Upcycled Capelet Tutorial . Part I

Welcome to Part I of the Upcycled Capelet Tutorial. I had this idea a long time ago, found the perfect jacket this Summer, and used Kids Clothes Week over at Elsie Marley to make it happen. It may seem daunting but I am breaking it down into simple steps. Also, you do not have to make the hidden pouch with the lining. You can just skip those parts.

I really love how how this turned out. I found large hook and eye closures so that it could hang open or we can button it up using the jacket's original buttons and buttonholes. I used the Storybook Cape pattern from Grosgrain because it's a perfect fit and uses less fabric than a traditional circle cape. This makes a size 2 - 3 but can be easily enlarged by adding width to the fold line on the pattern back piece and the straight line of the pattern front piece. And, of course, length as needed.

Print out the pattern pieces from this link. You won’t need to print out the hood.

Print this collar pattern. I drafted this from the original pattern's hood so it is a perfect fit.

Trim two inches of the pattern from the bottom edge of both cape pieces.

Carefully remove the sleeves from the jacket.

Place the pattern on the jacket as shown if you want to use the buttonholes. As you can see, the pattern is hanging over the edge of the jacket at the opening because it has the seam allowance built in. Because I'm using the existing jacket edge, I don't need a seam allowance.

Cut 1 of the BACK on the fold from both the lining fabric and the jacket.

Cut 2 of the FRONT pieces from both the lining fabric and the jacket.

Cut the collar from what is left over. If you don’t have enough using a fold, add a seam allowance to the pattern at the fold line and cut from two different areas (like the sleeves).

A 3/8” seam allowance is incorporated into all the pattern pieces.

If you’d like a cleaner look to your arm openings, add a flap as shown.

Cut out and label all your pieces.

You will also need two 3.5” X 7.5” pieces of the lining fabric for the bound opening and two 5” X 7” pieces of something soft and warm like fleece for the hidden muff/pouch.

Trim the original inside seams from the jacket as shown (if they’re messy).

Fold in the “flaps” for the sleeve openings on all 8 pieces and stitch them down.

Mark placement for the bound openings as shown. The marks should be 3” from the bottom, 3” from the inside seam, and 4.5” long. One way to do this is to draw a line on your pattern, fold the paper over, then use the straight edge of the pattern as a guide.

Carefully cut the fabric on the line to make the opening.

Mark the lining fabric for the bound opening.
a. Draw a 4.5” vertical center line on the fabric.
b. Draw a line 1/2” on each side of the center line.
c. Draw short horizontal lines at the top and bottom to connect all three.

Place the lining fabric on the jacket front with right sides together (RST). You can see in the photo the edge of the original pocket. The center line of the lining should match up with the opening slit you just cut.

Stitch the rectangle as shown.

Cut the center line of the lining and cut a triangle from the center line to each outer line as shown.

Pull the lining to the inside of the jacket and handstitch it in place. Getting it to look just right takes a bit of fussing.

If your lining fabric is very slippery, you may want to adhere it to the jacket fabric. I used fusible interfacing (Wonder Under) and some scrap cotton fabric to make the patch. This is not necessary but it was getting on my nerves.

The hardest part is done! As you can see, I didn't do such a great job of lining up my fabrics so one side is wider than the other. Luckily, my 2-year old didn't notice.

We’ll do the lining and collar tomorrow. Special thanks to Kathleen at Grosgrain for the amazing original pattern.

Apologies for the terrible quality of some of the photos. I did most of this sewing after dark while the kid was asleep. Please, please, please let me know if you have any questions. I will answer them in the comments.

For Part II, click here.

Tillbrook Romper

After seeing this post over at Mon Ami, I had to buy this pattern and make the romper myself. I found Mon Ami Journal through the Elsie Marley Kids Clothes Week challenge and both are excellent blogs for inspiration.

Luckily, I found the pattern on Etsy right away. It was a size 3. Perfect!

The pattern was super easy to follow. I didn't have any issues with the instructions or the fabric. I chose Alexander Henry's Tillbrook Sprites for the body of the romper and some of the coordinating print for the straps. There is a LOT of pink in the pattern so I went with a solid green for the top and I love how it pulled out the hints of different greens from the foliage around the fairies.

I used teeny tiny buttons for the top closure. They have a hint of pearl to them that's a welcome shimmer against the bold green. The ones in this photo are green. The original buttons are red so they pop out more against the solid.

The 3t is a bit roomy but I'm hoping we'll get some use out of this next year. In fact, it seems like there is a trend toward vanity sizing in kids clothes and that really pisses me off. Kids clothing should correspond as closely as possible to the age. Two-year olds should be able to wear a size 2, three-year olds should be able to wear a size 3, etc. Of course there will be bigger kids and smaller kids but you get the idea. Zadie grew out of most 2t big box store clothing right about the time she turned 2. But when I sew vintage clothing patterns in a size 3 they are massive. Ok, end rant.

Anyway, to solve the problem of the romper being enormous, I just sewed a second button about an inch above the original. I took the photo above (with gnome) after putting the romper on her for the first time. In most of the shots, it is just hanging off of her (and her hair is wild). The new button makes it fit much better and when she grows, we'll just start using the lower button. This is the garment I used for the snap tape tutorial so you're finally able to see it in action. I don't know why it took me almost 3 weeks to sew a couple of buttons on.

Squidfire's May show (yes, May)

Better late than never, huh?

There have been some major computer issues here in Lemonland. Finally, the new computer is loaded with programs and files and several hundred pictures that have been molding in folders and on the camera.

The Squidfire's show was amazing. As usual, Baltimorians are super nice and very friendly. We had a great spot with a nice patch of grass behind the tent so we could chill with the little one in the shade.

We shared a spot with Kim of Shortees/Smartee Pants. We had so much fun. It was really nice to hang out with a fellow crafter and mom all day. Her son is just two months older than Baby Lemon so I got the scoop on what's coming next (one nap, beastly teeth, walking...). Kim makes amazing clothes from recycled t-shirts.

The best part of the day was a visit from one of our biggest fans:
She is the daughter of Sweet Pepita, a really amazing crafter.

Thanks to everyone who came to the show! The new rompers were a big hit so I made more for the Handmade Mart. Now that we're technologically stable again, I'll get some photos of the new stuff and add it to the Etsy shop.

Customer Appreciation Week

I've recently gotten a couple of amazing emails with photos of people decked out in Lemon Cadet.

So each day this week (or something kinda like it), I'm going to post pics and stories. If you have any photos of yetis or beans or any of my other little guys (who I swear I will be making more of in my next collection), please send them to me so I can put them up.

This is my nephew Ashton in one of the now extinct yeti tees. What a cutie!