If train A leaves the station . . .

Do you recall word problems from math class? Or better yet, the word problems in algebra? Making this dress was like solving a word problem for me, and Kent felt much the same about the two shirts. Here’s why:

When you sew from a pattern, the pattern pieces use standardized measurements which may or may not fit the body being sewn for and of course, you’re taking flat fabric and making a 3-D object out of it. All of our grandchildren are very slender and two are quite tall. That means adding in fabric for length without adding it anywhere else.

Since I’d made some pants for the middle grandchild, I’m pretty confident his pants will fit. But I’m no expert at fitting, so I have my fingers and toes crossed that our granddaughter’s dress fits. I added two inches in length to the bodice and then had to be extra careful to make sure that added length didn’t mess up any of the other pieces. Plus I complicated things by first fully lining the dress (hard because the two bottom bands are not seamed in the back, which complicated getting the lining inserted properly) and second, by making the little bolero out of a woven fabric instead of knit.

We will get these in the mail tomorrow, expedited to be sure, so that if there are any fixable fit issues, we can get them fixed. And if the outfits just flat don’t work, our daughter-in-law will have time to find something else.

Cranking out the sewing

Yesterday, Kent and I made real progress on the Easter clothes for the grandkids. I got both the boys’ pants done, and he’s nearly finished with their shirts. We had a very subtle plaid on hand that we’re using for the boys’ shirts and for our granddaughter’s dress. You can see it in this picture on the left where the shirts are hanging on the back of a chair. All day, Kent kept saying “teeny tiny sleeves!” or “teeny, tiny collar!” I’m sure he’ll say something similar when they’re done (“teeny, tiny shirts!”).


This picture shows you the pants plus the first pair of shorts I’d made for the middle grandchild. The elastic was a bit tight in the waist so our daughter-in-law sent them back so I could fix that problem. I left the pencil in this picture so you can get an idea of scale.

And this final picture shows Kent's thought process in taking the boys' measurements and lining them up with the measurements given on our pattern. He ended up having to do some drafting to make both shirts longer and our middle grandchild's shirt bigger around. That's part of the problem when you're using out of print patterns, you can't just go buy another one. 

I'll get our granddaughter's dress cut out tomorrow, and with luck also get a lot of the sewing done. Easter is around the corner and I want to have enough time to fix any fit issues they might have with these clothes. 

Success!

The report is in: the jeans fit although they are (thankfully) trending toward the tight side. So he's got a pair he can wear for now and I'm on the hunt for some lighter-weight denim for another pair in the next size up. Whoohoo!

Tiny jeans

You may recall that I had offered to sew some pants for the middle grandchild, the one who’s got no butt so he wanders around the house either pantless or clutching his pants at the back of his waist to keep them up. I sewed the shorts as a test for fit, and they were mostly fine as done. The elastic was a little too tight, but otherwise they fit him. Fixing the elastic will be really easy.

Having that feedback on fit meant I could get a pair of proper pants sewed up for the little guy. Here they are:

As with the shorts, these are mock front fly and the button is purely for looks. I changed up the pockets so they look more like proper jeans, top stitched some of the details, and also used a fun lining on both the casing and the pockets. Overall I’m pleased with how they turned out and I hope they fit him well.

Pants on the ground

The middle grandchild has a fit problem with his clothing, specifically his pants. Much like his older sister, he has long slender limbs and tiny little acorns for his buns. That means if pants fit his waist, they are clam diggers, and if they’re long enough, he has to grab a fistful of material at the back of his waist so they don’t fall down. Well, that’s just no way to live especially since its winter and the boy needs pants he can wear.

I offered to sew up some pants so my DIL sent his measurements. According to the sizing chart, he wears a ½ T – keep in mind that pattern sizes are based solely on body measurements and have nothing to do with the sizes you see in retail stores – but needs more length in the pant legs. So I cut out a pair of what ended up being shorts to act as a fitting muslin for the little guy. If they fit, I’ll whip up another, long pair and anyway summer will get here someday. I lined the pockets for fun and used the same contrasting material to make the casing for elastic in the waist.

I made the shorts from Simplicity 2907, which is out of print now. I’ll make his long pair out of them too, I just won’t do the seams across the knees. That seam would bug me so why inflict potential irritation on him.

I also whipped up a yoga mat bag for myself. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while and have had the pattern cut out for a couple of weeks. But it’s so cold and the dining room (which is also our sewing room) has just been uncomfortable to work in. This is from McCall’s 4261 which I bought for $1 from the remainder table at my favorite fabric store in Boston. All that was left was a huge size but that’s OK, all I wanted was the bag pattern.

As is often the case, I sort of ignored the directions and lined the bag with fabric and batting so it’s stronger, made my own strap (seriously, the pattern called for a yard of 1 inch wide webbing – that’s like calling for a can of cream of chicken soup in a recipe. Just make the damn white sauce already), and also my own drawstring instead of a purchased cord.