Who doesn’t love Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James clothing line? No-one. Everything in it is timeless, tasteful, and fun. Sometimes I like to browse adult clothing lines to try to find inspiration for children’s clothes. Or just to see how others have obviously been inspired by classic children’s clothing. Draper James is one of the sites that I frequent for inspiration (particularly for Mama-Baby matches) I am not alone in this (slightly nerdy) hobby. My sewing mentor and friend, Margy recently texted me this picture from Draper Jame’s and asked if Maria needed a child equivalent of this outfit. My response: I need the adult equivalent and yes please. We brainstormed…
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Harper + April Mash-Up
Y’all this combo. I am a sucker for a bubble…and this combination is most certainly my new favorite. First off; the patterns are extremely well written and easy to follow. It’s obvious that Children’s Corner goes out of their way to ensure that any level of sewist can pick up a pattern and understand the instructions. Because of this, it is super easy to combine the two. Another thing I love about both of these patterns is that they’re both lined. Patterns that are totally lined tend to have great body. I have found that I love lining my patterns with a Fabric Finders broadcloth or a fabric with a…
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Children’s Corner Patterns Jamie
I’ve mentioned the Jamie in a couple of other posts but I’ve only recently begun to appreciate its versatility. I’ve needed to make baby gifts for strangers, family and friends quite a bit recently-I find myself reaching for the Jamie for every gift. Each time I think of the ideal garment to see a one-month-old or a one-year-old in, I think of the Jamie. Whether you do it in knit (I have a blog post of this too!), broadcloth, or a delicate batiste, it is always a hit with moms-to-be. As I mentioned in my sunsuit post, I have a thing for chubby baby legs. They’re irresistible. The Jamie highlights…
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Heirloom Dabbling-Christening Gown
I did not get started in sewing because I had wild aspirations of sewing intricate heirloom gowns for my little girl. I started sewing to make practical items that my child would use and love. I get a different kind of pure joy when I am able to create for my children; be it a dinner Maria declares “yummy,” a simple appliquéd shirt she drags around the front yard because she doesn’t want to let it out of her sight, or an intricately smocked dress I spent weeks on that she twirls around in happily. I love making for my kids and I love challenging myself. Heirloom sewing seemed like…
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Creations by Michie Sun Suits-A Pattern Review!
A Pattern Review: One of the first garments I wanted to make when I began sewing was a sunsuit. In the hot summer there is very little that can compete with the cuteness of a plump, rosy baby in a sunsuit. The sunsuit remains one of my favorites. I have tried and loved several patterns (and tried and not loved some others that I won’t mention here). Creations by Miche has two viable options: Number 123 and a new option (that is featured in this post) Number 149. Petite Poche (Wendy Schoen) Suzzete is adorable but crazy hard to find. I’ve also tried Children’s Corner Bailey which is fun for…
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Attaching Gathered Fabric to Flat Fabric-quick tip
Don’t you love it when people show you a quick tip that changes your sewing life? I absolutely love it. My sewing mentor recently dropped this little gem on me so I thought I’d share! When attaching gathered fabric to flat fabric you can use this little tip to keep your gathers PERFECT. So next time you attach gathered trim to a sleeve, a skirt to a bodice, or gathered trim to beading, this is a quick trick that will make your life easier. Gather your fabric (in my case trim) as normal. Making sure gathers are nice an straight and evenly spaced. Lay a paper towel down on your…
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Ironing…the glamorous part of sewing.
To say that I did not enjoy ironing when I began sewing would be an understatement. I skipped ironing steps, sewed with only polyester blend fabrics, and even postponed projects if they included too much ironing. I did not like ironing because I did not know how to do it. Ridiculous right? You just iron out the wrinkles…enough said. Every single time I went to iron my garment or piece of fabric looked EXACTLY the same after ironing as it did before ironing. It was infuriating. As I watched women sew during sit-n-sews I learned (while trying not to creepily stare) the value of ironing. I also learned the value…
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Smocked Bonnet- Southern Stitches
This bonnet is so sweet! I mean does it get cuter? It’s reasonably priced and can be found here. But ya’ll know me…I like a challenge when I see one. I took one look at this and decided I could definitely make it. I went on a hunt for a pattern and hit a gold mine! Southern-stitches has some seriously cute patterns-this one included! I purchased the “Button Bonnet” pattern and made my own insert but she literally has this exact pattern. The patterns are clear, well written and available in PDF. Here’s my version! I used pima batiste and made my piping out of Spechler Vogel “Baby Blue Stripe”…
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Bulk Sewing
My entire family recently got the flu :(. Not fun. I’d had the flu shot so it wasn’t debilitating, just annoying. During our quarantine this nesting mama went a little nuts. I sewed everything and I’m out of things to embroider. If you find yourself in this situation or just want to prepare for the summer, here are some tips for sewing en masse. 1.Choose your pattern wisely. Pick something that does not have smocking. The fewer pieces the pattern has, the better. A few options I’ve had success with are the Children’s Corner Patterns Johnny, Creations by Michie Jumper, and the Children’s Corner Patterns Robert. 2. Choose similar fabrics.…
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Modify the Children’s Corner Robert into a jumper!
First of all..the Robert is now offered in larger sizes guys! This is great news for all the younger kids wanting to learn to sew-the pants would be a FANTASTIC first sewing project in my opinion! Now; as I’ve explained before, I often use images on instagram as inspiration for new sewing projects. I recently saw this adorable jumper and had to recreate it. The belt on the jumper made me immediately think of the Robert from Children’s Corner store. Using the Robert I was able to whip up this cute jumper in one nap! Directions: Retrieve the appropriate front belt piece from the pattern. This is the only piece from…
