Swap goodies - what I sent.

This was very hard to part with, as I loved the colours in this fabric.

Quite convenient that Jen made something in a similar colour way!

I sewed an outfit for Dani's son Alex, who is slightly older than Jack. The top and shirts were both Burda patterns (9792 & 9793). I'd never made either one before so it was a bit of a learning process and I have to admit to a little (hmm) bit of un-picking along the way.

The short sleeve, button front shirt was made using 'Rocket Scientist' fabric by Kerrie Beyer. I was rather chuffed that I managed to match the fabric design along the front opening. i was worried that I wouldn't get this part finished on time but it came together very quickly.

The shorts were made from a cord fabric with another print from the 'Rocket Scientist' range used for the pockets. The cord was much stretchier than I thought it would be, and I think I would prefer to make this pattern in a drill or light denim.

The purchased singlet top was a back-up plan when I thought I was running out of time to get the shirt finished. I did want a t-shirt but couldn't find a plain one in the right colour blue, and this top was the perfect colour. The applique is made from the fabrics used in the shorts and is a simple straight-stitch. I hope it stands up to washing.

I have a matching set in the green colourway almost finished for Jack. He keeps going into the sewing room looking for his 'rocket ships' so I think I had better get a move on with it.

Swap opening - Jack's new outfit

Please excuse my photograpy. We opened the parcel when I got home from work and it was starting to get dark so the lighting is pretty bad. I took the photos straight away so everything is a little wrinkled from the mail, and I put them on Jack straight after his bath while he was in the mood to pose.

Look at what we got!

We opened this great package from Jen this afternoon and what a wonderful bundle of clothes she has made for us.

A fantastic button-up shirt covered in tow trucks, other trucks, motor bikes and cars. I think this is a Michael Miller print and there are lots of fabulous details like the faces of the drivers and the names on the trucks. This is perfect for Jack as he is rather obsessed with tow trucks, broken down cars and mechanics at the moment.

The shirt pairs perfectly with a pair of denim shorts with the same print for pocket trims. There is a huge amount of contrasting top stitching and they are really well made.

And my favourite part, a white t-shirt appliqued with a tow-truck towing a car, based on a design from the printed fabric.

The applique wraps around the shirt and the whole think is free-motioned appliqued.....very impressive!

As you can see, Jack thinks he looks rather special!

Thanks Jen, you've done a great job and they will all get lots of wear.

Jack's swap clothes

Finally, Jack has been well and happy enought to co-operate with a photo of his swap clothes. This arrived in the mail just as we got home from NZ but because we've all been sick (and I've also been a bit lazy) I'm only just blogging it now.

This is a pic of the pack that Lil Frankie sent us for the EB clothing swap - a pair of beautifully made PJs with brightly coloured tractors/diggers all over them, a cute singlet and a board book about cars/trucks/planes which was a good choice for Jack. Jack took one look at the PJs and said 'Dig Dig' and took off with them.

Here he is curled up in my bed reading his book, which is a firm favourite. The top is a little big now but will be perfect by the time the weather warms up again.

And here is an action shot - 'Big Jump!' as he shows off the singlet and pants. The pants fit perfectly now and by summer hopefully he will be TT and nappy free so we should get a full year out of them.

Jack loves his gifts and I'm pretty happy with them too. Bring on the next swap now I've recovered from this one!

kids swap - reveal

Well, now my partner has got her items I can do an update of the whole outfit and the patterns I used. I sewed for dani and her cute little girl Hallie. if you would like to see a pic of Hallie modeling the outfit check out Dani's blog http://danil14c.blogspot.com/ .

It was so nice to hear that it was well liked - even if it was much too big!

These are the patterns I used to make the whole outfit - with a few alterations as the fancy took me. My plan was to make a set that co-ordinated but also that each piece would work alone with anything else.

The leggings were using Burda 9615 and lovely cotton/spandex cranberry and hot pink stripy fabric from Crafty Mamas. I followed this pattern to the t and was happy with the result. It goes from size 3 to 12 and makes leggings in 3 lengths so is a great pattern to keep in the stash.

The skirt was from vintage McCalls 3900 view B. I made it in a soft, light denim with hot pink top stitching using a three-step zigzag to add interest. It was quite a simple pattern but the waistband was a bit fiddly - it used three separate strips of elastic in the casing. I decided to gather the bottom band to make it a bit frillier and twirlier. Originally I was going to use the reverse of the denim for a contrast band and applique a few ladybugs to match the top but ran out of time, and also wanted it to be less matchy-matchy.

The top was based on New Look 6641 (sizes 3-8, another good one to keep in the stash). I had my heart set on making a layer-look long sleeve top and the only pattern I could find wasn't available in Australia. I could have down loaded it but couldn't bear the thought of printing and sticking together all those bits of paper. I decided to find a simple top pattern that included a puff sleeve version and adapt it to suit. I used white rib knit for the body and puff sleeves and hot pink rib knit for the long sleeves and bound the sleeves and neckline with the canberry stripe I used in the leggings. I was a bit sick of spotlight and dreading a trip to find the right fabrics for the top when I stumbled across a huge pile of ladies t-shirts at BigW. The pink was just right, and snapped them up and took then home to shrink them in the wash. They were perfect but it was suprising how little fabric remained.

I embellished the front of the top with some curvy lines of a zig-zag stitch in hot pink (think it was actually a blind hem stitch) and then added 3 little lady bugs made from the cranberry stripe and some shiny silver stuff from the stash. A few bits of hand stisching for antenna and it was done.
After I had cut out all the pieces for this top I discovered a pattern for a similar top in the latest Ottobre magazine - I really should have taken out a subscription!

The sleeves were easy but the neckline was a bit harder. It was unpicked at least twice, but I think it turned out nicely in the end.

As a little extra I covered two buttons with the stripe fabric and two with some denim topstitched in pink, and then added hair elastics so Hallie can match from head to toe!

I also threw together a special pack for Dani, because I can - and a swap isn't a swap without chocolate. That's a new rule I've made - feel free to join in...!

I'll be getting a return swap sometime after Easter so drop back then for pics of Jack in his handmade goodies.

Kids clothing swap - sneak peaks

The latest EB swap is the kids clothing swap. I sew an outfit for the child of someone I've never met and then someone else in the group sews an outfit for my son.

I've had fun!

As you can guess from the pics I'm sewing for a girl. I'm not good with pink so I'm amazed how much I like the stripy fabric I found.

The patterns I chose were all quite simple, but as I firmly believe - a pattern is only a suggestion - the final garments are quite different to the patterns.

The top took a lot longer than expected because I made some major changes and winged it a bit with techniques I've never used before. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, especially after all the reverse sewing on the neckline!

I'm really looking forward to revealing the whole outfit after my partner gets it in the mail, and also looking forward to seeing a pic of it being modeled by the girl I've made it for.