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A PRESENT FOR PAPA....

3/9/2015

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Father's Day is coming this Sunday, so the two Little Ones have been busy making a little bag for Papa to keep all his cables safe when travelling.  It has been made to look suitably 'fatherly' on the outside, but is packed full of two and six year old goodness on the inside.   A little delight to help keep the homesickness at bay while travelling.  

The project is a good one to try, after your Little One has completed a few sewing machine projects already.  The bag is fully lined, so there is no need to worry about finishing seems, but there is the focus on pivoting corners, sewing straight and safely, lining up seams and sewing a casing.   

For full details take a look at the lined drawstring bag tutorial.  

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a first skirt
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fabric covered buttons and hair ties

10/5/2015

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DIY hair ties.  www.loloandgrace.com

Today was Mother's day and I spent a lovely afternoon covering buttons with my Little Person.   A satisfying and almost medatative way to use up fabric scraps (and to chill out after a late night sleepover!).   My Little Person enjoyed selecting what fabrics to use and combining them with a handful of coloured hair elastics we had on hand.  She also took the initiative of taking some plain white cotton and drawing her own designs to make some of the large buttons.   We used 19mm and 45mm buttons - the larger of the two make a real statement when worn.   

Click on images to enlarge.


This is an easy and satisfying project, and the results are quite delightful.  As good as a bought one!    There are plenty of tutorials floating around the internet or simply follow the instructions on a pack of self cover buttons from your local sewing store.  But make sure you have a self cover tool and cutting template to make life easy (many packs come with this).  When designing her own button, my Little Person used the cutting template as a guide to make sure her drawing fitted the finished button. 

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hand stiched art
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DIGITALLY PRINT YOUR DRAWINGS ONTO FABRIC

9/10/2014

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Tutorial: Digitally print drawings onto fabric at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

This week at Project Run and Play, the theme was to create something that represented your signature style.  This was all that was needed to motivate me to make something with the fabric we had printed at Spoonflower using a drawing my Little Person created this summer.    

www.loloandgrace.com

When my biggest Little One isn't using her creative juices sewing, she is drawing, painting or colouring.   And while I think this is fabulous and encourage creativity, sometimes it needs a little direction.   Direction?  Yes, away from walls, clothes and carpets.   We've had a few 'episodes' recently.   While on one hand I'm scolding her, really my heart sings at her seemingly constant need to create.  

So this little project is a win for both of us.   My Little One gets to wear clothes she's drawn on, and I have the pleasure of seeing her creations without the need to wash it out!  

If you want to do something similar, it's super easy.  Take a look at the tutorial on how to digitally print drawings on fabric.  

For this outfit, I used a blouse pattern from Figgy's and a self drafted A-line skirt with contrasting pocket detailing.  

Click images to enlarge

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a little bit french
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inspired by a summer garden
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UP-CYCLING AN OLD CORPORATE FAVOURITE

23/9/2014

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up-cycle and re-style an adult skirt into a delightful girls dress.  Tutorial at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with LIttle People.  www.loloandgrace.com

After moving house earlier this year and loosing wardrobe space in the process, I was forced to rationalise it's contents.  With two Littlies, I have no use for either corporate or maternity clothes - so out they all went.  Jeans and t-shirts are more the order of the day at our place!   But there were some pieces I just couldn't bear to get rid of completely - so they ended up in a box by my sewing machine with the hope that one day they will get re-made into something more appropriate for my current life. 

This week the theme for Project Run and Play is to use hand-me-downs to create a new outfit for a Little One - so what better excuse to dive into that box by my sewing machine?


up-cycle and re-style an adult skirt into a delightful girls dress.  Tutorial at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with LIttle People.  www.loloandgrace.com

I grabed an A-line skirt with beautiful hand applique detailing around the hem and a sash waist (an old office favourite) and a top from my pregnancy days.   A little bit of cutting, pinning and sewing later and voila, a new autumn dress for my Little One.   She can wear it on our warmer autumn days, or layer it up as the light fades and winter arrives. 

And what satisfaction at being able to hang on to some loved pieces just a little bit longer.  

This was a quick and easy project - maybe something you can do at your place?  The hardest part was making the contrasting casing for the elastic - so maybe even a project for a competent Little One?   Take a look at the tutorial for up-cycling a skirt into a little girls dress.

Click to enlarge

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digitally print on fabric
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HAND SEWING NEEDLES - OH WHERE TO START?

22/9/2014

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Hand sewing needles - everything you need to know at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

So you've decided to spend a bit of time helping teach your Little One(s) to sew.  Great!  The obvious starting point is often a few simple hand sewn projects.  Grab a needle and get going!   hmmm..it is often at this point that things start to get frustrating as you find your LIttle One is struggling with the whole needle and thread thing.  Is there an easier way?   Well usually.   Try starting with a needle that is better suited to both your Little One and the project you've chosen to work on together.  

Take a look at the Lolo & Grace guide to hand sewing needles.   You'll find a host of information about most of the different types of needles you will come across and some advice on which needles to use to get your Little Ones going.  And you may just find some good stuff for Big People as well! 

If you are after the abridged version and just want to get started with your Little One before the initial enthusiasm wears off - go grab a Chenille needle (you might already have one floating in your pin cushion).   This needle is a pointed tapestry needle that will work with a lot of fabrics and is easy to handle for Little Hands.  It is also great for learning how to thread a needle as it has a big eye.  


This needle guide is the first of what will be a series on all the basics you need to know to get your Little People sewing.   So,
go forth and sew!

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hand stitched doll
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PINCUSHION DIY & PROJECT RUN AND PLAY

10/9/2014

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DIY tutorial for kids. Strawberry pincushion at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

Project Run and Play is starting this week and I thought it would be fun to join the sew along.  For those of you who don't know, Project Run and Play is the blogger's version of Project Runway, but for kids!  Already they are up to season 10.  Each week, the designers compete to create the best outfit (with a tutorial) based on a theme.  Take a look at what they are up to over at Project Run and Play. 

My biggest Little One is in need of some new clothes for the new school year and we are always looking for inspiration for our Little People projects.  So here we go! The competition is running over the next four weeks, so watch this space.

DIY tutorial for kids. Strawberry pincushion at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

The first week's theme was to create an outfit inspired by an 80's cartoon.   Seeing I was a child of the 80's it was a nice excuse to reminisce.  I affectionately remember a Strawberry Shortcake doll that used to sit pride of place on my bedroom shelves.  So she was the obvious choice to inspire this week's outfit and Little Person tutorial.  

Click to enlarge
DIY tutorial for kids. Strawberry pincushion at Lolo & Grace. Sewing with Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

Take a look at the Strawberry Pincushion tutorial.  To be honest I thought the pincushions would be a bit easier than they were, so I needed to lend some Big Person hands along the way.   This project would ideally suit a Little Person who has a few hand sewing projects under their belt and has a little bit of patience.     Enjoy. 

Click to enlarge

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EASY PENCIL CASE TUTORIAL

29/8/2014

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Make a pencil case or purse.  Easy DIY  sewing tutorial for kids at Lolo & Grace. Sewing for Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

School starts in a week and we've been shopping for new pens and books.   A pencil case was needed.  So we got busy.    Take a look at this tutorial to get your Little People sewing.   This is one of those projects that looks a lot more complicated than it really is.   But we've used a couple of tricks to make it super simple - if your Little Person has a couple of hand sewing projects under their belt and has had a play with a sewing machine, then this is a nice project to get a real sense of accomplishment.   And, hey, it's stylish and useful.  What more could you want? 
 
Make a pencil case or purse.  Easy DIY  sewing tutorial for kids at Lolo & Grace. Sewing for Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

Take a look at this tutorial for the Easy Pencil Case (or purse, or pouch...) with a Zip.   

Click images to enlarge.
What do you think?  Did your Little One give it a go?  

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THREADING PRACTICE FOR TODDLERS

26/8/2014

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Threading with beads and pipe cleaners for toddlers at Lolo and Grace. Sewing for Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

Every sewing project requires a needle to be threaded.  Whether by hand or machine.   Threading beads is a great exercise to get your toddler practicing the fine motor skills needed to be a future sewer.   There are plenty of variations on this theme around - but what we've learnt (the hard way) is that when you are just learning and you have teeny tiny hands, beads have a habit of falling off your string or lace before bouncing and rolling a mile!  So now we use pipe cleaners.   They are soooo much easier for little hands to control, and because they are fluffy, they tend to grip the beads.  A lot less drama when the inevitable dropping of the project happens.   

Threading beads for toddlers at Lolo & Grace. Sewing for Little People.  www.loloandgrace.com

What you'll need:
  • Beads in a bowl
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • A willing toddler 
  • An older sibling (optional!)

Thread and rethread the pipe cleaners until your Little One's heart is content.  
The threaded pipe cleaners can be used as bracelets, serviette rings, crowns for teddy, belts for dolly....whatever takes your fancy!

Click to enlarge

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    About


    Hi, welcome to a world of sewing with and for Little People.  

    I'm Emma - passionate about sewing and eager to share my passion with the next generation of creators, designers, and sewers.
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    Modern fabric and paper prints by Emma Smith available at Spoonflower.

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