Stars and circles bath robe

Well, that was a project. From scratch, using a vintage towelling fabric from Chiswick Boot Fair (thanks Bridget from What the Butler Wore, for spotting it AND giving excellent directions across an ENORMOUS field full of car booters, to find it instantly), and some cotton spotty lining from John Lewis.

Pattern is Robot Dog bathrobe (style 33) from Ottobre magazine , which if you haven’t come across it yet, is a Finnish pattern magazine for children. Hubby bought me an annual subscription for Christmas and each issue has something like 30 patterns – amazing value and some really cute, inspirational styling.

Image from Craftymama.blogspot.co.uk. Thanks!

Tracing the patterns is a bit of a trip – 150-odd pattern pieces packed onto three double-sided pages, each pattern in approximately six different sizes and in different colours. See? But you just kind of focus in, and all the other lines just melt away and your get your tracing wheel and ruler out and follow your single little line. Probably best done when children are in bed, hubby’s Doing Something That Doesn’t Involve Talking To You Or Being Anywhere Nearby, and pets are outside. Useful pattern-tracing tutorial from Crafty Mamas here, if you’re inspired to try it yourself.

Construction method of the Robot Dog bathrobe (style 33) is straightforward, and it comes together so quickly and simply. I’m reminded why I love sewing, coming on the back of the fiddly, finger-pricking, and funk-inducing lunchbag project. Put it this way, I skipped meals to move on to each next step.

And got very precise, neat and detail-focused. Check out those clipped curves!

So I finished it, delighted with the colours, and really proud to have done such a neat job. 21-month-old daughter, however, NON-BLOODY-PLUSSED. The following photo records one of the nine or so seconds she’s kept this bathrobe on.

Will not wear it in the morning, evening, after bath, watching TV or reading a book. Not too downhearted, though. There will be a birthday, large toy or dressing up occasion that it will be PERFECT for.

Swan t-shirt

A train journey, some minor preparation and FINALLY I’ve put the broderie anglaise to use.

A few years ago, a friend spotted a skip full of ribbons and other adornments, allegedly outside Luella Bartley‘s workshop, post-bankruptcy. One of the spoils was a 6m length of beautiful broderie anglaise, about 4 inches wide. And she was kind enough to give it to me!

NB – the google suggests that this might not be broderie anglaise: it could be either the cambric and organdy shown on Juan Boluda’s website. I have to say, I wouldn’t know the difference. Any suggestions?

I’ve imagined a billion projects that it could adorn, but none of them felt right or came to fruition. Until I met a funky-dressed 18-month-old at my local children’s centre, sporting a swan-embellished t-shirt, tail feathers fashioned in net. Aha. My swan shall have Bartley tail feathers.

I drew the swan from a google picture, and cut it from a scrap of white fleece. Beak from a scrap of yellow dyed canvas (‘duck‘ actually, which pleases my pun-loving heart no end). Folded the tail feathers by eye. Both body, beak and tail feathers handstitched, using blanket stitch, on a train trip to Devon. Took over an hour to do, but afforded me some real satisfaction and quality thinking time… Sometimes handsewing gives you so much more than the finished article.

A little project with a big return on the effort, an effective way to use up scraps, and a most pleasing symmetry: the tshirt design that I ripped off  gave me inspiration, was H&M. Check the label and you’ll see….the black t-shirt I embellished is by…. H&M.

And the biggest bonus of all? My daughter WEARS it.

Self drafted bean bag seat

Had been thinking about a beanbag seat for Marina for some time, and mentioned it to a friend. Who, the next day, texted to say she’d seen one in a local charity shop window. FIVE pounds! Dashed over there the next morning and lugged it back home on the back of the buggy. It’s clean, a great shape – a bit like a bell – and more to the point, Marina sits in it. As do her friends :)

So I just made a straight copy of the cover. It’s basically a rectangle, with a curve at the corners, and two deep darts from the middle to the top, attached to a circular bottom with a zip across the middle. And a wide fabric handle – another rectangle. I wrote out the measurements – you could easily make your own. No need to mark it up on paper – just do it straight onto the fabric.

Mini-tutorial: cut 2 body pieces (88cm x 110), 1 bottom (69cm diameter), 1 handle (50cm x 20cm). Find 60-65cm zip.

1. sew two deep darts as indicated, overlock or zigzag edges. Trim excess and press darts.
2. fold handle along long edge, right sides together and stitch along long edge, 1 cm from raw edge. Turn and press, keeping seam at edge (or centre if you prefer it to be hidden)
3. fold handle in half, matching raw edges, and pin to right side of centre top ‘body’, between darts.
4. pin front and back ‘body’ together and sew along side, around curve, over the top and back down to the other side.
5. cut bottom in half through the middle and insert zip along cut edge
6. attach bottom to body, clipping as needed.

Now THAT’S satisfying sewing. It wasn’t exactly a whip-up – I think it took about three hours, what with pattern matching and a broken needle or two, and a funny turn where I realised how very hungry I was.

But, this fabulous IKEA fabric by Cilla Ramnek (2008) is pretty impactful and seeing the whole thing coming together was deeply, deeply satisfying. I love that the fabric credits the designer – it’s worth keeping this in the finished item, I think. Anyway, back to completion jubilation – I used something out of the stash! Hoo-bloody-rah-for-me.

Publishing now – will try to pose daughter in seat over weekend. Don’t hold your breath…

And that very evening, Marina graces the bean bag seat with her seat. Hurray!

Red fleece mittens

A GENUINE whip up. My projects take hours. This one took minutes. About 59 minutes, to be precise, but there is a finished pair of little fleecey mittens on the kitchen counter.

The weather’s turning and my poor daughter’s hands are an icy deep pink when we finish the 12 minute walk to the childminders in the morning. Most of the mittens I’ve seen in the shops are so-so, or a little expensive. So I’ve been plotting to make some mittens for her. And tonight I had some steam left when I got home from work so I pulled out the machine and got cutting. And pinning. And sewing. And now they’re finished!

Some fleece, from Goldhawk Road – about £4 per metre. A great pattern, super easy to follow, from purl bee. Adapted by

• reducing the print output to 75% to get the right size approximately
• extending the mitten length by approx 2″ instead of handknitting the cuff.

Longest, most challenging part of this project? Waiting till morning to see if they fit her!

M is for… marimekko

Snaffled a lovely child’s Marimekko t-shirt at the Chiswick Boot Sale last weekend, only to find small hole in the front. So rustle up plan to hide it in a reverse applique ‘M’. I get busy while the little one slumbers and take

• one vintage pillow-case, from a Secret Thrift Shop up north
• one reverse applique tutorial - gazillions out there!
• fusible interfacing from stash
• embroidery thread from Brick Lane

and …

• choose a design – I use a capital ‘M’ from the Eames stencil font. I measure out 10cm on a piece of paper, pull the ‘M’ up on screen and enlarge it until it is about 10cm wide, then trace directly from the screen.
• draw ‘M’ onto the WRONG side of interfacing. Note: I get this wrong so my final ‘M’ is actually the wrong way round. I realise this WELL past the point of no return – but am saved by M’s symmetry – phew!
• fuse the interfacing to the WRONG side of the applique fabric
• cut out ‘M’ +3-4mm
• pin to the WRONG side of the tshirt. Make sure I cover the hole!
• sew with a straight stitch around the ‘M’

• on the RIGHT side, handstitch a running stitch in embroidery floss along the machine stitch line

• snip out the tshirt fabric 3mm inside the embroidery line

Next time I do it I will

- make sure my letter/pattern is the right way round – FIRST time

- attach interfacing more carefully – it took me three goes because I ironed too vigorously and smooshed up the interfacing

- make sure my design actually COVERS the hole – I cut one ‘M’ way too small

- consider purchasing an embroidery hoop – it would make the handstitching easier.

Once done, grapple with the thorny challenge of a small, determined model, who is capable of wriggling, running and roaring independent movement.

Thanks Daddy for taking over on the camera!