Be My Valentine

The funny thing about tweens is that they still are very much kids.  But they are starting to develop some more grown up tastes and definitely don't want to look like 'babies'.  And that can make theme outfits a bit tricky.  Like Valentine's Day outfits.  When kids are little, they are much more into having cutsie Valentine's shirts made for them.  But as a tween, they want the shirt, but don't want it to be too over the top or obvious.

So, I have collected a bunch of tutorials that either are a more grown-up version of a valentine's Day shirt or could easily be adapted to be so.

And, I just have to say that I am amazed at the creativity out there.  These ladies have taken simple projects and made some very cool embellishments.

Fabric paints can be a great way to add embellishment to a RTW or hand made shirt.  I love this tutorial for it's detail and simplicity.  I think it also could be adapted for nearly any holiday or mood.

The Pleated Poppy

Fabric applique is another way to embellish a shirt with all sorts of shapes and textures.  Of course, for Valentine's, we usually rely on a heart shape, but really you have other options too.  And you can try some reverse applique for a slightly different look.  Here are some ideas:

Uber Chic for Cheap

Make it Love it

form*work

Another way to add images is to use some sort of iron on material.  Some of you lucky ladies have Sillouetes or cricut machines that can cut out all sorts of images.  But if you are like me and don't, there are other pre-cut products out there or you can go back to the stand-by of fabric paint and freezer stencils.  Here are some fabulous ideas that I think a tween and quite possibly a tween boy could like.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Just Another Day in Paradise

And these next too I really like for their originality and texture.

Uber Chic for Cheap

WobiSobi

And what did I make for my tween?  Well, I actually did not use any of these tutorials, though I still may  in the future.  She had some flannel catch her eye at the fabric store so I made a button down shirt for her to wear on Valentine's Day and any other day she feels like it.

Lumberjack Shirt

It has hearts and definitely will feel like a theme shirt in February, but for the rest of the winter, it will just be a fun and cute shirt.  I think that really is the key: it needs to be fun enough to wear any day and not just February 14th.

The shirt is the Lumberjack Shirt by Patterns for Pirates and we will be reviewing it later in the month.  So stay tuned...

So, do you sew holiday themed shirts for your tween???

Color of the Year: Marsala

Every year Pantone, self described as "the world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems and leading technology for the selection and accurate communication of color across a variety of industries" announces the color of the year. Basically, it is the company that says what the colors are and which ones are IT. The last few years of colors have been bold and bright, but 2015's color, Marsala, is more subdued and deeper.

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Marsala looks to me like a wine color, but not quite.  It appears to me as a creamy, rich color and I hope to sew something in it this year.

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If you google marsala on the runway, you can see an amazing variety of looks created in this color.  Trends this year include slim cut suits, crop tops and moto jackets along with feminine pops of tulle and organza and they all can be seen in marsala.  

I especially like it on pants.  I simply love a colored pant in order to escape the constant blue jean.

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And I guess I am not the only one that feels that way.  Here is a look worn by Taylor Swift that gives an idea of how to wear marsala off the runway.

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And since we cannot have a wardrobe completely of one color, what colors can be paired with marsala?  Clearly Miss Swift picked navy blue.  And I loved the bright teal up in the runway look picture.  Pantone recommends cooler and softer hues for spring/summer 2015 and has an extensive list of supporting colors and how to wear them (click HERE to see them).

Color Pairings (source)

Here are several other options of palates to play with.  So, will your tween be receiving a hand made garment in marsala this year?  And what colors will you pair it with?

Dressing up a PJ pant

The first clothing item I ever sewed was in home-ec.  Of course I was part of a generation that did not call it Home Economics; we called it Life Skills.  In that class I learned some cooking skills, sewing, budgeting, and other miscellaneous things that everyone should learn before graduating high school.   Do high schools still have classes like that?

Well, my sewing project was a pair of PJ pants.  And it really is a great starting point for sewing clothes.  The fit does not need to be exact.  You have mostly straight lines, but do have to learn to navigate a couple gentle curves, and they are pretty practical.  And heck, if you screw them up, you wear them at night and no one will see them.

Recently my daughter wanted some "pull-on pants"  she did not want the hassle of a snap and zipper.  I was totally flabbergasted as I have working so hard to perfect my fly techniques so I can make real jeans for her and not have her wear clothes that look like mom made them.

So, I decided to break out an easy pattern and make PJ pants, done fancy.

I asked her if a pair of slacks would work and she was a bit dubious, but conceded.  I did not want her to look like she was actually wearing PJs to school.
I used some bottom weight fabric I picked up in the remanat bin.  It was just over a yard and I loved  the plaid.  I had actually hoped to make myself something out of this fabric, but oh well, she needed pants more than I do.

I dressed them up a bit by using studs on the pockets and ice blue top stitching.   Instead of making an elastic casing, as the pattern called for, I used wide pretty ice blue elastic that I zigzag stitched right on top of the fabric.  The technique I used is one I learned for making circle skirts on the blog MADE  This gave it a bit of a high-waisted look and I thought dressed them up more.  I think with other modifications,dressed up PJ pants could be equally good for a boy.

Abi was not exactly thrilled with the high waisted look.  But I promised her that with a long tunic, it would be just fine.  She has just grown accustomed to a mid rise pant and so her first assumption was that I made them wrong.

I did make them a little long though, I wanted there to be room for growth.  So many of her pants right now look like she is waiting for a flood, so I am glad that I added that length.  Hopefully she can wear these through the winter.

Have you ever dressed up PJ pants?

Any one for Finnish clothing? Intro to Ottobre magazine

There is a Finish (from Finland) sewing pattern magazine that has the most amazing and professional looking clothing. It is called Ottobre Design.  The magazine does come in an english language version and it contains patterns from infant to tween sizes.  The tween patterns are very stylish and have a very European vibe; which is not surprising since it is a European pattern magazine.

Some of our favorite bloggers that sew for tweens use Ottobre patterns.  Such as Sabrina from Sew a Straight Line.  She recently reviewed an OTTOBRE moto jacket pattern for us HERE.


The Autumn 2014 issue has some great looking patterns for tweens.

Ottobre Design

Something to be aware of when buying an Ottobre magazine is that instructions are minimal.  I would say the patterns are for a beginner who is familiar with sewing vocabulary and is ready to push herself to the next level.  Intermediate and higher sewers will find the professional techniques to be quite efficient.

from the Supermodels and Hipsters line of the 3/2014 issue

Especially if you are sewing for a tween boy, this is a magazine for you!  There are wonderfully cool boy clothes and it is fun to see how they are styled in the magazine.

3/2014 Issue

4/2014 Issue

I have a couple issues from 2007 and I still use them.  The patterns come in a large sheet with each outfit drawn out in a separate color.  This can be intimidating because you have to first find you pieces in the jumble of line drawings and then you must trace each one out.  I find that a cheap sewable interfacing works perfect because it stays still as I trace and I can easily see through it.

NOTE:  There is no seam allowances on these patterns!  You just add the allowance you want to the pattern.  I usually go with a 1/4 inch.

Also, the interfacing is durable and with these great patterns, you will use them many times.

Have you ever sewn an Ottobre pattern?  What did you think?

Making Colored Fur Coats

Now that you have decided whether your tween would wear colored fur, how are you going to make it?

Pale Cloud

Fur is not hard to sew, but it does have some special considerations.  One is all that fur.  What you will need to do in order to reduce bulk, is to trim the seam allowances down.  That way, you can sew without all that fur in the way and your seams will not be too bulky.  Second after sewing, you will need to take a small tool, like a stylus, and gently pull the fur on the right side out of the seam.

For more tips on how to sew fur, you can go to this Instructables post or Sew 4 Home.

Several stores carry colored fur and minky is a nice alternative to faux fur.  Here are a couple fabric options that caught my eye on Fabric.com.

Minky Crushed Cuddle fabric

Minky Soft Lattice Cuddle fabric

Minky Crushed Cuddle fabric

There are several jacket patterns out there, many that we featured on our "Making Moto" post in September.  But as winter is coming around the corner, I thought I would also point out some great heavier jacket patterns.

Burdastyle Long Dress Coat

Burdastyle Girl's Asymmetric coat

Peek-a-Boo Pattern's Dowton Duffle (affiliate link)

Peek-a-Boo Pattern's Alpine Wonderland (affiliate link)

Peak-a-Boo Pattern's Great Outdoors Reversible Vest (affiliate link)

And if making a whole coat is not on your list, then what about a hat, scarf, or some mittens.  Then your tween can follow this trend without you giving up a couple weekends.  Here are a few tutorials you may find useful.

Sew Creative

Flamingo Toes

How to Sew a Fur Hat video  

If you make something with fur, colored or otherwise, we would love to see it and hear about your experience.  You can link up to our monthly party or shoot us an email and maybe we can have you guest post!

Costumes --> Steampunk style

Halloween is fast approaching and I am sure your tweens are trying to figure out what they want to dress as.  I (Major Moma) have never been especially a fan of Halloween as a holiday but I have always loved dress up and creative play.  When my kids were little, their Halloween costumes went straight into the dress up box and were used all year around.

But when the kids get older, it can get a bit awkward.  They still like to dress up and they definitely like getting candy, but they are starting to get too old for trick-or-treating.  And have you seen some of the older/bigger sized costumes?  I think the shortness of the skirts are more scary than the blood and gore.  And that is the beauty of a homemade or semi-homemade costume, you can adjust it to be age appropriate to fit your family's values.

The other issue with kids at this age is getting a more 'grown up' look to their costumes.  I would like to highlight a genre that I think can really help with this dilemma.  It is Steampunk.


According to the Urban Dictionary Steampunk is:

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Star Wars done Steampunk

... a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan "What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner." It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes. 

Medieval Steampunk: Speculative fiction set during the Middle Ages. 

Victorian Steampunk: A modern Science Fiction work (post-1930s) that is set in the early parts of the industrial revolution. 

Western Steampunk: Science fiction set in the American Old West. 

Western style Steampunk

Industrial/Modern Steampunk: Science fiction taking place in the late industrial age, early modern age; i.e. World War 1, World War 2

Examples of steampunk: 
Wild Wild West 
Final Fantasy 7 
Van Helsing 
The Time Machine 
Hellboy 
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

You can see from this definition and examples that the Steampunk genre really has a lot of variety.  And, you can take just about any character and make it a Steampunk version.  Like, you could take that old princess costume that still fits and add some gears, make the skirt a bustle and call it a 'Steampunk Princess."

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Here is a tutorial on how to make a gear that can be added to clothing to create a Steampunk look.

gear tutorial

Goggles also are an accessory used quite frequently in Steampunk cosplay.  Here are several examples of DIY goggles that people have put together.  Some are quite elaborate, but you could get some great ideas from looking at them.

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I have added a lot of Steampunk ideas to our Pinterest Costumes board and you could see if any of them work for your tween.  We have other Halloween costume ideas also pinned on that board, so feel free to check them out.  I hope you got some ideas on how to get creative with your tween's costumes this year!

What is your tween dressing as this year?

Would they wear that? Moto

First off, we here at Sew Cool for the Tween Scene want to say THANK YOU to all of our guest posts and to all of the blogaversary wishes! We so much appreciative the support from all of you!  Thank you also for the congratulations on the making the Top 50 blogs for Sewing Enthusiasts List and for voting for us (which if you haven't yet but still want to vote, you can here)  It's been a fun week for us here.

Now on to our next installment of:

A big trend for Fall 2014 is supposed to be the "moto" look.  For all of us non-slang users, that is the motorcycle/biker look.  I did not know this was a trend because to me the moto jacket is pretty much a tough girl classic.  But, since they are showing up on the runways in various forms, I guess it is more trendy this year.

Tween Moto by Pale Cloud

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Especially for our kids that don't want to look like little anymore, this is a fun way to make an outfit more grown up but not inappropriate.

Some designers of children's wear are also getting in on this trend.

Pale Cloud

Super Trash

DKNY

Pepe Jeans

How about Moto in Leather Skirt form--Pale Cloud

I think this is a great look for boys or girls.  And how cool would you be if you sewed moto jackets???

But the big question is, would your tween wear it?