The KnitOwl shop is still open, and I will be adding things to it as I can. There is so much handmade in this house and the 'fall to winter rush' for our own use is almost over - so there is time (I hope) to make some other things.
Scarves being made for the
100% wool, basketweave hand knit
brown variegated and (coming) blue variegated
Esme talking to me about being out in the frost before we take her to school
Size 6 1960's smock dress with back zipper
Handmade toys in several styles
Bambi toy and blue summer - to - fall dress
Someone at Esme's school said they recognized her 'from the internet, somewhere'... if you made it here then 'Hi!' - this is our little corner, and where I post the clothing I make for Esme, I was "just" a toymaker, making custom dolls and animals for people at my Etsy shop for five years before I had Esme. But then I couldn't find anything that fit her right - and I dove into making clothing as well. Women in my family have made clothes and toys for their families for generations. My mom passed along some general sewing knowledge but not much about clothes - so I had to learn as much as I could by doing, trial-and-error, and seeing what other people were doing on the Internet at the same time.
There are a lot of 'handmade' clothing shops out on the Internet - everyone is different, and my style of making is much more 'old school' than many of those out there now. I don't know many who would hand work a buttonhole anymore, and my sewing friends think I am nuts to sew in a zipper by hand. But, I do it because it turns out better for me. I found out that these handmade clothes actually last a lot longer than storebought knits and were a better investment for our household in the long run. And, I didn't have to fight dressing rooms and too-tight t-shirt necks. Each piece takes about an hour to three hours of handwork and sewing machine work, and has zigzagged interior seams, turned and edged facings, handworked buttonholes and zippers sewn in by hand. The clothes are sewn using 'antique' or vintage patterns (1940s to 1970s collection, size 2 through 10) and given alterations based on what the child needs. I face with simple cotton fabrics and do not use seam or bias tape.
I do take custom orders - but only for those serious few who want handmade 'old made' things... the results will last a long time, hard washing in the washing machine and hard play outdoors in mud and rain. However, they do require measurements and sometimes a try on to see where the 'problem areas' are. For myself, the problem area is my wide shoulders. For little one, it is also the wide shoulders, long legs and skinny waist. When things are handmade, allowances can be discovered and made for such things that would require long searching in off-the-rack clothes!
All that said - I still work full time, and sometimes growth spurts here keep me from making much at all otherwise. Maybe that will change over the next year - we'll see. I'll try to put up a few more things in the shop, and see if there is anyone out there willing to take the dive!
Someone at Esme's school said they recognized her 'from the internet, somewhere'... if you made it here then 'Hi!' - this is our little corner, and where I post the clothing I make for Esme, I was "just" a toymaker, making custom dolls and animals for people at my Etsy shop for five years before I had Esme. But then I couldn't find anything that fit her right - and I dove into making clothing as well. Women in my family have made clothes and toys for their families for generations. My mom passed along some general sewing knowledge but not much about clothes - so I had to learn as much as I could by doing, trial-and-error, and seeing what other people were doing on the Internet at the same time.
There are a lot of 'handmade' clothing shops out on the Internet - everyone is different, and my style of making is much more 'old school' than many of those out there now. I don't know many who would hand work a buttonhole anymore, and my sewing friends think I am nuts to sew in a zipper by hand. But, I do it because it turns out better for me. I found out that these handmade clothes actually last a lot longer than storebought knits and were a better investment for our household in the long run. And, I didn't have to fight dressing rooms and too-tight t-shirt necks. Each piece takes about an hour to three hours of handwork and sewing machine work, and has zigzagged interior seams, turned and edged facings, handworked buttonholes and zippers sewn in by hand. The clothes are sewn using 'antique' or vintage patterns (1940s to 1970s collection, size 2 through 10) and given alterations based on what the child needs. I face with simple cotton fabrics and do not use seam or bias tape.
I do take custom orders - but only for those serious few who want handmade 'old made' things... the results will last a long time, hard washing in the washing machine and hard play outdoors in mud and rain. However, they do require measurements and sometimes a try on to see where the 'problem areas' are. For myself, the problem area is my wide shoulders. For little one, it is also the wide shoulders, long legs and skinny waist. When things are handmade, allowances can be discovered and made for such things that would require long searching in off-the-rack clothes!
All that said - I still work full time, and sometimes growth spurts here keep me from making much at all otherwise. Maybe that will change over the next year - we'll see. I'll try to put up a few more things in the shop, and see if there is anyone out there willing to take the dive!
Black Friday, riding in the car in her handknit jacket, helping to take Mom to work
Size 5 Blue long sleeved dress and shorts from 1960s McCalls pattern with back ties
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