by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 21, 2014
I made these hats quite a while ago – in June I think. The thing I really like about sewing (and stashing) is that you can make things whenever you need them. Kind-of like these hats, one of which was made because my youngest forgot her hat at Grandma’s and needed to have one for preschool the next day. The other was made to match the first – of course!
As per the usual, one has a green lining and the other pink… so they could match and still know who’s hat is who’s. I used the ever popular free reversible bucket hat pattern from Oliver and S. This hat is a quick evening or nap-time sew. Especially if you use this method from a little gray so you can avoid hand-stitching the two sides together. I love having small, easy practical projects for when I feel like sewing something useful and uncomplicated.
I used up the last of my Martha Negly Peony fabric for these… really squeezed it out of my leftover pieces. I even had to split up the brims and piece them back together. But I did it, because I proposed two different fabrics but the girls wanted to match. Yes… mommy sometimes makes a bit of fabric magic to keep everyone happy – hooray! The bulk of my Peony fabric went to making an empire waist Scirocco sundress last summer – another one of my most favorite projects. It’s been worn so much it is currently in my mending pile. I should really fix it before summer disappears!
We had fun going to our nearby amazing park and splash pad for this photo shoot. It has a gazebo and garden near it and I was pleased to find that they had pink peonys! Unfortunately we got there at the end of the peony season, but we took this lovely photo of the hats “camouflaged” in the bushes anyhow. I bet you didn’t even know the hats were there – right? (Ha!) My kids kept telling me I was crazy and that they could still see the hats… ah well!
I’m madly sewing Avenger-esque outfits for the girls because I’m a contestant in CraftingCon this month. Everything is due tomorrow to be posted on Monday, so I’ll likely not be back here before then. In the meantime you can see the other Avenger entries on Mae & K, so you know what’s coming!
by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 12, 2014
My youngest turned 4 a few weeks ago, and her birthday party was on Saturday. I have no idea how she got so big. She’s even starting junior kindergarten in a few weeks… I’m pretty sure there are going to be more than a few rough days at the beginning of September around here… and not for the kids.
This little monkey has grown up so much, even in the last few months. She has opinions on everything. Especially if something has not been put back in “the correct” location, or isn’t being done in the most efficient manner possible (according to her, of course). She loves to tell you about it in properly worded descriptive sentences – and usually more than one sentence is required! She loves to make you laugh, and is our cuddly one. Of course, she’s the mischievous one too, keeping us on our toes! I hope she will always keep her fun-loving attitude (and the cuddles… please let her keep the cuddles…)
I’d promised her that she would have a new party dress to wear, so I went searching for possible patterns and printed a few pictures out so she could pick. She chose the First Day Dress made by Dana from Made, purely on the twirl factor I think! I’ve been hoping to pick it up anyhow, and I’m so glad she chose it. It’s a well thought out dress and it’s wonderfully easy to work with as a base pattern for your own alterations. Dana, as usual, has written very descriptive and fun to read instructions. And there are lots of photos throughout. The skirt is almost a full circle, providing lots of room for spinning without the need for any gathering (hooray!).
I altered the dress a bit, adding an empire waist and a sash – because every party dress needs a sash! Since the swing dress option has straight sides on the bodice, it is easy to shorten it into an empire waist. No matter where you cut the bodice shorter, the skirt will always be the correct size to fit the bodice pattern piece. I measured my daughter to see about how long the bodice should be, added a little for the seam allowance at the neckline and bottom of the bodice, and then cut the bodice straight across. Since I removed quite a bit from the bodice, I cut the skirt at the size 10 length and it worked out perfectly. I love empire waists on little girls!
The sash is extra wide, so I gathered the ends (like the oliver & s Fairy Tale dress) and inserted it when I was stitching the sides of the outer dress. I think I could have made it tie in a bow – but it was a tad too short at 24″ each, so I used a knot instead. I think 36″ long each would have been perfect… note to self for next time! The skirt fabric came from Fabric Spark (still available here) and I bought it back in the spring when I interviewed Daryl for the Canadian Online Fabric Store series. Of course, even though I had it that long ago, I waited until last Thursday to sew it up – as per the usual! Thankfully the sizing was perfect, and it is a really simple dress to sew.
I also used a different construction method to attach the lining. The instructions Heidi from Elegance and Elephants has written up on how to stitch an outer and lining together comes together much more easily. I think it’s called the “burrito” style of stitching it up. To do this, finish the neckline and back opening of the dress completely – top-stitching included. Then attach the sleeves and stitch the arm holes as per Heidi’s instructions. To stitch the side seams together, match the right sides of the outer and the lining and stitch each side of the dress with one long seam. This method has a nicer finish than ironing the edges in and then stitching them together.
How do I finish a post up about my little girl? I don’t know… right now I just want to keep her little. But of course that’s not an option, so we keep moving ahead and pray for her to grow up into a strong, amazing woman. And meanwhile, enjoy the hugs and the little hands holding ours… (is the screen blurry, or is just me…)
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 22, 2014
And now… back to our regular programming folks! Last week’s giveaways were so much fun and I will be sending out emails to all of the winners today. Thanks again for your comments, I felt so fortunate to be able to find out more about all of you! And especially thanks for the amazing birthday wishes. I had a great day and was spoiled rotten by my husband and kids. I hope you all had as much fun as I did last week!
A while ago I mentioned that I wanted to make the Staple Dress, and what happens? Daryl from Fabric Spark has given me the opportunity to make one! I have had this pattern on my list for over a year, and I LOVE the results. I made a wearable muslin with the regular hem, so I thought that I would change it up and include a tutorial for a drop shirt-tail hem in this pattern review. What is a shirt-tail hem? After some searching I found out it is curved on both sides, like a dress-shirt. And a drop shirt-tail hem is just a bit longer on the back. I really like how it gives the pattern more shape at the hemline.
And, can I say that this is the most comfortable dress I have worn in a long time. It’s perfect for hanging out with the kids – or walking around Quebec city. We did quite a few photo shoots along the way on our vacation last week and it is so nice to have something old and historic in my photo backgrounds! You’ll be seeing more of the city in the next month or so.
I had a lot of fun choosing my fabric from Fabric Spark’s shop. She has so many great fabrics that work really well for sewing apparel. In the end, I decided to chose one of her Art Gallery fabrics, since this dress looks best in a fabric with a great drape. As usual with Art Gallery I was not disappointed! The selvage says “Feel the Difference” and it does not lie. These fabrics are so smooth and the drape is perfect for clothing. I picked African Palm Indigo from the Safari Moon collection by Frances Newcombe. The colour is so amazing in person. It is a soft blue and totally wearable – and almost the same colour as my eyes… which is a fun bonus! I love the art deco palm trees, and the scale is perfect for a dress.
I got the pattern in my Perfect Pattern Parcel #3 purchase (not available anymore). But lucky for you, Daryl has the Staple Dress pattern available on her site. And, it’s the real deal paper version, so you won’t have to print and assemble the pdf pattern to make it! Now when you are choosing your fabric, you can get the pattern too – hint, hint! The pattern is well written, with lots of tips and hints on how to use elastic thread to shirr the waist, and on lengthening and shortening your dress. You can even move the shirring up or down to suit your natural waistline. And… it has pockets! I was so disappointed when I realized I didn’t take any photos of them. But, they are there and I used them a lot. Don’t you just love a good set of pockets?!
On with the tutorial then… Here is how to alter your pattern pieces and hem the new shaped hemline into a drop shirt-tail hem.
You will need:
How to alter the pattern pieces:
- Cut/trace both front and back pattern pieces in the longest length. The front will be cut on the “straight hem” line and the back will be cut on the “drop hem” line.
- Remember to take into account that there is a 5/8″ hem included in these measurements – whatever you draw will end up 5/8″ shorter when hemmed.
- I already knew that I liked the straight hem dress length, so I used the drop hem length on the back pattern piece as the length for the drop shirt tail. I wanted the top of the hem where the side seam comes together to be a bit shorter than 1 1/2″ above the straight hem length. Draw a 5/8″ wide line at that point on your back side seam, measuring up from the straight hem pattern line. The 5/8″ line gives you room to sew the 5/8″ side seam without stitching into your hemming area.
- Use your curved ruler to draw a curve from the right side of your 5/8″ line (Step 3) down to the drop hem pattern line. Or you can draw it by eye using the curve in the photo as a guide.
- Cut your pattern on the new line.
- Place the Front pattern piece on top of the back pattern piece. It will match from the underarm down to the hem. (The shoulder is a bit higher on the back.)
- Trace the bottom of the back hemline onto a new piece of paper. Also trace the bottom of the front hem.
- Cut the extra paper along the back drop hem line. Place it underneath your front dress pattern piece, matching the traced line so it is correctly placed. Tape. Fold up or cut off the left corner of the original dress front so the new line is visible.
- Now we need to shorten the front hem, creating the “drop” at the back. Draw a straight line at your new height, parallel to the straight portion of the drop hem line (furthest on the right). I drew mine about 2″ up. Cut along the new line.
- Place the cut piece along the bottom of the cut line as a guide, and draw a new curve.
- Cut the front hem line along the new line.
- Cut your fabric using the new pattern pieces.
How to stitch the new hem:
- Follow all directions (up to the hemming instructions) as per the pattern when stitching the dress except when stitching the bottom of the side seam. Leave 5/8″ un-sewn at the bottom of the dress. Make sure to iron your seam open and finish your seam allowances.
- When you get to the hemming instructions continue on here instead. Baste from one side seam to the other along both dress front and dress back hemlines with a 1/4″ seam. Leave long tails at either end of these separate basting lines.
- Press the hem up 5/8″. Pull the long threads (as if you are gathering the fabric) to help ease in and curve the fabric along the hemline. Make sure your curves are neatly pressed, use lots of steam.
- Fold the raw edge under to meet the pressed edge of your hem. Iron again, pin if desired.
- Stitch along the upper edge of the hem, about 1/4″ away from the bottom of the hem. Curve the corners up to a point at the side seam, then continue down the next curve until you have stitched the entire hem.
Enjoy your new dress! And if you have any questions please contact me by email: sherri@threadridinghood.com
** This is a sponsored post and the fabric for the Staple Dress was provided to me at no cost by Fabric Spark. However, as always, all opinions are my own and I will not promote something to you that I do not love myself. **
by Sherri Sylvester | May 29, 2014
When I got the Merchant and Mills Camber Set pattern from Warp & Weft I felt a little like a kid in a candy shop. Then she let me use her Essex Linen to make it. Then I realized the Sajou ribbon she gave me last year matched it… then I kind of geeked out a little and stared of into space and thought about how amazingly fortunate I am to be able to work with all of these beautiful things!
I loved working with the Essex Linen. It washed up wonderfully and wrinkles just the right amount for a linen (and for non-ironing me!). I sound a bit like a fabric snob when I talk about how well it ironed – but it’s true! It presses beautifully, the wrinkles just ease right out with a bit of steam. I have read online that it does tend to fray easily, so I made sure to finish all of my seams with a zig-zag stitch. It would be simple to french seam any future Cambers, but I wasn’t sure if it would leave too much bulk at the side seam? Of course, if you have a serger that would be simplest option for finishing the seams.
The Sajou ribbon… what can I say? The name of the one I used is “Semis Gris” and Sajou ribbon is woven near Saint-Etienne in France. What more could a fabric geek want?! I decided to machine stitch it on either side, after taking a deep breath of course. I am happy to say that I even still have half of my ribbon left for another project! You can get your own from Warp & Weft – she has a great ribbon collection, and she even has Sajou lace in stock!
The pattern itself is beautifully designed, of course! And the instructions are well thought out and illustrated. The part I liked the most were the easy “snipped in” notches that match up and mark the seam allowances at all of the corners. They make fitting all of the pattern pieces together a lot easier. The instructions themselves are not super-detailed, but if you have made anything with sleeves before you will be fine. Actually, there are only 5 pattern pieces to make either the dress or the top. They are pretty simple to put together, and if you have sewn a Camber before it is a super-fast project.
I love this pattern and it is beautifully drafted. If you have sewn apparel before the care taken in drafting it is evident in the lines and how the pieces connect together. The front of the dress curves less at the hips than the back piece, creating a more fitted shape, while still allowing it to be worn without any closures. The lovely snipped notches I was talking about mark the approximate waist and hip locations so it is not hard to stitch the side seams properly, even with the extra curves.
Despite the beautiful drafting I am not going to tell you that the road to a well-fitted Camber Set is super easy. Of course, you can stitch up the size closest to your measurements and I’m sure it will look beautiful. But if you’d like to tailor it more to your exact shape it is going to require a muslin or two. I made the mistake of trying to size my first muslin without having attached the sleeves. The fit completely changes once the sleeves are attached. The second muslin I made worked out much more easily – especially since I had realized at this point that my shoulders are 2 pattern sizes larger than the rest of me. I knew I had broad shoulders, but wow – two sizes is broader than I thought. No wonder ready-to-wear shoulders never fit!
The only thing I think I may still change in a future Camber is to take in the back with darts, or some shirring. Depending on your body shape, there is a lot of fabric in the centre back area. Though adding any more shape may mean inserting a zipper. I will be adding some shirring/elastic to the back of one of my wearable muslins and will report back!
Like I usually do, I read other pattern reviews online and get some hints as to how I should proceed with any possible alterations. I found a few great tips from Cheeky Cha Cha and a good review from Roobeedoo. I thought I’d throw my two cents in – so here is my list of helpful hints & fitting tips when making the Camber.
Helpful Hints:
- Trace your pattern pieces – don’t cut them out! You can never go back, and what a shame it would be to lose that amazingly drafted sizing. I like to use freezer paper since it is really durable and still easy to see through for tracing.
- When making the muslin – don’t back-stitch. This may seem like common knowledge, but I spent more time taking out my back-stitches than I would have liked!
- Use deep pins – by that I mean, make sure you pin well into the 5/8″ (1.5 cm) seam allowance. I’m so used to a 1/4″ or 3/8″ seam allowance that I pinned for a shallow seam allowance and had to re-pin (especially when setting in the sleeves) several times.
- When Merchant and Mills says “jump” you ask “how high”! They didn’t get this big without a reason – since the instructions are well-written but sparse, each one counts. Don’t skip out! For example, sew up the side seams and then set in the sleeve. Trying to set in the sleeve before sewing up the sides works for some patterns, but these sleeves are very well drafted and therefore much easier to set in at the end.
Fitting Tips:
- The Camber is a loose fit. I made the mistake of trying to fit it too tightly, so it loses the ability to fit over your head without an added side zipper.
- I found the length quite long, though I am average height at 5′ 4″. I took off quite a bit of length and made a double 1″ hem at the bottom. Check the length before you cut your fabric and you can save yourself quite a bit of yardage.
- Since I have broad shoulders, I cut the arm scythe and shoulder at a size 12, and the side seams and sleeve side seams at a size 8 (like the rest of the dress). I was concerned this would not give me enough space in the sleeve, but it worked out well. It is actually quite easy to move in this dress, due to the great sleeve fit. I read that apparently the closer the underarm seam is to your actual underarm the better the fit.
- I found since I have a smaller bust measurement that the front of the dress was too wide. I narrowed the entire front of the dress by 1 1/4″ by placing it 5/8″ over the fold when cutting (tip found here). It fits much better, though it also makes the neckline smaller, so I had re-drew it 5/8″ wider in the front and the back neckline to make up for it.
- I also adjusted the shoulder, according to Aunty ChaCha. I took 5/8″ off the top of the front shoulder seam and putting it on the back shoulder seam. This also extends the top of the sleeve, where it is eased in, creating a wider shoulder. I found this really helpful in creating a better fit for my larger shoulders.
- The last thing I did, and this made a big difference, was to move the point of the bust dart up. I left the base of the dart in place, and moved the point up about an inch. This really helped to remove excess fabric that was at the top of the bodice, as well as make the bodice fit better. I found that without this dart movement, the top of the dress was fairly shapeless.
I hope this helps! I also hope I have not scared you away from trying the pattern. It truly is beautiful, just read through comments from other bloggers online! Or google “camber set” to find images. This is one of the first woven fabric garments I have made where I really am proud of the work I did to make it fit properly. Using a pattern and making it fit your body are two different things and I would encourage you to try some alterations and spend the extra time with a muslin or two. It is worth the extra time. If you are lucky you will be able to create a wearable muslin along the way!
I have Esmari to thank for letting me work through this process. I love my Camber Dress and will wear it often. You can get the Camber Set pattern, beautiful Essex Linen (in more than 10 colours!) and amazing Sajou products from her shop. Until next time!
** Please note: This is a sponsored post and the fabric and pattern were provided to me at no cost by Warp & Weft. However, as always, all opinions are my own and I will never promote something to you that I do not love myself. **
by Sherri Sylvester | May 5, 2014
I had the pleasure of pattern testing the Bohemian Babydoll Dress and Top (affiliate link*) a few weeks ago. It was right in the middle of making Easter Dresses and a super busy weekend, but it was an easy sew – and went together really quickly thank goodness! We did a double photo shoot of the Easter dresses and this dress in the same afternoon, even switching locations, super bloggy-like. (ha!)
I had never used an Elegance & Elephants pattern before, but had happened to buy the very popular Spring Showers Jacket pattern just a few days before I volunteered to pattern test. I found Heidi’s instructions very clear, and the photos are easy to understand as well. This is especially nice because sometimes I prefer illustrations for their clarity, not a problem here!
This pattern creates a really nice looking summer top. I really like the high/low hem and that the bottom of the bodice is high in the front and low in the back as well. It makes a really fun line if you use contrasting fabrics. (You can see this in the first photo). The sewing is simple as well because there are no closures to deal with! And of course my girls are ecstatic about the ruffled sleeves (though it looks cute without them as well, they are optional). I know something is good if my oldest wears it again directly after it has come out of the wash – so great when that happens!
I would be remiss not to talk about the way this pattern is setup for printing. When you open the pdf there is the option to use bookmarks on the side to choose the size pattern you would like, so you don’t end up printing more pages than you need. It works really well – I was super impressed!
We ended up cutting into some fabric I’d been saving since last year again. I say we, because my daughter chose this one herself. She’s very drawn to florals at the moment, which is nice because they are trendy again! I originally bought the Shelburne Falls by Denyse Schmidt (in Maple) July of last year when I visited Needlework for the first time. It was destined for some couch cushions, but that was way-laid when I thought they might look too “quilty”. Not so matchy for my (aiming for) mid-century modern vintage-esque living room. The bottom of the dress is made from a random print I found last year. It matches well and I got to de-stash some more – hurray! The girls are really in a “twins are fun” mode so I might just make up another one in the same prints so they can enjoy their new phase for as long as it lasts.
If you want to get the pattern you can find it here: Bohemian Babydoll Dress and Top (affiliate link*). Thanks!
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* This post contains affiliate links, which means that I receive financial compensation for any sales made through these links.
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 15, 2014
Well, I managed to get 2 things finished for Kids Clothes Week. 1 Pair of Jeans and a dress. Argh! I felt a bit like I was wandering around in slow motion last week. But – they are finished and I’ve started on the second Easter dress. So we are getting somewhere!
I have wanted to make my youngest some jeans for a while. She wants to “match mommy” but her proportions make it hard to find a properly fitting store-bought pair. So I thought I’d give the PeekABoo Patterns Skinny Jeans (affiliate link*) a shot. I’ve had this pattern since the Sew Fab Fall Pattern Bundle, so it was nice to have it on hand when my daughter started asking! This is also the main reason they have a “random” green button on the fly. Everything she loves must have green on it!
The details and instructions in this pattern are great. It went together well and the top-stitching and mini-pockets are so cute. It even includes instructions for using button elastic for an adjustable fit. I used some stretch denim that I already had on my shelf – destashing, hooray! I added pockets in an embroidered denim that I bought on a deep sale a few years ago. I have no idea what I will ever use the rest of the embroidered denim for – there’s about 2 metres of it and it’s super flowery. Thankfully it looks great in small doses!
When I sized the jeans I was torn about how to go about making them. My daughter has a size 4 leg length and a size 6 or so hip/thigh. In the end I decided to make a size 6 and re-work the next pair. I’m glad I did. Otherwise I would be so disappointed! They are pretty big on her – so the back elastic gathers quite a bit, and the rise is a bit high at the front. I know it was a lot of work to top-stitch everything and finish it properly, but I didn’t want to make a muslin, so here we are!
I think the next time around I will make a size 4 with a bit lower front rise and bit higher back rise. I tried them on my six year old (who flat out refuses to wear jeans – no help there!) and the rise fit really well – so it is definitely not a pattern problem.
The only thing I changed was the method for hemming the back and mini pockets. I much prefer to turn the top edge of the pocket rather than fold it under twice and hem it. The edges turn out a bit cleaner. Here’s how I finished my pockets:
- Fold the hem to the wrong side by 1/4″. Fold the hem to the right side by 1/2″. Stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket with a 1/4″ seam – to attach the top hem and mark the fold lines for the rest of the pocket. Clip the top edges of the pocket to remove bulk before turning.
- Turn the top of the pocket inside out and press. Turn and press the sides and bottom edges to the wrong side following the seam lines you made. Finish the pockets, hemming the top edge and stitching the others as indicated.
Overall I’m happy with the little details on the pants. The pattern includes super tiny cute belt loops as well, but when I made the pants too big I decided not to spend the time stitching them on. Either way – my youngest was quite upset that I even tried to get my oldest to wear them as capris instead and has now claimed all rights to them. We will have a bit of a saggy bum when she wears them unless I decide to take off and redo the rise and waistband. It’s almost worth it, but I think I’d rather start over. What would you do?
If you want to get the pattern you can find it here: PeekABoo Pattern Shop Skinny Jeans (affiliate link*). Thanks!
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that I receive financial compensation for any sales made through these links. I bought this pattern and made the jeans before I found out there was the possibility of compensation for the affiliate link.
