bambi bit

I am working at making this pattern better - still have a few more to make. Esme liked this set so much she took it to town with her today. I should make a few for sale in the shop, too - my standards are so high though it would take several more tries to get one good for sale.


Bambi (as said by Esme), and baby, and one of her other favorites 'Mack' dog

I would like to see some of my internet presence grow again - I have just 40hour work-work-worked for so long now I need to make it a bit of a priority to see what is happening out there, make new things and work on the book I promised Dot I would think further on. I am updating my Squidoo lenses - and made a new one about vintage children's patterns to sew for babies and toddlers. Sewing the vintage patterns has been a whole other world than modern ones - I have learned so much from them.

Vintage childrens sewing pattern lens with lots of info

bits and green leaf dress

Esme called it the 'all green leafs, no flowers' dress
fabric from Mockingbird Threadworks, Huntingdon, TN
Timeless Treasures owls collection

This is the first non-pants item I've made her in months. This is the dress that was supposed to be a sleeveless 'sun' dress type.. but I miscut the facings and had already sewn them on. It looks okay as a short sleeved item, and she likes wearing it, so it isn't too thick at the seams. I also shortchanged the zipper sewing on it.... probably will need to be cut apart and redone in 3 to 6 months.


Jump!


Two jumps (actually meaning, you come jump too!)

bit of a run by post with pictures of the 'green leafs' dress I made for Esme this weekend. I'll update it with more text later on in the day. I have two days off now, Friday 'on', and then the weekend off. That is a big thing, a mini-vacation of sorts. I'll get my real vacation (5 days in a row) in early June... I forget when, about the 6th or 9th. Time isn't my forté, especially when there isn't enough of it.

Finished Sweater and Truck Ninja Kid

I posted the other week about Esme getting up into our truck bed all by herself, and being so surprised about it. Here is some of the act, in action. Also--> click on this linked animated gif to see my photo montage of the action.


Our Ninja kid, in the back of the truck
Those are the 'gaucho' pants I made last week.

There was only just enough of the leaf pattern fabric to make this length and that width of pattern - made up the rest with some green fabric I had stashed and it worked out very very well!


The 'pivot moment' when she hauls herself up over the edge
She might get up here ten or more times in just a few hours... Doing that she is going to get some muscles on her, like her mama has, too. I caught the entire process on the camera but haven't strung them together into a 'video' yet.


Realizing I'm taking pictures and yelling about it


diving into the back of the truck to get something


I let her try on my new finished sweater
She was asking me where the rest of the buttons were as I snapped this picture.


a view of the side and some of the back pattern


Outside looking in
Trying to catch the sweater on me in the reflection, it fits me much better!

It is made of JoJoLand Rhythm merino 100% wool yarn, in the colorway 'Winter Ice', and knitted on size 6 and 7 needles. I have saved this yarn for several years and there was just enough to make this 'vest' out of, which had no pattern used for it. There are no sleeves and the buttonhole edging is wavy, but it is still very nice!


Pogo, taking her closeup

fabric ideas

Making Esme's clothes means I never have to step into a department store and hold up expensive but cheaply-made garments to the child and wonder hmm... what would this look like on her? Instead I get to do all the fun parts, choose the style, estimate what size based on measurements, choose the fabric, and then make it real.


I have requested these two fabrics to be listed for me on a shop - and I have clear intentions for both of them, perhaps mixed with coordinating solids to make up the skirt on the dress (blue) and collar and sleeve cuffs and facings on the coat (pink). Below are some of the pack of twelve patterns I received from an auction listing. The smallest size is 5, which are chest size 24 inches. Esme is 22 inches now, which means it may be this time next year before these patterns actually fit her. But... hmm, does that mean I shouldn't try one of them anyway? I do have a similar size '3' breast 22 inch in the coat pattern... which I might make up out of some fabric I already have. If it looks like there is no room to grow, the pink coat will be the larger size!


The two that grabbed me immediately...
The blue coat on the left (but in pink) and
the pink dress on the right (but in blue) *haha*

Someone at work today saw Esme in her navy blue dress and said she looks just like a little dolly. I know part of that is because I make her dresses that, in this modern day and age, are not usually seen on children except at special occasions - but it is better than that, because I make them out of fabrics that wash and wear hard, which lets them be worn every day and not be ruined by an occasional trip to the mudhole.

Another lady at a park asked if I would make her daughter a dress like Esme's... but I had a hard time saying much more than where she could find me at 'usually' (workplace), because 1.) the dress Esme was wearing was made out of remnants (seen below) and I did not have any more of that fabric and 2.) most people can't understand that the dresses are made on chest measurement, and not on 'size'.


The dress made (in March) out of half yard remnants

I doubt I'd ever find that combination again, as the fabric was from a deep stash and done up as a stress buster project.

I still make size 3, 4 or 5 patterns for Esme - it all depends on how they are cut and what chest measurement they are recommended for. And sometimes even my 'best guess' is wrong. I made a pair of pants for Esme out of a pattern that she fit the dress for, and the inseam in it was too short to fit her for very long - I will need to make the next size up (that is also in the pattern) on my next pass.

Eggs are boiling...

Simplicity 4969 in size 6

The eggs to bring to the party are boiling, and Esme's dress is clean and sitting ready to be put on tomorrow. This is a pattern that just came in the mail in size 6, several sizes up. There was one out there in the size she is now - but it was three times the cost of this one... and I'm pretty set for the size 4's. I'm GETTING set for the 5's and 6's, with this new round of patterns coming in the mail, and this one as well that, being a 'wardrobe' pattern, was a very good deal. It has a sundress which could be made with different sleeves, a jacket, shirt and pants. I told Mark that it is extremely likely I will still be making Esme's clothes at that time, and he says that is good - as he and she have gotten used to clothes that fit and don't shred as easily as storebought clothes do. That was as I had gotten home and was opening the 'snail mail' which the pattern was within. In almost the same minute I opened up an email message that had a picture of a little girl wearing a shirt I made late last summer, her mom says the shirt is "still going strong." It is the 'twin' to a shirt Esme was wearing in the 'with Milo' picture, except that it is in two fabric colors instead of one.

Esme and the puppies

Pictures of Esme's new blue dress and also of all the puppies in the basement.


I made her a pair of shorts out of this fabric about a week ago, and had to fuss with the remainder quite a bit to make it work. A few little changes, split seams on front bodice and less full skirt, it turned out quite well. She likes it.

EK mentioned the other day how much her daughter and Esme as well are 'lengthening' out in this last growth spurt. This picture shows it in her face and the dress kind of exaggerates it with a lower neckline and waist than she has been wearing lately. I put the dress on her to let her run down to the lake and it is just a bit 'pointy' at the top of the shoulders and maybe just a tiny tiny bit too wide in the chest for her. A 'grow-in' dress for her. She does need those, too.




Giving the puppy a ride on the big wheel. This puppy had two pink spots on its nose, so Daddy has nicknamed him 'Pink.'


Hanging out in a box with the puppy crew.



Some of them will likely keep the blue eyes, which come from the Catahoula side

Remake robin dress

This is the original pattern: Simplicity 8714, copyright 1970

I made one without any alterations to the bodice in this blue fabric with a 'standard' bell sleeve piece. But - I decided it needed quite a few alterations to fit her better. I lowered the neckline, made the shoulder head higher, dropped the waist an inch and a bit, and reduced the sleeve width by quite a bit. link that shows the alterations done to this dress from the original pattern


And this is the 'remake', which I am happy with. I like the way it fits in the neck and shoulders much better with the alterations. It pulls just slightly near the shoulders where I have it held back with ties - but that is a good place for it to do that - it gives her extra room if she needs it and the ties hold it closer to her waist.

The coloring could have been much better for her -- but it was remnant material, and I think it turned out fairly well for something I wasn't sure was going to work out.

I may have even solved the 'second arm' problem, at least temporarily. How? I made her give me the opposite arm (the one she is having trouble with before) first - get it in - and then somehow the other arm went in just fine. That could be because I 'slowed her down' by asking for the opposite arm and she had to think hard instead of just full-speed ahead. If I continue to use the opposite arm first she may go right back to having the problem? We'll see. I think she needs another one in dark blue or medium green.

---

And for the future I snagged this:



Butterick 3200
1960s, size 6

I've had my eye on this one for a while - the artwork is beautiful and the pattern itself is elegant, easy to alter into a number of different things. Ever since I saw it has been much too rich for my blood - and of course being vintage the supply is limited. So... when I saw this size 6 for 'decent price' today I bought it. I often feel guilty about buying supplies that are not 'steals' well before I'll use them. BUT - I can't feel all that guilty about this one - because I've used size 5's for Lizzie lately and I know I will use it in the future for Esme. It still cost less shipped than a full-price childrens t-shirt would cost - and will return much more that in finished garments. Yes - I'm still trying to justify it *ha*... that is just how I am.

Blue dress in motion

This is the dress made yesterday - it needs some analysis to see if there is any better alteration of this pattern to be made. I took some pictures of her in motion as well as standing still.

The more it is on her the more I like it in general - but there are elements of her body shape that can be altered better for. See below how the dress pulls funny across her chest as she raises her arms. There is also something pulling right at the neck when she flexes and at the waistline. These are all things that COULD be fixed but may take a few variations in order to find the best solution.




It's obvious the sleeves can be narrowed. A lot of her dresses have these bell sleeves because they are easy and never constricting - but they do get in the way some elsewise, as well - like getting severely wet when washing hands.

The skirt can be dropped but will need longer zippers than the 7 inch ones in my collection. Mark says I can just drop the zipper lower and put a button at the top of the dress - and/or drop the neckline on both sides.

Also the sleeve head can be brought up - but that will be difficult if the neckline is also brought down - it will leave very little shoulder seam. The dress would look better with a higher sleeve head - but would it move as well with her? As can be seen in these pictures she is VERY much a little monkey - especially around her bed. Having 'loose-fitting' clothing but not TOO loose is important for her to as she is so active.

Purple Yellow Yarn Cardigan

handknit cardigan - 3 years

This is my first handmade completed sweater, ever! I've learned a lot in my dressmaking adventures that has helped me to make this one fit pretty well.

Esme's choice of yarn for part of her Christmas present from Nana in Minnesota - although she didn't know that :) She had a gift card from Nana and the toy she chose wasn't enough to use all of it - so I asked her to pick a yarn that wouldn't blind Daddy like the bright pink from her scarf. She picked this color and called it 'purple yellow yarn.' Eventually, I knew what I wanted to make for her out of it.

This is the 'seed stitch cardigan' from the Lion Brand Yarn website. But it is altered, of course, being me. The pattern has pattern pictures and measurements in it instead of just 'k1p1' type instructions all the way through. I am awful at following knitting instructions bit by bit - I want to look at the whole pattern like a dressmaking pattern... so that was perfect for me. I was able to knit to match the measurements with this yarn (Red Heart Melonberry multicolor) and make changes to it by treating it like a fabric pattern. I had size 10 needles, even though the pattern called for size 8... so I was further in 'No-Man's Land' to following the pattern at all. I had laid the front panel on top of her while she slept on our bed one night and it didn't even go up to her shoulder.... I added the 'peppered' seed stitch shoulder panels because I knew it wouldn't go over her handmade dresses. When I had done that altering the sleeve was not hard at all - and adding on two inches to the length of each sleeve because my measuring tape said their 10 inches was much too short for her! Seeing it on her I am very glad I did lengthen them - they are just right.

I would knit the collar on AFTER the buttonbands next time - not before. It is much too small for the rest of the sweater. In fact, it could be removed and redone. I am going to recast on and make some loose ribbing on the bottom for a few inches to keep it from flipping up like it is doing. I hope I'll get a good 'after' picture :) She does like it and put it on pretty readily after I had hidden her other coat at Grandma's *ha* Once she heard that was her 'new jacket' she put it on and didn't fuss looking for the one she had worn in. Mumum does things like that!

other note: The buttons are vintage somethings from a box of buttons Diana at work gave to us. I thought they were so pretty.. and so glad I could use them on something.


back of the cardigan
worn over handmade tieback 'Cinderella' dress and handmade pants


side and shoulder
Added more here so it would fit over handmade dresses

NOTE: While Esme watched Pinocchio tonight (and was entranced) I picked up the bottom edge on six double pointed needles and knit a 3-1 ribbing all around. It worked! It looks great and I hope it will still fit just as fine (it should). I don't think I'll mess with the collar - it is a functional garment and it will get a lot of good use :)

The whole cardigan took about a week of 'in-between' times, lunch hours and breaks at work and a few days off when I asked Esme to 'let Mumum work' during some parts of the day -- something I usually can't let myself do because I feel so guilty about it! She was giving me two of all of her toys today while I was trying to put the last row and bind-off on that ribbing... and I felt so guilty not playing with her - especially when she gave me the 'far-off sadness' look and THEN... of course... when I stopped knitting and gave her my full attention - she didn't want to play with ME, she was 'busy' with her lincoln logs throwing them between containers. ha. mirror child - what I give I get. She is sitting in bed now watching Cinderella and snuggling Daddy and nearly asleep.

Finished Osaka dress

front

back

Butterick 2194, pattern size 2 circa 1960.
The pattern envelope calls it a 'semi-princess dress', which shows here. It already has a place among my 'most used' at 3 dresses! It is quite easy to work with but still enough of a challenge to keep me coming back. A very good combination.

Alterations : lowering neckline 1/2 inch, back zipper (instead of buttons), long sleeves from a modern pattern and separate color for skirt (includes splitting front center piece which was one whole section). I'm not sure why there ended up being a small place in the stomach area I needed to make up a band of fabric -- but it worked out quite well. Everything laid flat!

3/4 yard of the floral fabric, 3/4 yard of the chestnut fabric
scrap of something in the stash for neckline facing.


repeat of the 'in-progress picture'


dress front laid out with extra 'band' at stomach

She was wearing it and I noted again the things I'd like to change about the pattern -- drop the waist a few inches and make the neckline much lower, much more than a half inch! As it goes the dress does fit her and look nice - but it looks very formal with the high neckline and 'empire' high waist. The 'formal' look is much more prominent on this one because of the fabric choice. She stopped downstairs in front of the mirror when she brought me her drink cup - it was awesome.. she did a little half turn and looked at the entire dress and pulled the skirt out some... 'who are you there - oh you're me - what a pretty dress that is!' I didn't get a picture - as she has now fallen asleep in her bed after much fussing over reading books and wanting cheetos and no fish stick etc etc...

Snow

view from our front door

a snowed-in Mouse cat

little birds around the spotlights in the yard

It is snowing outside, and at eight in the morning Esme decides she HAS to go walk in it. I should have said 'No', right? But after you are brought socks, shoes and a jacket and told it is 'snow rain' it is a little harder to say 'No.' So - we went out in it. Of course we ended up at Grandma's house - but I told Esme she was still in her bed. And that Daddy was still in his bed, and that they were smart because it was COLD out here! She finally agreed that it was cold, and that we should go home and eat an apple. I told her we would probably go to see Grandma 'in truck' later.



This is where the Osaka dress is. Look familiar? Haha. I actually got quite a bit done on it last night and it is looking very good. Just as a pat on the back - I went to JcPenney online and looked for a dress that looks similar to this one. 20+ bucks, made of rayon and polyester, with ribbon bows all around the waist. Which means it would not wash anywhere near as well with as little care as I give the laundry. 100% cotton fabrics are much better for that. Plus I know this fits, and Mark wouldn't feel too awful taking her out into the woods in it if she wanted to go for a walk (when it wasn't snowing). He said he is amazed at how many thornpatches Esme's clothes have been through without much damage to them, and more importantly, to her. Clothes are meant to be worn and used - and this is still an 'everyday' dress.

I'll probably have four or five hours of work in on it when it is done - but if it is for Esme I don't count the labor ;) I spent 18 dollars total at the Hancock's fabric shop that day - for everything I bought. There are at least two more pairs of pants to be gotten out of that trip and the top of another dress. When the cost of fabric outweighs the cost of something at the store - then I might have to think harder about making her clothes. She'll probably start disliking 'mama made' just for the principle of the thing before that.

pattering about with the patterns...

Spending several hours today just paging through Ebay listings of patterns... not even intending to buy! And I didn't... because with what size 3 and 4 patterns I have there are so many things I can make for Esme. But, I have to pick and choose within my time! That is hard. I'm writing this to record a little thought for the future... so many patterns out there size 5,6,7,8.... will she even want Mumum to sew her anything when she gets to those sizes? Will it matter anymore, then? Time changes so much and quicker than we think it ever could. At this moment she is carrying the kitten to the dog and having the kitten's head licked. We are about to sit down to soup and fish sticks. There is a pair of pants ready to be hemmed about the waist and ankles at my machine, and I should cut out another soon. And Esme really wants her Osaka fabric to be 'made dress'.... but I'm scared to start it without making my changes to the pattern in another fabric first. But, she is wearing the 'Cinderella' dress and I've put it on her every day possible that it is clean... so I should just dive in and do it. Really, I should.

They are hard to see, but she is wearing the long 'bell bottom' pants pattern. It has plenty of room to grow. She is also wearing the Cinderella dress which was washed again this morning in the laundry. It is getting good hard use! It just fits so much better than her other 'shirts'. So - that being so, I did start the Osaka dress... here is the front of it. Somehow I ended up having to add another small band to the front stomach area... weird especially when I was trying to make that area LONGER when I cut it out, not shorter!


Emptying toys out of a business box we have, after she put them all in there on top of her 'memory' game cards.


Now she is down to just the memory cards, tossing out a counting kitty for good measure, and sitting on the cards.


front of the Osaka dress
Butterick 2194, again, with alterations

Getting everything to lay 'flat' and nice together is the only thing that takes a lot of attention with this one. The scissors are pointing to the area that tries to buckle up when attaching together, and then again when trying to attach the skirt all the way around.

I did the different color skirt again, zipper back, 1/2 inch extra cut on the front neckline, and long sleeves from a modern pattern I have. It should look a lot like the Cinderella dress when it is done, with a brown skirt and floral sleeves.

Highwater pants, bookstores and winter fabrics

It is Mark's birthday tomorrow - so we went to Jackson unexpectedly for him to pick up some new books that had been released. His big find was John Scalzi's 'Agents to the Stars' in hardcover, as well as some Charles Stross and David Weber paperbacks. He is curled up on an electric blanket now snuggled in the bed and reading one of them.

Esme was a VERY good girl in the bookstore, for a three-year-old. She ran around the room a lot, but did not bump into anyone, knock anything down and never went out of my sight. She also put everything she had picked up or investigated back in the right place and did not complain or cry about it. And when we were ready to go we put back the horse on a stick she was carrying and went to go see Daddy in the car. I had jellybeans I had bought for her at the coffee shop there - so there was a brief 'put me down!' when I started to carry her out but it was immediately followed by 'oh jellybean! 1 2 3 jellybean box please!' I said out loud to a store lady that a jellybean box was not a bad idea at all, considering the alternative ;) She thanked Esme for putting the horsie away where he lived ;)


Highwater pants.
A good example of how much she has grown!

In the picture she has her knee up, but these pants are highwater by several inches when standing. I'm sure I've made these not too long ago... Mark called them the 'golfer' pants. The bee raglan shirt she is wearing under the jacket is getting tight around the middle, too. So - it is definitely time for me to get cracking on new larger clothes.

Mark's aunt Dot called while we were in transit - and she was extremely tickled by the pictures and card I had sent her earlier this month. I am glad she was so happy :) She gave me further encouragement to make a book out of all of the craft and clothing projects I've made for Esme over the years. It would be a huge endeavor!


'Memories of Osaka' floral fabric

While we were all the way in Jackson, Mark said it would be a waste of a trip if I didn't go to Hancock Fabrics... Even with the latest influx of fabric I was left hunting through my stash for a few coordinates (and not finding them) and was running out of both colors of brown thread. So, I conceded ;) how could I not? I also let Esme choose a few other things within a small budget.

Esme chose this brown and pink floral. I would not have chosen it myself, even for her... but she was adamant about it. She wanted THAT dress... Hmm. I can see something very classic in it that will get a lot of use and wash well. So, a good choice. It was also the most expensive thing on the receipt! The kid has taste, apparently. I spent less than half of what I had at the Murray Sewing Center...but that is why I chose to go to Hancock's instead of the specialty store in Jackson. It wasn't my birthday ;) and I really only needed solids -- everything else was extra.


other browns and a red

The red fabric was also Esme's choosing, for pants - she said. I really thought she meant something else next to it - with dragons... but no, she pulled this whole bolt into the cart saying that THIS one the pants (and the floral the dress and everything else.. well the pants). I think I bought enough! She wanted some red plain fabric for pants, too - but I told her I had it at home. She really likes RED! The brown fabrics are solids meant for coordinating the fabrics from the last trip, and a blue floral I was surprised to see since the last time (6 months plus) I was in that store. I bought a half yard of the blue just because it still 'spoke' to me after all that time as something I wished I had gotten then.


The project at hand

And this is the Cinderella dress - inside-out and hanging in the window for adjustment. It is half done and ready for the skirt to be better distributed about the waistline... when that is done properly I can sew it on and be ready to put the sleeves in and finish the rest of the hems and zipper. The sleeves will be some of the soft blue from the last batch of fabrics. Can you believe this is the same pattern as the cow dress? Butterick 2194.

I've moved my sewing machine back upstairs because it is just too COLD downstairs even in the middle of the day. Hopefully that will help me get more work done again. I had moved it down there a few months back when Esme was in her bubble obsession and didn't want to come back upstairs with me.

Sewing machine rant : The machine is a Singer Advance 7422. It wants to be a pain mostly when the bobbin thread is low... and especially when there is fuzz collected there. It starts churning and burbling and threatening to sieze. If it does sieze it throws the entire bobbin carrier into the back of the machine and nibbles on it with the needle before coming to a stop. That doesn't kill it, but it is a very tough thing to unravel and make right again. I have to take the cover plate off with a very tiny screwdriver (or a bobbin), clean out any fuzz in there, realign the carrier, fill the bobbin with new thread (emptying out the last few yards on it) and then reassemble everything and start over. And then it acts like normal... until the bobbin thread gets low again and it starts it's wobble all over routine again. Apparently... this is a common problem with this machine and it just needs a 'onceover' often. Mark is buying me a new bobbin case for it for Christmas :) The part is a 051045 Singer item (future reference) and they are apparently hard to find!

80s hair yarn chick

Just a photo Mark took this morning before I got Esme ready to go see her Grandma. Her hair was loosely tied up for sleeping after a bath last night - and she asked me to tie this tiny piece of purple ribbon in it this morning. Then she was interested in my knitting project and wanted to 'help' and 'Esme do.' Those are several pieces of a Halloween light stick necklace.

She is wearing her 'birthday' shirt with the Cliffords on it.


I ordered the above patterns from an Etsy seller. They were both in Esme's current size and I had a little Squidoo money come in which made me go looking... very nice buy and I will look forward to them. The side pleats on the blue dress skirt are interesting and the coat of the other pattern looks quite a bit like McCalls 8001 (see below), which I was really enchanted by temporarily on Ebay (but not at the price they wanted). And there was also Simplicity 7228, which I REALLY like the styling of the yoke on (tried to alter a raglan like this once and failed -- I see why now in the sleeve on the package picture), but again - I got both of those patterns above and shipped for less than they wanted for either of the others.... pretty nice. I'm definitely not lacking in projects right now... more so in time - but it is nice to have something really tempting ready to set hands to. Esme is doing fairly well with most of her fall clothing -- I still did not finish the wool jacket that was cut out --- maybe a heavy cotton one would be more fitting for her.

For future reference only:

details from Simplicity 7228 I liked
update: I caved on this one when I found it for cheap in size 4.
It's coming next week!


details from McCalls 8001 I liked