Holiday Sewing

Blouse + linen pants, cuffs rolled up for cricket

The first part of my holiday was spent with family on the Sunshine Coast.  We drove down, and were not camping, so I had room to take my machine.  I was still hand-sewing my LBD, so I didn't want to do anything complicated.  I thought it was time to catch up on some simple sewing for my children (and I get the guilts when I see all that adorable children's clothing on other people's blogs and my children are running around, grubby in worn out hand-me-downs).  I just took a couple of children's patterns and then bought some lovely cottons from Oh Sew Noosa.

I made a blouse and pants, adapted from Burda 9948 (now OOP).  It is sized 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.  When I first started using it, Sz 2 was too big for my children.  This time I had to cut out the biggest size, which was a little sad.  I have used this pants pattern for my boys as well as Lucy.

Blouse worn with jeans, rock-star performance

The top pattern is for an elasticated neck.  I changed this by gathering the front onto a bias band, and putting pin-tucks in the back.  I put a continuous placket opening in the centre-front (except I couldn't remember how to do this without my reference books and it is a little bodgy).  I gathered the sleeves onto bias bands.  I took up tucks around the hem-line to reduce the length.

Blouse, back detail

Next I took inspiration from here to make a tunic-top.  It is long enough to be worn as a dress.  Lucy has worn it as a dress, over a singlet (shown below), over jeans and over the linen pants.  It has already had quite a few wearings!  The straps are a red / white cord, purchased locally, which was actually the starting point for this little collection.  I would like to add to the collection with shorts.

Dress, worn over singlet (just waking up)

Dress, back view (criss-cross straps)

It is hard to see here, but the straps criss-cross in the back.  I made this dress using the full width of the fabric.  I tuned over the short ends to make the button placket, hemmed the bottom, and gathered the top onto a band.  I added loops to feed the straps through.

Dress worn as tunic, over linen pants