New Kwik Sew patterns!

I admit that I am a pattern junkie. I'm not a snob, I love them all. I subscribe to every major and minor pattern manufacturer's email updates: McCall's, Vogue, Butterick, Simplicity, New Look, Kwik Sew, Hot Patterns, Jalie, you name it. I stalk European pattern magazine websites like a hawk. Any time I get a whiff of new patterns (which is quite often, when you think about it), I pop on over to the appropriate website and click with breathlessness. Ah, new patterns; so full of promise and imaginary sewing.

Recently Kwik Sew released their Summer 2010 catalogue, and well, LOVE. I found so many that caught my eye, I just had to pick up a couple on a recent Yardage Town trip. Now, I have to mention that I am a very lucky sewer in the Kwik Sew department. I can get them at my local Yardage Town for a whopping 40% off, every day. Yes, that's right, whichever never-go-on-sale, not -available-very-many-places Kwik Sew pattern that I want is instantly available to me at a ridiculous discount on any given day of the week. Thank you, sewing gods.

Here are the two I picked out:

I want to make several of these tank tops to go over my leggings this Summer. This pattern happens to be drafted for woven fabrics, and I hope make view A out of a really floaty, champagne-colored silk I bought a while back. Kwik Sew also released a very similar pattern for knit fabrics, but I told myself that I don't need two patterns for basically the same thing. I will just adapt this one for knits and get more use out of it.

I was attracted to this bathing suit pattern, as it's becoming that time of year again (ugh) where I have to take my kids to the beach/swimming pool and feel like a pale, dumpy mom while surrounded by hot young things in do-me bikinis. Yay. My favorite season. I know, I know. I have an arguably slim figure and should not complain. But the fact is that people who look tan and hot and pre-childbirth in bikinis make everyone else feel bad, regardless of your size/shape. And I live in SoCal, where they seem to grow beautiful skinny girls on trees. With my pre-kneaded bread dough tummy and negative A-cup floppy breasts, looking cute in a swimsuit is a little bit more of a tall order than it used to be. So, I am planning to make view B in a pretty teal print and sew supportive bra cups into the bodice. How awesome does that shirring look for concealing mommy gush? Already I'm feeling better.

I also picked up this super-cute skull print. I am always looking out for girly, dare I say sweet? skull prints, so I was really excited to find this. I'm thinking jammies for presents, and possibly some for DD as well:

In other news, I'm working on a project for me out of this gaaaahgeous light, cotton print from Joanns. See, Joanns has cute, quality stuff sometimes! Never count that store out. This fabric came out of my mom's crappy agitator washer with hardly any wrinkles, and feels lovely. I got it off the quilting cotton wall for, like, $4 a yard on sale. I'm sewing up view A of Anna Maria Horner's Evening Empire Dress, the knee-length version with straps. Maybe I will start to like Summer more if I have some cute dresses? Eh, at least they might make it a little more bearable.


FYI, I don't hate Summer only because of bathing suits, I just plain don't like to be hot. And our Summer here lasts for-ev-er. Like, into November. Gimme Spring, or gimme Fall, but don't give me unending 80+ degree days.

Up next, hopefully I will show off this dress!

Pa-jay-jays

Well, that's what we call them in our house, anyhow. I know, so wrong, but that's us. :p~ My kids are so going to be the ones that aren't allowed over to other kids' houses!

I have not been sewing too much in this last month. Every year, starting with my DD's birthday at the end of October on through all the holidays, it gets a little crazy around here. This year I have a son going through his terrible twos, and come to think of it, both of my kids are driving my crazy with their behavior and sleep issues. Soo, it's been a little difficult to get anything done, much less be in a creative mood.

It's Christmas time though, and that means presents/pjs sewing! In the past week I've gotten a few pieces done. These are all from the latest Ottobre issue, 6/2009:

Top nightgown is for my DD, and the two lower ones are for her twin best friends.


Closeup of my (somewhat wonky)coverstitching around the necklines. I don't currently have a clear foot for my machine, and the regular foot has about an inch of opaque-ness in front of the needle. Really, really hard to topstitch that way. I'm hoping to get a more topstitch-friendly foot for Christmas.


The dress is not crooked, just my camera angle. I made the nightgowns almost floor length, sooo fun for girls. Heck, I kinda want one. :)



I also made matching pjs for my new nephew and his toddler brother. This was the first time I've ever made anything sleeper-ish, and it was so fun! I'm so pleased with the way it turned out. I used a wonderful plane/camo interlock I got from Fabric.com, and it matched very nicely with some Joann's rib I had on hand.


Look at the lovely snaps! This part of the outfit could have really eaten it, so I'm so happy with how, well, perfectly the ribbing and snaps turned out. Crossing my fingers that these snaps don't come off with repeated use. I pounded so, soooo thoroughly with my hammer. Oh, and the 16mm snaps & snap tool I used are from The Snap Source.


My first binding with my coverstitch! Once I get that clear foot and/or a binder for my machine, this will go so much easier. As it was, it was nerve wracking, but turned out fine.


These are the jammies for the older brother. I made a size 4T with 5T length, so I am really, really hoping they fit him well.


I used my triple-coverstitch for the hems. Seemed more boy-ish that way.


I like to use a little square of the same fabric to mark the back. That way you (e.g. HUSBANDS) can tell where the back is, but it's still nice and soft.


Here's what the backside of the triple-coverstitch looks like.


I just did a narrow double-coverstitch around the neckline for this one, letting the right needle fall in the ditch. I think this came out better than the nightgowns, but it still sucks to stitch around stuff blind. The coverstitch is stretchier than a sewing-machine stitch, so this will stabilize the neck w/o, hopefully, the stitches popping. Most RTW pjs have the coverstitching around all the ribbing, but that's just not really practical for the way I construct my garments. As long as I do the neckline, I'm happy.


Okay, that's all for now, more to come later!