Skirt Week 2013

Exciting news!  I entered the pleated chevron skirt I made for Project Sewn into the Skirt Week 2013 Full skirt category and made the Top 10!!!

If you have a minute today, head over and VOTE!  (voting open until midnight)  Thanks so much!  Also, check out all the other skirts for some inspiration-I love the Van Gogh Cascade skirt.

And coming soon, pictures of these sailor shorts that I made using fat quarters...as soon as I can bribe the girls to take pictures with them on!

Baseball Toddler Tanks

I whipped up some quick Oriole's baseball tanks for the girls a little while ago.  These tanks are relatively easy to make.  I think it took me a couple hours from cut to finish, but I was making it up as I went so they could probably be made faster. 

I used 2 XL Jerzee tees so I wouldn't have to bother with hemming the bottom.  The black lace was leftover from my Project Sewn 80s lace gloves.  I picked up the sheer orange fabric with little shimmery dots from Joann's.

I used the Party Dress front bodice pattern and extended it in an A line to the length I needed.  I used the same pattern for both the front, back, and back overlay pieces.  Once I had the three pieces cut out, I sewed the overlay onto the back t-shirt fabric piece with the wrong side of the t-shirt fabric facing the right side of the overlay.  Then I flipped the overlay over so the right side was showing.  I hemmed the arm and neck holes of the front t-shirt fabric piece before sewing it to the back with the right sides together at the sides and shoulders.

At this point, the tanks were looking a little Halloween-y.  I decided to use a freezer paper stencil to add the Oriole's "O's" symbol/logo.  There are a lot of tutorials out there on how to do this - I highly recommend trying this out!

Since this was a rush job, I only used a couple layers of fabric paint - the black tank could use another layer.  This was a pretty satisfying project since it filled a gap in their wardrobe.  They have a ton of dresses and skirts, but not much sports gear (yet).

Go team!!!  Actually, this is just them showing me their muscles.  So cute!

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Think Pink Sunday

Ikat Maxi Skirt

I love my new maxi skirt I made for Skirt Week 2013 and the Summer of No Pants series!  This was the first time I've made one and it didn't end in disaster (though there were some hiccups).   I found this wonderful fabric in the Red-Tag isle at Jo-Ann, marked Rayon Challis Ethnic.  I wish I bought the rest of the bolt!  I used a knit maxi skirt tutorial from MadMim and just added a little extra to the side seam allowances because I've never worked with rayon challis before.  It appeared to have a little stretch, but I didn't want to end up with a super tight tube skirt.

Another minor change from Mad Mim's tutorial was I used some wide elastic for the waist.  I just measured the amount I needed, sewed the elastic together, then clipped it to the skirt that already had the side seams together. Notice in the above picture my hiccup?  I didn't either...until I had sewn all around the waist to attach the elastic.  I had the skirt inside out, rather than matching the right side of the skirt fabric to the right side of the elastic.

I had a great date with the seam ripper.  She bought me some wine.  The second try went fine and then I finished the hem.  I really wanted to make the skirt able to be convertible to a hi-low maxi.  I tried and tried different ways to bustle the front and it just wasn't working with the A-line shape of the skirt.  But making a side gather looked really cute!  

I attached an eye to the side seam around my mid thigh, and a hook near my knee on the inside of the same side seam.   The print completely hides the eye on the outside.

I think it looks kinda beachy and flirty.  Here's a view of the back with the side gather.

And here is the maxi skirt styled with and without a belt, and without the optional gather.  Don't mind my foot sneaking out or my "Did you get it?" look.

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Strawberry Skirt Tutorial

After I made the girls a Picnic Skirt, I had an awesome idea to made a Berry Skirt (for Skirt Week 2013)!  I wanted it to look like a strawberry with a couple of the leaves serving as pockets too!  This was completely dreamed up, but it's kind of a mash up between these two tutorials - the Petal Dress and Fruit Stripe Skirt.  Though I didn't follow the tutorials and maybe I should have.  I really made this up as I went along.  I'll try to give a tutorial on how to replicate, though I don't have many process photos.

Materials for a 2/3T skirt:

• 1/2 yard pink or red cotton fabric
• 1/2 yard green cotton fabric (might get away with less)
• 3/4 inch elastic (about 20 inches)
• gold fabric paint

The Skirt - I started with knowing this would be a simple selvage-to-selvage width gathered skirt.  I trimmed about 4 inches off the width though so it wouldn't be as full.  The length of the skirt is made up of 5 inches of the green fabric and 11.5 inches of the pink.  Join the two colors by sewing them right side together.  Finish off the seam with a zig-zag stitch to prevent fraying. 


My Inspiration

Now is the best time to add the seeds.  Use some gold fabric paint and dab it on to look like tear drops (or seeds).  After it dries, join the sides together by sewing them right side together and making a tube.  Finish the seam with a zig-zag stitch.

Note:  I gathered the waist with elastic and then added the leaves, but you lose stretch in the skirt by doing it that way.  I just wanted to be able to control their poof by putting them on later.  So if you need your skirt to still have stretch for ease of getting on, sew your leaves on flat before continuing on.  See below on how to make the leaves.

The gathered waist is a paper bag style (you may want to follow this tutorial with pictures).  Iron down the top of the green fabric 1/4 inch (wrong sides together), and then iron the top hem down in half to almost meet the pink fabric.  Sew just above where the pink and green fabric meet, making sure to sew down the 1/4 inch raw edge that was pressed.  Then sew a line 1 inch above that line to make a casing for the elastic.  Make sure to leave about a 1 inch gap in this line so the elastic can be threaded through.  Thread elastic, sew ends together, and sew up gap.  Then top stitch the very top edge of the skirt. 

On to the leaves - First I determined my daughters waist measurement to figure out the size of the leaves and how many.  I knew I wanted to situate two leaves on either side in the front for pockets and then design from there.

Her waist is about 20 inches, so the front would be 10 inches across.  So I made the leaves to be about 6 inches in width so they could overlap.  Make the length to be about 4 inches long.  To make a paper template of the leaves, draw a 3 inch line on some paper, then draw a 4 inch line down from the left side.  Then make a curved line from the bottom of that point to the right side of the 3 inch line.  It's a cross between a right triangle and a quarter wedge.  Then use the paper template to cut out green leaf pieces on the fold (of the left side of the template).

Use two leaf pieces per leaf and sew them right sides together around the curve.  Clip the seam allowance around the curve and turn right side out - press.  I chose not to top stitch because I didn't want them to be too flat.  Make about 5 to 6 leaves and then move on to the pockets.  Serge or zig-zag stitch the tops of the leaves to prevent fraying.

Pockets - Use the same leaf template for the pockets except add a 1/2 inch to the tops.  Cut out 4 pieces.  Fold down 1/4 inch of the top of two leaf pieces, press, then fold them down another 1/4 inch and press.  Then top stitch the folds down and join these leaf pieces to another just like above.  (Zig-zag stitch the top of the leaf piece that wasn't top stitched)

Still with me?  Time to join the leaves to the skirt.  Pin the pockets on first - place them where you'd like them to be and pin them upside down where the green meets the pink fabric. (face the topstitched side of the pocket leaves down and don't sew that side or you'll close off your pockets)

Slightly gather the leaves a little by hand when pinning so they won't lie completely flat against the skirt.  It's probably easier to run a basting stitch across the tops and gather them 1/2 inch to 1 inch.  Pin another leaf upside down on top of pockets and in the middle of the skirt (while hand gathering it slightly).  Continue layering the leaves around the skirt, slightly overlapping each as desired.  Sew the leaves onto the skirt using a zig-zag stitch.  Fold them back down and press.

Hem the skirt - Fold the bottom of the skirt up 1/2 inch, press, fold it up another 1/2 inch, press, and top stitch the fold down.  That should wrap it up!

And if you've stayed with me this long, some strawberry picking pictures for a bonus:

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  NapTime Creations Tasteful Tuesdays So You Think You're Crafty - I'm Crafty Party

 

 

Monet Skirt

So I've been busy trying to learn how to make more tailored skirts for myself for Skirt Week 2013 and the Summer of No Pants.  I followed this excellent tutorial over at Melly Sews to draft a straight skirt pattern with front and back darts.  I made a mint eyelet straight skirt first that didn't turn out that great.  It needs some refining - maybe I'll post about it another time.  I decided to try again with the pattern I drafted and some better fabric. 

I REALLY love this Tribute to Monet Water Lilly fabric - so much that I've been too afraid to cut into it.  Monet is one of my favorite artists so I flipped when I saw this print.  I planned on making a dress for the girls, but it made more sense to make something for myself with it.  I was going to try to do something crazy with triangles and stripes of fabric, but wanted to make sure I was really showcasing the fabric.  So I just added some side panels of purple linen from Jo-Ann's to highlight the purple in the water lily print.

 

One last pic without the green ribbon sash that I styled it with.  It's a simple design but comfortable and pretty!

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