New dress for Hanhan

Made a new dress for Hanhan recently. It's been a really long time since I last made clothing for her.

 

Hanhan has grown much taller now, and has outgrow most of the clothings I made for her, so she has been wearing store bought t-shirts and pants all this while. She is really happy to get her new Mummy-Made dress (with her favourite fabric choice of course!) but she is not really willing to take photos in it.

 

These are the second set of photos I took, the first set she is all grumpy. Now she enjoys taking photo of others rather than have her photos taken.

I hope she will continue to enjoy wearing the clothings I make for her.

Sewing Maternity Clothings

I have not blog for a long time and wasn't sure where to start from.

I have done quite a bit of sewing during my pregnancy and I have yet to blog about. Maybe I should start with projects that I have sewed for myself.

Fabric used: Dots (purple)

One for me and one for Hanhan

Was in a dilemma to sew or not to sew for myself at then. I have not been to any dressmaking class and wasn't good at making clothes for myself. If I have a prefect body, using the pattern directly from pattern books will work, but too bad..... that's not the case, furthermore, with my big tummy, no pattern in the books I have will work. Modify is the only way out.

I spent lots of time flipping through books and finally settled to the most basic pattern : peasant top

It is loose fitting and by lengthening just the front portion, the top is now long enough to accomodate my growing tummy :)

Fabric used: Yuwa Premium Garden(Purple)

This dress is sewed based on my draft and measurement. I didn't make any full size pattern paper, I just draw and cut directly on the fabric, because I started this project on the Eve of Chinese New Year Eve. And the other top was actually done just a day before this. However, I would like to say that drawing and cutting directly on the fabric is both intimidating and shiok :P 

Pants for Pants

I was never good at clearing things, or maybe I should say that I prefer to create than clear. And that includes create mess :P

Well.... , what I really want to say is that I finally harden my heart to clear away a big piles of clothes from my wardrobe. I have many clothes that are worn out, too old(according to Daddy) or too small (hm.... maybe something else should just stop growing) and they are sitting in the wardrobe for way too long. When they are finally gone, I realised that I need some pants badly.
And sometimes, it easier to make a pair for myself than shopping for a suitable one. This is made during the June holiday. I'm really behind time in blogging my handmade, have made several more things that I have not blogged.

And this is what happened to one pair of pants that no longer fit. I'm cutting it into 2, so that I can make a pair of shorts for Hanhan.
Hanhan's shorts is done. Intend to make the other half into a bag, but was distracted by other things, and it is still laying there.

Reversible Pinafore

Something that I thought I will never sew for Hanhan, because she perspires a lot and doesn't like to wear in layers. However, there has been request for me to teach pinafore, so I thought maybe I should give it a try, sew one for Hanhan, maybe she can wear it when we go somewhere cooler for holiday this year end.

Can you see that she loves it?!

This side uses "happy chihuahua (pink)"
And she is in good mood to model it, but too bad.... bad lighting. I can't find a corner in my house that is not cluttered and bright enough to take photos. Wish I have the time to bring her out on a good weather to take nicer photos. Highly impossible.... this really needs 天时地利人和 ( 天时:fine weather; 地利:hm..... not sure if there's any nice and nearby place for photo taking; 人和:time when she doesn't have to go to school and I'm free, and of course she must be in good mood :P)
I asked her not to stand still and smile, because she will keep showing her "rabbit" hand sign and smile awkwardly. This is one of the rare stand still yet nice smile photo. :)

"Can I sit down?"

Hehehe.... she is tired after all the moving around.

This side uses " November Books Mermaid(pink)"

I'm taller and bigger!!

New Year Clothes for Hanhan

Making clothes for Hanhan has always been a pleasure for me. I love to see how cute anh sweet she looks in the new clothes I made for her, it gives me lots of satisfaction. The best thing is, she loves what I made for her ....erm..... for most of the time. There are times that she refused to wear the clothes that I made for her and when I threatened that I won't make anymore clothes for her, she will say that she doesn't want me to make clothes for her, ok...... since you don't want to wear, then I won't make for you. Since she never bother to look at the clothes we show her during shopping, we didn't get her any new clothes from the store too.

Hanhan knows that Chinese New Year is coming and everyone is supposed to wear new clothes on the first day of the CNY, and last week she actually requested me to make new clothes for her (hoho... Mummy win! :D) She pulled out the following 2 fabrics that she had chosen long time ago and requested me to make something for her.

Daddy said the fabric combination is weird and it looks like sleep wear but Hanhan loves the fabrics and keep saying the dress is very nice....hoho... she is very encouraging :))
She loves the dress, but not in the mood to take photo.

"No, I don't want to take photo!"

Tried letting her take photo with her toy.

However that doesn't last long enough for me to take photo of her in the second dress :P

Pattern for both dresses are from Cucito Summer 2010.

Cucito, my favorite children dress making pattern book :)

The Princess Flamingo Dress

Well... that's what Hanhan called it, because it's pink.

Made this dress for her birthday. She is really happy about it, no hesitation in trying. I'm really happy too, succeed in my 1st try sewing satin and organza.

Initially made a 100cm size for her, but it was way too big, did a lot of cutting to make it fit her. Finished it on the very day she wore it to school for her birthday celebration. Determined to make a princess dress for her, instead of just buying one for her. It's more of a challenge for me than just a dress for her.

Actually right after I bought the satin and organza, I happened to bypass a shop selling little girls' dress, the princess type...... also using satin and organza. Secretly, I'm telling my self that I don't want to come here to get one for Hanhan, it will be my last resort.



Pattern is from the older version of Cucito, which is then known as Child Boutique. Made modification to the back panel, hoping that Hanhan will not out grow from the dress too fast.

Pillowcase Dress

Made this just before Hanhan's performance, so that she take it out easily and changed into her swan costume without ruining her make up and hair.

Fabric used: Polky and Ribbons (pink) - Japanese cotton fabric

I added some elastic from the underside of the dress at the waist, hoping the gathers will give some "shape" to the dress, but it's doesn't look obvious.

I like to see Hanhan's hair neatly tied up like this, it makes her so much cuter and sweeter.

The elastic added waist line looks slightly more obvious in this photo. And oh..... her hair is back in mess again after the performance. :P

Sewing for Children's Day

A regular customer order for her kids for Children's Day.


7 sweet pinky customised pencil cases. All of similar style, yet not exactly the same.

Hanhan loves the "bambi deer (pink)" fabric, she kept asking were the pouches for her. When I told her that the name shown on the pouches are not hers, so it's not hers, she actually obligated to change her name, so that she can have the pouch :P


And one for a boy. Love this Kokka fabric even though I still use lots of pink girlish fabric :)

After much sewing for others, I onced again feel like sewing for Hanhan. She has been asking me to sew skirt and dresses for her, but I have been busy then.

Hanhan is allowed to wear party clothes to school for Children's Day celebrate, so I sewed this for her, hoping that she can wear it to school...... but she didn't. She had her mind set on wearing her Raspberry Torte t-shirt to school, she had told me that the day before. I sewed through the night thinking that she might change her mind, since the fabric was picked by her and it's a new dress for her but I was wrong :P

When I try to persuade her to wear it, she told me she will wear the dress to the zoo, it's a zoo dress. We have been putting off our trip to the zoo, and this sound like a threat to me : To the zoo we go or your effort for the dress will be wasted :P

Whether the girl wins her trip to the zoo with the dress on or Mummy wins in coaxing the girl to wear the dress without a trip to the zoo, and get some photos taken. Hm.... we'll see how.

Oh... what do you think about the ribbon infront? Should I remove it to keep it simple?

Dress pattern modified from Cucito Summer 2010. I added some elastic to the botton of the bodice. This is the original pattern.

Selfish Sewing

Have been sewing for Hanhan and others for most of the time, now it's time to sew for myself.

Made a top during the weekend. Not very successful, but after alteration still wearable. This is the second top that I have made for myself. My 1st attempt in making a top for myself a long while ago (haha... just checked my blog, that's 2 yrs ago :P), I made it too small and in the end I altered it and give it to my sis. So this time I use a bigger size without considering the cutting of the top design :P and it ended way too big. Daddy thought that I had made a sleep wear when I show him.*faint*

Determined to make it my own (don't want to let it go to waste or give it to my sis again) I start to alter it. To make it smaller, I cut quite a bit out from the sleeves, sides and bottom. The neckline is also way too big, but I'm too lazy to rip it, so I did a fold at the middle front.

And Ta-Dah!!

Ok... not fantastic... but very comfortable, which is my 1st priority in choosing clothes :) Made with Atelier Akiko polka dots with doodle (pink), a double gauze cotton, very soft and comfortable.

More selfishness came along after the top.

Fabric used: Kyo Yasai Radish (blue)

A wristless for myself.
Have been wanting to make one for myself but I just don't know why I didn't, and I really need one badly. I have never been one who know how to shop( not very women.... I know, oh.... forgot to mention that exclude shopping for fabrics and crafting supplies ) and knowing how to sew just give me more reasons to say "I can sew it myself, why buy?" even though I can't really sew all stuffs HAHA... and that's why I really need it badly.

This wristlet is triggering more of my selfishness........

My Sweetie

Here's photos of my little model posing with her new dress.

None of the photos is clear, she keeps moving :P But when I put the photos together, it's really interesting to see how she posed for the photos, hehehe....

This is the best shot I can get.

Some details that I like.

I'm using the pattern from this Japanese pattern book (Summer Clothing). I didn't add in the pocket, as I feel it's not necessary. Hanhan is about 92cm tall, and I'm using the pattern for 100cm, which I think the length is just nice for her. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this dress, and Hanhan loves it too, because it was made from her favorite fabrics. I think it will looks good with the other colour way from the same fabric series too.

Both the Japanese pattern book (Summer Clothing) and fabrics (Yummy Treats (off white) and Bakery Delights (pink) ) used to make this dress are available in my etsy shop.