Tag: sewing

Bloomer Sewing Pattern Comparison

On By iswimlikeafishIn sewingLeave a comment

This was supposed to be finished in time to be posted this past Wednesday, so there will be two posts this week! No excuse, just spending as much time outside enjoying my family and the nice weather as I can.

Full disclosure: I don’t know how many pairs of bloomers are too many pairs of bloomers. It has come to my attention that I have made our daughter bloomers from 3 different patterns and I’m starting to have my favorite. Not necessarily a hard and fast favorite, but a favorite never less.

The first bloomer pattern I ever used was creative by Ashley Nickels for her CreativeBug class. Though I dislike the effort it takes to make this pattern, I do like that they’re on the larger size and I’ve gotten two summers out of all the pairs I made while pregnant. The weirdest thing about working this pattern is probably that it looks like you’re going to make a pair of women’s underwear until you’ve added the elastics in.

The second pattern I’ve used, and probably my favorite, is the Wiksten bloomer pattern. I like this pattern for several reasons:

  1. It’s not as finicky as Ashley Nickels’ because the shape is on the square side.
  2. The sizing goes up to a 3, bloomers for all!
  3. They look like shorts.

That being said, it’s super hard to find this pattern because it’s not being printed anymore. It looks like Oh Me Oh My has a comparable pattern?

The last pattern I’ve played around with actually comes in two styles and is made from knit fabric. Bummie Shorts Pattern wears like a cross between shorts and bloomers and take like, 3 seconds to whip out. Though I like both designs, the elastic version seems to be the most practical for hot summer days. Fair warning on Oh Me Oh My patterns though, they run large!

Superhero Germanium

On By iswimlikeafishIn clothing, patterns, sewingLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe that two years ago I made my first Germanium in an online sewing class hosted by Notion Fabric. Harder still to think that the pieces I traced and cut for my niece are now the right size for our daughter. Time is a funning thing, it just keeps going.

I was originally going to add ruffles to this dress like I did with my niece’s, but then I realized I couldn’t bother finishing the edges and things fell apart from there. That being said, I think the sleeveless version of this dress looks a lot better than it would with a ruffle. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself to justify the decision.

It’s so fun, I cannot stress that enough, the final result of this dress is so fun. It’s long and loose so she’ll probably get two summers out of it, and rugged enough to keep up with her. Plus, she loves wearing it. From the colorful masks to the skirt having enough room to twirl in, our kiddo is all about this dress. Which is definitely motivation to make another one.

There’s also something to be said about the fact that I’m a better sewist than I was the first time I made this dress. I have more patience with the finicky parts (minus the ruffles) and understand the overall construction. I snagged fabric to make another one using the expansion pack during the same trip to Affordable Fabrics, it’ll be interesting to see how my gathered sleeves skills are these days. If my previous Emery Dresses are any indication, I definitely need the practice.

Outfit Win: Zion Leggings and Henry Sweatshirt

On By iswimlikeafishIn sewingLeave a comment
Matching shirt and leggins made out of blue with yellow, teal and orange sharks in a size 18 months laid on a run. The sweatshirt is laid flat and the leggins are neatly folded.

I have joined the ranks of sewing moms who discovered that sewing for toddlers is satisfying. This is for a few reasons, the first being that kid fabric patterns are fun, the second is that even the more complex patterns are fast and the third is that once you know your kid it’s easy to make them excited.

I first purchased Oh Me Oh My’s Zion Leggings and Henry Sweatshirt patterns because my coworker gave me somewhere around a yard of two different leftover fabrics in a dinosaur print and a unicorn print. Other than the fabric requirements, the choice really came down to I had enjoyed making a pair of overalls and a couple pinafores (plus these) from the designer previously so I knew the patterns would be an easy win. Oh Me Oh My also has a “normal” knit shirt, but I liked that the sweatshirt cuffs would match the style of the leggings.

Oh. My. Goodness. These whip up so fast and are so functional! The leg, arm and neck holes are a breeze to get onto a moving target and the clothing is clearly comfortable. Over the last couple of months, I’ve made 6 (one completely out of fleece which was a bit of a fail, I should have used something different for all the cuffs) and definitely see more in our future.

There is still a lot of practice to be had when it comes to my sewing skill set, and I think that this little outfit is a great way to continue to practice (I’m thinking about you stretching neckbands with knit fabrics!).

Two sweatshirt and legging outfits. The black with bright dinosaurs is laid slightly behind a blue ensemble with unicorns.

Plaid Beatrix

On By iswimlikeafishIn sewingLeave a comment

Short post today because life’s been a little busy the last few days, but I officially have another Beatrix in the books and I’m still in love with the pattern! This time I opted to use some leftover wool plaid fabric from a friend, made 3/4 length sleeves, and used larger buttons than the pattern called for. If I had to complain, I would say that the top fits more like a sweater — loose body and tight sleeves. I wonder if there’s a bust adjustment I can do in the future, or perhaps it’s worth taking the sides in a little bit.

Depending on the fabric, I would actually be tempted to see how large of a button I could use before it started to look a little silly. In my mind, the buttons have the power to be a fun pop of something. This seems to be magnified by the fact that the top does not require buttons in order to be pulled over one’s head. Perhaps there is an option to hack the pattern and do a pleat instead…

I’ve fallen in love with a different dress option for my quilting cotton, more on that soon.

A young woman standing in front of a floor mirror wearing a blue, red, white, green and yellow plaid shirt and jeans.

Record Sleep Sack

On By iswimlikeafishIn sewingLeave a comment

If you haven’t been following along with me, I love knitting for my husband. I cannot stress enough how much fun he is to gift handknits to and how often he ends up stealing the handknits from my own closet. With this in mind, it shouldn’t be that much of a stretch that I would try sewing for him. After all, how hard can it be to sew a button-down top? I picked up a few yards of quilting cotton with a record pattern on it from Notion and Simplicity 8753 and got to tracing the pattern pieces.

Am I the only person who finds Simplicity patterns hard to follow? Do they get easier as you become a better sewist? This is the second pattern I’ve made with them (hippo bunting being the first) and it should have been the easier pattern between the two. Either way, a few hours into the project I called it and reached for the Lua Sleep Sack I had previously traced out and recut the pieces.

In some ways, this twist of fate was a lot of fun. For example, I stitched together the front pieces from S8753 and kept the pocket. I also cut up a hand-me-down swaddle that I was never going to use as a swaddle. In other ways, I really wish I hadn’t rage quit on the original pattern. I think if I had been more willing to take my time and followed a set of youtube videos I stumbled upon I might have been fine.

Lua sleep sack made out of quilting cotton with a record print on it.