Take 2!

We're coming up on our second flea market attempt this Saturday (which is why I haven't posted much here lately...I've been sewing, sewing, sewing!) After our relative success at last month's flea market, I should feel pretty relaxed about Saturdays, but I'm not. Because of the changing seasons, most of the clothes for this market are different than the popular items from last time. Sure, I have a pillow case top or two, but because I wanted to branch out I focused more on fall wear this time around. It was fun and I'm now excited to make my own kids' fall/winter clothes. For example:

although pants are not new for me, I've worked hard to improve my design. I now have learned the basic pocket (as opposed to a patch-style pocket sewn onto the clothes) and I had a lot of fun embellishing the pants. For the girls, print cuffs so the pants will grow with the child. And for the boys, stylish cargo pockets and a little something extra:
because if there's one thing Oscar has taught me about making clothes for little boys, it's that Thomas and his Friends go a long way to making a happy boy!
I've also made a few simple peasant blouses. Admittedly, they look kind of funny on the hanger but once on, they should be cute. Here's one I made for Irene this past spring.
And finally, last time I had been thinking about including some of my hairbands but was hesitant. There was just something I wanted to change but couldn't put my finger on it. After thinking about it, I came up with this new style. I know, I know...not too earth-shattering, but I'm excited to see how they sell.
Wish me luck on Saturday (and if you happen to be in Gwangju, stop on by!) ;)

Eastern Eclectic

Continuing on my quest to create the perfect sleeve, I used some of my new Japanese-y fabric that arrived last Sunday as inspiration. I love this fabric. I know, I know, I say that all the time...but I really mean it this time! I have a "thing" for Japanese prints and this almost looks (to me) like something you might see on a kimono.

Basically, I started out with the idea of making a simple shirt but then I got to the neck hole. Now, I'll be honest here - neck holes have caused me much grief in the past. Because the material isn't stretchy, I have to make it large enough to fit over her head - and I can't tell you how many times I've misjudged. So, determined not to screw this up and waste my beautiful new fabric, I opted for a button opening. Not wanting to do the boring ol' buttons down the back and inspired by the Asian prints, I added a sort of Chinese-style opening. The result? Cuteness:
As this was my first attempt, I decided that it wasn't good enough to sell at the flea market. (really, though, I'm being totally selfish and I just want to see Irene in it!) So I made second top but reversed the fabrics - same prints, different colors:


A close up of the collar made of the coordinating fabric. I'm now thinking that Irene may need one in red, too.

My little Korean girl in her Japanese-print Chinese inspired top...and her little dog too.

Sweet Sleeves

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been trying to expand my projects to include more fall/winter styles as we're creeping closer to September. While a cute sun dress can be layered over a T-shirt, I don't think I can expect to start a business by selling pillow case dresses in the winter months. So I've taken the plunge: sleeves. I've sewn them before, but sleeves are no friend of mine. Nonetheless, today I decided to take the plunge. I present the Sweet Sleeved Top:

It's really hard to see on the hanger (and alas, I have no chubby little 9-12 month-old little girls at hand to model it...just a barrel-chested 14 month boy) but I think the sleeves will provide just the right amount of *poof* for delicious little baby arms. And my favorite part? The sweet little shoulder bow!
I'm still not psyched about moving into "sleeve weather", but I'm quite happy with this top. Now the floodgate are open and I wonder what else I can do with a sleeve!

Almost Time!

As the day of the big flea market draws near, I thought I'd post a few photos of some of the items I'll be selling. In my last post I showed some of the small, "filler" items like booties & bibs, but what I'm really looking to sell are the bigger items like clothes. In addition to the aprons above that my partner recommended we focus on, I've worked hard to expand my range of skills.

From fancy pants to simple skirts, I've managed to make a fairly comprehensive collection of clothing for kids. Above are some shorts for boys and a some for girls. I'm particularly proud of the girl's shorts because I got a chance to use my new pleating skills (this style of pleated pant leg is really popular here in Korea at the moment...not sure if it's "in" elsewhere in the world.) as well as expand my pocket repertoire from plain ol' square patch pocket to pleated pocket, and I got so excited by that, that I had to add pockets to my simple skirts below. I give you the deep pocket (right) and the shirred pouch. I love them both all the more when I think of all the rocks and little nicknacks that can be tucked away in there!
And of course I had to add some tops and dresses since that's where I began my clothes-sewing journey. Below are a few.
And my absolute favorite item at the flea market? The "Be The Reds" scarf top! "Be The Reds" is Korea's battle cry at international sporting events such as the World Cup. I had picked up a couple of scarves at a flea market a few months ago for $1 knowing that I'd eventually find a use for them. I'm so happy with this little top that I wish it could fit Irene, but alas, two scarves supply just enough material for size 18 months so, sadly, she'll have to find some other way to show her patriotism. I particularly love the fact that it says "we are twelfth" - you don't often see team shirts/paraphernalia boasting that!

Halter Happiness

Last summer I got fancy and decided to make some halter tops for Irene. If I remember correctly, it was my first time making something involving an actual pattern (found here under "Beach Party Top"). They came out surprisingly well if I do say so myself! The one pictured above was a real doozy to make - not because of the pattern itself but because I got over-ambitious. Each of the different colors/prints in the top are a different piece of material which I pieced together. It came out alright but trying to get them together without looking too sloppy was a nightmare! In the end, it came out a little too snug and a little too stiff-feeling so she never got much wear out of it after all that work!
My second attempt was much more enjoyable to make and definitely more comfortable for Irene. I found a really pretty, gauzy scarf at the store for about $1 and knew it would be perfect for a summer outfit. With a loose, lined bodice and a breezy, light-weight skirt, this top was made for Korea's sweltering-hot summers!

Pillow Case Tops

One of the simplest dress ideas out there for little girls is a top called "The Pillow Case Dress." And, you know what? It's also one of the cutest and most practical! The name comes from the fact that one can easily make a simple dress for a toddler/small child by using a pillow case (or a scarf really). I originally got the idea from my sister-in-law (THANK YOU, Shannon!!) This was way back when Irene was just a toddler and I had never really sewn much, if anything, in the way of clothes before. I decided to give it a whirl and, while my first attempt's results were less than pleasing*, I was on my way.

For the past 2 summers, the pillow case dress/top has been a staple of Irene's wardrobe. In fact, because of the loose cut of this style top and the fact that Irene was a chubby toddler, many of the tops I made for her last year still fit this year. Of course this is great from an economical standpoint (and remember, one reason for me starting to sew in the first place was $$) but from a creative standpoint, it's a little disappointing. I was really looking forward to making a whole new wardrobe this year, but her drawers are busting as it is so I've got to be content with only a handful of new tops this year. Here are some of my more recent pillow case dresses/tops:

*I blame it on the fact that I'm not actually able to use pillow cases since Korean style is not suitable ;)

Shirr is Fun!

Every season I try to learn a new technique. One of this summer's techniques was shirring. It's something that I always imagined to be so difficult but in reality was really, really easy. I mean, ridiculously easy. Even for me. As a result, Irene has a wardrobe full of shirred shirts this summer and of all of them, the shirt above is my favorite. Ok...or maybe the one below. I also got to to experiment with the different stitches on my sewing machine to embellish the top & bottom hem of the shirred shirt. Too bad it's almost impossible for a 3-year-old to keep a white shirt white!

Bottom two photos by Lindsay Nash