Selfish Sewing Week 2014--Fall

How fortuitous--this fall's Selfish Sewing Week is occurring during the first time my husband has had to travel in four months!  One of the huge benefits of our current overseas adventure is that his job, which in the states involved travel 2-3 times per month, has been completely local.  Until now.  And while we miss him terribly, there are a few silver linings to this trip of his back to the good old U S of A.  Firstly, he will be able to bring us a bunch of stuff that's expensive or hard to find in Japan.  And secondly, I can sew after the kids go to bed without ignoring him!  I do have to say, my evening sewing time has been cut down since I used to spend a lot of my lonely nights in front of the sewing machine while the hubby was traveling, but on the flip side both of my kids are in school full time now, so I can sew during daylight hours!

So this week, I've decided to sew for the kids during the day, mostly for Project Run and Play submissions, and after bedtime it's all about me!  Here's what I've accomplished so far:

First, I made my first Washi tunic from Made by Rae!  And now I know why anyone who has the pattern makes it over and over again--I already have the fabric and modifications lined up for my second and third Washis. I love this pattern and although I am a total pattern cheapskate I would say that it was worth buying.   That's my recommendation for the one or two holdouts who still haven't bought this pattern ;)

One of the reasons I waited so long to buy and make a Washi is because I have a  long torso and I was worried that the empire-adjacent waistline would look maternity on me.  So, duh, I lengthened the bodice by about two inches.  I love where it hits and think it's pretty darn flattering.  I LOOOOVE the shirred back--both for how easy it is to sew and wear, and also because it gives a really custom-looking fit.

I used some Japanese fabric that I bought in Nippori, Tokyo's fabric town, at the Tomato discount store called Arch.  It was 100 yen per meter (so a little less than $1 per yard)!  I loved the print--it's little villages with hot air balloons--and the feel of the fabric (no maker information on the selvage, sorry!) but because it was such a great deal I also felt good about using it for my first try, as a sort of wearable muslin.  And it came out very, very wearable!  I used another 100 yen fabric for the lining--a soft navy blue cotton that feels maybe like a batiste?  I did the full front and partial back lining that Rae demonstrates here rather than the facings.

I love how professional it looks on the inside!

I originally intended to do a separate blog post just about my Washi top, but in the interest of time (MY time that is; I'm using some of it for blogging instead of sewing right now!), I'm just throwing all of my Selfish Sewing pieces thus far into this one post.

Next up is yet another 100 yen per meter project, a scoop-necked cap sleeve tissue tee using iCandy Handmade's free pattern.  I love it!

Can you see my side seam?  I didn't think so!  MAN I rocked the stripe matching on this one.

This fabric was a bear to work with--really thin and stretchy, so it was tricky to keep the stripes lined up, and sew it without stretching it all over the place.  But I love how the print has varying width stripes, and the wide ivory area that I put at the shoulders.

My one complaint with this pattern is that the armholes came out pretty small.  It was ok since my fabric was so stretchy, but I cut them bigger on my next try with the pattern, and I was a happier camper.  It might be because I did a tiny binding on the sleeves instead of just hemming them, but I really like the look of the bound cap sleeve and neckline.   I used one of the black stripes to make my binding for contrast with the top of the shirt.  I also added a couple of inches to the bottom because I like my t-shirts long.

I made one more of these shirts, this time in a nice thick knit from Girl Charlee that I brought with me from the states.  As I mentioned before I cut the sleeve openings a little wider on this one, but I kept the binding instead of hemming here too.  I kept this one closer to the original length of the pattern too--I think I only added an inch here.

The binding is a dark plum knit.

 I really like this one too, for a more casual top.  I think the other one can be dressed up or down, but this one is happiest lounging around with jeans.   This was a fun pattern because it's such a quick sew--each one took one night after the kids were in bed.

I had to include this photo--this was the test shot I took before handing the camera over to The Boy and letting him take the photos above of this shirt.  Hey, the hubby is out of town and sometimes I just don't want to pull out the tripod!  He did a great job :)

Finally, with another piece of 100 yen fabric, I made this cute cardigan, also a free pattern from iCandy Handmade.  It was an easy sew, since there are no closures.

My photographer had to go to bed, so it's back to the tripod and remote.

The fabric I used on this one was a double-knit that looked like a fine sweater knit on one side and a sort of textured jersey on the other, so I used one side for the body of the cardigan and flipped it for the binding and cuffs.  I love the way it turned out!

My fabric was pretty stretchy, so that may have been the problem, but I had issues with my sleeves being too wide at the top to fit the armholes as well as the back of the sweater gapping at the top.  I remedied both problems by adding inverted pleats, which I actually LOVE the look of and wish I could say they were part of the plan from the beginning.

Hopefully I will have more to share for the rest of Selfish Sewing Week--I've got plans, big plans; I just have to find out how much energy I have after the kids go to bed the rest of the week!  **UPDATE--this post has the rest of my Selfish Sewing projects for this week.  Feeling pretty good about what I accomplished!

Upcycling Challenge!

I really thought I was going to have to sit this week of Project Run and Play out, and I was reeeealllly disappointed, because the theme was Handmedowns (or using old clothes to make something new), and that is what I LOVE to do!  But my piles of clothes saved for upcycling...those did not make the cut for packing across the ocean when we moved to Japan.  And we've only been here four months, so the kids haven't started growing out of the things we brought yet (for the most part).  So I thought that with the limited items available for cutting up, I wasn't going to be able to make anything that either of my kids would actually want to wear.

But I just kept thinking about it!  I did NOT want to miss this week's sewalong! (You can see my Totoro submission from last week's '80s cartoon theme here.)  But I also didn't want to spend time making something that wouldn't get used.  And then...I spotted it.  While helping Little Sister choose her clothes for the next day, I was yet again urging her to choose a dress in her closet that I love, and that she NEVER wants to wear.  It's nothing special, just a sundress I got on clearance at Old Navy, but I have always loved the print and the trim and she has never given it the time of day.  But she does ask me almost every day when choosing clothes for school if she has any skirts with pockets.  And I sadly keep telling her that she doesn't.  BUT!  What if I could take this forlorn, unloved dress and turn it into a SKIRT WITH POCKETS?  I am Super Sewing Mama!  I can DO THAT!

In addition to the dress, I was able to use one of the hubby's dress shirts that doesn't work with his new Tokyo office style.  He had told me I could cut it up earlier, but Little Sister wasn't going to go for a dress made out of navy blue stripes.  However, it was a great accent fabric for the print on the dress, so it became the pockets and waistband!

While I was at it, I thought it would be fun to salvage the sweet bodice detail from the dress.  So I went through my own closet, and pulled out a workout tank with a  really unflattering ruched bodice. Why did I bring that with me?

But as luck would have it, the color coordinated nicely with the print, and there was enough fabric in the lower part of the top (and the bonus sports-bra layer under the ruching) that I was able to make the cute coordinating tee to go with the skirt!

I did have to piece the back of the shirt since I didn't have a big enough panel of the coral knit, and I used one of the straps from the sundress to add a cute detail in the back.  I love that part!

I love these pics of her--not necessarily the best clothing photo shoot, but her dad was just out of frame talking to her and making her laugh, and I love her expressions when she's chatting with Daddy!

The sundress hem was shorter on the sides, and I didn't mess with the hemline at all, so the skirt has that detail as well:

Over the years, I have made so many skirts based on The Milkmaid Skirt tutorial from Crafterhours that I could do it from memory this time!  I made a few changes since I was upcycling, so I'll show you my process here, but if you want to make a skirt like this I really recommend that Crafterhours tutorial.

Here's what I did:

First, I cut the bodice off of the dress, leaving as much length for the skirt as possible.  You could also do this with an old shirt or larger skirt--you don't have to start with a dress!  Then I lined up the side seams and cut a pocket shape out of the front of the skirt on both sides, stopping at the seam.

Ooh, this is a better picture of the hemline trim I wanted to keep intact, too.

Then I used my seam ripper to remove the pocket cut-out the rest of the way.

I laid my pocket fabric underneath and copied the curve I cut from the front of the skirt for my pocket...

Then cut two pieces using that curve for the pocket linings.

Then I cut my two remaining pocket pieces, copying the first pocket shape but leaving out the curve for the opening.  The fabric at the top of these second pocket pieces will show, so keep that in mind if you are using a directional fabric or want to highlight a certain part of your print!

You should have two of each of these shapes (one going in each direction)

Next, pin the right side of the pocket lining with the curve cut out along the curve you cut out of the front of the skirt, on the RIGHT side of the skirt fabric.

Sew along the curve only, and clip the seams.

Then turn the pocket piece to the inside of the skirt and press.

Now, line up your remaining pocket pieces and pin in place along the outer curve of the pocket.  Make sure you've got the right side of the fabric facing DOWN so that the visible part is the right side of the pocket fabric!  Sew along the outer curve of the pocket.  I like to reinforce this with a zig-zag, since I hate getting holes in my pockets!

If you want to know the truth, I usually wait until I GET a hole in my pocket then I FIX it with a reinforced seam.

 Oh, shoot, I didn't get a picture of this step.  But once you've gotten the pockets sewn together, then rip the skirt's existing side seams down far enough to get the side seams of the pockets sandwiched in-between the front and back of the skirt.  Then re-sew those seams from the top of the skirt down, making sure to line them up nicely with the existing side seams.

Ok, back to the pictures.  Next I cut out a waistband.  I used a waistband from a pull-on pant pattern I had laying around, but that Crafterhours tutorial I linked to above will give you some good guidelines on making your waistband.  It will have elastic in it, so it doesn't need to be really exact.   I pressed mine like a piece of double-fold bias tape--in half the long way, then folded the edges in and pressed again.  I think I cut it 3 inches wide and about 25 inches long.

Another step I forgot to photograph--sew a basting stitch across the top of the skirt front inbetween the two pockets, and gather it slightly.  Gather all the way across the back of the skirt.

Then I sewed the waistband into a loop and adjusted the gathers until the skirt was about the same width as the waistband.  I lined up one raw edge of the waistband with the top of the skirt, right sides together, and sewed along the line I pressed into the waistband.

Next I folded my waistband up and over to the inside.  I decided to close it up by making sure I pinned the inside of the waistband just over the stitch line from attaching the outer part of the waistband, then I just topstitched on the outside of the waistband to hold everything together.

Make sure to leave an opening in the back though, so you can insert your elastic!  Once that's in there, close the waistband up!

I just had to show you how she used her pockets today at the park:

Rock collector extraordinaire!  I am glad I reinforced those seams after all!

And for the record, friends--in Project Run and Play, there is no voting for the sew along competitors like me.  There is a panel of judges who select the Sew-along winner.  But there are some spectacular sewing bloggers who were selected to compete each week, and anyone can vote on those!  Check out their submissions here,  and you can see all of the sew-along submissions here!

Flip This Pattern: Hosh Pants into PJ's

New pajamas for The Boy have been at the top of the sewing list for a while, and when I got some awesome Japanese printed gauze and some coordinating super-soft knit out in Nippori Fabric Town, I knew what materials I would use for said jammies.  But I left all of the patterns I had drawn out over the years back in Portland when we moved overseas, so it was time for a new PJ pants pattern.

Flipping through my digital pattern files, I realized that I bought LouBee's Hosh Pants a while back, but had never tried them out.  They only go up to a size 6, which is already pushing it for my boy, so it was now or never to make him a pair.  I got some denim for a pair of jeans for him, but I thought I'd try out a simpler version of the Hosh to start with, to see if it would work as a jeans pattern down the line.  And what a good excuse to join the September Pattern Flip link-up!

In order to flip the Hosh Pants into pajamas, I added just a little extra width when I cut out the pattern.  My gauze doesn't have stretch, but it does have what I would call "give"--it just feels comfy. I made a knit waistband with elastic inside instead of the elastic-tabbed waistband in the pattern.  And at the ankles, I made some knit cuffs.

Since my boy is tall, I just cut out the size 6 length, and with the cuffs they were the perfect length.  But if you are making the right size for your kid, you will want to cut a little length off of the pattern so they aren't too long when you add the cuffs!  I think knit cuffs are a great way to make pajama pants last a little longer--you can make longer legs, but they won't dangle on the ground because the cuffs are snug on the ankle.

I think that using the Hosh pattern gave the pi's a more modern look than the traditional wide-leg jammies.  I love the knit skinny jammies on my kids, but I do have to admit that as my boy gets bigger, the knit ones do look a little too young for him, so this is a nice in-between step from a plain T-shirt and pj pants.

The top I made from a raglan tee pattern.  I started with this one but adapted the shape to fit my boy better--longer arms, narrower and longer body.  In the back I put a panel of the gauze, and added a pocket on the front to tie in the print (even though it's kind of silly to have a pocket on pj's!)  I used french seams when attaching the gauze since it's a loose weave, and I didn't want it to fray.  The inside looks so nicely finished as a result!

Oh, and don't you want a close-up of that fabric?  I fell in love with this print!

Kobayashi Wild Boar and Piglet Double Gauze from Japan

Less than $6 a yard in Tokyo's fabric town.  I LOVE THIS PLACE!  And the knit for his shirt was about $1 a yard!   Oh, and Little Sister wants a coordinating pair of pj's--I'm pretty sure I have enough left over for a nightgown!

Totoro, Totoro!

I'm so excited for a new season of Project Run and Play!  I will definitely be sewing along for at least some of the weeks, including the first one, '80s cartoon theme!

I had a few ideas right off the bat for an outfit inspired by an '80s cartoon, but I had a brainstorm when I realized that the amazing Hayao Miyazaki animated film, My Neighbor Totoro, originally came out in 1988.  My kids (and I) recently saw this movie for the first time (the version with English dubbing that Disney put out in 2006)--we thought that since we were living in Japan it was part of their cultural education!  Totoro is huge here, and for good reason--that movie is SO GOOD!  My kids can be sensitive to scariness in movies (my son can't handle any of the bad guys in most of the Disney princess movies), and this one has the perfect balance of humor, mystery, and magic.  They have watched it several times since our arrival, and they can often be heard humming the catchy Totoro theme song.

There's a memorable scene in the movie with Totoro and the kids at a bus stop in the rain, which inspired this photo setup.

From the movie--Little Sister wanted to wear her green leaf headband just like Totoro :)

I was originally inspired to make a Totoro-themed jumper for my daughter, but I realized that my son loved Totoro just as much, and would be jealous if his little sister got something and he didn't!  So I ended up making two items.

I started with these sketches--pretty close, huh?

The t-shirt was pretty simple--I used this free printable pattern for a size 6 raglan sweatshirt, but since I was making just a tee for my lanky 6-year old, I made the body and sleeves a little slimmer and left off the band at the bottom (adding length to the body pieces to make up for it).  The body is color blocked to make the Totoro face/belly combo.  However, I cut the sleeves too short so that's why the cuffs are so long!  I could tell the pattern pieces looked too short for my guy--I have got to trust myself on these things!  Since his shirt was jersey and wouldn't fray, I left the appliqués raw-edged, and added a little embroidery for Totoro's face.  I cut the gray appliqué at all different angles--I thought it added a little whimsy to have the stripes going every which way.

I let him pick what expression he wanted Totoro to have.

The gray stripe was a knit fabric I had brought from the states--I ordered it from Girl Charlee before I left, and it was a really nice soft jersey with a little bit of thickness.  I found the cool textured off-white knit in Nippori, Tokyo's Fabric Town, for only 100 yen per yard--score!

I needed something to use for lining on the jumper, which was the impetus for my fantastic trip to the aforementioned Nippori in Tokyo, otherwise known as Fabric Town.  You guys!  It was my best day in Tokyo so far.  This place was awesome!  There was an entire store of bargain fabrics, most for 100 yen per meter (so about $1/yard).  I bought tons of linings, and even some fun prints.  The main store had great prices too, and was divided into floors--one for amazing Japanese cotton prints, one for knits (which had its own 100 yen section), one for special occasion fabrics, and so on.  Lining the street on both sides were individual stores for trims, home decor fabrics, leathers, notions, knits, etc--it was a little overwhelming, but mostly I just wanted to grab everything I could get my hands on.  I brought home over 24 meters of fabric, and spent less than $40!  It was wonderful, and I'm already planning my second trip there!

The fabric I decided to use for the lining was this beautiful buttery-soft printed double gauze.

The selvage tells me it is Fuwari, printed in Japan.

It's soooo nice, and it was less than $4/yard!

I already had the main gray fabric--it was a remnant just under a yard that I had brought from Portland, but the white corduroy was another Nippori find (200 yen per yard) to use for the tummy panel, which I made into a kangaroo pocket (also lined with the printed gauze.)

Perfect for carrying a little friend :)

The pocket has piping around the outside for a little extra definition, and I appliquéd Totoro's signature belly tufts onto it.

Happy about the pockets--she is a girl after my own heart!

His face is hand-embroidered--something I SUCK at but it was simple enough to get the idea across!

 She chose the "little O" mouth for her face.

Are we done taking pictures yet?

Pocket lining--I had to put a coin in there to get her to show me the inside ;)

For the basic shape of the jumper, I used this free pattern from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom.   In addition to the obvious addition of the kangaroo pocket, I also traded out the buttons in the back for a zipper, and added a ruffle just for fun.

Back view--I love the yellow zipper.

I installed my zipper with a total cheater method, which I will describe below [edited--this post got so long that I'm just going to do a separate post with the zipper installation tutorial!] --I was amazed at how well it worked!  I am afraid of buttons--I do not have the patience to get everything lined up properly so mine always look wonky and messy.

We definitely had fun at the photo shoot--we walked to the large park near our apartment, where I had scouted the bus stop from the beginning of the post, but the kids were excited to find their own Totoro-esque locations too, like this little path tucked into the greenery...

They also had fun showing me their best Totoro faces.

Big Totoro Teeth!

This is Little Sister's favorite Totoro face--the tiny mouth.  It's what she chose for her embroidery.

This was the most fun I've had trying to take photos of them in a while--they were totally on board today.  I guess I should make clothes with their favorite characters on them more often!

It helps that Baskin Robbins is right by the park--good bribery for photo shoot cooperation!  In case you were wondering, Totoro seems to like the Cotton Candy flavor.

Well, I was going to do a tutorial for my cheater zipper method here, but this post is already sooooo long--I think I'll just make a separate post and link to it here.

Be sure to check back when all the other Project Run and Play sew along projects are linked up, and vote for the awesome competitors as well!  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.