Back-to-School Sew Along Roundup

Yea! Finally! I'm sure many of you have already checked out the adorable collection of handmade clothes in our Flickr pool for the Back-to-School Sew Along but I also wanted to provide a roundup of those great pictures here on the blog and add the few that came in via e-mail and on Facebook.

This was Penny Carnival's first sew along and I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for participating. Your creations are inspiring!

I'm still having trouble getting good shots of my girls in their clothes, and I have two backpacks and a dress still in progress, so you'll see more from me later (heck, I'm not eligible to win the prize anyway).

Please let me know if I missed you! It's been a crazy month and I would feel terrible if someone's e-mail is lost in the black hole that is my inbox. Because of that, I'm going to publish this post and then pause for a day before drawing the name of the random participant who will win this 2011 Sewing Calendar from Accord Publishing:

I swear the winner will be drawn before 2011.

Here goes ...

From Cynthia (aka The Sewing Dork), a backpack and a dress for her daughter, both of which are Cynthia's own designs. And looky look! She just posted a tutorial for making a toddler backpack on her blog.

 

K.D., also known as CraftyNHMom, made an upcycled hoodie using one of her husband's old Pavement T-shirts (I won't pretend to be hip enough to know who Pavement is, but I do know their shirts make for a great hoodie):

And look! Big brother and sister got new clothes, too. Liam here tie-died this himself:

And sister Maura got a gnome shirt that K.D. made following New Look 6321:

Those aren't the only clothes K.D. has made lately. Check out her blog for more.

 

I Wanna Be Creative (she advises us to sing that to the tune of the Ramone's "I Wanna be Sedated") made these great 10-minute water bottle holders following a tutorial on Sew Mama Sew.

Great fabric, huh?

 

Charith (from Bridge Street) made this awesome pink belt for her daughter:

I love that picture. I can just hear her explaining how the belt links together, just as my own girls would do.

Charith made these comfy pink camo pants, too, using a 1967 pattern:

She purposefully made them too long and then did some scrunching up at the bottom. Now, as her daughter grows, she just needs to let out a few of the stitches so the pants grow, too. Brilliant!

 

Riddle Fam made some cute reusable sandwich baggies (a project that's on my to-do list since we're down to just three from last year's batch):

And this adorable necktie-applique T-shirt:

 

Maria Sews made this beautiful backpack (her own design):

She said her goal was to make a backpack that wasn't larger than her child, as many backpacks seem to be these days. Check out some of Maria's other work on her Photostream, like this gorgeous little pouch/organizer. 

 

Els in Belgium made this fun skirt using vintage fabric an aunt gave her for her daughter's first day of "first class," which is what the 6 year olds attend there.

Where can I place my order, Els? Adult size, please. I'll take the boots, too.

 

Sarah from Little Citizens of the World and Melon Dot on Etsy made this oh-so-sweet T-shirt for her daughter:

 

Gotta love a girl with a flower on her shirt--a girl after my own heart.

And here's a shot to end with that can't help but make you smile--a polka dot dress from Kristine of Things to Make Instead of Dinner:

Love the ruffled collar (and that sweet grin, too):

 

 

These are the best shots I've gotten so far of my own projects--a headband that's a wee bit too wide and tight for Bo (fabric came from an old maternity skirt) and a corduroy apple dress for Magpie that she refuses to wear. Awesome.

I'm also working on a knit dress design for the girls that I'm liking very much. So far, I've just made it with cheap-o knits from JoAnn, but I bought this adorable Michael Miller polka dot the other day and can't wait to use it. It's so much thicker and softer than what I used for my trial versions.

I'll post pictures of the backpacks when they're done, too (be prepared for rainbow unicorns, glitter and pink ballerinas!) and it's getting colder here now, so I'll have to make some coats at some point.

Again, let me know if I missed anyone. I'll post the winner of the Sewing Calendar once I know that everyone's projects are included.

Comments

[Leigh]

I want one of those headbands. My daughter's hair is crazy and that would keep it all back. Are you going to give a tutorial or sell one? Thanks for the consideration.