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

This top is made from fabric botched in the dye pot, which was supposed to be beautiful ombre curtains for my dining room, which before that was a lovely soft sheet on our bed, which got horriblly ripped, so I thought it would make nice curtains until I screwed it up the dye job (and turned the bathtub blue) and now, it turns out, is perfect for this top.

The tank top pattern is from wiksten made. Sadly, she’s not selling them anymore, but I bet if you scoured the web, one would pop up for sale. (By the way, if anyone has a xs, s, m tova top pattern that they’d like to trade for the tank top pattern–and trade back–let me know!)

The pattern is incredibly simple and nicely done: french seams, all edges bias bound, nicely cut. Because I’m always scared I will make clothes too small, I cut out patterns too large. So with this one I just said fuck it and cut a small. The fit is okay, maybe a little close, but at least I don’t have to take the sucker in. I was a little on the edge about the contrasting pocket, but today I saw a lady with a freakin sequin pocket, so I think I’m good to go.

I fell in love with this little sleeper when I first saw it: it’s like those nightgowns for newborns, except stylish.  At 40 bucks, it was a little out of my price range, but looked simple enough to recreate. Well, mine doesn’t quite live up to the original, but I think I got close.

The pattern came from the book Growing Up Sew Liberated (which I reviewed here). The more I use this book the better it gets.  A rare thing among craft books! Normally they are all eye candy, but look a little deeper and it turns out they are mostly errata and confusing directions. To alter the pattern I just extended the bottom bit, so it looked like it would tie up nicely. The edge really needs a rolled finish, but I’m not that handy with the serger so I left it raw.  I might make this again and try to get the knot bit right.

a few weeks back my friends and I threw a baby shower for our dear friend who was about to pop. She has since popped (!) but I thought I’d share a few of the things I made for the party. The floofs [above], as my daughter called them, were by far my favorite thing to make. There are many tutorials floating around for them–and many names–but I found this method to be the easiest.

You might recognize these painted cups from a design sponge tutorial a while back. I did exactly what they told me to do and pretty much copied their color scheme to boot.

While I had the paint brushes out, I slapped a bit of paint on some cardstock. When the paint was dry I cut circles out of the painted paper. Then invited a friend of mine over for wine and projects, so she could write (with her beautiful handwriting) all the potential baby names our friend had come up with.  We glued them together with a bamboo skewer inside and called them cupcake toppers. I thought they turned out nicely–baby shower-y, but not goofy.  And don’t worry the baby is not named Moellendorf.

I made a few desserts too. They both were less than stellar because of the oppressive heat and humidity, but the lime curd cupcakes up there were very tasty–even if they did look a little worse for wear.  All in all, it was a very nice party. No horrible torture-the-pregnant-lady baby shower games, just a table full of delicious food and a house full of lovely ladies. Tomorrow maybe I’ll show you what I made for the baby..

This is going to be a short and sweet post. Hey, like these shorts. They actually started long, but then looked weird long. So they have cuffs thanks to this fantastic little tutorial, but now I’m thinking maybe they would look better without them. I don’t know anymore. I do know I rocked some serious topstiching action on these suckers (With orange thread, somehow it looks red in the photos). Oh and these are for my daughter. I think my son could rock the purple shorts, but he asked for orange.

1. 015 2. elephant hats 3. damage control 4. bellies are cuter

A little nuttiness from the pool today: elephant hats and dino hoodies! So many amazing handmade clothes on flickr! You guys rock.