A baby crossover top tutorial and free pattern

Being a super Kiasu mummy, I have sewn up a little chinese style crossover top for my baby A.

 

Baby A is due in mid Jan next yr, just in time for the Chinese New Year celebration on Feb 19 2015. So I sewn this festive top in a newborn to 3 months size. Small and tiny and cute!

Keep reading on for the tutorial and free pattern link below.

I even altered the sleeve pattern and sewn up another casual top with puffed short sleeves for my niece Chloe as well. It's not often you get so many baby girls to sew for and i am really great that my elder sis appreciates my handmade clothings for her baby.

 

 

Fabric used: A red quilting cotton with metallic gold dots from Joann. Price 9.90USD but i used my 50% off coupon. 1 yard=5USD

Gold bias tape from stash and the gold chinese frog closure also from stash.

 

The back of the top is also a crossover so there is no need for 'actual closures'. The chinese frog buttons are mainly 'decorative' and to make the top more chino style.

 

And i also made a matching headband with the remnant fabric.

 

The short puffy sleeves version. With elastic sleeve cuffs for niece Chloe.

 

Fabric used: Pink polka dots cotton from Joann

Crochet lace from stash.

I brought 2 yards of this cotton and already made 1 romper, 1 bloomer, 1 headband and this top from it.

 

Enough of the blabbering, here is the link to the handdrawn pattens: I am not a expert in pattern making, so u r expecting superior quality, pls close the tab and head somewhere else instead.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/20qha2fkxae74dg/AACOmlyEPEnHnywiv-Z-FD0va?dl=0

 

Note: The size of this pattern is only in newborn to 3months. Great to sew them up as baby gifts.

 

And here is the mini quick tutorial on the steps:

 

1) First u got to download the documents from the above link and print them out as 0 scaling. You can use the 4 by 4cm test square to check the scaling. Then cut out 8 bodice pcs and 2 skirt pcs and 2 sleeves pcs. No interfacing is needed in the construction.

 

 

2) Sew the crossover bodice pcs at the shoulder seams using 3/8 inch SA. Press. You should have 4 pcs of what is shown in the above pic.

 

 

3) With the right sides together, sew the curved neck seams together using 3/8 inch SA. Ending with 2 joined bodice pcs.

 

4) Trim and clip the curved seam allowances and press.

 

 

 

5) This is what you should have now for the bodice.

 

6) Add bias tape for emebllishments, or laces as shown in the casual version or you can leave it as it is.

 

 

7) Overlap the bodice pcs, left over right (chinese style) or right over left, whichever you are happy with. Matching the mid bodice notches and raw edges. Pin.

 

8) Stitch at 3/8"inch SA. Repeat for the back bodice as well. Both back and front are actually the same.

 

9) Next, gather the skirt pcs by stitching 2 rows of basting stitches .

 

Pardon my not very good pics but i tried my best.

 

10) Pin the skirt pc to the bodice, matching the edges and the mid notch then pull the basting stitches to fit. Pin the gathers and stitch at 3/8"SA.

 

 11) This will be what you have. Now you can either serge the seam or zigzag the seam or whatever you are happy with.

 

12) Reapeat for the back skirt portion and the end results. Remember to press the seams up towards the bodice after you are done.

 

I used a serger for the seams.

 

13) Next up the sleeves, you need to gather the sleeves in between the side notches for both versions. Then pin the sleeves to the armholes with right sides together matching the shoulder seam to the mid notch and side seams. Adjust the gathers for the puff sleeves version more towards the shoulder seams area. Stitch at 3/8inch. Finish the seams and press it out towards the sleeves.

 

14) Pin the side seams of the top and the sleeves and stitch all the way at 3/8 inch SA. PS: Stitch from the skirt hem upwards to the sleeves hem so the mid bodice seams are sutomatically turned towards the bodice. Finish the seams and press them open.

 

 

Sorry for the lack of pictures from now on cos it got too dark and i just could get clear pics of the remaning steps.

 

15) For the long sleeve version: Press up the sleeves hem 1/4inch and then 3/8 inch to get a narrow hem. Stitch close to the inner edge of the fold.  And for the skirt hem, you can do the same or use a bias tape for extra embellishment.

 

For the puff sleeves version: Press up the sleeves hem by 1/4 inch and then 3/8inch to get a narrow elastic casing. Edge stitch along  the inner fold leaving a opening for elastic insertion. Then cut out a desired length of 1/4inch elastic, (i cant remember the length i used, i just estimated and cut it.) thread the elastic through the narrow casing using a small safety pin and stitch the elastic ends together. Once done, stitch the opening close.

Then hem the skirt portion same as the long sleeved version. 

 

Hope my wordy and pictures insufficient tutorial will help somehow. Any questions, feel free to leave me a comment below or email me at sewashley87@gmail.com. And if you do sew up this little pc, I would be very happy to c your version pics!!!

 

Thank you for staying with me and may you all have a super fun long wkend ahead.

 

XOXO Ashley

 

 

Results of a Crazy nesting mood.

Hi everyone,

Finally back from my long long break. I gotten busy with life and in the midst, a precious new life is growing inside my belly. Yup, I am preggy with my 3rd child, currently at 26 wks, and the baby is a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! You can imagine the excitement when we found out her gender after having 2 hyper active boys in our life. The envision of cute dresses and cute hairstyles i can try on her just filled my mind every single day.

I started to revisit my sewing corner and started to churn out lovely and girly clothes for my little girl and not to forget my little niece Chloe that was born in July back in Singapore. Sewing for girls are so addictive! Who can resist the sweet ruffles and girly details compared to straight old plain boys clothings? And i can envision myself sewing cosplay costumes for my darling girl in the near future (if she's interested in being a cosplayer and live on my cosplay dreams. LOL!)

And the following are the results of my crazy nesting mood: (Pardon for the shitty hp pics. I am too lazy to dig out my camera and use it.)

First up is a handsewn newborn booties:



Fabric: Cream flora quilting cotton from stash. Pink satin Bias tapes from stash and white satin ribbon for ties. Cost: $0USD since all from stash.
Pattern: A baby Japanese sewing book from my books collection.

Next up I started 2 sets of Ninja Costume for my boys for coming Halloween. Completed the green one so far and the black pcs are cut out but got churn aside to make way for girly sewing.

 

Fabric: Broadcloth from Joann- Green and black 3 yards each.
Ninja sword and accessories from Target-$6USD
Pattern: Mccall 6184 Karate costume

I used the 2T size for the green version which is meant for little brother but they turned out to be too big! it suits my 4Y Aidan just nice so i have to switch characters for them instead and i modified the pattern pcs and cut a smaller black version for Allen.

This is Allen trying on the costume, i got to fold up the sleeves and pants in order for him to function properly in it.

 

A peplum romper.

Fabric: Light Pink Polka Dots Cotton From Joann. Laces and buttons from stash.

Size: 3M

Pattern: Cute clothes for Kids Book brought from amazon

 

Elegant dress that will be making its way to my niece soon.

Fabric: Light pink Kona cotton from fabric.com

White cotton lace from stash. (I still got 9over yards of it left. Brought them yrs back in bangkok fabric wholesale market.)

Pattern: Simplicity 4711. In the s size for 6months. I added a lace panel in the front bodice and lengthened the skirt.

 

An appliqued Baby bloomer. First trial on applique using wonder under and obviously i haven master my satin stitch yet thus the awkward edge stitching and hand stitching.

 

Leggings and hats using free baby go to leggings patterns and free baby hats pattern from zaaberry.com. Both knits are picked up from Joann remnant bin.

 

A simple hand embroidered itty bitty dress.

 

 

I love this the most: A cross back Jumper dress with matching bloomers.

 

Fabric: Pink seersucker from fabric.com and white broadcloth from stash. Simple and sweet design.

Pattern: One of the big 4 companies.

 

Another quite sew: itty bitty dress with matching headband and ruffled bloomers. I used my plain old bloomer pattern and just added a row of ruffles to the back. But i attached it too high up, will lower th ruffles in future creations.

 

 

The lovely baby patterns from Oliver and S.

Since little A will be due in Jan next yr, i got to prepare some cosy wear for the cold weather.

 

Fabric: Flannel from Joann. Puple bunnies cotton on clearance from Joann too.

Snaps are from babyville.

This set is 0 to 3 months size, tiny and puny cute!

 

This set are gifts for friend who just gave birth.

Fabric: Pink tutti frutti swirls fabric remnant from a hawthorn top i made previously. White broad cloth and huge white satin ribbon from stash.

 

The bunny cotton dress and a super naughty mummy. I just cant resist trying the dresses on my little boy to c how it actually looks even though the dress is sized for 3months but my 2Y little boy is so tiny, he can wear it as a top! LOL.

This dress has already made it to Niece Chloe and I will be expecting a cute pic of her in it soon.

 

Pattern: Cute clothes for kids book

 

A cotton bodysuit this time using O+S pattern. The design is great and the instructions are really clear making the sewing a breeze. I will definately sew up more of this bodysuits in bigger sizes soon.

 

After sewing so many items for Little A, guiltiness overcame me and i pulled out this reindeer flannel from stash which i brought last yr to make into christmas pj for the boys but never got to it.

 Fabric: Flannel from Joann brought last yr.
Pattern: Sewing for boys book. The sweetheart Pajamas.
The pants are super long! so i ended up using the 2T pattern for Aidan pants instead and it fit him just nice. For Allen, i got to fold up the hems twice as usual.

Ok, that's all the craziness for today, coming up next will be a tutorial and free pattern for a baby crossover top with 2 sleeves options. Stay tuned!



 

Lots of Thanks!

Thank you everyone who had visited my shop and even parted with your hard earned money to buy my hand dyed yarns. I never thought that I could really sell them out initially and was shocked at the many orders I received. I really appreciate all of your support and kindness. Thank you all so much! Meanwhile I had jotted down lots of colors schemes ideas for self striping yarns after watching the many kido movies with my boys and cant wait to dye them all out to share with all of you lovelies. And my dearest brother helped me to design a simple and sweet logo for my shop.

PS: My brother is a super bridal photographer and videographer. His works are amazing. If any of you are looking for a bridal videographer back in Singapore, you can find him at his FB here.

Isn't it cute? LOL!

 

I send a order for some business cards and went to goodwill to get another dyeing pot (total now I have 2) to speed up the dyeing process.

Want to win a skein of my handdyed self striping sock yarn?

 

Mysisterknitter blog has a skein of my maleficent yarn giveaway which will be closing on 13 June. Hurry and head over there now to leave a comment and stand a chance to win it! She even ships outside of United States!

 

 

If you missed it, no worries,

you can also head to Whatcha Swatching podcast ravelry group. You must have a ravelry account and be a member of her group to be able to leave a comment and stand a chance to win my Hansel n Gretel self striping sock yarn. This giveaway is still open so hurry down now:)

 

 

Thank you all once again for your support!

 

Ashley

 

Been away.... Shop Updates!

Hi everyone... It's been a long time since I last blogged. I had been busy with my hyper boys, dealing with the many sicknesses and viruses cos of the changing season, and knitting of course. I just couldn't find the desire to set up my neglected laptop and blog about my 'boring' housewife life. LOL.

I started some pot gardening during the start of spring, planting spring onions, garlics and strawberries. And the latest crafting hobby I picked up is yarn dyeing. It is as addictive as knitting really. I fell in love with it after some trial with kool aid dyeing. Below r some of the sock yarns I first dyed myself and turned them into socks straight away.

 

Talk about satisfaction huh...

 

Then I ordered acid dyes and more undyed yarns.

And turned them into this:

 

Maleficient Colorway Self striping sock yarns

Love the yummy colors.

And I tried gradients as well!

 

I even build my own warping board using a piece of wood from a broken down furniture and my own niddy noddy from 1/2 inch long dowel rod I got from Joann at 99 cents. Talk about budget. LOL! I wont be showing my 'lousy' wood works cos they looks damn ugly and flimsy but at least they can function. And always remember to wear a mask when u are doing any wood work. I was coughing and having mild throat issue the whole day from breathing in too much saw dust that day. HAHAH!

 

Time to go and settle my boys down for their naps.

 

Tada! And hope to cya soon:)

 

PS:Coupon Code for my etsy shop Grand Opening Sale:

LDGO10 to get 10% off your entire order. 

 

 

Many FOssss

It's been a long time since the last post... I have been knitting non stop as usual and just started to go back to my sewing machine recently. Not for apparels though, but to sew knitting project bags. LOL!

Below is a quick sum up of all my knitting FOs during my MIA period:

 

NO 1: Free Rapunzel Hat

Ravelry notes here. Actually I am not really a note taker. So I apologise for the empty notes section. But you can find more pictures there. I dun wan to bombard this post with too many photos of each project.

 

The braids actually is the same length dun let this photo fool u. I think I worn it a bit slanted. I love this hat! It is really warm and cozy and the earflaps were perfect for protecting my ears while we went for a snow play trip at Flagstaff in January.

 

 

NO 2: My Central Park Hoodie

Ravelry notes here. I Love the cables! This is really more easy than it looks. I went to Joann to purchase this book The Best of Knitscene: A Collection of Simple, Stylish, and Spirited Just for this pattern. (Using my coupon of course...)

I used Lionbrand wool ease in chocolate color and my super addi 5mm circular needles. I got the addi turbo circular needle in a yarn shop in Flagstaff and was shocked when I saw the price tag of $16+USD just for one circular. I was too embarrassed to pass it back to the staff so I just swiped my card for it. I though clover needles are already the high ends and never knew that there are even more higher priced needles out there. What a country bum I am. But after using it for the first, I swear that the money is really worth it! The cable is very flexible, ultra smooth joints and smooth needles. LOVE it!!!.  

I also went youtube and watched a video tutorial on how to cable without using cable needle. It's really simple and the cabling went faster without the constant reaching out for the cable needle.

I also choose to add 2 crochet loops to the bust front and sew on 2 togas for closure.

 

 

NO 3: Hubby Valentine Day Socks

 

Ravelry Notes here. My first trial in knitting socks. Why the boring color choice? Cos it is for my boring husband work socks. LOL! He is in the military, so only black is allowed. The foot length is a bit short due to my laziness to measure his foot properly beforehand. It still fits him but a bit snug. I used Premier Yarns Serenity Sock Weight Solids and is my first time knitting with merino wool. It is so soft and squishy and definitely a delight to knit with. It's the experience with this yarn that started the impulses purchase of merino wool from yarn.com and knitpicks.com.

 

I will be knitting up more socks for my hubby since socks are the only handmade stuff that he is willing to wear.

 

 

NO 4: Allen Abate Sweater

Ravelry Notes here.

 

A simple sweater for my little boys using yarns from my gigantic stash. I just want to find an excuse to knit with my addi turbo circulars. A very fast and mindless knit for the instant gratification in between big projects I had on hand. I also have adult version of this sweater in my library but haven found the perfect yarn for it yet.

 

 

NO 5: Equinox Raglan

Ravelry Notes here.

This pattern is from the book I brought for the CPH. I read reviews on the Lion brand amazing yarns and wanted to try knitting with them. The colors are awesome! I used the glacier colorway but I only purchased 4 skeins. Hoping that I can squeezed out my size with them. I used up every bit of my yarn and the top turns up to be ok. But if the hem rolled up too much, it will seem a bit too short. So I got to keep pulling and tugging at the hem. I am thinking of simple crochet along the hemlines with a contrasting yarn to stabilize the hemline. What do u think?

 

Okok, I think I will stop here. I still got a shawl, cowl, socks and vest finished but unblogged. Will save it for the next post then.

 

Ohya for the sewing portion, I have made a few project bags for myself and my etsy shop. The fabrics are my loveliest collection of quilting cotton in my stash that I couldn't bear to cut into.

I brought them years back from SPOTLIGHT in Singapore. They are a super cute birdy quilt cotton collection. I only had a yarn of it but sufficient to make 1 for myself and 1 for the shop in each design.

 

 

They are fully lined drawstring project bags with inner pocket slots x2.

Simple and cute designs. You can find them here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Desirmode?ref=l2-shopheader-name

I am still working on more project bags as well. Stay tuned for them!

 

Meanwhile my active WIPS:

 

A sock

 

A crochet blanket

 

And I am thinking of casting on another shawl... Oophs... So sorry hands, you got to continue the workouts I planned for you...

 

Thanks for stopping by:

Cya!

 

XOXO

Ashley