Week 108 : Carousel and Granny Square dresses

This cotton knit fabric didn't lend itself to pieces for pyjamas, so I cut and assembled another easy nightdress. 

I bought my length from Ottobre Design's Etsy website. The same swedish Liandlo fabric is available from CraftyMamasFabrics though.

The pattern is the same as the turquoise and rose print of the week before last. It was a very quick project. It is a good project for when I don't have enough to make full pyjamas (its a pity I've waiting so long with some of this stashed fabric. My girl has outgrown some of the sizes I anticipated sewing) 

I have fabric for one more night dress and then I think this group of projects is complete.

This is a special fabric I bought from the Sydney Craft fair last year. It's a double gauze. (I will update the textile details next post)

I've cut a simple nightdress but it is sized up from my usual template because I wanted to capture the border print on both selvedges.

The bottom edge is more detailed.

I cut the top to take advantage of the carousel horse garland for the neck edge.

Week 107 : Just more of the same

Just more knitting on the kidsilk trio Wonder sweater this week.
I've now finished the back and cast on the front.

Lots of new fabrics arrived this week, so next weekend will have a big cutting out session.
Since I know I'm making a bunch of pyjamas and nightdresses for my kids, I want to do all the cutting in one go.

Week 106 : Rose Print Nightdress

I made a quick nightdress for my eight year old daughter.
The fabric is this bright turquoise floral knit. Only one small piece which I bought about a week ago from CraftyMamasfabrics.

I worked the pattern out myself. A simple tunic with a front gather.

The pattern cutting is very simple and used virtually all of my 50cm x 150cm piece of fabric. I cut it into two 75cm lengths for front and back, and then folded the front down the centre front.

The photograph shows the front folded and just after cutting.
There is a small amount cut out for a neckline, angle for the shoulder seam and a little sliced at the underarm to make the sleeve hem more easily.

Yes, that's my beloved bulldog asleep under my sewing table.

I used the overlocker to assemble it. Ribbon sewn casing on the reverse enclosed a short length of elastic for the gather. I hand stitched all the hems.

At the last minute I added a little more  ribbon for a decorative bow.

My daughter loves it and has already dug in to the fabric stash for more nightdresses.

I promised finished photographs of the Fresh Mint sweater for my boy.
He wasn't a willing model but minimum compliance allowed these pictures. Its very big on him (now I understand how I knit over 1,300m of yarn) but with the cuffs folded up, it will last several seasons.

I think the yarn, Sunrise Fibre Co Aran Tweed, is beautiful. I have their harvest red colour stashed for my daughter.


Finally I cast on a project for me. It is an impulsive project. I was shopping in a local store and came upon Rowan Kid Silk Haze Trio. I love Kid Silk Haze but knitting lace weight is demanding. This has three strands into a yarn I can knit with 5.5mm needles. I chose the colour Alder which is a blue and turquoise combination.
I am knitting Wonder from the Rowan mini collection book.

Its a quick knit. In just this last week I have completed both the sleeves and about 25% of the back.

Week 105 - Freshly Minted Boy Sweater

I am sewing this sweater up and placing the raglan seam buttons. But this is finished.

I hope to get better photographs next week modelled by my boy. The green is much more pronounced than my iPhone camera can show. Its washed out a lot more on the knit fabric than the wound skein.

I used seven and a bit skeins of yarn. Sunrise Fibre Co Aran Tweed is 181 yards a skein. I think that's over 1300 yards.. for a ten year old boys sweater!
I know I sized it to be loose and slouchy, and he is getting very tall… but that is well into adult sizes.
There is no "whipping up kids knits" anymore in my family.

The yarn colour is Fresh Mint. The eight skeins I bought were reasonably matched, a few have more pronounced variegation than others but by alternating with two skeins throughout, they blended pretty well.


Its a very busy week, but I hope for lots of photographs next.

Week One Hundred and Four

I made a quick summer dress in this digitally printed silk satin. Its called "Where in the World" and I used one panel piece. The pattern is Vogue 8683

I decided to not have a belt which would break the line of the image and also require me to raise the graphic much higher (so the centreline would be at the waist).

The seams are french seamed and I hand stitched the hems.

The naughtiest spaniel in the world (yes, that's her in the picture above with the plastic top from a can of spray adhesive) chewed my daughter's pink hat brim. We added some crafty inspiration from the ribbons box.

Week One Hundred and Three

I finished sewing a dress. A new pattern for me and one which I'll be repeating.

Vogue V1351. This is a lightweight wool crepe, bought from Tessuti some time ago. Its lined with cream silk (it was a bit too sheer).

I hand stitched the side zip.

The pattern length was well above the knee on me, to get it to fall just on the knee I had to add 15cm to the length. Other than that detail I won't be making any modifications to future versions.

Although I'm considering an unlined (or bodice only lined) version. I have a silk crepe fabric lined up as possibilities though and that will need lining.

I continued knitting on my son's sweater. I found buttons in the stash for the raglan side. I can't remember buying these, they might be fifteen years old but they're a good match.

I had other vintage glass buttons to choose from.  Were this a more feminine sweater for my daughter I would have been tempted into using them. My son is rough on his sweaters and this is super wash yarn, so better to stick with the more robust buttons. 

Garland is coming along. I had a setback when the puppy grabbed the knitting from the table and I lost a bunch of stitches. It was hard to rebuild the stitches as mohair and silk is a very 'sticky' fibre.

This photograph doesn't show the lace detail quite so well. I have completed the ribbing and the decorative border to the bottom of the sweater. I have a distance of plain stockinette now until I break off and split at the level of the armholes.

I cut some more material. This is a digitally printed silk satin named "Where in the World"  (also from Tessuti). 

I am trying a sleeveless column/ shift without shaping or a belt.  I hope it doesn't look too sack-like, or the design look too awkward. I think the challenge will be getting the length right and the positioning of the cityscape. 

Week One Hundred and Two

An early post because I'm in the city only for a day.

The finished Belladonna cardigan.

In daylight, the dye lot variation isn't as noticeable. The left sleeve is a bit more pronounced than the other pieces and its a bit 'stripy' in close up.
The buttons are shell, bought some time ago form All Buttons (sidebar link).

I modified this pattern extensively. It has a lot of length added. (only to below waist even though the dress form makes it look much longer) and the rib is carried throughout rather than just to bottom edges.

Here is the baby cardigan made a short while ago. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Andes in a  duck egg blue. The small plastic buttons are from stash.

While I was about it, I knit another using Mirasol Conanini yarn (60%cotton, 40%wool) for a baby yet to be born.

The buttons are from stash, I think I remember my daughter buying them. At the time I thought they were a little sparkly and glitzy  (exactly the qualities to appeal to an eight year old girl)  But on this cerise knit they are perfect.

Finally I have cast on another new project. This is a mohair and silk oversized sweater for me from the Autumn/Winter 2013 Pom Pom magazine. Its Garland and I have the Softrope Kidsilk lace in colour Conch.

I have ball wound the first skein and love the way the mohair has fuzzed up like a little cocoon in the centre.