Swimsuits!

Summer starts early here. We opened the pool for the season during Spring Break, at the end of March. It wasn't really that hot here, yet- we heated the pool. With a pool in our backyard and temperatures in the triple digits (we hit 115 this weekend), we plan to spend most days in the pool. This means we all need swimsuits, and more than just 1 each. It was perfect timing, because Katie and Leila were hosting SwimAlong2013. I had never sewn a swimsuit before- there had really been no need when we lived in Oregon. It proved to be really quite easy and quick!

I started with a swimsuit for Ashley. We used her old swimsuit, the one that was too small, as a guide. This did not go so well. It was too tight in the hips. I cut the bottom off of it, and decided to make a tankini.  After cutting a new, bigger bottom for the swimsuit, I realized I wasn't getting the leg opening right. I pulled out my Jalie underwear pattern and used that to fix it. I should have started with this pattern to begin with! The fabric was purchased at lowpricefabric.com.

I made a swimsuit for myself next, but don't have good pictures yet. They are all blurry. It will get it's own blog post someday soon. 

Natalie was begging for hers to be made next, so I picked out an Ottobre pattern and got to work. I used Ottobre 3/2009 #38 with #39 for the top. She and Alona loved this pink camo fabric.

Alona's swimsuit was so quick. Hers was my 4th swimsuit in 2 weeks and the same pattern as Natalie. She has the same size chest and waist as Natalie, so I just added a bit to the hips for hers.

My girls all love their new swimsuits! Can you tell? I wonder how tan they will be by the end of summer...

Casual Lady Dress from Go To Patterns

I was asked to test the Casual Lady Dress pattern for Go To Patterns in April. They needed the XXS again, so Ashley got another dress!

I ordered these cotton/spandex jerseys from Nature's Fabrics. The top one is the same fabric Katie used for the leggings she wore to our meetup and I loved the quality, so ordered some of my own. The blue with gold flecks was much thinner, sadly, so I decided to use it for this dress.

The dress was quick! 2 main pieces, 2 facing pieces. Easy. The instructions were great, and Ashley was so happy to have yet another dress. I will definitely make this pattern again. I might even try making the top for myself- yes, it can be a dress or a top.

Doesn't she look thrilled?

Simply Lovely dress for Ashley

A few months ago, Go To Patterns was looking for a pattern tester for their smallest women's dress size.  After taking a look at their sizing, I realized this would work perfect for my 12 year old and signed right up!  They sent me the Simply Lovely Dress pattern.

I picked out a stretch woven I've had in the stash for quite some time. I fell in love with the diagonal stripe, but never knew what to do with it.

I think this fabric has a little less drape than the recommended fabrics, but it works.  I would LOVE to make this in a light to mid weight linen!

The instructions were well written. The elastic at the waist was put in a way I never have seen before.  I followed the directions, not sure how it would work, but it did!  The sizing is great! Ashley is quite thin, so I was surprised that a women's pattern would have a size to fit. I did lengthen the dress, as usual.  I will probably do the straps differently the next time I make it, making the underarm binding continue up as the straps, as I think it will sit better on their shoulders.

This pattern is FREE, yes, free. You just have to head over to GoToSew.com and sign up for their newsletter.  The dress was posted there back at the beginning of April, but I believe it is still available.

Back in January I made this dress...

Ashley turned 12 back in January. I decided to make her a new dress for her birthday, as she really didn't have any dresses in her closet.  I let her pick out the fabric from my stash. I searched through my Ottobre magazines and let her pick between a few patterns. 

We went with 06/2008 37. In the magazine, the girl wore it layered with a turtleneck and tights. It is really a cute dress. I would have loved to make the turtleneck, but it just isn't that cold here.

This dress was quick and easy to make. My kind of pattern! I used a pink cotton interlock from the stash.  It's been long enough that I forget what size I made. I love Ottobre patterns. They have great styles for kids (and women). The instructions are minimalist- sew the shoulder seam, gather between marks, hem.   This doesn't really bother me, as I know how to do these things.

 I need pink thread for the serger.

Ashley loves her new dress (we moved a week after her birthday, so boxes were just a part of our life back then).

A Coat

I finished the coat for Kristin's daughter.  I used the Oliver + S School Days Jacket pattern.  It is a quick and fairly easy pattern (really, don't be intimidated by this pattern).    The instructions are well written.  It came together in one weekend, only sewing in the evenings.

This is not the best picture (of my daughter wearing the coat).  Maybe Kristin will post cuter ones of her daughter wearing it! (hint, hint)

It is made up in a wool crepe which I underlined because it was a little thin for a coat.  The lining is a cute cotton print that Kristin picked.  Maybe she will get pictures of that as well? 

The Latest Dress

Okay, Brielle is a fashion diva.  She's got her own style going and no matter what I want her to wear or what I like, she's not going to wear it unless she thinks it's fabulous.

So, when it came time to make some new dresses for Brielle, I decided to let her design her own wardrobe, with some boundaries, of course. Basically, I let her pick her pattern, I let her pick her fabric, and I let her pick her ribbon.  I had to approve of what she chose, since I have to look at it, but we worked together and came up with some great new fashions, designed by Brielle.

This is the first dress in a line of 4 that she's "designed".  I think it turned out pretty cute.  I made a size 6, since her size 5's hanging in her closet are getting short, but I should've made a 5, because pattern sizes are always bigger than store bought clothes.  The next 3 will be made a 5 with the length of a 6 most likely. 

I tried Laura's tips on pressing and it really made a big difference in how accurately the dress came together.  The fabric also seemed much easier to work with than it usually does.

One other thing I do when I'm making dresses is serge any edges that will remain raw when the dress is fully assembled.  Not only does this eliminate the need for pinking shears, it keeps the fabric from fraying, and it makes the inside of the dress look more "professional" or "store bought."  If you don't have a serger and you sew a lot, I highly recommend investing in one.  Mine is a Kenmore, and I got it from sears for under $200.  It's not fancy, but it works and works well.

Personally, I love the contrast of this red dress with the sky blue ribbon.  The next fashion designer could be living in my home.  Okay, maybe not.

One thing I've learned from this experience is that if I let them pick as much as possible, they'll love it and wear it until they've worn it out.

Happy Creating!

Kristin

*This project was made using New Look pattern 6845 and Michael Miller CX3744_Red Quarter Dot and Offray 1 1/2" wide grosgrain ribbon.*

teach your children

While shopping for muslin at JoAnn's yesterday, I decided it would be a great time to teach my children the fine art of embroidery.  This can be as simple as you want it to be.  We headed over to the needlepoint section of the store and picked up a few embroidery hoops, needles and some embroidery floss.  I let the girls pick four colors each.  For less than $10 we were ready to go!  I have a stash of muslin (bleached and unbleached) at home so we didn't need to buy fabric.   For our first design, I put the fabric in the hoop and then drew a heart in the middle.  I started each of them with a heart. 

They picked the which floss color to use.  I threaded their needles, tied one end, and showed them in a few stitches how it goes.  Ashley took off and finished with no problems.  Alona had a hard time keeping the thread in the needle but finished quite well.  Natalie had trouble but got the idea.  She almost finished half her heart before she wanted me to take over.  I tied the floss when they finished.  They were all so very proud of their accomplishments.

We are just doing a running stitch to begin.  If you aren't familiar with embroidery stitches, you can find them easily by googling it.  I liked how Needle 'N Thread has so many free resources.  This is the page with the basic stitches.  They also have how tos for more stitches than just the basics.  They also have some free patterns.  They thoroughly enjoyed learning to "stitch" and asked to do more today.  I asked each of the girls what they would like to "stitch."  Ashley wanted a flower (she wanted a tulip but didn't tell me until after I started drawing on her fabric and I don't know how to draw a tulip).  Alona wanted a giant star.  Natalie chose a triangle.  I threaded their needles again and tied the end of the floss.  None of them needed any help with the stitching this time.  Ashley didn't get to finish hers as she is using 3 different colors and I didn't get a chance to thread the last one for her.  I think she is probably about ready to add another stitch to her repertoire.  I am thinking the back stitch.

I used about a size 4 needle with 3 of the six strands of floss that are in DMC embroidery floss.  This size needle had no problem going through the fabric (too bid a needle and it can be hard for children to pull the eye through).  The kids haven't mastered threading a needle yet, so I do that for them.  Tying the knot in the floss can be difficult as well, so I am doing that for now as well.  Keeping the designs simple is essential for young children.  Ashley is ready for more detailed designs.  I am not sure about Alona yet- I will let her set her own pace.  Natalie is content with basic shapes.  The key (with my kids, at least) is to do it when they are ready, let them choose the colors and designs, and make it as fun as possible!  This is a great way to keep them entertained during the HOT summer, since we are stuck inside all the time and they love TV and computers a little too much.

Show your patriotism

For the 4th of July, I made skirts for the girls and an outfit for the boy.  I also embellished the girls' shirts.  I made the tiered skirts out of knit fabrics.  I used the tiered skirt tutorial.  I did 3 tiers using the 1.5x tiers.  I love how they turned out!  I made them much shorter than the previous skirts I have made.  I made fabric yo-yo's for their shirts- one each in red, white, and blue.  I stitched them together and then tacked them to their shirts.  They are easily removed.  Ideally, I will make them into pins so they can be put on any shirt and used every year.

I used the same knit to make Drew's outfit.  I used an existing out fit as a pattern, but added a red stripe in the middle with reverse applique white stars.  I think next time I will make the stripe a bit higher on the chest.  It turned out fairly well.  Next time I will plan ahead better so that I can have colored snaps to match the fabric.

The Flash

During Celebrate The Boy month, there was an awesome tutorial for a boy's shirt  over at




I have been meaning to make one for Drew.  I have some T-shirts around here that would be perfect for it.  I prefer onesies for my little guy at this point, though.  So I decided to go for it.  I ran over to D.I.- yes, they have one or two of those around here- and found a couple T-shirts.  I made the first one this morning.  It took me about 90 minutes total.  I made some mistakes and had to redo a few things, so I think it will take even less time the next go round.
So here is how mine turned out:

I bought a onesie at D.I. so that I could cut it up and use it as a pattern (I don't have any extra onesies at home I can use).  It worked out pretty well except that the onesie was a very stretchy knit and the T-shirt I used isn't quite so stretchy.  Add that to the fact that I use cloth diapers, and the it ends up being a bit more snug around the bum than I like.  So the next one will get cut a bit wider at the bottom - hopefully that will solve the problem!  I plan to take pictures on the next one so that you can see how the bottom of the onesie is done.

If you are apprehensive about sewing with knits, DO NOT WORRY.  It really was easy.  I didn't use my serger because I need to find the tool used to remove the needle as it seems to have disappeared.  I just used a .5 width zigzag with a 3.0 length stitch on my regular machine and it worked great for finishing the neck and leg edges.  It was SO easy.  Go over to 

and get started!

Tiered Skirt Tutorial

Have you seen all those cute tiered skirts out there?  I have.  I was trying to decide what to make for my girls to wear on Valentine's Day this year.  I decided to go with tiered skirts.  I love the way they turned out!

This skirt requires a bit of math, so get your calculators ready!

NOTE: This skirt could also be made for an adult using the same formula.

 Supplies:

• yardage of fabric (based on size of person, tiers, and length of skirt)
• 3/4 inch non-rolling elastic 
• coordinating thread
• scissors  
• rotary cutter and mat (optional)
• paper
• pencil or pen
• calculator (optional)
• sewing machine 
• iron
• ironing board or mat

Start by measuring the waist of the person for whom this skirt is intended.
Determine the length of the skirt by measuring from the waist to where you want the hem.
Determine how many tiers you want.


You can now formulate the measurements for the skirt.
You will cut strips for each tier. The width of the tiers will equal the length of your skirt divided by the number of tiers plus seam allowances and allowances for a hem and a waistband.   Add two inches to the first tier for the waistband.  Add one inch to each of the middle tiers  for seam allowances (half inch for the upper seam allowance and half an inch for the lower seam allowance).  Add one and a half inches for hem and seam allowances on the bottom tier.

Now, to determine the length of the tiers.  Remember that waist measurement?  You will use that now.  Depending on how full you want your tiers to be, you will multiply that times 1.5 or 2.  I will use 2 for this tutorial on a 22 inch waist. On the red and white skirts, I used1.5 (you can look at the pictures to help determine how full you want your skirt to be).  For the length of each tier, multiply the previous tier times 2 (or 1.5 if you are wanting the less gathered tiers).

Here is a brief recap:
Waist measurement = 22 inches
Length of skirt = 18 inches
Number of tiers = 4
Length divided by number of tiers = X  (4.5)
Width of 1st tier  = X+2  (4.5 + 2 = 6.5)
Width of 2nd and 3rd tiers = X+1  (4.5 + 1 = 5.5)
Width of 4th tier = X+1.5  (4.5 + 1.5 = 6)
Length of first tier = Waist x 2 = A (A = 44)
Length of second tier = A x 2 = B (B = 88)
Length of third tier = B x 2 = C (C = 176)
Length of fourth tier = C x 2 = D (D = 352)

On to cutting the fabric!

I used a rotary cutter, self healing mat, and ruler to cut my fabric.  You may also mark your fabric and cut with scissors.  Here is a picture of a strip that I just cut.
Because the fabric is 44 inches wide and my first tier needed to be 44 inches, I folded the fabric the same way it was folded on the bolt to cut the strips.  I cut one strip for the first tier (44 inches long by 6.5 inches wide).  For the second tier, I cut 2 strips 44 inches long by 5.5 inches wide, totaling 88 inches long by 5.5 inches wide (it doesn't matter if it ends up slightly shorter due to seams, just go with it).  For the third tier, I cut 4 strips 44 inches long by 5.5 inches wide, and the fourth tier I cut 8 strips 44 inches long by 6 inches wide.

Here is a picture of all the strips for the 4 tiers of the skirt. I am using 2 coordinating fabrics and alternating them.

I like to start from the hem and work up to the waistband.

1.  Take all of the strips for the top tier of the skirt and sew them together into one continuous piece.  Press seams out.  If you need to finish off the raw edges, you can use a zigzag stitch or serger.
Repeat for each tier.

On the bottom tier, turn a half inch along one edge of the tier, pressing.  Turn again.  Stitch along the upper edge of the hem.  

2.  To gather, stitch a 1/4 inch from top edge using a long stitch (I use a stitch length of 5 on my machine, but all of the other machines I have used gathered at a stitch length of 4).  Then stitch again a 1/4 inch front the first row of stitching.  With really long tiers, you can do the gathering stitches in sections.

3.  Pull the threads on ONE side of the fabric to gather.  Be sure not to pull so hard that you break the thread- if using a good quality thread this won't be an issue.

Pin the gathered edge to the next tier of fabric, right sides together.  Stitch 1/2 inch from the edged, making sure that you are using a normal stitch length again.  Finish off the raw edges with a serger or by sewing a zigzag stitch.

Turn right side out and press seam allowance up toward the upper tier (ungathered edge).

I like to do an 1/8 inch topstitch to make it look more professional.  This is optional, but it really does look nice!

4.  Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all tiers except the top tier.



5.  Turn under 1/4 inch on the top edge of the top tier,  pressing as you go.

Turn again, this time turning 1 inch,  pressing as you go.

Stitch 1/8 inch seam around both edges to create casing for the elastic, leaving a 2 inch opening.

Measure the wearer's waist.  Cut your elastic 1-2 inches longer.  Thread through the casing (I usually use a safety pin for this).  Overlap the two ends of the elastic and stitch using a zigzag stitch, going back and forth several times.  Check the fit.  Pull the elastic inside the casing and finish by stitching the opening closed.

Variations:
You can cut your strips in continuous strips down the length of your fabric if you don't want seams other than on the sides.  This takes more time and effort, but I did it on the red and white skirts that I made.

You can do patchwork tiers as well.  This is a little more time consuming, but can look gorgeous.  Maybe I will do a tutorial on patchwork someday.  I'm not promising anything at the moment, though!



***If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will try to answer it!***