Welcome to the first day of the Kids Clothes Week Challenge! I am so happy you are sewing along with me and 550 others. If you are new here I want you to know that even though the challenge is to sew for one hour a day, each day, for a week, not everyone sticks exactly to the plan. There are some that work a little bit on one garment all week and others who try to finish a garment every day! It doesn't matter how many successful garments come out of this week; all that matters is that you sewed, or cut fabric, or traced patterns a little bit every day.

I try to use the challenge to have something finished to show you each day. That means of course I've been sewing for a few weeks  (and I'm not nearly done).  Don't think I'm some magically motivated blogger who just sews happily into the night. No, I was very much dragging my feet at the beginning, but slowly I started getting more excited about what I was sewing and then started to think up new things I could make. And in the end I cut out way more patterns than I could ever finish. That's the beauty of kcwc: just a little bit each day and suddenly this creative energy comes out of nowhere.

Okay enough already, what about the skirt up there?

the pattern: ayasha skirt pattern by Figgys

the fabric: I used an old linen curtain from ikea that I dyed gray. I dyed it about a year ago meaning to use it to make a summer skirt for me, but I couldn't resist making matching spring clothes for my kids (the boys got pants).  As I was finishing up the skirt, we put on our Sound of Music record just to make the curtain-clothes-making-ridiculousness complete.

the sewing: The pattern was the just right amount of challenge for me. There were pleats, pockets, a waistband, a button placket, and buttonholes--pretty involved for a little skirt! The instructions were clear and very concise, sometimes a little too concise. There were steps I had to read 8 or 10 times to understand exactly what I need to do, but now I know how to put on a button placket! Funny, the button placket is probably the most poorly sewn bit on the skirt, but it's the bit I'm most proud of. Everything else turned out great. Miraculously, the buttonholes even came out perfect! I didn't really change much, except I put a bit of purple in the pockets and used buttonhole elastic in the back. The skirt fits her just right and looks like it will until the fall (if she doesn't grow too too much).

There are a few eager beavers the have some beautifully finished garments in the flickr pool already:

1. new dress for Mila

2. kcwc day one

3. linen shorts for Amelie

4. birdwing top

What are you doing on the computer anyway? Go sew!

I only discovered Kelli's blog, true bias,  a little while ago, but once I did I was hooked. She sews beautiful garments for herself--we're talking handmade blazers here, people. But every so often some beautiful little clothes she made for her daughter would pop up on her blog. So I asked if she would be interested in kcwc. Lucky for us she said yes. I mean just look at what she did with a tee shirt pattern! 

I was really excited to be part of kcwc this year.  I am a bit of a selfish seamstress and love sewing for myself, so it's good when I get a bit of an extra push to sew for my daughter.  I just got my first serger about a week ago so sewing up some knits with Rae's Flashback Skinny Tee pattern was a perfect way to break it in.

I used the skinny tee pattern to make two boyfriend cardigans for my 2 year old daughter.  It was a really easy conversion.  I lengthened the front and back pieces by about an inch.  Otherwise the back and sleeves were left exactly the same.  I then cut the center front of the front piece and cut out a deep v at the neckline.  I added a 2 inch wide band to the bottom of the cardigan and a 1 inch band all the way from the hem, around the neckline, and back down again to the hem.  I added a few button holes and cute buttons, a little edge stitching and there you have it, a boyfriend cardigan to get us through chilly spring days.

edit to add- I asked Kristin how she sewed buttonholes on knit fabric without it turning out a disaster (like when I do it). Here's what she said:  I found that if I put a bit of interfacing on the backside the buttonhole went much better.  Then you can just cut around the buttonhole to get rid of the excess.

I hope you will try some too.  It took me about 4 hours start to finish to make both of them on my serger.  I am super happy with the outcome.  Can't wait to be inspired by all of you next week.  I will be sewing along as well.

This bag is truly awesome. It's a messenger bag, a shoulder bag, a completely reversible bag...it's so many different bags in one you have to make one just so you can discover how awesome it really is. And you can! Because I wrote an awesome pattern for it.

Shannon from luvinthemommyhood is encouraging the sewers and the knitters to duke it out finally and see who is left standing. So this is my little one-two for the sewing side.  No, it's not foxy boxing, but it is one month full of super fantastic knitting and sewing tutorials with some friendly competition thrown in for good measure.  Sounds awesome, right? Head over to her blog for The Awesome Bag tutorial!

Once more for no good reason: awesome.

some greens for today. click on the picture for all the photo credits.

Michelle of greetingarts.com organized an embroidered button swap and I got my package a couple weeks ago. I really like how each button shows off a different stitch. I know it wasn't intentional, but it's a nice sampling. I never thought of cross stitch as being so classy, or using french knots to create a shag rug look. They are all fantastic and I can't wait to put them on coats and sweaters and pillows and whatever else I can find.

1. flower by regina

2. boat by calicodaisy

3. crown by junie moon

4. strawberry by jessi

5. heart by anina

6. and a robot from the woman who made it all happen, michelle

Here are the how to use chopsticks buttons I embroidered for the swap!