Blog – Page 8

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Boutique and Hybrid Bibs· Flosstyle Patterns· Sew For kids· Sprouts· Twigs

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 20

This weeks challenge: 1m Fabric Only
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted

I found this amazing dinosaur cotton spandex at Spotlight and was super excited because they usually have a pretty limited choice in the cotton spandex range.

Parker still needs some more winter pants so it was an easy choice to make some more Sprouts Twigs for him this week. I decided to make a matching pair for my nephew and a hybrid bib to go with them.

I still have some ore left that I will most likely use to make some jocks for the big kidlet, he has been asking for some more mum made jocks for awhile.

Happy Sewing
xx Gail

in Arts and Crafts· Behind the scenes· How To

Dog Lino Printing – Step by Step

I have had heaps of questions about how I made these dog pants for Week 8 of the 52 Week Sewing Challenge earlier this year so thought I’d write a more in depth how to. (Find the original blog here.)

I got both the rubber block and the carving tools from Spotlight, I’m not sure how the quality compares to others but they were relatively cheap and I could order online plus they worked well for me.

Parker was very insistent he wanted a dog stamp on his pants so we searched Pinterest for some inspiration and once we found the photo below there was no talking him in to anything else.

I printed the image out in the size of my rubber block and then used tracing paper to trace the image out using a 2B pencil. I then flipped the tracing paper over onto the block so the drawn side was touching the block and used the other end of the pencil to rub the design onto the block.

I then drew over the copied pencil design with a black permanent marker, so it wouldn’t be accidentally rubbed off while I was carving the design out. Below is the printed design and my carved stamp before I started testing it.

I don’t have a proper tool for applying the paint to the rubber tile so I just used a foam brush I already had (like these ones). I tested the design with regular acrylic paint and onto paper and after each print removed any extra areas I wasn’t happy with until I was ready to try on the fabric.

I decided to use a textile medium mixed into acrylic paint so I would have more colour options, because I already have acrylic paints, however you can also buy specific fabric inks and paints. This has held up with washing okay so far.

I decided on the pattern I was going to use, the Star Shorts in the Hunter version and traced my pattern pieces onto the fabric so I would be able to line up my prints exactly where I wanted them.

I reapplied paint between each print for one pair and alternated with the second pair for a different look. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them in our Flosstyle Fair group on Facebook.

Happy Sewing
xx Gail

in 52 Week Sewing Challange· 52 Week Sewing Challenge - 2020· Flosstyle Patterns· Sew For kids· Sprouts· Twigs

Sewing Challenge 2020 – Week 19

This weeks challenge: Aussie Fabric Only
Accepted/Rejected: Accepted

I don’t like to pay the crazy shipping fees for fabric from outside of Australia and trying to figure out the conversion rates, so almost all of my fabric has been bought from an Australian retailer. (and since it would be super hard to find fabric that was manufactured completely in Australia I’m counting purchased from an Australian retailer as accepting this weeks challenge.)

It got pretty cold here this week and Parker has been wearing some of last years winter pants but he’s had a growth spurt and while they still fit (just) they aren’t going to last all of winter so I thought I better get organised and get him some new winter clothes sewn up.

My favourite pattern for winter pants is the Sprouts in the Twigs option. They are great for daycare as he can still run around and play and even when they are a bit too long the cuff keeps them in place on his leg and not in the dirt so I can make them a a little longer for more wear.

I made two pairs and still need to make a few more, the foxes came from Fabric by Missy Rose and the Sharks came from a retailer that has since closed, they are both 220 Cotton Lycra which I have found stands up to the roughness of my crazy kid.