Owl and Sewing Cat Dress Making

Just over 18 months ago Papa Owl bought me a sewing machine, it was one of the best presents that I have ever received as the potential was enormous.  However, I had never used a sewing machine before and simply didn't know where to start.  

I then came across a shop in Eastbourne called the Owl and Sewing Cat and signed up for one of their workshops and made a cushion.  It was great, they took the time to explain how to use the machine, and helped me pick out fabrics and patterns for future products.

A whole year passed and I had a selection of cushions but still hadn't been brave enough to tackle any clothes for Little Owl.  Christmas had brought with it a gift voucher for the Owl and Sewing Cat and so I booked myself on to a whole day dress making course.

My first challenge was to choose a pattern and the fabric.

I chose the dress the girl on the right hand side is wearing and then selected this fantastic owl cord.  Cord is one of my favourite materials to dress Little Owl in, as its soft but durable.  I must confess at this point, that I did this course back in March so it was still winter! 

Next I had the scary task of cutting the fabric.  Luckily Tracey who was running the course was keeping a watchful eye on me, as well as the other ladies who were dress making.

The neck was the most complicated bit of the dress, and something I definitely couldn't have managed on my own.  Even now, looking at the photos, I'm not entirely sure what I did but in order to keep the shape of the neck, I had to add a stiffer fabric to the back of the neck.

Finally it was time to sew!  I am always surprised when I start on a new project, just how much work is involved before I can actually start sewing!  The trickiest part of this dress was the sleeves as its such a little dress!  

It was quite an intense day, while I enjoy sewing I also find it very stressful!  I quite often realise that I have been holding my breath while concentrating!  But it was worth it to have a finished dress at the end of the day!

Isn't it cute?!!!

Little Owl loves it, although she wasn't as compliant a model as she is now!

Cross Mondays Week #6

Not much progress to show this week as a certain Little Owl turned two and so my evenings were filled with present wrapping and cake making!

I'm really enjoying it coming together at the moment, adding the detail and bringing it all to life.  A small change, an additional colour really adds to it all.  People keep asking me how long I think its going to take, but that's a bit of string question.  I wouldn't be surprised if I was still stitching it in 2015, actually, I would be surprised if I wasn't!

The pattern itself can be divided into 5 distinct areas - 3 panel on the design, the extra panel that I am adding to hold Little Owl's name, and the border.  So far I have started 2 of those areas, but neither are complete and yet here I am - 6 weeks in!

Clothkits Pinny Review

 For Christmas, Little Owl and I were given a joint present of a 

Clothkits Babycord Meadow Pinny Kit.

Clothkits is new to me but Papa Owl apparently grew up in it!  The concept is that each kit contains everything you need to make the item - in this case a dress - which is lucky really because the only item I have sewn before was Little Owl's angel costume for the nativity play!

 

Here is what was in my kit - the material with the pattern already marked on it, material for the lining, buttons, labels to make it look professional, the right coloured thread and of course, the much needed instructions!

 This pattern is for ages 1-2, and the different sizes are marked on the pattern.  I really like this concept, for a beginner like me it means I don't have to worry about cutting patterns and pinning and tracing and all the other things that I imagine are involved in dress making!

 

 Here is the dress all cut out including straps, a pocket and a label!

 

 

 Laurel cat wanted to help, but cats really aren't very helpful 

when it comes to sewing as I found out....

 

 

 I then had to use the pieces I had cut out as templates 

for cutting the lining - what a good idea!

  

 

 As a newbie to sewing, I am always surprised how far into a project you are before you actually get the sewing machine out!  I really liked the fact that I got the right coloured cotton with my kit - its the small touches like that which makes Clothkits a much loved brand!

 

 The first bit of sewing was the straps - these were quite easy to do although 

turning them the right way round was a bit tricky!

 I then needed to pin the lining and the straps.  

I was a bit nervous but this was actually ok!

 Unfortunately I got myself in a pickle with the lining - twice!

After this the battery in my camera ran out but I was so determined to finish the dress,

 that I didn't even leave the room for refreshments!

The kit came with 3 buttons, 2 to hold the straps on and one to create a pleat at the back.

However, Clyde cat thought these were great fun to play with and they have never been seen since!

Luckily I had some press studs for another project that I never actually started, and with the aid of a mallet, managed to attach them to the dress!

It worked out well as I think the press studs look ace

 and I haven't the foggiest how to do button holes!

You can also see on this picture where I have 'top stitched' - you see I'm learning all the terms!

Just a pocked to add and all is good!

 

 Now you remember that 3rd button to go on the back?  That needed two button holes and well, I wasn't feeling that brave and also wasn't sure if it was really needed... but it turns out it is!  Without it the straps keep falling down.  I've cheated here too - I bought some small press studs to create the same pleat at the back.

Overall I think the kit, its contents and instructions are brilliant.  It includes everything you need to make the item as long as you can stop the cats from stealing them!  The instructions are easy to follow although as I've proved, not fall proof!  As I've shown, a beginner can pick it up and end up with a dress, an experienced sewer will end up with a  perfect dress!

I enjoyed doing this kit so much that I've now bought the Hat and Bag Kit to match!

My little angel

Twas' the night before Christmas, well, not quite, it was actually the Sunday before Christmas and I was doing some last shopping of presents before the next day of wrapping, when I received a text from Papa Owl telling me that Little Owl needed an Angel costume for Christmas Eve!

Arrrrgggggghhhhhh!

I'd love to say that by the 22nd December everything was ready for Christmas, that by Christmas Eve I could spend the day watching Christmas movies, but I had suspicions I would be up to the wee hours finishing off the last little bits.  I'd love to say I was the type of mum that could just whip up a costume in the beat of a heart, but I fear I more like my own mother where this sort of crisis is best solved by spending money on a costume someone else has made!

But it just so happened that I was in a shop that sold, well, everything, or nearly everything.  I had a hunt about and found their Christmas costumes - a snowman and a Christmas tree... wasn't sure how well that would go down in a church nativity... so what I bought instead was a metre of white satin and a ball of wool that looked like tinsel but was much softer.  I also happened to bump into a friend who when I explained my crisis, sketched a little diagram on a bit of paper for me.

A year ago, when Papa Owl gave me a sewing machine, I had never ever used one.  I've had a few lessons at The Owl and Sewing Cat this year, and have made a few cushions single handed too.  But clothing... this is way beyond me!

Now I'm sure anyone with any experience can look at this and tell me where I went wrong, and I can see now that it was just too tight across the chest, so I ended up undoing it under the arms.  The wool needed finger knitting it to make it thick enough but with wings borrowed from another friend, in the end I was delighted with the result!

Little Owl loved her first nativity!

Curtains

No rest for the wicked, and as excited as we were to be in our living room we were feeling a bit on show in the evenings with no curtains!

I only learnt how to use a sewing machine this year, so was in no way up to the task of making them.  Luckily Papa Owl's mum is a bit of an expert!

I tried really hard to pay attention with the hope that I could one day make my own (hmm.... dream world) but fear I got lost along the way!

I do know that we started with 16m of curtain fabric and for an hour or more we measured.  We measured the fabric 3 times, we measured the height from the curtain pole to the floor, twice, each.  And then we got Papa Owl to measure it just to make sure.  We then measured and pinned the fabric before measuring it once more.

Finally it was time to cut!

Big moment!

And breath!

We now had 5 lengths of fabric that were all thankfully the same length and a bit spare for making cushions (back in my dream world....).

I was following at this point.  I can do maths.  And I know that 5 doesn't make a pair of curtains so next we had to cut one of the lengths in half. 

Then it was time to sew (well after lunch of course).  Two full lengths and the half width lengths were sewn together - we now had two HUGE pieces of fabric.

I'm a little bit vague about how the rest of the curtains were made...

Lining was added.

I did some ironing.

Tape was sewn on (this was quite complicated...)

We then hung the curtain to know how long to make the hem.

Somewhere about here my mother-in-law took pity on me, and took the curtains home to finish off!

Not sure I made a very good apprentice but I do know my mother-in-law made fantastic curtains!