Going round in circles

This weekend we had a family trip to Baby Boogie. Supposedly a Sunday afternoon disco experience for the under 5's, it's fundamentally a thinly veiled excuse for parents to throw some shapes. I highly recommend an audience of 3 year olds as a confidence builder in ones dance abilities. No alcohol in sight - not even a fizzy drink -  and there we were, running through every move in the book of Dad Dancing. Things got wild when someone broke out their Caterpillar. Much whooping ensued. Then the children starting crying.

Anyway, the reason I share, is because we clearly needed a special disco skirt for such an occasion. Luckily I had just the right pattern to hand- Burda Style Issue 6/2013 has a fab dancing skirt. Two-tiered, circular and gathered onto an also gathered waistband. It has a twirl factor of 10.

Although fun to make, it definitely needs a lightweight cotton and I think the fabrics (an ikea bird print and a vintage cotton) were on the heavier end of what will work. The pattern goes for an unfinished raw edge hem. While I like the idea (who wouldn't want to avoid hemming a two-tiered circular skirt), Mr Loulabelle made a comment about it not being finished yet, and I hate to confess that I kind of agree! (ssssh, don't tell him I said that!)
 

There's a version of this pattern for mum's too - dare I make myself a disco skirt?? Or would it just get in the way of The Caterpillar?

Pram dress

I'm a sucker for the natty naming of something otherwise ordinary. Case in point:  "bracelet length" for 3/4 length sleeves, "jewel neckline" for a crew neck. It's just one more reason why I like to retreat to vintage land (not really a land, just my head) when it's all bit grey and blergh out and about.

So, it was very hard to resist the lure of the  "pram dress" label on a vintage baby dress that I spotted on Ebay a few weeks ago. True to it's promise, the pram dress did not dissapoint! In fact, as soon as I tried it on little E, the genius of the term was revealed. Get this... it looks like a dress right, but it's sort of really a top. Perfect for babies that are crawling and sitting as it isn't too long and doesn't get in the way, but still looks all pretty and dress like. Okay, maybe I'm making a bit much of this, but I liked the original so much I decided to make my own version.... here it is... The 60s inspired pram dress!

 

 

I think if I make it again, I'll make the neckline lower and narrower at the shoulders - 60s baby dress designers get full marks for their choice of length, but not quite full marks for the extremely high, slightly choking neckline!

Baby's got a brand new bag

Little E was looking somewhat squished in her sleeping bag last week. It occured to me it might have something to do with the 0-6 month old label- baaad mummy!

Once the guilt subsided, I was quite glad for the excuse to make a new one, as all the shop bought bags we have are creamy, beigy blah blah colour or adorned with irritating smug bunnies. So, out came a 70s bed spread, a flannel sheet and a bit of bias binding.

I used this great pattern from Small Dream Factory as my template and then worked out how to fit it all together as I went along.

Esther is now snug as a bug which-is-cosy-but-has-lots-of-room in its cocoon, and  wakes up to look at her purple and pink toes with glee. Gooood mummy!

When Santa came to town...

Okay, so Christmas is now just a fuzzy memory pushed to the back of our brains by snow, January detox diets and the whiff of spring.  But the Santa's elves who looked after our house have finally been discharged from their Christmas re-hab centre and want to show you some of the things they made for the Loulabelle little ones this year...

First they went to town with the Princess and the pea project  from the very clever Manda Gregory of Treefall Design, as published in Mollie Makes Issue 15.

15 quilts, a pillow, 3 fimo peas and a crown later, they decided at 1am one December night that they must also make a bag to keep everything in - oh, and of course, the peas needed their own little pea-sack....

The next "it'll only take an evening" project, was the mice family of 3 - also from Mollie Makes (issue 11). Santa's elves went a bit cross-eyed with this one and will NOT be sewing mouse clothes again, EVER, but were quite pleased with the outcome - even if it did take a week and not 3 hours.

The last thing that the elves wish to share with you for now are these textured bean sacks and their special pom pom  festooned home. The elfs got a little giddy with festive spirit, red wine and dark chocolate, and what was supposed to be 3 little bags for one little baby, became 10 sacks and a draw-string bag to keep them in. Each bag has a different filling - rice, lentils, dried peas. The outsides are made from textured fabrics - fake leather, cord, barkcloth - and there are ribbon tags and pom poms thrown in for good measure! This project was one of my (sorry, the elves) own, so I thought I might share a how-to in the next couple of weeks - as long as the elves give me permission of course.

Dressing for summer

The spell of warm weather we've had lately took us by surprise a bit and I realised Freya's wardrobe was made up mostly of long sleeved tops and cardigans. She was starting to look a bit red in the face, so time to whip out the sewing machine for a quick summer wardrobe.

I found some amazing lobster fabric (in Darn it and Stitch) but thought a whole crustacean be-decked outfit might look a bit like theme dressing. Instead we went for a top in light brown and white stripes with lobster accents. The pattern we chose (Mccalls M4756) has a slightly more severe shape than I'd anticipated - next time I'll adjust the neckline to make it more scooped. So, I think the result is ummm, interesting, but hopefully in a good way - you're definitely not going to find this baby on the high street.  An added bonus is hearing Freya referring to her LOB-ster top  - with fruity Rowan Atkinson style pronounciation!

top and leggings: made by mummy, banana: model's own

the perfect outfit for a quick getaway

One of the quickest and easiest things in the "oh help we've run out of clothes" section of my head, is the elasticated waist skirt. I've been thinking about writing a tutorial - it's pretty self explanatory but in an emergency it's always good to have the "working it out for yourself" bit taken out of the equation! I'll let you know when I finally get round to it! There are a few different variations, but this time, I went for two vintage fabrics and ricrac combo. The bottom section fabric was a bit stiffer than the top section which means it doesn't gather up quite as much and creates this kind of sticky-out/bell shape. Totally unintentional, but I like it!

 

Another go-to toddler style is the classic elasticated sleeve and neckline peasant dress.  Over the last couple of weeks I've whipped up 2 dresses and 2 tops.  My model is starting to get a bit tetchy about having her photo taken, so I have only managed to get a shot of one version. For this one I used the same fabric for body and sleeves but added a bow - for the other top and the dresses I've been using contrasting fabric for the sleeves.

 

Freya perfects the "London look"

Finally, the black and white leggings, and rose leggings in the top pictures are another McCalls pattern (M6388). Amazingly quick and easy - I'd definitely recommend making your own leggings if you, like me, get annoyed that they always come in packs of two where one is funky and the other one is pink. By my calculations I will be able to fill an entire chest of drawers with pink leggings by the time Freya is 5.

Wowsers, check out these trousers!

Trousers - a word that has never been the same for me since it became a 3 minute mantra during a tipsy conversation with an Australian in Chile.  Anyway....

After making way too many baby trousers in my pre-Esther nesting frenzy, the lovely Emily from Oxford's Shop at the Old Fire Station commissioned a small range. The reversible trousers in my original post were based on a fab pattern from Made by Rae.  Using someone elses pattern for commercial purposes is of course a big no-no, so I drafted my own trouser pattern (higher back, deeper crotch, longer leg with more shaping etc) and added details such as leg pockets and cute bum appliques. I used 4 different fabric combos - 2 girly and 2 unisex in sizes 0-3 months and 3-6 months.

I really enjoyed drafting my own pattern - of course, it's something I do with bags all the time, but drafting clothes patterns from scratch has been something I've done much more of since having the girls - maybe it's because baby clothes use up so much less fabric that the risk of disaster feels less significant!

So, if you're in Oxford and passing the Old Fire Station take a peak at my baby pants! Oh, and if you're ever at a loss for something to do, try saying "trousers" repeatedly for 3 minutes.

Dungaree delight

These vintage dungarees were one of my favourite pre-Esther nesting-frenzy finds. 10p from a charity shop (seriously, nearly nothing is 10p anymore) and what's not to love about brown and orange towelling. She looks like the cutest little fraggle in them - and an absorbant one at that.

So, I decided to have a go at making a second set from an old purple sweater and some scraps of jersey I had lying around. They were completed Thursday night/early Friday morning in a mad I-really-really-should-go-to-bed-right-now kind of rush, so the finish is pretty horrendous.  But if you just don't look at the inside, then they turned out okay! I used the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater as the trouser cuffs -  I overestimated the length, but actually it worked out well as I like how they look with the rib cuff rolled up.

 Essie seems pretty happy with them...

  

With a few extra tweaks (introducing a facing, adding a proper cuff, changing the fastening) these might turn into a new pattern for the shop.

The 'Aminal' duvet

Take one vintage sheet, add a metre and a half of vintage children's fabric and what do you have? One very happy little girl with a brand new duvet and pillowcase. Counting all the different 'aminals' is our new favourite bedtime game.

Dressing up

I've been making so much new-baby stuff for Wingnut lately, that it was about time our big-girl had a look-in. A quick rummage through the vintage pattern collection, and a couple of evenings later....  here are the results.

This 60s fabric makes me very happy. It was bought at a vintage fair from a lovely lady who'd had it in her caravan. I wasn't sure if the Peter Pan collar would meet with 2 yr old approval, but I just about got away with it - thanks to the giant flowers everywhere else!

I've had this Ikea fabric knocking around for ages. The dress was super-quick to make and I'm pretty proud that I sucessfully managed to adjust the pattern from a size 6 to a size 2. Freya told everyone at nursery that "Mummy made it", so I'm taking that as appreciation.

More Nursery Knitting

The last of my currently completed baby knits is this apple green cabled cardigan - another pattern from King Cole's Nursery Knitting. So, who wants to see some more of the finest early 90s baby fashion?

There's a definite tendency towards pastel and wicker-based styling, but there are some great classic knits in there, including this page of booties and bonnets. I've had a go at the pink booties and the pom-pom slippers already, but the little pixie blue bonnet is definitely on my to-do list.

I've got a soft spot for this cable jumper, although the arms could be a little longer. The matinee jackets are sweet - especially the apricot one - but more suited to a girl, so I'll have to wait until Wingnut reveals his/her true identity before I get carried away.

Last, but certainly not least, there are also some more, shall we say, "interesting" numbers - such as this really rather special head-to-toe fair-isle outfit. Well, at least baby is pleased about it - yoo-hoo, here I am!

(ps - I'm secretly a little bit in love with these leggings!)

A troup of baby trousers!

When a good friend of mine showed me some amazing baby trousers she'd made using this Made by Rae download, I was inspired to make my own - in a BIG way! As the intro to Rae's tutorial states, there is little more rewarding than a quick easy sew that is not boring. So, four pairs later.... and I'm still tempted to make more!

Rae's tutorial is for a unlined pair, but my friend had lined hers and I shamelessly copied her idea. It's probably a bit tragic to be so enthusiastic, but the lining means that these little beauties are not only cute, they are also reversible - see, they really are amazing trousers! I've used soft cotton jersey for my linings so that they will be super cosy against baby's skin. I added an extra inch to the length of the leg on the original pattern to allow room for the turn up - after all, what's the point in a funky lining if you can't see it!

Here is the method I used to make them reversible...

1. Using Rae's tutorial, cut out one pair from cotton, and one pair from jersey -don't forget to add an extra inch to the bottom of each leg. Follow the tutorial instructions up to the end of step 6, but leave a 1/4" gap in the back seam of the jersey pair, 1/4" down from the waist edge.

2. Once you have made up both pairs of trousers, turn the outer cotton pair right side out. Now, place the outer cotton pair inside the jersey pair so that the right sides are together. Align the raw edges of the waist, making sure that your seams are matching, and sew around the top using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Turn the trousers right side out by pulling through one of the legs. Press the seam around the waist and then sew a line of stitching just over 1/4" from the top edge to create a channel for the waist elastic.

3. Turn in the raw edges on both the outer and inner peices by 1/4" at the bottom of one leg . Line up the inner leg seams, and then carefully pin the folded edges of the inner and outer peices together so that they match exactly. Stitch all around the bottom of the leg as close as you can to the edge. Alternatively, you could slip stitch the lining to the outer fabric by hand. Repeat with the other leg.

4. To finish, thread your elastic through the waistband as per the tutorial instructions, using the gap you left in the back seam of the the jersey lining.

Turn up your leg cuffs, and Bob's your trouser-wearing uncle - you have just completed pair #1 - I dare you to stop there!!

Introducing.... Wingnut!

So, I thought it might be time to finally 'fess up to one of the major reasons for my prolonged blog-absence.....

Yep, there's no denying it now - that tummy most definitely has a baby in it! Baby #2 (currently known as "Wingnut") is due at the end of April. It's been a toughy this time round but I'm now feeling much more myself and getting extremely excited about all things baby and treating Freya to the joys of sibling-ship. The last 2 weeks have been spent in an obsessive state of nesting so I have cardigans, booties and dresses galore to share over this next week. Back to vintage bags soon - promise - but first, I just have another oh, 20 or so,  pairs of teeny-weeny baby shoes to make!

baby's got some brand new clothes

After the pre-holiday weeks of manic stitching till the small hours while watching back-to-back Mad Men and absorbing the annual recommended allowance for caffeine and chocolate, I thought it was time to do some non-bag related sewing. Little F needed some new frocks, so I made some tweaks to the Leila & Ben sweet little dress pattern and whipped up a couple using bits of fabric I've been saving for a while. I widened the bottom and dropped the front neckline, but otherwise loved this pattern - quick and easy and looks cute on too.

Cardigan treat for Freya

Lucky Freya’s lovely grandma send her a special present in the post last week with a little note suggesting that she ask Mummy to sew on some buttons. Mummy had a look in her button stash and found some cute vintage red flower buttons that went perfectly…

The much more successful easy-peasy skirt

After weeks of time spent on the aforementioned crochet monstrosity, I've cheered myself up with a super easy sewing project. Now that we have a walking toddler on our hands, skirts are a wardrobe possibility, so I thought I'd whip one up.


Take one length of fabric, fancy it up with a contrasting strip and a bit of ric-rac, sew into a tube, make a casing and insert elastic and hey-presto! I love the fact that this took about 30 minutes including time choosing fabrics and it looks really cute on.

Ah, feeling good about my skills again!

Here's another late Christmas post! Inspired by an episode of Kirsty's Homemade Home in which she made a beanbag with Manda from TreeFall Design, I decided to make a toddler-sized version as part of Freya's Christmas present.

Manda's pattern was sold out at the time so I hunted about and found this free version which has a child and adult size. I raided my fabric stash and used a combination of vintage sheets and curtains in golds and oranges. This was really fun to make - like stitching together a giant chocolate orange!

So far, Freya doesn't quite seem to know what to make of her new bedroom furniture - I had visions of her clambering all over it to read her books, but at the moment she's more interested in the fun rustling sound it makes when you hit it than sitting on it!

The other newest addition to her room is also in this photo - Dobbin the Rocking Horse was her Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandad and was originally the equestrian friend of yours truly! He's a very noble chap with enormous amounts of patience and good listening skills!

A new shoe addict emerges...

A momentous beginning to the year: yesterday, we bought Freya her first pair of proper shoes.

We now have a very proud shoe owner on our hands - and possibly a tap dancer (oh the joys of the clipping clopping sound of hard soles on a kitchen floor!)

Today they made their maiden voyage outside to the playground. An exhausting buiness, all this walking...

The baby's new clothes (again)

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now - in fact, the baby in question is close to outgrowing these clothes already (must be all those bananas)! Anyway, here are the latest fruits of my baby clothes addiction.

I used the same pattern as before, but this time, I added a bias binding edging.

For this version, I made my own bias tape. It's the first time I've made bias tape using a bias tape maker - a nifty little tool that I definitely recommend. Prudent Baby has a great tutorial that's worth a read.

I had a break from knitting over the summer so it took longer than usual to finish this little cardigan, but it's a great pattern (Sirdar 1802) and the different textures were fun to knit. This is already a bit snug so the poor child has been wearing it a LOT to get that cost-per-wear figure down! Hopefully the other babies at playgroup haven't noticed!

The baby's new clothes

I've developed a new addiction - healthier than smoking and not as expensive as gambling, but still pretty unsociable as all my spare time this past fortnight or so has been taken up with... making baby clothes.

The fruits of my addiction so far run to: 2 dresses with matching bloomers, 2 tops, 1 pair wide legged trousers, 1 pair elasticated bottom trousers and 1 pair shoes. I've been using these patterns: Butterick B5017 and New Look 6903 which I can definitely recommend.

(recognise this dress anyone? Twas the subject of much rage)



But, I can't stop! I have so many more cute things in mind (including this top and romper from Simplicity) My defense is that Freya needs new clothes as she's bursting out of what she currently has, but I fear if I let my new obsession run it's course that she may become the Imelda Marcus of baby clothes. Oh well, I guess there will come a time when she will be deeply embarrased about wearing stuff her Mum made, so I'm indulging myself while I can!

And to end this post, here are the outtakes of today's photo shoot...

Freya's new best friend

It's official - Freya has her first crush! Her new found love has big brown eyes, a gorgeous smile, the cutest little bottom and.... floppy ears. What more could a girl want?

This little "lurve" bunny is the handiwork of my wonderful friend Julia and was given to Freya this weekend. It was a great couple of days catching up with some of my favourite people and involved all sorts of treats including walking across meadows, along a canal and into an enchanted fairy light lit garden, tea at The Old Parsonage and lots of gossip. But Freya and bunny were happiest with eachothers company- bunny gazed happily at Freya while she chewed and hugged him enthusiastically. I think bunny is destined to be her life-long special friend - I just hope he survives!!!