Made By Rae

Nani Iro Pajamas for Clementine

Posted May 6, 2013

This past weekend was really, really fantastic. I got to be a part of the teaching crew for Camp Stitchalot, and it was loads of fun. So many fun people and projects! Really great snacks!!! I’ll post some pics of the weekend soon, or you can look for the #campstitchalot tag on Instagram if you currently possess the app/skills.

Today, though, I am totally wiped. Naturally I stayed in bed until 10:30 and ate chocolate-covered pretzels for breakfast. Thank goodness my kids are still with my awesome mom-in-law until this evening. I was going to try to take the day off, but it’s not really working, since I got sucked into the Vortex of Obligation as soon as I opened my computer. That’s okay, though! Being on my computer gives me a chance to show you the adorbsable brushed cotton pajamas I made for Clementine. I posted a picture of them (reposting it again, below) last week as part of my “Parsley Pants is here!” post, but here they are in action on the little stinker herself!

SMILE!

The pants were made with Nani Iro brushed cotton from Kokka (I blogged about these fabrics last fall) and my new Parsley Pants Sewing Pattern, which comes in kids’ sizes 2-10. This is the simple elastic-waist option, which is crazy easy to make. The pajama top was made with my Charlie Tunic pattern. I cut the bottom hem of the shirt so to give it a curved shape, and put the facings on the inside instead of on the outside. The sleeve is more of a 3/4 length — I seem to prefer that for girls — so if you have the Charlie Tunic you can just shorten the sleeve, or if you have the Charlie Dress Add-on you can use that sleeve. By the way, we have a $1-off Charlie Dress + Tunic bundle in the shop now if you’re interested in having them both.

As you can see, Miss Thing here is beginning to inherit her brother’s knack for unusual poses. She loves these pajamas, mainly because some of the pink flowers sparkle, something you cannot really see in these photos but I swear is true. I love them because they are soft and beautiful, and she will wear them without protest.

You can see more Parsley Pants in the photo pool as well:

Categories: parsley pants

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Pale pink linen top

Posted May 1, 2013

It’s time for my first spring top of 2013! This pale pink linen top is one of five tops I’ve finished so far this spring, and I can’t wait to show you!

I like making sleeveless tops in the spring because it’s so easy to layer sweaters over top. This top was constructed in almost exactly the same fashion as my “Time for Tea” Washi Dress: start with the Washi Dress pattern, then add a peter pan collar, full bodice lining, and (as you can see if you look carefully at the sultry shot below) an elastic casing in the back. In addition to that I gathered the skirt, added a pleat to the center front, and narrowed the shoulders quite a bit.

I’m really happy about how nicely the bust darts turned out on this top. Sewing angled (French) darts can be tricky and, as many of you know, often produces puckering at the end of the dart — which is not cool. I’ve been meaning to go back and fix some hastily sewn bust darts on my Ruby Star dress but keep finding other things to do. Despite my track record with iffy darts, I do actually possess the skills to sew them properly if I’m patient enough, and have actually even given talks before on how to sew darts to accomplish a nice smooth end. That could be a blog post for the future, for sure. Speaking of darts, did you guys see Liesl’s new video on Dart Manipulation over on Creativebug? Love how simply she shows you how to move darts. So great!

A nice peter pan collar is not particularly difficult to draft, though it can be a bit time-consuming, and I do feel that it takes a bit of skill to get just the right amount of curve away from the neckline. A flat peter pan collar is easier to draft, but often does not stand and curve away from the neck properly, which just looks a bit sad and wimpy to me. It took a couple un-sews to get the curve of this collar just right, but I finally got it right and am v. pleased with self.

I know that many of you would love a pattern piece for this peter pan collar. As far as that goes, I will say that I have put a bit of work into a companion version for the Washi Dress (an “expansion pack,” if you will) that can both stand alone and easily interchange with the Washi Dress pattern pieces. My thought right now would be to offer the both peter pan collar and a tie-neck option in the expansion, along with one or two new sleeves and instructions on lining and making elastic casing instead of shirring. I’m still unsure exactly what this will look like — it needs to be different enough to justify being a whole new pattern, but it would be nice if the price could be lower so that those of you who already have the Washi Dress wouldn’t have to lose too many more dollars to get the new pieces and variations. In other words, still awesome, but not so awesome that it outshines Washi, haha. So there you go. I’m sure you have opinions; feel free to share them!

M’kay, just had to share this last pic with you because that bicep there is starting to look like it might have future aspirations of being one of Madonna’s. Also, am looking pretty fierce. Woot to the hoo for three months of yoga finally paying off!!!

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Want to join in with me and sew yourself a top? Spring Top Sewalong is going on now, so get sewing and add your tops to the pool! See this post for guidelines.