Easter bunnies

The Martha Stewart website is a great resource for free patterns and general craft stuff. I found this pattern to make a bunny and have been meaning to make some for the kids for ages, what better time than Easter?

It was quite quick to make, and a great way to use up some left over fabric from the dress I made. Naturally, I managed to fill even the simplest of sewing projects with all sorts of mistakes, note the arms are not stuffed and the ears are rather, erm, wonky. It gives the rabbit character. The instructions suggested adding the features last, I added mine before I stuffed it, but it would have been much easier to do before I'd even started sewing it together. I'm going to be making another one, so will know better next time.

Another project that caught my eye were these gorgeous pettiskirts, but they look a bit more daunting. I can absolutely imagine being 5 years old and swishing round in one for hours, so I must make one when I can summon up the courage!

Sewing from Japanese books - part 4

Read part 1, part 2, and part 3 here.

I have finally finished the top I have been making from 'Sweet Style for Kids'. I'm really happy with the way it's turned out. The fabric is really pretty, quite soft, perfect for a summer dress.

The pattern turned out well too, it fits nicely, just the right amount of flare. It's intended to be worn as a tunic over jeans or leggings, and it will make a great summer dress if a few inches longer. I think this could be a staple of her summer wardrobe, maybe one in each colour as they don't take long to make.

The only bit I am disappointed with it my bias binding on the neck and arms, I hurried it and so it didn't turn out as well as it could. Also putting a french seam up the back made it difficult to sew the edges on the opening at the back. I'll zig-zag the seams next time when I get an overlocking machine foot. Also I might try different finishes on the arms and neck, maybe using a contrast colour to bind them on both sides.

Sewing from Japanese books - part 3

 Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

The next step after cutting out the pattern is the fun bit - sewing it all together! In this pattern, each step is numbered. You can see here, step 1 is finishing the raw edges by zig-zagging them, sewing up the back centre seam but stopping short of the top for the opening, the measurement for this is given in an earlier diagram. The second picture shows the same seam pressed open.

In step 2, the side and shoulder seams and then sewn together and pressed open.

Step 4 and 5 explain how to attach the facing to the neck, first by joining the front and back facings together, then sewing it onto the neck hole, including fixing a loop for the fastening. It shows notches clipped out of the curve within the seam allowance. In the last diagram on the right, the facing is stitched 2mm from the seam allowance to stop it from rolling over. Next (shown in the picture below) the edges of the opening are stitched 0.5 mm from the seam.

Step 6 explains how to bias bind the armholes, I found this quite confusing the first time I did it, but after bit of googling, it became clearer!

Step 7 is sewing the hem, 8 is making the casing for the belt  and 9 is sewing it on. The measurements of where to place the belt are shown in the original diagrams. Step 10 is fixing on the button for the opening.

All finished! It is a simple garment to make, and no doubt making other things especially for adults might be a bit more complicated. But most of the instructions are shown in the form of a picture and infact they are extremely detailed, showing steps they maybe don't need to.

The finished draft top is shown at the beginning of the post. The fit is good, though I might take in a bit of slack under the arms. I didn't bother with any of the finishing with this version as I just wanted to check the fit. I re-drafted the pattern with about 1cm less at the side under the arm, and flared it out to the same point at the hem.

Yesterday I actually remembered to pre-wash the fabric I will be using, so won't be frantically ironing it dry so that I can sew it, which is what I usually end up doing!

The pattern shows how much fabric to use in this diagram, suggesting 115cm - 125cm. However, I have decided to bias bind the neck rather than use a facing, so this cuts down the fabric considerably and by measuring the pattern pieces, I worked out that I only needed 75cm.

I will try and sew it up this weekend and post the final top.