WBM half zippered sweater and sweatpants

 

I recently tested for Wardrobe by me's half zippered sweater and sweatpants and halfway through the testing, I caught the covid virus and was practically down for 11 days or so. Thankfully, during the really feverish period of the illness, I was able to recover in comfort wearing this. 

In fact, I think I lived in this exact combi of top and bottoms for about 3 days... oops. 

I don't own a lot of cold weather clothes so this test came just at the right time. I love the fit of this. The ease is perfect for lounging around. And that inseam length for the shorts is really great - not too short and not very long either. 

This was the first time I attempted a half zippered pattern. I took my time with the zipper application and I'm really proud to say that I managed to do this on my first try! The key is to go slow, pin pin pin and use the correct zipper foot! I'm usually a clips-person but for this, I really pinned the entire length of the zipper down and took my time. 

The hardest part was probably aligning this such that when the zipper is fully zipped, the necklines are aligned. Again, this is where pinning a lot helps!

I used a plastic zipper with a fancy zipper pull and I saw others use metal ones too. I think the choice of the zipper can greatly change the look and feel of the sweater so do play around with the combination and have fun! 

When I finally recovered from Covid - which was after the release of the half zippered sweater, I also went ahead to make my second pair of the sweatpants. This time in full sweatpants length but in ottoman knit and hemmed without elastic so that I can make secret pajamas.

And secret pajama pants they are indeed. Here's the pants paired with my Mirri top and I think the combi is definitely suitable for work! 

This is my first time working with ottoman knit fabric and one thing I realise about it is that it can be quite drapey! I am thinking of what else I can make with these lovely knit fabric that's so easy to work with. 

My favorite part about this pants pattern are the way the pockets are constructed. I love that the construction meant that the pockets stay put and will not be pulled out easily. The pocket opening also looks really nice and neat. 

Half zippered sweater link

Sweatpants link

Designer Stitch Cherish Wrap Dress

 

Designer Stitch Cherish Wrap Dress

I was happy to be back testing for Designer Stitch. So far the patterns she has are really flattering on me and I know my adjustments for her block which makes it so much easier to make new patterns of hers knowing exactly what I need to do to make the dresses I sew from her patterns fit me. 

Just look at the back of that dress! 

Now this Cherish Wrap dress is a true wrap dress and what that means is that technically I can gain some weight or lose some and it will still fit me. That said, we all know the worry when it comes to wrap dresses - does it fly open and reveal your legs? 

Well, I'm happy to report that this wrap keeps you covered well even on windy days! 

Here's a close up look of the wrap. there's a small opening on the side for the wrap ties to go around ur body and it is long enough for me to tie a pretty bow or even go 2 rounds if I wish. In this closeup, I wrapped it a little lower - great for date nights! While, in the photos I took outdoors, you can see that I wrapped it a little higher cos running around with children means I rather be sure that I will not reveal too much when doing mummy things. 

You can't really see it here - I blame it on my choice of fabric print, but the skirt is actually pleated and darted! That helps with the shaping alot and you can see how it really wraps ard beautifully. This version I made is with Rayon Spandex - I forgot from where since I have had this fabric in my stash for a while now - I guess I meant it for Cherish and just didn't know it till now! 

The actual dress pattern has sleeveless and also sleeved options. The sleeved options include short, 3/4 and long. The dress length I selected was the longer version and there is also a slightly shorter one for those who prefer it above the knee. 

I also saw a tester who did a top version which was SO CUTE. 

Thank you for reading my review of the dress. If you would like to purchase it with my aff link it is here below:

https://designerstitch.com/shop/cherish-wrap-dress/?affiliates=227

Sewing Jeans (Kids)

I'm not all that new to sewing jeans anymore. Afterall, I sewn the Mountain View Jeans by Itch to stitch, the Kelly Jeans by Rad Patterns, both Adult jeans patterns too. So kids jeans should be easy. Right? 

Well, thankfully, it is! Small sizes are slightly harder to make cos smaller pieces of fabric are just harder to manipulate at the sewing machine but other than that, the jeans making went really smoothly! 

All it takes is proper needles (I used jeans needles (for jeans, schmetz 90/14 for construction, Topstitch schmetz 100/16 for topstitching with jeans thread which are slightly thicker than the normal thread) and going slow - take ur time!! 

I made 2 different types of jeans for my kids. There's a pull on pair with faux fly and elastic waistband for my youngest and a 'real jeans' with zipper and proper metal snaps for my eldest. Both patterns are from the very lovely pattern company Designs by Call Ajaire. They participate in Project Run and play which releases curated pattern collections for children that are really beautiful and I learnt about them when testing another pattern for them quite some time back. 

Let's talk about the first pattern here: Prancer Pull on Jeans:

As the name suggest, this is a pull on pair of jeans which is great for those that want an easy on easy off option. Both jeans pattern goes from newborn sizes to 16 year old which is perfect for us to make many many pairs for our kids as they grow up. 

I especially like that it is a pull on because it helps her with her independence phase - i want to put it on myself mummy! 

The leg on these pair of jeans is 'stove pipe' legs. There's also a skinny jeans option that comes with the pattern which of course would be more fitted but seeing as my kid is still learning to put pants on, stovepipes were my ideal choice. I love the fit on her and I think she loves it too. 

The denim I chose for her is about 450gsm stretch pink denim with a stretch of about 20%. The stretch ensures that she's comfortable wearing the jeans all day and it has enough stretch for her to run and play and jump in these too. 

I like that the pockets are a good size for her and she enjoys stuffing her little hands in the pockets all day long too. 

Making custom jeans also means that we can do whatever we want for the topstitching and of course I took the chance to play around with my sewing machine fancy stitches with a line of hearts and another 2 lines of your usual v shape. I love how the topstitching gives the jeans a professional touch. 

And for my boy, I wanted him to practice his motor skills, zipping and unzipping his jeans zippers and buttoning his jeans himself. So a pair of "real jeans" it is. 

Now, it is very very worthwhile making jeans for this little guy because as you probably can tell, he is very very slim and really tall too. It's near impossible to find retail wear jeans that would actually fit him. Most of the time, jeans that fit him in the waist will be inches too short and also too tight around the crotch. And jeans that are long enough would frequently be too big at the waist, even those with adjustable waist are too baggy for him. 

I have long given up buying jeans outside for him.. so I am more than happy to make the Bacca Bootcut jeans for this little guy. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of effort to make jeans for him. His waist, hips and height falls in 3 different sizes spanning more than 4 sizes apart. Blending takes a lot of effort and time and experience to get right. (Thankfully, following the instructions carefully really helps in this aspect!)

For my first attempt with the Bacca Bootcut jeans pattern, I would like to think that I did really really well don't you? The fit is a bootcut so it is slimmer at the knee then flares out just a touch at the bottom. I happen to think that this is a very flattering cut on my boy - he looks even taller than he is! 

While I technically could use jeans buttons for him, I decided that he is better off using metal snap buttons which I installed with a hammer and anvil. I also happen to like how the metal snaps look with the almost black denim. and I used proper metal jeans zipper also for a professional look - you really can't tell that this is mum made! 

For the topstitching on his backpockets, I went for his initials since it is so custom-made, I doubt I could pass it down to anyone's kid once he is done with them - I don't know anyone else with kids so tall and slim! Again, I went with stretch denim with about 20% stretch but this one is slightly lighter in gsm - probably closer to 400gsm. 

Comfort level 100% 💗

I really do enjoy the fact that I can sew my kids clothes that fit them perfectly and they look really good as a result. It also builds their confidence up knowing that their clothes fit properly and they are not too thin or too tall but just right. 

Thank you for reading my post on sewing jeans for kids. If you want to try your hand at sewing some jeans for your kids, i highly recommend both jeans patterns from Designs by Call Ajaire. Depending on your kids, you can chose either the Prancer pull on or the Bacca Bootcut and you know you are going to get really good professional finishes either way. 

The waistbands and finishes of both patterns are interchangeable which means if you like the fit of the stovepipe (Prancer) but also want proper zipper fly (Bacca), it is really easy to switch it up! Just get both pattern and use the relevant pieces! In fact, the bundle is on sale now so it is really worth it!

Here are the links to the patterns again:

Bacca Bootcut jeans

Prancer Pull on Jeans

Pattern bundle

Sinclair Kids Cloudberry Tee

I've raved quite a bit about the size chart for Sinclair Pattern's kids patterns and here is Sinclair patterns Cloudberry knit raglan top for kids!

As usual, I made it for my slim boy who fits beautifully in Slim J without any need for blending. Slim J doesn't refer to slim fit. It means my boy is slimmer than children his height and J is the size his height indicates he is in. 

I had a rainbow beaked toucan CL and I paired it with a cute rainbow CL cos that was the period of time tt he wanted all things rainbow like his sister and I was happy to oblige cos rainbow on kids is fun and happy.

I like how banding everything makes my life so much simpler. I am not fond of hemming, are u? 

Thank u for visiting and see u again soon! 

Sinclair Kids Blueberry Tee

When Sinclair patterns started making kids patterns for slimmer kids, I jumped at the chance to test for her. Of the companies that I have used for adult patterns so far, they have proven to be a great company for well drafted adult patterns so I had high hopes for great children patterns too. And Sinclair patterns really delivered!

This is the blueberry tee in a thin low stretch knit. Look how good it fits my very slim boy without blending!

I usually have to blend for this boy as much as 3 sizes for some size charts and that makes some pattern not work as well and it's also just a little more troublesome to make. With the slim size chart, I can pick a size based on height and go for it and it looks great!

He's really happy cos his wardrobe has had plenty more tees now that I've got Blueberry pattern. It's made it so much easier to make tops for him so I did. 

Spamming some more photos of this cutie pie 🥰

And cos I'm pretty proud of the insides of the tee, i wanted to show 1 photo of the top hung up. See how pretty the back of the neckline is? 

And finally, 2 more photos of another blueberry tee...

My instagram has more blueberry tees if anyone's interested! 

True Bias Ogden Cami

I've always wanted to try making an Ogden Cami from True Bias. So when I found time between pattern tests, I decided to cut out my first Ogden! 

There wasn't a projector file, but I had the A0 which was layered and good enough for projector cutting. 

The cut of the cami is lovely and very flattering. But because it is drafted for B cups, I found that it was a little too low for my liking so I had to shorten the straps about 1.5 inches. I think, moving on, my next cami will probably need a SBA. But another cami is definitely something that will happen cos I love love love my ogden cami. 

 I am officially an ogden convert! 💗

Goober Pea Design Hip 2 B square tee

One of my favorite Boy t-shirt pattern (It's actually a unisex pattern but I use it mainly for my boy) is the Hip 2 Be Square Tee from Goober Pea Designs. 

I love it because of how flexible it can be. It's lovely as a simple tshirt. You can also use up remnants if you use the color blocking options. If you got a cute woven fabric you want to feature, you can also do just that! Imagine a woven fabric, used in a comfy knit t-shirt! It's brilliant! There's also fancy sleeves options with a square cut out if you wish to do that! 

Here's just some of the MANY MANY hip 2 be squares I have made over my 2 plus years sewing. 

This first one is made with a WOVEN panel. I had a glow in the dark dino fabric my little one insisted on wearing. I used it in the colorblocked version of hip 2 be and it worked perfectly! The knit portion is swafing jersey. 

Here, you see a pajamas I made with the fancy sleeve stripes version of hip 2 be. It is made with a 2 way knit that had poor recovery so I made it bigger for a comfy fit since he likes his PJs soft and loose. 

This is a t-shirt made with a lego remnant I scored from a destash. That piece of remnant wasn't big enough for much so it went to the front panel in this shirt and he loved it!

Here's another with black Cotton lycra and dino double knit.

This one is made with non-stretch knit. So that means even if your knit has zero stretch, it works! (Just size up for comfort and remember to use rib knit for the neckband!)

So, there's my short blurb on the hip 2 be square tee. 

It appears that you can use practically any kind of fabric for the centre panel e.g. woven for the centre panel, and for the entire shirt, if u wish to use a knit with very little stretch, just size up and use a good and stretchy rib knit for neckline. Of course, 2 way and 4 way knits works perfectly well! 

Hope this helps you! Thank you once again for reading! Click here to start shopping! (aff link)

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. 💗