The Handmade Wardrobe

Summer set

 

Here is a set I put together for my youngest. I used my favourite liberty fabric. Unfortunately out og print this beautiful Katie and Millie fabric is so perfect for a little girls summer clothes.

In the set I have a romper, a pair of bloomers and a knit jacket.  I love making little sets like this because they can be mixed and matches so easily with the rest of her wardrobe and make up countless little outfits.

Layering is key when dressing litte ones who live around here and with a warm merino wool jacket she should stay nice and cozy warm on those chilly summer days. To finish the jacket I used fabric covered buttons and bias tape on the inside of the button bands.

I matched it with a blouse I purchased, shoes from Easy Peasy and collegian socks. Adorable and so versatile for those summer days.

 

Where to find it: 

Jacket pattern will be available soon in my Ravelry and Etsy shop. 

Jacket is knit in Sandnes Garn, Mini duett

Liberty Fabric from : Liberty of London 

Shoes from: Easy Peasy 

Socks from: Collegien

A new start

Have decided to give this blog a new try. I hope to make this my creative escape. And I hope to share it with you.

I will be posting about handmade clothes for children.

 I am not a writer and will share mainly in pictures.

Hope you enjoy.

Baby layette / Hentesett

 It is a long tradition in Norway to have a home knit layette set for the new baby.It is usually worn home from the hospital and is often the first clothes the baby will wear that are not hospital clothing.

It is usually knit by the mother or a close family member. It was down to the wire for me this time and I finished the last sock while in active labor, just 3 hours before she was born. So I guess I could say I knit my way threw labour.  (It was a fast one this time around)

Even women who usually have little or no interest or experience, will usually try there hand at a layette. There is something special about dressing your new baby in clothing made with so much love for that first trip home. And something so precius about the time spent making it, while thinking and dreaming of whats to come.The set will usually follow the child and become a cherished keepsake for that child. 

For Anna, being a summer baby I didn't want to knit in wool though this is the most common. I was scared it would end up being to warm for the style I wanted so I chose a cotton/merino blend from Dale. The color is such a soft delicate pink and the yarn is easy to knit and oh so soft. 

The pattern is based on a vintage pattern my mother had from when we were children, I added the decorative border and made the pants without the suspenders.

As most of these layette's it turned out a little large for that tiny newborn body, but has been frequently used the last 8 weeks and is now just right. I am already dreading the day it will be to small, they grow to fast these little ones. I also made a dress to go with the knit set as you can see in the picture. I will show you the details on that later. 

Today the sun is shining on this beautiful crisp late summer day. So I think I will go for a walk before it is time to pick up Olivia from school again. It is suppose to stay like this all week, so we will do our best to enjoy these last summer days before the cold and usually wet fall hits us full force.

 

Alpaca Baby Blanket

This blanket was actually made for Olivia 6 years ago, but has been such a favorite that it never got packed away like the other baby stuff did. It has stayed in the living room for the 6 years and has at times been purely decorative. But I am happy that it now gets to be used for another little baby girl.

It is not a very large blanket,just big enough to cover a baby without having to fold it up. We use it a lot both in the stroller and the crib. It is made from the softest Alpaca and like always I was not able to leave the pattern alone and decided to add a wide border to the original pattern.

When I made this blanket my grandmother had just given me some crochet tablecloths that she had made years ago and this is a copy of the border on one of those. It is wide enough to make the blanket just that perfect size for a little baby.

Silk Jacket

 A lot of knitting has been done for this little girl of ours. It seems the will to knit grows in tune with the belly when you are pregnant.

I thought I would show you some of the things I made for Anna before she was born starting with this little jacket. It is a Dale of Norway pattern (Ravelry link) though I did make a few little changes.

The bottom I chose to knit with a hem by knitting about 2cm then a row of holes folding this edge in and sewing in place to finish. I did the same to the sleeves and also did a quick crochet edge on the front.

As for the yarn I used some a silk/alpaca blend from Drops.It is so soft and not to warm so the jacket can be used year round. The color is soft and delicate and by changing the ribbon detail could easily be used by both girls and boys.

This is definitely one of my favorite projects since I love working with all the detail like the ragland sleeves and the border for the ribbon. It is always fun to see a project like this come together.

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Here are my Ravelry notes.

Buttons and a new addition

Yes you guessed it, we are very eagerly awaiting an addition to the family. Our little girl will be here mid to end of June. So we are preparing the house and ourselves for the changes to come. Its been 6 years since there was a baby in our lives so it is going to be quite a change for all of us. Olivia is over the moon exited for here little sister to come and loves to check in with the belly every day. The knitting needles have been clicking away the last few months and have resulted in a few jackets and other little baby items. A few of them now ready for buttons. I will show you some more of what is being crafted for baby later on.

Turning 5 and the Birthday Dress

So the big event this summer was Olivia turning 5. It was a much anticipated day for our big girl. And she seemed to mature about 3 years the day she woke up and was finally 5. With a new level of the "I can" and "look at how big I am now" attitude it was such a wonderful day. We spent the day doing what we love most, being together. Oh.. and taking in a show and some candy at the theater. The birthday party's had to be postponed for later since her birthday lands right in the middle of everyone's vacation. But there was still cake and presents shared by the 3 of us.

And then there was the dress. I have started this tradition of making a birthday dress for every one of here birthday. Sometimes very quick and simple and sometimes more elaborate. This years dress was more on the elaborate end of the spectrum. We are dead center of a major princess period around here and it is all about the glitz and glamor.

This dress came as a result of a few other projects that din not quite come together as I had hoped and somehow morphed themselves into this dress. A big fluffy mix of satin and tulle finished with crystal buttons of cause. Needles to say she would have preferred to wear it to bed that night.

Cosmetic Bag

A first for me, I made up this little cosmetic bag and decided to try my hand at drafting a pattern for you.

It is my first time doing this so I hope it will work out ok.

The cosmetics bag is made from linen and lined in cotton. The linen I used actually came from IKEA. They carry it in 3 colors I think and it worked great for this project. Although it is a little lively. Kind of like cutting yellow but as long as it is ironed well before you do any cutting and use lots of pins it works good even for theses small detailed projects.

So here is the how to. The pattern pieces are in a PDF just click and download.

Download Cosmetic_bag_pattern

(Sorry the pictures are so bad, it was sunny one second, overcast the next. And I didn't have time to sit and wait for perfect lighting)

You will need 2 shades of fabric plus a contrasting color for the lining. About 15-20cm of the main color and the lining should do. For the piping detail a ribbon or a few centimeters of a leftover fabric will do. A 10cm (4") zipper (some bias-tape optional)

Start by cutting out all the pattern pieces and pressing them, Then sew a zig zag around all edges. The piping is folded in half and sewn together with a zig zag.

Now you are ready for assembling the pieces. Start by making the pleats on the main piece by lining up the marks and laying the fold towards the outside edge of the piece. Baste in place before continuing.

Now pin the top of the bag to the main piece, right sides together, lay the piping between the two layers and sew together.

Trim away any extra piping and press the seem towards the top of the bag.

Now fold down and press about 0,5cm (1/4") of the top towards the back. Do the same to the lining. You may have to adjust the fold to ensure that this piece is the same or just a few mm shorter then the front of the bag.

Then pin the zipper between the two layers and sew in place. Do one side at a time. When you do the second side open the zipper and turn the bag inside out as you get close to the end where the zipper is closed.

Now turn the bag inside out and sew down the sides. If you want this is also a good time to ad a piece of bias-tape to cover this seem since it will be unfinished inside the bag.

Fold the two bottom corners so you create two triangles and sew straight across to create a 4,4cm (1,5") flat bottom for the bag. Trim away the two corner "ears" finish by covering with bias-tape or a zig zag.

Turn right side out. And there you have it.

Oh and did you notice, it has a big sister? It is a different pattern and it is a bit more complicated so we'll see if I get the urge and draft it up later.

Have a great day!

I just created a flickr group where you can share photos from this pattern. I would love to see what you are making.

 

Liberating dress

I was in the mood to do some sewing the other day after making a maternity dress for a friend and decided to cut into my stack of newly purchased Liberty of London fabrics. They cost a fortune but are so worth it. They are the softest most delicate fabrics. They don't wrinkle and are light and oh so liberating for those toddler legs tired of being wrapped in warm wool stockings all winter.

Unfortunately the little one this dress was made for was sick when the dress was finished (hens the gloomy look and the plastic plug) But still enjoyed here new dress on what was a very warm spring day. We even took an ice cream break a little later on it was so nice outside. My grandmother would be horrified. Feeding a sick kid ice cream and letting here wear a dress!!! But hey it was only a fever and it was as warm inside as it was out. So that's ok right?

Button shirt turned Easter dress.

Yellow is my favorite color at the moment. It reminds me of everything spring, the sun, the crocus in the backyard, and of cause Easter. So when my husband discarded this pail yellow button shirt I right away eyed an opportunity for another button shirt remake.

This one I turned into a little dress or I guess its more of a tunic. Its just a little short to qualify as a dress even for a toddler. But sunny and yellow it is and perfect for those Easter events coming up. Sorry I din't do a how to on this one. But Here is a rough explanation of how it went together. I used a pattern for a t shirt as the basis. Then I cut out the bodice from the sleeves and used the front and back for the skirt sections. The leftover pieces I used to line the top. And to allow her head to fit threw I made an easy keyhole back by cutting a drop shape and stitching in a small loop for the buttonhole. It was an easy project and came together in just a few hours.