Sleeping bag for a baby shower

I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged! Things have been busy here, with a new job for me, my little one turning one, four trips to emergency, food poisoning, flu and illness. As I type my 2 year old has chicken pox and I'm waiting to see if the one year old has it - gah!

But in the midst of all that, I have been sewing. I've got a few projects on the go at the moment that I'll blog over the next few weeks as I complete them.

One of my very good friends is nine weeks away from having a baby (actually, two very good friends are 9 weeks away from having a baby - but more about that in another post). I knew I wanted to make her a sleeping bag, but didn't know which fabric to use, especially as her baby's sex is a surprise. But after seeing her nursery, all decked out in an owl theme, I knew the perfect fabric - Alexander Henry's spotted owl. Typically, Hawthorne Threads was out of stock, but the lovely Jen came to my aid by sending me some of her stash (thanks Jen - I owe you!)

I'm really proud of this sleeping bag. I made it up as I went along, which probably doesn't seem that impressive as it's such a simple shape, but I put a lot of thought into how to quilt the outside without quilting the lining, and it was my first time sewing a concealed zip (not sure of the technical name - lapped zipper perhaps?). I also am managed to conceal the zipper tape between the lining and main fabric, and am really happy with the outcome.

I used two layers of ultra soft cotton and bamboo blend inside the bag, and quilted it using vertical lines, two inches apart. Because I used a natural filling, the sleeping bag will take a little longer to dry, but I much prefer natural fibres to polyester, which is used in most commercial sleeping bags.

The lining is a Kaffe Fassett cotton. I can't believe how soft it is - easily the softest quilting cotton I have ever come across. It's a bluey/purple colour and hopefully suitable for a boy or girl. I also used this fabric to bind the arm and neck holes. I hand-stitched these for a neat finish.

I'm giving this to my friend at her baby shower this weekend and really hope she likes it! I really must make some more sleeping bags for my little one, as I really enjoyed the process and it'll be fun to match his sleeping bags to his sheets.


The completed sleeping bag. I made to fit from 6-18 months - so the baby can use it next Winter - and it took pretty much the full length of a yard of fabric.


The arm and neck holes, bias-bound using the lining fabric. I also sewed a guard to protect the baby's neck from the zipper.


I concealed the zipper tape between the lining and outer fabric (for looks and comfort). The inside is not quilted.


I included a fabric 'guard' to protect the baby's clothing from getting caught in the zipper.


My first ever concealed (not invisible) zipper. Hurrah!

Tea party sundress

This is a bit of a continuation from my previous post. If you have read it you will know that I made my friend's new baby girl a sweet, white lace blouse on her arrival. I also wanted to make her something completely different that was a bit more 'fun', and the tea party sundress by Oliver + S fitted the bill.

My mum has a fabric business and one of the huge benefits for me is the regular buying trips she makes to Japan. She got me a heap of stuff in January - mainly Lecien - for about $4 a metre. Crazy! I would really love to get over there one day, but I digress.

One of the fabrics she brought back last time was two metres of Cosmo Textiles dolly print. It's ridiculously cutesy and girly, with little dolls in Paris printed all over it. I decided to use this print for the yoke and centre panel, with a plain fabric on the outside to tone it down a bit.

The basecloth is actually a really unusual colour, it looks cream, but is actually the faintest blush pink, and it was really hard to match. In the end I chose a cream and red pin-prick polka dot from Sevenberry - another great Japanese fabric company. The red and cream kind of gives the illusion of pink, and I think it works quite well with the dolly fabric.

I decided to go ahead with the optional flat piping and am glad I did. I think this dress really needs it, or it would risk look a bit washed out.

The pattern was a dream. This was one of the first Oliver + S patterns I ever bought (along with the Birthday Party dress) although I have never made it until now. I originally bought it in the larger size range and had to purchase the smaller sizes as I really had my heart set on making it in a tiny size. This one is size 6-12 months.

The dress came together easily, as is the case with Oliver + S patterns. I sewed it in a night, after a spectacularly rubbish day at work. It was so lovely surrounding myself with a gorgeous pattern and lovely fabric, knowing that it would work out. I felt so much better by the time I went to bed that night.

I quite like the flared skirt but think that next time I will tone it down a bit, particularly as I will make it for an older child (my daughter!) next time.


The finished dress. I'm glad I went ahead with the piping as I think it makes the dress.


Yoke detail. I used basic red plastic buttons. I did actually cover some using the Sevenberry dot fabric, but it didn't look right. And that hazy area on the left of the photo is my daughter's fingerprint on the lens. She has a toy camera, but mine is far more exciting.


The trademark O+S faced hem. This was a little different to the faced hem of the birthday party dress as it's understitched. I like it.

Music class blouse

It feels like a long time since I posted. Life has been busy over the last few weeks, with me returning to work and both the kids and myself getting sick. It's left precious little time for sewing but I've had a few late nights so I can squeeze in some me/sewing time (same thing really).

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that two friends from my mothers group were due with their second babies. Well one of them has now given birth to the most precious baby girl named Ella. She's lovely, with dark hair and chubba cheeks! I spent my last afternoon of maternity leave getting some lovely newborn snuggles from her.

My friend didn't know she was having a girl and was very excited when she was born. She has a home sewing business - making cot linen - so is very aware of all the gorgeous girly fabrics out there.

I decided to make her a couple of pieces using Oliver + S outfits, as they never fail to impress.

The first was the recently released Music Class blouse. I hadn't given this pattern much attention before, so it was nice to have an excuse to sew it. I decided to use a very soft and sheer Broderie Anglaise (eyelet lace) for the fabric, as my little girl had a similar blouse when she was about 6 months old and I loved her in it. A little lace blouse looks so sweet all dressed up with a skirt and tights, or just with a denim skirt.

The pattern was great, similar in construction to the Sketchbook Shirt I made recently, although using a much sheerer fabric made the trickier bits (the collar and setting in the sleeves) so much easier.

The Music Class blouse has little pintucks on the front and back and they're very sweet. I've never made pintucks before and was pretty pleased with how they turned out... although sewing them on the embroidered fabric was a bit tricky. This pattern also has a lovely little inverted pleat detail on the sleeve cap that I forgot to photograph in my rush to get the blouse to its new owner.

I made this blouse in a size 6-12 months, so it's pretty tiny. I didn't want to muck around with tiny buttons, so used press studs (snaps) for the first time. I used ones with a pearly top that mum bought for me in Hong Kong recently, and think they're perfect for the shirt. However one of them shattered as I put it in and there were some tense moments in this household as my husband tried to remove it without damaging the blouse.

I really love this little blouse. I have already bought some lovely turquoise rainspot dobby to make one for my little girl this Summer.

As usual I have waffled on so will create a new post for the other piece I made for Miss Ella.


The finished blouse. It looks very blue in this photo but you get the idea...


Pintuck detail. I love the little snaps I used too - and so much easier than sewing on buttons!

One year on, and a new backpack for my baby

It's my birthday today, which means it's exactly one year since I got my sewing machine and was bitten by the sewing bug. I'm really loving being able to create beautiful things for my family and friends, especially my kids, and can't ever see myself getting tired of sewing.

This week also marks my last week of maternity leave, as I return to work next Monday. I have mixed feelings about this, as it means putting my youngest in childcare for two days a week. He's only 10 months old and we've never been apart, so it's going to be a huge change for us.

I decided to make him a backpack to take to daycare so he's got something special 'just for him' that was made by his mummy. I know he won't have any clue about that, but it will at least make me feel better!

I used the toddler backpack pattern by Made by Rae with a few amendments: I added a zippered pocket to the front, increased the height by 2 inches and fully lined it. I also added a nameplate to the back. The backpack came together without any fuss and I had fun picking the fabric (cute Kokka aeroplanes) and trims.

This was my first time using a zipper and I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was. It was also my first time working with piping (ready-made) - I liked the effect and am looking forward to using it again.


View from the front. I drafted my own patten for the front pocket and am pleased with the result.


Side view. Even though I used cotton canvas and interfaced it, it's not quite as firm as I would like.


Back view. The straps are padded at the top. The bottom section is webbing and adjustable.


The nameplate. I machine-embroidered Tom's name and trimmed it with piping.


I added lining to give the bag a neater finish. All seams are bound with contrast bias binding. You can see the quilted bottom here - it's the same on the bag's exterior too.


And the top view - my two very first attempts at a zipper!

Bumble Bub quilts

My mothers group is going to grow again over the next six weeks with two of the mums due to give birth again. Hurrah! My 'babies' are now 9 months and 2, so I am looking forward to squooshy newborn cuddles again.

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that we usually chip in and give the expectant mum a handmade present for the new baby. One of the mums has a business making gorgeous cot linen and sleeping bags so the task usually lands in her lap, but as she is one of the recipients this time I volunteered to make the gifts.

I've never made a quilt before. It's never really appealed to me and my mum is a beautiful quilter so I am kind of spoilt in that regard (I own about six gorgeous quilts that she has made me over the years). But I spotted a very cute little baby quilt in the book Kaleidoscope by Melly & Me and just had to make it. Well, I decided to make two, since we have two mums about to give birth.

The pattern is called Bumble Bub and it's a good size for a beginner. The end result is about 38 by 46 inches from memory, so it's a nice size for a cot or a play mat on the floor.

Being a little bit naive, I thought the quilt looked simple and I'd be able to whip a couple up pretty easily. How wrong I was! I started last Monday and averaged about six hours a day to get the quilts finished by last night (Saturday). That includes time taken for mistakes, including an emergency dash back to the fabric shop to buy replacement backing fabric when I didn't buy enough the first time).

While the pattern is straightforward with clear directions, I hadn't taken my perfectionist tendencies into account and I nearly drove myself to drink making sure each block and strip was cut, sewn and aligned perfectly. I was very aware that each small mistake would be pretty obvious, as opposed to making garments where a slightly too-big or too-small seam allowance won't really show in the finished product.

The quilt tops came together well. Each quilt has three super cute bumble bees which took me a bit of time to cut out and applique. I would normally hand-stitch these but being short of time, I used my machine's blanked stitch for the first time and was very happy with the results (the little faces were hand-embroidered however).

I used a very basic quilting pattern, diagonal lines through the centre of each block. My lovely mum - keen to encourage my quilting - gave me an early birthday present of a walking foot and I was very impressed by how well it worked. I did have a few teething difficulties initially though, where my stitches were very short in some areas due to the weight of the quilt pulling it back a bit. I learnt pretty quickly how to deal with the weight and volume of the quilt.

The quilt binding is done by machine - if I had more time I would have preferred to finish it by hand. The pattern also includes a very cute bumble bee softie and I really regret not having enough time to make a couple to accompany the quilts. I may make these before the babies are born and then bring them to the hospital.

The quilts are intended to be gender neutral. I am happy with the colours (I wanted them to be 'fresh', which I think they are) but wish I'd spent a bit more time looking at fabrics as I think there are so many great combinations you could use for this quilt. Four of the seven prints I used are from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane collection, with some Kokka and Michael Miller thrown in. I used a cotton and wool blend batting.

If you're new to quilting, I can really recommend the Oh, Fransson! blog, which has a great 'quilt along' with great tips and techniques.

I have plans to make this quilt at least a couple more times, as I do love the end result and I think it makes such a lovely gift for a new mum and baby.


The bumble bee blocks, appliqued and ready to be trimmed to size.


One quilt pinned and with quilting lines marked out, ready to be sewn. I'm not sure if it's 'normal' to mark out the quilting lines before you start, but I didn't trust myself to keep it straight otherwise.


One of the finished quilts. This photo was taken in the shade, the actual colours are a bit brighter than this.


Bee detail.


Quilt x 2! I made the quilts identical as I couldn't bear having one 'better' than the other.

The Sketchbook shirt

My favourite pattern company, Oliver + S, put out three new patterns recently, the ice-cream dress (I have made and blogged the blouse version), the music class blouse and skirt, and the sketchbook shirt and shorts. I was most excited about the ice-cream dress and thought the Sketchbook pattern was 'nice', but on the whole I find boys' patterns a little dull.

However I've just made up the sketchbook shirt and I am in love! In fact I think it may be my new favourite pattern. The resulting shirt is certainly the garment I am most proud of. It just looks so professional and I am still a little bit amazed that I sewed it. I never would have imagined I was capable of it when I started sewing last year.

A great thing about this pattern is that you can mix and match options. I chose a short-sleeve, pocket and regular collar (there is also a variation with a Chinese collar). I think it's the most casual combination.

The construction was straightforward but I did get to spend some quality time with my unpicker, making sure the collar attachment and set-in sleeves were perfect - well as perfect as possible for me.

The finish is great. It's so neat that it could be worn inside out. I've never made a shirt before so don't know if all shirts are like that, but I suspect it has something to do with the Oliver + S clever construction techniques. I added the optional top-stitching to the yoke and collar. I love top-stitch :-)

I finished the shirt with varnished wood buttons. I like them but worry they are a little big. I may change them tomorrow... The fabric is quite heavy so the interfaced placket is pretty thick and looks a bit clunky with the buttons.

Speaking of the fabric, it's 85% cotton and 15% linen by Trefle from Kokka. If you read this blog regularly you'll know I'm a big fan of novelty prints, but I have never before made a whole garment out of one. I think (hope!) this is successful because the colours are quite muted and the basecloth is natural.

The shirt is sz 12-18 months and is currently a little big for my son. I really hope he grows into it soon as I intend for him to wear it to his first birthday party in September, and then over Summer.

I am already eyeing off other fabrics to make a few more of these shirts for him.


The front. Photo taken in artificial light, making it a bit yellow.


The back. Love the little pleat.


Varnished wood buttons. Love the buttons but wondering if they are too clunky on the shirt.


I love the inside as much as the outside. As with all O+S patterns the construction leaves a beautifully clean finish.

Something for my little boy

I've been feeling horribly guilty that most of the things I sew are for Sweetpea and my little boy misses out. But that's all about to change as he gets older and outgrows the baby onesie/lycra stage. There are also some fabulous patterns and fabrics around at the moment that are very boyish.

I was lucky enough to get the Oliver + S Sandbox pants pattern for mother's day, and already had some corduroy in the cupboard so started on a pair of pants for my wee boy right away.

As usual for an O+S pattern, the construction was a piece of cake and the pants were lovely to sew. To be honest I didn't think I'd learn anything new with such a relatively basic pattern, but I did! When constructing pants I normally pin and sew with the wrong side facing out on both legs, it's a bit cumbersome with so much fabric to get in the way. This pattern called for one pants leg to be turned right way out and slipped inside the other for sewing and it was so much easier and neater than the way I used to do it. Brilliant!

I used a brown cord for the pants and some of Kokka's cotton canvas novelty print 'Animal Boogie' in brown, orange and lime for the trim. Have I mentioned before how much I love novelty prints?! Lucky I have a 2 year old and 8 month old...

I only made one small amendment to the pattern: I reversed the pattern pieces on the back pockets so that some of the gorgeous lining would show on the outside of the pants.

As usual I'm a very happy O+S customer. My son has worn these pants twice this week and both times we have had people comment on how cute they are. That's a winner in my book!


Front view. Sorry this is so washed out, the waistband is blending in with the background.


Back view.


Back pocket detail, am loving this fabric!


Back pockets again. These are my favourite feature.


My son taking them for a spin. Pants are size 6-12 months and he is a large 8 month old. There's still some growing room though with the tie-front waist. Plenty of nappy room too!

The Uptown Girl Jacket

Well Winter has well and truly arrived. It's been freezing here this last week so I'm pleased to have finished my daughter's new Winter jacket.

It's the Uptown Girl Jacket by Make It Perfect. I have a real soft spot for this as I bought the pattern when it was released a year ago and at the time, had never used a sewing machine or sewn anything more complicated than a softie (by hand). I remember telling my mum 'I am going to learn to sew and will make it for Sweetpea next Winter'. And here I am!

The pattern is deceptively simple. The construction is pretty straightforward and it actually takes longer to cut out all the fabric than it does to sew it up. It has a few lovely design details that really add to the overall look, like the gathers.

As it gets pretty cold here I made a few amendments to make the jacket more practical. Firstly, I used a wool/cotton blend batting instead of the recommended adhesive pellon (thanks Jen for the tip) and secondly, I included fastenings all down the front instead of just one button at the top, to keep Sweetpea extra snug.

I had intended to used buttons and buttonholes as the fastenings but my machine would not cooperate - the jacket was too thick with the batting - very dense - and the cotton canvas fabric I used (more on that later). So after MUCH to-ing and fro-ing, I decided to use magnetic snaps, with fabric covered buttons on the outside of the jacket for decoration only.

The snaps worked really well. They were simple to put in (although they would have been simpler had I decided to use them when constructing the jacket, rather than afterwards, I got to know my unpicker pretty well), they're strong, and they're simple enough for my two year old to do up and undo.

I used fabric from Japanese designer Hokkoh's Market Fresh collection: Market Flowers in Pink for the outer and Playful Dots in morning for the lining. It took me ages to decide whether or not to buy these fabrics. I loved them online, but was worried the pink would be too bright and that the cotton canvas would be too stiff and heavy for such a small jacket. I was really delighted when the fabric arrived. The colours were more muted than expected (in a good way!) and the fabric was really soft, but durable. It washed up beautifully too.

I really love this jacket... So much that I've gone out and bought Sweetpea a parka to wear to daycare, as I can't stand the thought of this jacket getting covered in paint, as her daycare clothes invariably do!


The finished jacket. The covered buttons are decorative only.


I used magnetic snaps (intended for bag making) as the fastenings.


Detail of the snaps.


Love the lining!


Sweetpea trying it on for size.

A gift for a new baby

Our mothers' group welcomed its 16th baby last week! We have 11 two year olds and now five babies 10 months and younger.

Little Arabella was the first girl after a string of boys, in fact until she was born all of the 'second' babies have been boys.

We usually give the new babies a cot linen set or sleeping bag made by one of the very talented mums in our group. But as she is heavily pregnant with her own 'baby #2', I put my hand up to make Arabella's gift.

I decided on a little dress - the O+S birthday party dress. Yes, I have made it before (three times, in fact) but I think it is just so beautiful and a bit special. I'm also so familiar with the construction now that it is very fast to make up, I didn't need to refer to the directions. I also made a pair of matching bloomers using Lotta Jansdotter's pattern, and some matching button snap clips. The dress and bloomers are both in size 6-12 months.

As I mentioned above, this is the fourth time I've made this dress so I decided to do a few things differently to relieve the boredom.

First of all, I used French seams rather than overlocking. I only learnt how to make French seams on my last project, so these and still a bit of a novelty to me and I love them! Seriously, they look so neat and I really like that I'm able to finish the seams as I sew. The pattern is pretty well suited to this method of finishing, although I did have to improvise a little when attaching the top facing, which calls for the seams to be opened out.

The second thing I did differently was to use a different/coordinating fabric for the facings. I really love this look and to be honest it never would have occurred to me to do it when I first started sewing last year. The fabric is from Lila Tueller's Soiree range. I used Meadow Paisley in Aqua for the dress and Leaf Confetti in Sun for the facings and bloomers. Both were fabrics I already had in my stash. I was worried they'd be a little busy but think they look pretty good.

Finally, I sewed the pleats in this time round (using a narrow line of stitching at the inner edge of each pleat) and really love the result, it's so crisp and will be much easier to iron. I have no idea why I haven't done this in the past, but will certainly do it from now on.


The finished gift: dress, bloomers and matching snap clips.


The bloomers match the dress's facings.


I secured the pleats with an edgestitch on the inside of each pleat. Really love the crisp finish.


The inside of the dress. My overlocker may gather dust now that I have discovered the beauty of French seams. It makes the dress look so neat and professional.

The O+S ice-cream blouse

What a difference a week makes! This time last week I was blogging about my frustrations with an Amy Butler pattern, and today I am on top of the world after making one of the glorious new Oliver + S patterns.

I heard about the new O+S patterns a while ago and was really looking forward to their release. The very first garment I made was by O+S and I'm a huge fan. The end results are always gorgeous, the patterns are so easy to follow and I always learn something new during the construction.

I was lucky enough to be given the ice-cream dress pattern soon after it was released (thanks mum!). I already knew that I wanted to make view C - the blouse - first, after seeing this version by Liesl of O+S on Flickr. In fact I am still on the hunt for the perfect border print to make a similar blouse.

I didn't have any fabric in my stash that I thought really suited the blouse, so I chopped into an old top of mine that I haven't worn since my honeymoon, and used a plain navy blue cotton for the yoke. I don't normally use such strong colours for my little girl but I am thrilled with the result.

As expected, the pattern was fabulous. Nice and easy to follow - there were none of those confusing re-reading moments. The construction is very clever and leaves a nice, clean finish.

As I'm still fairly new to sewing (will be my one year anniversary with my machine in June!) I try to learn something new each time I sew. The pattern suggested that this top would suit French seams, so I gave it a go as the fabric was very soft and lightweight. I used my trusty Sewing Book and a couple of online tutorials to learn the technique and am really chuffed with the results. I can see many more French seams in my future.

I really can't wait to get back to my machine and make more of these tops and a few of the ice-cream dresses too. I made this version in a size 3 for next (Australian) summer, just hope it fits Sweetpea well then!


The finished top


With a white cloth above the yoke lining to show off the very cute notch detail. So simple but so pretty. I was really tempted to use red thread for the top-stitching on the yoke but in the end (after 2 cups of tea and half a block of chocolate) decided that there was enough detail there with the notch and busy fabric.


Super proud of my first ever French seam!


Little Sweetpea modelling it. She is a sz 2 and the top is a 3. Hopefully it will be perfect by next summer.


The top I sacrificed to get the fabric for the blouse. Well worth it!

The 'Easy' Empire Waist Top

Not sure where to start with this blog post, there's so much to say about the top I just made my daughter.

First of all let me say I love Amy Butler. Her fabrics are gorgeous and her clothing designs are lovely. BUT - and it's a big 'but' - the actual patterns and instructions leave a lot to be desired.

I own her book Little Stitches for Little Ones and to be honest it's one of the reasons I started sewing (that and the fabulous O+S patterns that I saw at a market one day and just had to have). It's got so many cute projects with lovely photography and gorgeous fabrics. I've made a couple of things from the book before without too much drama, but this top was really difficult.

First of all, the sizing. The patterns in the book only go up to sz 9-12 months. Disappointing, as my daughter is 2 years and 2 months. I decided to have a go at enlarging the empire waist top pattern for her and was really shocked to discover that the 9-12 months size was actually too big for my 2 year old. Now she is not a tiny kid by any means, she's bang on average weight for her age, and super tall, right at the top of the height chart. Yet I had to shorten this top by 3.5 inches and it still reaches down to just above her knees. I realise this top is meant to be roomy but it would absolutely swim on a 1 year old.

The pattern instructions are really flaky. I read and reread them several times before I cut into my fabric (which I love by the way) but still found them so confusing. I doubt very much the pattern was tested. I persevered with them to construct the bodice but after that kind of gave up and did my own thing. There are very few diagrams too, and the ones that are there are frankly a bit silly and point out the obvious. They don't really help much with the construction of the top.

All in all I'm happy with the finished result, although it's not as polished or well thought out as many other patterns out there. The bodice is quite bulky (6 thicknesses at one part of the shoulder) and as I said before, the sizing is way off. There are some good bits though, the top itself is super cute, and there are some lovely details, such as the slit on the cuff and the double stitching around the v-neck and sleeve.

If you're going to attempt this one yourself, be prepared to adjust the size considerably (especially for a child younger than 1) and be prepared to improvise when the instructions just don't make sense!

I used fabric from Annette Tatum's House collection: Lilac in navy and Garden Vine in lilac. I love it. Blue and purple is one of my favourite colour combinations.


The finished top. The lilac band at the bottom is my own addition to help tie it all together. I took 3.5 inches off the length but added 3 inches to the sleeve to make it a 3/4 length sleeve.


The back. It fastens with a loop and button, which I haven't sewn on yet.


It's got some cute details - I really like the little bow and the cuff slit.


I really like the double stitching.


My daughter taking it for a test drive. She's scrunching it up here - it actually falls to about an inch or so above her knee

Hoppity hop

I haven't got any new sewing to post, although I do have a few things in the works at the moment and hope to finish them soon.

In the meantime, here are some little felt bunny finger puppets I made using this tutorial over at the Purl Bee. Little Sweetpea found them on her egg hunt on Easter morning. It's nice to be able to give her something other than chocolate (which in all honestly gets eaten by me anyway).