KCW to the rescue!

Next week it's Kids Clothes Week, and I've decided that this will be the week when I'm going to inaugurate my new sewing space. I've dusted off my sewing machines, unpacked the box with sewing equipment, and gone through my stash in search of fabric to upcycle. Ready to go!

Or, that's how it should feel. To be honest, I don't feel very inspired right now. Is it because I have taken such a long sewing break? Or because my kids don't really need any new clothes? The latter was never an obstacle for me, so why is it now...? Is it because I've been crazy busy with work and other commitments? I don't know.

Before...

Anyway, I realized that the purpose of KCW is exactly to help me over this hurdle, by committing myself to sew a little bit every day. So that's what I'm going to do, and hope for the sewing mojo to return.

Cutting out the Charlie pattern from Zonen09

I've decided to start off with some simple things, like patching pants and upcycling a t shirt for my son. Since he has recently declared that his favorite color is pink, I'm sure that he will love this polo with pink, blue, grey and tan stripes. And I'm sure that I will love the fact that it requires only four seams and one hem. It won't get any easier than this...

Lion applique

Today my second guest post at the Kids Clothes Week blog appears. It's all about embellishing shirts and sweaters, using a wide variety of techniques. Go take a look! I promise you that it's full of inspiration...

In line with my post over there, I'm showing an old project here. This lion applique was made a few years ago for B, using an old bath towel and an old yellow tee. I sewed it onto a long-sleeved H&M shirt. Simple, but cute! 

B wore it a lot, and now J loves it. He keeps pointing proudly to the lion on his chest, while making the cutest roar and saying something that vaguely sounds like 'leeuw' (lion). You should hear him, he's adorable...

I'm ending this post with two photos taken in our new attic. The renovation is done and we're currently moving everything back into place. Soon, my sewing room will be reinstalled! Yeah!

I've given up some space, but got something better in return... Lots of white walls and beautiful light. This will make taking good pictures a lot easier, as these examples attest...

Allright, that's it for today. I used all my words and inspiration of this week for the KCW post, so hop over and check it out...

8 ways to upcycle jeans

Today I’m contributing to the Kids Clothes Week blog with an inspiration post about upcycling jeans. So I thought it would be fun to give an overview of my own denim creations here.

1. One of the very first items I ever sewed was this cute denim dress for my daughter. Of course, I made a lot of beginner’s errors; for example using some very sturdy jeans, which made the dress rather stiff. Nevertheless, it is still one of my favorite creations. If only because my little girl looked so incredibly cute in it.

2. Next, I upcycled jeans into some colorful skirts (before my life as a blogger).

3. I used denim to create fun knee patches

And more patches

4. A knight’s tunic

5. Surfer shorts

6. Bubble pocket shorts

7. A biker jacket

8. And a sweater with denim details

(Love to see how my little girl has grown in the past five years...)

Need more inspiration? I collected a lot of ideas on this Pinterest board. Or hop over to the Kids Clothes Week blog to read more.