This post was intended to be an Everyday Skirt / Linden top remakes post, but I managed to spectacularly screw up the Linden neckline (beyond repair I think, sadly), so instead I’ll stick with Everyday Skirt no. 2 and I’ll mention a couple of little patterns I used to make Joe’s Halloween costume. Therefore it is going to be a short post! I also wrote this originally just after Halloween, but I must admit something of a malaise has come upon me in recent days (sound familiar?) and so I am rather behind in posting. Ah well, onwards and upwards!

First, my second Everyday skirt, a pattern from Liesl & Co. I was originally going to go for a chambray solid/denim type fabric, but in the end I’ve chosen a slightly more vibrant navy/fuchsia print. My Beignet skirt is going to be a solid and I couldn’t resist. (Plus I need to use some stash prints. So. Many. Prints.)

I don’t have much to add to my first Everyday Skirt make in terms of construction, but I did opt for the easy finish and serge the hems this time, rather than use French seams. It’s not as fancy, but it’s a darn sight quicker.

Overall, this is a workhorse of a skirt that is perfect for life with a little boy, where you don’t want to be restricted to trousers/jeans but have to bend down/run a lot! If you’d like a more thorough review, check out my first make link, above. Suffice to say, it’s a goodie and took me about an hour to sew.

Next, for Halloween, I decided Joe could be Braveheart, for two reasons. One, he already had a little kilt from our wedding this year and two, his middle name is William! Perfect. I made two “tops”, using an Ottobre pattern and another Liesl + Co. pattern.

The brown long-sleeved sweatshirt is made from a cheap brown rib knit from Joann Fabrics and I made a EUR 92 version using the “Pyjama Top” pattern from Ottobre 06/2011.

It’s a raglan top, which comes with a pretty cute applique dog in the actual magazine version. I just made a quick solid serged version and it came out fine, apart from when I tried to be a perfectionist and take the neckline line in a little more around the front and took a tuck instead. Then I unpicked it and it left holes in the shirt. Gah. Ah well, it’s a Halloween costume, so I didn’t really care too much.

One interesting little point for me was adding the cuffs on the flat. I haven’t seen that before, so in case you haven’t either, this is how it worked (and it worked rather well). First, stretch the cuff slightly and pin/clip to the sleeve RST. Stitch in place with relevant seam allowance. Then fold the cuff over to the wrong side, and clip in place. Secure the cuff by stitching in the ditch of the first seam. Add some topstitching to decorate/secure further if required. The cuff is joined into one loop when you sew up the side seams/sleeves as you would normally, before putting the cuff on.

 

Oh yes, and if you happened to catch my last post mentioning the clear Burda tracing plastic I had from Germany, I discovered another good use for it. It was handy for stripe matching, but of course it makes sense that it would be perfect for tracing from Burda-style patterns, of which Ottobre magazine is also a fan. You can see right through and there’s no need to highlight or make the pattern in question stand out more. Just thought I’d mention that. I was like… “Of course!!”

The little leather jerkin was simply the two body pieces (no sleeves) from the Liesl + Co. School Bus t-shirt, size 2T. I used some nasty pleather I had sitting in my stash that was ostensibly bought for bag-making. It was way too cheapoid for that, but perfect for this little outfit. I just serged the shoulders and sides and that was it! It fits pretty well I have to say – I made sure I went up one size since it wasn’t knit.

Just in case you’re interested in the other parts: the boots are his wellies with pieces of burlap cut into strips, wrapped round and stapled (not through the welly though). I had been reading bootie tutorials before I thought of this and it was soooo much faster and simpler. The fur cuffs are just rectangles of fake fur velcroed around his wrists and the tartan piece I simply cut and safety pinned in a sash shape. Luckily I had some extra fabric that matched his kilt (they’re both my family tartan).

Okay dokey, nothing so terribly exciting here, but hopefully I will post my coat soon. I’m about halfway through it and learning a lot. Happy (belated) Halloween!