tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82962181604805861272024-03-13T19:42:06.127-07:00Sew Pretty Witty A blog about sewing and craftsEllehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-36815281206058793642016-03-31T14:15:00.000-07:002016-04-07T01:44:57.404-07:00A coat for my little lady<br />
I have always found it really cute, seeing little girls wearing stylish little coats with pretty hats and scarves and having that elegant grown-up look. That's where my inspiration for that coat came from.<br />
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I bought this wool fabric in dark teal colour on one of my trips to Bulgaria. It is thick and feels very soft, ideal for a coat.<br />
As usual I self drafted the pattern. I decided to go for princess seams and welt pockets.<br />
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For the lining I used grey viscose fabric. This project taught me that I should use larger facings and construct a bit larger linings for a more professional look.<br />
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Here I was experimenting with adding some interesting details to the coat. In the end I left it without any of them.<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-843726574064285652016-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:002016-02-16T07:24:21.429-08:00The Challenge of Making Traditional Bulgarian Costumes<br />
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This post comes a bit late, but it's better to come late than not to come at all. I haven't stopped sewing but I have been terrible at keeping up with blogging about it.<br />
Making traditional Bulgarian clothes for my children was my biggest project last summer.<br />
I can honestly say that this was the most time and effort consuming project that I have done so far. And the most satisfying. Friends and family asked me why I was dedicating so much time to something that wouldn't be used for long time as children grew so quickly. But I felt I had to do it. Raising my children far from Bulgaria, I wanted to give them ''a piece'' of the bulgarian traditions and culture. <br />
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I started with sewing the white shirts first.I made one for my five year old and then graded it down to three year old size.They are both the same style with high collar and front opening. That was the easy part. Then I threw myself into hours and hours of embroidering (after searching the internet for ideas a couple of hours).<br />
The waistcoats were relatively easy to make. I love the black trimming on them. The skirt and the waistcoats are made from thick wool fabric, and the shirts are from cotton woven fabric. I bought all of them from Bulgaria.<br />
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The main element of the embroidery is called "shevitza". It has to be made in a closed pattern which symbolize the life cycle. The dominant colour is red and it is a symbol of life, wine, blood.<br />
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There were seamstresses whose embroidery work was so beautifully accomplished that it was hard to tell which was the right side and which was the wrong side of the garment. But they always left a small unfinished detail somewhere on the clothes. This was done against ill luck as they believed that too much of a good thing wasn't good.<br />
An interesting fact is that in the past every village had it own embroidery motifs and its villagers had to conform with them.<br />
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Nowadays traditional Bulgarian clothes (or "nosii" as we call them in bulgarian) are worn mainly by folklore singers and dancers but back in time people used to wear them when they visited markets in other villages, during celebrations and fairs. The clothes spoke about people's social and family status.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FEKnlMCDY0/VmyiHs-kajI/AAAAAAAABGw/sdUkCwbt4go/s1600/1_01_08_09_8_30_19.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FEKnlMCDY0/VmyiHs-kajI/AAAAAAAABGw/sdUkCwbt4go/s400/1_01_08_09_8_30_19.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: balto-slavica.com</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">source: trakia-tours.com</td></tr>
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-29285697738000391262015-09-01T15:47:00.000-07:002015-09-01T15:50:56.963-07:00Ditsy flowers summer dressThe summer is almost over and I still haven't shared my summer creations.<br />
One of them is this summer dress I self-drafted and sewed for my toddler girl two months ago. Since then I've been working on something very time-consuming which hopefully will be ready soon.<br />
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I've been dedicating some time for making hair accessories as well (I find that such an enjoyable activity). Sometimes I find it hard to balance the time spent on different sewing and craft activities. I am keen to do so many things, but simply don't have enough time for everything.<br />
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Back to the dress. It's a simple dress with a little square neckline decorated with lace trimming. It features a little pleated pocket on the front and button fastening on the back. I aimed for something light and comfortable.<br />
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The fabric I used for the dress is one that I bought from Hobby Craft store. I loved the ditsy floral print and although I had many other fabrics waiting to be sewn, I couldn't resist it. It's quilting cotton and has some stiffness. For a garment for an adult I would definetely go for fine and drapey fabric, but for kids garment I can easily use quilting cotton.<br />
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I have decided that my next challenge would be sewing with knits. I have very little experience with them and even have bought a book on that. Having a small collection of knits, I think it's time to put them into use.Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-43902530727039642512015-03-27T15:59:00.001-07:002015-03-27T15:59:28.632-07:00A "Frozen" inspired dressIt was shortly before last Christmas when the whole family went to the cinema to watch "Frozen". After good reviews from friends I thought that maybe my son was already old enough to understand the film. I expected my two-year-old daughter to get bored really quickly and twist in her seat most of the time. To my suprise it was my little girl who watched the movie with greater interest, mersmerised by the beautiful animation. It's a girl's kind of movie. Honestly, I don't know a little girl who doesn't love it. <br />
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Anyway, my daughter definitely didn't understand the story, but she loved the songs. She was dancing around to them using her little blanket as a cape. So I thought I could sew her a princess dress to wear at home whenever she wanted to feel as a princess. <br />
Initially I didn't plan to be "Frozen" kind of dress, it could be any suitable colour.<br />
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But then I came across this beautiful snowflake organza fabric in a local fabric shop. I bought 1 metre polyester fabric and 1 metre snowflake organza. Now I think I should have bought a little bit more to make the skirt with more gathers and maybe have added netting fabric under the skirt for more fullness.<br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-51647893571180216152015-03-05T13:25:00.001-08:002015-03-05T13:25:32.326-08:00Hair clips I love spending my time sewing and making patterns but often those spare time gaps during the day are so short that by the time I get my sewing stuff out, lay it on the table and get ready to start, it's almost time to do the school run, or my toddler wakes up from her afternoon nap or something else needs my attention.<br />
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For that reason I needed some really quick projects, something that I could make in these precious twenty minutes when it's quiet and there are no other distractions.<br />
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These small felt hair clips turned to be the perfect project. They are so quick and easy to make.<br />
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Till recently I had never used a hot glue gun, but now I can't imagine not having one. It's so useful in making accessories.<br />
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My daughter loves the hairclips, although she plays with them more than she wears them. I am lucky that I managed to photograph them all. You can find them around the house in the most unusual places. Yesterday I found one of them in my son's school bag and another one in his pencil case.<br />
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It all started from the fabric. I liked the shiny taffeta and the first thing I imagined was a skirt. The stiffness of the fabric would be great for achieving shape. So here is what I made for myself : a very gathered party skirt.<br />
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The skirt is knee length, with an invisible zip on the back. For the construction I used three rectangles - one for the front and two for the back skirt. I haven't added flare as I wanted to keep things as simple as possible. I have decided that this would be a quick project (not that quick in the end). <br />
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Unfortunately, that skirt is not a garment I would be wearing very often. It would probably gather dust in the wardrobe for a year before the next wear. Next time I sew for myself I will make something for an everyday wear.<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-12320911187430951592014-12-24T07:35:00.000-08:002014-12-24T07:35:40.855-08:00The handmade gifts from granny and grandadI have always loved handmade gifts. How dear is to receive something in which much thought and love and effort has been put in.<br />
I wished my children realized that and appreciated the lovely handmade toys their granny and grandad hade made for them this year. For now such appreciation is not seen, as I they are too young, but hopefully with time they will learn to.<br />
I remember that a few weeks ago I mentioned to my dad that the kids liked playing with playdough, always "cooking" something with it - a pizza, spaghetti, cakes and much more and I was wondering whether to get them a little play kitchen for Christmas. That's when my dad decided to make one for them. That was going to be his surprise for them when they come to stay for Christmas.<br />
So here it is. Ready for them to play.<br />
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No need to say that they love it. They haven't said it but you could see it from their being around it most of the time. It never looks that tidy of course, they are really messy cooks!<br />
I forgot to mention that the kitchen didn't cost a penny as my dad used some wooden boards he had left from something else.<br />
In addition he made a little doll's bed.<br />
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My mum made a little mattress, a pillow and two sheets for it. She even found the time to stitch a little applique.<br />
I can't say I was suprised to see the wooden toys they had made. When I was a child they often used to make stuff for us - little wooden chairs and a table, a doll's bed, my mum had sewn clothes for my dolls and even knitted jumpers for them. Most of our pillowcases and duvet covers were decorated with beautiful appliques. That's where my interest in sewing and crafting must have come from.<br />
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Merry Christmas!<br />
<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-4627457065620772602014-12-21T03:19:00.000-08:002014-12-22T14:32:24.686-08:00Ready for a partyThe party season is here and we are ready for it. With Christmas, New Year and Eva's birthday and another birthday in line I couldn't resist making something special for her. Here it is - a taffeta dress in a princess style with a full skirt, pleat detail on the front, capped sleeves and full back button fastening.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3gsaB9YBKw/VJadNwKJBSI/AAAAAAAAA-8/lk6ibgO5tuY/s1600/Party%2Bdress%2B4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3gsaB9YBKw/VJadNwKJBSI/AAAAAAAAA-8/lk6ibgO5tuY/s1600/Party%2Bdress%2B4.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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I used the taffeta fabric and the black lace that I bought in Bulgaria not long ago (I wrote about them in my <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-new-fabrics.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>). The taffeta fabric is amazing. It is 'chameleon' fabric as it changes its colour according to the light. Just check how different it looks on these two photos.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGB21JkS45U/VJadZqsoNPI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/cC7oIUuwEkk/s1600/Party%2Bdress%2B7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGB21JkS45U/VJadZqsoNPI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/cC7oIUuwEkk/s1600/Party%2Bdress%2B7.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"cool" purple </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jQwsZU09VeU/VJadgrwn2YI/AAAAAAAAA_c/o4Amwaq7JEk/s1600/Party%2Bdress%2B8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jQwsZU09VeU/VJadgrwn2YI/AAAAAAAAA_c/o4Amwaq7JEk/s1600/Party%2Bdress%2B8.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">''warm'' purple</td></tr>
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I wanted to use the lace in the dress but wasn't sure where to attach it. It took me a week or two to decide what the design to be - the cute detail on the front, sleeveless or not, with zipper or with buttons.<br />
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This is the first time I sew a fully lined garment. When I finished the dress I realized that I should have used facings on the back openning. Everytime I finish something I see that I could have done it better. Then I get that right in my next project, but something new comes up.<br />
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Instead of making the classic capped sleeves I came up with the idea of these two piece sleeves.<br />
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The Buttons. Well, they compliment the dress well, but the downside is that they cost almost as much as the dress fabric itself. I didn't have time to wait for delivery from a webshop and headed to my nearest Hobby Craft store. There wasn't a great choice and I picked these ones. I like them but I think five pounds for 8 buttons is a bit too expensive.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MnPnmsTqgms/VJadzdg9tmI/AAAAAAAABAE/uMmMf2Ex080/s1600/Party_dress_2%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MnPnmsTqgms/VJadzdg9tmI/AAAAAAAABAE/uMmMf2Ex080/s1600/Party_dress_2%5B1%5D.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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It was fun watching my daughter wearing the dress as she kept playing with the skirt, lifting it and twisting it. Now I plan to sew a black jersey blouse for her to wear underneath.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made a matching bow hairclip as well</td></tr>
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This dress was definitely not a quick sew, but I really enjoy making it.<br />
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Thanks for reading and come back again!Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-22800204066375209052014-11-16T14:35:00.000-08:002014-11-16T14:35:13.673-08:00My new fabricsI got myself some new fabrics. And although sewing could hardly make its way into my daily routine recently, I still dreamed of fabribs and what I could possibly make with them. <br />
I went back to Bulgaria for a week and I couldn't imagine not going to a fabric shop to stock on some new dressmaking fabrics, which were much cheaper than buying in UK. <br />
So I came back with this little bundle. And I feel happy just by looking at it...<br />
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I forgot to add that beautiful polyester taffeta fabric to the bundle. Lustrous and crisp it would make a great skirt.<br />
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And now a closer look at the fabris in the bundle.<br />
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This is polyester taffeta in beautiful plum tone that changes according to the light. I love it. I plan to make it into a dress for my little girl. I bought some matching lining for it as well. <br />
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Here is a piece of beautiful black lace. It 's a small piece (app 50/50 cm ), which was left over from a dress the shop owner had made for a client. Most of the fabric shops were in fact little dressmaking and amending ateliers, which also stocked some fabrics. So when I asked the shop owner how much it cost, she kindly offered to give it to me.<br />
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Here I have some cotton jersey in dark pink. It's very soft and stretchy. I could make a dress or tunic for my Eva with it.<br />
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Another knit fabric in grey. Very soft and drapey, I think it was made from rayon. Still not sure what I would do with it as it was the end of the bolt and measured app 1.20 m, but I just loved the way it hung.<br />
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And lastly, this gorgeous woven fabric which has some cashmere in it. It is quite thick and would be perfect for a little coat. I got some lining, as well.<br />
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All I need now is to find some spare time to get sewing...<br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-40153968824911813672014-10-08T15:34:00.000-07:002014-10-08T15:34:01.800-07:00A little baby giftA friend of mine had a baby girl recently. She has always liked my creations so I thought I could surprise her with a little stitched up gift.<br />
My first idea was to make a little baby dress. But then.... I remembered how tiny newborns were. How on earth I was going to sew such a tiny outfit. And the fact that babies grew so quickly meant that it would probably end up being worn once or twice.<br />
For these reasons I decided to go for something more practical - fabric storage bin. Who doesn't need one?!<br />
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In the past I had made one fabric bin with baby feet applique in blue (<a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/05/quilted-fabric-bins-with-cute-appliques.html" target="_blank">here</a>) so this time I could make one in pink (or coral in fact) for a girl.<br />
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I wanted to add something else to the present so I stitched up a hanging ornament for the baby room. The idea about this came when I saw a hanging moon ornament from An from Straight Grain.<br />
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To make the ornaments, I laid two layers of fabric with some polyester waddling in between and followed the shapes I had drawn on the fabric with a decorative machine stitch. Then I trimmed the excess fabric and waddling. It worked better than I thought it would. <br />
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I attached strings and some beads. I added the beads in an attempt to take the attention away from the little knots I had to make on the strings. I hope that they are not so noticeable.<br />
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Baby gift mission completed!<br />
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Now I am in a process of sewing a duvet cover and a pillowcase for my son's bed. Half an year ago I bought some cotton fabric(I wrote about it <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-trip-to-fabric-hotspot.html" target="_blank">here</a>) with the clear idea to make it into a bedding set and I finally got to do that. But I do it with a really slow pace. Today, all I managed to do was to machine stitch the buttonholes. Tomorrow I hope to get the chance to sew the buttons.<br />
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And before finishing the post I would like to share with you some beautiful words I read tonight in a book given to my son at school for home reading. It is about a mummy monster who goes to the little monster's bed and thinking it was sleeping whispered to him :<br />
" I love you my darling,<br />
I love you my Small,<br />
But there's so much to do in the day<br />
That it's hard to sit down and to make enough time<br />
To say all of the things I should say.<br />
And it's funny, but now that you're sleeping<br />
And everything's quiet and calm<br />
The words seem to be much more easy to speak.<br />
You're everything I always dreamed of<br />
You've got so much beauty inside<br />
The way that you smile, that you laugh, that you dance<br />
Makes my heart want to sing out with pride.<br />
You live as though life's one huge present<br />
Unwrapping a bit every day<br />
That's just how we should be living, my love<br />
And look at you showing the way!<br />
And sometimes I know when I scold you<br />
You feel that I'm being unfair<br />
But please understand that it's just out of love.<br />
There are things in this life that can hurt you<br />
They come to us all - that I know.<br />
But they all give us chances to learn, darling Small<br />
And they all give us chances to grow.<br />
So when you get knocked down, my sweetheart<br />
Look up at the sky without fear<br />
For sometimes we need to be flat on our backs<br />
Before starlight begins to appear.<br />
And please, above all else remember<br />
Keep love in your heart, little one<br />
Reach out to the world like a beautiful flower<br />
Stretches out to the warmth of the sun.<br />
It's the only sure way to be happy<br />
The only sure way to be free.<br />
Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams<br />
And you'll be what you dream you can be.<br />
My beautiful, wonderful, glorious child<br />
You light up my world. "<br />
The little monster heard it all and drifted to sleep with a big smile.<br />
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Very touching and heart-warming tale (at least for me). Unfortunatelly, my son who is four and a half couldn't get to the point of it. Partly because english is not his first language and partly because it probably sounds boring to him. He was more interested in the illustrations and kept interrupting my reading asking me other questions. <br />
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By the way the book is called "I love you, little monster" by Giles Andreae and Jess Mikhail.<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-61353936509252545942014-09-07T14:36:00.000-07:002014-09-07T14:36:11.074-07:00A casual summer wrap skirtAbout two months ago I sewed <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/07/what-i-sewed-for-my-mums-birthday.html" target="_blank">this top</a> for my mum as part of the birthday present. While rummaging into her wardrobe I found out that none of her skirts made a good match with the top. That's how I decided to sew a skirt. I had some orangish fabric left over from the top. It is light and drapey polycotton fabric.<br />
So here is the outcome. <br />
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It's a wrap skirt with longer waistband which continues into ties. <br />
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My aim was to create a skirt that would fit snugly and at the same time wouldn't require great precision and a lot of fittings when making it. All my pattern making and cutting tools were left behind at my home and all I had were pins, a pair of scissors and 30cm long ruler. I missed my cutting mat, rotary cutter and drafting ruler.<br />
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What I like most about this skirt, is that it could be worn in more than one way. The ties could be on the side, on the front or even on the back. I personally prefer 'ties on the side' look. I wish I had got the different looks photographed, but it didn't come to my mind at that time. I was lucky to get even these photos done as my little one was clinging to my arm, constantly moaning.<br />
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The funny thing was that after I made the skirt and paired it with the top, it didn't turn up the way I expected. The blouse was way too wide for the skirt and when tucked in, it created bulk. So in the end, I had to pair it with another blouse.Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-32141981397001217432014-08-16T15:23:00.002-07:002014-08-16T15:23:40.820-07:00Pretty owls summer dressHello! Summer is not over yet, so I have taken the opportunity to sew another summer dress for Eva. Dresses have always been my favourite garments to design and sew.<br />
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It all started with two fabrics in mind - the pretty owl fabric from "Nested Owls" collection by Addornit (I wrote about it<a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-parcel-full-of-fabric-loveliness.html" target="_blank"> here</a>) and the red mini polka-dot fabric by Sevenberry. I thought they would go well together so I started planning what I could turn them into. They both are 100% cotton and have a little a bit stiffness which is great for adding some volume to a garment.<br />
For a week or so I couldn't decide on the style. I envisaged a little dress, coquette and with an interesting <br />
detail.<br />
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For some reason my daughter didn't want to try the dress while still in the making. I would try to persuade her to wear it so I could do some measurements but she wouldn't try. What if she refused to wear the dress once it was all sewn up and ready. It would be a shame to have spent so much time designing, drafting, cutting and sewing something that could never be worn.<br />
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Luckily, once the dress was completed, washed and ironed, she willingly let me dress her in it. I was more than happy as believe it or not that little girl could be very stubborn and picky.<br />
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To make the dress hang nicely I opted for a decorative finish of the hemline. That was the best I could achieve with my mum's sewing machine (which to put it mildly could be unmanageable at times).<br />
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I used snaps to close the side of the dress. They are so practical and easy to sew that I wonder why I haven't used any before. For me one of the most important things to consider when sewing for the kids is the easy wearing of the garment. Because if wearing is complicated, kids quickly get annoyed and they might never want to wear that garment again. I remember when a few years ago my boy couldn't take one of his jumpers off and got panicked so I had to cut through it. After that for a period of time, he was scared everytime he was wearing something through his head.
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She already has so many summer clothes but that didn't stop me from making another one. What better than a light and comfortable dress that allows enough ease for running and jumping on the hot summer days. And you know, a girl could never have too many dresses!<br />
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In fact I sewed the dress a few weeks ago, but just couldn't sit down and blog it.<br />
It is a very simple dress with two asymetric pleats on the front which meet just at the neckline. For this dress I actually drew a simple A-line dress with no pleats. Then I made two asymetric pleats on a piece of the chosen fabric (the piece had to be big enough to cut the front piece from it). I placed the front pattern onto the pleated fabric, adjusting it a bit and cut out the front piece.<br />
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The fabric I have used is pure cotton from "Dainty Blossoms" collection by Carina Gardner for Riley Blake. It is the same print but in different colour which I used for <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/06/one-more-girls-summer-hat.html" target="_blank">this summer hat</a>.<br />
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I even made a button loop on the back of the dress, using<a href="http://oliverands.com/blog/2010/09/thread-chain-tutorial.html" target="_blank"> this tutorial from Oliver + S</a>.<br />
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If I had to give this dress a name that had to be "Lara" dress :) I like having some music on when I sew and while making this dress I was hooked on Lara Fabian' songs. Listening to some music and sewing - my perfect spending of leisure time! What is yours?Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-14856426704140448332014-07-09T15:10:00.000-07:002014-07-09T15:10:15.185-07:00What I sewed for my mum's birthdayHow do you choose a present for someone special? Do you usually plan it well ahead or leave it for the last moment?<br />
For me personally choosing presents for children is easy but choosing presents for adults could sometimes be a torture. I am a fan of practical presents. I don't want to clutter up someone's home with beautiful but unusable gifts. Maybe because I don't like receiving such.<br />
Anyway, my mum's birthday was a month ago and that was a good reason to get creative and make something special for her.<br />
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In fact, the initial idea was to buy her something, but with two little "helpers" with me on the shopping trip, the only thing that I would have come back home with was lots of stress and probably no present. <br />
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Just like me, my mum loves clothes. We have similar taste for clothes and I knew it had to be something simple with a little twist.<br />
That simple thing I decided to be a short sleeved top(which I drew using a vest of mine as a guide - luckily we are almost the same size) made with two contrasting fabrics and "crooked bamboo seams" on the front. The "crooked bamboo seams" is improvisational pleats technique which I saw<a href="http://birchfabrics.blogspot.com.es/2014/03/tutorial-improvisational-pleating-3.html" target="_blank"> here</a> and I loved it . The fabrics are lightweight polycotton and fall really well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The necklace was also a part of my present. I grabbed one for myself as well.</td></tr>
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If you wonder whether my mum has liked the present, to be honest I don't know. I just hope she has. She has worn it once so far. Now I am planning to sew a knee-lenght skirt to go with it. I will probably use that orangish (??? how do you actually call this colour?) fabric for it. <br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-64773281372901510302014-06-25T14:38:00.000-07:002014-06-26T01:34:59.342-07:00Another summer hatWow! A few weeks since my last post here... Time has been flying...<br />
The last few weeks I have been taking it slowly and spending less time in front of the computer. That doesn't mean that I have given myself a break from sewing. I just didn't have the opportunity to photograph my recent creations. By the way I have been fascinated by the beautiful and quality photographs of some other bloggers. <br />
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One of the latest things I made was something for my mum's birthday, but more on this in a future post.<br />
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Another thing I made was a summer hat for my daughter.<br />
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Yes, another sunhat!<br />
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If you have seen the previous two sunhats I had sewn (<a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-boys-sunhat.html" target="_blank">one for my boy</a> and <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/04/making-sunhat-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">one for my girl</a>), you have probably started thinking that I am addicted to sewing hats. Well, I am not. And although I have already made three of them I can say they just don't bring me that excitement as the one I get with creating garments. I was just trying to be practical and sew things that were needed.<br />
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<a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/04/making-sunhat-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">The blue hat</a> has been much worn so I decided to make another one in pink to go with her swimsuits and some of her clothes.<br />
For the making I used a cotton fabric from "Dainty Blossoms" collection by Carina Gardner for Riley Blake. I didn't want to make exactly the same style as the first one. I wished to try something new.<br />
The pink hat featured a wide brim like the blue one, but this time the crown of the hat consisted of several triangle pieces joined together. <br />
To draw the pattern I used an old favourite summer hat of mine which my mum had kept over the years.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My old little summer hat</td></tr>
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I liked how the new hat turned out in terms of shape and execution, but was disappointed to see that it was bigger for my girl's head. And the annoying thing was that I actually started making it right but somehow got concerned it would be too tight on the head and added another little triangle to the crown, which I regret now. One or two more years before she could wear it....What a pity!<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-70708789429096424692014-06-02T14:31:00.000-07:002014-07-09T15:13:22.731-07:00The new addition to my daughter's handmade wardrobe - little green trousersFirstly, I would like to thank to all who voted for my golden dress in the Improvisational Pleats Contest. It was fun taking part in it and seeing what other ladies have come up with.<br />
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Now back to my latest project.<br />
It's already a fact - I have sewn my first trousers. <br />
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I am not sure why it took me so long to try my hand at making trousers. Somehow I always ended up making tops and dresses and never trousers or shorts. I suspect it was my conviction that it wouldn't be easy to achieve a good fit. <br />
Well, starting with toddler trousers was a good point as they were more undemanding to make. <br />
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I drafted the trousers pattern myself. If you have followed me you would probably know that I don't like using shop bought patterns. It takes half of the pleasure of the whole process.<br />
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For my first trousers I chose not to make a front opening and insert a zipper. I added elastic on the back waist and incorporated two pleats on each front side. I thought this would make trousers look more stylish and less babyish. <br />
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I had a dilemma whether to attach a separate waistband or just to fold at the waist. Well, I decided on the second option. And guess what?.....I forgot to put the fusible interfacing to the waistband. This is the second time I forget about the interfacing when making a garment! I am really mad at myself for being so forgetful.<br />
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There is a little pocket flap on the back, without a real pocket. Toddlers don't need pockets on the back, right? They can't even reach them!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"These trousers are so comfortable that I can exersise in them!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I can run really fast in them!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XOdmhja3bNw/U4zht08oFBI/AAAAAAAAA0k/W9zy5E1kzQg/s1600/DSC08855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XOdmhja3bNw/U4zht08oFBI/AAAAAAAAA0k/W9zy5E1kzQg/s1600/DSC08855.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"They are not making my bottom look too big, aren't they?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bvr2Du93_F0/U4zh3m2j97I/AAAAAAAAA00/lsiLkQ5XEX8/s1600/DSC08859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bvr2Du93_F0/U4zh3m2j97I/AAAAAAAAA00/lsiLkQ5XEX8/s1600/DSC08859.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This photoshoot is exhausting!"</td></tr>
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For the trousers I used lightweight green cotton fabric which I bought from Bulgaria not long ago. It was for clearance and was unbelievably priced at 2 leva/metre which was around 80pence/metre. Now I wished I had bought all of it. I was told that it was cotton but the cheap price makes me wonder whether it could be polycotton instead. Next time when I go to Bulgaria, I intend to stock on some more cheap fabrics. The downside is that I can't actually find good printed cottons. There are mainly polyester and single-coloured fabrics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-radjnQk5RNw/U4zhyxWJoAI/AAAAAAAAA0s/kqac7xqNVmw/s1600/DSC08837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-radjnQk5RNw/U4zhyxWJoAI/AAAAAAAAA0s/kqac7xqNVmw/s1600/DSC08837.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ok, I am off now!"</td></tr>
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Thanks for reading!Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-39959990169824709852014-05-24T02:51:00.000-07:002014-05-24T05:58:07.121-07:00Golden Dress and Improvisional Pleating contest<br />
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I have mentioned before that I have been making a dress for my friend's four year old daughter. I wanted to make something special, which she could eventually wear on her birthday party. She is the kind of girl who loves wearing princess dresses and appreciate things like tiaras and other accessories, so I wanted her to feel like a little princess.<br />
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Luckily she is the same age as my son, which made things easier when I was drafting the dress.<br />
I had chosen a simple shape and was wondering what detail I could add to it to look more impressive. That was when I saw The Improvisational Pleats Tutorial by An from Straight Grain and quite liked the ideas. They were all so easy to make and at the same time produced such a nice look. That was what I wanted for the dress.<br />
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For this project I used golden coloured fabric, which I suspected was polyester satin. I got that fabric from a fabric shop in Bulgaria an year ago. <br />
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It wasn't easy to sew with this fabric as it was very slippery and fraying. And because the dress would go as a present to someone else I had to be even more careful while sewing it. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MErAaLJykxQ/U4BnGCaTJnI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/HihqfYgehX8/s1600/DSC09020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MErAaLJykxQ/U4BnGCaTJnI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/HihqfYgehX8/s1600/DSC09020.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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The dress participates in Improvisational Pleating Contest organised by An from <a href="http://www.straight-grain.com/" target="_blank">Straight Grain</a> and Birch Fabrics and if you like it you could vote for it <a href="http://www.straight-grain.com/2014/05/time-to-vote" target="_blank">here</a>. The contest ends on May, 26 10pm. <br />
Thank you in advance for your vote! The winner would receive three yards of Flight Voile Fabrics from Birch which are really gorgeous and I would be more than happy to sew something with them. That's why I need your help.<br />
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I must confess that although it's a challenge to sew an occasion dress, it somehow feels unjustified to spend so much time making something which could possibly ends up being worn only once or twice. I find it more satisfying sewing practical and useful clothes that would be worn over and over again.<br />
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Anyway, expect more fotos of the little birthday princess wearing the dress. Fingers crossed that it would fit her well! I am also planning a hair accessory for it, so come back and check out these days.<br />
Thank you for reading!<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-261972023610882092014-05-17T14:38:00.000-07:002014-05-17T14:38:00.603-07:00Quilted fabric bins with cute appliques<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two years ago I still hadn't heard of freehand machine stitching. <br />
Then I came across Poppy Treffry's book "Free and Easy Stitch style" on Amazon, liked the cover pictures and bought it. And I wasn't disappointed. I liked her style of uneven stitching and rough edges. They made things look even cuter. <br />
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Around that time I had my baby daughter. I needed a kind of storage bin/box where to keep some nappies, nappy bags, nappy cream and moisturiser handy and organised in our living room where we mostly spent the day. I got fed up of always looking for any of them when changing my baby's nappy . And although spare time was a luxury for me I decided to make myself a fabric storage bin. My baby girl had colics and would sleep mostly in my arms during the day. I remember how I drew and cut the applique motifs while I was cuddling my sleeping girl. I was trying to figure out if there was a way I could sew on the sewing machine while holding her. I even tried a sling so I could have my hands free. Unfortunately she didn't like being in a sling so I just had to steal some time here and there to complete my project. <br />
First I made the ''apple, pear and cherry'' fabric bin. I used linen fabric, polka dot fabrics and cotton wadding.<br />
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I liked the result and another storage bin followed, this time the theme was cupcakes.<br />
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And then baby feet storage bin.. <br />
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I was planning to do a fabric bin with pink baby feet applique as well, but I ran out of linen fabric. For some time it was out of stock. When it finally came in stock and I ordered it turned out slightly different linen fabric. A bit disappointing for me..<br />
Now I have plans to do a big fabric bin for the kids' dirty laundry but I still haven't decided on the applique theme. I have two ideas on my mind. The first one would feature houses, cars, trees and the second one - beach huts and boats. Hopefully one of them gets accomplished soon. <br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
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Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-74696115860022171782014-05-07T12:38:00.000-07:002014-05-07T12:38:17.635-07:00New projects on the way and some new trimmings and buttonsI haven't been posting much recently but this doesn't mean I haven't been sewing. I have been working on two new projects. The first one is a pair of trousers for my little daughter. This would be my first time sewing trousers and I feel pretty excited.<br />
I wish they were ready and I could show them but the first toile I made was a disaster- it was so wide that my girl looked like a clown. She looked so hilarious in them that me and my mum had a really good laugh watching her moving around in them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The toile for the trousers</td></tr>
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Now I have to alter the pattern and would probably skip making another toile and move directly to sewing the trousers as I get too inpatient to finish them. I already have a certain fabric in mind, something lightweight and drapey.<br />
The second project I have been working on is a kind of a party dress for one little princess who has a birthday soon. I have done the pattern, picked the fabric, bought an invisible zipper and even ordered some lining fabric today. Once it arrives I will start sewing it. The girl is the same age as my son, so I used him to fit the dress. I just hope it would fit the girl as well. <br />
And finally here are some white trimmings I bought a week ago. As usual I didn't have any idea where or when I would use them. I think they would make a good addition to a white feminine blouse (one day).<br />
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And some colourful buttons...for cheerful outfits..<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-82383086854680027912014-04-26T13:38:00.000-07:002014-04-26T13:38:17.111-07:00A Boy's sunhat <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This holiday it was all about hats for me. After making a sunhat for my little girl, it was my boy's turn to get a new hat. As I didn't have any boyish fabrics, I had to buy a quarter meter of some fabric, suitable for boys. I went to a local fabric shop and came across this "elephant" one and thought it could be made into a hat.<br />
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Although it looked simple to make I must confess that I had to make two tester hats before I got the size right. <br />
Now that the sunhat is ready I keep thinking that it would have looked better if I included a strip of white fabric or white piping to make the hat more attractive. <br />
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The thing I like most about making this hat is that it's something very practical and I'm sure it would be worn a lot during summer.Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-58091714884945030892014-04-20T08:49:00.000-07:002014-04-20T08:50:52.375-07:00Easter ornamentsThe last few months I have focused on sewing garments, rather than things for the home. There was time when I used to unlash my creativity by making ornaments, accessories for the home, but since my daughter was born I rediscovered my love for sewing clothes. My affinity for children's clothes has been growing since then. Little daughters could be such inspiration for mummy sewers.<br />
This Easter I was busy making <a href="http://www.sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/04/making-sunhat-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">sunhats</a>, but I thought I might share some of the Easter creations I made a few years ago.<br />
Here is little hand emboidered bird house<br />
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For their making I have used natural linen fabric, polka dot pastel fabrics and jute string. I just love the combination of them. <br />
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and here are some polka dot chicks and a bunny<br />
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And finally a linen table runner with four placemats, all hemmed and embroidered by hand. I gave this to my mom as she adored it.<br />
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Have a happy Easter!Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-63127164035893988002014-04-15T14:29:00.000-07:002014-04-20T10:21:22.651-07:00Making a sunhat for a first time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Being in a warm and sunny place where sunshine is not luxury has inspired me to sew my first sunhat for Eva.<br />
Two weeks ago I was looking for sunhats for my children. I came across this lovely girl's hat in Asda, but there were only large sizes left.<br />
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I grabbed one with the intention to use it as a model for constructing a similar one which would fit my little girl's head.<br />
It's definitely not a difficult thing to make, but maybe because it was the first time I made a hat, I could see that I had made a few mistakes, luckily not so noticeable.<br />
These are the two tester hats I made. I made this one first<br />
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then tried adding some flares and that was the result <br />
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I decided to use the flared shape for her sunhat, as it looked more girly. Now I think that I might use the first shape to make a hat for my boy as well.<br />
My fabric choice for the hat would be something neutral, like the one from Asda, which would match most of the clothes. I went to two local fabric shops to hunt some fabric, but priced at 15-18 euros/ metre seemed two much, so I went back home and looked again at the very few fabrics I had kept at my parents home. Finally I picked the one with blue flowers, although it wasn't neutral (If you have been following the blog you would have seen this fabric before<a href="http://www.sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-first-dress-i-sewyears-ago.html" target="_blank"> here</a> and <a href="http://www.sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/03/another-peter-pan-top.html" target="_blank">here</a>)<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-27529433085817802832014-04-09T15:01:00.001-07:002014-04-20T10:21:47.110-07:00"Tiny flowers" summer tunic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love summer clothes. They are more comfortable and also easier to make. I could't wait for the weather to start warming up so I could begin to plan out some new additions to the summer wardrobe of my little girl (and if I get the chance for me as well).<br />
As we are heading to a warmer place for the Easter holidays I thought I would make a short-sleeved blouse/tunic for Eva.<br />
It all started with this..<br />
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and ended like this..<br />
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I used two of the fabrics I had bought on my recent trip to Goldhawk road fabric shops. They were pure cotton and very easy to work with. Despite that, the whole project took longer than I thought as folding all the little pleats evenly turned out a fiddly job. <br />
The other task that usually delays my work is handstitching the hems prior to machine stitching. It's time consuming, but it makes machine stitching much easier and straightforward afterwards.<br />
Not long ago a friend of mine mentioned to me that she was watching The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC2 every week. The series followed ten amateur sewers who faced different challenges every week. Shte thought it might be interesting for me to watch. And indeed it was, but it made me realize again just how slow I tackled my sewing projects, which made me feel a bit cringeful. I really have to try to be more organized and concentrated.<br />
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And this time I couldn't do without a flower accessory. Initially I planned a hairband with a flower, but once the blouse was finished I thought it might work better if placed on it.<br />
It could go either here <br />
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or here<br />
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Which look do you prefer? I will attach the flower permanently as repinning it might damage the fabric.<br />
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And again the most difficult part were my attempts to take photo of my little daughter wearing the blouse. After half an hour chasing her around the room with the camera and telling my boy for a hundredth time to stay out of camera's view (I didn't want his blue pyjamas showing in the background of the photo) I ended up with an empty battery and lots of blurred pictures. <br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-9387673993545351812014-03-31T12:49:00.000-07:002014-04-01T02:03:37.328-07:00Another Peter Pan top<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It feels so nice to see your project finished and to be pleased with the result. <br />
A few weeks ago I asked a friend of mine to draw a top or a dress she would like me to sew for her daughter as a present for her approaching birthday. She told me she liked the Peter Pan collar (from <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/03/crazy-chevron-top.html" target="_blank">"Crazy Chevron" top</a>) and that she also loved that blue fabric I had used for the <a href="http://sewprettywitty.blogspot.com/2014/03/ocean-blue-dress.html" target="_blank">"Ocean blue" dress</a>. I had a little bit left of the fabric, just enough for a top. That's how this project started.<br />
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Her pretty daughter turnes five so I had to grade down from size 7 to size 5. This was the first time I practiced grading. I wasn't quite sure whether it would work well, but it turned out it did. The only correction I had to do was to raise the neckline. <br />
To complete the look I made two fabric flowers. If you have been following my blog you probably know that I like to make matching accessories to the garments. It is weird because I like accessories, but rarely put any on, as I am usually in a rush and don't have time to rummage around.<br />
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The initial idea was to make one flower with one layer of blue petals and another layer of smaller petals from the other fabric on the top. But when I started making it, it failed to produce the look I wanted, so instead I made two separate flowers. <br />
They were intended to be used for hair, but while I was taking photos of my friend's daughter, she came up with the idea to accessorize the top with them. I love it when something happens to be so versatile.<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8296218160480586127.post-68895707198330603312014-03-25T15:11:00.002-07:002014-03-25T15:11:50.513-07:00My unfinished bright quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last few days I've been working on another top featuring Peter Pan collar, which I will add to the birthday present of one little five year old lady. My progress on the top has been so slow that I still can't show you a finished garment, so I thought I'd share with you another project of mine which has been waiting patiently on my 'To-do' list for nearly two and a half years. It's a quilt, which I started making and still haven't finished. <br />
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It all started nearly three years ago when I was browsing Emma's Fabric Studio online shop and admired the lovely printed fabrics there, trying to choose which one to buy. As there were lovely bundles as well, I decided to pick a bundle. After much time spent on looking and hesitating which one to pick, I chose "Happier" by Deena Rutter. At that time I still didn't sew clothes for kids as I had only a boy and somehow sewing boy's clothes never looked that appealing to me as sewing for girls (sometimes I feel guilty because of that, like it is not fair that my girl only gets handmade clothes, so I try to compensate that by sewing other things for my boy).<br />
I thought sewing a quilt for the cot would be a good idea - functional and brightening any bedroom. I have always liked bright colours, but when I started joining the pieces for the quilt, I found it too bright and chaotic looking than I actually wanted to. I liked the fabrics separately but when mixed together, there seemed too many different prints on one place. So that was how it ended up being abandoned. <br />
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Now I plan to finish this quilt when I get the chance. I don't think I will use it as the kid's room has been recently painted in blue and pale pink tones. It feels a bit sad to make something that ends up being unusable. I hope I will find someone who will like it the way it is.<br />
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<br />Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09773508732930412932noreply@blogger.com0