KCWC Day 3/PR&P Holiday Week Tutorial

KCWC Day 3 and PR&P Holiday Wear!!!

(Fabric: Michael Miller 100 Calorie Snack Pack - Applique: Gingerbread Alpha from Planet Applique)

So I thought I would try to kill two birds with one stone this week and finish a Holiday wear look!  I LOVE how this dress turned out!!!  She is so stinkin' adorable!!!

Here's the tutorial of how I created the look!

I took measurements of a bodice pattern and drew up my own (I didn't want the neckline that was on the pattern so the neckline was the only thing I really changed.)

I traced the peter pan collar from a Simplicity pattern and ironed interfacing to one side

The pattern I modified had short sleeves so I added length to make it long sleeved.

You'll also need a long rectangle to make the skirt - double the width of the waist and cut about 10" if you're making the skirt to a 18mo-2T size.

Here's what your bodice pieces will look like:

Sew the peter pan collar and turn right side out.  Baste to the front of the bodice.

Sew the back to the front at the shoulders. (Do the same for the lining pieces)

Gather the sleeves and sew right sides together to the bodice.

Add the lining bodice to the front bodice right sides together and sew the arm seam only so that you're encasing the sleeve.  That way you won't have a raw edge on the inside of the dress at the arm hole.

Here are pics of what the finished seam looks like at the arm

 

NOW, this is tricky.  You are going to sew the neck and back together but it's going to look really funky like this:

Don't worry, it will all turn out in the end!!!  Make sure to pin it in place though.  Sew up the side seam, curve of the neck and down the other side seam.  Leave the bottom open.

Turn it out and press really well!!!!

 

I didn't take pictures of the rest of the steps but it's easy to put together after this.

Sew the sleeves closed by putting them right sides together.  You can finish with a serger or zig zag stitch.  Hem the sleeve.
Sew the side seam of your long rectangle for the skirt.  Gather and pin to the bottom of the bodice.  Finish the seam with a serger or zig zag stitch and top stitch the bottom of the bodice.  Hem the bottom of the skirt.

Add buttons to the back and you're done!!!

Sweet baby girl!!!!

 

Project Run and Play - Week 2 - Designer

 

I was so excited about this week's challenge!!!  It didn't take me long to think of a designer that I really agree with the "aesthetic" - that designer is Mila Hermanovski (or just Mila....if you asked me her last name I would probably say "Hermanamanah" or some other form of jibberish!!! lol!)

I think as a person she is really rough around the edges and most likely would never be someone that I could be friends with.  However, each week on her season of Project Runway I really looked forward to see what she was going to create!  I know the whole season she really wasn't taken too seriously - colorblocking = high fashion? Maybe not so much.  But everyone has their own likes and dislikes! I personally like it! :)

Here are a few examples of her work:

I think her stuff is so fun!  You can search through old blogs and news articles to read more about her designs!  This one stood out to me as my inspiration for my dress:

I just love yellows and grays!!!  I wanted to create a color block dress with stripes and I had a cute yellow/gray print already in my stash that could work great with my concept!

Get ready for a long post!!!

So the first thing I did was take a gray and a yellow pillowcase and cut 3" strips on the bias.  I took all those strips, lined them up and sewed them together to get my stripe fabric.

I cute out the left side of the dress front

Then, piecing together a strip down the middle and a block on the bottom left of the dress I "color blocked" the front panels.

Here's the back view

I didn't want to do all the work of piecing the stripes of bias strips again so I just did a simple color block back with the gray pillowcase and print

So I have a front and back and now I need a front and back lining.  I used the yellow and gray print for the lining!

To put the dress together sew the side seams of the front and back on both the main fabric and the lining fabric.

Leave a 3" hole in one of the lining sides to turn the dress right side out at the end.

Press all the seams open (in this pic you see the hole in the lining.)

Now, put the lining and dress right sides together.

Here's what it looks like when you're looking down at the dress.

Sew all the way around the arms and neck

Turn right side out and press!

Top stitch the arms and neck!

Now, to close up the bottom of the dress, pin the right sides together all the way around the bottom.  It looks really wonky but you're doing it right! :)

Find that open seam in the lining and turn the dress right side out!

Press and top stitch along the bottom!!!  Add button holes and buttons and you're finished!

Ruffle T-shirt Tutorial

 I was visiting with my friend who gave me an adorable ruffle shirt to applique and embroider and we talked about wanting to make them ourselves!!!  We admired the really narrow hems (something I have yet to master) and adorable cascading ruffles!!!  I thought it wouldn't be too hard to replicate so I challenged myself this evening with creating one!!!  I hope you enjoy this tutorial and Kala, I hope I see one from you soon!!! :)

Here's what you'll need:
T-shirt
Three 4" strips of fabric by approximately 44"
(basically you'll want 3/8 yard of fabric if you're going to the fabric store to buy your ruffles!)
Thread
Sewing Machine
OPTIONAL but convenient: a serger and rotary cutter and mat!

First, take your t-shirt and cut it as shown in this picture!  We will attach the ruffle to each bottom piece before we reconstruct it. 

Take your 3 ruffle pieces and sew the short sides together to create a long loop.  Hem the bottom of the fabric and add a basting stitch to the top of the fabric.  Do this for each of the three pieces.

Then, gather the basting stitch and pin right sides together at the bottom of each t-shirt piece.

 

Sew along about 1/4" from the raw edge, being careful not to stretch the t-shirt material.

 

Now, pin the middle section to the top section and sew together.  Do the same for the bottom section to the middle section.

If you have a serger, serge each raw edge to finish the seams!

Now you have an adorable ruffle shirt!!!  I plan to add a cute pumpkin or turkey to mine for my daughter's Thanksgiving outfit!!!  I'm also going to make a pair of knit ruffle leggings to match.  I'll have to post a tutorial for that in the next few weeks!!!   Stay tuned next week for my Project Run and Play Week 2 post! :)

Update:  Here's the pumpkin applique with Eva Mae's name! :)

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