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Tuesday 31 July 2012

A Skirt for Boo

I have been wildly intimidated by the very idea of making clothes, despite becoming reasonably proficient with madame sewing machine.

Alas, 4 children results in copious amounts of outgrown clothing and hand-me-downs, but huge age gaps do not make for particularly handy hand-me-downs... waiting several years before they fit is less than ideal, storing several years worth of outgrown clothing is even less appealing (4 kids take up enough space as it is), so I needed to get smart on the upcycling front, and decided to invest in a wee book to help me along with making little clothes out of bigger clothes, and other handy dandy wee fabric things.

After reading oodles of reviews, I plumped for Reinvention by Maya Donenefeld.
Lots of sweet patterns in this book, far from intimidating, I got to work straight away and set about making the Gatherer Skirt for Miss Boo.

It is called the gatherer skirt on account of there being a detachable apron pocket, with which your wee one can stash gathered goodness. It was this feature that appealed to me, and yet I actually did not complete said apron pocket, because I was woefully distracted by some other more serious mothering duties, such as tackling bastard washing pile and other mundane activities. I shall, however, return to make apron pocket at earliest convenience.

I also attacked my stash, instead of using an old t-shirt. Mainly because I had no t-shirts to recycle and because I have very recently "tried" to have a fabric clear out by creating a "use it or lose it" pile, so actually no recycling took place exactly, but I do have a pile of ready to recycle clothing which will likely sit in said pile a while longer, until I muster the time, energy and enthusiasm to actually recycle them.

I let Miss Boo choose the fabrics, and she also completed the final styling. Needless to say she has a penchant for bright colour and leggings with everything. She also likes sharing her footwear with the Bear....

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I am rather pleased with myself, and am now hoping to embark on much more complex and mind boggling clothing projects which may, or may not, make me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon, but I will try....right after I finish that apron pocket thingy.

9 comments:

  1. Oh, it's a great outfit! My 3-year-old, Frida, would approve, I'm sure :)

    I have tried to make many things for myself and have succeeded only with simple cotton summer skirts. But for Frida I have had many successes -- little girls' clothes can be so simple and also so outlandish, it's all so much easier than women's clothes. My favourite patterns for her, right now, are by ModKids -- especially the "Frida" dress (maybe it's the name?!). Those patterns are really well written.

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    1. OoOoh thanks for the heads up, will deffo try those patterns!

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  2. Yay! Lovely skirt & LOVE the styling! I spent a lot of time as a child wishing I could make my own clothes (I come from a very un-makey family) but as an adult now the thought of all the fiddly bits (how exactly do armholes work??) make me feel way too stupid to start! I'd have to stick to the sack shapes you can make out of a big towel which is what I used to model! ;-)

    Good luck! And don't let that bastard pile stop you!! Spoons at the ready!

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  3. Respect to you! I have still never dared to make clothing (other than a disastrous attempt to make a nightie out of an old sheet - don't ask!)

    Miss Boo looks adorable x

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  4. Ah Miss Chloe, I promise you it was super easy, you should give it a try!

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  5. ooh, i've been wanting that book and now i may have been pushed over the edge! such adorable skirt .. and kiddos!

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  6. adorable skirt. love the mix of patterns & layers. i do sometimes wish i'd had a girl to sew & knit for, oh, well, maybe there will be a grand daughter some day... i bought that book last week, too.

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  7. it's lovely!! and such cute little ones!!!

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  8. Pure love! It turned out wonderfully. They are so absolutely adorable together. Love the shoes on him. You did a fantastic job and I love that you used up your fabrics. That is just as important as recycling the old clothes. You can always donate the old clothes if you don't use them, which is nice too! I would love to wear an outfit like Boo's, from head to toe. Great job, HT!
    XO,
    Sena

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