Month: October 2008

Denim pants

Another pants for my son. I use denim with a bit of stretch in it, and scraps of corduroy from my husband’s jacket for the waistband and pockets. The pattern is the same as all his previous pants, but the legs are slimmed down this time.

Birthday Jacket

I almost can’t believe I finally finished it! This jacket is supposed to be my husband’s birthday present, but I miscalculated the working time. His birthday was last Monday, and I’ve forgotten that there would be two days weekend before that, in which I wouldn’t be able to sew. And I couldn’t sew on Monday too because Sidra had one school day off after the Sports Festival. The pattern is The Stinchcomb, downloaded from BurdaStyle, and after printing it, I ended up with 67 A4 pages that I was supposed to tape together. The whole living room floor was covered […]

Leg-of-Mutton top and Kasia skirt

When I saw this Kasia skirt pattern in Burdastyle, I really wanted to try it out. The pocket and waist area are so interesting. But since I don’t like wearing skirt (my wardrobe is all dresses) and I don’t think high-waisted skirt is a wise choice for someone in my size (and my height), I made it for my best friend who’s living several thousand miles away. I also made a top with leg-of-mutton sleeves and high neck to go with the skirt. The base pattern is Lydia from Burdastyle, and I altered the sleeves using this useful information from […]

Sesame Surprise!

Last July, Sidra was invited to be a model for a fashion spread in Sesame magazine (a Japanese kid’s fashion and lifestyle magazine), autumn issue. The photoshoot took place in Tottori sand dunes and museum, Tottori prefecture, Japan. When the issue was published, of course they sent one copy to us, and I thought that was it. So I was very surprised when one day the postman brought an envelope for us, containing the latest issue of Sesame magazine, the winter edition. I really like this magazine, but it’s rather hard to find them in bookstores around the neighbourhood. It’s […]

Stripey pants

A simple and quick sewing for Sidra. I don’t have much fabric for this, so the pants don’t have front pockets and belt loops. The pants’ pattern has been used for about three times now, and sewing it is getting quicker and quicker. This one took about one hour to make. I’m thinking of making about five or six more of this pants, maybe changing the leg shape a little bit or adding some details. Sidra has been growing so fast, all his jeans don’t fit anymore now.

Flour sack bag

I also bought this interesting fabric with squares of vintage-inspired flour and detergent sack images on it. I just cut two pieces of the squares and made a little bag out of them. The handles are linen ribbon, also from Cottonfield. It’s a small bag, so I might use it for carrying books or lunches. But Sidra said that the bag is too girly for him. Oh, well.

Reversible Tote Bag

My husband has been saying that he wants a new tote bag, so I made this reversible tote for him; made of natural-fibres fabric that we bought last weekend in Cottonfield, Kichijoji. I’ve read about this fabric store in this very useful flickr album of movinghands, and it is indeed such a lovely little place. The place is only two storeys, so it’s not as big nor as overwhelming as Yuzawaya. Perfect when I don’t have enough time in Kichijoji. I especially love the rows of little shelves filled with neatly folded fabric, each about 50 cm in lengths. For […]

Dress with hood

I really like this red dress I made sometime ago and wear it almost everyday. So when I found yet another wall-hanging fabric, I decided to make a variation based on the pattern. The bodice area is lengthened and a hood added. The hood pattern was traced from my husband’s hooded cardigan, with the neckline adjusted to the neckline of the dress. I also made a pleated area on the front, but instead of stitches, it is held by two buttons; creating an illusion of front opening. The sleeves are on fabric selvedge so I didn’t have to stitch the […]

Black shirt with red button tab

This is an grown-up version of Sidra’s shirt with band collar for my husband. The pattern is the same as his grey nani IRO shirt, and I only changed the front opening and collar area. I think the feeling is very different from Sidra’s shirt because of the contrast between the red button tab and the black shirt. My husband said that the shirt reminds him of Startrek uniform. The sleeves and the shirt hem are not finished because they are on fabric selvedge. There’s something about the selvedge area of a fabric that always get me interested. I always […]