Kids' Clothes for a Clothes Closet

I've been making some kid-sized clothes. I enjoy making them, honestly. I don't do fancy, complicated patterns, I do fun fabrics. Because I love them. Then, because I don't have any elementary sized kids living with me, I donate them.

bug skirt!

These days, many schools from elementary on up, have clothes closets as a resource for their students. Organ Mountain High School created a fabulous clothes closet for students to address their every-day needs, AND specific needs, like having an outfit to go on a job interview in. Students were not questioned about why they needed the clothing, or what alternatives they had, or anything. They were welcomed into the space and allowed to take what they needed. Yes, I have donated to that space, and may again some time. 

Denim pants with a decorative stitch detail

Most of the clothing I'm making this go-around is elementary school sized (more or less). Considering that elementary schools include kindergarten (and sometimes pre-k), to 5th grade, there is a lot of range of sizes. I usually determine the size of the garment I'm going to make by the yardage of the fabric that I am using. Sometimes I'm able to find a piece that will make more than one garment.

Red corduroy pants

I often recommend to new sewers to start with kids' clothing if they want to learn how to make garments. The patterns are often similar, but the kids' patterns can take LOTS less fabric, so if you mess something up badly, you aren't out as much money. I also like that the more you practice, the better you get at some of the details, and techniques that make the clothing nicer. You can practice collars, and button fronts, making a variety of pockets (kids like pockets in their clothes almost as much as I do), and other details. The clothing doesn't have to be fancy.

A skirt with attached shorts AND pockets! Some green leggings behind them

But for kids to be able to choose a new garment when they don't usually get to, it is pretty nice. I know that picking an item of clothing that is "home made" may not be every child's first choice. It won't be what all of their friends are wearing.  But, I feel like there are kids out there that will be happy to have something new, something happy, and hopefully, something in a style that they like.

Short sleeved top 

I've gotten to sew garments that make me happy, too.

Cactus shorts with pockets

I've gotten to practice skills, and build new ones. And share something with my community that I feel is important. Some time this week, I'll gather up these garments (and the ones I didn't take pictures of) and donate them to a school clothing closet, and when I come across a fabric I can't resist, I'll make something new.

Some years, I find like-minded sewists who like adventures in kids' clothes, too. Some years I don't. I appreciate the company, but I don't require it. I do what I like!

 

I Learned a New Crochet Technique: Corner to Corner

 I have a friend who makes some amazing crocheted items like scarves and baby blankets. She combines some beautiful yarn, with a cool technique that I had not seen used before. She asked me if I wanted her to teach me how to do it, and of course I said "Yes!!" I probably added "please" to my reply. At least I hope I did.

My learning samples

As you can see, there are two basic techniques, both are variations of granny squares. If you can make a granny square, you can do these. The thing that takes practice is how you advance them. I really like the texture in the smaller sample, and I've worked on that one first. I started simple, with a scarf from the same yarn I made the samples from. 

Here's the scarf in progress

Child sized blue scarf for donating

The technique makes stairstep rows, alternating the orientation of the stitches. I really like the texture it creates. I have found that I like to experiment with texture in crochet, so I was really glad to add this to my "toolbox." Yes, I did a single crochet edging at the ends to be a finish on it. I also made a second scarf, experimenting with some different yarns for a stripe.

Nice diagonal stripes

Since I carried the pink thread along one side of the scarf, I felt like I needed to give it an edging because that yarn showed. 

Currently, I am making a baby blanket from a fuzzy yarn that I found at Cruces Creatives. The yarn is variegated, and I wasn't sure how the colors would pool (sometimes I find the pooling disappointing). I thought about starting as a scarf, but I worried whether I would be able to pull the fuzzy yarn out to start over, so I just went for it!

This is the yarn. Pink Sands

And here is how the blanket is coming along:

I am liking the pastel stripes

This is a little over one skein of the yarn (they are not big skeins). I have three more skeins, so I will continue to increase until I get into the third, skein and then I will start to decrease. It seems to be squaring up pretty well, even, so far.

I'm glad to learn something new!!

Scattered Fans Purse

 

Once upon a time, I made myself a purse. A few years later, I made another one. And now, I've made another.

scattered fans purse (without the hardware)

This purse came from a collision of crafting ideas. First "my" purse. I wasn't happy with the purses I could find in the store. I'm picky, because (in great part) I'm not really a fan of purses. BUT, I need to carry stuff, and take it with me. Generally, it's too much stuff to put in my pockets (if the clothing even HAS pockets), much less carry in my hands. What if I need to wait for something? Yeah, there better be a book in there somewhere, too. At least part of the time. But, I don't want a big purse either, to fill up and get heavy.

So, I made myself a purse. I used some black denim and I used the heck out of it.

Not a big fan of the distressed look

It didn't wear as well as I would have liked. First the strap wore out. I was held together by the threads I used to sew it with before I replaced it with this woven belting. THAT lasted long enough to add to the second purse! I also didn't like how that denim just wore out. I was really disappointed with that. Plus the purse was a little smaller than I found I wanted.

The second purse I made was also denim, but a different piece. 

Oh, look how new and clean it looks!

I had fun making this purse, playing with the fabrics on the inside, making pockets for stashing small stuff, adding hardware like clips to hold my keychains out of the way. This purse did a good job, for a long time, but eventually, it also wore out.

Well loved/ well used

It has seen better days

Definitely time for a new purse. I tried making a slouch bag, but it didn't seem to really be what I wanted. Then I started my vintage crafting challenges, and found this magazine in my stash:

Vintage from 1988

It has a scattered fans tote bag pattern in it.

a selection of totes

I fell for that idea in a big way. I started by making fans. I didn't want blue and pink, but I do like the scrappy look of them, and the background fabric peeking through in places.

The pattern for the fans and their placement

The pattern helped me visualize what I needed to do, but of course I wasn't working within a square, so I figured out roughly how many fans (or parts of fans) I would need, and some fabrics I liked, and cut the pieces of the fans out. Then I foundation pieced them with a quilt as you go method. I wanted them to be able to stand some wear! Once I was happy with how they looked on the background fabric, which I also used for the inside of the purse, I found some thin batting which would give the purse some body. I also cut side pieces for depth and shape of the purse. Then I worked on sewing it all together. 

Y'all, I'm going to take a moment here to talk about this machine. 

The Green Singer

She is the first sewing machine I owned. I got her for a present (Birthday? Christmas?) when I was maybe 12 or 13. She was not new then, but in those days she had a simple wooden cabinet which eventually rotted from around her, and I eventually had to take her out before she fell out, and throw that thing away. I got her serviced, and commissioned one of the wood workers at Cruces Creatives to make a box stand for her so I could use her again. This little workhorse will sew pretty much anything that will fit under the presser foot. My other Singer machine will do a lot of things, but it doesn't do that. This girl had no trouble sewing up the layers of that purse. She also does a great job with quilting when there get to be a lot of seams to stack.

Anyway, back to that purse... I made pockets with fan detailing on them to go inside.

Pockets for coupons, and chapstick, and...

And yes, the background/inside fabric is a batik. I love a batik. 

fans scattered on the outside

Finally I added the hardware. Clips for my keys again, taken out of the old purse and sewn into the new one. Another piece of belting for the strap (Thanks, Eva!). And she is ready to go!!

Ready for anything!

I'm counting this as a win for a vintage crafting challenge. Even though I didn't make the item in the magazine, it definitely is related to that tote, and I wouldn't have gotten to this purse if I hadn't found that magazine. I Love it!

Charitable Crafting Community Quilt Building #2 Quilt

 

This past weekend, the Charitable Crafting group put the finishing touches on the quilt we have been making in time donate it. Cruces Creatives is taking this quilt, and some others made by a couple different groups, the other quilt we made, and some donated sheet sets, pillows, and even some handy dandy tote bags to a group that help unhoused people get a new start in housing.

Sideways view of the quilt

Even though the first quilt that Charitable Crafting made was made along the same lines as this one, I wasn't as involved in all the steps I was in this quilt. It was quite the learning process for me! The blocks are made with a quilt as you go technique, and then sewn together. Because the backing of each block is bigger than the block, when you sew them together, with the backs together, you then fold the back over and finish the block.

You can see what I mean here, I think

It gave us a technique for letting many different people, with different sewing abilities, and who might never have helped make a quilt, participate in our project. And there isn't a wrong way to sew a block. OK, I'm sure if you tried, you could ruin one, but really, look how beautiful it turned out!

Even the back is beautiful!

In the first quilt we made, I did a lot of cutting out of backing fabric and batting into the squares that we needed, and I made a good many squares. I enjoyed making them! On this quilt, I didn't do as much cutting but I did work on many squares again. This time, we also included some orphan blocks, that had been donated one way or another, and then those were free motion quilted, or quilted by using a walking stitch and maybe even some decorative stitching. There was a lot of variety of blocks made and included.

Getting those last rows put on the quilt was definitely a challenge. The quilt took some wrangling to get that accomplished, so I'm sure glad I had help (or else I WAS the help!).

Next up? Would you believe another of these quilts? Look! someone has started blocks!

The first blocks! Loving them all ready!

Every Ending is a New Beginning

 

I finished a couple of projects this week, and I'm working towards another. 

First up is Lillian's hoodie. A nice fleecy hoody for snuggly soft warmth. It isn't my first time working with fleece, but it is the most complex fleecy make I've made. 

soft hoodie, snuggly hoodie

It wasn't a complex pattern, thankfully, and went together pretty easily. More trouble with my sewing machine, which doesn't like thick fabrics. But we managed. My serger also wanted to ruffle the fabric a bit, which means I should have tested it with the fabric left-overs (where the heck did we put those??), and adjusted the tension. But it wasn't too bad, anyway.

What? no pocket?

Lillian was very happy to take her hoodie home, turn up the air conditioning, and snuggle in.

Next, is that project challenge afghan, which I finished, then took off the border, and redid. I'm sooo much happier with the finish this time!!

Oh, yes!

What will happen to this afghan, you ask? I expect to donate it through Cruces Creatives and Charitable Crafting, very possibly to the Community of Hope/Jardin de los Ninos.

The final project I'm going to talk about ALSO will be donated there this month, if we can get it finished. A few of us in the Charitable Crafting group have been working on getting the beautiful, beautiful blocks sewn into rows, and then the rows sewn together. There's a decorative pillow, and a bag to hold the quilt as well. 

The most recent picture I have - beautiful blocks!

I'll try to take more pictures!

And of course, I can't forget the new beginnings part... Yep, some sewists started on blocks for the next Charitable Crafting quilt! So excited to see those beautiful blocks!  I'm working on setting up my next Vintage crafting project. Looks like crochet again, but a much smaller project. It is exciting to challenge myself and learn something! I'm also going to be working on another ripple afghan, but as a challenge bonus, not the challenge. Those bonus projects are going to be some of my favorites, I think. And I can see some happening for the next challenge Vintage crafting source.

Projects Update

 

Yes, I said projectS. Like I would only be working on one at a time... ha ha ha ha ha...

Wanna hear about eyeballs? After a conversation with my eyeball enablers, We came up with a couple of project ideas, and I finished one yesterday.

Eyeball bolas

"Weaponized" eyeballs, throw these at someone and trip them up. Theoretically, at least. I know, now you're thinking I'm weird... (really? only NOW???) These won't be going to the fair, but they will be going to someone who will love them, and pet them, and... Oh, you know the rest.

On to other projects. This one isn't technically mine, but I've encouraging a friend of mine to take up crafting again. She has loved it in the past, and although she is still working through some physical challenges, I feel like with a little encouragement, she's totally got this! She finished a fabric box today, with pieced sides, and a lining that makes it reversable. Now she can take on the next project! Woo! She also made a couple of coasters.

fabric box!

reversable!

I did some sewing myself, today. I finished the mosaic block that I had started, and then started another one. 

Finished, but not perfect...

For the most part, my seams met pretty well, except for some not-straight sewing that cause some distortion in the block, and the last seam that joined the two half blocks together. This block is definitely going to take some practice. The small-ish pieces would also make me a little crazy if I was trying to build a whole quilt with it at this point. It won't be the last one I make, though because I want to play with the colors more (I keep trying to make it a kaleidoscope block). In addition, I've already started the second mosaic block.

Mosaic block 2

Quite a different color palette than the first. Ironing the seams open this time to see if that makes a difference in the distortion, and makes it a little easier for my machine to handle the layers. The next time I do one of these, I think I will make all the small half square triangle the same fabric, and see how that looks.

I have been playing with some of the small triangles in another way. I saw someone make a quilt as you go flying geese block, or maybe it was a strip of them. So, I tried it. I don't think I really got far enough with it to have any final thoughts, except in seems to be working OK.

An experiment in tiny flying geese

Now, it's time for a gardening update. Yeah, it's one of my projects right now... I did actually harvest a tomato, and it was delicious. But here's my one bell pepper (speaking of tiny stuff). I'll have to try the bell pepper again next year. 

Sigh.

I'm already planning my garden efforts for next year, in fact. Containers again. A bee watering station. I'm going to put it in a different location, hopefully a little more sheltered from the wind. And a few more crops. I may even try the 3 sisters combination.

Finally, I started a new project. I blogged about it here, and you can read about that if you want to. I found yarn I wanted to use, a beautiful wool and silk blend and a dark magenta-ish to go with it. The afghan is called Chain Link, and I've got the beginning "backbone" of  it almost complete.

Here's more or less how it will look

Here's what I've got so far

Thanks for browsing!

Quilt Progress is Learning

 

I got an Accuquilt cutter for my birthday. With it, you buy dies that cut fabric into the pieces you need to make a quilt block. There are several reasons to get one. For instance if you have a hard time cutting the pieces, for whatever reason, it makes it much more physically in reach. Also, if you are like me, and have a hard time cutting the pieces consistently, it definitely makes the pieces VERY consistent.  BUT there is a learning process with it. I mean, if you are cutting half-square triangles, you can put the right side of the fabric face up or face down, and it won't make much difference. Some of the other shapes, however are not as forgiving. It takes practice.

Yesterday, I cut pieces for a couple of mosaic blocks, for the first time. Yeah, I ended up with more of some parts of the block than I did the other. And I have "extras" for the future. Yeah. Extras. Today, I got some of the sewing done. Here's how that went.

The first mosaic block in process

I think the block when finished, will look pretty good, although I am glad to be able to practice it a few times. Is this my next quilt? you may ask. No. I will make my practice blocks into mug rugs, or maybe a fabric box. They are supposed to be 10" blocks, and that might be a bigger box than I would really like. We'll see...

I will say that I'm putting to use some of the quilt building techniques making this block, however. Pins, for one thing. Yep, I don't like using them because they take time to put in, and put away, and then, I drop them on the floor and make a mess. But really, I do try to keep them out of Pin Killer's clutches. (OK, OK, that IS the name of the sewing machine I use most of the time.) I think I got my pieces matching up pretty well this time, but while I will practice that, I won't live or die by it. Ever.

Pin Killer doesn't like sewing more than 4 layers of fabric, really, even this relatively light cotton. I think I'm going to try my older Singer on the next mosaic that I make. So, that is something else I'm learning: different machines are good at different things. OK, I really already knew that, but I'm learning to use them and find what they are good at, and take advantage of that knowledge.

Another quilt I've been working on is the current Charitable Crafting quilt. Many of the other people working on that quilt have much more knowledge of making quilts than I have, and I am learning a lot from them. Learning where being careful makes a difference. Learning about process, and thoughtfulness. Learning about using pieces that were made by others, and integrating them into the whole. 

A view of the first 5 rows 

Most of the blocks for this quilt were made sort of crazy quilt fashion, by various volunteers. Some, however, are created by using "orphan" blocks. Blocks that were created for other quilts, but didn't get incorporated, or the quilt was never completed, and the pieces have been donated to Cruces Creatives. Several of the people who help with Charitable Crafting make quilts for Linus projects, and have used some of these donations as part of one or another of their quilts. We have found them a beautiful addition to this project as well. I've learned how to use a walking foot, and a free motion quilting foot to help turn them into quilt as you go blocks. Recently, I saw someone making quilt as you go flying geese using half square triangles, and now I want to try that, too!

Of course Roxanne and I are working on some quilt construction together, finishing up the quilt tops that we started years ago. I need to go back to mine and finish up sewing the rows I made together, and get it quilted and finished! I know so much more about the whole process now than I did when we started those. And quilting is so much more than block making (although I will confess, the block making is my favorite part, so far).

General Update

 It has been almost 3 weeks since I've posted here. I don't know that I have an entire cohesive post to talk about, but I don't want to loose the habit all together. That's too easy to do. So here are some updates:

I've made additions to the Christmas is in the Eye of the Beholder Collection. Here are a couple of group photos of my progress:

Group shot of 1 - 7

Then we have numbers 8 and 9

I got some gold yarn that I like in the mix. You can see it on the far right in the top photo and in the eye in the lower one. I also got a silvery one that you can't see very well in the left one on the lower photo. I like that silver pretty well and I wish you could see it better. 

It is becoming the eyeball army, and I'm looking forward to picking out some to enter into the fair this fall. I'm still interested in feedback on them.

Next are some sewing projects. I finished this little dress for my annual kids' clothes project. I make kids' clothes because I like to. I donate them for kids who need help getting school clothes. In some ways, I wish I could hear how the new owner likes what I make. On the other hand, maybe I don't want to know... Sigh. Kids are allowed to have opinions, and to decide what THEY like. I'll just pretend in my head that there's some kid out there that's going to have their new favorite outfit. At least they will get to have something new.

A cheerful dress

Finally, I'm going to update the progress that Charitable Crafting has been makin on the second quilt we are making as a group. We are in need of only a few more blocks. Several rows have been sewn together, and I have another one it my bag to sew together. Ok, I also have a couple of the last blocks we need, too. This project has really taught me some about the process of quilt building. Block building, too, actually. While there is no "wrong way" to finish these blocks, some accuracy makes a difference. I'm learning to pay attention to it. It's kind of cool to me, even.

Some blocks

Maybe I'll even take more pictures of the work I've done on this quilt. Or maybe the next one. Of course we're already talking about the next one!!

A Story With a Happy Ending

 

When I was 12 or 13, I got a sewing machine for my birthday. Or maybe it was Christmas... or... ANYWAY, my mom thought I needed my own machine, so I could make stuff that I wanted to make, and practice my sewing skills while leaving her machine for her to use. It was an old (even at the time) Singer machine that just did straight stitching and it was a work horse. It was in a wooden cabinet, that you could put the machine down into, and fold the worksurface over the top of, to make it more of a table. I used the heck out of that machine for a LOT of years. Finally, I got to move on to machines that would do more that straight stitching, and the old Singer kinda got pushed to the side. Then a few years ago, the cabinet - at 50 something years old, in NM with dry rot, and moving a few times - gave up the ghost. I took the Singer out of the cabinet before it fell out of the cabinet. It was a close thing. Sadly, I didn't have another good place to put that machine, so it sat. On the floor. Collecting dust and sadness. I needed to put it somewhere that would hold the machine up off the table so that the mechanisms could move as they should for sewing. But I didn't know what or where that was.

So then, I was talking sewing machines with my friend, and talked about the machine my mother had. The machine she had taught me to sew on. Mom had a Necchi, a pretty fancy machine for its time, it had cogs wheels that you could put together on a handle, and fit into the top of the machine, to create different stitches, like making button holes. When my mom passed away, I inherited her machine, but I never used it much, so I gave it to a friend before I moved back to Las Cruces. When I went through my crafting stuff a few years after that, I found the instruction manual, the case of cogs, and the foot pedal for that machine. OOOps. But my friend had already gotten rid of the machine (and I don't blame her). BUT my friend looked online, and found a Necchi Supernova, like my mom's for sale, and she bought it. When it came, it had been poorly packed, and the bottom of the machine case (the only part of the case in the box) had been treated roughly in shipping, and broken apart.  

(Do you like my story telling so far? Wish you could see the pictures in my head of my memories of these machines.)

Enter Cruces Creatives, the makerspace that I belong to. Well, besides the textile area, and art room, there is a woodworking area, and people who like to work with wood, like I like to work with textiles. We saw an old machine that someone had built a wooden stand for. UREKA!! I posted on the CC communication platform about needing some built for my machine(s), and a week later, I had them! WOOOO!!!

A new base, and welcome back!

Hello machine like Mom's!

Yesterday, I had a goal to actually get the Singer sewing again. I have already had it cleaned and checked, and I plugged it in and put her to work! She's now part of the happy sewing place! She needs to use the templates I have to make some beautiful button holes soon!

New quilt block, old machine

As you can see from the picture of the Necchi, it needs a good clean, and going over, and a new cord (the plug on the old one was in a state. NOT a safe state), so she has gone into the shop for a going over, and probably won't be out until June.