Hot Summer Days Pullover Top

I sewed this little top up a few weeks ago and, since it has now become one of my favorite summer tops, I thought I should share it.  I've had Butterick 3383 for some time now and decided to give it a try. I used a printed polyester fabric from my stash. This pattern has no darts so I was a little nervous about the fit. It actually turned out great. Easy to sew and fun to wear!

It's pretty easy to slip over my head and I love the length with the side slits. The pattern suggests bias tape for the neckline and armholes. I cut self-fabric bias bindings for a more professional look.

This pattern is moving way up on my list of  "make me again" patterns. It takes about a yard of 60" wide fabric and sews up very quickly.

Seersucker!

We love seersucker! Can you tell? After I made my grandson's little blue seersucker Jon-Jons for Easter, his auntie decided that she wanted a blue seersucker dress to wear to her Master's graduation. And, of course, I never say no when one of my daughters wants to wear something made by me. She loves classic, timeless designs so we chose McCall's 2401. We loved the wider rounded neckline and the simple lines. I did the usual alterations for her, added white piping to the neckline and armholes, and an invisible zipper in the back. I finished the lining hem a few hours before graduation and she was thrilled!

Here she is with her sweet nephew who is sporting his pout-pout look for the photoshoot.

Congrats to Hannah for completing her Master of Science degree in Instructional Design!

A Crib Quilt for Hayden

Little Hayden will be here soon so I thought I had better get his crib quilt finished. I've had this easy quilt top sewn up for a while but just needed to get to the quilting and binding. The fabric is a collection from Fabric.com called Fox Playground. I added a couple of blender fabrics so that I would have enough variety. The strips are 4 inches wide (except for the panel with the foxes in cars). I used a soft cotton batting, one of the foxy prints for the backing, and the stitch in the ditch method for quilting.

For the binding, I cut 2 1/2 inch wide strips across the width of the fabric which I folded in half lengthwise. I stitched these strips on from the front and hand-stitched, yes, hand stitched, with tiny little stitches on the back. That's 200 inches of teeny tiny hand stitches. Only the best for Hayden!

I machine embroidered his name on one of the strips before quilting. Now that the quilt is finished, I have a couple more items to make for Hayden and one for his Mommy. And then, the waiting game!

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? What are you sewing this month to celebrate?

Tiny Little U of L Fan!

I've been waiting for a long time to show you this little project. One of the first projects I made for Baby Hayden was a pair of University of Louisville baby shoes resembling Toms. His parents are fans since the dad-to-be went to school there. However, with every little baby item I make, I think of several more pieces to go with it. So the project never ends. After finding a couple of free patterns on the internet, I ended up buying the shoe pattern from this Etsy shop. It includes sizes from newborn to 12 months.

 I had some U of L fabric left from an old project which I used to line the shoes. I still had U of L fabric scraps left so I went to Hancock Fabrics in search of red cotton knit to make a gown. No luck at Hancock's so I went next door to Rugged Wearhouse and bought an XL T-shirt from the men's department for $2.50. This provided plenty of fabric to make a gown, bib, and hat.

I cut the little logo squares from the fabric, turned under the edges and stitched to each little piece of the outfit. 

I used the coverstitch machine to finish the neck ribbing after stitching and turning it to the inside. I trimmed off the extra as seen often in R-T-W to avoid bulk.

The bib is doubled and the edges are bound with bias binding. I added a snap to the back. I don't use Velcro because it sometimes snags other items in the washing machine.

The gown is Kwik Sew 3090. The hat is Kwik Sew 2433. For the bib, I traced a bib that I already had. I guess I'll have to stop adding to this little set now. I plan to take it to a baby shower today!

JanMade Labels

I have had this little project spinning around in my head for a few years. I've googled, and pondered, and analyzed, and tried to decide what kind of labels I need for my sewing projects. I knew that I wanted the labels to match the font on my blog header. I also wanted them to be simple. I finally decided to create a sheet of labels on Microsoft Word and print them on fabric sheets. I experimented with spacing so that I could fold the labels and insert in a seam, or, press the edges under all around the label and stitch directly on my sewing project.

I used June Tailor Sew-In Colorfast Fabric Sheets For Ink Jet Printers. They were about $10 for 3 sheets at Hancock Fabrics and I used a 40% off coupon. That is over 100 labels for $6! There are instructions included for making the labels colorfast. 

I did a little stash-busting and made my son-in-law a pair of shorts with the fabric he picked out last year in Hawaii when I promised to make everyone something if they would let me stay a while in the fabric shop. I inserted my tag in the back of the waist. The shorts haven't been laundered yet. I'm hoping the little tag doesn't fade.

Hayden

In a few short months, I'll need to update the "About Me" on my blog. I can hang on to the 50 something for just a little while longer, but wife and mother will need to be changed to wife, mother, and grandmother!
Woo Hoo! Yep, a little grandson is on his way!

My sewing room looks a little different now. Minky, ribbon, flannel, cotton chenille, etc. One of the first things I pulled from my stash was this Tiny Toon fat quarter pack which I bought a few years ago just because I thought it was cute. I've pulled it out over the years, stared at it, and put it back in the closet. Finally, a project came to mind for Baby Hayden and this is what evolved.

I used the stitch in the ditch method to quilt the floor mat sized quilt, stitching around each block. For the binding, I cut the backing fabric larger and brought it to the front, turning under the edge and stitching.

With the leftover scraps of fabric, I made little soft blocks and balls. I added ribbons to the football because, apparently, taggie toys are good for babies.

Then, of course, we had  to have taggie blankets. This is just a small blanket, about 15" by 15" for Hayden to hold and feel the different textures and grasp the ribbons. The black fabric is minky and the print is flannel.

My grandma sewing is somewhat on hold now because I still don't have my Bernina embroidery system back from the Bernina repairman. I drove 75 miles last week to pick it up, brought it home and it still doesn't work. I drove the 75 miles to take it back and now I'm waiting for my phone to ring with the message that it is working perfectly and I can pick it up. Needless to say, I'm getting a little frustrated!

Dressed for Derby

What a fun project this turned out to be! My daughters went to the Kentucky Derby this year and, of course, needed new dresses. The Oaks is the day before Derby and is partnered with Bright Pink, an organization which focuses on risk reduction and early detection of breast cancer. Everyone is encouraged to wear pink and they do!

Remember the Little White Dress Contest sponsored by Patternreview.com? Well, Hannah wore her little white dress with a beautiful pink hat which she bought on ebay. The hat has a stargazer lily which is the official flower for The Oaks.

 

Just for fun, Hannah entered the Longines Kentucky Oaks Fashion Contest. Simon Baker from The Mentalist was one of the judges and told her that she looked "beautifully understated". Made her day!

The next day was the 140th running of The Kentucky Derby. Sarah wore Vogue 1236 in red/white striped seersucker. I made the same adjustments that I made for "The Underwear Dress" and it turned out great! I lined it with a cotton batiste and added a zipper to the back to make it easier to put on and take off.

Patternreview link

She wanted a monogrammed bow for her hat because it's all about the hats at The Derby.

Hannah's dress is Vogue 8648. I've had this pattern in my stash for a Susan Khalje class on Craftsy but haven't had the time to start. The pattern was designed to be cut on the bias. Instead, I marked the straight grain and cut the medium weight linen straight. There are lots of seams for taking up and letting out so it was extremely easy to get a good fit.

Patternreview link

My daughters loved their classic Made by Mommy dresses. While Hannah was standing in line for the Longines Fashion Contest, one of the contestants asked her if her dress was Lily Pulitzer. She told her no, it's a JanMade! That makes it all worthwhile.

Winter Street Dress from Patternreview

I'm pretty excited to share with you my two new Winter Street Dresses which are the result of my pattern testing for Deepika's new pattern available here at Patternreview.com. This is Deepika's version which is so cute on her with the ruffled sleeves and pink polka dots.

I downloaded the pattern and put it together very quickly. I sometimes dread this aspect of downloadable patterns but this was probably the most well planned pattern I have ever assembled. I traced the extra small size for my daughter so that I could use the pattern again for myself. The dress is described as "an easy to sew knit dress with a waist seam and a narrow pleated skirt." And, easy to sew is right!

After sewing together the bodice with a similar weight knit and getting a perfect fit, I cut out Hannah's purple ponte knit dress. Hannah is very petite so I took the dress up at the side seams and also moved the pleats in a bit more toward the center. I raised the waistline seam slightly as well just to keep everything proportioned for her height. Since this pattern works well with many different types and weights of knit fabrics, I think it is important to be flexible and let the fabric "speak" to you. For example, since ponte is a heavier knit, I stitched the pleats down for an inch or so.

The assembly is streamlined on this dress. After sewing the bodice front to skirt front, the bodice back to skirt back and sewing the sleeve in flat, the entire side seam is sewn in one swoop from the bottom of the hem, up the skirt, the bodice, and finally the sleeve. This method made it extremely easy to take the dress in a bit at the side seams.

Patternreview Link

As soon as I started sewing up Hannah's dress, I realized that the possibilities were endless for this pattern. I couldn't wait to finish it so that I could start another for myself. I really stepped outside of my comfort zone for this one because I don't wear a lot of prints and I haven't worn a maxi dress since high school when they were popular for a short time!

Patternreview Link

I chose a rayon jersey knit for my dress with a rather bold pattern. I had to be careful about pattern placement so that I didn't have a large medallion in the wrong place. I'm about 5"4" and was able to get this version from about 1 3/4 yards of 60" fabric for a size medium. The armholes are perfect for a sleeveless version. I didn't change a thing. I cut fabric strips for the neckline and armholes and added with the same method that I use for ribbing. I folded in half lengthwise and sewed them on with the serger, stretching the strips as I sewed. I used the coverstitch on the right side to hold everything in place. The coverage is great in the arm area for a 50 something mom like myself.
 

As Deepika, suggested, I stabilized the waist seam with elastic and that worked great to keep the weight of the long skirt from pulling down on the dress.

To adapt the skirt to maxi length, I drew a new side seam straight down from the widest part of the hips to the hemline. This basically changed the skirt pattern from the tulip shape to a rectangle. This gave me plenty of room to walk.

The pleats in this rayon jersey lay nice and flat across my hips so I didn't need to stitch them down as I did in Hannah's ponte version. 

Every time I tried on this dress for a fitting as I sewed, I would model it for my family and say, "I just love my new dress!" Eventually, as I walked into the room, they would just go ahead and say, "I know, you love your new dress!"

It was such fun to be part of the pattern testing group and the blog hop. I think you'll be amazed as you visit these blogs at how versatile this pattern is. It's hard to believe they were all made from the same pattern.

sewcraftychemist.blogspot.com 4/2/2014
detectivehoundstooth.com 4/3/2014
cleverthinking99.com 4/4/2014
trumbelinasews.blogspot.ca 4/5/2014
danikate-designs.blogspot.com 4/6/2014
sewingsaga.blogspot.com 4/7/2014
sharonsews.blogspot.com 4/8/2014
stitchinginmykitchen.blogspot.com 4/9/2014
sewingforward.com 4/10/2014
helloushandmades.blogspot.co.uk 4/11/2014
craftedbycarrie.com 4/12/2014
curveddarts.blogspot.com 4/13/2014
janmade.blogspot.com 4/14/2014
juliabobbin.com 4/15/2014

Thanks to Deepika and Patternreview for the opportunity to test this pattern and join in on the Winter Street Dress Blog Hop!

An Aloha Shirt for Hubby

Last summer, my family took a trip to Honolulu to show my daughters where their Dad grew up. He was born and raised in Honolulu but hadn't been back to visit for 30 years. We visited Pearl Harbor, North Shore, Blow Hole, and all the must-see sights of Oahu. We had a small Memorial Service for their grandparents at Hawaiian Memorial Gardens and took the girls to Punchbowl to locate their great grandparents' graves. We went to Leonard's Bakery for malasadas and W & M Burger for teriburgers.We found all of the nine houses that my husband lived in while growing up there.

Now this is a sewing blog so you know where this story is going. I asked my family if I could make a quick stop at Fabric Mart. I knew this would not be a quick stop. Thousands of rolls of fabrics! I bribed them suggested to them that if they would each choose a fabric, I would make everyone a garment to help them remember Hawaii.

They were agreeable and this is what we came up with. Shirt for hubby, shorts for son-in-law, blouses and dresses for my daughters and myself.

I bought the Hawaiian Classics aloha shirt pattern from the Victoria Jones Collection at Fabric Mart for my husband's aloha shirt. He likes the authentic aloha shirts. He also likes his aloha shirts made wrong side out for a more muted appearance.

Patternreview Link

There are lots of great tips included in this pattern. For example, the pattern not only suggests grading certain seams, it also indicates which seam allowance to cut wider and which to cut narrower. There is also a tip for preventing the undercollar from peeking out.

I used Pro-Woven Shirt-Crisp from Fashion Sewing Supply for the front band and collar and Pro-Woven Super-Crisp for the neckband. This interfacing is great! I probably would not be making shirts had I not discovered this interfacing.

 

I think my favorite detail of this aloha shirt pattern is the side vent. It is an overlapped vent and makes the shirt look very authentic and classic.

The instructions for this vent are very good, but just to be sure that I understood them before I "clipped to the dot" on the real thing, I made a mock-up with a scrap of nonwoven interfacing.

Now that makes one finished and six more to go from my Hawaii stash. This project was the most detailed of the seven so the rest should be a breeze!

Kwik Sew 3740 and Knit Tips

I'm still working on my one and only New Year's Resolution which is to reduce my fabric stash. This is my 12th sewing project this year. I don't blog all of them because some are actually a little boring to sew so I'm sure they would be even more boring for you to read about!

I decided to make a few long sleeved t-shirts since all of my RTW tees have shrunk nearly up to my belly button! I used my Kwik Sew 3740 and cut the neckline about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 higher at center front. I found this dark gray cotton blend knit in my stash which, at first, I thought was pretty ugly. Why did I buy that? I offered to make my daughter something out of it but she wasn't interested. Determined to use the piece, I cut out a long sleeve t-shirt. I had to add a center back seam since I only had 1 1/4 yards. I cut self-fabric neck "ribbing" about 1 1/2 inches wide and folded in half.

Patternreview link

Once I got past fighting with the curled edges and got the thing seamed up, I couldn't stop stitching on it. I used my coverstitch to topstitch the neckline and the sleeve seams.

I decided to add one of those little decorative V's in the center front just because I see them on all things casual and sporty.  I discovered that stitch 309 on my Bernina looks very similar to what I see in RTW. I drew a V with my chalk marker, added stabilizer underneath, and updated my plain, gray t-shirt.

I convinced hubby to help me with the pics. He is actually pretty good! This is the Plain Jan(e) version.

A little sporty with a touch of Burberry plaid.

Brightened up with a red fleece vest.

I showed my daughter my trendy V in the front and she replied, "Ooooooh".  I'll bet she wishes she had taken me up on the offer to make her one!

A few of my Sewing with Knits Tips. 

• Prewash the fabric in the manner that you plan to wash the finished garment, especially if it is cotton or a cotton blend.
• If you are sure of your sleeve length, hem the sleeve before sewing the sleeve seam, especially if hemming with a coverstitch.
• Sew one shoulder seam, add the neck ribbing, and then sew the remaining shoulder seam. Press the shoulder seam towards the back and stitch it in place at the ribbing/neck edge so that it lays flat.
• Sew the sleeve in before sewing the sleeve seam and the side seam which can then be sewn in one continuous seam.
• I usually hem the sleeve just a smidgen longer than I think I want it to be. It always works up a bit with wear and elbow bending.
• When hemming with a coverstitch from the right side, I sometimes draw a line on the right side with my Chakoner marker. If I press up 1 1/4" for a hem, I draw a line about 1 1/8" from the folded edge. I can then "straddle" the chalk line with the presser foot.
• If the knit is especially stretchy, I secure the hems with 3/8" double sided fusible before hemming with the coverstitch. This also prevents the hem from "tunneling" and the stitches from becoming buried in the fabric.

Little White Dress Contest

Back in January I entered a Little White Dress Contest on Patternreview. I've always wanted to enter one of their contests but always got sidetracked. This time I clicked on the "enter contest" button determined to follow through. I got a late start (a week before the end of the contest) but that's okay. I need a deadline to motivate me.

I decided to make a white pique dress for my daughter since she wears more dresses than I do. It's difficult to find patterns in size 4 but we agreed on Simplicity 1650. We looked beyond the peplum to the basic lines of the pattern. I made a muslin to check the fit and it's a good thing I did. One adjustment that definitely needs to be made before cutting is the width across the front neckline area. I had to take out about 3/4 inch from the front width by moving the pattern over at the fold about 3/8 inch at the top only. Otherwise, I would have been adding darts to the front neckline!

The front princess seams needed to be taken up a bit but I decided to adjust that after cutting out the bodice so that I could pin the adjustments on her body. I compared the skirt to a favorite skirt pattern and it was very close so adjustments were easy for the skirt.

We liked the cap sleeve but not the gathers at the top especially for the weight of the pique. I spent more time on the sleeves than any other part of the process. I don't know a lot about sleeve drafting so I laid the cap sleeve pattern (with the extra fullness folded out) on top of tracing paper on top of the basic short sleeve and drafted a new sleeve with the parts that I liked from each.

 

I added self-fabric piping to the neckline and to the bottom of the sleeves. I love piping! I used a Bernina #3 buttonhole foot which has grooves in the bottom and I was able to get a lot closer to the cord than with a zipper foot. I also used the #3 foot for the invisible zipper and it worked just as well, if not better, than my invisible zipper foot. 

This is the sleeve piping before understitching with the lining opened out from the sleeve. The piping is tapered at the underarm seam to reduce bulk.

 

I made thread loops at the side seams with a method I learned from a Children's Corner pattern many years ago when I smocked for my daughters. I think I might be a nerdy seamstress because I counted the number of loops so that the thread chains on each side would match! 

 

 

Here she is all accessorized for an evening out.

 

Evening out without the belt.

This is the casual daytime version with brown leather belt and strappy wedges, brown wood beads, and a denim jacket.

This is the blank canvas. My daughter loves the dress. I think she will be able to wear this very classic style for many years, dressed up or down, or somewhere in between. 

I lined the dress with a poly/cotton batiste and inserted an invisible zipper in the back. Total cost of the dress is $16 for pique, lining, and zipper with coupons and my "over 55" senior discount at Hancock Fabrics!

Link here to my review of this dress on Patternreview.