Sewing for cats

So you decide to get a cat and realise you haven't got anything for him to sleep on (other than the sofa, which isn't always practical!)

I had a preloved fleece blanket.  I had some toy stuffing.  And I was not afraid to use it!

It was soon occupied - looks like fluffy approves!

And this is how the bed turned out before it was discovered LOL!

Until next time...

Waterproof dog coat

With the success of the last dog coat I made, I was asked to make another one - this time, a waterproof coat.

So what fabric do I know that is waterproof?  I did have a horse blanket that somebody had sent me, but that wasn't quite what I was after for this project.

So out came the trusty oilcloth.

But what did I want to line it with?  I've found that it's always a good idea have two fabrics of similar weights to sew together.  But what could I use?

I know!  Something that is warm and will dry quickly.  Yep!  Fleece!

I tinkered with the design a little to make it a good fit.

And here is the end result:

It was easier (and warmer for the dog!) to use fleece for the collar.  I couldn't imagine adding a stiff oilcloth collar to it.

And this is the warm, furry underside!  Nice enough to wrap yourself in!

I'm hoping to get photos of the coat in action and will add them when I can.

Next...

A complete set of pyjamas!

You may remember a while back that I made some pyjama bottoms for my daughter by cutting out around her existing PJs.

Well, I'm pleased to report that my daughter now has a complete set of pyjamas through the same method!

I cut it out larger than I needed and longer too as she doesn't like getting a cold back at night.  Problem solved!

I was going to hem the top normally but decided to bind it with satin bias instead.

She is very toasty in them!

*Note to self*
Only use bias binding on 'flat' fabric, not 'bouncy' fabric as it doesn't seem to sit properly.
Either that or finish it off entirely by hand.

Tots fleece dress

Libraries.  Not somewhere I would normally associate with inspiration for making children's clothes.  But when I found one particular brand new book I was jumping up and down with excitement as I knew the perfect little girl I could make something for!

There were pattern pieces in the back but I had to tear them out to trace the one that I needed.  And as I was the first person to take the book out I thought it best to ask.  So off I go to the library again just to double-check that it was ok to tear something out of a book (sacrilege!) 

They were more than happy.

The pattern itself was for a girl's summer dress.  But I wanted something that she could wear this time of year when it's a little brrrrrrrrrrrrrr-y.

What better fabric than fleece?

I fell in love with the fleece hearts on this brand new blanket.  See, why should it be used as a blanket when there's a perfectly beautiful dress just waiting to get out?

It was lined with some fleece from the pyjama bottoms I made a while back to make it into a reversible dress.

Two looks for the price of one!

I cut out a flower and appliqued it to the front, added some satin bias binding to the bottom and it was done!

The ties do up at the top of the dress to keep it on.

I do hope it's long enough though!  But even if it isn't, I could probably convert the ties to either button holes or snap fasteners. 

I'll let you know!

Dog coats and Barbie fittings

Ever the excitable sewist, a friend asked me if I would make her dog a coat to keep her warm in the winter.  Sure, I'll have a go, says I.

I thought, hey, how difficult can it be??  Um, you might say that I learned LOADS!!

But, not to be deterred, I beavered away armed with scissors, parchment paper, URLs, measurements and an idea of what it could possibly look like (if I'm really lucky!).  A prototype made from fleece crossed the Atlantic first and even Barbie's dog had a fitting before the final coat was conceived.

And I've never even owned a dog before, so that made for some interesting 3D experiments!

And here is the end result. 

One warm pup who loves nothing better than to sleep with her new coat - that's one of the greatest compliments there is :)

The cord outer fabric was preloved and the fleecey interior was made from, well, warm orange fleece!

Here's hoping that the coat keeps her as warm as intended!

And it's totally reversible too - well, the things you learn as you go along LOL! ;)

Of course it's warm now - I've just made fleecy PJ bottoms!

My daughter's fleecy PJ bottoms were having an argument with her ankles so I thought it was about time she had some more. 

I wanted to make them out of a fleece blanket that we already had but she didn't want it cut up however warm it was going to keep her.  So I bought some cute fleece instead.

I made a rough pattern and then just sewed it up - I can't believe how quickly it came together.  If you're thinking of trying a first sewing project - make it PJ bottoms!

She's looking forward to wearing them - when it's cold enough!

How to use an Ikea throw

I'm the kind of girl who thinks that texture and fabric is really important.  So when I spotted a bright red fleece throw with a wonderfully cut-out border, I just knew that it had to come home with me.

But after a while I decided to convert it to a skirt (as you do!) 

It was super easy as it didn't fray so I just sewed up the back, added some elastic and wore it!

The story isn't over... it was too hot to wear as a skirt and it clung to my legs.  So it is now being used as a cushion cover and as a fleecey lining for the mini-bucket bag I made earlier. 

I have some more of the throw fabric just crying out to be used on my next project! 

Mini bucket bag

Who says just because your pattern is one size that you have to keep it that size?

So I played around with resizing the pattern and made a half-sized bucket bag.  For little ladies. 

 

 

It's lined with red fleece which I have loved using in other projects.  It's amazing what you can do with an Ikea throw!

I've branched out into a whole new world of magnetic snaps too!

 

 

I even added a felt flower to the tab too.

 

This could easily have been made from a pair of jeans.  Hmmmm, maybe next time...

Endless summer pencil case

The days are getting shorter and I wanted something to keep that summer feeling alive.

So I armed myself with some fab fabric (a pair of swim shorts no less!), added a zip and lined it with warm orange fleece.  And here's the resulting pencil case:

Ikea fleece heart

Ikea has some really fabulous material - especially if you look in the fleece throw department! 

They were practically giving them away.  I used the main material to make a skirt (I'll post about it another time) and this heart decoration.  I still have plenty left over to make some other things :)

It's amazing what you can do with scraps of material and a little bit of imagination!