The Great Navy Back to School Sewathon: 2016

While I was making bags and softies and fun things I was also busy ploughing through a LOT of navy garments to get us back to school and uniform ready.

As soon as we got back from holidays I attacked a 5m length of navy stretch drill and went all home sweat shop on it. Result: 4 skirts and 4 pairs of shorts for school uniforms.

P still has school clothes that fit, so my contribution for him was limited to these two pair of shorts.
Pattern: Shorts "l" from Happy Homemade Vol II (Sew Chic Kids)
Same size and basic pattern block as these cuffed ones I'd already made. Yep, too lazy to draft a different pattern.

Only complaint is that the waistband is a bit narrow for the shorts. They're also plenty long, so for short legged kids be warned. Next time I think I'll go back to using the Oliver + S Sketchbook pattern

Also from a Japanese pattern book was this skirt.
Pattern: skirt "b" Let's Go Out Girls Clothes - Yuki Araki
I t looks like the perfect school skirt pattern and I really like it, but sadly it's a bit too big. I chose the size (120cm) based on her measurements and it should have been spot on, but it's too long and a bit loose. It will be just right for next summer no doubt.

So then I redeemed myself with a skirt that I am always delighted with. The Music Class skirt by Oliver + S.
Straight size 5 and it's perfect.

Another skirt that I knew A would love, and which I haven't sewn for about two years is the Badminton Skort. The school rule is plain navy, and while I thought about leaving off the scalloped hem, it's just too cute and so far there hasn't been any word that it's too fancy/frilly for school. Yay!
(also straight size 5)

The best bit? The built in shorts which I sewed in a navy cotton knit

Then I decided to bust out some as yet unused patterns. First up the Butterfly Skirt.

This is an incredibly quick skirt to sew, but it's perfectly stylish and is a very close approximation of the "official" school skirt. Again a size 5 for the win. This one will definitely stay on the school sewing list. Maybe with those Badminton shorts underneath?

Another Oliver + S pattern that I'd never yet opened was the Class Picnic blouse and shorts:

Here I mucked up. I'd been tracing so many patterns in preparation for the big sewathon and without noticing it I'd traced the size 10 waistband to go on my size 5 shorts. Both the front and back waistbands were mistakenly way too big.

By the time it came to attaching the waistband it was about 3 inches too big. I made it fit (dumb dumb) but that resulted in an incredibly wavy, stretched out pair of shorts. There is no errata for the pattern and everyone else's shorts looked great, so I knew I'd botched it somehow.

I unpicked it, chopped out a few inches from the centre front of the waistband, creating a seam where none should be. It was only after I'd finished that I checked my pattern pieces and realised my error. Oops.

Anyway they look insanely cute on. Bit like 70's style gym shorts. I love the idea of a non-school pair in a floral sateen.

Finally, another pair of shorts for A:

These are the Puppet Show shorts. One of the patterns from the first Oliver + S release, and one which only goes up to size 5. So these were sewn with a wistful, last time kind of feeling.

My paper pattern envelope was marked as if it was the second printing, but I suspect I should have looked at the pattern sheet itself. The first printing contains an error such that the leg binding is too long and the shorts lack the cute gathers at the side hem/cuff. You can see mine are more straight leg than the intended curvy shape. Still, they also look incredibly cute on and I can see they will fit for a while, so perhaps I'll get to make a non school version for next spring after all.

By choosing different patterns I kept myself amused enough. Just.

Mostly I'm happy to say that I've created 8 garments for school from a $40 piece of fabric, and probably have enough leftover for one more simple skirt. Can't beat that for value!

I've sewn some much prettier things since, but need to find a non navy school uniform kind of day to get my little model on the job. Stay tuned....