Craft

Making the Beachy Boatneck (Sewing for Squirm)

July 5, 2013Craftfinished sewing, pattern reviews, Sewing, sewing for boys, sewing patternssubversivereader One comment

One of the things that bugs me about boys clothes is that there’s not always a great choice – there’s not many interesting colours at the shops and there’s almost no patterns available at places like Spotlight.

And that’s where the internet comes in. Obviously some very talented designers have also noticed the lack of good boys patterns and have gone out of their way to design interesting patterns for boys. Now that I’ve (finally) connected my printer to my computer, and with Kids Clothes Week approaching (more about that later) it was time to explore some of these patterns.

I started at Blank Slate Patterns. I’d been eying these off for a couple of days, particularly with the deal (on the side of the pattern pages) of 20% off when you buy 5 patterns (essentially getting one free if they all cost the same). I chose 5 tops which I really wanted to make – Beachy Boatneck, Hipster Henley, Cool Cardigan, Prepster Pullover and Perfect Polo – and decided to use some gorgeous knit material from Spotlight to make the Beachy Boatneck (material with boats! It was perfect)

The pattern I used. Click on the picture to check it out

Now, I must say that I was really, really reluctant to work with PDF patterns. I thought they would be overly complicated, too hard to print out and piece together. Of course, once I took the plunge I realised I was being silly. Blank Slate Patterns come with excellent instructions (including detailed instructions about printing) and were really easy to piece together (once I was able to stop Squirm from intervening . . . ) There are also some serious advantages to buying a digital pattern, like the fact you can reprint it as many times as you like and simply cut it to the size you need. Plus computer paper is much easier to work with than the silly tissue stuff (and easier to fold up too!)

The Blank Slate patterns are well constructed patterns, but they are intended to be blank slates 🙂 You can make them exactly as is (and they look great), or you can play with colour, additions, buttons, printing, appliques . . . For my first shirt I decided to play it straight – the material I was using was pretty busy and I didn’t want it to be overcrowded.

The instructions included with the pattern were really, really easy to follow. I was a bit nervous about the facing, but it turned out to be really simple. I needed to take extra time with the sleeves to make sure they were done right, but slowing down is never a bad thing for me. The seam allowance was more than I was used to using, but I ended up really liking it. And I ended up with a gorgeous shirt!

Beachy Boatneck: Adventures of a Subversive Reader

And Squirm loved it, and wore it all afternoon

Last night I decided to make another one, and cut out the material, including some moustaches to applique on the front. I had some problems with the sleeves on this one (trying to finish them while Squirm examined the foot pedal was not the best idea) but it still came out great. Hopefully the model likes it when he wakes up from his nap!

This really is a gorgeous, easy to make pattern and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to play with knit material. It ranges in size from 18 months to 8 years old, so you’ll definitely get a lot of use out of it and it would easily work beautifully for girls as well as boys. I really enjoyed making these two shirts and I can’t wait to make more Blank Slate clothing 🙂

Sewing for Squirm: Why Sew Clothes?

July 4, 2013Craftpatterns, Sewing, sewing for boys, why sew?subversivereader View all 2 comments

Although I’ve been interested in sewing blogs for a long time (especially those with kids clothing), I never really thought about making day to day clothing for Squirm. Crocheting jumpers and adding embellishments seemed like enough, especially when baby clothes were so cheap to buy.

Alas, those clothes are cheap for a reason. I’ve noticed that seams unravel really quickly, that fabrics wear thin – especially if they’re being washed a lot. Plus someone’s being short changed to produce clothing that cheap and I’m pretty sure it’s not the big shops here in Australia.

The other problem with cheap clothes is that everyone had them. I bought Squirm a collection of leggings to wear over the winter. Two of my friends babies have exactly the same leggings as well as the other boy in his swimming class. My friend works at a child care centre and said that she sees the same clothes all the time – that there’s not a lot of originality in the clothing!

Of course, I could buy more expensive and ethical clothing – which would also be less likely to be the same as everyone elses. but I’ve noticed that clothing for small kids and babies tends to jump from extremely cheap ($4 – $10) to extremely expensive ($50-$60) – where’s the middle ground?! And clothing for boys tends to get very bland every quickly – not to mention all the truck and robot prints!

In the end, sewing becomes a really simple and easy solution. Material can be sourced at many places, from fabric shops, to my own wardrobe to op shops. I have a good sewing machine which is loving the work out. Wonderful bloggers post brilliant, detailed tutorials (they are amazing!) and there are even pattern makers who are selling good quality patterns for boys – something which you can’t find in the shop patterns (and you can print them again and again!)

So far I’ve made Squirm half a dozen t-shirts, some shorts (I’ve had to play with patterns to get over his cloth nappy bottom!) and several pairs of pajama pants. I’m having so much fun making things, learning so much about sewing and getting the satisfaction that Squirm is wearing truly original clothing.

Why sew clothes? - Adventures of a Subversive Reader

A Little Bit of Sewing for a Little Boy

June 27, 2013Craftboys clothes, Clothes, Sewing, sewing for boys, thriftysubversivereader Leave a comment

It’s been a while since I updated. There’s a few reasons for that, but one reason is I’ve been rather busy with my sewing machine. I’ve been making clothes for Squirm!

It all started with pajama bottoms, the realisation that every little boy around here seems to be wearing the same clothes and a vague feeling that I could do better than the ridiculously cheap clothes available at major shopping chains (they’re cheap for a reason and it’s not a particularly good one). While I’m not a great seamstress, I knew I could sew enough to make new pajama pants. Then after immersing myself in some amazing sewing blogs, I even got the confidence up to sew with knit materials.

So, I thought I’d share some photos of my creations – hopefully I’ll step away from the sewing machine for long enough to blog in depth about some of the clothes!

A nearly finished t-shirt, with a bee on it!

Pajama pants

More pajama pants

A T-shirt (layered over another) with fake button front

Have you ever sewn clothes for your children? Made anything awesome for a little boy?

Adventures in Play Dough: The First Try

May 15, 2013Craft, Education, Playart, baby play, craft, exploring art, play, play dough, play matterssubversivereader Leave a comment

Adventures in Play Dough: Adventures of a Subversive Reader

One of my fond memories from my own childhood is my mother making play dough for us. She must have cooked it, since I remember it it being warm when we played with it. It always had a nice, heavy feel in our hands, and the possibilities of a fresh ball of play dough seemed endless.

Squirm and I have just had our very first experience making and playing with play dough. After our experience with paint and other art, I knew we needed to go slow when I introduced it. I also knew that we needed to make sure it was non toxic – more than likely it would go in the mouth.

As it turned out, Squirm didn’t try to taste it at all, which really surprised me. He didn’t really want to interact with it, except when I put little shapes of play dough on the brick he was exploring. There he moved it, pressing his fingers into it and explored it a little more. We’ll play with it over the next couple of days to get him more used to it – but for a dollar or so of materials, I’m not real worried if he doesn’t get that into it.

Making the Play Dough

I started off using this recipe. (I didn’t want the bother of cooking play dough this time, so non cook was the best option) Since I wasn’t sure how it would turn out or how Squirm would react to it, I halved most the recipe, but added a little more than half the oil. I also used hot water. When I was adding the water, I added a little bit at a time to try and get the best mix. Having some extra flour around would be good in case you use too much water, though.

The best tip I have is to put the spoon down once you start adding water and knead it together by hand. You can get a much better feel for the play dough that way and you’re more likely to get what you want.

I also held off on adding the food colour. When I had the play dough to the consistency I wanted, I divided it into four small balls. I then put a couple of drops of yellow colouring in the middle of one, and that was what we played with today. When we came back inside I coloured the others for later play.

When we came back in I did notice the dough left out on the bench was a little dry. It moistened up as soon as I started playing with it, and it might keep better now that I have it in a container. I’ll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days and report back.

This really is a nice way to start playing with play dough. I’ll be very interested to see if Squirm becomes more interactive with it over the week, as well as if he’ll keep up his record of putting everything in his mouth . . . I bet the salt of the play dough will be a bit of a shock!

Crochet: Lady Edith Coasters

April 1, 2013Craft, OrganisationCrochet, Crochet Patternsubversivereader One comment

I have a new crochet pattern! And, in fact, I have a new crochet website!

I’ve decided I didn’t want to flood you over here with lots of patterns, so I’ve decided to move them over to Crochet of a Subversive Reader. This means more books and parenting type stuff here, and all my patterns together over there. I’ll still link to the patterns each week, though, so you won’t miss a thing.

Today I finished writing up the pattern for the Lady Edith coasters. The best news? I’ve written them in both UK and US terminology!

Adventures of a Subversive Reader: Downton Coasters

Crochet: Cookie Monster Bag

March 28, 2013CraftCrochet, Crochet Bag, Crochet Pattern, Free Crochet Pattern, Sesame Street Crochetsubversivereader View all 16 comments

This was the final of my little Sesame Street designs. Since the coin purse, pencil case and nesting bowls were all able to hold things, I wanted to continue that with this piece. And every Cookie Monster needs a bag for their cookies!

The body of the bag is made up with rows with multiple double crochet in one stitch and rows with clusters. Clusters take a little bit of time to get right, but really get the up and down pattern.

I hope you enjoy this pattern!

Cookie Monster Crochet Bag: Adventures of a Subversive Reader

Cookie Monster Bag

Download the pattern here (PDF)

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Yarns – Blue yarn. Small amounts of white, black and two shades of brown (I used acrylics, but quite thick ones. You might need to add rows or adjust tension to get the exact size you want)
Hooks – 5mm and 3mm
Other stuff – scissors, yarn needle, material for lining (if required)

CROCHET (US terminology)

Special Stitch

Cluster stitch – (3 dc cluster) Yo, draw yarn through stitch, yo, draw yarn through 2 loops, (2 loops remain on hook) yo, draw yarn through next stitch, yo, draw yarn through 2 loops (3 loops remain on hook) yo, draw yarn through next stitch, yo, draw yarn through 2 loops (4 loops remain on hook) yo, draw yarn through all loops (like decreasing 3 dcs together)

Front/Back (Make 2)

Use 5mm hook and blue yarn

Chain 33
Row 1 – sc into 2nd chain from hook, sc to end (32)
Row 2 – ch 3, dc 3 into third stitch from end, *skip 2, dc 3 into next stitch, continue from * until two from end, skip 1, dc 1 (31 dc)
Row 3 – ch 1, sc across, last sc in third chain (32)
Row 4 – ch 4, make a cluster stitch beginning 2nd stitch from chain, *ch 2, cluster stitch, continue from * until one from end, dc 1 (10 clusters)
Row 5 – ch 1, sc across, (last 2 dc into the 3rd and 4th chain from row 4) (32)
Rows 6 – 21 – repeat rows 2-5
Row 22 – 23 – repeat rows 2-3
Row 24 – (creating the handle) – ch 4, cluster stitch (from 2nd stitch), ch 2, cluster stitch, ch 2, cluster stitch, ch 14, cluster stitch starting at the10th stitch from the end, ch 2, cluster stitch, ch 2, cluster stitch, dc 1
Row 25 – ch 1, sc in each (32)
Row 26 – 27 Repeat rows 2-3

Eyes

Use 3mm hook and white yarn

Row 1 – sc 6 into a magic circle, ss to close (6)
Row 2 – ch 1, inc in each stitch, ss to close (12)
Row 3 – ch 1, inc, sc around, ss to close (18)
Row 4 – ch 1, sc, inc, sc around, ss to close (24)
Row 5 – ch 1, inc, sc, sc, sc, ss to close (30)
Row 6 – ch 1, sc around, ss to close (30)

Use black yarn to embroider eyes on, off center

Cookie

Use 3mm hook and light brown yarn

Use darker brown yarn to embroider choc chips on

Putting it together

Sew the eyes with white yarn just under the handle on one of the two sides. As you sew, stuff the eyes with some toy stuffing to make the eyes 3D
Sew the cookie with brown yarn near the bottom on the other of the two sides
Sew the two sides together at the bottom

Line the bag with fabric, making sure that the fabric stops below the handles, and just short of the edges (I used a sewing machine, but you can hand sew it in.)

Sew the sides of the bag together using blue yarn

Where is this blog heading?

March 24, 2013Books and Reading, Craft, Family, Opinion and Other Random Thingssubversivereader View all 7 comments

Some upcoming crochet – check out the inspiration!

When I first started the blog I knew it would probably be a little eclectic. My interests change, they wane, they become a bigger part of my life. I didn’t want to button hole myself into one type of blog, when I knew there was a very real chance I may not be so interested in that topic down the track. Additionally, I wanted to be able to talk less about Squirm, particularly as he grows older and becomes more ‘recognisable’ and less baby.

Some parts of blogging have been really easy for me. The library tour, though it requires some planning to get out to a library, has been a lot of fun and a really rewarding experience. I may not be able to get to a library every week, but it will definitely remain a feature of the library. The kids book reviews can be harder at times, just trying to keep track of the new books we’ve read and which ones will be good to review. However, it’s also been rewarding and a very good way to think more about the books we read to Squirm. I’d like to keep it as a regular feature long into the future.

Weekly reflections on the other hand, or posts about organisation, have fallen by the wayside. They’re things I’m just not so passionate about, and things which become a chore easily.

You may have noticed a change in the blog over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been focusing more on reading and crocheting in my ‘offline’ life, and it’s great to be able to share that here at the blog. The posts with patterns have been quite popular, and I aim to continue designing patterns with a pop-culture element, and writing up the patterns to share. I may include some paid patterns down the track, but I’ll make sure there’s plenty of free ones to enjoy.

I’m also determined to get back into the AWW challenge with gusto. Over this week, I’d like to catch up with a number of reviews, which I’m really looking forward to sharing with you. Keep an eye out for some kids book reviews too.

Another thing which will stay are posts on play and on reading advocacy. These may not be regular, but they are things I’m passionate about and I’d find it nearly impossible not to talk about them!

So that’s the (near) future for me right now. So here’s a chance for you to put in requests – what kind of crochet patterns would you like to see?

Crochet – Big Bird Nesting Bowls

March 22, 2013CraftCrochet, Crochet Pattern, Sesame Street Crochetsubversivereader Leave a comment

When I was little, Big Bird was definitely one of my favourite Sesame Street characters. It took me a little while to work out what I would create with a Big Bird theme, but in the end, nesting bowls seemed obvious!

The joy of these nesting bowls is that they’re very adaptable. Adding or removing rows will allow you to make different sized bowls and allow for different nesting combinations. You can also try these bowls in different colours!

Big Bird Nesting Bowls

Downloadable Version (PDF)

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Yarns – Yellow (about a ball) small amounts of pink and blue (I used acrylics, but quite thick ones. You might need to add rows or adjust tension to get the exact size you want)
Hooks – 4mm
Other stuff – scissors

CROCHET (US terminology)

Small Bowl

Big Bird Nesting Bowl: Adventures of a Subversive Reader

Use blue yarn and 4mm hook

Base

Row 1 – Make a magic circle, sc 6 into it, ss to close (6)
Row 2 – Ch 1, increase in each, change to yellow in the ss (12)
Row 3 – Ch 1, [inc, sc] around, ss to close (18)
Row 4 – Ch 1, [sc, inc, sc] around, ss to close (24)
Row 5 – Ch 1, [inc, sc, sc, sc] around, ss to close (30)
Row 6 – Ch 1, [sc, sc, inc, sc, sc] around, ss to close (36)
Row 7 – Ch 1, [inc, sc 5] around, ss to close (42)

Sides

Row 8 – Ch 1, (work in back loop only) sc in each stitch, ss to close (42)
Row 9 – Ch 1, (work in both loops) sc in each stitch, ss to close (42)
Row 10 – Ch 2, hdc in each stitch, ss to close (42)
Row 11 – 14 – Repeat Rows 9 and 10, change to blue on the last ss
Row 15 – Ch 1 – sc in each stitch, ss to close – change to yellow on the ss (42)
Row 16 – Ch 1, [sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc, sc] six times, fasten off

Middle Bowl

Use yellow yarn and 4mm hook

Base
(Use back loop only, unless otherwise stated)

Row 1 – Make a magic circle, sc 6 into it, ss to close (6)
Row 2 – Ch 1, increase in each, ss to close (12)
Row 3 – Ch 1, [inc, sc] around, ss to close (18)
Row 4 – Ch 1, [sc, inc, sc] around, ss to close (24)
Row 5 – Ch 1, [inc, sc, sc, sc] around, ss to close (30)
Row 6 – Ch 1, [sc, sc, inc, sc, sc] around, ss to close (36)
Row 7 – Ch 1, [inc, sc 5] around, ss to close (42)
Row 8 – Ch 1, [sc 3, inc, sc 3] around, ss to close (48)

Sides

Row 9 – (front loop only) ch 1, sc in each, ss to close (48)
Row 10 – ch 1, sc in each, ss to close (48)
Row 11 – ch 1, sc in each, ss to close changing to blue (48)
Row 12 – (front loop only) ch 1, sc in each, ss to close, changing to yellow (48)
Row 13 – ch 1, sc in each, ss to close, changing to pink (48)
Row 14 – (front loop only) ch 1, sc in each, ss to close, change to yellow (48)
Row 15 – ch 1, sc in each, ss to close (48)
Row 16 – (creating the posts for crocodile stitch) ch 3, dc in the same spot, ch 2, skip 2, dc two into next stitch, continue around, ss to close (16 pairs of posts)
Row 17 – (crocodile stitch) ch 1, turn basket on side, base facing to your left, dc 5 around the top post, ch 1, rotate basket 180 degrees, dc 5 around the pair of the first post. ch 1, skip the next pair of posts, repeat crocodile stitch around the bowl, ss to close (8 ‘scales’)
Row 18 – ch 1, sc around the top of the basket, fasten off.

Large Bowl

Use Yellow yarn and 4mm hook

Base

Sides

Row 11 – Ch 1, sc around circle in back loops only, ss to close (60)
Row 12 – (creating the posts for crocodile stitch) ch 3, dc in the same spot, ch 2, skip 2, dc two into next stitch, continue around, ss to close (20 posts)
Row 13 – (crocodile stitch) ch 1, turn basket on side, base facing to your left, dc 5 around the top post, ch 1, rotate basket 180 degrees, dc 5 around the pair of the first post. ch 1, skip the next pair of posts, repeat crocodile stitch around the bowl, ss to close (10 ‘scales’)
Row 14 – ch 1, sc around the top of the basket, fasten off

Here’s the big bowl in a different colour combination!

Crochet – Elmo Pencil Case

March 19, 2013CraftCrochet, patternsubversivereader View all 2 comments

After finishing the Grouchy Oscar Coin Purse, it made total sense to create some more Sesame Street inspired goodness. One of my best friend’s has an Elmo-Obsessed toddler, so I had to experiment with red and orange to make a little pencil case. This pencil case would be perfect to hold your crochet hooks, or a selection of crayons for your next drawing.

Note – At the moment, I only have US terminology for the pattern (that’s what I crochet in). If enough people are interested, I’d be willing to ‘translate’ a UK terminology pattern.

Downloadable Pattern

Online Pattern

Elmo Pencil Case

Elmo Crocheted Pencil Case: Adventures of a Subversive Reader

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Yarns – small amounts of Red, Orange, White and Black. (I used acrylics, but quite thick ones. You might need to add rows or adjust tension to get the exact size you want)
Hooks – 4mm and 3mm
Other stuff – scissors, yarn needle, zipper or other fastening

CROCHET (US terminology)

Ends (Make 2)

Use orange yarn and 4mm hook

Row 1 – Make magic circle. Crochet 6 into circle, ss to close (6)
Row 2 – Inc in each stitch (12)
Row 3 – [Inc, sc] around (18) Fasten off
Row 4 – attach red yarn at a different spot. [sc, inc, sc] around (24)
Row 5 – [inc, sc, sc, sc] around (30)
Row 6 – [sc, sc, inc, sc, sc] around (36) Fasten off

Body

Use red yarn and 4mm hook

Foundation – Chain 37
Row 1 – sc into second chain from hook, sc to end (36)
Row 2 – (crochet in back loop only) sc in each to end (36)
Row 3 – (crochet in back loop only) ch 2, hdc in second loop from end, hdc to end (35)
Row 4-7 – Repeat Rows 2 (finishing last stitch in the starting chain) and 3, change to Orange on last stitch
Row 8 – Repeat row 2, change to Red on last stitch
Row 9 – Repeat Row 3
Row 10 – 17 – Repeat Rows 2 – 9, change to Orange on last stitch of Row 17
Row 18 – (crochet in back loop only) ch 2, hdc in second loop from end, hdc to end, change to red in the last row(35)
Row 19 – (crochet in back loop only) ch 2, hdc in second loop from end, hdc to end (35)
Row 20 – crochet in back loop only) sc in each to end, putting the last sc in the starting chain(36)
Row 21 – Repeat Row 19, change to orange in the last stitch
Row 22 – Repeat Row 2, change to red on the last stitch (36)
Row 23 – Repeat Row 3 (35)
Rows 24-31 – Repeat Rows 2-9
Rows 32-35 – Repeat Rows 2-3 (twice)
Row 36 – Repeat Row 2 (36) Fasten off

Eyes (make 2)

Use black yarn and 3mm hook

Row 1 – Make a magic circle and crochet 6 stitches into it, ss to close circle. Fasten off (6)
Row 2 – Attach white yarn. Inc in each stitch, ss to close (12)
Row 3 – ch 1, Inc, sc around. ss to close (18)
Row 4 – ch 1, sc, inc, sc around, ss to close (24) Fasten off

Nose

Use orange yarn and a 3mm hook

Row 1 – Make a magic circle and crochet 5 stitches into it. ss to close (5)
Row 2 – ch 1, inc, inc, sc 3 into next stitch, inc, inc, ss to close (11)
Row 3 – ch 1, inc, sc, inc, sc, inc, sc, inc, inc, sc, inc, sc, ss to close (17)
Row 4 – ch 1, sc, inc, sc, sc, inc, sc, sc, inc 3, sc, sc, inc, sc, sc, inc, sc, ss to close (24) Fasten off

Putting it together

Use a yarn needle and yarn to sew the eyes together. Sew the nose between the eyes

Sew the eyes and nose to the case (either side ways or up-and-down ways)

Sew the ends to the top and bottom of the case (stitches should correspond) Crochet (sc) around the opening

Add fastening (zip, velcro, buttons etc)

A quick Blog Update

March 18, 2013Craft, Family, Opinion and Other Random Thingssubversivereader One comment

It’s been a little quiet around here over the last week – typical of those times when I’ve piled my plate full!

We went away on holiday for a week, which was wonderful, but definitely launched me into holiday mode – which is not always conducive for blogging. Then Squirm suddenly got a whole lot more mobile, which means I spend a lot of my time launching across the room looking for objects which he’s about to try to eat!

I ran into a road block with the Australian Women Writer’s challenge when it came to reviewing Mazin Grace by Dylan Coleman. This is a stunning, amazing book, but a very difficult one, and I’m finding it very hard to review effectively. I’ll think on it more during the week, and attempt to catch up!

Then there’s the crochet. The week away really sparked my creative bones, and I love to share that on the blog. The only problem is that the crocheting (and the pattern writing) is taking up time that I might use to write! But I’ll soon have some pretty patterns to share – and look out for some Downton Abbey inspired creations soon!

Finally, the Coursera course I’ve been taking is really ramping up (and I’m loving it so much) and there’s a renewed love of Angry Birds, plus all that AWW reading . . .well if I could just get a couple more hours in my day, I’d be fine!

What keeps you from blogging at the moment?

A crochet project sneak peek!