FINISHED! A selfless saunio

I have a bit of a nerve parading around here in a cardigan-jacket I made as a present for my sister, but there you go.

This is a loooong overdue birthday present for my sister. I used the Saunio pattern again by Named Clothing, last seen made up in ocean neoprene. 

I had a trip out to Spotlight a couple of weeks ago for tracing paper and found quite a few 'treasures' like this while I there for tracing paper. This fabric is a strange mix of cotton/polyester/spandex which provides for a fabulously textured and slightly stretchy heavy knit. It is also gentle machine washable and the slight stretch makes it, in my opinion, a perfect 'professional woman who also needs to wrangle children' jacket.

The wonderful design of the crossing over front and the dropped sleeves means that it also super easy to fit for a present. 

Constrution wise, I understiched the large facings to the jacket rather than edge stitched all the front to the facing as the fabric ironed slightly better than the neoprene. I also fixed my problem from my other jacket with the attachment of the facing and hem. So that is heaps neater on this one.

With the jacket I'm wearing an old top from several years ago in Liberty Mike B.  Blogs are all awash with Nani Iro fabric and makes at the moment and Inna and a recent make of hers, reminded of a time when I made and wore a lot of this pattern (Top C) from the Nani Iro pattern book. In fact I think I have 5 of them in my wardrobe with variations (including collars). All of mine are much shorter than the pattern and all have round necks(!).  There is definitely enough of them to do the one week one pattern challenge!

FINISHED! Baby Cords

Nothing much to see sewing wise around these parts at the moment, except these baby pants. 

Last week I had to quickly put together a new baby present so turned to the new Oliver + S Lullaby Layette pattern. I know I really should have done the jacket as well.. it's super cute, but I was a bit lazy and instead I just made up the pants in left over cord from my Rigel Bomber and bought a little pink cardigan to go with it.  A pair of soft cord pants are a must for a little baby!

It's a cute little pattern with nice little pockets on the back. I promise I did hem these evenly, despite the photo! Even though this is a simple pattern it comes with thorough instructions.  I like instructions that make me a better sewer and Oliver + S patterns definitely do that.

If I have to make any more baby presents I might try the other options in the release.  I feel like my natural instinct now is to try and make a baby present, maybe supplemented with something bought.  Presents can be a quick, in between project, while I think about what to make next.

P.S. It's lucky I only have boys because I would so be wearing coordinating outfits with a little girl!

FINISHED! A bit of selfless sewing to start the year

I decided to start the year off with a bit of selfless sewing prior to getting on with my current project. A little sacrifice to the sewing gods for a year of great sewing perhaps? 

First up some oven mits.  I had made a few of these oven mits for Christmas presents and Ben complained as he had been asking me for a pair all year to replace the oven cloths I had made him when I first started sewing.  I must say that I had reached the point with those oven cloths that they were an embarrassment and felt compelled to replace them.

The pattern is Lotta Jansdotter from her book Simple Sewing.  The fabric is Melody Miller, Ruby Star Sparkle & green colourway of a fabric with writing on it for the inside including Je Vous en Prie and of course Insulbrite.

I also had an overdue baby present, so made up a pair of baby bloomers and a baby kerchief in Liberty of London Tom's Jets.

For the baby bloomers I used The perfect diaper pattern.  Lotta Jansdotter has a good pattern in her baby book which I had made ages ago.  I varied the pattern and attached a small waistband casing for the elastic and also used binding for the legs which I folded to the inside.

I used this tutorial from Tessuti for sewing the elastic in: http://tessuti.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/tutorial-sewing-elastic-into-waist.html

The kerchief is using my own 'pattern'.  I love a kerchief for babies, especialy little boys, they are just too cute.  I used jersey (yes jersey) for the back left over from my sewing dare.  This was the first time I had used jersey on the back and I love the result.. it is so soft. Perfect for a baby. This kerchief is a bit big for a baby but is easily adjustable by folding it over such as in the photo.

Sewing karma now back in the positive.. it's back to sewing for me.

What is your first project for the new year?