Assorted Notions

Bunny rabbit toddler Halloween costume

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:02:00 +0000

Hi again. Oh, didn't I tell you I'm going for the "Least Updated Blog of 2011" award? I think I have a pretty good chance of winning that one...

Unfortunately I've got no big news or juicy gossip to excuse my absence. My sewing machine has been gathering dust save for a few projects here and there.

Halloween was my last big project at the sewing machine. Since this is probably the last time I can decide what costume L will wear (by next year she'll surely be much more opinionated), I brainstormed an outfit that would meet the following requirements:
- warm enough for wearing outside, and able to wear layers underneath
- minimal fuss to put on a toddler
- can be assembled using stash fabrics

Inspired by this rabbit costume I found on Etsy, I fell in love with the idea of a long sleeved bunny rabbit suit. I was browsing through some old issues of Ottobre to find a good starting point when I found the entire costume drafted for me in the form of a "piglet coverall" winter bunting, only I needed to replace the small pig ears with long bunny ears, and replace the curly tail with a white fluffball.

Ottobre Autumn 2006, pattern #5 - piglet coverall

I raided my stash and settled on some heavy grey wool jersey - the Vera Wang stuff from Fabric.com that everyone went crazy over two years ago. This fabric turned out to be much thicker than I expected, better for outerwear than a top or a dress. The floral cotton print is from a thrifted bed sheet (because don't all moms who sew and blog eventually use a thrifted bed sheet in their children's garments?).

The legs and arms ended up being really long, but nothing some foldup action couldn't solve.

I was even thinking that I could reuse the costume next year, or share it with someone else in need of a bunny costume, until I threw it in the warm wash with my other laundry and it felted into a small, stiff, sad little outfit. Good thing I only spent one night making it.

Sewing swimwear - it's not as hard as you think!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 05:13:00 +0000

I am waaaay behind in getting my projects onto this blog! In late June, we flew to the East Coast for a weeklong vacation in Nantucket, meeting quite a few members of Tim's family there. It was my first time there and I absolutely loved it! Not only because it was our first taste of Summer 2011, but the island is just so picturesque and lovely.

If you love beach cottage style, Nantucket is your heaven. We rented bikes one afternoon and took L out for her first ride. She actually fell asleep during the ride! She did great during the whole trip, but naps? Fugetaboutit. So pretty much anytime we got in the car (or on a bike!), she was out.

I wanted some new swimwear for the trip. And I didn't want to spend hours in tiny dressing rooms with fluorescent lights trying on pieces that only half appealed to me. So I decided to try my hand at sewing swimwear. I figured the results couldn't be much worse than RTW.

The very first thing I did was arm myself with some knowledge about sewing swimwear. Two resources that helped pump me up:

1. Lori's Sew Forth Now podcast, Episode 5: Dive into Swimsuits. In this episode, she interviews Anne St Clair on the ins and outs of sewing swimwear. I highly recommend a listen if you are planning to sew swimwear! She talks about needles, stitch types, elastic, fabric stretch - all the details of swimwear.

2. Threads Magazine #131, the June/July 2007 issue has an article "Inside Secrets of a Swimsuit" that provides info similar to the podcast, and of course the pictures are helpful.

Patterns

I made the McCall's 5400 tankini and the McCall's 3566 boyshorts.

Fabrics
Milliskin Matte with 4-way stretch in Navy for the fashion fabric (it's a very nice, weighty material), and nylon lining (HSL-02) for the lining, both from Spandex House.

Notes on construction/alterations

McCalls 5400 tank, tied and untied

The tankini is fully lined and the pattern instructions are very clear, this turned out to be an easier project than I anticipated and could certainly be made in one evening if one is determined to do so. The front is made of two pieces with a horizontal seam just under the bust. You leave a slit in that seam at center front, then you put a tie through to cinch the center front together, creating a nice shape at the bust. There are separate pattern pieces for the upper front for A/B, C and D cup sizes.

I went to my local fabric shop to find bra cups, but they only had sew-in cups, which I didn't want. The wonderful saleswoman there tipped me off that if you go to the swimwear section of a large department store, they will often have random, orphan bra cups that they're willing to give to you - free! So I dutifully headed downtown to Seattle's favorite department store, and sure enough I was allowed to dig through a box of homeless swim bra cups. I found quite a few matching pairs and took 2 sets.

Now, if you sew this pattern as instructed, it won't accomodate removable bra cups, but it's easy to create a pocket for these. I cut a second lining piece for the upper front, but cut about an inch off at each side seam. Layer this with the regular lining piece for the upper front, and be sure to leave the narrower lining piece's sides free when you are sewing the side seams. You'll end up with a pocket where you will be able to slip the bra cups in.

The McCalls 3566 boyshorts were even easier to sew. Other reviews I've read of these boyshorts said that they run large, so I made a size 10 (I used a 12 in the tankini - and did quickie muslins of both to check the sizing). I took some height off the waistline and I took some length off the legs so they were more like a pair of RTW swim shorts that I like.

The pattern instructions advise you to line just the crotch, but instead I created a full lining.

Conclusion
Together, these pieces are somewhat reminiscent of a retro style suit. These simple styles were perfect for me to "dip my toes into" the world of sewing swimwear (pun intended). I have another pattern for a one-piece suit that I am hoping to tackle before a trip to Maui next month.

If you have been considering sewing swimwear, give it a try! At worst, you'll lose a half yard of fabric and a few hours of your time. More likely, you will probably end up with a half decent swimsuit!

Tutorial: Nursing alteration for t-shirt sewing pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 07:02:00 +0000

Can you stand another post in which I mention breastfeeding? Since this week is World Breastfeeding Week, I thought it would be a perfect time to show you my absolute favorite (and one of the very few) nursing tops that I made, and how you can make your own!

BurdaStyle Lydia 3197

About a year ago, my local BurdaStyle Sewing Club had a sew-along in which we all used the BurdaStyle Lydia t-shirt pattern to sew a top for ourselves. It was great to see everyone's interpretations. I used the pattern as a starting point for a top based on a RTW nursing top that I saw online (and can no longer find to show you, unfortunately...).

Fabric
Navy/cream striped fine sweater-knit cotton jersey purchased during Summer 2010 at Pacific Fabrics. The bolt was actually labelled "100% recycled cotton jersey" - recycled from what, I don't know...

Notes on construction/tutorial
I didn't take any photos during construction so hopefully words will suffice. I know, a tutorial with no photos is no fun. Sorry.

There are a few different ways you could make this style, but here's how I did it:

1. Cut out the front, back, and sleeves as normal. I altered mine by cutting a deeper front neckline and by cutting the side seams a bit wider with more of an A-line shape, and I also added length. During those first few post-partum months, I avoided anything fitted in the waist!

2. Cut a second front bodice piece, but not the full length - this will be the shorter, top layer of the bodice. You'll want it to fall at least a few inches below your bra band. For now it's better to cut it too long than too short, you can check the length in a bit. I'll refer to this as the "short front" and the other front bodice as the "long front".

3. Stitch the 2 fronts together at the neckline, with the wrong side of the "long front" facing the right side of the "short front". Turn so that the "short front" is laying on top of the "long front". You should be looking at the right side of the fabric on both pieces. Baste together at the shoulders.

4. Finish the neckline of the back bodice with your preferred method. I used a strip of the fashion fabric to bind the back neck, you could also just press the raw edge to the inside and topstitch.

5. Stitch the front and back bodices together at the shoulder seams. Stabilize those shoulder seams with some interfacing, if you're so inclined.

6. Now is a good time to check the length of the "short front". Baste the side seams together (we're still sleeveless at this point) and put the top on. You'll want the "short front" to provide a bit of coverage below your bust, but the final length is up to you. Cut off length to shorten if necessary.

7. Hem the "short front" with your preferred method. I decided to play with the direction of the stripes of my fabric and hemmed it with a narrow band. Baste the "short front" and "long front" together at the side seams.

8. Stitch the sleeves to the bodice. I always set my sleeves in flat when I'm working with knits.

9. Stitch the sleeve seams and side seams.

10. Hem the sleeves and bodice, again however you prefer. I used vertical stripe bands to hem my sleeves in order to complement the bodice.

11. Now put the top on and mark both bust points on the "long front". Take off the top and cut a small circle around each bust point. Smaller is better at first, you can always cut a larger circle if necessary but you can't go the other way! Initially I tried cutting just a slit instead of a circle, but that didn't provide great access for me, so I ended up with circles.

Voila! You are the proud owner of a stylish nursing top.

Conclusion
I get a lot of compliments on this top. From people who don't know it's a nursing top. (I think it's the stripes, actually.) It's so simple yet one of my favorite pieces I've ever made.

Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you have any questions about the construction!

June Burda Magazine tunic blouse

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:23:00 +0000

At long last, I finally got around to having Tim to snap some pictures of the June Burda top that I made.

This is the kind of garment that I just luuurve. My office is pretty casual, I work at a computer most of the day, so I wear it just like this both to work and on my days off.

Fabric
I used a cotton chambray that I bought from the Britex remnant table during their 2009 Black Friday sale when I was with my sewing BFFs Cindy and Leslie. It's heavenly, like something you'd expect too see in a nice men's shirt.

Notes on construction/alterations
It's your standard woven shirt construction, nothing that'll surprise you.

Anthropologie Puckered Pocket Blouse, $98

The front bodice has both a pleat and gathers where it meets the front yoke. The design is very similar to the Anthropologie Puckered Pocket Blouse, which has a pleat at the front yoke and also has pleated sleeves (and, interestingly, no pocket mentioned in the online description).

You are supposed to cut 2 back pieces, stitch them together at the CB line and topstitch along that seam. This is a straight seam and I accidentally cut it on the fold. I thought the back might look too plain, so I cut a 1" strip of my fashion fabric, tucked the raw edges under and topstitched it along what would have been the CB seam. It's kinda straight. Kinda.

Baby's in bed and mama's off to Trader Joe's

I guess I should also mention that the top 2 buttons are on the v-neck and not intended to be buttoned, I just included one of those.

Conclusion
Like I said, I love this shirt. Before I made this, I was all set to make the dress version too (style 105). Now I'm not so sure that'd I'd love it as a dress. We'll see.

---------

I have several other new pieces to share with you. Swimwear(!) for me, and clothes for the kiddo. Stay tuned.

Vogue's 2011 bestseller

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Photos from Style.com

Vogue 1224

You can now count me among the many who have made Vogue 1224, the Tracy Reese knit pullover dress that has won many hearts. It seems all seamstresses are pulling out their wild jersey prints for this one, and so did I.

Fabric
I used a lightweight rayon/lycra jersey, originally purchased Summer 2010 at Pacific Fabrics, a local fabric store chain.

Notes on construction/alterations
One feature of this dress is an elastic waist that hits probably at the natural waist or higher on most people. I noticed that many other reviewers of this pattern lengthened the bodice and lengthened the skirt, but I decided to keep both as drafted. I'm just a bit short-waisted so this worked for me.

When the weather's not exactly warm enough for a dress, I wear it as a tunic with pants.

The pattern calls for the skirt to be lined. I used the same fashion fabric for the skirt lining and I deviated from the pattern instructions in that I assembled them as you would a bubble skirt - I'd much rather stitch one seam than two hems. Because the lining is shorter, you can't tell at all when I'm wearing it.

Conclusion
I'm still breastfeeding so I continue to scrutinize garments as to whether they provide easy nursing access. It turns out that Vogue 1224 is a stylish option for all the nursing mamas out there!

The neckline drawstring is actually a length of elastic with a fashion fabric tie stitched to each end. The elastic is entirely hidden within the drawstring casing but it means the neckline has tremendous stretch (and recovery!). So, this pattern is a winner in my book.

---

I finished BurdaStyle Magazine's 6-2011-104 button-up shirt but still need to get some pictures. Coming soon...

Adding on to the to-do list

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Thanks for you feedback on the Blumarine dress! It definitely feels good to sew for myself again. I'm working on another garment from the June 2011 issue of Burda Magazine, I've got it cut out and will start sewing tonight:

BurdaStyle Magazine 6-2011-104

In my previous post, I mentioned that I'm trying to sew up my stash, since most of my fabric still resides in my daughter's room which used to be my sewing space. I really want to clear it out so there's more room for her things, plus, when I think of something I need and it's after her bedtime, I have to sneak in to her room and use the light of my mobile phone to silently rummage around and find what I need, which is kinda inconvenient... Marie asked where I'm sewing now. Now we have a room that does triple duty as an office, a guest room, and my sewing room. I have a dedicated table set up for my machine, and basically I take over the bed with fabric and patterns anytime we don't have guests.

So I didn't help matters today when I came home with 4 pieces of fabric from the thrift store! And that was me being good.

I believe all are cotton. (Left to right) The patchwork gingham print was too cute to pass up, perhaps it would be considered vintage, it's certainly older. I was thinking it would be fun to make large shaped pillows (heart, house, bunny, alphabet, etc) for L. The navy is a lightweight shirting with a subtle woven stripe, I've been wanting a navy summer dress. The aqua fabric is a sheer woven voile (?) that I'm going to use to make another beach cover-up using BWOF 7-2008-123. We are going to Nantucket at the end of the month so I'm mentally starting to pack (and panic about having nothing to wear) for that. The red gingham will become something for L, because shouldn't all little girls wear gingham? I actually hit the gingham jackpot at the thrift store today - they also had yellow, green (both large checks and small checks), and aqua, and it was all I could do to not buy them all.

Burda/Blumarine wrap dress

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:00:00 +0000

The last thing I need in my wardrobe right now is an animal print wrap dress, but I just couldn’t help myself! I’ve already traced 2 patterns from the June 2011 issue of Burda magazine, which was exciting after nearly a year of issues that didn’t thrill me.

BurdaStyle magazine 6-2011-139

Photos from style.com

I am a sucker for a sewing pattern that has a designer’s name attached to it, and the Blumarine wrap dress in the latest issue of Burda was no exception. The dress is from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, which is full of soft color and animal prints.

I was even more excited once I realized that I already had the nearly perfect fabric for this dress (I am on a mission to sew up my stash - which is taking up precious real estate in a huge dresser in my daughter’s room (AKA my former sewing room – sigh…)). In 2009, I bought an animal print jersey during my vacay in Italy . Bingo – animal print Italian fabric to go with the Italian label dress!

Fabric
Rayon/lycra jersey (I think) from Bassetti Tessuti in Rome, Italy.

Notes on construction/alterations
I made my pre-pregnancy size 38, but I could have probably benefitted from a 40 in the waist and the hips. Even though I'm back to my pre-baby weight on the scale, my measurements aren't there yet, a fact about which I'm still in denial. The line drawing and runway dresses appear much more loose and drapey in fit than my dress does.

The Burda magazine instructions do not call for any interfacing at all in this dress, but I decided to apply interfacing to one side of the collar and one side of the front band. The jersey I used is super soft, so I used Sew Exciting's Pro-Sheer Elegance, it's a barely-there fusible interfacing and was perfect for this project. I also fused bias tape to the shoulder seams to prevent them from stretching out.

If you decide to interface the collar, it's important to use something that leaves the collar very soft and malleable. The collar and the front band are both stitched to the bodice along the same stitching line, and the collar needs to be able to fold back over the front band.

The bell sleeves are fun, the perfect long length (on me, at least) as drafted, but they do have a tendency to slide and bunch up around your elbows if you lift your hand up (i.e. while sipping a cocktail, as one very well might be doing when wearing a dress like this). In fact, while I wore this dress, I was thinking about the thumbholes that Trena added to her ballerina wrap sweater...

Conclusion
We had a babysitter booked for Saturday night, and I finished this just in time to be my date-night dress. The v-neck of my dress isn't as low as me as it appears in the runway garments (all a matter of how much you cinch the dress I think), but I still needed a U plunge bra in order to not have to worry about exposed undergarments. If I were to make this again, I would add some length to the skirt, since I personally think this would look best on me if it hit right at the knee. And, I would love to raid Tany 's jewelry box for the perfect bling to accessorize this!

More comfy sleep set PJs

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:18:00 +0000

I am having too much fun making PJs for L. Here's another set of the Stitch Magazine Comfy Sleep Set PJs that I first showed you in my previous post . The dark pink fabric is from an old t-shirt I was about to donate and the other fabrics and ribbing are from the stash. L is just starting to stand on her own and walk, so here she is showing off her new skill.

Photo from www.green-cotton.dk

I was inspired by these pajamas that I found on www.green-cotton.dk (the direct link to this product no longer exists). I like the mix of fabrics and the knee patches.

Miss Sarah asked if I hemmed the two front bodice pieces together or separately - I hemmed the them together as one.

Now that the evenings are getting warmer, I may adapt the pattern to make short sleeves instead of long and shorts instead of pants.

Stitch Magazine comfy sleep set

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:09:00 +0000

During a recent gathering with my local BurdaStyle sewing group, I learned of a website called Sew Daily from the Interweave group that publishes Stitch magazine. The site has quite a few free pattern downloads available, the caveat being that the download only contains the pattern pieces and the instructions are found in a corresponding issue of Stitch magazine. I found a pattern for some fun kids pajamas that appeared in the Spring 2011 issue, the Comfy Sleep Set. I don't have the issue but decided to give them a try anyway.

Photo from Stitch/Interweave

Description by Stitch Magazine: "Inspired by the traditional kimono, this sleep set is perfect for active toddlers. The ribbed-knit cuffs on the sleeves and legs fold up and down for extra growing room, and the comfortable elastic-free waistband gets its stretch from a little spandex in the knit." Designed by Bonnie Ferguson

The pdf download includes the pattern pieces for the shirt and the pants, and it provides the dimensions for the various bands of ribbing. In this post from the pattern designer's blog, you can see that there is ribbing around the waist as well. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the size of the seam allowance (which I assumed was included in the pattern), so I just went with 1/2" and that worked well for me.

I used a mix of fabrics from the stash - the striped fabric came from a thrifted t-shirt, the solid in the bodice is leftover from when I made these leggings, and the rib knit is from Joann, purchased in anticipation of one day needing it for toddler-wear.

L is currently nearly 20 pounds and 30 inches tall - I made the 12 month size and there is plenty of room for growing, which is a plus.

Stitch Magazine offers the pattern in sizes newborn - 12 months, and Bonnie Ferguson added sizes 18 months - 5T on her blog - how cool is that? I definitely see more of these in my future, and they are a fun way to use scraps and repurpose old tees.

First birthday dress

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:11:00 +0000

We celebrated L's first birthday recently and so of course the occasion called for a new dress. Well, two dresses - one for her professional pictures and another for her birthday party. I had an idea in mind of a dress with a crossover bodice, but I couldn't find an existing pattern for one in my stash, so I did a little bit of redrafting.

I started with Burda Magazine 11-2007-136, which I chose because the fitted bodice and full skirt were a good starting point, then muslined it to check the fit, omitting the collar and shortening the sleeves and skirt. After that I altered the pattern again to remove the puff sleeve gathers, raise the waistline, and make a crossover front bodice. It sounds like a lot of work, but things go very fast when you're working with tiny pattern pieces.

This is the birthday party dress. The fabric is a girly sweet cotton lawn from Denver Fabrics (also available in another colorway, if you're interested).

The leggings are Ottobre 1-2011-9, I'm going to make another pair of them and I'll talk about them more after that.

I made the same dress in white swiss dot for her professional photos. The bloomers are Burda Magazine 7-2008-134 (also made them a while ago for my niece).

And I made the fabric flower belt and hair clip in a few different colors since I wasn't sure which color would look best with the photo backdrop. That was a busy week. But I love how the photos turned out.

Here are a few more photos from L's birthday party. The party was totally for me, not for her.

One of L's friends gave her a set of butterfly wings, they were adorable but she kept taking them off.

Oma flew in for the party too. We made fringe streamers using the tutorial from Oh Happy Day. They were gorgeous and so easy.

Initially, she wouldn't dig into her cake, I had to give her a slice and she ate it as daintily as a one-year-old could. It wasn't long before it was all over everything though.

We hung a fabric bunting in the entry way. I found the fabrics at The Quilting Loft in Seattle and priority mailed them to my mom the week prior to her arrival because I knew I wouldn't have time to make it. I'm so lucky to have a mom that sews, too! It made such a difference, too - really added to the fun party vibe.

We also hung a collage of pictures of L's first year (on the TV, which was the only good place for it); I totally swiped that idea from a birthday party we were at a few weeks ago.

Coming up - women's apparel! Yes, I actually sewed something for myself. I promise this blog hasn't gone totally baby. I made a Tracy Reese/Vogue dress, I love it.

Ottobre's New Star bodysuit

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 06:11:00 +0000

I've been taking a "music and movement" class with L, and the babies are supposed to wear a onsie, something unrestrictive. She's in cloth diapers which are more bulky than disposables, so a lot of RTW onsies leave her diaper cover exposed. I decided to make this Ottobre bodysuit with the goal of keeping her diaper cover hidden.

Ottobre 1-2011-1, New Star bodysuit

Incidentally, there is an identical bodysuit in Ottobre 6-2009, in that issue it's called the "Puolukka" bodysuit, and it's also the first pattern (6-2009-1). I compared the pattern pieces and they are shaped the same as 1-2011-1, the only difference is that the neckband and hems are finished differently.

One thing I didn't know about Ottobres until I started buying them - they give the names and ages of all the little models - how cute is that?

Fabric
The cotton knit is from a thrifted Lane Bryant t-shirt, I was even able to reuse the neckline binding for the cuffs and leg inseam/snap area. Snaps are from Snap Source.

Notes on construction/alterations
I made a size 74 several months ago, and it still fits her now at 11 months and nearly 20 pounds. The only change I made was to lengthen the strip for the neckline binding. I can't remember what measurement Ottobre used, but it seemed like it would be way too small to fit over L's head.

Conclusion
The one thing that annoys me (and is totally my fault and not a pattern drafting issue) is that the top crotch seam is longer than the botton crotch seam, so it doesn't stay closed very well between the snap fasteners (especially visible in the flat garment photo). I'll pay more attention to that next time. Otherwise, it's a great piece that can be worn solo or with pants.

Baby in muslin

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:32:00 +0000

Tap, tap, tap. Is this thing still on?

I know it's been a looooong time, but I hope you didn't delete me from your RSS reader yet. Really, I never intended to be gone for this long. I guess I'm not "mommy blogger" material! The break was nice though, and I feel refreshed and ready to be back in the online sewing world. I'm just going to pick up where I am now, and here and there I will share some of the projects that I completed during my hiatus.

The truth is, I haven't sewn much for myself recently. Maybe part of the reason is that styles in Burda magazine no longer excite me the way they used to. And how they killed their English language website and therefore hundreds of my old links to the archives, ugh, I know it's already been hashed out in forums, blogs, etc so I won't go into it again...

I have sewing a few things for L of course - it's great once they are past 6 months and their growth rate slows down a bit so a particular garment may fit for several months! We are approaching her first birthday next month, so I am sewing a dress for her to wear when we get some professional pictures done. I'm not sure if I'll be able to show the pictures here, but the setting is going to be all white/beige/neutral colors, so I'm making a simple white woven dress.

This is my muslin of Burda magazine 11-2007-136, I'll post a line drawing in a future post. I've made a few Ottobre garments but the only Burda item I've made for her is a sleepsack which runs huge (review forthcoming), so I decided it would be worthwhile to check the fit on this dress.

If you know about babies, then you know they are fascinated by anything tiny; here L is inspecting each thread on the unfinished hem.

The new normal

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:33:00 +0000

Well it has been a while, hasn't it? When I look at the pictures in my previous posts, I can't believe how tiny LM was. Now we're just around the corner from her 5 month birthday, and now she is a real, cuddly, babbling, honest-to-goodness baby.

1 week

For the first couple months of her life, LM was The Baby That Wanted To Be Held All The Time. Seriously. There were days when Tim would get home from work in the evening, and I had literally done nothing all day except hold her, with the exception of a couple of bathroom breaks (during which she screamed). When that is your life, you are just living in the moment and it's hard to imagine things will ever be different. You just think, "Okay, this is my life now, I hold my baby all day, it's my new purpose." And slowly, as you come to accept your new role in life as a baby nest, she changes. For us, it was when LM hit 3 months.

3 months

Suddenly she was so much easier to take care of! She would be entertained by staring at toys near her while I set her down to make lunch. She could go longer than 2 hours between nursings. Her babbling vocabulary increased. She's definitely a morning girl, full of smiles and stories when she first wakes - makes it a little less painful to have to be up before 7am. Every. Single. Day.

3 months

I've been back at work for a little over a month, I'm working 3 days per week which is working out well (although I'm envious of all the mothers in pretty much every country besides the US that get a year of maternity leave while still having their job guaranteed at the end!). We have a nanny who watches baby while I'm at work. I'm getting used to being a baby mama...

The old me would make spontaneous trips to Nordstrom Rack or H&M after work to check out the latest fashion bargains...the new me makes a beeline for the bus stop after work, and fumes when the bus is 5 minutes late.

The old me would stop by the grocery store on the way home from work in the evening, then spend the next couple hours preparing dinner, surfing the web, and flipping through magazines...the new me gets home after work as quickly as possible and cuddles baby, goes for a walk with baby, bathes baby, nurses baby, reads to baby, rocks baby to sleep, then heats up Trader Joe's frozen breaded chicken cutlets for dinner, and promptly collapses in bed.

The old me would stay up late into the wee hours in the evening sewing because I wanted to wear something new to a party or event...the new me is in bed early (LM wakes to nurse between 1am and 3am and then is up for the day between 6am and 7am) and no longer cares if I repeat an outfit several times within a week.

4.5 months

So this is my new normal, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks so much for your congratulations and well wishes, I truly appreciate each note from you guys!

My first Mothers Day

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:13:00 +0000

Three generations at the Olympic Sculpture Park on Mothers Day

My mom is here for a month to spend some time with her first grandchild and to help me navigate this foreign world of caring for a newborn. We go for walks in the neighborhood and we've had a few outings by car, but for the most part we are spending our days bouncing, shushing, changing diapers, and oohing & aahing over baby. It's amazing how time flies doing 'nothing' all day!

Baby LM (I'll use her initials for now here on the blog) is nearly 4 weeks old now and it's amazing how much she has changed already. Every day she's a little more alert and interested in her surroundings.

Vicki and Belinda, yes, you were right, I didn't have much time off to rest and relax before LM arrived! My due date was Wednesday April 14 and my maternity leave started on Saturday April 10. I had a feeling that she would come late and I could enjoy a week at home to nest. Well, I was admitted to the hospital on the evening on Monday April 12 and she was born the next day, in what was the first episode of probably many where this girl shows me that I am not entirely in control of her...

Allison asked about the search on iTunes for white noise that I mentioned in my previous post. We purchased a few different "Hawaiian ocean waves" tracks, one of them is an hour long, and often we play that on repeat through the night. I'm not sure if it really has an effect on LM but at least it's relaxing for me and Tim. Once we get her to sleep, she's good about sleeping most of the night - from midnight to 8am or so - save for waking every 2 to 3 hours when she wants to be nursed or needs a diaper change... So I spend a fair amount of time each night lying in bed while nursing the baby and scrolling through new posts in Google Reader on my mobile phone - I haven't been commenting much but I'm keeping up with everyone!

Mary mentioned the Rockabye Baby albums, we have both Coldplay and U2 and they are awesome! Who would have though that delicate lullaby renditions of rock songs would be so enjoyable.

So I'm ready to emerge from the fog of being a new parent and start sharing some new sewing projects with you!

The Assorted Notions baby has arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:28:00 +0000

She's here! Our new family member was born on April 13, weighing 7 lbs 4 oz and measuring 19" long.

We've been enjoying getting to know each other - at all hours of the day. Her first night home, Tim and I were up at 4am searching iTunes for "white noise for babies"...

Can you believe this girl slept through her own birthday party? I ate an extra slice of cake on her behalf.

More love for Jalie 2804

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:23:00 +0000

See my previous version of this top in a chartreuse jersey here.

It seems many people who sew maternity wear find success with Jalie patterns. Once I had a good fit with Jalie 2804, the empire crossover top, I bought a couple more Jalie top patterns, but never got around to making them up! Oh well, I'm sure they'll serve me well during my postpartum years.

38 weeks

Using the same pregnancy alterations I made before, I stitched up this grass green version about 2 months ago. The fabric is a cotton/lycra knit purchased from Fabric.com last spring.

The only thing I don't like, and seems to have become more of a problem as I've grown larger, is that the front hem doesn't hug the body as close as I'd like. When doing the full tummy alteration, I think it wouldn't hurt to curve the side seams at the hem in a little bit.

I've been wearing this hot pink sleeveless version to my prenatal yoga class. It's made of the same rayon jersey that I used for the Hot Patterns Cosmopolitan dress nearly 3 years ago! (This fabric was part of my first ever order from Gorgeous Fabrics.) My sleeveless top does include the ties at the shoulder seams, but they seem to have fallen behind my shoulders in my picture. This top doesn't gape at the hem quite as much, I think because the fabric is much stretchier and has better recovery.

I'm hoping to be able to wear these tops for breastfeeding also, or maybe making more with a modesty panel altered for nursing as Morzel did.

The true test of maternity apparel - the size 8 1/2 month belly

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:56:00 +0000

From Everyday People Cartoons

Sorry readers, I've been away from the internet but I haven't had the baby yet! I've just been so busy with last minute preparations that I've been ignoring the blog. And because I recently changed the way my comments are handled, I didn't realize I had so many comments pending from the curious among you (usually they go straight to my email inbox)!

This is the first weekend in months that I don't have a birth or parenting class to attend. And yesterday was my last day at work (for a few months anyway). I feel like a free woman... I just hope this little girl lets me have at least a few days to enjoy nesting at home before making her appearance.

I finally got around to taking pictures of a few more of the maternity garments I've made. This Patrones blouse has actually been a favorite.

This Jucca maternity tunic pattern was included in the 268/Extra issue, back when Patrones regularly included a maternity spread in most of their issues (although Melissa has just informed us that there is a maternity t-shirt in the 289/Extra issue).

38 weeks

Fabric
Chartreuse textured silk charmeuse from the Vera Wang Lavender Label collection, purchased June 2009 from Fabric.com. I used the matte side of the fabric (not the shiny side) as the right side - in some light the shininess was okay and in other light it was just too much, considering I wanted something appropriate for day as well as night.

Notes on construction/alterations
I made a muslin using a sheer cotton, as I originally thought I'd make this blouse in a cotton voile or lawn, as was used in the model photo. I found it looked a bit too stiff, so that steered me towards a more fluid fabric for the final garment.

This blouse features two drawstrings that meet at the upper bust, and a drawstring that winds around just below the belly. To form the drawstring casings, I stitched ivory Hug Snug rayon seam binding to the inside of the garment - much easier than forming casings out of charmeuse.

The pattern also included drawstrings at the sleeve hems, but I figured those would be more bothersome than not, so I finished the sleeves with a simple band.

Conclusion
I have mixed feelings about the drawstrings at the upper bust, I don't think it's the most flattering placement; putting them just under the bust like an empire waist would be another option.

Overall, this has been a great blouse for dressing up a bit during pregnancy. I pretty much live in knits, so it feels nice to wear something silky and somewhat sophisticated every now and then.

Site updates

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Some updates about my blog...

First, I have my own domain name! Now you can save some keystrokes and go directly to www.assortednotions.com to visit or subscribe to my blog, although the blogspot address still works too.

Also, I've turned on word verification, because the spam comments were just out of control. I hate having to use word verification, but it'll save me time deleting spam every day.

-------------

Cherry Trees In Bloom On the Portland Waterfront
Originally uploaded by william200549

I'm heading to Portland, Oregon this weekend with my husband - one last outing as a childless couple, unburdened by strollers and diaper bags :) Have a great weekend, everyone!

Burda maternity tunic

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Burda Mag 8-2007-122

This is my most recent maternity garment that I've made, and it'll be my last. I still have several other tops and dresses to share with you here, but they are all in the laundry! Soon.

I remember falling in love with the style of this maternity pattern was first published in 2007, and promised myself that when I was pregnant, I'd definitely make this top. However, now that I've carrying a mini-watermelon of my own, I noticed something I never noticed before - the "maternity" model is not pregnant! Perhaps this shouldn't come as a suprise, considering Burda uses not-so-plus size models for their plus size clothes, and they'll use the same woman to model their regular and petite garments. But what really annoys me is that they could have made her appear more than 3 months pregnant by throwing a pregnancy pillow on her, easily found in an maternity store dressing room. Without that, it makes it hard to imagine how this would look on someone with a real belly.

34 weeks

Since my last Burda maternity pattern in my regular Burda size was an oversize disaster, I decided to make this top one size smaller, a size 36. Maybe not the best idea, since as you can see, the fit of my top is not nearly as drapey as on the "pregnant" model...

I'm not sure what the model is wearing for bust support under her top, but the v-neck is so low, you really do need to wear a top underneath to cover your bra. I love me a deep v-neck and I'm not typically bothered by Burda's affinity for cleavage, but in real life, the only way to swing look this is to layer with a cami.

The purple fabric I used is a Vera Wang jersey, the same fabric I used for a cut-out shoulder Burda dress last summer. The only alteration I did was to finish the back neck with a bias strip instead of a facing.

Like the Burda mag maternity t-shirt, the bust is slightly too big; if I were to make this top again, I'd pinch out about an inch of length from the upper from bust pieces, and add several inches of width to the lower front.

Only 6 more weeks to go! So far I am still feeling pretty good, just moving around a bit slower than normal, which is actually a nice change of pace...

Sew Expo report

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:05:00 +0000

Vogue Fabrics at Sew Expo

I spent all day Saturday at Sew Expo. Even though it's only 45 minutes from Seattle, it was my first time attending. I didn't take any classes, rather, I spent much of the day wandering through the vendors in the showplex. I'll be honest with you, the vendors are very much dominated by quilting and embroidery companies. The garment sewing is there, it just felt very few and far between. That was secondary though, because the main reason I went was to meet up with sewing friends!

Here we are at lunch, left to right, Cheryl, Deepika, Annika, Jacqui, and me.

Naturally, we all inspected each other's clothes to see who made what. Here's Jacqui in the fabulous new Lady Grey jacket by Colette Patterns, and Deepika in her awesome Jalie jeans and Burda magazine top 10-2005-114 (I used the same collar piece on the dress that I was wearing that day!).

Of course we had to try on Jacqui's Lady Grey...

I am so buying this pattern. And (in a few months) I'm making those Jalie jeans.

Nancy's Sewing Basket (my fave local fabric store) was there and had this dress on display, it's Vogue 1152, the new Rebecca Taylor pattern, done in a vintage-print cotton lawn. Just gorgeous.

In the afternoon, I met Alden from BurdaStyle! Left to right are Beth (member of the Seattle BurdaStyle Sewing Club), me, Alden, and Cheryl (also member of the Seattle BurdaStyle Sewing Club).

Alden was wearing the Shakira RESTYLE that she recently modeled for the website. She was fun to talk to, and what an awesome job she has.

I didn't buy too much stuff, I mostly stuck to my plan, which was to purchase some Kai pinking shears. I was also on the hunt for some trench coat buttons, but there wasn't anything appropriate at Expo. I also bought a half yard of Japanese print cotton for making potholders, and from Professional Sewing Supplies (a local business - no website but they do mail order and sell to other businesses) a nice big piece of wax and some white bias woven fusible tape (I have some in black and I use it all the time in my shoulder seams on knits).

I was exhausted at the end of the day but it was so worth it!

Sew Expo 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:12:00 +0000

On Saturday I am heading to Sew Expo for the first time ever! It's the largest annual sewing show in the country, right in my own backyard. I'm not taking any classes, just going to soak up the atmosphere and see what it's all about. I'm looking forward to meeting some of my Seattle BurdaStyle Club peeps and Pattern Review friends there. I'll take lots of pics with a full report to come soon.

What I've been up to

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:30:00 +0000

Wow, I didn't mean to go dark for nearly 2 weeks like I did! (Since 24 has started up again, there's a lot of CTU-speak here at home...).

------------------

Thanks everyone for your fabric suggestions for the Burda 7526 maternity pants! It seems like a firm knit is the most popular suggestion, although there was high praise for bengaline, a fabric that is technically a woven but with lots of stretch and is commonly seen in RTW maternity pants. I've found it online but I'm not sure if I've seen it locally (Seattleites, let me know if it's out there). I think I'll test out the pattern with a knit first, and then seek out the bengaline if I like the fit.

In the meantime, I've finished a Patrones blouse and 2 more Jalie knit tops (2804 again). Still need to take some pictures of those. A knit dress is next in queue.

I've given myself until the end of this month to finish up any maternity sewing. I'm due mid-April, so that'll give me about 6 weeks (hopefully!) to focus on baby sewing, or maybe just relaxing :)

------------------

they're weighing me down...

There's a whole room re-org happening here at my house to make way for baby, so the other day I went through nearly every book, magazine, and pattern in my sewing area to pare it all down. I feel like I hardly made a dent, but I am happy to report that I'm freeing myself of about 100 envelope sewing patterns. Most of them (sadly) unused. (It makes me really appreciate how compact a Burda magazine collection is!) My BurdaStyle Sewing Club peeps are getting first dibs on them, I'll use FreeCycle to get rid of anything left over.

------------------

In the midst of all the purging, though, I have added a few great things to my sewing area.

First, these Kai professional series scissors, a gift from Birgitte, are fantabulous!! Seriously, I have a pair of regular (non-professional) Kai scissors and I didn't think there could be a better pair of scissors out there. Well there are. Even my husband commented on what nice quality they are. Thanks again, Birgitte!!

And my local sewing pal Amy gifted me these Ottobre back issues. Talk about insanely adorable kids clothes. I can't wait to dive into these come March when the baby sewing marathon begins. Thanks Amy!

Maternity pants

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:07:00 +0000

June asked if I'm planning on making any maternity pants. Well... here's my pants situation:

1. I bought 2 pairs of stretch woven pants early in pregnancy in the juniors section at Marshalls for about $12 each. One pair is very low-waisted and is still wearable, the other pair I tried inserting a Dritz maternity panel, but they turned out horrendous so I ditched those.

2. I bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans, one from the Gap and one from the Dutch maternity chain Noppies (purchased when I was in Munich last month). (My workplace is pretty casual and "nicer" jeans are okay.)

3. I bought the maternity pants pattern from Burda's newly released envelope patterns - Burda Style 7526. I just can't figure out what fabric to use! The recommended fabric is "only very elastic fabrics with 2-way stretch". Does that mean you should use a woven or a knit? If a knit is recommended, doesn't it usually say that explicitly? If they want you to use a woven, what kind of woven would have enough stretch? The style includes adjustable buttonhole elastic in the waistband so you can cinch or let out the waistband as needed. I like the bootcut, but I'm not quite sure where to start fabric-wise. What do you think?

Jalie empire crossover top - Take 2

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:25:00 +0000

28 weeks

Alrighty, I made another Jalie 2804 top on Sunday. (Recall my recent test version.) This one is a light chartreuse-y yellow rayon/lycra that I got at Stonemountain & Daughter in November. This is no test garment, it's the real thing!

The modifications:

(1) Traced one size larger, size T

(2) Made View A which has the gathered lower front bodice, I think this flatters the growing belly.

(3) Omitted the modesty panel

(4) Altered the front lower bodice for a "full tummy" using this Rostitchery tutorial. I added about 1 inch to each side seam (for an additional 2" around, total) and lengthened the center front by 1.5". As you can see, the side seams are still pulling forward and it'll only get worse as I grow larger, so next time I'll swing out the side seam more.

I'm very happy with this version!

Also, I want to thank Katherine for sharing some additional maternity alteration webpages, both from patternschool.com. Scroll halfway down this page where a pregnancy alteration to a tankini is shown (similar to the Rostitchery alteration), and this page gets into the nitty gritty theory behind the changing pregnancy figure. It's fascinating!

Study in empire crossover tops

noreply@blogger.com (Christina) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:29:00 +0000

Browsing through my BWOF back issues, I found this knit empire waist tee maternity pattern, 08-2005-123, that looked like the perfect piece to help get me through the next 3 months. Seeing this style, though, reminded of a Jalie pattern that I've had in my stash, yet to make.

Jalie 2804 just won a place in Pattern Review's top 10 patterns of 2009, and while it's not marketed specifically as a maternity top, it's said to be appropriate for that purpose too, and ever since I first saw these pics of Emilie during her pregnancy (check out pg 3 for top 2804 in a white sleeveless version), I mentally filed it away as a promising pregnancy pattern.

Since the two patterns are fairly similar, one designed as maternity wear, one winning accolades from seamstresses all over the internet, I decided to make both as a "compare and contrast" study, with the thought that I could take my favorite pieces/features of each top and morph them into one uber-fabulous pattern.

Fabric
100% cotton knit from Denver Fabrics. For the "real thing", I would certainly use a knit with lycra for better recovery, but the 100% cotton worked for the test garments.

Size
Jalie 2804 - I cut an S based on my pre-pregnancy measurements. This is my first Jalie pattern so I figured I'd just start there.

BWOF 8-2005-123 - I cut a 38 since that's my regular BWOF size.

Both patterns were sewn entirely as directed per the pattern instructions and with no alterations. Anyway, take a look, I think the pictures speak for themselves...

Are you totally cringing at that BWOF top? I still am and it's been almost a week! It's AWFUL! The bust is waaaaay too big. Yes, the girls grow, but not that much. I would never fill in the top. And the loose bust makes the tight belly section look almost comical. I hate the way the top hangs down below the belly, as in the side view. Talk about schlumpadinka...

Here's the Burda mag model photo. It's a little more fitted and actually looks decent. Nothing like mine! Maybe if I went down 2+ sizes?

Jalie, on the other hand, is golden in my book right now! I need to go up a size or two because, frankly, this top makes me feel slightly like a sausage in casing, but that I can deal with, especially once some lycra is added to the mix. Yup, new Jalie fan over here *waves hands*. Good thing too because I just bought their new cardigan, leggings, and the criss-cross top! The criss-cross top seems to have mixed reviews, but it's said to be good for nursing, and the pregnant model on the envelope looks good in hers so I'll see if I can make it work for me.

Needless to say, I won't be morphing these two patterns into one. I'm just going to work straight from the Jalie. I found this great blog post by Morzel that shows how to turn 2804 into a nursing top, so that's my eventual plan.