KCW Day 2: Burda 9503

One thing I love about sewing and knitting for children is that it allows me to practice skills on a smaller scale before doing them on larger, more expensive pieces of fabric. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway, since I'm not particularly happy with some of the details of this dress. Namely: the button placket.

Lessons learned: 1) Use dark interfacing with dark fabrics. 2) Take into account the depth of the buttons I plan to use, not just the diameter. 3) Sew the buttonholes before seams are bound up in an unruly conglomeration of eight layers of fabric.

The dress is certainly wearable as-is, but I am a perfectionist...and there are things I want to do better next time. As far as the pattern goes (Burda 9503), there were a couple quirky things about it. The sizing was a little odd, for starters. This is the 86cm/18mos size. Harper measures exactly 86cm tall, but her circumference measurements are actually smaller than the 18mos size. I think the fit is decent, but it seems a little short in overall length and in the sleeves. I would probably make the 92cm/2T next time.

In addition, the pattern piece for the neckline binding simply didn't fit. I stretched it, pressed it, steamed it, stretched it again - all to no avail. Finally, I just cut a long strip of bias binding and sewed it on sans pattern. The instructions were also a bit confusing and cumbersome, but that could just be because this was my first time sewing this type of placket. Regardless, I think patterns should explain techniques well enough for even a beginner to understand. The diagrams didn't help.

The fabric is a lightweight corduroy I got at the Nuttal's Riverton moving sale. The leggings are also made-by-me using some cotton from Nuttal's at Ivy Place. I simply traced a pair of Harper's current leggings to make the pattern.

I dunno. Overall, I'm kind of "meh" about this outfit. I think Harper's personality is better suited with more modern silhouettes. I find it interesting when sewing and shopping for her that there are styles that definitely look better on her and just "click" - just the same as styling for an adult.

And that, dear readers, is Harper's sign that the photo shoot is over. And so is this blog post! On to Day 3...

Linking up:

KCW Day 1: Purple Leopard-Print Bimaa Sweater

Remember how I complained a few weeks ago about how my 2-year-old was impossible to photograph? Well, we seem to have turned a corner. There are going to be a lot of photos of the same shirt in this post because...well...I am just so damn proud of how they turned out!

This fantastic pattern is the Bimaa Sweater by Sarah Haag of Lou Bee Clothing. I am not exaggerating when I tell you this might be my favorite thing I've ever sewn. It fits Harper absolutely perfectly (I made size 2T) which is very rare since she is so petite. It has plenty of length for her to grow a bit, but it's fitted and looks "grown up" without being too mature.

See that pose above? Lately she "models" for me on command complete with hands on hips and flirty smile. I just can't get enough!

The fabric is a lovely sweater knit from Joann. This was my first time using sweater knit, and I was cautiously optimistic. I didn't expect to love sewing with it so much - but it was truly a pleasure. My serger zipped right through it, and there was no puckering, shifting or unraveling like I expected. Joann actually has quite a few different prints in this glorious fabric, and it is often 50%-off. I only need a yard to make this sweater which brought the total fabric cost to around $7.

Once I sat down to sew, the whole thing came together in about 20 minutes. Seriously. Maybe even less. The only thing I changed about the pattern was to add the sleeve cuffs last (after sewing the sleeve/body side seams) because I am very particular about serged edges sticking out of cuffs. I know a lot of children's ready-to-wear clothing is made that way, but I really like to torture myself and get it just perfect.

So about these lovely photos... I am pleased to announce I shot these entirely in DUM DUM DUM...MANUAL MODE! I am really, REALLY trying to do better with my photos, and I think I'm making progress!

I recently downloaded an app on my iPhone that tells me when the "Golden Hour" is here in Salt Lake City, but last night, I mentioned to my husband that it seemed awfully dark to take photographs during that hour. He thought that maybe the high mountains surrounding our valley would make the timing a little earlier, so per his advice, we hit Sugar House Park about an hour before the iPhone-recommended time. I think my plan worked splendidly!

I also used the advice of Caila from Caila-Made (thank you!!!) and had a treat stashed in my back pocket. It's amazing what a little Dum Dum bribery can do.

This little sweater is going to be in constant rotation in Harper's fall/winter wardrobe. She loves it; I love it...everyone wins. And I'm sure there will be more of these very soon! I went to Joann again today just to check out all the other sweater knit possibilities (for Harper AND me!).

Linking up:

Little Papoose Moccs for My Three-Month-Old Boy

How handsome is this boy?!

And how adorable are these shoes?!

I can't believe this little guy is already three months old. He's been the perfect addition to our little family. Other than, you know, the poop blowouts, the pee hydrant, the puke in my bed and the night feedings, he is just a joy to be around.

Seriously though. He is already about 25" tall and 15 pounds. He's wearing 9-month-size clothing. HUGE! That's about the 95th percentile for height. I guess he got that from his daddy's (tall) side.

I sewed the shoes using some leather I scored (for free!) from the local upholstery store. The pattern is the Little Papoose Moccs by Peekaboo Pattern Shop (affiliate link), and I just loved sewing it! You could probably whip these babies out in about half an hour from start to finish - including tracing/cutting. There are only three or four steps to their construction.

A few little pointers though... This leather was quite thick, so I used a size 18 (!!!) leather needle on my machine and my super-sharp Gingher scissors to cut the pieces. The thread was polyester-coated polyester labeled "heavy" at Joann. The pattern says you may use a safety pin OR bodkin to feed the elastic through the casing, but I found a bodkin absolutely necessary to get through the thickness of this material. Also, I used 3/8" elastic instead of 1/4" (as called for in the pattern) simply because it's what I had handy. I would use it again though because sewing the ends together was kind of a doozie - I can't imagine doing it with anything narrower.

I made the 3-6mos size, and they are an absolutely perfect fit. I'm sure I'll be making more of these as he grows!