Townmouse

To share

When I was in Tokyo I bought this for Adelaide.

I get very sad when Adelaide grows out of the little dresses I adore.  I figured this is something she can wear no matter what size she is.  I found it in the children's wear department at Takashimaya.

And then I thought, well I can wear this too if it's not size dependent.  I think it looks rather cute with my trusty old favourite Scanlan knit.

I'm sure if I'd bought this in the women's wear department it would have cost 5 times the price.  We're both rather happy with this purchase. I just didn't think I'd be sharing clothes with my daughter so soon.

Shirt dresses

I love a shirt dress.  I have a few in my wardrobe and I wear them a lot in summer.

This is my favourite.  It's classic and comfortable.

I'd like to try replicating it; maybe in a blue shirting stripe with self tie belt.  I've gathered a few patterns, including this one, which I plan to modify to get a similar look to above.

And speaking of shirt dresses, here is Adelaide wearing hers - the Jump Rope Dress from Oliver + S.  This is such a cute pattern.  I will definitely have to find the time to make another one of these.

Another sundress

Dejavu?

If you're thinking you've seen this shot before on my blog, you're not far wrong.  This is the 2011 version of what is proving to be a favourite sundress style.

I've made the flutter sleeve a little bigger this time.  Adelaide is a year older and it seemed the sleeve pattern needed adjusting accordingly.

I like this hot red.  It's a colour I like to wear myself quite a bit.  It seems to suit Adelaide.  She has some red shoes and a hot red cardigan to go with it, so I know this outfit will be well worn by the end of summer.

Sewing for summer

With Spring in the air I'm starting to think about some pretty things I'd like to sew for Adelaide this coming summer.  I'm still busy packing orders from my recent email announcement so the best I can do at this stage is source fabric while I'm still so time-poor.  The fun part - the sewing part - will have to wait a week or two yet.

The bottom fabric will be made into Puppet Show Shorts.  A replacement pair for ones Adelaide has grown out of.  

The top fabric will make a pretty sundress of some sort.  Maybe inspired by this pretty top that I pinned to Pinterest the other day.

And the fabrics in between...  I'm not sure what they'll become.  Any ideas?

Lots to do

We're off to the snow for the school holidays so I have lots to do in the next week to prepare.

Firstly I want to make new dressing gowns for each of the children.

The ones they are currently getting by in are far too small for them. Henri is the right size for the one Max still wears. I hope to whip up 4 of these sometime this week.  

This image is from the first Townmouse photoshoot.  The little girl pictured is now nearly 11 (and quite a fabulous tennis player).

I also have plans to do lots of cooking to take up the mountain.  Bolognese sauces, soups - food that hits the spot after a cold day on the slopes.

But right now I'm getting severely sidetracked by Farmer's Wife blocks.  My book still hasn't arrived so I'm sticking to the easier ones and getting by with the yahoo group resources.

I bought myself one of these last week.

It's a spinning cutting board; kind of like a "lazy Susan".  It's perfect for trimming down all the half square triangles in these blocks.  I'm having fun with it. (Picked up at my local Spotlight.)

I'd better go and prepare my shopping list for the market before Adelaide wakes up.

Liberty winter top

It's a frizzling day here today, as my boys would say; positively arctic. Hopefully that translates to a bumper snow season.

The heating is turned up and I'm in my woollens today, as I potter in the studio. I just made a little top for Adelaide in a Liberty remnant from about three Townmouse seasons ago.

It's the same pattern as this one, with less volume in the body and sleeves.  Adelaide is at creche today, so it remains to be seen if I have perfected the fit.

It's a bit hard to see the detail of the top in this busy fabric.  In this case that's a good thing, as there's a rather wonky seam there on the neckline that I'm not that proud of.  A few sewing challenges in this pattern.

My creative space

It's great to get back to some garment making.

I have a few metres of striped shirting in four colours: pink, red, pale blue and navy.  It has a fine handle and is rather lovely to sew with.

Before I cut into a precious Liberty (yes, the real stuff) or other favourite fabric when trying out a new style I make a quick sample or toile. But I can't bring myself to waste my sewing energy on a cheap calico.  I'd rather make it out of something that, if the pattern works, is at least wearable.  So I use this shirting.  

I guess when making children's wear, fit is not so crucial, and the fabric requirements are quite small.  If I was making a sample garment for myself I probably would use a calico.

This is a little raglan top with a front placket and neckband.  I wasn't entirely happy with the fit of this one.  There's another one in the works with less fullness.  I've taken a few cms out of the width of the front, the back and the sleeves.  Because this one is so voluminous it will go into Adelaide's cupboard until next year.

More creative spaces at Kootoyou.

Smocking

I'm pondering what to do with this panel of smocking.

This has been hanging around my studio since before Adelaide was born.  I unearthed it while hunting for something else (time for a tidy-up perchance?).

I think a simple little sundress with ties at the shoulders might be the ticket.  Now I just need to find a spare hour to make it a reality.  2am is looking like the only window of opportunity this week.  I think this one might have to wait.

Pretty Liberty dresses

Last night, in the middle of screenprinting butterflies for t-shirts, I was stopped in my tracks when a fabric I'd been pondering caught my eye.  I decided then and there to make Adelaide a dress for today.

She has been wearing this top a lot, so I wanted to make a dress version, which is cooler for hot days.

Again I used food to keep her still enough to photograph.

I do love a little flutter sleeve on little girls.

I had thought about making the bodice with a higher neckline - just to provide a little more sun protection; but I do love the look of this pattern from the back, with the two little buttons in the centre.

Shhh, don't tell Mummy, but I'd prefer to hang out in my PJs.

A moving target

Goodness me, Adelaide is proving a wily photography subject.  She sees the camera come out and thinks it's time for a game of hide and seek.

The only way to keep her still in this case was feed her some fruit cake, which she's clutching in her little fist out of frame.

She was pretty happy that hide and seek involved food today.

I made this dress five months before she was born.  It only occurred to me today that she has never worn it and will soon outgrow it.  So although we have nowhere special to go today, she is dressed for a party.

Speed sewing

Making a garment for the second or subsequent time is always so much more satisfying.  You get a quicker and expected result.

I repeated this top, and yes, this time I did play with the sleeve ruffle.  Rather than the ruffle being doubled or on the fold, I hemmed it using the rolled hem foot on my machine.  This gives the hem a little more stiffness (rather like the fine wire put in florist's ribbon).  

As a result, it ends up with a nice fluted, flowing shape, rather than rigid gathers.  I think I prefer it this way.

Here's another pair of the much loved Oliver + S bloomers.

I love the crisp white in this fabric.  It lends itself to being paired with a white top.

And because a little girl needs options, I've used some fabric scraps on a Townmouse tee.

Saturday sewing

Today presented the perfect weather for bunkering down in the studio and sewing.

Liberty is such a perfect weight for little tops like this; and always so divine to sew with.

Adelaide is proving a difficult target to photograph these days - always on the move.

The little tear on her cheek is because I sat her on a stool she couldn't get off.  She was not happy.

This top is rather sweet, especially from the back.  I think next time I'll put more roll in the shoulder ruffle (which would cause it to sit like a capped sleeve - a little like on this top).