KCWC Days 5, 6 and 7

I have really enjoyed my week of making kids clothes :)

...my end of week round up is this toddler hoody and baby cardi

Another Kwiksew pattern for the hoody, this time from Sewing for Toddlers. I don't have an actual copy of the book, but the pattern insert was in the babies issue from the op shop (it was good getting an unexpected bonus, feel bad that somebody may have the toddler book without the pattern sheet though!).

...and the cardigan was once again, the 5-hour sweater that I made here ... cut my knitting down this time by not doing the sleeves, but think the 5 hours would have still been a push (didn't think to time it!) :)

KCWC Days 2, 3 and 4

...so, here I am playing catch up :) I've been good with my sewing, just not so good with my blogging :D

This is my Kids Clothes Week Challenge days 2, 3 and 4 (yep, more girly dresses hehe!)

The dress with the orange flowers and tied shoulders is unmistakably the 'itty bitty baby dress', downloadable from Made By Rae (and it's free ... thanks Rae!).

The undies were made in the matching lining fabric from a pattern in the Kwiksew Sewing for Baby book :)

I also got the green sundress pattern from the same book ... It was good using it again ... I bought this copy a few months ago from the op shop, after giving away my original when my girls grew out of it.

...such Grandma fabric don't ya think...teacups and cupcakes, love it!

KCWC Day 1

My first sewing project for the kcwc just had to be a baby dress :)

... I sometimes get fed up with using commercial patterns. They're expensive, flimsy, and more often than not, they don't turn out right in the size and fit ... so instead, I bought a super-cute, newborn baby halter neck dress from the op shop, and made my own pattern ...

I traced around the bodice and took measurements of the skirt...

and then just used the original as a construction guide :)

So easy!

Looking forward to day 2 :)

Too cute!

... yay! ... we're going to have another grandbaby (a little cousin for the little man), and this time it's a girl :) ... (sooo excited!!). So of course, having just found out her gender, I went straight to Spotlight to buy some little dress fabric, and ... came home with nine different ones! (it was just too hard to choose!). Later I was surfing whilst drooling over the fabric, and found the Elsie Marley blog. Perfect timing, as she is organising the '2010 Kids Clothes Week Challenge' starting tomorrow on the 20th September. It's a really cool concept ... just join a few hundred other crafters working on making kid's clothes for one hour a day for a week ... simple, love it, and can't wait to get started :)

But in the meantime today, whilst planning my weeks sewing, I made these cute as, Baby Janes with some stash Sugar'n Cream cotton (The pattern is by Valerie Johnson and can be found on Ravelry) ... thanks Valerie :)

Flinders Sweater Vest

I had some balls of Sean Sheep Flinders yarn in my stash from a Big W sale way back, so I thought I would try a top down sweater vest for myself. As I was knitting, the yarn had a really nice, soft silky feel to it ... but ... as soon as the knitting was finished, it started to go baggy and feel kinda lifeless :( I'm not too sure how it's going to bear up to being washed (think I do sort of know the answer though!), which is a real shame because I love the way that it turned out ... and... I'd already started another one the same in pink (I might have to wash the grey one before I decide whether or not to finish the other) ... oh well, it did give me chance to work out a cool sweater vest pattern (and it did only cost me 50c a ball :D)

So for future reference, and a different yarn, here are the specs:

4.5mm circular needle

3 balls of Sean Seep Flinders ... maybe?!

17sts to 24rows to 10cm

Aussie size 8/10 (32/34")

Cast on 62 stitches

K1 place marker (pm) k15 pm k30 pm k15 pm k1

Purl 1 row

Knit increasing either side of marker

Purl

Repeat last 2 rows until there are 9/31/46/31/9 stitches ending with a purl row

Knit to 1 stitch before marker, increase in next stitch

Cast off 30 stitches

Knit back stitches to 1 stitch before marker, increase in next stitch

Cast off 30 stitches,

Knit to end

From here, work with 3 separate balls of yarn

Purl first set of stitches, rejoin yarn and purl second set of stitches, rejoin yarn and purl third set of stitches

Knit, increasing at armhole edge as before until there are 11/50/11 stitches

Purl row

Increase at front edge as well as armhole edge on every knit row until there are 21/60/21 stitches

Now increase at front edge on every row as well as armhole edge every knit row until there are 25 stitches

Cast on 10 stitches, work to end and join fronts

Knit in the round without increasing until work measures 11cm from underarm

Knit 21 pm k20 pm k42 pm k20 pm, knit to end of round

Knit to 2 stitches before marker k2 together, knit to marker, pass marker and ssk (slip 2 stitches purl-wise onto right hand needle, insert left needle into front of stitches and knit them together) repeat the k2tog and ssk at the next 2 markers, knit to end of round

Knit 10 rounds and then a decrease round

Repeat last 11 rounds 3 more times

Knit 2 purl 2 rib for about 4 rows

Cast off

Rejoin yarn to neck edge, and pick up 108 stitches and work 4 rounds in k2 p2 rib

Cast off

Rejoin yarn to sleeve edges, and pick up 58 stitches and work 4 rounds in k2 p2 rib

Cast off