Pattern Love: Modkid Boutique

Every so often I develop a serious case of Pattern Love. This is when I come across a pattern so wonderful that I can't stop making it in various fabrics and combinations. The joy being that the more often you make it, the quicker and easier it becomes. So today I thought I would share with you my most recent case of obsession, The Kyoko Dress pattern by ModKid Boutique! I can't remember how I first came across this pattern, but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to buy it. In fact this wasn't as easy as it sounds, the only UK store selling it was out of stock and many US sellers were too. Then I had a thank-goodness-for-ebay moment when I found a lovely lady in the US willing to ship to me here :)

As soon as the pattern arrived I started searching for the perfect fabrics, as luck would have it my Mum had just bought a metre of Robert Kaufman Urban Zoologie so this became the starting point. I then bought some Owl & Apple fabric by Timeless Treasures. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and my daughter loves the dress.

Initially I hadn't planned on making anymore dresses straight away, but on raiding my fabric stash I discovered a tiny bit of old Nani Iro fabric and realised there was just enough to make the dress bodice again. I also had some pink fabric that I had designed myself. You might recognise the fabric on the obi belt as some leftover from making pyjamas from a dyed sheet a few weeks ago. So here is the second dress , this time with short sleeves. Again my daughter loves it (and I'm secretly wondering if I can upscale it to make myself one!)

This pattern can also be made as a top, I haven't completed one yet but you can probably guess what some of my future projects are.

Have any of you developed a case of pattern love recently?

Knitted Bag Tutorial!

You can ask anyone who knows either Anne or myself and they will tell you that we love bags! Whether handmade or bought we're regularly seen sporting new ones. Today I thought I'd bring you our tutorial to make a Knitted Bag. It is very versatile, add a long strap to wear across your body, make a smaller one for a evening bag worn from the wrist. It's also great for little girls (my daughter has commandeered the one shown in the pics here).

What You'll Need

3 1/4mm Knitting Needles
4mm Knitting Needles
A Ball of Double Knitting Wool (We used a gorgeous Denim wool here)
Wool Needle
Paper
Fabric for lining.

Step 1

To begin we will knit the body of the bag. Make two pieces exactly the same.

With 3 1/4mm needles cast on 38 stitches, starting with a knit row stocking stitch, (one row knit & next row purl) 8 rows.

Now we will knit our eyelets. Next row with the right side facing, K2, *yfwd, K2 tog, K1; rep from * to end.

Starting with a purl row, stocking stitch 9 rows.

Step 2

Change to 4mm needles.

Next row with the right side facing, K2, *yfwd, K2 tog, K1; rep from * to end.

Starting with a purl row, stocking stitch for 33 rows ending with the right side facing.

Dec 1 stitch at each end of next and the following 3 alternate rows, (30 stitches).

Purl one row.

Dec 1 stitch at each end of following 6 rows and cast off remaining 18 stitches.

Step 3

Now we need to lightly press both pieces with an iron under a dry cloth. Then pin the two pieces together with the right sides facing.

Next oversew the bags side seams and bottom cast off edges. Now fold over the top edge of the bag to the wrong side and sew loosely in place just above the holes you knitted to pull the cord through.


Step 4

Now we need to line our bag, this helps it to keep it's shape while it's being used. Place your bag on top of some paper and draw around the edge. Then draw another line about 1 cm out from the first line.

Step 5

Cut around the outside line of your pattern piece. Lay it on top of your lining fabric and cut out two pieces.

Step 6

Sew a seam around your lining pieces about 1 cm from the edge. Place the lining bag inside the knitted bag to make sure it fits and them finish off your seams however you like (such as a zigzag stitch).

Step 7

Now fold over the top of your lining bag to the wrong side. When placed inside the knitted bag the lining should now reach up to the row of eyelets but not beyond.

Step 8

Place the lining bag inside the knitted bag, all seams should now be hidden and sew into place.

Step 9

Next we need to make the cords to go through the eyelet holes to close the bag and to hang the bag from. You could of course use shopbought cord or ribbon. To make it from the same wool as we have you need to twist 3 strands of wool together. For the eyelet holes we made a cord 54cms long. This was then weaved in and out of the eyelets from the front middle of the bag.

For the strap we twisted 6 strands of wool together and we made it 120cms long. This was then sewn to either side of the bag.

Cord instructions:

Cut the required amount of strands three times as long as you would like your finished cord to be. Knot strands together at each end. Attach one end to something like a door handle and then twist from the other end until the twists are nice and tight. Fold the cord from the middle and it will twist together, tie a knot in each end, then cut the end to give it a tassel appearance.

Ta da you have your bag! If you have any problems just send me an email or leave a comment. Of course I'd love to know how you get on as well :)

Reuse, Recycle, Rediscover!

If you've been reading the blog for any length of time, you will know that I have a special place in my heart for recycling/upcycling. Not because I have a Scrooge style clamp on my wallet, but because I hate to throw things away. Pretty much everything can be reborn if you have enough time and inspiration. Sometimes it even creates something better than the original!

This was certainly true with my last project. I set out with a mission to find my youngest child some new pyjamas. The problem being he has the most sensitive skin and everything from labels to seams irritate him. So I needed a very gentle solution. I began with the wonderful Oliver & S pattern for their Bedtime Story Pyjamas, unfortunately this is out of print now, but you can still purchase (stocks permitting) from some stores, I got mine from Saints & Pinners.

Next I moved onto fabric choices. I knew I wanted Flannel/brushed cotton, but I couldn't find any I liked in this country. The US puts us to shame when it comes to selections of this fabric. So I began raiding my stores and found two plain white flannel sheets from when my son was a baby. They were beautifully soft from washing and I had just the right amount. But I thought he might look like he was doing baby karate if I made them in white. Enter Dylon! I had a box of Purple washing machine dye left over from a previous project, so I set about dying the sheets. The results couldn't have been better (unfortunately I forgot to take a pic).

Next came the cutting and sewing, this pattern really is easy and before long I had these amazingly soft, label and side seam free pyjamas! My son adores them and wants to wear them all the time, I will certainly be making a second set soon, I may even treat myself to some imported flannel so I can use a cute fabric pattern.