sewing projects Archives - Page 2 of 4

free training pants pattern

August 14, 2014 by Cheryl Leave a Comment

In my last post I wrote about how I stayed up really late to create a pair of training pants for Audrey and I also said that if I had time (and if they fit) I would post the pattern today (if I could figure out how to do so). Well, the day has arrived and I’m proud to say that I’ve figured out how to do it! Voila, a download link for a FREE cloth training pants pattern! Please try it out, and let me know if you have any issues putting it together.

Download Pattern

INSTRUCTIONS

There aren’t any instructions on the pdf (yet). I may add some later on when I figure out to do some pattern grading for larger sizes. So until then, here is a very basic set of instructions. Please let me know if I need to clarify any points (this is my first pattern, so I expect to receive some constructive criticism!)

1. Download the pattern and print. When printing, make sure to DE-SELECT “fit to page”

2. Tape the pages together (the dashed lines are there as a reference point so you can easily figure out how the pages go together)

3. Cut out the pattern pieces, trace onto your fabric, and cut out the pieces.

4. Stack the soaker pieces together. Zigzag along the edges. Line up the soaker pad onto the WRONG side of the inner fabric. Use a 3-step zigzag to stitch the edges of the soaker pad to the inner fabric.

5. You should have 2 main pants pieces – one in the outer fabric, and one in the inner fabric. Start with the outer fabric: stitch the hip seam (both sides), with right sides together. Repeat for the inner fabric.

6. Stitch the waistband so that it forms a circle, by stitching the ends together. I find that with the rib knit this is easiest to do with a shallow zigzag stitch. Fold this waistband in half lengthwise.

7. Match up the right sides of the outer and inner fabric together, and in between them sandwich the waistband between them. Pin. Stitch, but leave a 2cm gap at the waistband seam.

8. Measure a length of 3/4″ elastic to fit your child’s waist. Insert your elastic band through the gap in the seam (you can use a safety pin to feed it through the length of the waistband). Use a zigzag stitch to close the loop formed by the elastic. Stitch the gap closed.

9. Turn the pants inside out (through the leg opening)

10. Stitch the leg bands into loops, with right sides together. Fold them in half lengthwise. Stitch the edges of the folded leg band to the leg openings, right sides together. Leave a gap where the elastic will be inserted.

11. Measure your child’s upper thigh for the elastic measurement. Cut 2 lengths of 1/4″ elastic and feed each through the leg band casings. Stitch the ends closed and then sew the gap closed. Trim the seam and zigzag over the edges. (Or, if you are fortunate enough to have an overlocker, you can use that).

12. That’s about it! Put them on your child, and give yourself a pat on the back!

Right side of inner fabric after attaching the soaker with the 3-step zigzag. I've used sports mesh to wick moisture away from the skin (found it in the bargain bin for 90 cents!) — Right side of inner fabric after attaching the soaker with the 3-step zigzag. I’ve used sports mesh to wick moisture away from the skin (found it in the bargain bin for 90 cents!)

pink1 — Sandwich the waistband casing between the right sides of the pants

Waistband is finished, and turned inside out

The photo is a bit blurry, but this is how the leg casing is finished, with overlocked edges.

Go ahead and try it out, then let me know how you got on! I’m looking forward to hearing your comments.

Sewing Obsession: Cloth Training Pants

August 13, 2014 by Cheryl 1 Comment

A couple of months ago I made a post about sewing cloth training pants. Let me tell you that Audrey absolutely LOVES her training pants! The butterflies and cupcakes PUL is super cute, so she is very eager to wear them. The problem is that I only made a couple of pairs in the small size, so she is not quite big enough to use the rest of them. Two pairs of training pants is definitely not enough to get by, and I really don’t want to spend that much money on disposable diapers. So it’s time to sew some more training pants! For some reason I just love sewing these adorable little pants, and it has become my new obsession!

Even though I liked the Babyville Boutique Totally Trainers pattern, I wanted to try something a little different so that Audrey has a bit of variety, but also so that I could cut down on the cost of the fold-over elastic. I designed a pattern that doesn’t use any fold-over elastic and instead has a rib knit casing into which regular waistband elastic is inserted. The waist band and leg openings are made with cotton rib knit fabric. The outer layer is a blue “minky” fabric with white spots (“minky” is a super soft furry fabric). I chose this fabric because Audrey loves her minky Itti Bitti nappies, and I’m hoping it’s because of the texture. I decided to stick with the cotton diaper flannel for the interior and the 4 layers of the soaker.

It is now 11:30 pm, and I have finally finished designing and sewing my prototype. I’m that pleased with how they turned out that I’m almost tempted to wake the sleeping child to try them out for size! Yes, I realise it was a temporary moment of insanity, but don’t worry, I have wisely decided to wait until morning! I can’t wait to see what she thinks about her new “big girl pants.” (And I’m equally excited to see if they fit!) To be honest, I’m a bit worried about the choice of fabric – is it necessary for the outer layer to be waterproof like PUL? Of course you could make this pattern with PUL fabric as a substitute, but I just love how soft this fabric feels – I can’t stop running my hands over it. If they fit, and if I have time, I’ll see if I can figure out how to share my pattern with my lovely readers.

Alright, I think it’s time I hit the hay. I can vaguely recall the times I used to pull all-nighters when I was in University… but now that I’m a mum staying up past 10pm is a very rare occurrence, and with good reason. I’m a total zombie without my beauty sleep! Does that make me old? Or is it simply the arduous task of bringing up a two-year-old that really makes you need the sleep? I’m gonna go with the latter, and I’ll catch you later.

Some thrifty sewing tips

June 26, 2014 by Cheryl Leave a Comment

“Why sew your own clothes if it’s cheaper to buy them already made?”

To tell you the truth, I wrestle with this question from time to time. It’s true that (most of the time) it is cheaper to buy clothes straight off the rack, and with basically no effort on your part whatsoever. But hey, what’s the fun in that? Seriously though, the high quality of a lovingly stitched item of clothing will almost certainly be worth the time, effort and money. When you’re working with a well-designed pattern and good quality fabrics (and hopefully your sewing techniques are pretty decent) then you really should be comparing the price of your item with a high quality designer brand. And since designer brands don’t come cheap you probably are in fact saving money by choosing to sew it yourself, not to mention the pure enjoyment of creating something yourself! If you must count pennies though, there are a few ways to save money

1. Use coupons.

My partner always laughs at how excited I get when my $40 coupon from Spotlight comes in the mail. I always end up using it, even if I don’t “need” anything and my stash keeps getting bigger.

2. Use up your stash.

If you’re like me and accumulate a stash, try to use it the next time you’ve got a project! I sometimes get a little nervous using up beautiful fabrics I’ve been hanging onto. I worry that I’m going to make a mistake, or the final piece won’t be worthy of the fabric’s beauty, or some other crap like that. Don’t be like me – you bought the fabric to be used, so create something! The shirts below were a stash buster. I bought 1.5 metres of the fabric at 40% off at Spotlight. I think I paid around $3.99/m for it (so less than $6 total). From that I made two blouses from the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress pattern, and had enough fabric left over to make two doll’s tops.

3. Look for sales.

You can almost always find a sale on fabric, whether online or at any of the big fabric stores. I don’t remember the last time I bought fabric or patterns at full price. It would have to be pretty special for me to splurge like that. (Oh, and speaking of sales, the pattern for the shirts (above) is on sale at my website, www.sewsavvy.com! I know, a shameless plug)

4. Always save buttons.

A lot of store-bought clothing comes with an extra button or two. Don’t throw them out! Save them up – you’ll never know when you’ll need an odd closure. Also, if you are about to throw out clothing that has had it’s day, first scavenge all the trims and buttons before you throw it out.

5. Trace your patterns.

This is especially true when sewing for children. Children’s patterns usually span several ages (like 2T-10 in some cases), so if you trace the pattern for whichever size you need you then leave the rest of the sizes untouched and available to sew as your child grows. My mum always sewed 3 dresses from each pattern for each of us girls. It used to drive us crazy that we had to wear the same clothes all the time, but I can imagine that it saved my mum a lot of money since patterns can be very pricey. Make sure to transfer all of the markings. Also, a tip I learned from the Fashion Incubator Blog, make sure to cut the line away completely whenever you trace a pattern because each time you trace a pattern the line increases the size of the pattern. For instance, I will trace the pattern onto paper, then use chalk to trace around the paper onto my fabric. If I were to cut on the outside of the line each time I could be adding 2 or 3 mm to my seams. It may not seem like a lot, but trust me, it will make a difference when you try to match the pieces up. Here’s a very high-tech photo of my lightbox: pattern pieces taped to the window.

7. Re-purpose old clothes. That t-shirt you never wear anymore might make some fine pyjamas or leggings for a baby/toddler. Old jeans are easily sewn into a child’s skirt or shorts.

I hope you found this list helpful. If you’ve got a few suggestions of your own please let me know and I’ll add them to the list! So here’s the question of the day: do you sew to save money? Or, do you sew purely for enjoyment?

It’s Almost Time for Big Girl Pants!

May 26, 2014 by Cheryl 2 Comments

Getting Ready for the Challenge of Potty Training

Audrey is not quite two yet, but it seems like she’s starting to get interested in potty training, so I”m trying to gear up for the challenge (scary, right?) I don’t think she is quite ready yet, but just so that I’m prepared when the time comes I’ve made her some training pants. I used the Babyville Boutique Totally Trainers Pattern and the butterfly and cupcakes PUL fabric of the same brand. The PUL for the outside is waterproof and breathable, and the flannel for the soaker and the inner layer should make it absorbent for those little accidents that are sure to happen.

The pattern booklet comes with several methods for sewing the pants. You can even make swim nappies with this pattern. I tried a few different styles out, and then settled on a method that was the easiest for me which was a bit of a blend of their way and my own way. I didn’t really like switching the elastic in the leg from sewn-in to fold-over and found that I much preferred either sewing the whole leg opening with regular elastic (sewn into the seam) or the whole leg opening with fold-over elastic. As I am always concerned about value for money I was interested to see just how many pants I could get out of one package of PUL. The answer was seven! I started out making small pants before realising that Audrey will likely be a bit bigger when she actually needs them, so in total I have 2 small pants and 5 medium-sized pants. I think that will probably be enough to get her through potty training as long as I do the wash every 1 or 2 days.

Sewing Tips

Remember that PUL is only waterproof as long as you don’t put holes through it. If you need to use pins make sure to only pin in the seam allowance
Instead of pins, you can use small bull-clips or Clover Wonder Clips to hold the fabric together. They’re pretty handy because they lie flat and are easy to clip on and off as you need them
To get the correct size of elastic use your child’s actual measurements for the waist
If you combine the two elastics so that you sew the leg openings with just one type: add the two sizes together and subtract the seam allowance. Therefore, the size should be 11″ for small, 12-1/4″ for medium, 14-3/16″ for large
I found that my braided elastic stretched a bit as I sewed it in. I had to cut my elastic a little bit shorter than the guidelines so that they fit.
I’m of the opinion that underwear should be tight at the groin area and not so tight at the hip area for the best comfort, so when you’re sewing in the full elastic leg opening make sure you stretch a little bit more in the middle than on the ends

My daughter was so excited when she saw them. She waved them over her head and ran around the house when I gave her the first pair. The first test definitely worked – no leaks to clean up, but not so dry that she can’t feel it. There are lots of other options out there for the inner lining and soaker fabric (bamboo, terry, fleece, microfibre, jersey knit). You could probably even up-cycle some t-shirts you don’t wear anymore or towels for the soaker. If you’re interested in buying the materials to make your child’s training pants, you can find them all on my store, www.sewsavvy.com.

Babyville Boutique Totally Trainers Pattern
Babyville Boutique PUL Fabric (21″ x 24″, 3ct)
Fold-over elastic (1″)
flannel (or another absorbent knit material) (Update: after using and washing flannel several times now I’ve realised that flannel pills quite a bit. It’s great for the inner layers, but I would probably use a fleece, a stay-dri fabric, or if you want him/her to feel quite wet, just use a jersey knit fabric)
braided elastic

Quilting and other news

May 4, 2014 by Cheryl Leave a Comment

I love quilts. I love the way they feel, I love the comfortable feeling of snuggling up in a quilt in the cool evening, I love the way each piece is thoughtfully placed and carefully stitched. The thing I don’t like about doing the quilting myself is the commitment it takes to actually finish the darn thing. I posted last time about a frustrating first effort in quilting and I think I’ve gotten over a few of the initial hurdles (i.e. figuring out how to put a border on). I have now sandwiched my batting between my backing fabric and my quilt front (with the ever patient help of my mother in law, Debbie, and a few thousand safety pins). I’m now on to bigger and better things: the actual ‘quilting’ part.

Here is the photo of the quilt top with the border attached (this is after frustratingly unpicking said border twice before finally following instructions on how to put it on properly)

I decided to do both machine and hand quilting. I machine stitched around each of the squares and along the border – all in the ditch. Then I used a washable fabric marker to mark out large circles around each square with a 6-petal flower in the centre. I made my own stencils using my Cameo Silhouette. I’m not sure if I purchased the petal design or if it just came with my Silhouette library. When I saw it I thought it would be perfect. It’s a very simple design, and very easy to sew, but like I said, the commitment is a big one when you decide to hand-quilt. I’ve finished about a third of this quilt so it is hard to see the end in sight!

these are the quilting templates that I made using the Cameo Silhouette. It was so easy just to measure the size I wanted, put it into the software and let the machine cut it out.

On other exciting news, I’ve decided to start a business selling patterns and some haberdashery for children’s garments and toys. I’m hoping for a July 1st launch of my website, www.sewsavvy.com. I’m thinking I might also start selling at the local baby and kids market here in Mackay. I’ve made a big order of patterns, books and supplies and I can’t wait to get my hands on them!! One of the products I’m most excited about at the moment is the Babyville Boutique Totally Trainers pattern. Audrey is not quite ready to potty train, but she has learned how to take her diaper off. Anytime you’re not looking she manages to rip her diaper off with one hand and run around excitedly, just daring you to chase her. I’m looking forward to making the trainers, because they will absorb more than plain underwear but be a bit more difficult to remove than disposable diapers. Hopefully it makes the transition to potty training just that little bit easier.

I’m currently working on a pattern of my own design – it’s a baby mobile made from felt hot air balloons. I’ve got four of the hot air balloons completed, and I just need to add some baskets and the hardware. I think they are adorable! There is a soon-to-be born baby I have in mind who will be the lucky owner of my prototype mobile, and who is (as of yet) the gender-neutral muse for this project.