Catching up

Well it has been a while since my last post that is for sure! Over and above all of the craziness that the world has gone through in the last 18 months, life at the home of Celtic Thistle has been more full on than most. 

Two of our sons, their partners and our two grandsons all ended up living with us over the summer as their house and country moves dragged out. With 4 of them working from home as well, not to mention an overlocker service that ended up taking 2 months instead of 2 weeks sewing was very much on the back burner :)

It wasn't a complete write off though, I managed to make these two half-zip hoodies for the boys before they arrived. First time sewing in an invisible zip! More practise is probably needed on that though :)

Before the overlocker disappeared into the black void that was a supposedly quick service (!) I whipped up a few pieces for the boys.

So we had Tractors

Pirates

Seagulls (very apt for their holiday by the sea!) and rainbow submarines

Surfboards and campervans, especially appropriate when you enjoy sitting in the drivers seat of your Uncle's blue campervan!

Rainbow animals,

 

blue crabs,

nosy Highland cows

and parachuting penguins!

Some pirate boardshorts, first time using boardshort fabric too - very slippery! 

Jellyfish leggings! These have even been worn to school on a "Pantosaurus" day, so I think he likes them :)

Naturally there were a couple of underpants and boxers run up to use up some of the scraps! 

By the time that my overlocker was finally returned my friend's daughter had had a baby boy, so these outfits were soon hot off the needles. I had forgotten how tiny clothes for new babies are :)

It was a busy summer and we were so greatful to be able to spend so much time with our family after spending such a long time apart :)

Not quite summer

There is a saying in Scotland "Ne'er cast a clout till May's out!" which basically means May might be officially a Summer month but that doesn't mean it will be warm :)  

I have had some softshell fleece sitting in my sewing room taunting me every time I walked past it for a couple of months now. Given the less than summery weather we have been having lately it seemed like the perfect time to finally break out of my comfort zone and make the rainjackets for the grandsons that I have been dithering over.

 

 

I did it! It was definitely a challenge working with a fabric that doesn't take kindly to pins or ironing (I found that one out the hard way!) but the end result was worth it. That is not to say the jackets are perfect by any means but fortunately their owners are not bothered by the imperfections :)

The pattern is once again from Ottobre Design in the 4/20 issue so I have been procrastinating over making this for several months as you can see. 

The original pattern includes a hood that can be attached and detached with snaps and I did intend to make them too, but when I came to that stage I realised that the layers of the collar were a bit too thick for the snaps. I managed to fit one snap at the front but only just so rather than tempt providence I cut my losses and did without the hoods. Next time I will trim the seam allowances inside the collar stand so that I have a bit more room to work with! 

You can see one of my other problems in the photo above, the two sides of the separating zip (a first for me!) are attached separately and I managed to get the alignment slightly out of sync on the bigger of the two jackets. It meant that, originally, the zip was sticking at the top where it was overshooting the teeth on one side but some vicious pulls with pliers to remove another tooth on the higher side and oversewing the ends eventually sorted that out. I have never had to shorten a zip by removing the teeth before, it was not quite as quick and easy as the YouTube tutorials make it seem :)

There are several zips on these jackets, as well as the front zip closure each of the two pockets have zipped closures too. Installing a zip without pins or the ability to iron the fabric was pretty nerve-wracking I can tell you. I am really pleased with how they turned out given how much winging it went on in their construction!

 

I try to avoid changing the threads on my overlocker as much as possible, because it is a bit of a faff, but I couldn't resist using this lovely rainbow thread for the jackets and I think it looks great, don't you? 

Two perfectly matching bright zip pulls from  Northwest Knots to finish the jackets and they were ready to send off.

I am pleased to report that they both fit their recipients (always a worry when I try a new pattern) and have been thoroughly tested in an extensive puddle jumping test, which they passed with flying colours :) 

Now on to some t-shirts and shorts for when May's out :)

Challenging Corduroy

 My stitching up of clothes for gorgeous grandsons continues!

I am a sucker for a good fabric for boys so when I saw the Dinosaurs in Diggers and on Scooters fabrics at Flamingo Fabrics I couldn't resist :) Two more tops from that, by now, well-used Jalie pattern. I think these are the 15th and 16th that I have made from this pattern.

 

 Tops are only half the story though, a boy needs trousers too! These were my first ever attempt at sewing with corduroy and it was a messy business, there was fluff everywhere. I was really worried cutting out that I would get the nap going the wrong way somewhere, but fortunately it all worked out fine. The pocket fronts are supposed to be running parallel to the legs in case you are thinking that I hadn't noticed :) 

The elasticated ribbed waistband was a real struggle to get on, so I think next time I will attach the ribbing back and front with a gap at the back to thread the elastic through rather than trying to attach the waistband with the elastic already stitched to it. 

Both these and the smaller pair are patterns from the December issue of Ottobre I do like flipping through each issue deciding what I would like to make. I thought the fluff from the gold corduroy was bad but there was bits of wine coloured fluff everywhere by the time that I had finished these :) 

Now that looks like a full outfit for a boy doesn't it? Well wait there is a bit missing!

Granny-made underpants to complete the ensemble! These are made with the free Speedy Pants pattern from Waves & Wild and were another first for me. The fabrics were remnants from last year's t-shirt making so they were a very cheap make indeed. Our grandson was so happy with his surfing koala pants that he sent me a photo of him wearing them with the matching t-shirt :) I think there might need to be Speedy Pants tucked in with all clothes parcels from now on (as well as a little something chocolatey!).

You win some, you lose some

 Sewing clothes for my grandsons is definitely testing my abilities and not just my ability to stitch a straight line! I have been making more tops for the boys, and matching patterns has again been a challenge.

First up a Snowman top for the littler grandson

and a win! A Snowman the right way up :)

Next up, a much more ambitious Octopus Hoodie for the older grandson. Some wins here too

Check out the pattern matching on that front pocket! I confess to being a little bit thrilled when I saw that :)

Sadly the joy did not last, unbeknownst to me there was a disaster waiting in the wings!

 

 I hadn't realised until I put it together that I had cut the hood pieces out upside down because what I thought would be the top of the hood when it was sewn was actually going to be the bottom. So those octopi and boats you see above are all going to be upside down when the hood is worn up! Naturally when I realised that I also discovered that I didn't have enough material left to cut out another two hood pieces :( 

Rather than ditch the hood altogether ( I was tempted!) I decided to soldier on and hope that my grandson wouldn't even notice.

Fortunately he didn't and neither did his parents until I told them!

This snuggly Bear top for the littler grandson restored my faith though.

A perfectly placed hedgehog made me so happy :) 

Then just for a change a double-sleeved Fair Isle t-shirt for his big brother. I have actually had this fabric since the recipient was a baby so it was really good to finally get around to making something for him with it. 

You can no doubt imagine the happy dance that ensued when I saw these stripes :) Fortunately there was no patterns to match up or make sure they were the right way up with my last makes for them.

Given the length of the queues outside our local Post Office before Christmas, these outfits were made up into several parcels that would fit in the letterbox at the end of our road to be sent off. I am happy to report that they all arrived safely and the recipients were pleased to receive them. The little chocolate gifts inside each parcel might have had something to do with that too though :)

You've got to pick a placket or two!

 Over the summer,as you know, I had great fun making clothes for the gorgeous grandsons. Once I had made them (more than) a few t-shirts I decided to branch out and have a go at polo shirts! 

My, by now, well-thumbed Ottobre magazine had a pattern for a polo shirt so nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

 

Well the nothing gained bit was right! I struggled with getting my head around the instructions for getting the placement of the cut for the placket so my first attempt was definitely a bit off centre! Fortunately, I had (just) enough fabric to cut out another front piece and have another go.

Very considered cutting later I had my very first placket and in the right place to boot!

Well, I couldn't make for one grandson and not the other so emboldened by my success I stitched up this one too.

I am not by any means a dressmaker so the finishing touches on some of the Ottobre patterns are often a surprise to me, like this bound neckline, but they are always worth the little bit of extra effort (and at times, some head-scratching!).

I am currently working up the courage to make a couple of showerproof jackets for the grandsons, fingers crossed they do not turn out to be a step too far :) If nothing else, it will keep me busy in this new lockdown! 

Cosy Clothes

 Although I have been neglecting this blog lately, my sewing machine has been whirring away.After the glut of t-shirts, shirts and shorts made for gorgeous grandsons in the summer a whole new world of autumn and winter makes beckoned!

First up this doggy sweatshirt for the littlest grandson. I have had the fabric for ages but for some reason had never got around to using it until now. The pattern was another from  Ottobre magazine and was very straightforward apart from those tiny cuffs! 

 

 

As you can see I managed to get the dogs on one of the cuffs upside down, fortunately I am sure that the recipient will not notice :)

Of course I can't make a top for one grandson without making one for his big brother too!

Dinosaurs in space fabric from Flamingo Fabrics It has a brushed backing so it is very cosy! Our grandson has asked me a couple of times why the dinosaurs are in space though?  I haven't been able to come up with a satisfactory answer for him yet :)

More makes for boys

The recent delivery of my first copy of the Ottobre magazine has ramped up the boys clothes making obsession :)

First up a pair of denim twill shorts with patch pockets and a mock fly for the bigger gorgeous grandson. The mock fly had me thoroughly confused and, at one stage, was stitched up completely inside out but I got there in the end! I should have carried the topstitching right up to the top of the waistband but only realised that when it was all done :( Next time I will get it right!

Fingers crossed we get the weather for this outfit.

Of course it wouldn't be right to make for one gorgeous grandson and not the other so this t-shirt was the next Ottobre project I tried. I didn't have enough of the grey/turquoise fabric for a whole t-shirt (even one this small!) so the back, which you can just see, is a grey/white stripe left over from previous makes.

I did, however, have more than enough of this little jeeps fabric to make a second t-shirt from that pattern. I changed the way that I attached the neckline and armhole binding for this second version. I used the instructions from this video by Lauren Guthrie, a previous Great British Sewing Bee finalist, to insert the neckline and armhole binding and I think they turned out better than with the original method.

To go with the t-shirts another pair of Sunny Day Shorts complete with tartan ribbon tag :)

I found this great racing car fabric on sale at Stoff & Stil and couldn't resist buying a couple of metres, because little boys love racing cars, don't they? Again I used Lauren Guthrie's YouTube video for inserting the neckband and I am pleased with how it turned out.

You can see above how much flatter the neckline lies on the racing car t-shirt compared to the neckline on the police car t-shirt. I used the twin needle to finish off both of them too, but increased the stitch length slightly on the racing car neckline, which probably helped reduce the waviness too.

The next edition of  Ottobre is just out so it should be arriving here soon, and there are some great patterns in it that I am really looking forward to attempting :) You can check out the issue here and until August 15th avail yourself of the free P & P if you are tempted!