Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Wide Leg Pants Sew Along Day 3

Wide Leg Pants Sew Along Day 3




Line up the crotch pieces and sew together.  Finish seam.


Pin waistband, right sides together and attach.


Turn waistband right side out.  Fold waistband in half WST and press.


Mark waistband and shorts waist into fourths with pins.  Line up pins on waistband and shorts and pin together.



Attach waistband to shorts.  You will need to stretch the waistband between pins to attach.
 





Press seam.  Almost done!


Working on shorts hemline, serge raw edge.


Press hem under once.


Topstitch hemline.  I like to use a twin needle for the hemline.


Finished!  Enjoy your new shorts.



Monday, July 14, 2014

Wide Leg Pants Sew Along Day 2

Wide Leg Pants Sew Along Day 2


First decide if you want to add pockets to the shorts.  You can find tutorials for Patch Pockets and Inset Pockets on the Jocole blog.  You can also make Inseam Pockets according to the pattern directions.  I choose to make Patch Pockets.  Finish the pockets and place onto the back of the shorts.  Placement for the pockets is a personal choice but I like to place them at a slight angle and close to the center seam.


Line up the side seams of the front and back pieces.

Sew and finish seams.

















Iron the side seams toward the back of the shorts.


Optional:  I like the finished look a double needle adds.  Topstitch the side seam with a double needle on the shorts back, right at the seam.

At this point the side seam of the shorts should look similar to the picture above.
http://sweeterthanitseams.blogspot.com
Line up the crotch on both the front and back pieces.  Sew together at the curved crotch and serge.  

Come back tomorrow to finish up the shorts!  :)





Sunday, July 13, 2014

Wide Leg Shorts Sew Along

Wide Leg Pants Sew Along

Shorts Edition



Materials Needed:

  • Wide Leg Pants Pattern
  • Freezer Paper (optional)
  • Main Fabric
  • Knit Waistband Fabric

Gather materials.


Trace pattern pieces onto freezer paper.
If adding pockets, mark pocket placement onto freezer paper.

Cut all pattern pieces; two front, two back and two pockets (making sure to cut the fabric with two layers, wrong sides together).  I cut the pattern at the shorts cutting line which results in fairly short shorts.  If you prefer a longer length short, extend the cut line 2-4 inches.

Tomorrow we will construct most of the shorts and then finish the shorts on Wednesday.  The Wide Leg Pants pattern is simple and fast.


Saturday, June 21, 2014

Nursing Modification -- Peplum Top

Hey ya'll! This is my *first* post here for Jodi, but I already feel at home with the Jocole family! When I burst onto the self-care sewing scene like the kool-aid man, ya'll were huge in building my confidence and inspiring me at every turn. So I thought it was high time I returned such generosity!

Today, I'm going to taunt you with the unreleased peplum tee show you how to adapt the upcoming peplum tee with easy nursing access.

Now, don't fret! Just because this pattern is unreleased, doesn't mean you can't whip up your own version tonight! You can use this same tutorial to adapt any knit bodice pattern you have laying around. The quick dress, for example, would make an excellent substitute.

Let's hop to it, shall we??

As with all of my projects, this one started with a need. Mine is 13 months old and HUNGRY.

So I designed a project around the need for nursing pieces, that are appropriate for 90+ degree weather, and fit my overall aesthetic. For that last part, I found this inspiration piece! (Hey, I can afford to dream $$BIG$$ when I'm sewing my own version for just over $6!)

NEED, CHECK.
INSPIRATION, CHECK.
PATTERN? No brainer! This peplum tee / pencil dress / a-line maxi bodice / whatever-else-I-dream-up-tonight pattern is so versatile that I knew it made the perfect canvas for this masterpiece.

So I cut a front and back bodice as directed (with direction of greatest stretch across the width).
Then I did some fancy foot (stitch?) work for my nursing-cover overlay, and took a few measurements: 
I measured my shoulder to the top of my bra (where I unhook a nursing cup) = 5 inches. 
Then I measured a few inches across from my belly button (this bodice hits at the natural waist), to roughly below my.. ahem... utters. 4 inches.

So I measured 5 inches down from the shoulder seam, and 2 inches across on the fold.

Connect the dots, and fold along that line. (You could cut it... but that's just so permanent!)

New pattern piece in hand, I lined up the outside edge of the bodice along one of my stripes. Added a 1/2 inch seam allowance along the inside AND outside bodice pieces, then cut another mirror-image.
Lay these pieces right-sides-together, being careful to match the stripes. Stitch the center seam with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Then neatly hem the outside edges.
Now grab your front bodice, and cut along the fold. 
I serged these inside seams, though it's not absolutely necessary since this is knit and won't fray. I just think it looks neater :) 
Now we lay the pieces together, pin...

and baste together! Then assemble the rest of the top per pattern instructions, and voilĂ ! Your very own nursing top!
Come on now, that's pretty cool huh?? Whenever babe gets hungry, you can nurse discreetly with no trouble at all! And when you're done nursing, you still have a top you'll be stoked to wear anyway :)  Now go on and make one.. or ten!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Ladies Quick Dress Modification -- Boatneck



Ladies Quick Dress Modification

Add a Collar to the Quick Dress


I found these pictures of dresses from the late 1960's and I just fell in love with them.  Jodi was sweet enough to help me adapt the Quick Dress pattern into something similar to my inspiration photos below.  So let's make a Boatneck Collar Quick Dress.

The measurements given are for the total length of the collar, not the folded measurements.

Cut one collar piece according to the chart above.

Fold the collar in half matching the two short sides.



















Mark the collar and neckline into quarters. 



Match up the pins on the collar and neckline and attach the collar to the dress.

Turn up the collar and press the seam down, toward the dress.


Congratulations!  You now have a Ladies Quick Dress Boatneck Collar.
You can see more photos of my Quick Dress here.





Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Swimsuit Sew Along Day 4



Swimsuit Sew Along Day 4

Basic Briefs


Are you ready?  Let's get started.

Layer all of the Basic Brief pieces as follows:  
Front - right side up
Back - wrong side up (the front and back pieces are now RST)
Crotch - wrong side up


Seam finish the raw edge of the crotch piece.


















Topstitch the crotch piece in place.


Looking great!
















Mark the middle of the elastic and leg piece.  Stretch the elastic to fit the edge of the leg.


Turn elastic under and topstitch.


This is what you should have at this point.



Sew side seams together.


We're very close to being finished!





Sew the elastic piece into a circle.

Mark the brief and elastic into quarters.  Then attach to the waistband.


Stretch the elastic from both sides to fit the waist of the briefs.





Turn the waistband under and topstitch.  Congratulations you are finished!!!

Thanks for sewing with me!  XOXO, Kara