Summer Shirt

I have to confess I actually made this top on the weekend before the KCWC started, but there has been a complete lack of sewing the last couple of days and I thought I had better post something. I know there's quite a few people who started early, so maybe it's not such a stretch to include this top in my KCWC projects...?

For this top I took a pattern from one of Katherine's existing tops, and gave it slightly flared sleeves. I followed the Modified 2+2 tutorial over at Siestas and Sewing to create the yoke. The fabric is just some cotton gingham I picked up from Spotlight. I wanted something nice and light for Summer that would still cover her arms as she is so fair. We are moving to Far North Queensland before the end of the year and it gets so hot up there!

After making the top I decided it needed "something" so I added some yellow buttons around the front yoke.      I think it was just enough embellishment for this simple top.

Because the top is quite loose, I added a tie so that it could be pulled in a bit at the sides.  

I think this top will be perfect for the hot summer sun!  If I get some time this weekend I have a pink version cut out and ready to sew up as well.  

KCWC - Day 2

So, day two of the challenge is drawing to an end (for me anyway). I managed to finish off Katherine's hat today and it was a great success!

She wore it all day, literally would not take it off - I had to wrestle it off her at dinner time tonight. I made this one out of some scraps of a floral printed cotton (just a cheapie from Spotlight, and I'd already made a dress and a top out of it, but I had just a little bit leftover that wasn't really going to be good for anything... until now) and some spotty yellow quilting cotton. Technically the quilting cotton wasn't a scrap, but it was a small piece I bought to add as a trim on a dress that I later decided not to make.

Katherine's hat is a medium, Ellie's is a small. My children must have small heads as I have mostly been hearing that this pattern runs on the small side, but I haven't had any trouble with the fit. If anything, there is still a bit of room to grow. Katherine is almost five and Ellie is two, just in case you were wondering about ages.

It didn't take me long to sew the hat together this morning so I also whipped up a super quick little Christmas skirt for Ellie. Seriously, it took me 15 minutes, with her sitting on my lap. She loves to help me sew, although her version of 'help' includes quite a bit of pressing the reverse lever on the sewing machine, removing the spool of thread, and opening and closing the little tool storage drawer.

She wanted to wear the skirt as soon as it was done, which was great, but by the time I followed her outside to take a photo of it, she had already been drenched by her sister, who had sneakily turned the hose on. Then she fell in on the wet ground and so inside we came, and the skirt ended up in the wash, and I didn't get my photo. You'll just have to take my word that I made it!

KCWC - Day 1

I had the best of intentions in the lead-up to the Kids Clothes Week Challenge. I was going to be oh-so prepared and write a list of all the projects I wanted to complete, and have everything cut out and ready to go come October 8th! But a hectic week last week kind of put a dent in those plans, and so I enter into the KCWC completely and utterly unprepared.   I haven't even given serious thought yet to what I'd like to make.

So today I thought I would ease myself into things by putting together a couple of Oliver + S bucket hats, like the ones I made last month. My girls have been wearing them non-stop (well, they take them off to go to bed at night) and having outgrown most of their non-Mummy-made hats I thought it would be best if they had another they could wear.

I knew from experience that these hats go together fairly quickly, plus they are great for using up scraps too! So I got to work raiding my scrap bin (literally overflowing - I must put up a photo of it one day!) and chose some cute coordinating fabrics. I probably spent a couple of hours cutting, assembling and sewing up the hats (well, one hat is sewn up, the other is cut out and waiting to go!). But a fair bit of that time was taken up by looking out for the girls, getting their afternoon tea and rescuing my craft supplies from their sneaky fingers - oh, that reminds me that there is still an entire jar of buttons spread out on the toy room floor that nobody picked up... oops!

We even managed to get a few photos before dinner time, and I have blogged about my efforts, so... the day wasn't a total disaster. Tomorrow I am going to finish Katherine's hat and hopefully while I am doing that, inspiration will hit and I will figure out what I am going to do next.

Maybe something with these gorgeous vintage pillow cases that were gifted to me by a friend (they are even more lovely up close, I am not sure how I am going to bring myself to cut into them!) or with my order of Sarah Jane Children at Play fabric that arrived last week, just in time for the challenge! Decisions, decisions...

Are you in?

I am!  I first came across the Elsie Marley Kids Clothes Week Challenge earlier this year.  Sadly I couldn't join in as we were going away on holiday that particular week, but I loved seeing all the lovely things other people were creating (you can follow them on Flickr or Pinterest).  This time around, I'm definitely joining in!

Obviously I'll be making some more spring and summer things for my girls, seeing as it is that time of year for us here - and I'm hoping to get a few Christmas gifts completed as well, for my little nieces.  And the not so little ones too - they are growing so quickly I can hardly believe it.

What about you?  Are you in?