My first amigurumi pattern! Acheivement unlocked!

I played with crocheting stuff long long ago as a kid. But I always looked at people who could crichet amigurumis with envious eyes - they look so difficult to do!!

I wished I could make them! Well, I finally did it. I plunged straight into amigurumi with a Rebecca Page crochet pattern for a cute little elephant and I did it! 

So was it easy? Well, for such a complicated amigurumi pattern, I think I did an okay job. But if u are entirely new to crocheting u might want to start with something less complicated? 

That said, the instructions that came with the pattern was really detailed! Everything was inside and clearly illustrated too! I learnt about all the different crochet stitches - more stitches than I used to do long long ago when I was crocheting basic scarves. 

I also did use some youtube tutorials especially for stitches that required more steps e.g. magic ring. So those really helped. 

Then I realised that you really need to pay attention to what you are doing and record your stitches otherwise when you come back to it, you might be lost! 

The instruction booklet also introduced 'stitch markers' to me - something i never knew about. And since I didnt know where to find those locally, I used a box paper clips that I bent into shape. Those worked perfectly well too! (A good tip if u have a box of clips lying ard hehe)

Rain City Pearson Pullover

It had been raining incessantly again recently. Flash floods and everything too. 

The weather turned cold and perfect for light layering and so I thought it was perfect time to make myself a Pearson Pullover. I love the drafting of Rain City Pattern Co. I love how everything i made for my kids fit so far. And this is the second adult pattern I made from RCPC and this one fits beautifully too.  

Can I just say that that sleeve is just beautiful? I really loved the shape. I picked the band for the long sleeves as well so I don't have to deal with elastic casing. And I enjoy how quick it all came together especially with the projector. I didn't want it too short so I used the band for the pullover instead of the elastic option.  

So COMFY!

This fabric is waffle knit with elastane. It's 4 way stretch and really soft. The vertical stretch isn't as much as the horizontal one but that's okay with this pattern. 

Candy Castle Box of Chocolate and Jawbreaker Joggers

Every month, as Candy Castle's brand ambassador, I get to sew up one of their patterns and this month's pattern is the unisex Jawbreaker Jogger pattern. I find that Candy Castle Pattern's drafting block is well suited for slimmer children (u will need to grade/blend between sizes for children who fit in different sizes) 

My girl has many Candy Castle dresses that I made and she's average size though much smaller than her age (She's almost 4 years old but still in the 2 year old size!), my boy doesn't have many candy castle outfits but so far the outfits that I made for him fits him beautifully. This time round, since the pattern of the month is unisex, I really wanted to make him an outfit this time, so i did!

In the photo above, you can see 2 of Candy Castle's patterns: The top is Box of Chocolate in top length with the sleeves lengthened by about 2 inches (The original sleeves were shorter and he preferred longer short sleeves - this is an easy hack!)

The bottoms are Jawbreaker joggers (which is this month's pattern of the month!). This jogger pattern has many many options included in the pattern and I selected the in set pockets - his preferred type of pockets and for a fun detail, i chose to follow the tutorial instructions on how to add a 'reverse applique' where i added a cute spaceman onto the insides of the joggers then cut away the main fabric to reveal the spaceman applique. So fun and easy! 

Doesn't it look cute? To be honest, i was a little scared when i started cutting the fabric away to reveal the spaceman. But I'm glad I tried this cos it elevated the otherwise boring black pair of joggers! 

There's also instructions on how to make knee patches (moto-style), slashed pants, contrast patch pockets etc etc. And Candy Castle instructions are always so so thorough so any beginner will be a great hands!. 

This boy is pretty proud of his new set of spaceman outing wear =)

S.U.A.T Archer and Artemis Tank

It's SUMMER all year round in Singapore so tanks are always a favorite of the kids. I had the chance to make 2 different tank patterns from Stitch upon a time for my little ones to twin and I'm so happy that they look so good in them! 

My boy is modelling the Archer Tank which is a unisex racerback tank that is incredibly fast to sew. In fact, it is so so fast that he already has 3 such tanks in rotation in his wardrobe! My girl's modelling the Artemis Girls Top and Dress which is a racerback that can be a cute tank or a circle skirted dress. Both tops are made with Cotton Lycra from Spotlight. 

The racerback Archer tank is a lovely quick sew. You can see from the photo that the armhole fits quite well - you have to grade properly though! For example, my boy is stick thin (We DO feed him!! It's genes lol) so his chest is 3T while his height is 6T. I had to grade it according to the instructions in order for the tank to fit nicely - so please don't skip grading!

The Artemis top has a super cute feature behind:

I love it! The gathered back made the outfit really adorable (Quick note: I graded the top to be a little longer than is necessary cos she likes the armscye of her tank tops lower but if u did the tank according to instructions, the armscye doesn't go so low!)

Look at how pleased she is! 

And now I shall spam you with 2 more photos of the lovely duo. 💗

Rain City Pattern Co Port Orchard Paperbag Pants, Capri and Shorts

Rain City Pattern has some really lovely patterns for kids and the Port Orchard Paperbag Pants is just one of them. 

I was looking for a quick and simple shorts pattern to sew up for my girl. Something really fast. And this was the pattern that caught my eye. 

The paperbag shorts I made had no side seams, no pockets. The waistband uses a facing and the way the elastic was sewn was really easy. I made a little belt with belt loops (instructions included) and I think that really elevated the cuteness of this pattern! 

The belt and belt loops are optional but because it really doesn't take that much longer to make, I really suggest you try doing it cos it is so cute! Here's the back view:

The Port Orchard pants pattern size chart goes to 14 yr old and that might just mean that some of us smaller sized people might just be able to fit into the biggest size! hehe. My bum is slightly too big - though I am tempted to hack it cos it really looks adorable! 

More photos? Yes please!

Goober Pea Design Split Pea

I made 2 Split Peas recently. Exactly the same except for size. One for my girl and one for my niece. 

I made this one in top length. (There's also tunic and dress length) Isn't this top lovely? The split back design makes the top so roomy. A perfect top for playing and running! I love how she can do all her toddler rough-ing and tumbling and be really comfy while doing so.

No photos of my niece so here's more photos of my little one! 

One thing to note though, I used CL for both outer and inner fabric. That makes the top thicker and the drape of the peekaboo is not as ideal as I would have preferred. If you have a thinner knit or even a knit that drapes beautifully, I think the effect would be even lovelier! 

That said, I wanted that rainbow CL cos it matched so well with the rainbow print. And I think the little ones both loved it so I'm still going to consider it a WIN!

Thank you for reading! If this inspires you, do consider using my aff link to purchase the pattern! =) 

Hacking the S.U.A.T Shirtzie Dress

I got to admit, when I first saw Shirtzie by S.U.A.T (Stitch upon a time) I hesitated. Mainly because I seldom wear such low cut dresses (I'm pretty flat chested lol #sayitlikeitis) and the cross front bodice looked really low on some testers! 

However, there was the option of the scoop neck which looks lovely. And what sold this pattern was the fact that there are instructions to guide you on adding bra Cup pockets to the bodice! (That means you can go braless!) Talk about a summer staple! 

You can see that I embraced the cross front bodice here and tried it anyway. I love this! It's modest enough for me that I can see myself going to dinners wearing this (maybe not work cos I teach teenagers and you know how they are!) and the most important thing is this cross front doesn't reveal too much when I bend over =p Yes. It's very important for me not to have any wardrobe malfunction =p

So where's the hack I hear you ask? 

Well... I actually made this dress with 2 fronts instead of 1! 

Tadah! This is the SAME DRESS, worn the other way around! Now I have a scoop neck dress! 

Don't you love it when you can wear a dress in more ways than one? 

I love how the scoop neck is much more modest in front and I can definitely wear this side in front for work while keeping the cross front for date nights. 

But ready to see the backs?

This is the cross front on the back. It fits very nicely and makes my back look really good! And for work, I just wear a light cardigan over it. Perfect! 

 Similarly, here's the beautiful scoop neck on the back!

Are you inspired to try a 2 fronts Shirtzie dress now? Let me know if you do! I would love to see your version! 

And yes, I must say this: THERE'S POCKETS! Pockets is a BIG reason why self-made dresses rock. 

Fabric info: Bodice in Milk Silk, Skirt in modal fabric. (from destash.)