Sunday 18 August 2013

Can I buy a model please?

I've been sewing what I think is just about THE cutest outfit.....

....And I do have a pretty cute daughter. But do you think she'd team up with the outfit for the sake of some blogging pictures? Definitely NOT!!!! I'm starting to wonder if I should raffle off one garment a month on the blog as I can't stop making things and she can't stop saying no to me (sigh).


 First up was a wee pair of Size 2 Field Trip Cargo pants. I've made two pairs of these for P and when Oliver + S had a recent half price pattern sale of course I just had to have the smaller size for A.

The fabric is a designer stretch, cut corduroy that I found on sale at The Fabric Store. I bought a metre and a half each of this pale aqua and some pale pink.

It seemed a bit stiff at first and I almost got a great photo of the pants, during construction, standing up entirely by themselves waiting for the waistband to be ironed. As I sewed it softened a bit with handling and I think they'll be superb after a wash or two.

This time around I did all the topstitching with just a single thread of co-ordinating cotton so I saved myself all that re-threading.

The feel as you run your hand along them is divine, and while my daughter agrees they're lovely to pat she still wasn't putting them on for a photo.

So, here are some more pegged-up pants pictures...

 


And then, to go with my Cargo pants I had just enough Miller Miller flannel leftover from these pyjamas to make a little Music Class blouse. Bless the fabric stash fairy as those aqua dots perfectly match the pants.


This is definitely a multi-night garment for me. There's one evening's work just in those little pintucks and assembling the front and back panels. Another in the collar and preparing the sleeve plackets, and then 1 or 2 more, depending on how late I'm prepared to go, in setting the sleeves in, sewing the cuffs and then seven little buttonholes and buttons.


One thing I do save a bit of time with, is in not hand sewing the collar down before edgestitching it. I use 1/4" Heat'n'Bond quilters fusible web and just iron it together. Then there's no pins to sew over and everything remains nicely where it should be so the inner collar looks (almost) as neat as the outer.


The same trick works well on cuffs. I made this shirt once before in a flannel and I just love it. This time I remembered to sew the buttons on vertically. How professional of me that I know that kind of stuff now. :)

So there's my lovely outfit for A. hopefully I'll get some modelled photos another day.....

Here's teddy, putting in a cameo as Iron Man and photo-bombing the blog shoot (at P's insistence)!

19 comments:

  1. Thanks, as for the pattern, of course you need it! The skirt that goes with it is adorable and is such a quick sew. Great value pattern, that one.

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  2. Yes, I think the outfit is great too! And I managed to get some of that stretch corduroy at the fabric store when I visited.

    I know how you feel about not having a (cooperative) model: it can be so disheartening to put in all that time and effort and not get a chance to see your outfit in action. Hopefully your little model will outgrow her 'oppositional' tendencies!!

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    1. She changes her mind about things so often and so fast that I refuse to get upset by any refusals!

      Isn't the corduroy lush? What have you got planned for yours? It would make a lovely coat. Of course I was wishing it came in some other colours. Like beige, or khaki, or olive,... or brown,.... grey even... :)

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    2. I'm sure a little brown dye would get you a colour more to your liking (especially with the pale pink).

      Plans?!? None so far... Can't I just look and stroke it occasionally while I make up my mind?

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  3. I had the same experience just the other day, but I *made* the 8 year old put the outfit on...I just had to hear a LOT of grumbling. For the younger one, I ply him with candy :)

    Your outfit is beautiful, though...she'll wear it eventually!

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    1. I did jam her, screaming, into a new top the other day, and since she's worn it once, she loves it and it's now happily in high rotation. I only resort to bribery if it really matters, and she has more than enough clothes as it is, it's only me who cares to see them worn. :)

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  4. I love this outfit and your blog post- so funny and so true of sewing for little ones:)

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    1. Thanks. If you didn't laugh you'd cry most days, right?

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  5. What a serendipitous match! I love it when two random fabrics match each other :D Those little pants are the cutest. Too bad she won't model them for you. Modeling around here is getting harder and harder. I feel your pain.

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    1. It's great isn't it. When I use leftovers I see the garment as zero dollars cost. So the pants $5 and the buttons about $2.50. Total outfit $7.50
      (and about $400 of my time, plus machine wear and tear costs, power, thread etc etc ...)

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  6. Well the good thing about 2 year olds- it may yet become her most favorite outfit. It's very sweet. Hard to believe I'm gearing up for Fall sewing but that blouse has mean feeling less bummed about it!

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    1. very true. It's such a lovely blouse pattern isn't it.

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  7. What a cozy and adorable outfit! My kids are crappy models too. On the upside I've gotten pretty good at using a tape measure.

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    1. that's the weird thing, she tried them on so happily for the waistband test, asked me if they were finished an hour later then hated them the next day. Sigh.

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  8. oh, it's so frustrating when our little ones aren't nearly as excited as we are with our finished products! The pants and top are beautiful, and I am seriously envious of that great corduroy! Beautiful sewing!

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  9. wow, these are really, really awesome. i love them. i am so sorry she won't wear them. so disappointing... :( i have an almost two year old who would love them! ;) ;)

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  10. This outfit is stunning!
    I love the fabrics you used and it does make a perfect back fall look!
    I'm so familiar with the "love it, but I'm not wearing it now" with my 5-years old girl. All I need to do is ask my 6-years old boy to model it and suddenly she'll be willing again :-)

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    1. Thanks! My son is also so obliging when it comes to clothes. If only mine were closer in age as my son would happily try on her dresses if they'd fit him.

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  11. Your music class blouses are just PERFECT! I love the pants in aqua and the matching polka dots. So beautiful.

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