Fall Sewing

"Fall" sewing is probably a bit of a misnomer considering that temperatures are still regularly in the mid-90s here in Texas.  It'll probably be close to November before we get even close to what I consider to be fall temperatures, but I digress.  It's hard to believe it's been more than 2 months since my last post.  We took a long vacation for most of July and I've been playing catch-up ever since.  I also am STILL tweaking my long-promised nap mat tutorial (my punishment for being OCD), but I promise to get it up one of these days, probably when no one will really need it anymore.  :P

In any case, I did make not one, but two nap mats this year; one for E and one for her bff.  They are actually attending the same school this year, so they'll get to spend a lot more time together. 

I made the initial mistake of cutting both mats to the same dimensions as E's old one, not accounting for the fact that the kids have grown quite a bit in the last year.  Doh.   To compensate, I ended up adding a separate, detachable pillow, which I think actually worked out rather well.

I also had a couple commissions recently for new items, one for a friend's son, and the other for another mommy.  First up was a cheerleader costume for a woman who was looking for something more authentic-looking (and modest) than the standard "sexy cheereleader" costumes you find in most shops.  I had never made anything like this before, but I rather enjoyed the challenge. I used a pattern I picked up at Jo-Ann for pretty cheap, with very few modifications other than to add a few inches to the hemlines and some short sleeves to the shell.

I wish I'd had a chance to take a picture of her trying it on.  It looks much better on than it does laying on my floor.  I love that style of pleated skirt and I'm thinking about making a miniature version for E now.

Next up is my first boys' clothing item and first button-down shirt.  I absolutely adore this airplane fabric, so I was super excited when a friend of mine requested I make her son a shirt out of it.

Sewing the collar on took me forever to get right, as the pattern directions were horrendous, but after my friend, Jacki, pointed me toward this tutorial with a video, I finally figured it out. 

After all that, I decided to sew something just for fun.  I settled on a simple little tunic/dress out of a Japanese sewing book (Pochee Natural and Layered Style) that my cousin picked up for me in Japantown.  It's pretty much just a front, a back, and an elasticized pocket, with pintucks and binding. Except for having to make the binding, it was a pretty quick little project. I think it turned out super cute!

I had a pretty large scrap of fabric leftover after making this, so I decided to make one for E's baby doll too.  I scaled down the pattern pretty much just by eyeballing it, so it's not quite right (too big around the neck), but I don't think she'll complain. ;)

 

Here they are together, hee!  In the book, it's worn as a tunic, layered over a sleeved top and some leggings, but E wore it as a short dress.