Handmade 52: Items 23-34 - A Dozen Ottobre Panties

Yay! They're done!

I am very much a fan of assembly line sewing when I have multiples of something to sew up. And that's exactly how I finished up these. Thankfully panties are small so serging multiple side seams or leg bands in a row doesn't actually take that long.

Once again I used the Ottobre 4/04 panties pattern. Size 104 with seam allowances except for the leg openings. Also, you will see that 11 of the 12 have the That Darn Kat style leg bands. They simply work better for Missy. She doesn't mess with them, they provide a tiny bit more modesty to her undies, and they're super simple to sew in, which is a bonus!

The last pair has been mailed off to a new home. The leg bands done the way Ottobre directs, simply don't feel comfortable to her. Once again, there is nothing wrong with the Ottobre method at all, it is neat and soft to the touch when done. It simply doesn't work for Missy-girl.

Also, if you don't have the Ottobre pattern book I used, and don't feel like waiting for a copy to arrive in the mail, I highly recommend the That Darn Kat pattern for undies. It includes boy and girl versions, and I know many a mama that swear by this pattern for a great fit every time!

The stack!

11 of the 12 pairs.

Close up of the top row fabric choices.

Bottom row fabric choices.

The pair that had to find a new home.

And as you can tell, this girlie isn't only into princesses and castles! Pretty much any print is fair game. I just love that!

Handmade 52: Item 22 - A Christmas Stocking

Every month on the Hopeful Threads blog there is a group project that anyone can sew and donate for. Kristy just loves to help people, and she's truly such an amazing person. I've been meaning to contribute for a while, but something always cropped up and got in my way. This time I decided that I wasn't going to be stopped!

And so here is the Christmas stocking I have sewn up to send in for the current November project!

The front of the stocking.

The back of the stocking.

There's still time for you so sew up a quick stocking before the end of the month! Head on over to Kristy's blog for more details: Hopeful Threads - November 2012 Project.

And don't forget to "Like" her Hopeful Threads page on Facebook!


*I used the Imagine Gnats - Falling Flakes Stocking Tutorial (it includes a printable template) for the stocking, changing only how I added the lining into the stocking and closed off the top openings - only because I wasn't in the mood to do it her (proper) way, lol!

Handmade 52: Item # 21- Backpacks are fun!

They're even better if they're made from a little girl's beloved Hello Kitty fabric!

This is another super, fun, FishSticks Designs pattern: The Playdate Messenger Bag for Mom and Backpack for Tot!

It's surprisingly quick to sew up, and now that I've made one I will be sure to keep an extra set of the strap hardware and other supplies on hand. Why? Because this would be a great gift to whip up for "that birthday party you just remembered is coming up this weekend and you haven't bought a gift yet"!

I desperately need a fun bag for myself, as my current diaper bag is just too big to grab if I am dashing out of the house alone. So I'll be making the messenger bag for myself soon. I wonder which fabric I'll use? :)

The straps stay on her shoulders beautifully. And even thought she's already in a 4T/5T for clothing, the straps still have room left to lengthen out some more as she grows.

I just love the flap! It's a great spot to add a bright splash of colour. Here you can also see the loop on top for hanging on hooks or in cubbies. As you can see the bag is big enough to hold plenty of treasured objects, without being too big for them to carry or put on themselves.

And lest you think that she always is well behaved for photos. The majority of our photos this year look more like this!

Her "I'm a model" pose.

This one is called: "I'm too cool for the camera" ;)

**Sorry for the bad photo editing. I'm afraid that until I stop editing on a laptop, my results will be a bit hit or miss!**

Handmade 52: 17, 18, 19 & 20 - Little Girl Undies

Do you have little ones that just don't fit perfectly in some items from the store? For Missy it's panties. Don't get me wrong, she can get them on just fine, and they stay up...but the leg elastics just aren't very comfortable for her. I got tired of watching her constantly readjusting the leg elastic on the inside of her thighs every 20 minutes, no matter where we were, who we were with, or with any regard as to who was watching her.

So I pulled out my That Darn Kat - Children's Undies Sewing Pattern (there's a boy and girl version included in the pattern) and got to work! I was puzzled as to which size to make, so I made a size 4 and a size 6. And for those about to make a pair and happen to have a similar fabric stash to mine: See that purple pair below? Don't use that fabric for undies! It may be easier to sew because it doesn't stretch as much, but it doesn't stretch as much when they're wearing it either! Oops! Lesson learned ;)

Left: Size 6 & Right: Size 4
That Darn Kat Pattern

 The size 4 fit her just fine, and will most likely fit even better when made out of stretchier material, but they don't leave much room to grow on her. And yet the size 6 is far too big on her tiny frame. We have the same problem with store bought panties by the way, so please don't think this is an issue with the pattern! She's really stuck at an in between size right now, and it makes shopping for her a tad bit difficult.

She does LOVE her new panties though. And guess what? She hasn't adjusted her undies, not even ONCE, when she's wearing her new pair (the pink ones have been put up until she grows into them)!! It is wonderful!


But wait, that's only 2 items and the title notes 4!

So in true advertising style:

But WAIT! There's MORE!

I wanted to try another pattern to see if I could find a better fit with a little more room to grow. With all the upcoming sewing, building, birthday party, and Christmas projects coming up, I didn't want to end up needing to add another batch of panty sewing right in the middle of all the chaos!

I decided to brave an Ottobre Magazine pattern. This pattern is often recommended when someone asks for a great fitting girl's pattern, and because they don't come only in even sizes, there is a greater chance of finding the particular fit I am looking for. The particular pattern I used is pattern # 34 in their 4/04 magazine.

After consulting the handy dandy measurement chart (I recently forced the kids to endure seemingly endless measuring), I decided to try size 104. European measurements are different in their size numbers, but that size essentially boils down to a US size 5. See! In between sizes!

There are 3 versions of the pattern, and as it turns out, after making these two, there is at least one more way to do the legs! I by mistake finished the legs in the same way That Darn Kat does, instead of the binding method that Ottobre was calling for, oops. Oh well, she loves them and I am happy to say they FIT! And by fit I mean they fit well now, and are comfy enough with room to grow! Yippee!

I can promise you they look a lot better on than they do here, but forgive me for having not the photos to prove it...a little girl's privacy and all that. ;)

Ottobre 4/04 #34. Size 104
They are both technically the same size. However the top pair I cut out and then realized I'd forgotten to add on a seam allowance. So instead of folding down the top and hiding elastic, I used some picot edge elastic I had bought from Joann Stores the other day.
I've never used this type of elastic before so it's less than perfect, but both my daughter and I love the look of it when it's done!

The back. The slight size difference is more noticeable in the back, with one having seam allowances added on, and the other not. But the size difference while on is hardly visible, so don't worry too much if you forget to add them on like I did the first go round!

3 pairs of undies will most certainly not be enough, so together we went through some of my fabric stash. She picked out many new fabrics, from dinosaurs and ninjas, to butterflies and purple stripes. No stereotypes in this house! ;)

I am excited to get started cutting them out. Stay tuned for a panty stash update soon!

Handmade 52: Items 13, 14, 15 & 16 - Baby Gifts

There'll be a new little nephew for me to cuddle soon enough, and so this Aunty decided that I'd sew up a few goodies for him!

I used the beloved Jamie Jumper from the Fishsticks Designs pattern "The Little One Layette", along with a tutorial for adding feet to them from an amazing lady on my favourite forum, Make Laugh Love.

For the matching hats I used a fabulous freebie, the "Baby Knot Hat" from Cuddles N Chaos on Etsy. The pattern was actually hosted on her blog originally, but seeing as the link wasn't working when I went to download it, Kim so sweetly emailed it to me! Thank you!

A gift from the "geeky" side of the family, to the "sporty" side of the family!

Please ignore the fact that it was a hurried shot taken right before we dashed out the door, on our way to the baby shower!