Having cosy autumn garments really lifts my mood when days are getting colder, I especially need colours to brighten up grey days. Jackets and coats are my main focus these days.
Tag: make your own clothes
Making A Spring Dress From Organic Cotton Fabric
Winter is nearly over (happiness) and I’ve started to make new clothes for my children. For spring clothes I usually make something from knit jerseys, often taking old dresses apart to make new t-shirts or mixing up new and older fabrics.
This dress I made for my teenage daughter from organic cotton jersey.
The dress is a little challenging to make because of the 3 panels front and back, you have to attach them to the right places but other than that it comes together easily. I really like its shape and swing.
Making Winter Pants
I always look for a bit different fabric when I want to make a pair of trousers, so I was happy to find this really beautiful, slightly shiny, denim fabric with tiny dots. Although it’s not organic, it’s oeko-tex certified meaning that the fabric was tested for harmful substances and produced in an environmentally friendly and socially acceptable way.
There are other designs available (flowers, squares, bigger dots). The pants pattern is from Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe, which has detailed instructions on all the steps involved in creating the trousers. The smallest size XS fits my 12-year-old daughter. I made summer linen trousers with this pattern, have a look here. The denim fabric is from Dots N Stripes.
Make Your Own Summer Trousers
I remember the days when I went from shop to shop to find a pair of trousers that were beautiful and fitting, it could take me hours to finally end up exhausted with something quite expensive and nearly always a compromise. I’m so glad I don’t have to do that anymore.
I learned to make proper trousers (I mean the ones with zips, pockets and belt loops) with this book Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe, which has detailed instructions on all the steps involved in creating the trousers. I’ve used this pattern for years, only changing the width of the legs from the knees down, I like legs that flare at the ankles…
The fabric I used is from Dragonfly Fabrics, it’s a linen/rayon mix called Brussels Washer, I chose the colour ocean, there are many more colours available.
Indigo Resist Dyed Dress
Once in a while I buy printed fabric, I just couldn’t resist this one. It is dyed with natural indigo by women of the Bai tribal minority in Yunnan province/South West China. They use an ancient technique of stencilling, stitching and tying the cloth before dying it with indigo.