Eclectvity

It’s 3:45 a.m.  I’m eating sour cream and onion chips and dipping cottage cheese with them.  I sat here hand stitching for hours while I watched several episodes of Monarch of the Glen.  I am staring at the girls’ dresses  and am pleased.

Wednesday I realized that Sunday was Easter.  I was in the middle of sewing for myself so I didn’t think about it.  I just kept sewing.

This afternoon around 3 I started sewing.  At eight I made a trip to Walmart for new pants for Nolan and nylons.  Oy…  The actual sewing was done before midnight but I sat here and dragged out the handsewing as an excuse to watch my  show and relax after a long day.

The Ingredients-

Pattern:  McCall’s  8675

Fabric:  Fabric Traditions Daisies

Hairbows-  Gerbera Daisies by Twinkly Tot Treasures

Our store only had one fabric choice in the green so I couldn’t have a contrast bodice but I do think the dress turned out lovely anyway.  I found the fabric on Friday and bought it.  Saturday morning I decided on the pattern.  Of course I decided on a pattern that takes more fabric than I had so I had to buy a yard more of each one.  I also lined the dress instead of facing it.  I just thought that a skirt that heavy needs the weight balanced between the bodice and the lining. 

They’re going to look adorable, don’t you think?

Ok, skirt number two!  I LOVE IT!  It’s so cute and comfy.  I’m wearing it as I sit here typing.  WAHOO!

The Ingredients: 

First, you cut it out.

Then, you put WRONG sides together and sew all seams at 3/8″.

Like that.  Press the seam.

 Trim the seam to about 1/8″.

Like that.  Press the seam.

To one side.  Like that.

Fold over on seam with RIGHT sides together.  Press seam.  Again.  Repeat for all seams.

Now, if you do what I did (and haven’t done for AGES but apparently did for this so I could show you how to fix it) and sew the bottom of the skirt to the top of the waist… and trim it… then gently remove stitches and place like this.

Trim off the extra fabric.  You stitched on the original line but you laid it 1/4″ to the left of the edge of the uncut fabric.

With pressed sides, stitch 1/4″ from the folded edge (where the seam is) 

Voila.  Look at the beautiful French Seam!  (You can do it with 1/8″

Isn’t that pretty?

Irritatingly, I decided I wanted it lined.  So, I ran to Wally and got lining fabric, serged it, and voila.  Perfecto.

 Then, I sewed a 5/8″ seam with  lining and skirt right sides together.

Then I edge stitched into the lining to ensure it stayed inside the skirt where it belongs. 

Press again. 

Doesn’t this look good?  I can’t wait to sew that casing.  So, sew your casing.

Like that.  I used 3/8″ elastic.  I can get away with it because I have no torso.

See, toldja so!

Then I started to hem.  I folded the hem UP and stitched it near the fold line.  Like this.

Trim away as much of the raw edge to stitching as you can but definitely leave a bit.

Fold up and press.  You want it just barely over 1/8″ at most.

Press.  I know it gets old  but this is a very pressing engagement we have going on here. 

Stitch to the LEFT of your other stitching line.  Keep it as close to the original fold as humanly possible. 

And now we…   That’s it!  PRESS.

I chose to put some fagotting on the hem of the lining so I didn’t have to change thread.  Weird, but it works.

Press.  Again.  Just DO IT.

I’m loving this!!!

Time for a top!

Sorry Anne (You know, Shirley?  Green?  Gables?  Gilbert?  Get with the program!).

Ok, so first, I got my skirt pattern “just right.”  I did that here.  So, with pattern all ready to go, I cut out the new skirt and started sewing.  This twill screamed for flat-felled seams.    So, here we go.  Flat-felled seams.

Start with WRONG sides together.  Sew the full 5/8″ seam allowance.  It’s not difficult… just pretend you did it the way you always do but this time, do it backwards… like this.

Then press open.  Yes, you want to do this.

Then you cut off one of the seam allowances.  I did the one farthest from center on both sides of the front and back.  It seemed to make the most sense.

Press the remaining seam allowance OVER the old one.

Press the raw edge under into the seam allowance so that BOTH raw edges are hidden inside the folded area.

Stitch the folded side down.

Voila!  One loverly stitched flat-felled seam.  Repeat for all seams…

Ahem… and when you cut yours, make sure you don’t miss three small holes in the center front of your skirt.  But if you do, like I did, fix it.  Like this.

Pins.  Twice in one month.  Scary.

Just keep stitching, just keep stitching, just keep stitching, stitching, stitching…

Stitch a casing and insert elastic.  Voila!  Complete (well, once I figure out the hem!)

 So, what do you think?   Skirt this length or 2.5-3″ shorter?

Total cost of skirt… 4.50 max.

 2 yards of 1.oo per yard fabric.

1 yard of elastic.

Thread.

Voila.

However, if you get a great deal on WONDERFUL fabric at 1.00 a yard… make sure there aren’t holes in the middle before you cut it out… cause I COULD have cut it from the other end and voila… no problemmo.

So I’m sick of frump.  I’m good at it, but just bcause you’re good at something doesn’t mean you should do it.  I mean, what if your talent lies in destroying things?  Should you do it because you’re good at it? 

Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So… I found this pattern…

I started with the skirt.  My body is such a strange shape that I needed to give it a shot. 

I knew I didn’t need the full width (what a relief!) but I wanted my hips to have all the room they wanted while not bunching at my waist.  And, considering that my rib cage is less than 2″ from my hip bone, I need all the help I can get.

I sewed the first seams on the normal stitching line.  Mercifully, the skirt fell off.   I then sewed another 5/8″ seam inside the side front panels.  This almost solved the bagginess issue but not quite. 

There was still that little issue of the waist being a smidge too big even once I added elastic.  I wanted as little bunchiness there as possible so I eased in a bit on the side seams as well.

Finally, a skirt I’m ready to sew! 

Here are my fabrics…

Won’t it be fabulous?

I can’t wait!   More on it later!

Oh, and the good news is… I just have to lower the pleats 2″ (Sew them deeper into the skirt) and add four MORE inches (for a total of 10″) and voila!  One perfect dress for Jenna.  This is what happens when your children grow up instead of out!

Serging ahead…

Well, I went shopping over at Thousands of Bolts (and one nut or so they claim) and found this fabric.  Isn’t it cute?  I’ve found a cool pattern I wanted to use for my girls but there was a little bitty problem….   They’re skinny enough for it but they’re too tall.   Andra can get by with a few pleats sewn deeper into the pattern and 6″ added to the dress.  I hink Jenna will need the dress split in the middle too for length in the torso.  Not sure yet.  Playing with Andra’s first. 

Oh, and I wanted sleeve-ish things too.  I went for “caps”.

The Ingredients

Prismatic by The New Chick on the Block-  

New Look Pattern-  6693  

 So I cut it out.  Notice the fine quality and perfectly matching fabric weights I use to hold patterns in place when there are too many places to mess up if I don’t pin?

I added 6″ to length… cause you know it helps!

Voila… it’s ready for sewing.   Stay tuned!