2016 in Review

Because I need to remember to post at least once a year right?

Hi readers! (those left!)  In order to not be a completely failed blogger, I thought I'd post a round up of my makes this year just in time!

As you all should know by now, you can find me regularly on instagram @oldhousemamawears where a regularly post my makes and other tidbits of my life!  If you don't follow please do!

However in the interested of blogger posterity, here's a round up!  I wanted to make some fancy infographics like I've seen other awesome bloggers do, but who am I kidding!  Here are my photos, gathered loosely in a couple of themes.

I'll end off with some goals and plans for next year.  Happy New Year everyone!

SELFISH SEWS- I made 37ish things for me this year!  not bad!

Zircon Dress, Dress from Boundless Style, Wrap Dress

Arum Dress, Brassie Joggers, Everyday Skirt

Yalu Coat, Saith Tunic, Self Drafted Apron

Schoolhouse tunic, Marbella Dress, Lane Top

Ginger Jeans! - First attempt at jeans and loved it! and another new favourite the Inari Tee Dress

Saith Tunic (ok I made it last December, but close enough), Charleston Dress, Mesa Dress (I love this pattern!)

Mesa Dress altered to a swing dress, Arum Dress, Fen Dress

Texana Tank x 2 and Blanc Tee

Dress E from Stylish Party Dresses (Japanese Pattern book), Hannah Dress (this is a favourite!) and Colfax Dress

Splash Swimsuit (Left and Right) and Soma Swimsuit (Middle)

Everyday Skirt x two and another Inari Tee

Paper cut Sway Dress, Alder Shirtdress, and Bowline Sweater

Julia Cardigan and Jade Skirt, Washi Dress, and Lola Dress

KIDS AND OTHER 
I did instagram some of my kids stuff and didn't really make as much as my kids didn't need to much.  I made a few more things for the Mr. and tried my hand at a few more bags!  I've learned that I dislike how long it takes to make bags and am reminded every time I sew for my kids how quick it is and I should do it more!

A few more Recess Raglans (my go to for a raglan tee) and Alex and Anna PJs (my go to as well!)

Stellar Tunic, Self drafted Car poncho, Twisted Trousers

Rowan Tee, Anytime at all tee, and Modified with a hood Hawthorne Sweater

More Rowan tees,  Halla Stardust Tee, Fishsticks Tank, and Jayden Jammies

Negroni Shirt, Brassie Joggers, Campfire Messenger Bag

Maker's Totes x Two, Art Tote, and Pencil cases

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR

1. Sew some lingerie!
2. More separates, less dresses (HA!)
3. Make more jeans!
4. Have more fun!

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!  Maybe I'll even blog again before next December.

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KCW - Shorts time!

I had plans to make some shorts and tanks for the boys this Kids Clothes Week.  And well. I got the shorts done!   My time yesterday and today has been spent trying to figure out what's wrong with my serger... to no avail.  So I think I'll be sewing up the tanks on my regular machine tomorrow instead!

But, well, I made SHORTS!  Nothing fancy, but I've been meaning to make them shorts with these fabrics for over a year!

First up, some for little E.  These are a modified version of the Quick Change Pants pattern from Anna Maria Horners book Handmade Beginnings.  I didn't make them reversible, and shortened them to shorts length.  I added an inch to the top to account for cloth diaper but and an elastic casing and bingo!

I still made them to long, but I added a huge hem which I could roll up even more to make them fit like this.  They will last a while as his big brother technically fits the width of his Quick Change Pants I made him in the same size years ago!

Oh and the fabric?  Why yes, his but is covered in a small scrap of lion fabric from the new Cotton + Steel line!  And the buses are Kokka linen/cotton, both from Fabrications!  This little boy LOVES buses, he was super excited when he saw them!

Next up?  Radio shorts!  I have had this fabric from over 2 years I think and always planned to make shorts with it.  So I did.  And I have enough for more shorts!

These are the shorts version of the Clean Slate Pants in 4T.  This is a great pattern!  It's available as part of the extended Pattern Anthology Collection as well until this Monday! I just did the basic pants with the pockets, but in the future I totally want to do the welt back pockets and a fly!  I also just ran the elastic through the whole waist band instead of leaving a flat front.  My blue accent fabric was just a thinner quilting cotton which I hadn't interfaced, so it needed something more.

And oh, he seems to like them too!  Although he keeps asking me what the radios are!  Kids these days!

Make Believe in The Bookworm Button up!

So excited to finally share with you all what I've been up to the last few weeks!  I got a chance to test the patterns for the new Pattern Anthology Collection Make (Believe)! 

I'll be sharing with you all the 4 projects in the next week or so.  Check out my Instagram feed or my Facebook page for some other sneak peaks!  In the meantime go snag your copy of the collection and tell me what you're going to make!

I absolutely adore button down shirts on little boys, so was super excited to see that the Bookworm Button up was in the collection and to finally actually make one for my boys!  I've made an adult sized one, but never a teeny one before.

And I have to say, it was waaaay easier then I remember the Mr's shirt being.  The instructions were clear and well laid out, which helped a ton!  I made view A, but if I had girls, I'd be all over the bow sleeves in views C and D!

I particularly love the pleated pockets.

It was also the perfect chance to use up this adorable Japanese fabric I had just picked up from Fabrications! Who doesn't like whales eh?

And well, adorable right?

So if you've been scared to try making a shirt like this before, don't be!  Just do it!  I plan to make up one for my older son next!

So now don't forget to check out the collection over at Pattern Anthology! There are three awesome ways to get the patterns.  All four together for $19.95.  Add in the super neat activity book for $24.95, OR best of them all, add in 4 pants patterns for $34.95.

Girly and purple

I don't often get to make little girl clothes, being the mother of two boys and all.  Thankfully little M has some adorable girl friends who I can make things for.

And one of them just turned three, and loves purple.  Seriously, everything she wears pretty well must have purple in it.  So since last year I made her this purple backpack, I thought I'd use this chance to make a top!  I had some of the polkadots left from my Kobo cover, and a fat quarter of this floral which I thought would be perfect!  And I had just enough, although the skirt of the shirt is in two pieces.

The pattern is one of the many cute patterns coming out of the Peek-a-boo pattern shop, the Hopscotch top, tunic and dress. And it provided the first opportunity for me to make button holes with my new machine, and they were a success!  Now I'm not so scared to tackle some other waiting projects with lots of buttons!

A book cover of sorts

I love books,  especially old, musty ones,  books and fabric are two of my favourite things.  So I feel a bit like I'm cheating when I got an e-reader for Christmas (it's a Kobo, the most common type in Canada).  I love supporting our local book shops and e-readers have played a part in several closing this year.  

But when one is stuck on the couch with a sleeping baby that doesn't like being put down, a nice light e-reader is waaay better then heavy books.  Plus it keeps me away from surfing the net on my phone and buying things I don't need, and is a change from re-watching every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix.

I'm also making a point to really just rent e-books from the library (which I frequent otherwise) rather than buy books for it.  I have had to cut down on book buying lately (no space really!) and so I'll keep my infrequent physical book buying to my remaining local shops if at all possible.

So this Kobo needed a cover, and naturally I had to make one.  I took the opportunity (and the gift cards my lovely family got me) to pick up some gorgeous fabrics from the new local (and seriously awesome, I want to move in there) fabric store Fabrications.   I'm so happy they opened up shop, it's pretty much exactly the kind of shop this city needed, and if they have what I want/need, I plan to buy there!   They now also have an online store set up too, you should all check it out.  The owners are lovely people (they put up with little me loitering around for long periods of time! ha!) and I seriously want to buy everything there.

But for this project I picked up some Echino fabric for the outside and some dots for the inside.  I love how I was able to to use the entire pattern on the outside, wasn't sure it would work, but it did!

 I used this tutorial for the cover, and it was pretty easy to follow, just make sure you keep your seam allowances small or the cover will end up too small.  And what's worse is when you've already cut your corners before turning and then... well lets just say, I had to waste a bit of this lovely fabric and start over.  Oops!

Generally it turned out well, although I seem incapable of making square things like this actually square, but it serves its purpose nicely so I try not to notice its slightly wonky shape :)

I may or may not have picked up a bunch of other awesome fabric from Fabrications that's just waiting to become other things you'll hopefully see here in the near future!

KCWC Days 1-2 - Robot Pants!

My KCWC plans are slowing actually becoming things for once!  First up is a lil pair of Quick Change Trousers from AMH's Handmade beginnings for the new bebe.

I had a bit of deja vu making these, as I seem to like to only make them in red and in crazy prints (as seen with last falls KCWC when I made little M these red pants!  Hey, what can I say, I really wanted to use some of this robot Kokka fabric I had, and well, there's red in them!

The other side is some soft cozy flannel fabric left over from this dress.  And the but panel is a bit from Sarah Jane's Children at Play collection.  I have a bunch more of this which I should make something else for my boys from soon!

Tiny pants are cute!  Although I suspect these will be huge on my little one for a good while as I seem to not make particularly huge babies, but that's why you roll up the bottoms right? :-)

So be sure to check out the Elsie Marley flickr group for inspiration, and I'm on to the next item! Here's hoping I make all 5 things by Sunday!