Summer Tops For Girls

When Spring hits the birds chirp and the sewing machines whir…

I have a self drafted pattern that I love to use for my preschooler’s summer wardrobe. It’s roomy and light, with a super easy elastic neck (shirring – MadeByRae has a great tutorial) so that she dress herself without me needing to fix things; which we both love!

This is a design I could never purchase at a store and since she must wear an undershirt, always, it’s essential I make her comfortable during the high heat months. The width is not only super cute on my short stack, but allows a nice breeze to cool her off. When the temperature dips as it sometimes does, these are pretty easy to layer also!

Now that I think of it, a ruffle sleeve would be super helpful to prevent shoulder burn…

Here are a few styled.

What are your spring sewing plans??

Until Next Time,

Laura

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Starting Cascade Handmade

I have been working on a handmade business and it’s been really fun! I’m going to quickly share some of the best and unexpected parts of starting a business.  However I have every intention of continuing this blog for my personal sewing projects and only want to share Cascade Handmade in this post.

I am in love with this image of rough and tumble kids running around in the woods with adventure packs!

I created four products and sewed them all up (about 50 items in all) and I’m finding that sewing in a sewing business is not the highest priority! Very unexpected. I used the heaviest canvas my machine could handle (10oz) and love how the sturdy attitude comes out in them.

Here is my handmade gear:

Little Things Pouch

Adventure Cap

Sidekick

Adventure Pack

It has been very exciting, but now the buzz is wearing off and I get to find my rhythm. I was surprised to find out that marketing is the biggest part of a start up. It is a fun thing to have to play on line for your job. There are so many outlets, Instagram, Blogs, Twitter & Website design – and I have been on a steep learning curve to figure out the different attitudes in each.

Flat lays have been a big part and I really enjoy bringing whimsy to my products; as well as learning photography and editing.

And the final thing was the incredibly tiring and rewarding weekend of photo shoots done by Anna Caitlin Photography

What an experience! If you’d like to poke around you can find me at cascadehandmade.org 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my designs or if you’ve been through this yourself and want to chat, please leave a comment!! I love this community of sewers!

Until next time,

Laura

St. Patrick’s Day Color

I have been working on a very big project the last few months; so in between hectic hours I sewed up a few festive outfits for my kids. We just love celebrating the holidays as they come month by month and there really is something special about over doing it!!

 

My son got this really bright and fun shamrock’s & rainbows and he loves it.  McCalls M6099

My daughter was with me when we picked out the fabric and she fell in love with sparkly dogs. I love to let them embrace these fanciful colors while they’re young…I know it won’t last forever…

I find it increasingly difficult to photograph the 4 year old so none of her in the dress but it is a vintage Simplicity S7904 circa 1980’s I believe. Just a cute gathered dress with a bib.

Next post I will reveal my big project. I love knowing that I still have this blog to show my personal makes. It just gives me a bit of fun to look forward too.

Until next time

–Laura

A Handmade Christmas – Boy Edition

I think it is important for gifts to be thoughtful and not just shiny and new. This year since I had the time, I set out to make a few special things for the kids in addition to the regular haul of gifts.

This jacket is part of a highly interactive gift… A Secret Agent Kit!

I’m not going to lie, this coat was meant to be a quick and dirty, cheaply made jacket; but as my spouse pointed out, I can’t make cheap clothes. So instead it is a heavy-duty, fully lined, trimmed with vintage silk, boys coat to resemble the Odd Squad.

My attempt at a badge…it will have to do!

Here is a tidbit I discovered; my idea of a detective is a brown trench coat wisping around corners with a dark hat (inspector gadget anyone?), but my kids see it as a crisp blue suit solving math problems in a secret lab. I must say their version does sound pretty fun!

Then comes the bag where all the goodies will be stored. The fabric itself was a little more elderly, but I think we were able to punch it up with all the add ons.

I sewed a spiral on the flap for some fun, but forgot to change the patch thread, but he won’t care!

I did have to order some fun gadgets and spy science books; did you know there are invisible pens? Super cool!

The last portion of this present will be about 8 “crimes” to solve. He’ll have to find clues hidden around the house, crack codes (like Morse, riddles, decoder rings and such), use magnifying glasses and binoculars. It will be a math & science treasure hunt, perfect for a boy!

His second gift are a couple super hero toys……..WHICH FLY…..AND HAVE CHANGEABLE CAPES….enough said!

Use a rubber band to fling them across the room…so fun!

I used this Pattern.

Some of the best parts were the kids trying to catch a glimpses here or there of what Mom was up to, and having “don’t tell your sibling” moments where they got sneak peaks.

I was pretty early with with my sewing (starting in late October) so I am done with the kids.

Do you enjoy making something special for the holidays?

-Laura

 

 

A Woolen Coat

This is a little woolen coat that I fell in love with more at every stitch! It is a vintage hounds-tooth wool from someone’s collection that was never utilized, then given away in hopes it would find the right home. Well I am so delighted that it came my way.

I used the pattern Simplicity 8305, altering in a soft lining and making sure the faux sherpa exceeds past the cuff. When dealing with wool this itchy I made sure to keep any edges off her skin.

I just can’t get over the cuteness of this one. Maybe it’s because I had been binge watching Call the Midwife with all their 50’s & 60’s fashion…

The only problem I had was that together these materials were so thick I was basically forcing the binding into place, I just went over and over with the thread and surprisingly you can’t tell too much.

These pockets are fantastic, able to fit a proper Benjamin Bunny book with room to spare…

 

I hope your fall sewing is going as great as can be!

Thanks for taking a look,

Laura

A Fall Collection

I made a few new fall outfits with some favorite and new patterns. The first is a vintage Simplicity from 1975. I just love this overall/skirt. I made it in lightweight denim & golden unicorns from Joann’s.

 

 

 

 
I widened the front pocket for more use and that was appreciated by my daughter. A hodgepodge of buttons completed this look.

The next is a quick dress (turned out too big), however the request for a giant pink bunny will make this a favorite next spring.

 

 

 

And this last was a work in progress for a present that I did not get a finished picture of. Lovely linen to work with and I hope it is worn happily!

After a long haul of coats and jackets these felt refreshing and quick. Thanks for taking a look.

–Laura

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Edition

Here we are, the weekend before Halloween! I don’t know about you, but our costumes get loads of action the week before Halloween. We are headed to our 3rd party tonight so I wanted to share the costumes the kids had this year.

I admit I favor the simple way you can put together a fun costume, and then we are not limited to what is sold in stores.

This year we have a purple bunny, black cat, and black bat. I used the classic PJ pattern from Peekaboo patterns. I sized up and that seem to do the trick — some fun costumes that will be worn as pajamas all winter as well!

They are all made out of fleece and I assure you no coats are needed this year as the kids all seem to be pretty hot when taking them off. Simple props were all that was needed, wings, a tail, a bunny hat…

Hope you all have a fabulous & safe Halloween!!

Laura

A Cape To Run With

I can sometimes see the project I will make and over the days I will design and change things all in my mind. This cape was definitely one of those projects.

This darling was meant to be a real garment whether picking pine cones in the park or adding just one more layer on a cold winter day. I hope it is loved!

I drafted this cape — shall we call it a caplet since it is so small and precious — after looking online and sensing there was not much past super heroes. I knew what I wanted; a place for arms should she need them (duh, always), a small cape where the kid is not drowning in material, and a collar to pull us away from little red riding hood.

I LOVE this caplet!! It is adorable and almost practical. It is hard to resist children in a bold red such as this.

My daughter, however disagrees with me. I could see in her eyes this would never pass her practical side (thanks husband for passing along that gene). That’s ok, it’s not for her!

This is 100% pure wool and the color is just as brilliant as you can see in the pictures.

I set off with a back width length of 17″ and the sideseam to sideseam measurement 36″ at the hem. I made one pattern piece for the front and the back. I did not cut out a complete half circle (way to cumbersome for preschoolers), but instead curved the side seam down.

Thanks for taking a look.

–Laura

A Welsh Man’s Aura Is Plaid

Here is my other half, and finally he has his turn. Plaid flannel was requested and the pictures tell the story of why…

A Welsh man who calls the damp forests of Oregon home– these colors were exactly right for him as he blends into the Pacific Northwest.

This was the hardest sewing project I have undertaken…

I spent a week or more on his coat — 3 days to draft the pattern; 2 days to make a few practice runs; 2 days to quilt the flannel to the batting; and another 4 days to sew it up. I called upon all my sewing knowledge to finish off these details and it fits great with 3 warm layers.

A zipper front, cuffs, welt pockets and a roomy pleat to allow him to move were all requested. I loved making this coat, but I REALLY loved finishing it!!

It’s fully lined in black and is the fluffiest coat in the world…while still conveying manliness.

It hasn’t been terribly cold yet but I have seen it already come out of the closet a few times so I know it’s a winner. And while it doesn’t match my son’s jacket, it is a nice adult version in style.

What are your favorite winter sewing projects?

Thanks for taking a look.

–Laura

 

 

Roaming Buffalo Plaid

I’m Pretty excited about this project. I had some awesome blue buffalo plaid in flannel that everyone has had their eye on but I held off using it until I came across some vintage patterns. Blue is the new favorite color of my son so here we go.

Simplicity 9595  1970

A labor of love for sure, I quilted the flannel to some batting (I was going to use the batting to make a blanket for the kids when I realized that is never going to happen), and used a turquoise poly/cotton material for the lining.

There are some fun details on this coat; the sewn in elastic on the bottom, the pleat I added on the inside for flexibility, a cool flap for the snaps closure, & patch pockets. I changed the zipper front to snaps.This is a very sturdy coat and could be worn for a lot of the dry cold winter days.  One thing I love about these children’s vintage patterns is that they come in only one size so there is no guilt about cutting into it (and ruining other sizes), and also the directions are so easy for me to follow since not every detail is lined out. It assumes you know what you want and it is surprisingly refreshing.

We tried out this new coat on a crisp fall day in the apple fields…I’ll be honest, I am obsessed with this coat, and I am not the only one! I now have an order from my husband for a matching grown up version!!

What? Has the day arrived where my macho mate wants to be twinsies with his boy!

So lots of fun fall sewing ahead for me. A very cozy time of year.

I hope everyone has a fabulous week!

–Laura