Kitschy Coo

Sewing World Spread (and giveaway!)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:39:00 +0000

I've had to keep this quiet for what seems like forever but now that it's been published I can tell you that I have a full pattern in the June issue of Sewing World... And a cover mention no less! Arrow and POW bubble (obviously) added by myself.

Here's the skirt I made and the pattern that's included: it's a drop waisted bubble skirt with a full lining for neatness, an elasticated waist for ease of dressing and in sizes 3 years to 12 years.

There are paper pieces to cut out (as opposed to measurements to draft your own) and a three page step-by-step tutorial.

This picture of the orange linen interior shows how neat the inside finish is.

And this picture shows what happens when a magazine lets a contributor write their own 'About Me'.

There are lots of other projects in the issue and even a bonus House of Pinheiro doppelganger. Every magazine should have a House of Pinheiro doppelganger if they don't have the real thing.

I had to provide the skirt for the photos, but it's back with me now and I'd like to give it away! The size is 3y/4y with a 20" waist (stretching to about 24") and length of just under 11". If you have a three to four year old, a child that will eventually be a three to four year old, you know a child that is or will be a three to four year old, or even if you have one of those creepy kid-in-the-corner dolls that fits the bill, leave a comment for a chance to win. The giveaway is open internationally and I'll pick a random winner on Sunday; make sure that if you're a no-reply commentor that I can get a hold of you!

Capturing Childhood: The Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:25:00 +0000

I made a whirlwind trip down to London last weekend for the inagural Capturing Childhood Photography Workshop, travelling down on the train on Friday and back up to Edinburgh on Saturday! After completing their Collect the Moments and Manual Overdrive e-courses, I was curious as to how much more the workshop would offer. Obviously, the correct answer is heaps.

The workshop took place in a stunningly beautiful studio with the most amazing light. The morning consisted of lessons from Kat and Kat on various topics interdispersed with tasks to test what we were learning. Most helpful to me personally was learning about aperture; shutter speed and ISO I've been able to (more-or-less) wrap my head around but aperture nous remained elusive. Consequently, I mostly shoot in TV mode and let my camera decide aperture.

But hark! I think I understand it now! The pictures I took on Maia's birthday were indoors with low light (a normal indication of impending failure) and I shot in AV for the first time ever.

We also had a very interesting guest lecture from a professional stylist Poppy Norton about dressing photoshoots, and a late afternoon walk about Shoreditch to practise our outdoor shots.

It was so helpful to be able to pick their brains on the spot about which settings to use rather than poring over diagnostics afterwords to figure out which combinations worked best. Or didn't, as is often the case for me.

Those of you on Instagram might have seen that I had my own contribution to the workshop (which of course I didn't get pictures of before they were doled out) but nevertheless exist and Kat can prove it:

Rainbow camera straps for the goodie bags! They are comfortably padded and quilted straps with red leather ends and adjustable webbing. After I complete my outstanding orders and get the grown-up Skater Dress out to testers they'll be available in my shop.

Princess Seamed Skater Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:21:00 +0000

During Kids Clothes Week, as well as playing around with the Skater Dress pattern to make a peplum top, I also played around with giving the bodice princess seams. I only had the tiniest of scraps of Blue Vikings left and never got a chance to use it before it disappeared. As good a time as any?

Despite starting it a couple of weeks ago I only made it as far as the bodice and bindings before putting it aside because I wasn't entirely convinced it was working. Feelings of guilt that I hadn't made anything specifically for her birthday made me pick it up and finish it yesterday... A weirdo dress is better than no dress, amirite?

The original plan was to pipe the seam lines and I did that to the back bodice before the OMGCurliness of the trim (and the resulting seam ripping) made me forgo piping the front. Of course, I wish I had now because I dig it. Just walk backwards holding the hair cape, girl.

I think the piping works as it separates the side panels and their expanse of blue from the centre print with its predominant blue- the seam lines get kind of lost and the print kind of runs into the plain. Another idea I had was to mix two prints within the bodice. Is a princess seam bodice hack something you'd like me to share?

Today, she is six

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:48:00 +0000

To prove the adage 'time flies' is correct, the little girl turned six today.

I'm lucky to be a mum to this firecracker of girl.

She loves hard, she feels big, her smile lights up the room and my heart.

She wants to be an artist when she grows up.

A joker and a ham, with pen forever on her hand.

New Kid on the Block: Crafty Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:57:00 +0000

I was recently sent a copy of issue two of the new UK magazine, Crafty, for review and wanted to share my thoughts. There have been loads of new magazines springing up over the last couple of years, be they general multi-craft journals or more specific niche publications for sewing, knitting, crochet. So what sets Crafty apart?

Overall, I'm pretty impressed. There is a wide array of projects included from the Leichtenstein cross-stitch and clasp clutches seen on the cover, the kitschy cowboy knitted bag, bottle garden, multi-media postcards, stamp pendants and typographical crocheted stool seen in the collage above, and others like knitted plastic bags, five projects using scarves and upcycled tart pan displays. Not being a knitter or crocheter myself, there are some projects that are of less relevance to me personally but I can still doff my cap in appreciation of their application. The two projects I am most likely to actually do:

I love the wall decal furniture upcycle and could totally see this working out well when I redecorate the kids' room. The clutch purse includes three different potential projects (two sewn and one knit) and the frame was included with this issue. Outside of projects, there are regular features like a news and trends section, a save the date calendar (covering fairs / concerts / festivals), book reviews, and walk-through of a place to visit (this issue is Maltby Street Market). Finally, there are helpful features on taking good product shots and information on how to set up a pop-up shop. Add that to a smattering of interviews of and columns by established independant designers, and I surmise that the demographic Crafty is wooing are independant designers (or those considering it) and their aficionados.

The oeuvre of knitwear designer Gary Kennedy, taken from his interview

I think the picture above sums up the general aesthetic I got from Crafty; fun, irreverant, and modern but definitely on the hipster / geek side of the craft spectrum rather than the shabby chic / twee side. Which suits me just fine, as that's the side I fall on.

What's New In Skater Dress Land

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:04:00 +0000

Lots of exciting news to share about the Skater Dress pattern! First up, did everyone see this lovely little girl sporting a miniature Skater Dress?

'But wait, Amanda, surely she's too little for your Skater Dress?' you plaintively ask. Not so! I have graded the pattern down for sizes 6-12m and 12-18m, and you can get them for free here. It's just the pattern pieces to download, if you want the instructions they come with the pattern for the bigger girls. Many thanks to Max California for testing it out and writing such a sweet post, and also for being the co-creator of that delicious baby. Nice work, my friend.

In other Free Skater Dress News, Katie drafted an adorable flutter sleeve for all sizes and is gracious enough to share both the pattern and the instructions! Seriously, one of the kindest people around, Katie is.

Finally, my heart grew at least two sizes last week seeing all of the awesome Skater Dresses pop up in the Kids Clothes Week Flickr pool. There were heaps on Instagram too! Love seeing all the variations from appliques, waistbands, pattern mixing, flutter sleeves, peplums... and see that little gentleman top left? Lengthening the bodice of the Skater Dress yields awesome tanks and tees! Keep on keeping on, peeps.

KCW: Hosh Pants and Colour-blocked Tee

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:15:00 +0000

It's been more than a year since I've gotten Maia to wear woven trousers for more than an hour or two. They're too tight! They're too itchy! They're too uncomfortable! To be fair, she has a very valid point; We have had zero success with store-bought jeans or woven trousers. Largess in the hip department (for reference she has the same waist to hip ratio as I do) means that despite fitting through the legs, jeans and trousers can rarely be pulled up past her bum even with a fly. It's an exercise that flies uncomfortably close to body shaming and, ergo, one best avoided.

Enter EmmyLouBeeDoo's Hosh Pants pattern! The cut sounded very promising for Maia's body- slim through the legs but with extra room to the rear, a nice higher rise, and an elastic to the back to eliminate the dreaded gapping. The pattern only goes up to age five but I graded it up to a six for length and used Maia's measurements through the hips to adjust the back section and rise. The result... woven trousers that got a full day's wear!

The fabric is a lovely stretch sateen that I had left over from the Catriona Dress. I also made a colour-blocked dolman tee as she's seriously lacking non-patterned basics. Wondering what that is on the ground?

This weather is killing me.

KCW: Contrast Shoulder Tee

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:31:00 +0000

First boy-make for Kids Clothes Week complete! I know I said I wasn't going to make the same old things I always do, but being too short on time to draft something completely new (or trace out an Ottobre), I'm allowing myself the compromise of playing around with the details of my tried-and-trues.

For this, I split my raglan sleeve where the shoulder cap falls and switched out the top section for a contrasting print. While the airplane print is a nicely drapey interlock, the star print is a hefty french terry with a bit more structure. My inspiration came from the uber-stylish leather insets from Groovybaby and Mama.

With Kids Clothes Week more than halfway done and tolerance for photoshoots waning, can I suggest setting up a sibling in the window for amusement? In related news, Maia has learned how to use a pane of glass to make piggy noses.

Tutorial: Skater Dress Peplum Pattern Hack

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:05:00 +0000

***Admin note: Can Sandraled please send me an email? You won the Doli giveaway and I've tried with no success to find a way to contact you!***

I made her another one, I couldn't resist. So cute, so twirly.

Want to transform your own Skater Dress* into Skater Dress Peplum? Piece of cake! And the whole top uses very little fabric, I fit this one into a 60cm cut of fabric with a lot of width to spare.

Set aside your bodice pieces and (if applicable) the sleeves. Those aren't changing. Grab the skirt piece and overlay it with a piece of tracing paper. Trace the centre front line, waist curve and side seam. For the 5/6 size, I chose to make the peplum 8" long (including seam allowance). If you're making a different size, just measure from the belly button down to where you'd like it to end and add seam allowance. Mark this distance down the centre front line and the side seam line. Divide the waist seam into quarters (doesn't have to be exact, just roughly is fine). From each of the quarter marks measure down the same distance at a right angle to the waist seam and make a mark. Draw a line between the dots, you'll need these lines later! Then divide each of those sections in half and repeat. You should now have a curve plotted along the hem with dots. Connect the dots and then smooth out the hem curve.

Carefully cut through the hem line and up towards the quarter marks on the waist seam following the lines you drew. Cut almost up to the waist but leave a tiny bit intact to act like a hinge. Repeat so that you have divided the whole into four sections with three hinges. If you still have paper above the waist line (as I do) you'll also need to cut lines down from above toward the little hinges. On top of a larger piece of paper with plenty of room to the top, lay your slashed peplum down. Tape the pattern to the paper at the centre front line only so it doesn't move when you start to spread the sections apart.

Start by spreading the first slash apart by approximately 5cm and tape in position. Repeat for the next two slashes, taping them equidistant apart. As you can see, the hinges keep the pieces together; above the waistline the slashes overlap while at the hem they open up. The 5cm I mention is not set in stone, this results in an extra 15cm per quarter / 30 cm per half / 60 cm total which works out as nearly a circle skirt for the 5/6. If you want to make a full circle, after taping the centre front in position, swing the side seam portion all the way up so it is perpendicular to the CF line, then arrange the two middle sections so they are uniform.

After you have finished spreading you should have something like this:

Fill in the hem curve between the slashes so it's nice and even. Smooth out the curve of the new waist seam. And now you have your new peplum piece!

Sew it up as you would a normal Skater Dress. It'll be a little bit more fiddly to sew the peplum than the skirt because of the increased curve on the waistline and hem but nothing a few extra pins and a steamy iron can't tame. You can do it.

*Even if you don't have the Skater Dress pattern, the principle of drafting a peplum is universal. Grab a t-shirt pattern that you like and shorten it to around belly-button height with a slight curve. Measure the width from centre front to the side seam. Approximate the shape above using those measurements and slashing and spreading.

The Skater Dress goes peplum

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:40:00 +0000

My focus for Kids Clothes Week is to make clothes for my kids that aren't destined for the shop and to stray away from the tried and true makes that I keep doing over and over and over. I'm calling day one a success!

Okay, so I'm a little bit of a cheater as I started with the skater dress as my block, but I switched out the skirt for a peplum. Maia and I might have had a (mock) fight over who loves it more.

There's a lovely full drape from the side which pleases me, but the real reason she's in love...

The twirling. Least painful photoshoot ever. I'm definitely going to make a tonne more of these as her shirt drawer is pretty spartan due to a recent growth spurt. And I'll tell you how to use the skater dress pattern to do it tomorrow!

This just in: Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:32:00 +0000

It took me all day by jove but the mega haul of majestic gloriousness I received yesterday has now been added to the shop! Except the ribbons, I'll need to do that tomorrow. Unlike previously, I'm not going to run through each one individually as there are too many and that would be tedious for you, but go have a look for yourselves! Interesting (for me) thematic changes from previous orders:

Greys! Not come across a lot of grey fabrics before and suddenly there's heaps. I approve.
New palettes: Quite a few have also introduced shades of coral and seafoam green that while very popular in the American fabric world are not something I've seen a lot of in the Euro fabric world. Other zeitgeisty things: Triangles! Pseudo-ombre! Scribbles!

Now that we have gotten our intellect-thinking out of the way, thar be dragons!

A Scooter Shirt and Kids Clothes Week

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:12:00 +0000

I made each of the kids a last minute item of clothing for our recent trip Stateside; Jamie a long sleeve Dolman in this scooter print and Maia an as-yet-unphotographed skater dress. She now has thirteen skater dresses, I do not consider this excessive. But with temps in Connecticut firmly at or below freezing, I never had the chance to get proper pictures outdoors. Surely the weather in Edinburgh mid-April would be more cooperative? Not exactly...

The four day windstorm we've had this week (that also misrepresented the lovely cut and drape of Maia's Doli tank), also gave Jamie's longer hair a old man comb-over. He will make an adorable old man.

Comb-overs are funny, but not as funny the transformation of his mod cut into a 1980's mom cut.

No words. You can caption this one yourselves. In other news, he has finally lost a second tooth. He's been patiently waiting for all his loose teeth to literally fall out of his mouth by their own accord, but not before they get stuck in the backwards position (true story).

Is everyone geared up for the Kids Clothes Week spring challenge? There is a dedicated blog space this year which is rapidly filling up with inspiration and enthusiasm. I am determined this year to play along (oh, how I always say this...) and even more determined to sew SPRING CLOTHES. Not cruelly-extended-neverending-winter clothes, spring clothes. 'If you make it, it will happen', right? What are your plans for Kids Clothes Week?

The Doli Tank Review (and giveaway!)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:08:00 +0000

I was really excited when Sarah from EmmyLouBeeDoo asked me to pattern test her newest pattern, the Doli Tank. The tank is designed for lightweight wovens (like lawn, rayon challis, lightweign linen etc) and I used some of the delicious voile I picked up on my latest trip Stateside. The pattern is available in sizes 12m to 6yr, the size I tested.

The tank has a slightly high-lo hem, easy-fitting shape, ribbing trim, and an exaggerated racer back (this is my favourite bit).

It's super neat on the inside too with french seams all over the place. You might have noticed that my trim isn't sitting exactly flat which is my fault for using a hefty cotton lycra ~~because I don't follow instructions~~ because I didn't have a coordinating ribbing. Sarah also narrowed the height of the trim post-testing, so it should sit flatter even if you use a cotton lycra like me. Now that I've shown you how the Doli Tank would look if you live North of The Wall and there's a gale force wind blowing, here are some pics which more accurately reflect the lovely cut and drape.

And the very best news is that Sarah has generously offered a giveaway copy of this pattern for my readers! To enter you don't even have to like Sarah in real life (although you totally will as she's one of my favourite people), you just need to like her Facebook page. Or follow her blog, or follow her on Instagram. After you do one of those things (or all of them as I recommend), leave a comment on this post. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected on Sunday night.

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Congrats to Sandraled!**

Skater Dress for grown up ladies in hot climes (named Amanda)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:22:00 +0000

For the non-Instagrammers, I wanted to quickly update with the heady progress of the grown up Skater Dress. Making no changes to the version one pattern (save omitting the sleeves), I whipped up version two from ye olde stash fabric to test the behaviour of interlock and to see how it works sleeveless.

As you can see, there is some gapping under the arm but that is easily fixed by taking in the side seam at the armpit. Interlock is not my favourite fabric for clothes for me; I find the lack of lycra means it can pull across the chest where there's negative ease and it also relaxes from its intended shape through wear. However, overall I'm happy with everything and will start the grading up and down this week! Exciting / nerve-wracking times.

In tangential good news, I also now have two wearable muslins.... However, seafoam green and pastel pink are the absolute worst colours on me (unless I make a pastel yellow one and that becomes the absolute worst) and I want to do something to the fabric to liven it up. Inspiring things I've seen recently are Alida's Casual Lady Fabric Sharpie treatment, Delia's mind-blowingly awesome Fabric Sharpie-ing of all the things, and Jess's hand-carved fabric stamping. Or even not carving the stamps myself, but buying stamps. Or another possibility would be freezer paper stencilling. What would you do with these dresses (other than burn them in a fire)? Any ideas?

The Pettiskirtery

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Last Saturday my good friend Clare got married as the sun made its first springtime appearence.

It was a small service up at the registry office but Maia and I took the bus up to catch them as they came out as married people.

Not just to share the joy of these happy, lovely people but because I made the flowergirl pettiskirts!

Not gonna lie, these were a labour of love. Three different colours, four separate pettiskirt layers in each...

The bottom tiers are a massive three metres in length (that's almost 10ft imperial fans) pre-gathering, and I did that twelve times. And then the next tier twelve times, and the next tier twelve times. So much gathering. Remember when you played too much Tetris and lay in bed at 2am thinking about how to fit your furniture together and make it disappear? I lay in bed thinking about gathering All The Things.

The waistbands are made of gold silk shatung and I handstitched bows to the back. This is testament to how much I love Clare, I never handstitch anything.

The mother-of-bride / grandmother-of-the-girls embellished the cardigans and wands to snazzy them up and tie everything together.

And the shoes! Oh my goodness, the shoes. Have you ever seen anything so cute?

Skater Dress for grown up ladies (named Amanda)

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:36:00 +0000

At very long last and after much pestering, the Skater Dress is going grown-up!

So far so good. Majestic neckband, check.

And here's the finished front view... (promise the sleeve isn't weird and bunchy, it's a photo-abberation)

And the finished side! Not too shabby for a first attempt, no? Apologies for the picture quality, these are all filched from Instagram, where I reveal all top-secretness first because I am in love with it.

The Casual Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:33:00 +0000

I don't suppose anyone could have missed the Casual Lady Tops and Dresses popping up all over the blogosphere? Andrea from The Train To Crazy / Go To Patterns just released this fantastic knit pattern and everyone is collectively excited and sewing like mad. And the best bit is that the proceeds from this pattern raise awareness of global sex trafficking victims:

This pattern was designed especially to raise funds and awareness for global sex trafficking victims. Proceeds from this pattern will fund a Sewing Collective in India for single mothers escaping the sex trade industry as well as a safe house for children in Cambodia at risk of being trafficked. We hope you enjoy and share so we are able to fully fund our projects. We are hoping to raise $15000.

A great pattern and a social conscience? Where do I sign up. I originally tested this pattern for Andrea while I was in the States. Without a fabric shop closer than a 90 minute drive away, my dad and I set off to Walmart in search of clothes large enough to salvage for fabric. Cue a multitude of side-eyes as we wandered around comparing the relative fabric yields of XXXXL men's shirts with XXXL ladies' nightgowns. Unsurprisingly, the shirt we chose was so far off grain that my testing feedback was little more than 'Nice instructions'. I'm sure Andrea will be using me as a tester again soon. And now I'm home again with a room full of knits and an internet full of other peoples' awesome, the pressure was on... Could I be as casual as these Casual Ladies?! And I thought: I could be twice as casual.

Disclaimer: Not pregnant / just blowing a gale.

Because the Walmart-muslin was so disastrous, I wanted to use ye olde stash fabrics to confirm that the alterations I'd made to the pattern* worked. I didn't have enough of either of these retro-style flower prints (circa Ebay-2007!) to make a single top, but I could use one for the front and one for the back...

And then I thought I might as well use the front pattern for both so it could be worn either way! ~~Nobody~~ Everybody is always telling me what a lovely upper back I have so the scoop in the back is no big deal. And then you just need to...

And you have the perfect tank to wear in your garden when it's two degress above the point at which water freezes.

Or to wear when you're casually wistful about blogger problems. Seriously, guys, where do the hands go? Mine are derping every which way. After you answer that, go buy the pattern!

*I franken-patterned several different sizes to accommodate my unusual torso, using the upper bust length of the XS for my freakishly short upper chest, the width of the L under the armpits for my large bust (cheater knit FBA), the waist width of the M and the hip width of the S. I could probably shave some of the width off at waist and hips for a closer fit if I wanted to. I also shortened it to the overall length of the XS as my torso is very short but I'll make it a bit longer next time.

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: The Train to Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:45:00 +0000

The final stop on the Skater Dress Pattern Tour is here, with the very special Andrea from The Train to Crazy! I wager there's not a single one of you who hasn't come across Andrea before. She's the woman behind Go To Patterns, for a start. These are all patterns that she has designed and you'll see my version of one of them this shortly!

There are lots of helpful tutorials and round-ups on the associated Go To Sew site, but also a wealth of sewing, blogging, cooking, techy, and lifestyle information on her personal blog The Train To Crazy:

Oh. And in her 'free time' (on top of all this pattern designing and being super helpful and rearing four kids), she's recently launched a new venture in graphic design and media kits to help people out who are busier than her. Are there people busier than her? Probably not. So she's probably helping people out who are less savvy at graphic design and media kits, which means everyone and yours truly.

Without further ado and with a riotous drumroll... the final dress of the Skater Dress Pattern Tour!

Click on through for the whole post and a fantastic photoshoot. Did I mention that she takes great pics as well?

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: Melly Sews

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:14:00 +0000

Today we have Melissa from Melly Sews on the Skater Dress Pattern Tour! You probably know her as the woman behind Blank Slate Patterns, or from her co-host role in the fabulous music-inspired Sew In Tune, or as a participant in Sew-Vivor... She's everywhere, and rightfully so.

In the time I've know Melissa I've been blown away by how accomplished she is at everything. She sews for her boys, she sews for herself, she writes a technical series on blogging and recently released an e-course on Pattern Drafting in Illustrator. I'm not going to say, 'Well she can't do that', because she'll probably do that next week.

Without any little girls of her own, Melissa made a Skater Dress for her niece and here's a sneaky peak...

Click through for the full post!

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: SewVery

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:53:00 +0000

Today we have Veronica from Sew Very on the Skater Dress pattern tour! She has a very sweet style whether she's sewing for her kids...

Or for herself! She makes the loveliest bags and I'm considering quite seriously making that exact same Washi Tunic for me.

You wouldn't know it unless I told you, but Veronica has only just ventured into knit-sewing. Here's a sneaky peak of the first appliqued Skater Dress on the tour... How meta is that?

To see what she has to say about the pattern as a relative knit-newbie, click through for the full post.

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: Sew a Straight Line

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:19:00 +0000

I'm really excited to have Sabra from Sew a Straight Line participating in the Skater Dress pattern tour today. Whether it's sewing for her (four!) kids or for herself, I basically love everything she makes. So effortlessly* cool. I hit refresh on her blog all day long hoping she's posted a tute on how to be so pretty.

*I mean that she makes it look effortless, not that she doesn't put effort into it. It's probably pretty easy for her though.

But my favourite thing about Sabra (if you made me choose) is that she's a funny lady. Irreverant humour and sewing are the best combination.

~~Sabra totally got addicted to Skater Dresses~~ I'm not going to say that Sabra became addicted to Skater Dresses as such, but here's a sneaky peak of the first three! Emboldened by earlier successes, the third Skater Dress got a snap placket, hood and Kangaroo pocket!

Click on through for the sweetest review!

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: Craftiness is not Optional

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:16:00 +0000

Wooo boy, today we welcome Craftiness is Not Optional to the Skater Dress Pattern Tour! You might know Jess from the three impeccable girls she produced or you might know her from... everywhere?

Not content to show us all up with the sewing, Jess is also a Master of the Parties. And The Bentos.

Out of all the bloggers I follow, I thinks Jess has one of the most instantly recognisable aethetics and her Skater Dress is no different! Such sweet colours and print...

Click through for the full review!

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: Alida Makes

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Hello again, today we're stopping on the Skater Dress Pattern Tour with the fantastic Alida from Alida Makes! You might recognise Alida from the newish-but-legendary Calling All Kids Series or maybe from the cacophony of awesomeness?

I love Alida's modern style and her tutorial about how to turn sketches into fabric might have made me create my first fabric (watch this space). In news-that's-not-fair, Alida is also supremely adorable and has lots of tutes for lady-wares:

And here's a sneaky peek of what Alida did with the pattern... She stamped and sharpied the fabric herself and she added pockets!

Take it away, Alida!

Tutorial: How to make a pin cushion ball gag out of a teddy bear

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:22:00 +0000

I have a confession to make: I hold my pins in my mouth while I sew. I know, so dangerous. Yet so convenient! I've had an idea kicking about in my head for a long time (ever since Pulp Fiction came out) for how to have my pins right near my mouth, but not actually in my mouth. But it wasn't until this year when I had my nasal cavity fixed and I became able to nose-breathe that I could actually try it out. I'm so glad I did!

What I did was to cut off the head off a small teddy bear, sew the neck hole closed, and then attach an elastic headband to make it hands free. You want to choose a teddy bear with a pretty three-dimensional head; anything flatter and you could poke your pins all the way through and into your face. It is quite comfortable but you may find that you want to take it off a little bit before you leave the house to let the indentations settle down.

And here it is in action! Just look how I'm able to sew effortlessly with both of my hands free and nary a pin making its way down my gullet.

Skater Dress Pattern Tour: Sewing Mama Raeanna

noreply@blogger.com (Kitschy Coo) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 19:27:00 +0000

Welcome back for today installment of the Skater Dress Pattern tour! Today we have RaeAnna of Sewing Mama RaeAnna as a guest. RaeAnna is a relatively new blogger (am I allowed to say this as a blogger of five years?! I hope so!) of less than two years, but she's popping up all over the place with her combination of sassy and whimsy creations:

Did I mention that she has superior embroiderer skillz? She does! Personalised appliques are her forte:

So, without further ado here is a sneaky peak of RaeAnna's Skater Dress... with matching leggings!

Jump through for the whole shebang!