2.10.2014

Easy Clip-On Bow Tie - TUTORIAL


What little boy doesn't look cuter with a bow tie?  Here's an easy tutorial for a bow tie that can clip on to any shirt.  My little guy loves bow ties, but rarely wears a shirt with a collar.  So a clip on is the way to go.
Easy enough to whip up for that special Valentine's Day outfit.

 Here's what you need:
fabric rectangles, 10 x 6 inches and 4 x 2.5 inches
midweight fusible interfacing, 6 x 2.5 inches
1 clip on earring clip (I got mine HERE)
glue gun and felt scraps to attach the clip
 Fuse the interfacing to the center of the wrong side of the large rectangle.
 Fold the rectangle in half and stitch along the long edge with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
 Turn right side out and press so that the seam is in the center of one side (the interfacing will help the fabric settle this way)
 Match the short, raw edges, with the previous seam on the outside.
 Sew along the edge with a 1/2 inch seam allowance and pink or finish edge.
 Flip the loop so that the seams are now all on the inside and centered at the back.
 Fold in half lengthwise and sew a line of stitching about 2 inches long, about 3/4 of inch from the fold (white line in the photo below)
To make the center of the bow tie, take the smaller rectangle and fold in fourths; 
fold in half the long way, unfold, fold the long edges to the center, fold in half again.

 Top-stitch along each long edge.


 Determine how tight you want the center loop to be and sew.
 Trim edge.
 Flip so the raw edge is on the inside.

 Slide the loop around the bow.
 Glue the earring clip to the back of the bow tie.
 Glue a small felt square to cover the metal.
 Cut a long strip of felt and cover the entire clip.  I find that the felt is necessary to hold the clip to the shirt.  The metal slips off fairly easily.
Adorable!
I am not adorable.
Okay...maybe I am.


1.20.2014

Lisette Travelers Dress

 Just when it seemed like Spring was in the air, we got a few inches of snow and the temperatures for the coming week are going to be way below normal, again.  So though I was thinking of Spring when I started working on this dress, it will definitely be sitting in the closet for a while.

 Ultimately, I'm happy with my final dress, but I don't love this pattern.  My usual problem with sewing with wovens and commercial patterns is that the sizing is tough.  Knits are so much more forgiving and jive better with my type B sewist personality.  
In an attempt to follow the rules, I took my measurements and cut a size 12.  Now I'll tell you that when I buy clothes in the store, I'm usually just about the smallest size you can get.  So, cutting a 12 seemed odd, but that's what my measurements dictated.  Well, my first dress came out gigantic!  It felt like a lab coat, which is kind of fun since I work in a lab.  Maybe I'll add the buttons and feel extra fancy at work.
This dress was my inspiration and I was pretty bummed that my first dress didn't work out.  And, the fabric wasn't cheap.  I might have to try to re-cut it and....make it work!

 I went back to my pattern and this time cut a size 6.  This is definitely the size I need, though I'll tell you there's no way my waist is 23 inches!
Though the size 6 did end up being the right size, I still had to make some adjustments.  The armholes and the neck were so teeny tiny and I ended up making them bigger.  In retrospect, I should have also used a bigger sleeve, so the dress is a tiny bit tight in the armpit region.
The other changes I made were to eliminate the lower pockets, make flap pockets for the top (used THIS tutorial), and I added a little button tab to the sleeves.
So, to summarize:

PATTERN: Simplicity 2246
FABRIC: lightweight cotton chambray
SIZE: 6 
RESULT: I'm happy with the dress, 
but probably won't make it again.


1.16.2014

Sweater Knit Lady Skater

I'm finally getting around to sharing another dress made with my favorite pattern, the Lady Skater Dress.  This is my, wow, fifth dress from this pattern.  My others are here and here and here.
I wanted a comfy, sweatery (I made up a new word), warm, dress to wear in the winter.  This dress really fit the bill.  The fabric is a sweater knit from Joanns.  I made the skirt even less full than in my previous versions  and I'm happy with the result.  I had a little trouble in the back this time around.  It's a little looser than I intended, though I'm not sure why.  I still love it and wear it a lot. 
It's been a bit warmer here than is typical and is making me think about Spring.  So I started working on a new dress that's a little outside the box for me.  It's a commercial pattern and it's a woven!


 Hopefully I'll have dress to share soon!