Well, I didn't sew EVERY day for the kids this Kids Clothes week, and I even sewed something that wasn't for the kids, but I do think that three items of clothing isn't too bad. I love this pattern from the Autumn 2013 issue of Ottobre. It's a very basic raglan style tee-shirt with long sleeves and a cute pocket. Perfect for both Autumn and for Spring. Raglan sleeves are great for small children and for babies, as the arm opening is quite large and it is easier to guide small hands through than a set-in sleeve is. They are also easier to sew as it is pretty much a straight line, or in this case a very slightly curved one. I also love the retro look of a raglan sleeve and feel it works really well for mixing and matching fabrics.
I borrowed Mum's cover-stitch machine to do the hems and the bands. Mum was very generous lending me the machine, as it was just back from being repaired and she hadn't even had a chance to use it herself. I can report that it is now making a perfect stitch, and I am having no troubles with the tensioners. You could use a twin needle to do the hems if you don't have access to a cover-stitch, although I do prefer the finish the machine gives, I would love a cover-stitch machine of my own one day, but Mum's will do for now. You could also do the hems with a zig-zag or decorative (stretchy) stitch, or just standard bands and put a band on the bottom as well.
The fabric I used is from Crafty Mama's Fabrics. The Hot Air Balloons, the Pirates and the stripes are all Lillestoff. I added Hilco ribbing to the cuffs and neckband for Noah's tee-shirt. I followed the instructions for the neckbands according to the instructions on page 45 for "binding cut from knit used for the garment" for Amélie's tee-shirt, since the stripes have the same stretch/recovery as the rest of the tee, and for "binding cut from ribbing" for Noah's. When I was cutting the cuffs, I accidentally mixed up the pattern pieces and cut an Amélie sized pair of cuffs for Noah's t-shirt. I figured that we could apply the same theory as for the neckbands, since the ribbing is stretchier than the other knit and didn't bother cutting larger cuffs. There wasn't a heap of difference in the two sizes anyway, maybe as much as the seam allowance?
I also made Amélie some leggings. The pattern I used is from the same issue of Ottobre, and they are the Uncomplicated leggings. To be completely honest here, I wasn't really thrilled with these. The legs have a really close fit, but they are really loose around the bottom and tummy. I guess they are designed to wear over really bulky cloth nappies? I also had to match all those stripes down the outsides of the legs, which makes them not really that "uncomplicated" when you have to do that, although I managed it fairly well. I would rather have mis-matched stripes on a crotch seam that is hidden under a garment than down the sides of the legs where it can be seen by everyone. I liked the way that the waistband was done, though. You put a button-hole in the inside of the waistband before you stitch it down and then thread the elastic through. This means that the elastic can be easily removed and replaced if it is too loose or tight without having to unpick anything. I will use a different pattern next time I make leggings, but I will be stealing that waist elastic idea though.
The kids are loving their new tee-shirts. Noah wanted to wear his to kinder today, but it was all dirty from having been worn yesterday, so I had to wash it for him. As for Amélie, she got way more excited about her tee-shirt when she saw that Noah had one nearly the same.
As for the Sew Your Stash Thin challenge, I used approximately 8 fat quarters making these clothes.
SYST13 Running totals: in = 107, out = 111, total = -4
