Fab Fall Outfit Making for Smalls

With a busy season of running my shop, homeschooling & family appointments for everything under the sun, fall sewing has been minimal this year.  Cue the wah-wah sound effect for me & my fellow sewing fanatics.  The good news is that I was able to eek out the fun two piece outfit above for my littlest lady.  So if you're like me and struggling to fit something in, there's hope!

I'd fallen in love with this vibrant autumn print panel by Katschinka, a European fabric maker.  The rich colors and sweet leaf & little girl design were so darn cute!  Most things in stores this season (and the last few falls for the that matter) were super bland, so this was the perfect antidote to that.

The back is just as charming as the front (and is a slightly different design too):

I used coordinating two Euro knit French terry fabric rapports to make it from Jumping June Textiles (these exact ones aren't available anymore, but there are other cute designs).  I'd bought them a few autumns ago but hadn't had time to do anything with them until now.  As I shared in a previous post here, rapports are fabric panels printed with multiple sections.  It's a single cut that has a repeat design section and usually one or more "panel" sections, all printed as one piece.  

They usually have a 4-way stretch which means you can turn them in different directions to suit your project.  I was able to turn the panel sideways to be able to use the entire scene for both the front & back and have enough to do the sleeves too.

To make the leggings I used the free girl's leggings pattern from Life Sew Savory.  It's a great pattern (covers sizes 18mos-12yrs) and the fit is ideal.  I literally had just enough of the solid side of my rapport fabric to make a pair for my 2T daughter.

For the dress I used my trusty raglan top pattern from the book Kwik Sew for Toddlers.  It's easiest to find used on eBay or Alibris these days, but is well worth grabbing (just ignore the horribly dated photos).  This has been one of my all-time favorite patterns for my smalls - I've used it for the top half of my recent sheep costume:

To easily pair up plush fabrics with applique:

and make comfy everyday wear:

Using a small amount of rib knit for the neckband and cuffs means it's an easy sew, with no real fiddly bits, which is key for me since sewing time is minimal.  I didn't want to waste any of the beautiful design, so I used a yard stick to lengthen my pattern and make it an extended A-line shape to turn it into a full dress:

I sew all my knits on a regular sewing machine using a triple stitch and stretch needle.  For finishing the hems I use paper backed fusible tape.  Just iron on, peel off the paper, fold hem up and press again and the hem is perfectly uniform.

 

I use a twin needle to topstitch so it looks professional, but is still super easy:

And both pieces have some growth room so I'm pretty sure I can add some rib knit to the legging cuffs if needed and then it'll be more of a tunic & bottoms ensemble for next year, so we can get maximum wear of of them.  I'm probably going to make more pairings like this for winter since they can be done in an afternoon.  My daughter couldn't wait to put these on and the fabric can withstand all the running & climbing she can throw at it.  It's a small bit of fall sewing, but it's been worth squeezing in!

 

DIY Little Shepherd and Sheep Costumes

I thought a coordinated costume effort would be really cute for my 2 & 4yr old for Halloween this year.  Living in the midwest it also meant they had to be both warm and easy to layer more clothing under.  And, most importantly, they be comfortable/willing to wear.  My solution was a sweet Little Shepherd & Sheep costume pair.  Just look at that sheep frolic!

My mini shepherd has a long fleece robe to keep him covered, a traditional headdress and of course the necessary shepherd's crook:

My little lamb has a fuzzy soft sherpa body, cuddle ears and a sweet sounding bell collar:

This photo cracks me up because it looks like they're having a a serious conversation.  What a shepherd and sheep talk about,  I don't even know.

I used 1 1/2yds of sherpa fleece fabric for my 2T sized daughter.  I also got a 1/2yd of white fleece for the tummy and hat and 1/4yd of ribbed knit for the neckband and cuffs of the top and pants.  For the main costume I used some of my favorite patterns for toddlers, the raglan top and jogger pant from the book Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers by Kerstin Martensson.

I cut an oval from the fleece to applique onto the shirt front before I assembled it, but otherwise followed the patterns exactly.  The fit is roomy enough to add clothing underneath for a chilly Halloween night.

For the hat, I used the same Turtle Dove cap pattern from the Winter 2009 issue of Ottobre Design that I used a few years back to make the head part of this DIY chicken costume.  I modified it to extend & overlap under the chin with a snap closure.

It's ideal for making hats like this that have ears since it has three main pieces so adding them is easy.

I hand drafted some ear pieces and cut a piece for each component from the sherpa and the white fleece for the outer & lining sides.  I sewed the ears together first and then basted them where I wanted them on the hat before I assembled it.

It turned out exactly as I'd pictured in my mind right off the bat, which was so nice.

I also made a little collar from a long scrap of brown fleece, with a snap closure and hand-sewed a bell on it.  My daughter finds it fascinating so she just won't leave it alone (which is why it's hard to see in most of my photos).  I feel like the bell collar was key for distinguishing this as a sheep/lamb costume since many people can do a quick glance at a fluffy costume and think it's just about any animal.  

For my little shepherd I totally winged it.  Which was somewhat miraculous because I literally threw it together from nothing 48hrs before a trunk or treat event at our church.  They were a big hit since they "teamed with the theme" of the location;)  

I started by using one of my 4yr old's fluffy sweatshirts as my base for shape & size.  I folded it in half and measured his height from shoulder to ankle to start an extended pattern that would become a robe.

I then used a yard stick to extend it out in an A shape from the underarm for the proper robe shape and then traced the sleeves and belled them out the same way.

Once I had my pieces I cut them all out from my 1/5yds of brown fleece and also made 3 inch wide neckline facing pieces by tracing the neckline of my front & back and sewed everything together.

For the headdress I look a yard of muslin found on clearance and folded it in half.  To anchor it I got some soft cotton craft cord and wrapped it around his head a few times and held it together with little clamps to remove it intact.  Then I hand sewed it in 4 spots to make it stay in place.

Placing it over the muslin gave a real shepherd look that was easy too:

And to round out the look I got this lightweight kid-sized plastic shepherd's crook off Amazon:

I'm so happy about how these turned out, especially since I barely had time to throw them together.  I do like to make the costumes, whenever I can, when my kids are little.  It makes it more memorable and I know my time for getting to pick them myself or getting them to be willing to coordinate is short so I need to use it.  My 2 yr old actually squealed with delight when she saw it and insisted on trying the hat on, so gotta make the most of this stage for Halloween costume fun!

Have a Happy Halloween!!

Sewing with Fabric Rapports + No-Iron Applique Technique

 

 

I've finally gotten some sewing projects started this year!!  This one was a long time coming too, but it was worth it - a cuddly little outfit full of bears!

 

 

I made a soft & stretchy raglan pullover top:

 

 

 

And a camouflage-style pair of matching pants with plush cuffs:

 

There's even a big bear peeking out the back of the shirt too:

 

I used the same patterns from the book Kwik Sew for Toddlers that I shared almost exactly a year ago when I made this outfit for my little guy:

 

This time I did the next size up and paired a fantastic Euro lycra knit with some green stretch velour to make this fun grumpy bear shirt and matching pants:

 

 

Using a fabric rapport is what makes this little set special.  It makes a total boutique outfit look with minimal fabric yardage.  When it comes to sewing clothes for kids, rapports are probably my favorite option because they are super versatile and usually pretty economical.  

 

So what is a fabric rapport?  Basically, it's a fabric panel printed with multiple sections.  It's a single cut that has a repeat design section and usually one or more "panel" sections, all printed as one piece.  Because knits are typically 58-60 inches wide, it gives a lot of usable space and less fabric wastage.

Rapports are usually Euro Knits - it just seems to be a more common design option from European fabric makers, so you have to look in shops that carry those (mainly online if you live in the US).  Some US based custom fabric groups design them too, but usually have a limited-time only, pre-order availability so that's another potential source (more on those here). 

 

I recently bought this cute 25in French terry one called Rainy Day by Katschinka 

 

This means you have "different" fabrics to work with from just one cut rather than having to buy extra coordinating yardage. Like this Mia & Max squirrel design from Mamaliebchen:

 

 

  

This is especially handy when you're sewing for little ones and you don't need a lot of material.  A piece like this one gives you loads of project options since the star section can be used as part of the navy panel or cut away and used for making cuffs, neckbands or another type of trim.  It takes away the challenge of trying to find the right colors for coordinating fabrics or prints (which can be really tricky when shopping online).

 

 The lengths of rapports can vary - usually varying somewhere between 1/2 - 1 yard (except noted in cm), so it's always good to check on that before buying.  Most are printed on knit with 4 way stretch which gives more cutting options to maximize every bit of the fabric.  

 

This Christmas rapport's nativity design was printed lengthwise instead of parallel to the selvage, but it didn't matter because the fabric was 4-way stretch and the generous fabric width meant I was able to cut the bodice and sleeves from the same piece, laying them all in different directions to get everything to fit.

 

 

For today's project I used a rapport that had loads of applique shapes as the "bonus" section.  The manufacturer is Hamburger Liebe & it's from their "Be Wild" collection.  The length per rapport was 18 inches, so I bought two in order to have them cut as a continuous yard for maximum project options.  I forgot to photograph it before I cut it up, but I bought the wolf version from the same collection too, which is laid out the same:

 

 

The variety of appliques included gives plenty of options - shirts, bags, knees of pants or even little soft toys.  Much more useful than random scraps I'm usually left with after cutting this kind of project out and there's still a lot left to embellish other things later.    

 

 

I decided to use the repeat portion to make the pants and do the raglan shirt sleeves.  I used some leftover green plush knit velour for the front & back and the trim sections to pop against the warm brown bears and pick up the color in grumpy bear's striped top. 

 

 

 

 I also wanted a nice solid background to add the big appliques for a complete outfit look.

 

 

I did the applique part after I had the sleeves and neckband attached to the raglan front & back, but before sewing the side seams, so it would be easy to center them just right on the shirt and to be able to turn the fabric around as I sewed them in place.

 

 

To do the appliques for the body of the shirt I cut out two large bears from the rapport and laid them on some paper-backed fusible (right side up, fusible side up).   

Why use fusible if I'm not ironing?  I wanted to give the appliques a bit more body so the edges wouldn't curl up over time.  It also better stabilizes it for stitching, but not so much that it would be stiff on the shirt itself.  I'm not a fan of appliques that don't bend with the fabric when it moves & neither are most little kids. 

 

 

 

Since they were already cut out, it was easier to just lay a piece of parchment paper on top and iron rather than trace the shapes onto the paper and cut them out first.  When they were cool, I easily peeled the parchment off and cut around the bear shapes.

 

 

Then I peeled the paper backing off.

 

 

Normally this is the part where you iron it onto the fabric, but because this was a plush polyester, ironing it would crush the fabric and potentially melt it.  Neither is a desired result, so I sprayed the backs with quilt basting instead to provide a good anchor to sew it onto the shirt.

 

It worked like a dream to hold the appliques in place without needing pins - with this many curves and the thickness of the fabric, pins, would risk shifting the fabrics and I wanted these large central designs to be nice & straight.

 

I'd made sure to leave a 1/4 inch white border around my bears so I wouldn't have to stitch into the design.  I like to use a triple stitch, which is a straight stitch that does 3 overlapping rows (rather than the side-by-side the symbol looks like). 

 

It gives a nice thick outline like factory-made appliques and also has some stretch to it.

 

I've washed this a number of times and the applique edges have stayed nice & flat - no curling, so this technique definitely works.

My guy LOVES his bear outfit.  He's worn it at least 4 times in the past month and despite being rough on clothes 9being a normal 2 yr old), it's very durable and still looks freshly made.  Euro knits tend to be high quality, so they're worth splurging on because they look great longer...not to mention the designs are beyond cute. 

 

I bought the cozy velour in several colors when I was fabric shopping spree in Canada a few years ago and it may be my favorite solid plush fabric.  Easy to sew, great stretch, no piling or crushing with wear and looks new wash after wash.  I've used it to make pants, leggings, shirts & more, so it's a great wintertime fabric and doesn't get static-y either.  When these stupid restrictions everywhere are over I cannot wait to head back and snap up some more. 

 

 

In the meantime, I'll be sewing up some more sweet ensembles with my rapport stash.  Some fun tops & pajamas for my bigger kids...maybe a few two piece outfits, rompers, dresses and accessories for my smaller two.  After all, this grumpy guy needs some company in the closet;)