideas for my babes.

  9. Linda says:

    Gorgeous! Ive come out of lurkdom to say Im almost weeping for joy at the just tutes link!

  10. Mom says:

    My out-of-state grandma was a seamstress and would send me dresses when I was a child. The favorite was a twirly skirt and I just loved it. I remember being sad when it was too small for me and I’d look lovingly at it in the closet.
    (Thought it would be nice to have the twirly girl’s point of view!)

  11. Anna Y says:

    do you have any simple commercial dresses/shirts/skirts/shorts that you simply love on your children? most of the clothes i have for my little girl cut out have been traced from commercial clothes and i will sew them up. if you are unsure about sizing, measure underarms (for chest width), shoulder length neck to arm, arm pit to waist (for underarm length), place where rib cage meets to waist (for front length) and nape of neck to waist (for back length). i have found this very useful for sizing (and for making new clothing roomier). hope this helps. check my blog at the end of the week for how to make a t-shirt dress tutorial.

  12. French Knots says:

    Lovely! The fishy fabric is brilliant.
    I like reading Sugar City Journal, the clothes they make are amazing.

  13. Traci says:

    I especially love those shirts. I want to make bunches for my little girl, but I am sure, like you, it will take me a bit to get the sizing right. That means – gifts for others.

  14. Shelly G. says:

    I love the idea of sewing a new item each night for a week… I think I am going to try it starting tonight. It is funny but my little girl Hope wants a princess dress… she was with me yesterday when I bought the fabric… This morning she woke up she wanted to know where the princess dress was… I think she thought mice were going to sew it in the night… he he he… wouldn’t she be surprised to wake up to a new outfit… Happy sewing :)

  15. R. Robyn says:

    This is really inspiring. I’m going to check out the shirt tutorial to see if I can make an adult-sized version. I love the shorts you made. Keep up the good work!

  16. tammie says:

    so cute, i love the skirts and have been meaning to make one for my daughter. the tops are great too. boys clothes for me are harder to make, i never get inspired like i do over girls things. there are a ton of great tutes at sewmamasew, like someone else said.

  17. BurdaStyle says:

    Great job! The clothes are fabulous. Did you make the patterns up or use store bought? keep up the great work

  18. Nanette says:

    Wow, I’m into this. In a big way. The tulips. the fish, the stripes….man! Well done. Totally inspiring.
    x

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  21. Rae says:

    Wow Meg! Those are really awesome! I found you through Sew Mama Sew, and now I really want to make a bunch of kid’s clothes for my son. So cute! I love everything.

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