Crafting Adventures: Colorblocked Shorts

 

I made a pair of shorts!  If you've followed my sewing journey around here, you know that I typically stick to dresses for my little girls, but I've been wanting to branch out.

A little while ago, I purchased the Simple Life Pattern Company Emilya pattern for bermuda shorts, capris, and skinny pants without a real plan for what to do with it- I think it may have been on sale and I thought I'd probably need it eventually.  Well, I've been eager for some scrap-busting projects this spring, and this pattern presented the perfect opportunity!

I went through a phase where I would buy up tons of fat quarter sets whenever I was at the fabric store.  I just loved the fact that they are pre-cut squares of coordinating fabric that just scream "cute project!"  Obviously they are intended for quilting, but I always loved to use them to do little home decor projects or toddler-sized clothes.  For the past few years, however, they've mostly just been taking up space in my stash- potentially cute projects.  In an effort to actually use them, I've started sketching up some ideas.  My favorite idea is going to be very labor intensive, but this one was much quicker- and turned out so cute!

I had purchased 2 gingham print fat quarter collections a million years ago, and for this project I wanted to use the 2 blue and 2 red pieces for a pair of Americana bermuda shorts, perfect for summertime.

The Emilya pattern is super easy to follow.  The waistband, pockets, and cuffs really lend themselves to a colorblocked styling which is just perfect for a stash-buster, even if you're not working with pre-cut squares.  For the size 8 shorts, I was able to cut one front and one back leg from a single fat quarter with some creative positioning of the pattern pieces.  To do the waistband, I cut 2 pieces that were half the required width (plus seam allowance) for the front and 2 for the back, and then joined them together before proceeding with the instructions.  I did the same for the cuffs, except I didn't have enough fabric left to get the full width the pattern required while also including allowance for the extra seam, so they don't overlap quite as far on the outer edge as they are intended to.

I cut the pattern pieces so that the colors would continually alternate all the way around the shorts.  This means one leg is red in the front and blue in the back, and the visible part of the pocket in front is blue.  It also means the waistband is half blue and half red in both the front and back, with the blue portion attaching to the red pant leg on both sides.  Finally, the cuffs are oriented so that the blue portion of the cuff is attached to the red portion of the leg.

In terms of fit, I think these could use a bit more room in the crotch area, but that may be mostly due to the fabric choice.  Quilting cotton is perhaps not the best idea for a child's shorts; a gusset may help this issue if you're not worried about the colorblocking aspect like I was.  Although the elastic waistband does mean these are comfortable to wear and easy to take on and off, I think these shorts are going to be "fancy shorts", meaning they won't be a playground staple.  I'd like to make these again in something heavier, like denim, and see how they look.

Once again I finished the seams on this garment with the overlock stitch on my regular home-use sewing machine (still no serger here!) and this time I filmed a little tutorial for Instagram- check it out here!

Do you like working with fat quarters or other pre-cut pieces of coordinating fabrics?  Or do you prefer to shop by the yard?

Much love,

The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Floral Finery

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Happy Easter!  If your family celebrates Easter, I hope it was a joy-filled day with lots of "alleluias" and a little bit too much candy.

I finally have a moment to share a look at the outfits I made for my kids to wear to Easter morning Mass.  If you follow me on Instagram, you may have been watching my nightly progress on my Stories.

When creating holiday outfits for my crew, I typically choose one fabric to feature and then some accent fabric depending on the garments I'm making, and each kid typically gets their own unique garment made in that same fabric.  This time, however, I took my oldest to JoAnn- our favorite place to shop together- with only the vague idea that I wanted something floral.  We found these quilting cottons in various colors and just could not decide on a single color, so this time each kid got their own fabric- Miss Chief in blue, Peanut in green and blue, and Bean in the pink and purple.  To keep the outfits looking cohesive, I used the same pattern for the girls' dresses, but the little one got short sleeves and the oldest was sleeveless.  I also chose a lace ribbon to use as trim on both dresses and to tie off the back, and used the same buttons on each dress.  While it's certainly a departure from our usual single color palette, I think they look great together!  Mr. Geek and I shopped our closets for our looks- I wore a blue floral dress and he wore a bright pink tie.

The dress pattern I used was the Elouise from Simple Life Pattern Company.  For my 9-year-old, I did the sleeveless option with the dress length gathered skirt.  For my almost-2-year-old, I did the short sleeved version with the vintage length gathered skirt.  I used a lovely lace ribbon for the long ties in the back and to trim the hemline of the skirt on both dresses.  The back of the dress is really the star on this pattern.

For my son, I made the Classic Necktie pattern from Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop.  Unlike the many ties and bowties I've made for him in the past, this pattern is for a real tie.  I was sort of in a hurry when whipping this one up and ended up not using the woven sew-in interfacing, which would have given it a sturdy, crisp feel- I will have to make sure to do that next time.  The pattern also features adult sizing, so I'll have to make one of these for Mr. Geek next time, too!  Peanut looked like such a handsome gentleman and received so many compliments on his dapper look.

We're lucky to be spending the Easter Octave with family.  All of the cousins have really enjoyed this time together!  And we look pretty great together, too.

Happy Easter!

Much love,

The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Simple Floral Dress

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By now you know how much I love sewing clothes for my kids.  But I also have 2 nephews and a niece, and when I find a spare moment, I like to make things for them, too!  My littlest Bean and her cousin were born just a week apart from each other; we're going to celebrate their 2nd birthday, along with their other cousin's 1st birthday, when we're all together for Easter next week.  I wanted to sew a quick dress for my little niece but was afraid I wouldn't have enough time between finishing my kids' Easter looks and getting ready for the road trip, so I didn't prioritize this project.  I figured I could dig through my stash and use a pattern that was already put together from something I'd made for one of my daughters.  But then I was at JoAnn, picking up an extra roll of lace ribbon to finish the Easter dresses (if you follow along on my Instagram, you remember that saga) and as always, I perused the remnants and sale bins.  I found the most darling floral print cotton knit, just over a yard, and knew I had to take it home with me.  I hoped that I would have enough time to make something for my niece's birthday after all, but if not, this could eventually be a dress for either her or my own little Bean later in the summer.

Well, I finished the Easter looks with a few days to spare, and the worst of the packing was over, so I turned to Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop, my favorite patterns for knit and stretchy fabrics, to find something that would be a quick make.  I thought about using the Delaney dress pattern that I already owned- the one I used to upcycle my old maternity sweater- but I perused the website just in case something stood out to me.  Sure enough, I found the Dakota pattern for a Dolman-sleeved top or dress with optional sleeve ruffles.  I knew that it would be a quick sew, the dress cut would be the perfect design for the bold floral fabric, and I had some leftover solid magenta knit from our Sonic the Hedgehog Halloween costumes that would be perfect for the ruffles.  Plus, I knew I'd be able to use the same pattern in the t-shirt cut without the ruffles to make shirts for my son!

Y'all...isn't she lovely?  The Dolman sleeve design means that the sleeve and bodice are one continuous piece- so you simply attach the front to the back at the shoulders and side seams, hem the bottom and sleeves (or attach the ruffles to the sleeves), and add the neckband, and you're done!  I chose to leave the hem of my ruffles raw since this material won't unravel and it gives them an airy feel.  This was the first time I used the stretch stitch settings on my machine; I don't have a serger, so when I sew with knits, I typically use a narrow zig-zag stitch.  This time, I tried the built in stretch overlock stitch for all the seams, and the triple stretch stitch for my top stitching.  The neckline is still looking a bit wonky, so I clearly need more practice, but overall it's a really clean, professional look.  I assembled everything but the neckline Tuesday night, and did the neckband last night.  (I'm sure if my toddler had gone to bed when she was supposed to on Tuesday, I could have finished the whole thing then.)  For me, that's a very quick make indeed!

If you love this pattern as much as I do, you can get it now for FREE by simply joining the Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop Facebook group or signing up for their newsletter!  (Click here for more details!)

It just so happens that the first week's theme for Project Run and Play is "I can buy myself flowers", with an emphasis on bold floral designs, so I'm submitting this look to their Season 27 sew along!  Check out this season's themes and see if you have time to whip something up and play along!

Do you like working with knits?  Got any tips to make my neck band less wonky?

Much love,

The Geeks