Felicity by Peek-a-Boo Patterns

Looking for that fun summer dress...here it is! Amy of Peek-a-Boo Patterns has designed Felicity (affiliate link) a sweet dress with full back or halter top option.

Had issues taking photos of Miss Amelia seeing that she was quite upset the the dress wasn't hers. I thought she'd get over it with the promise of a treat, but not at all!

So we have some pouting and sulking because she LOVES this dress!

As usual with Peek-a-Boo patterns you get a huge size range (3 months to 12 years) nested pattern pieces for easy size blending, 1/2" seam allowance and all charts are in metric and imperial measurements.

Some of the design options include:

• Full back or halter back (with shirring).
• Knee length or maxi.
• Button placket all the way down the front or just at front bodice.

I think the only way I can end this sulking is making her a dress of her own, which is a great idea since it is such a fun sew!

Until next time, xx.

Dress Pattern No.15 Designed by E+M Patterns

There's a new release for E+M Patterns! Dress Pattern No.15! Get it now while its at a special price for a very limited time at only $6.00 instead of $8.00. This is one of those projects that I knew I wanted to make because the dress was just so cute...once I had finished sewing it up I couldn't stop looking at it, I just love it!

So many fun but simple elements to this pattern...There's an option to have an asymmetrical hem, shirring at the waist, and ties at the shoulders.

This is also a good dress to shorten to tunic length and also easy to layer with a long sleeve tee or cardegan. If you've noticed the leaves are changing color here and it is getting cooler. 

Stay tuned because as usual I will have a fun little pattern hack for this E+M Pattern too! 

Until next time, xx.

Teacup Tilly Dress a Design by Ginger Baby Patterns

While I was away on vacation Ginger Baby released thier Teacup Tilly Dress pattern and its now available in their Etsy shop. This tutorial is packed with information on shirring, customizing size, and how to make it your own. There's even a section in the tutorial to make it as frilly as can be for princess play.

I like making things classic and simple so I used a woven cotton and made the dress knee length for Amelia.

I like that the sash in not sewn into the dress so the dress can be worn without it, and the sleeves have perfect shoulder coverage.

Love this dress, and I have a feeling that it will be one of Amelia's favorites too.

Until next time, xx

Bow Twirl Dress by Whimsy Couture

Many pattern designers are making me crave Spring/Summer with their new designs including Whimsy Couture with the revamp of the Bow Twirl Dress. I'm so happy that revamp also means me getting to test it out! This one was made for Amelia.

Every once in a while its nice to come across a pattern  with no pieces to print. Measure out the dimesions needed and cut out in a straight line, get to the sewing machine a just sew. The Bow Twirl pattern features a shirred bodice (you can find a short tutorial on shirring here) and a bow that can be worn in the front or back. I had Amelia model it with the bow in the back for fear that she would undo the bow (because she will do that). Measurements are also given to make it as a top, so fun for the summer, right?

I used Riley Blake's Verona by Emily Taylor. There's the bow from the back and as you can see the length of the dress is just to the knee. 

And one more because I just can't get enough of this face :)

Shirring Tutorial

Last year one of JubeJube's favorite outfits was a shirred one piece with ties at the shoulder. Easy enough to make and so comfy for the little ones to play outside with. I did have a lot of people ask me afterwards how to shirr so today I'll be sharing my little secret.

First thing is you need to make sure that your sewing machine is friends with the shirring technique, not all home machines play nice with thread elastic.

This is the brand I use, but just about any brand is fine as long as its thread elastic. Try it out on a swatch just so you don't mess up on your good fabric.

My machine is all threaded and just about ready to go. Here's what I did, I wound the thread elastic onto the bobbin and I have my regular poly-cotton thread threaded through the top of the machine. I'm lucky enough that I don't have to hand wind my elastic onto the bobbin but again some machines don't play nice and you might have to wind it by hand. Set you stitch length to the longest and your tension should be at 2 or 3. 

With you fabric right side up start sewing the length of your fabric. I like to back stitch at the begining and the end of each row, but some say you don't need to. 

Each row is about 1/4 " apart or the width of your machine foot. For the best results, remember to take your time, to make your rows even and make sure before you start your next row that you have enough elastic in your bobbin to finish off the row.

Once your elastics are secured (in this case the side seam) you need to steam with an iron or steamer the rows of elastics for maximum elasticity.

This is a rule of thumb: if you need, for lets say a bodice, 21 inches of shirred fabric make sure you have a piece 42 inches by the height of the bodice you desire. This is a guideline, not all fabrics will require double the amount for it to fit around the chest, it depends on the weight of the fabric and how rigid it is. Its always easier to cut it down to size then to have to try to add 2 or 3 inches to your fabric.

Next thing: elastic thread has latex in it. If you or your child has sensitive skin you may not want to make the bodice fit super tight because they won't want to weat it if its super itchy on their skin.

There you have the finished shirred bodice. Can you tell that JubeJube was in no mood for photos today. Next week I'll be posting a tutorial on how to make the one piece :)