Sewing for a toddler. Need easy patterns

Myrna wrote:


Wow, with everyone's help, I may get started soon, but
here's my first questions:

Does the Kwik Sew book use US measurements as opposed to
metric? It's a bit off-putting to see that the sizes go
from 4 - 12. What kind of
sizing is this?

Myrna

Similar to RTW, which jumps from "Toddler 2" to "Child 14". Kwik
Sew offers instruction on How To Measu

http://www.kwiksew.com/techinfo/measure/measure.htm
measuring for children:
http://www.kwiksew.com/techinfo/measure/children.htm

and gives a standard child's measurement chart (scroll down the
page):

Imperial:
http://www.kwiksew.com/techinfo/standard.htm

Metric:
http://www.kwiksew.com/techinfo/metric.htm

There is *no* way around having to measure. Really. You *must*
measure the person for whom you are intending to make a garment
in order to purchase or trace-off the correct pattern size.

HTH,

Beverly

Look at the measurement chart in the book; usually sizes are listed in both
US and metric. If not, let us know and someone will give them to you.
Emily

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:25:33 +0000, Sarah Dale
wrote:

Now, I must work out where to buy large quantities of tracing paper in
the UK (I usually use grease proof paper but that is not necessarily the
cheapest way to go)

Anything flat and reasonably thin that comes in rolls or large sheets
will do. (well, it shouldn't be stretchy or fuzzy -- been there, done
that, threw away the patterns.) And if you can hang it on a nail, it
doesn't even have to be reasonably thin. Slopers, in particular, are
easier to use when made of cardboard. (A sloper is a pattern used to
design patterns. It has no seam allowances and the darts are cut out,
so that you can trace around it to mark the seam lines of your new
pattern.)

Tissue paper is flimsy, but it does come in large pieces, and you can
see through it, so if there's nothing else, and if you don't plan to
use the pattern more than two or three times, it will work.

If paper is rumpled, you can dry-iron it. (Shortly after we moved,
before I'd found a source of newsprint, I made several patterns on
packing paper.)

If you can't see through the paper and haven't got a light table or a
large window or a glass-topped table you can put a lamp under, buy
some typist's carbon paper. A sheet can be used many times for
pattern copying -- I have four sheets of single-use paper that have
been in my pattern box ever since a typewriter and a stack of
carbonsets was a reasonable way to make copies, and they still work
fine.

When copying onto opaque paper, put sheets of carbon under the paper,
carbon up, and sheets of carbon over the paper, carbon down, and trace
the pattern with a knitting needle or an absolutely-empty ball-point
pen, or a roulette, or a tracing wheel, or whatever strikes your
fancy. I have a stylus made especially for tracing stashed away
somewhere, probably in the same closet as the drafting board. You
needn't bother with the under-the-paper carbons when copying cutting
lines, but make sure there is carbon on both sides when tracing darts,
notches, etc.

I use only three sheets and move them around under the pattern, but I
copy only one-size patterns that have already been cut out, so I can
trace around the cutting lines without carbon. For copying a new
multi-size pattern, it might be well to use the whole packet of carbon
paper and cover all of both sides of the paper.

Iron the pattern before attempting to copy it -- but make sure that no
steam or dampness can get anywhere near the paper. Best to use an
iron that has never in its life had water in it.

Drafting tape tears tissue paper. If you can't tape in a disposable
part of the paper, use re-positionable correction tape to hold down
tissue paper.

Like masking tape, drafting tape latches on more firmly as time goes
by. Don't leave it in place longer than a few hours.

Joy Beeson
--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to sew
for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40 years
ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I am
inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some simple
patterns, perhaps summer p.j. or jumpers and get sewing. Hope you will
give me lots of advice as I go.

Liz

Myrna wrote:

You are all terrific!! Yes, I think of the overall picture and get
scared. I'd like to make something simple like a jumper or pants with
elastic waist. I looked at the links that were suggested. First, none
of them suggest light weight courdoroy which used to be common for
kid's winter stuff, and I know this was easy to sew with. So much has
changed. Then I see how expensive the patterns are and I wonder if it's
worth it. Comments?
Myrna

Elizabeth Tudor wrote:
I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to sew
for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40 years
ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I am
inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some simple
patterns, perhaps summer p.j. or jumpers and get sewing. Hope you will
give me lots of advice as I go.

Liz


You won't regret it, Liz. Sewing for granddaughters is possibly the
most fun of all!

Doreen in Alabama

Doreen: Thanks! I am now committed.

Liz in Boston

Doreen wrote:
Elizabeth Tudor wrote:

I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to sew
for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40 years
ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I am
inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some simple
patterns, perhaps summer p.j. or jumpers and get sewing. Hope you
will give me lots of advice as I go.

Liz


You won't regret it, Liz. Sewing for granddaughters is possibly the
most fun of all!

Doreen in Alabama

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:27:26 GMT, Elizabeth Tudor wrote:
I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to sew
for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40 years
ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I am
inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some simple

Liz, there's a "what sewing machine" faq in the archives, or at
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm that may be useful to you.
I'm going to suggest, however, that you also might want to try a few
sergers while you're out shopping -- they're sort of the microwaves
of sewing, and they literally do make it faster to make a simple garment
than wash and dry one. And they'll do things like make short work of
miles of ruffles that had to be hemmed and gathered, or attach elastic
to waist and cuffs, or... or... or... (Can you thread a sewing machine?
Can you thread it 4 or 5 times? If so, you can thread a serger!).

Welcome back to sewing!

Kay

Kay, Thank you. That FAQ is most helpful. I've printed it out and will
try to read it over this afternoon. Liz

Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:27:26 GMT, Elizabeth Tudor wrote:

I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to sew
for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40 years
ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I am
inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some simple


Liz, there's a "what sewing machine" faq in the archives, or at
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm that may be useful to you.
I'm going to suggest, however, that you also might want to try a few
sergers while you're out shopping -- they're sort of the microwaves
of sewing, and they literally do make it faster to make a simple garment
than wash and dry one. And they'll do things like make short work of
miles of ruffles that had to be hemmed and gathered, or attach elastic
to waist and cuffs, or... or... or... (Can you thread a sewing machine?
Can you thread it 4 or 5 times? If so, you can thread a serger!).

Welcome back to sewing!

Kay

Elizabeth Tudor wrote:
Kay, Thank you. That FAQ is most helpful. I've printed it out and will
try to read it over this afternoon. Liz

Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:27:26 GMT, Elizabeth Tudor
wrote:

I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to sew
for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40 years
ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I am
inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some simple



Liz, there's a "what sewing machine" faq in the archives, or at
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm that may be useful to you.
I'm going to suggest, however, that you also might want to try a few
sergers while you're out shopping -- they're sort of the microwaves
of sewing, and they literally do make it faster to make a simple garment
than wash and dry one. And they'll do things like make short work of
miles of ruffles that had to be hemmed and gathered, or attach elastic
to waist and cuffs, or... or... or... (Can you thread a sewing machine?
Can you thread it 4 or 5 times? If so, you can thread a serger!).

Welcome back to sewing!

Kay


Dear Liz, Welcome back and don't forget to bring your questions to us.
You're not going to get better help than you'll find here. We have many
fine people who can give you a hand. I want to suggest to both you and
Myrna that you check us out at alt.sewing as well. It's a bit more
active group. Same people just more posts for some reason.
Both these groups have come to my rescue more times than I can count.
I know you'll love sewing for your grands. They just appreciate
everything you do so much.
Liz how old is your Granddaughter? If she's a tiny one you may find
that the Kwik Sew book for babies great for patterns.
Juno

Juno: My granddaughter is 8 months old. Where can I get the Kwik Sew
pattern book for babies? I looked at Kwik Sew on line but didn't see
much for babies.

Liz

Juno wrote:
Elizabeth Tudor wrote:

Kay, Thank you. That FAQ is most helpful. I've printed it out and
will try to read it over this afternoon. Liz

Kay Lancaster wrote:

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:27:26 GMT, Elizabeth Tudor
wrote:

I can't tell you how much this "conversation" helped me decide to
sew for my new granddaughter! Used to sew for my daughters--40
years ago--and have even given away my sewing machines. But, now I
am inspired to buy a new machine (any suggestions?) and find some
simple




Liz, there's a "what sewing machine" faq in the archives, or at
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm that may be useful to you.
I'm going to suggest, however, that you also might want to try a few
sergers while you're out shopping -- they're sort of the microwaves
of sewing, and they literally do make it faster to make a simple garment
than wash and dry one. And they'll do things like make short work of
miles of ruffles that had to be hemmed and gathered, or attach elastic
to waist and cuffs, or... or... or... (Can you thread a sewing machine?
Can you thread it 4 or 5 times? If so, you can thread a serger!).

Welcome back to sewing!

Kay


Dear Liz, Welcome back and don't forget to bring your questions to us.
You're not going to get better help than you'll find here. We have many
fine people who can give you a hand. I want to suggest to both you and
Myrna that you check us out at alt.sewing as well. It's a bit more
active group. Same people just more posts for some reason.
Both these groups have come to my rescue more times than I can count.
I know you'll love sewing for your grands. They just appreciate
everything you do so much.
Liz how old is your Granddaughter? If she's a tiny one you may find
that the Kwik Sew book for babies great for patterns.
Juno