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  • Simplicity 4177

    Aqua Cherry Blossom Top

    I made two tops from fabric I bought last summer. One made of Pink/Brown Cherry Blossom cotton and the other of Aqua Cherry Blossom cotton. I love the style of these shirts which is why I made two. I used Simplicity 4177 to make these tops.

    The pink one has flutter sleeves. It was easy to make except I couldn’t turn the tubes at all so I made them like they were bias tape and stitched them. You can see the stitches this way but it looks fine to me. I also had to cut the neckline elastic 8″ shorter than it tells you to cut it. I didn’t add any embellishments to this top, although the pattern called for trim and stitching along the neckline. I thought the fabric was busy enough and it didn’t need it.

    The aqua one also has flutter sleeves but they are shorter. The armholes have a partial bias tape facing. This was also easy to make even with adding the rickrack around the facing and on the curves of the hips area. The rickrack I decided to add to the sleeves was harder to sew on. The pattern didn’t call for it but I thought it would be a nice touch. I think this one is my favorite of the two.

    Cherry Blossom Pink Top Neckline Sleeves Aqua Cherry Blossom Top Aqua Cherry Blossom Top Ricrac Facing Ricrac Detail Ricrac Sleeves

  • Butterick 4503

    Skort

    My daughter wanted me to make her Butterick 4503 . I had some Licensed Cotton Fabric- Brave which I had bought last summer by my daughter’s request but then never used. I didn’t have enough of the fabric to cut out everything so we went back to Joann’s to get more but they were out of that fabric. So we bought a fabric that matched, which was used for the waist band.

    The pattern wasn’t all the easy, at least for the top. You need to do a narrow hem on a curve for finishing the arm holes. I don’t know how that is possible to do so I just cut off the hem allowance and encased the edge with 1/4″ double fold bias tape. Also instead of using ribbon for the ties I just used the bias tape to continue the color of the armhole binding. The top is so short. I made my daughter a size 6, although the pattern said a size 3 would fit her, and the bottom barely reaches her belly button. I would add an 1-2 inches if I make this again.

    The shorts were easy to make but it was weird that is had a separate waistband, that was until I made the skort, then I realized why it had a separate waistband. The skort was also easy to make. I like how it came out. I used a bottomweight sateen that I bought over a year ago, not sure when. My daughter loves her new clothes!

    Top and Shorts Top and Shorts Skort Skort

    I am really enjoying sewing from my stash. Now just to stop buying new fabric while using up my stash!

  • Insulate Shopping Bag

    Insulated Shopping Bag

    I have been wanting to make an insulated sewing bag for some time. I bought the fabric for it last fall but then never completed it. So now that there is a Fabric Stash contest I thought I would complete this and get some fabric out of my closet as well as finally having an insulated shopping bag. I used Butterick 5338 to make the bag. I wasn’t too happy about the pattern. It was harder to sew than I thought it would be.

    First I couldn’t find quilted insulated fabric so I bought ripstop and Insul-Fleece which I quilted together. I chose ripstop since it’s easy to wipe down and won’t develop large holes if I over load it like the insulated bag I had purchased and is now trashed. It was fairly easy to sew at first. I think some of the direction order should have been changed, like sewing the velcro on before sewing up the side seams. They also forget to specify that you sew the velcro to the lining on the bag top. The hardest part was sewing the corners so that the lining and fabric stay together at the corners. I couldn’t get all the way down to the bottom. Maybe I should have hand stitched them. I also don’t like the velcro, I think I should have figured out a way to add a zipper. The way the top is sewn on is also not very good, it’s just sewn on with the top back overlayed on the bag top. It was also hard to sew on and it is hard to velcro close like that.
    Insulated Shopping Bag Insulated Shopping Bag Insulated Shopping Bag

  • Handbags

    payment

    Love handbags? Try making one with one of these sewing or cake making classes.
    Online Sewing Class Online Cake Decorating Class

    I swear that cake looks like a real handbag!

    No related posts.

  • Sewing Machines

    IMG_1101

    Right now I am working on a bunch of fast and easy patterns before I start working on my daughter’s jeans. I will be posting more on those quick projects later, but right now I wanted to talk about sewing machines. I have owned three different sewing machines. I had a White machine (don’t remember the model) which I learned to sew on. It is very basic and very frustrating to use. I never want to own a White sewing machine again!

    I then bought a Kenmore 18221, which I really like, although it has some problems. Like if I drop the feed dogs I now have to open up the machine to raise them again because the switch doesn’t work on raising them. That is probably my biggest gripe about the machine.

    I also own an old table sewing machine which my mother gave me. I posted about it here. I can’t seem to get the bobbin tension correct, but I’m taking Craftsy‘s Sewing Machine 911 FREE course. I hope it will help me figure it out.

    I really want a new sewing machine, one that can do some embroidery, or maybe a separate embroidery machine. I would also like a serger. My machine had some serging stitches but I have found the zigzag stitch is better. Of course I won’t be able to get machine for some time. We just don’t have the money. Meanwhile I am trying to find better ways of finishing my seams then zigzagging the edge or doing a french seam (which is great but not always doable or appropriate). Maybe I will take Craftsy Decorative Seams: Techniques and Finishes Class so I can learn some nice looking seam finishes.

    Craftsy has other free sewing class (as well as other types of classes) which you may want to check out: Sewing Machine Feet from A to Z, Bag-Making Basics: Reversible Tote & Zipper Pouch, Bag-Making Basics: Drawstring Bag & Bucket Bag and Mastering Zipper Techniques.

    FREE Online Sewing Class

  • Jeans in Progress – First Pair Complete

    IMG_2618-watermark

    So last night I completed my son’s jeans. They didn’t exactly turn out liked I plan. There was some difficulty with the pattern. Burda 9525 was not designed to work like standard jeans.

    I like that this pattern has an adjustable waist, but now that I have made it I don’t think I like how they did the adjustable waist. The construction was a little backwards if you want to sew these like jeans. I wanted to do top-stitching on the inseam like rtw but since I followed the instructions without thinking it through I could not. You sew the outseam first then the inseam which make it impossible to do top-stitching. I also installed the zipper before realizing I wanted to top-stitch the crotch seam but couldn’t do so because then the zipper was in the way.

    I made a few alterations to the pattern. For one I did not add the tabs. I had planned on adding the cargo pockets from the other view but when I went to put them on they were so small it was comical. So no cargo pockets. I was going to use the flag buttons on the pocket flaps but since I didn’t add those pockets and my son insisted I still use them, so I used them on the belt loops as an embellishment. Also for the front pockets I created a new pattern piece, a yoke facing, since they had the pocket bags made of the same fabric as the pants. I didn’t want to have denim pocket bags so I created the facing and sewed it to the pocket yoke. This turned out really well.

    I also changed to patch pockets on the back as I mention here. I had a problem with the blue A not showing up on one of the pockets, I fixed this by buying shiny blue embroidery thread and sewing over the A with it. Not it shows up more which you can see in the photos.

    Online Sewing ClassThe directions were hard to follow especially for the fly area and if it wasn’t for Kenneth King’s Jean-ius class I don’t think I could have gotten these jeans completed. I re-watched the part of the videos so often trying to figure out how to get it to work. The pattern was constructed differently then standard jeans but I figured it out. The section in Jean-ius on how to shorten a zipper was very helpful since I couldn’t find the correct size zipper at Joann’s.

    I had planned on making my own buttonhole elastic but that didn’t work out. So last minute I was looking for buttonhole elastic. Joann’s doesn’t carry it in store but has it online, but you have to buy 30 yards. Fabric.com had it by the yard but on back order. I searched other online stores but couldn’t find any amount less than 30 yards until I checked the Hobby Lobby. They have it in white and navy! But the navy is on back order, so I drove to my local store (I always forget that a new store opened locally a year ago) and found the white buttonhole elastic, so I just bought that. I might see if I can find the navy at some point and replace it in my son’s jeans.

    So here are some photos of the construction and the finished jeans.

    2013-06-06-18.23.08-watermark 2013-06-06-18.23-watermark 2013-06-06-18.24-watermark 2013-06-06-18.25.07-watermark 2013-06-06-18.25-watermark 2013-06-06-18.26-watermark IMG_2611-watermark IMG_2612-watermark IMG_2613-watermark IMG_2614-watermark IMG_2615-watermark IMG_2617-watermark IMG_2618-watermark Patriotic Jeans IMG_2606-watermark IMG_2607-watermark Patriotic Jeans IMG_2609-watermark

    I plan on taking a break from jeans for a bit before working on my daughters. I am working on a dress (McCall’s 6749) and some boxers for me first, for the The Fabric Stash Contest.

  • Jeans in Progress – Pockets and Patches

    After stitching

    So I have cut out all the pieces I needed for my kids jeans. Next I started by placing the patches I bought and embroidering the back pockets.

    I let my kids determine where they wanted the patches with some suggestions from me. I then ironed them on and then stitched them on so they stay on secure.

    To embroidered the pockets I drew out the design on tracing paper and then pinned the tracing paper to the pockets. I just stitched over the tracing paper and then teared it away. Now the tearing wasn’t as easy as I thought it would, I would suggest tissue paper or other very easy to tear paper. Now I just need to sew the pockets on.

    My Daughter's Jeans My Son's Jeans Before stitching After stitching Before stitching After stitching before paper was removed. After stitched. The blue doesn't show up well but my son insisted that it must be red, white and blue.

    Note: I got a new phone that takes bad pictures with the flash, everything is washed out. The pockets are the same dark blue as the pants.

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