One Off Pieces - Little Girl Pinafore

For a while now I have toyed with the idea of making and selling children's clothes and quilts but there is such a saturation of market AND my biggest hurdle is I don't want to have to make things, I just want to make them sometimes. So I thought maybe I could do one off pieces occasionally and offer them for sale online. What do you think? Is there a market for something like this?

To test the market I thought I would offer this gorgeous little pinafore I made for my daughter but she never had the chance to wear. It is for size 9-12 months, say size 0, corduroy on the outside and lined with soft lawn. It can fit slightly older children too as a top and is perfect for winter with little tights and top underneath.
Cost $36 including postage Australia wide.
Email me or leave a comment if you are interested. I have also listed it on Instagram and Facebook so first in best dressed. I

Corn flour and a whole heap of mess

We finally did something I read about on Pinterest yesterday - GOOP made from cornflour. I already had some of the cloud sand (made from cornflour and baby oil) so we started with that and then moved on to the somewhat messier goop. I made the cloud sand over a year ago and stored it in a container with a lid and it was as good as the day I made it.
The kids had a great time throwing it around and then cleaning up afterwards. Next time though we will do it on the lawn and not the deck. I would also recommend you lock up and pets to avoid them getting covered and also eating the mess (might make for a sore tummy!). Head to my Pinterest board DIY kids stuff and activities (http://pinterest.com/anodonkeydesign/diy-kids-stuff-and-activities/) for some links on how to do this yourself.

Cancer Council Large Sunshade Cover - a quick tutorial

This is for the large Cancer Council Sunshade cover, but could easily be adapted for the smaller sunshade. It is nice and roomy so there is less chance of popped seams and zippers like the original bag and there is probably even enough room to throw in a towel and sunscreen.

You will need:

a) 2 x circles 68cm in diameter -I used a heavier weight fabric from ikea

b) 1 x strip 213.6cm x 7.62 (3”)

c) 1 x zipper 110cm long

d) straps and instructions fromoriginal cover case

My highly technical pattern

 

Cutting the circles- i fold it in quarters and then cut

To attach the zipper to the long strip:

I used this tutorial here for inspiration http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/05/wallet-to-tote-on-the-go-tutorial/steps 2 and 3. I drew a ling down the centre of the fabric the length I wantedthe zipper, and little diagonals at the end. Then I cut the line with the rotary cutter and turned it from the right side to the wrong side of the fabric to create a neat window for the zipper. Press seam - should be about a 1/4 inch seam. Then using my zipper foot I sewed around the zipper. I went around twice for extra security. Sew the ends of the stips together and press seam open

Centre lne for the zipper window

 

Easiest if you fold your strip in half and then cut through both pieces

 

To attach the strip to the circles:

I used this tutorial here to attach the circles: http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2011/03/tutorial-sprocket-pillows.htmlby Cluck Cluck Sew - steps 7-9

Remember to open the zipper a bit when you sew on the secondcircle so that you can turn it the right side out. I used a ½” seam allowance,then trimmed and finished the edges off with the overlock stitch tool on mymachine. You could also just do a zig zag stitch on the edge

To attach the straps and instructions:

When attaching the circles, simply pin the straps and instructions in place where you want them on the inside and be sure tobackstich a few times back and forth over the straps to ensure they don’t tear through. I placed the top of the straps 24cm apart (centred) and the bottomones 20cm apart

Straps and instructions from original bag

Piping:

If you want to add piping you can use this tutorial here:  http://www.livingwithpunks.com/2010/05/tutorial-land-of-nod-inspired-floor.html (I have previously made this floor cushion and it is a great tutorial)

 

 

The finished product opened up