Cole's Creations Spirit Jacket, boy version

Over the weekend, Fall made its presence known here in Tennessee. And Duncan has outgrown all his jackets.

Fortunately, the Cole's Creations Spirit Jacket is a crazy fast sew, and I was able to make his a nice cozy one, just in time for the cold snap!

The fabrics are fleece, with interlock for the collar, waistband and cuffs. I also underlined the sleeves with tricot to make them nice and slippery so the jacket would be easy to take on and off. The tricot adds some wind resistance too, so that's a nice bonus.

I made a size 4. and it is a perfect fit, but there is definitely no grow room. Fortunately, it'll be easy enough to whip up another once he outgrows this one. I do love the way the waistband holds the jacket snug at the waist. Very cozy!

It is nice and comfy for play, and he can do the snaps himself, which is really nice. I used red capped snaps from SewBaby.

It even kept him cozy in the rain! And don't let that forlorn look fool you. He threw an unholy fit when we made him come inside.

Ottobre 06/2010-15

This cute face. How do I ever sew for anyone else?? Sadly, Duncan's wardrobe needs are simple, and he does have a lot of Logan hand-me-downs.

But he doesn't have much in the way of long sleeve shirts, which gives me an excuse to sew my favorite pattern with my favorite fabrics.

I mean, seriously. Those hipster frogs are killing me. I got them from Kitschy Coo, of course. The solid green is from Hobby Lobby. It cannot compare at all to the Lillestoff frogs in quality, but it is the right color.

The pattern is from the 06/2010 issue of Ottobre. I have made it at least a half dozen times, and I will make it many more. I love the seaming. Such a nice flattering curve to the raglan seam! And I love the slim, modern fit. It's pretty much the holy grail of shirt patterns and I will cry when my kids outgrow the size range.

But before that happens, I'm going to make it a bunch more times.

Because this face, y'all.

Monthly Roundup: September 2014

September was a very productive month for me sewing-wise, but I didn't get much blogging in. In the early part of the month I was pattern testing and keeping things under wraps, then I sewed some basics that I just didn't feel like blogging. How many raglan sleeve nightgowns do you really want to read about anyway? I got out of the groove of taking pictures and writing, and it's been hard to get back. I will though. I have some fun things to show you.

For September, I sewed:
1) LouBee Hosh Pants x3 for Myra
2) Kitschy Coo Dolman Tee for Myra
3) Kitschy Coo Comino Cap top x2 for me
4) Kwik Sew 526 PJ pants for me
5) Plunging neckline dress for Barbie
6) Cole's Creations Neverland Shirt X2 for Myra
7) Ottobre 04/2013-12 tee shirt for Myra
8) Simplicity 4719 tee shirt for Barbie
9) Urban Vita coatdress for Barbie
10) Ottobre 06/2009-36 nightgown X3 for Myra
11) Ottobre 06/2010-15 raglan tee x2 for Duncan and Emma
12) Ottobre 06/2012-13 leggings x3 for Emma
13) Ottobre 04/2014-16 tee shirt for Emma
14) Ottobre 0/2013-12 tee shirt for Emma
15) LouBee Hosh Pants for Duncan

That totals up to 24 garments and 23.5 yards sewn. I made a lot of basics, like PJs and tee shirts. Fall has started to make an appearance and the kids are all in need of basics. I also stocked up on mid-weight knits and stretch bottom weights for some more fall sewing for the kids and for me. I added 40.5 yards of fabric, which puts be at a total for the year of 140.25 yards sewn and 111.5 yards purchased.

It was a fun, colorful month! I got to sew for Myra and for my sweet niece. They both love pink and bright colors. I didn't do much sewing for Barbie and her friends, which I plan to rectify soon.

The most exciting part of my month was the addition of my new sewing machine! She's up and running well, and I've been stitching with her. She's an absolute dream to sew with, and so quiet! I love her so.

New baby!!

Last week my sweet hubby and I had an hour to kill between dropping off one kid and picking up the others, so we decided to check out the local Antique Mall.

We didn't have a whole lot of time, and I honestly wasn't looking particularly closely at anything. Mitch spotted this elaborate cabinet, and only upon closer inspection did he realize that there was a sewing machine in it. He called me over, and after I started breathing again, we took a peek at the price.

I should mention at this point that a treadle sewing machine has been a dream of mine for some time. And this one *gasp* she's so beautiful! And that cabinet! I have no words. But I know very little about machines this old, and even less about cabinets, and we HAD to go to get the other two kids, so I walked away, me heart breaking a little more with each step. I should mention at this point that Mitch thought we should buy it right off. I should listen to him more...

Obviously, this tale has a happy ending! While waiting for the kids to get out of school, I did a bit of homework and determined that the price the Antique shop was asking was a very reasonable one, and we went back to get her. I didn't breathe on the whole drive there. What if someone else had gotten her?? But there she was, waiting for me. It was meant to be.

She wasn't in perfect condition. Not surprising, since she's 114 years old. I cleaned and oiled her, then replaced her belt and the rubber ring on her bobbin winder. But even before all that, she moved like a dream. So smooth! My modern machines are jealous.

Even though I don't know a lot about machines this old, my clue to her age was the direction of the needle thread. You thread her left to right, instead of front to back. I looked her serial number up in the Singer database and discovered that she is a Model #27, built in 1900. She's in amazing shape for her age!

Her decals and paint are a bit worn, particularly on the machine bed where she'd have seen the most action. It is clear that she was used and cared for well. I wish I knew her history. Imagine the things she has sewn!

Her face plate is in excellent shape, although it could use a bit of a cleaning. I love the ivy design on it.

The treadle mechanism is in beautiful condition though. Even the paint is still shiny! Replacing the belt was easy peasy.

And just look at that perfect stitch. Nora and I are going to have a lot of fun together.

Cole's Creations Neverland Shirt, the first

You've seen the final version of the Neverland Shirt. This was my first.

Myra likes this one, too.

One of the things that the tester group really worked hard on was getting the collar just right. You can see that this version isn't perfect. I overlapped it a bit too much. It is also the smaller version of the collar.

The testers in the group liked both versions so much, Nicole decided to have both options in the final pattern. I think it was the perfect decision. I love the big bold collar of the other version, but this petite collar is perfectly sweet.

The fabric for this version is a double knit that has very little recovery, so it has a looser fit than the star shirt. I think it looks great with slim pants like these floral Hosh Pants. (Preview: an expanded size range and better fit for the Hosh is currently in testing, as well as a wide leg version that you are going to LOVE!)

The cuffs and collar are a super thin viscose jersey. In retrospect, it isn't the perfect fabric and I wish I had lightly interfaced both collar and cuffs. Particularly the cuffs, as they have a tendency to collapse while Myra is wearing the top.

All in all, this pattern is definitely a winner for us. These two are in constant rotation in Myra's wardrobe, and I know I'll make more. The pattern goes all the way up to size 16!