Category Archives: Children’s clothes

CHILDREN’S shirts and a REPURPOSED dress

As this spring was hot, I decided to sew a cool shirt for our youngest, as a protection from the sun. I would finally use the pretty fabric that his brother chose when I was pregnant, two years ago. ❤ As I made this shirt, big brother asked if he could have one too, and if course I couldn’t resist.

Eftersom det var riktigt varmt redan under våren så ville jag sy en sval skjorta åt minstingen, att använda som solskydd. Jag använde tyget som storebror valde medan lillebror låg i magen för två år sedan. ❤ När storebror såg skjortan bad han om att få en likadan och jag kunde naturligtvis inte neka honom detta.

Dear Bonna captured this lovely photo after the sunday service (as I wore another of my earlier creations). Thank you so much for the picture!

Fina Bonna fotograferade oss efter gudstjänsten (på bilden bär jag en annan tidig kreation). Tack så mycket för bilden, Bonna!

Here is a closer view of both shirts. Här kan man se skjortorna på närmare håll.

Tutorial for toddler’s shirt

About ten years ago I found a soft, lightweight bedsheet from the 70s, with a floral print that reminded me of a beautiful dress worn by Grace Kelly in Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

För ungefär tio år sedan hittade jag ett underbart tunnslitet 70-talslakan med blomstermönster som påminde mig om Grace Kellys klänning i Hitchcocks Rear Window.

I made a more simple version, with a loose fit, tied with a bow at the waist.

Jag sydde en enklare variant, med luftig passform, sammanhållen med en rosett i midjan.

This dress was so incredibly comfy that I used a lot until it suddenly tore as I played with the kids the other day. I mourned it for a couple of hours until I found comfort in that it could be transformed into a shirt for the little one.

Denna klänning var så otroligt skön att jag använde den väldigt mycket, tills den slutligen sprack medan jag lekte med barnen. Jag sörjde den under ett par timmar, tills jag insåg att den kunde bli ytteligare en skjorta till minstingen.

I used the same pattern as for the first shirt, which was copied from his beloved strawberry shirt.

Jag använde samma mönster som till den första skjortan, vilket jag kopierade från minstingens älskade jordgubbsskjorta.

After cutting the four pieces, sew elastic inside the hem of the arms, then pulled the fabric to the right fit before making the seam along the arm.

Efter att ha klippt ut de fyra delarna, sydde jag in ett elastiskt band i ärmfållen. Sedan drog jag åt bander tills det var tillräckligt tight. Därefter sydde jag armlängden.

Then I moved on to the front opening of the shirt, before stiching the arms in place, binding the edges and making the bottom hem.

Därefter tog jag itu med öppningen i halsringningen och sedan sydde jag fast ärmarna. Sist sydde jag kantband i halslinningen och fållade botten.

Today he tried it on and I believe he finds it just as comfy as I did my dress.

Idag testade han skjortan och jag tror faktiskt att han tycker att den är lika skön som jag upplevde klänningen.

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Art for Ukraine

One month has passed since Russia started the horrible war against Ukraine, seemingly aiming at obliterating the whole country with its citizens. Karin Faaij Hultgren, has started an admirable project, where people auction out their art pieces in the Facebook group Konstauktioner för Ukraina and the money goes to UNHCR’s work in Ukraine. At the moment I believe this has generated more than 100.000 Swedish kronor to the help organisation.

I had an UFO (unfinished object) in my art stash, which I dedicated to this project. I completed the regency family portrait, improving the shadows and adding some typical furniture. Now I hope someone will like it as much as I do, so it brings in some more money to the suffering people of Ukraine. You may place your bid on it here.

Nu har det gått en månad sedan Ryssland invaderade Ukraina och de tycks ha som mål att totalt tillintetgöra hela landet med dess invånare. Karin Faaij Hultgren har startat ett beundransvärt projekt, där folk får skänka sin konst, som sedan auktioneras ut och pengarna går oavkortat till UNHCR och Röda korsets arbete i Ukraina. För tillfället tror jag att detta projekt har inbringat över 100 000 kronor till hjälporganisationerna.

Jag hade ett UFO (unfinished objects) liggande bland mina konstgrejer och detta ville jag nu dedikera till konstauktionen. Jag fullbordade porträttet av empirfamiljen genom att förbättra skuggor och lägga till lite tidstypisk inredning. Nu hoppas jag att någon kommer att tycka lika mycket om bilden som jag gör, så att det drar in lite mer pengar till den lidande ukrainska befolkningen. Du kan lägga ditt bud här.



We have a constantly drooling baby, who also has a growing appetite for colourful food. Thus, the clothes are always either wet of drool or stained by food and accordingly every minute of my spare time has been dedicated to the production of “drool napkins”(?!). They are made of worn out clothes. Only the push buttons are new. These are the latest napkins.

Vår bebis dreglar konstant och har också en växande aptit för färgglad mat. Därför är kläderna alltid antingen blöta eller missfärgade av mat och därmed har alla lugna stunder gått åt till att sy nya dregellappar. Jag använder utslitna kläder. Endast tryckknapparna är nya. Här är de senaste alstren.

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Identical Medievalish Kirtles

Two years have passed since we last visited the Medieval Week of Visby and we have missed it much. Last week, our neighbour town hosted an event called “The Happy Middle Ages”. As our son suddenly has grown a strong interest for both fairytales and magic, this event felt as if it had been created for him. His older cousins were interested as well. The two teenage girls could borrow my dresses (that don’t fit my 9 month pregnant body very well at the moment), but both of the boys needed new kirtles and my husband’s 12th century kirtle needed some adjustments. I had leftovers from that same woolen fabric and as my boy only would agree to wear an identical garment as his idol cousin, I spent the week sewing two identical kirtles. My boy also made it clear that he would only accept the kirtle if they would suit his new fairytale heroes, Ronja and Birk, so he chose folklore clasps from his pirate treasure (originally rescued from an old cardigan). Thanks to the well known pattern with rectangles and triangles, the last garment was finnished the night before the event. Unfortunately, I must have counted wrong when creating the pattern for the older boy, so that his kirtle was a tad too tight under the arms.

The basic rectangle, with opening for a triangular gore mid front and back (and in the sides).
The finished bigger kirtle, with cardigan clasps.
Very content with his “Ronja outfit”, worn together with monster slippers

I was sorry to have to stay at home, but my dear husband sent many wonderful pictures from the event, which seemed to have met every expectation. There was magic, juggling with fire, combat, wonderful company and hotdogs. Our boy has talked much about it afterwards and I do believe that even his older cousins appreciated it.

Det har gått två år sedan vi besökte Medeltidsveckan senast och vi har saknat det mycket. Förra veckan hölls en medeltidsdag i Västervik, “Den glada medeltiden”. Eftersom vår son nyligen utvecklat ett starkt intresse för både sagor och trollerier, kändes det som om detta evenemang hade skapats för honom. Hans äldre kusiner var också intresserade. Tonårstjejerna kunde låna mina klänningar (som inte passar min nuvarande 9-månaders-graviditetskropp särskilt bra), men båda pojkarna behövde nya kjortlar och min mans 1100-talskjortel krävde några justeringar. Jag hade kvar lite av samma blå ylletyg och eftersom min son bara gick med på att ha på sig en identisk dräkt som sin kusin och idol, spenderade jag veckan med att sy och justera tre dräkter i samma tyg. Sonen hade även klargjort att han bara skulle använda dräkten om den liknade något som Ronja eller Birk kunde ha haft, så han fick välja folklore-spännen från sitt piratskrin, som vi fyllt med knappar från en gammal koftor. Tack vare det välbekanta mönstret med rektanglar och trianglar så lyckades jag göra klart den sista dräkten kvällen innan evenemanget. Tyvärr måste jag ha räknat fel när jag gjorde kusinens mönster, så det var rätt trångt under armarna.

A fairytale creature climbing the cliffs.

Det tog emot att stanna hemma, men min käre man skickade flera underbara bilder från evenemanget, som verkade uppfylla alla förväntningar. Det bjöds på trolleri, eldshow, medeltida krigskonst, ypperligt sällskap och varmkorv. Vår son har pratat så mycket om det efteråt och jag tror att även kusinerna uppskattade det.

Together with the magician Arkadia
The last freezing picture from the event. I think they look pretty amazing. 😍

Earlier this summer, I also made this kirtle for another cousine, who felt like a princess in hee new dress. Perhaps even that family might be converted eventually.

Tidigare i somras sydde jag även denna kjortel åt en annan av kusinerna, som kände sig som en prinsessa i sin nya klänning. Kanske kommer även den familjen omvändas så småningom.

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Boy’s T-shirts

We went to a fabric shop, Jofotex tyger, on one of our few trips this summer. I was hoping to secure some fabric for myself, but my boy fell in love with some fabrics and suddenly there was neither time, nor budget for me to buy anything for myself. As for the shirts, I simply drew a new pattern from the outer lines of one of his existing T-shirts. This time I actually read the manual for my sewing machine and used the right seams for the jersey fabrics. I had also ordered special fabric for neck and wrists from tygdrömmar.se. My boy got these T-shirts for birthday present and was really pleased, especially with the one with Paw Patrol motif.

På en av våra få dagsutflykter denna Covid-sommar, besökte vi Jofotex tyger. Jag hoppades på att hitta lite tyger till mig själv, men sonen blev själv förälskad i några tyger och plötsligt räckte varken tiden eller budgeten till för inköp till mig själv.

Som med skjortorna, använde jag mig av en existerande T-shirt för att göra ett nytt mönster. Denna gång läste jag faktiskt symaskinens instruktionsbok och använde rätt slags sömmar för trikåtygerna. Jag hade också beställt muddtyg från tygdrömmar.se. Sonen fick T-shirtarna i födelsedagspresent och blev väldigt glad, särskilt för den med motiv från Paw Patrol.

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Boy’s Shirts

After a cold and rainy spring, the summer heat hit us hard. It soon became clear that my dear, growing boy was in urgent need of a thin shirt, protecting his skin from the sun at the same time as it had to be cool and airy. As no such shirts were to be found in the stores, I had to make my own shirt pattern, using his wellfitting, warmer shirt as skabelon. I thought the shirt making process would be very difficult, but it was not nearly as trying as I had imagined.

Efter en kall och regnig vår, slog sommarvärmen till hårt. Snabbt förstod jag att min växande pojke behövde en tunn skjorta för att skydda huden mot solen, samtidigt som den måste vara luftig och sval. Eftersom jag inte kunde finna några sådana skjortor i butikerna, insåg jag att jag nog måste sy skjortan själv. Jag gjorde ett nytt mönster, utifrån en av hans välsittande, varma skjortor. Jag hade föreställt mig att det skulle vara jätteknepigt att sy en skjorta, men det var faktiskt rätt enkelt när jag väl kom igång. 

The fabric is from an old curtain and the buttons are reused too. In order to win his approval, I embroidered a pirate skull on the shirt pocket.
The fabric is comes from an old blanket and the buttons are also reused. I stiched decorative seams in his favourite colours.

Both the shirts have proven to be both practical, cool and protective against insects. And most importantly – my son loves them.

Båda skjortorna har visat sig vara både praktiska, svala och skydda väl mot insekter. Och viktigast av allt – sonen älskar dem!

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Solhatt

Sonen behövde en ny solhatt, men det var helt omöjligt att hitta en hatt i rätt storlek, så jag fick helt enkelt göra en själv. Först gjorde jag ett mönster av papper.

Jag använde dubbla tyglager, med förstärkning (?) i brättet.

När alla delar var sammansydda sydde jag även några cirkulära sömmar kring brättet, för att ge extra stadga.

Resultatet blev helt ok. Får se hur hatten tål väder och vind framöver.

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Child’s Winter Coat

Last year I disintegrated my sister’s old wool winter jacket (she let me, I promise) in order to reuse the lining for my red winter coat. Originally, I planned to use the wool for my nephew’s medieval clothes, but when I had the vlieseline (?) removed, it was too sticky on the wrong side. So I saved it in my stash. When I found this fluffy faux fur at Panduro, I knew just what to use it for! It’s so fluffy I’m gonna die!

Förra året sprättade jag upp min systers gamla vinterjacka (hon tillät det, jag lovar), för att kunna återanvända jackans foder till min  röda kappa. Jag sparade yttertyget, som var ett fint ylle. Jag tänkte använda tyget till min systersons medeltidskläder, men det när jag hade tagit bort det stadgande materialet (vlieseline?) var det alldeles för sticksigt, så det fick ligga kvar i tyglagret. När jag hittade denna fluffiga fuskpäls visste jag precis vad jag skulle använda yllet till! Det är så fluffigt att jag dör!

I made a new pattern, tracing the outer lines from my son’s favourite jacket, but adding one centimeter at every side, except at the bottom, where I added one decimeter.  I thought about hiding a zipper behind a flap (?) and adding fancy metal buttons, that my son adores, but it seemed too intricate to sew and for a child to put on by himself.

Jag ritade ett nytt mönster genom att rita en centimeter utanför varje kant på hans favoritjacka. Nertill la jag till en decimeter. Jag funderade över att ha en dragkedja dold under en flärp med fina metallknappar, som han älskar, men det verkade vara för knepigt både att sy och för en tvååring att hantera. 

I removed the old pockets and used this part for arms. Unfortunately the fabric behind the pocket seams had a lighter colour, which I unsuccessfully tried covering up with black ink. Obviously the ink reflects sunlight very well… I had to make some piecing together, as you see.

Jag sprättade bort de gamla fickorna och använde dessa tygstycken till ärmarna. Tyvärr visade sig tyget under sömmarna ha blivit ljusare, vilket jag försökte maskera med svart tush. Tushet reflekterar visst solljuset väldigt bra… Som du ser fick jag skarva en del för att få tyget att räcka.

When he first tried the jacket on, he began crying and wouldn’t try it again for a few days. Today, I realized that there was a needle left in the faux fur. After removing it, he loved this jacket. He described it as “Awesome! Cozy!”. I am so pleased!

När han testade jackan första gången började han gråta och vägrade ta på den igen. Idag upptäckte jag att en nål gömt sig i den fluffiga fuskpälsen. Efter att jag tagit bort den älskade han sin nya jacka. Han beskrev den som  “Häftig! Mysig!” Jag är så glad!

For Christmas gift, I made a pyjamah, tracing his favourite pair. He loves the fact that it is a dress with pockets

Jag sydde en pyjamas till honom i julklapp. Hans favoritpyjamas är en klänning med fickor. Denna använde jag som förlaga och han blev väldigt nöjd.

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Medieval Kirtle

This summer was wonderful, but intense. At the first day of my vacation I realized that I would have to prepare three different repertoires for the four concerts in three weeks, so I understood that I needed to finish my sewing projects quickly.  Said and done. In one day I finished a modern dress for my friend, I made a kirtle for my sister’s boy to wear at the Medieval Week of Visby and I also finished the regency waistcoat for my husband. The extremely simple regency dress was sewn in one day on sewing machine, but I finished the long roll hems the other day.

Den här sommaren var underbar, men intensiv. Första dagen på semestern insåg jag att jag måste lära in tre olika repertoarer för de fyra sångtillfällena, fördelade över tre veckor, så jag förstod att jag måste slutföra mina påbörjade sömnadsprojekt innan detta. Sagt och gjort. På en dag sydde jag färdigt en klänning åt min vän, jag sydde en kjortel åt en pojke som skulle med till Medeltidsveckan i Visby och jag blev äntligen klar med en empirväst åt min man. Dessutom blev sydde jag en ny, extremt enkel empirklänning, men handsydde fållarna för några dagar sedan.

Quick Medieval Kirtle

Last summer I helped my nieces sewing their own medievalish dresses for Söderköpings gästabud. This summer we had planned to take their whole family to the Medieval Week of Visby for a day, so now their little brother also needed a kirtle. I used a fabric that I found in a second hand shop and the usual “squares and triangles method”.

Förra sommaren hjälpte jag mina systerdöttrar att sy deras egna medeltida klänningar till Söderköpings gästabud. Den här sommaren skulle hela deras familj följa med oss till Medeltidsveckan i Visby. Därmed behövde även lillebror en kjortel. Jag använde ett tyg som jag hittat på Eriskhjälpen. Den är gjord efter “fyrkanter och trianglar-metoden”.These are the pattern pieces that I used.

Detta är alla mönsterbitar jag använde.

After having sewn the front piece to the back piece, I made the arms (which were way too long). I attached the square gusset for the armpit first, then I stitched the rest of the arm and last I inserted the arms into the kirtle.

Efter att jag sytt samman framdelen och bakdelen, sydde jag armar (alldeles för långa). Jag satte fast de fyrkantiga ärmsprund innan jag sydde samman ärmen och satte in den i själva kjorteln.

Then I inserted the triangle gussets into the front, back and side seams. Last sew the hems by hand. I believe I made this in about four hours.

Sedan satte jag in trianglarna mitt fram, mitt bak och i sidorna. Slutligen fållade jag för hand. Jag tror att allt detta tog fyra timmar.

My nephew was most dashing in his new garment! Unfortunately the best picture was taken in front of some cars, so my mother helped me blend that picture with her picture of a medieval french castle. Isn’t it awesome?!

Pojken var väldigt fin i sin nya dräkt! Tyvärr togs den bästa bilden framför några bilar, så mamma hjälpte mig att sammanfoga den bilden med en av hennes bilder av ett franskt medeltida slott. Är det inte en fantastisk bild?!

And here are some pictures from the Medieval week.

Här kommer några bilder frön Medeltidsveckan.

Our family, looking like going on a roller coaster

Fair young maiden in a romantic ruin

I will soon make a new post showing off the summer dress, the regency waistcoat and the extremely simple regency dress.

Snart ska jag även göra ett inlägg om sommarklänningen, empirvästen och den extremt enkla empirklänningen.

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Regency Gentleman, Toddler and Teen

At Tjolöholm Castle 2016

Teenager’s Dress

These last few months have been crazy. I’ve had my internship at the psychiatric ward, which have been both thrilling and exhausting, as I have been working nights a lot more than I tolerate. At the same time I have been preparing clothes for a recency ball. In a weak moment I decided to even participate in dancing sessions before the ball, in order to fully enjoy the historically authentic ball (for those of you who don’t know me, I  am not the dancing type). My dear nieces will accompany us for the dancing lessons and thus, there is need for one more regency dress, for a  slender thirteenyearold. The younger niece will wear this dress which will be long enough after having removed the pin tucks. I made the quickest dress ever, with the least amount of material ever, leaving approximately five square centimetres of scraps. This is the result. 

This is what fabric was left after making the dress. I’m quite proud of myself.

The new dress with floral print and the old white dress which has now been successfully lengthened by removing the pin tucks.

Toddler’s Dress

Our toddler will join the dancing sessions, off course. So he needs a kirtle. I made one in a few hours by machine. He should have a pair of trousers and a hat too, but there is no time and what does it matter, really? If you want some background about children’s clothing, see this lovely page.

Tired boy in the company of his best friends

Fall Front Breeches

I have been working on a new pair of breeches for my husband for some years, moments at a time. Now only the buttons remain. I have tried to solve the mystery of the construction of the elusive fall front breeches and drafted the pattern myself. This is how I have interpreted what I have seen in pictures.

1) putting together front, back and both sides 2) cutting slits by the sides for narrow or broad fall front 3) adding the pieces behind the fall front

5) adding fabric pieces to the fall front sides 6) folding the pieces around the sides in order to hide the raw edges 7) adding one piece more to the top of the fall front in the same way

After I stopped documenting this process – why, in heavens name? – I added a waistband to hide the raw edges at the rest of the top of the breeches. I hid the raw edges of the end of the legs in the same way. And at the very last I will add buttons and make button holes!

Shirt with Ruffles

I thought that he also needed a nicer shirt and cravat than the first set of clothes, so I made a new shirt with ruffles in the neckline and by the cuffs. Afterwards, I have found excellent tutorials for period regency shirt construction, as in Fabric and Fiction and at Your Wardrobe Unlocked. This one is obviously wrong in many ways.

I started by cutting the double length wished for, folded and cut a whole for the head and a slit at the mid front. Then I added two square arms with square gussets at the arm pits, with gathering at the shoulder and at the end of the arms. I also added ruffles at the slit in the front, although I found out later that the slit should probably have been 3-4 dm long and the ruffles should have been in one continuing piece, instead of one on each side.

I have no idea how this should be done, but this was my way of making the ruffles at the end of the arms: I had two pieces of fabrics in which I hid the raw edge of the arm gathering. After having stitched this in place, I added a folded piece of fabric with gathering, which I tucked in between the two layers in the same way as the arm gathering.

I believe that the opening in the from should have been longer, but then there would not have been enough of fabric for ruffles.

Ruffles sewn by hand and self covered buttons for the collar.

Tailcoat

My most time consuming sewing project ever must be his new tailcoat. I have used historical methods and made all of the interlining by hand – hundreds of stitches that no one will ever see… ? I used the fantastic pattern of Laughing Moon that I bought for the prize money for my win in the 2017 competition of Your Wardrobe Unlocked.

Now there is only a new waistcoat left to make the suit complete. And a pair of shoes, stockings, pocket watch, new hair etc… When starting to update the historical wardrobe, there is no end to it, especially as the family expands.

If I’m still alive by the end of the week, after two more nights at work, I look forward to see all of these clothes during the dancing session.

The dance training was featured in the local newspaper, with some nice pictures. This was what our family looked like. Alas, it was all too obvious that I had not made adjustments for the tail coat during the process, for it did not fit as well as I had hoped for.

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Medievalish

Two years ago, we planned on going to the Medieval Week at Visby together with my brother and my sisters family.  At the eleventh hour, I noticed that we had booked the ferry ticket and hotel nights for the wrong week.  Oh, the horror.  We comforted ourselves by going to the beautiful castle of Tjolöholm instead, where there was a Jane Austen display. My nieces have been very keen on experiencing the Medieval week though. I had no vacation this summer, so Visby was out of the question, but I had time for a day at the medieval fair at Söderköpings gästabud.

With a tiny bit of help from me, my nieces made their own gowns – all from cutting to sewing. I am so proud of them! We used fabric from my stash. The green cotton was initially blue, but became green when I was trying to dye it black for the Scary Robe. The pink linen was a huge table cloth. The dresses are made from rectangles and triangles. As the fabric is so unmedieval, the girls went all in by using Tanzanian wooden belts fort decoration. I think that they look like fantasy princesses!

Linen kirtle and liripipe hood out of soft wool

They asked me several times what our boy would wear. Eventually I could not resist making a little kirtle for him, out of an old linen skirt.

Earlier, we worn the cheapest underwear, made out of old cotton bed sheets. At our last stay at the Medieval week though, I bought linnen. During my internships far away from home, I spent the lonely evenings hand stitching a new shirt and a pair of breeches for my husband. I made a new chemise for myself the last night, on machine. I am quite proud of that I succeeded in making alterations for my husbands cotehardie. I made it for him ten years ago, when he was quite slender. Since he began bodybuilding, he has not been able to get into these clothes again. Astonishingly, I seem to have been wise enough to save broad seam allowances, so that I could make both the torso and sleeves wider. After adding sleeve gussets at the shoulders, he was even able to move!

New underwear: linen chemise, shirt, breeches and a little kirtle for the boy

The day at Söderköping was cosy. Off course, it could not compare with Visby, but our boy was happy in the clothes (he had my liripipe hood because of the cold weather) and my nieces were happy to play with him for a whole day.  The city is beautiful; the main part consists of pretty wooden houses from the 19th and early 20th century. The market was nice and I found a nice fabric for a new modern coat. All together, it was a nice day, in great company. Thank you, dear nieces!

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