The actual sewing portion of our sewing lessons is finally taking place – yippie!  I thought it was really important for me to work on this this past weekend, being that this is a summer dress and it’s almost August! (Although for those of us in California, summer is only beginning.)

Before we start, I want to let you know that I updated the last post (about cutting) with an alternative method to transferring pattern marks – this could be especially helpful for beginners. (Thanks, Andrea!)  And to recap, these sewing lessons focus on recreating my own Built by Wendy dress, pattern #3835.

Let’s sew!  To begin, follow the directions in the pattern for Dress A, Mini Dress B: Pockets A. As you can see in the above photo, I only added one pocket (on the left because I’m left-handed), added rick rack and cut the pocket piece on the bias (diagonal to the grainline).  This is not how I made the original Modern, Old-Fashioned Dress but since this is my 3rd time making this pattern I had to do something different!  Feel free to make these changes (or any, really) but if you’re a beginner it might be best to make the more simple version (pocket cut as indicated on the pattern); sewing rick rack on the bias can be a little frustrating which can lead to you not liking sewing!  (To clarify, fabric cut on the bias has stretch and sewing stretchy fabric can be tricky.)

Anyhow, I usually like to pin perpendicular to the stitch line as you can see here:

After you sew on the pockets, continue following the rest of the pattern, making the back darts.  Don’t forget to leave long (3″ or so) threads at the beginning and end of your darts so you can tie knots (as opposed to backstitching).

French Seams: For the back and side seams I made French seams, which is where the seam allowances are completely enclosed within themselves; this is great because it looks nice and prevents raveling.

This is how I like to do it:  Begin with the back center seam.  First, with WRONG sides (of the fabric) together, stitch seam 1/4″ from the edge.  Cut any loose threads that stick out.

Open up the back so the entire piece lays flat.  Press the seam flat, with the seam allowance to one side.  Then fold the back piece along the stitch line, RIGHT sides together, enclosing the seam; press.  Stitch the seam 3/8″ from the edge, enclosing the previously made 1/4″ seam allowance.  Open up the back piece again and press the seam nice and smooth.  (It doesn’t matter to which side the seam allowance falls.)

Repeat this process for the side seams; when you are done press seam allowances towards the back of the dress.

In our next lesson, we’ll begin with the sleeves – stay tuned!

This image is an oldie but goody.  I love this skirt though I hardly wear it;   I think I like it better on the form!  Anyway, I was going to post a lesson or talk about my wedding dress today; I have (had?) this wonderful picture of my family from the 50s that I was going to include in the post.  But I can’t find it.  My fiance’s sister was in town a couple of weeks ago so I “straightened up” my room and, of course, I put things in seemingly logical places that are far from them.  The worst part is I’m an avid recycler (Ok, not’s not really a bad thing) and I’m wondering if it ended up in the recycling by mistake (being in a nondescript off-white note card-type frame).  So then I started to freak out and cleaned up my room for reals this time and I still can’t find it!  Then, naturally,  I ate too many chocolate chip cookies to cope and now I have a stomach ache.

So, ANYHOW,  I’m posting a few links for you in lue of a normally scheduled sewing lesson post:

Must-read: Alicia shares some words of sewing wisdom

See Casey’s completely awe-inspiring Alice dress

Check out what Elizabeth made for her daughter Caitlin – as always, lucky girl!

Wish me luck finding that photo!  I really hope it’s in here somewhere…

Now we are really getting somewhere!  Hopefully, if you are following along, you have your fabric ready to go (washed and pressed) for dress pattern #3835.  We’ve already covered basic tools plus deciphered the back of a sewing pattern and figured out how much fabric you need.  Now we’re onto cutting out the pieces.

The above image is the cutting layout you’ll find at the beginning of the pattern instructions.  If you are a beginner, feel free to peruse the “General Instructions” instructions before you layout out the pattern pieces.  Over time you’ll become more familiar with pattern terms and symbols; most patterns work more or less the same.

Often times pattern pieces are cut out on folded fabric to give you 2 mirror images of the same piece; in this case, pattern pieces are marked “Cut 2.”   Sometimes a pattern piece is placed on the fold; this will only give you a single piece.  The fronts of skirts and dresses are often cut out as one piece so that there won’t be a seam running down the front.  These pieces are marked “Cut 1 on fold.”

The edges of fabric are called selvedges or selvages.  When called for, fold your fabric lengthwise, right sides together, so that the selvedges meet,  making sure the fabric lays down smooth:

Your fabric should not pull in one direction or another; the warp, or threads that are parallel to the selvedges, should be perpendicular to the weft, or cross-grain threads.  Hmmm…think of the woven threads, the warp and the weft, meeting at 90 degree angles.    Ensuring that the threads meet at 90 degree angles is sometimes referred to as “squaring” or “truing up” fabric.  Don’t rely on the cut edge to guide you as far as making sure your fabric  since fabric is often not cut in a perfectly straight line.  Below is an example of what your fabric should NOT look like:

If you cut out your pieces from fabric that is not folded properly, the threads in the pieces will be twisted and your garment may not hang correctly.

For the dress we’re making you’ll need pattern pieces #1 (front), #2 (pocket), #3 (back) and #5 (sleeve).

Cut out the pattern pieces with regular paper scissors.  When starting a new pattern, I don’t cut out the paper pieces on the cutting line but instead right outside of them.  This makes cutting out the pieces much faster since you don’t need to be precise.  (In the photo below you can see that the pieces ARE cut on the cutting line – that’s because I’ve used this pattern before.)

Anyway, lay down your pieces according to the cutting layout in the pattern instructions; for this dress you can use the cutting layout for View A as a guide.  (Depending on your size, you may need to cut out the sleeves last and on a single layer or fabric, after you’ve already cut out the other pieces; see layouts.)  Also, and this is important: The sleeves are short and therefore you’ll cut the sleeve hem at the line for View C.

Ok, so cut out your pieces from the fabric along the cutting line for your size; for this dress I wanted to decrease the amount of ease a little so I cut out the next size down.  I tend to not like clothes fitting too loosely because I’m petite and loose-fitting close usually swallow me up or make me look dumpy.

Cut notches (those triangles along the cutting lines) out, away from the pattern piece.  These notches are used as guides later on when sewing the pieces together, helping you to make sure seams match up correctly.

Once you cut all of your pieces out, look for dots on the pattern pieces; you’ll need to mark these before you unpin the pieces.  This is how I do it: On a flat surface stick a pin through the middle of the dot, the one marked with your size:

Carefully lift of the paper pattern and mark the pinned spot with a fabric marking pen*, pencil or chalk; you might need to remove a couple of pins so you can get underneath.  Do this for all markings.

Flip the pinned pieces over and mark on the other side.

……………………………………………..

Edited 7.26.09: Based on a friend’s comment and my realization that not everyone can eyeball a stitch line, I’m adding in another (and probably easier) way to mark darts. This method uses a tracing wheel and wax-free tracing paper…

To mark your darts (or pockets too), place a large enough piece of tracing paper (the kind from the fabric store that won’t leave a permanent mark; you might want to test the removal of the mark on a scrap piece of the fabric first) underneath the pattern piece, colored side down.  Also place a piece of this tracing paper, colored side up, underneath the both pieces fabric so you’ll mark both sides at once.

Then get out your tracing wheel:

And mark the dashed lines by rolling the wheel along the line, pressing hard enough so you’ll mark both pieces of fabric.  I like to mark the circles (at the ends) with an “X.” When you remove the paper pattern piece, your fabric will look like this:

When it’s time to sew the darts, you’ll stitch directly on this line.

……………………………………………..

At this point I like to keep the pieces pinned together until I’m ready to sew.  This way I won’t forget which piece is what and if the markings rub off or disappear* then I can remark them in the correct spots.  The remaining piece of fabric will be used for the hem ruffles – we’ll cut those out later.

Yay!  that was fun.  In our next lesson we start…sewing!

Happy 4th, dears!  This weekend my fiance’s sister is in town so there’ll be lots of going out to eat and sippin’ on ice cold drinks; it should be a hot one!

*Sometimes those pesky fabric marking pens make marks that disappear before you’d like them to or they won’t go away, even after blotting with water.  I would advise testing out the pen on a scrap piece of the fabric you’ll be using first to see how easy, or hard, it is to remove.

Ok, so now that you’ve got your tools let’s talk about figuring out the back of patterns and the fabric you’ll need.  To recap, if you’re going to follow along in these lessons, you’ll need Simplicity’s Built By Wendy / Built by You #3835.  Otherwise I think this post will still be helpful for those that are just learning to sew from patterns.  Again, chime in if you disagree or have your own methods to getting yourself ready for a sewing project!

First, you’ll need to get the right size.  Any pattern I’ve seen displays the size at the top somewhere as shown here:

This is size D5 which is a range of sizes 4-12.  Generally speaking, modern patterns tend to contain multiple sizes unlike vintage patterns which usually only have one.  The nice thing about a range is that it is easier to customize the pattern to your measurements.  For example, you can cut the bodice a size 8 and the hips a size 12.  It’s important to note that pattern sizes, modern or vintage, often don’t correspond to modern ready-to-wear sizes.  If you wear a size 12 in modern clothing, it’s very likely you won’t wear a size 12 in a vintage or modern pattern.  But don’t worry, the important thing is to know your measurements!  Check out this post at Sew Mama Sew! to learn how to measure yourself when you get the chance.

Here’s an overview of the back of the pattern (layouts vary depending on manufacturer):

There are line diagrams of the different views, or versions, that the pattern offers on the left, noted as A, B and C;  the letter next to each diagram corresponds to the illustration or photo of that version on the pattern’s front.  You also have (starting from the top):

• The names of the different versions (I.e. “Mini-dress”)
• The types of fabrics that are suggested (I think it’s important to adhere to the pattern’s suggestions, especially when you are a beginner)
• Notions you’ll need
• Body measurements and their corresponding sizes
• How much fabric you’ll need for each size, in each view
• Garment measurements (at the bottom)

Garment measurements tell you how big the actual garment is which is usually bigger (unless we’re talking knit fabrics) than your body measurements.   How much bigger they are is the garment’s ease.  To be really general about it, if a garment’s measurements are a lot bigger than the corresponding body measurements, then you could say that it has a lot of ease (like in a Muumuu!).  If there is little difference then you could say there is little ease and the garment is meant to be fitted.  Zero or negative ease is something you would likely find in knitted garments that have lots of stretch.

So when you pick out the pattern you like, check the back and find your measurements so you can pick out the size:

Few women fall into one size exactly.   Each pattern manufacturer is different and after you’ve gained more experience you may find that, for example, company X tends to run a bit big on you and you’d need to go down a size.   Also, it may depend on the garment you are making.  For example, if you are making a dress with a full skirt and your hip measurement is significantly different from the hip measurement in the stated size, you may be home free since often times a good fit would not depend on the skirt part.  On the other hand, your hip measurement is key when making a pair of trousers.

If your pattern contains multiple sizes, you could (like I said before) cut out the most appropriate size for that body part.  (We’ll talk more about these things and garment ease in the post about cutting out your pattern pieces.)  Pattern #3835, which features an loose-fitting a-line dress, does not rely on the waist and hip measurements too much.   For this particular pattern, I think it’s a good idea to pick the size based on your bust measurement (And round up if needed).

♥

The modern, old-fashioned dress we’re going to make is essentially View C, which is the top, but longer, with darts and pockets like View A;  It also has a ruffled hem and elastic waistband with ribbon tie.

You’ll need to round up the following:

• The amount of fabric stated in your size for View A + an extra 1/4 yd (You may have extra fabric left over, especially if you range in the smaller sizes, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!)*
• Coordinating thread
• One package 1/4″ wide elastic
• One package 1/2″ wide elastic
• One package hem tape or seam binding
• 1″ or 1 1/2″ wide ribbon: To get the length take your natural waist measurement and add 28″ (Or more if you want a bigger bow.)**
• Optional: One 20″ zipper, hook and eye***

*The fabric I used is seersucker from Joann’s; it’s a looser weave than traditional seersucker and therefore is softer and drapes better – perfect for summer.  I recommend using a lightweight woven cotton or linen fabric for this project which includes calico and quilt-weight fabric.  Keep in mind that if the fabric you choose is stiff (like some quilt fabrics can be) then your dress will be stiff too; sometimes washing the fabrics helps with that but not always.  (By the way, I suggest that you wash your fabric before the next post!)  For these sewing lessons, I picked out some vintage mint green and white gingham (see first photo).

**I used petersham or French grosgrain ribbon for my dress.  Petersham looks similar to regular grosgrain ribbon except the edges are bumpy – this has to do with how the ribbon is woven and this kind of ribbon is more flexible than regular grosgrain (which is why it is often used for curves like in a waistband or around a hat).  I also washed the ribbon and it turned out really soft.  You don’t have to get petersham ribbon if you cannot find it – any ribbon you like should do.

***I omitted the zipper in this dress (Simply put, I do not enjoy installing them) and won’t be going over how to put one in for this project.  Omitting the zipper should be fine for most people but if you consider yourself a busty gal, you might need it.  (If, in general, you avoid non-knit dresses and tops that slip over your head because they don’t work for you, consider putting a zipper in.  There are many books and tutorials online for this; Sorry, the one I was going to suggest is experiencing technical difficulties.  If anyone can suggest a good tutorial for installing zippers PLEASE leave a comment!  Thank you!)

OR, if you don’t like the ruffle or cinched waist you could skip my additions and make a more simple version like I did here:

(Cute Japanese print with red and white striped pockets.)

Our next lesson involves laying out the pattern and cutting out the pieces.  Stay tuned.

[click image to visit flickr and get more info]

Style I Love is a new post theme I’m going to try out.  I can’t help but mentally organize things that I love in my head, particularly when it comes to fashion, so I might as well post about them!

Anyway, you know how something catches your eye and then you see it (or something similar) everywhere?  I’ve been that way about vintage plaid dresses for at least a few years, but especially now.  I’ve collected my favorites on flickr, above.  You might notice that both Anja (Clever Nettle) and Strawberry Koi are featured multiple times – I couldn’t help it though, they’ve got some of the best vintage plaid dresses I’ve seen around!

I have yet to find the perfect one for me (I nearly bid on one on eBay but decided it, though cute,  really wasn’t my style).   I did, however, find this precious little plaid fabric that I hope to use with one of my vintage patterns:

This pattern, Simplicity 3561, is from my collection.  I’d probably use a different (non-plaid) fabric for this but isn’t it darling?  I love the bow and, I mean, sheer plaid fabric?

Speaking of Clever Nettle, this pretty dress is for sale in her shop (Check out her other plaid pretties as well):

This is the sweetest Robin’s egg blue dress at Ninth Avenue Vintage:

Check out this utterly charming rosy-pink 50s dress from Vintage Rose Clothing:

Who knew plaid could be so much fun and so sweet?  Happy Wednesday, peeps!

During my blog break I finally managed to do some fun dress sewing. Remember that “Built by Wendy (#3835) pattern I was thinking of doing?

Instead of tackling one of my complicated vintage sewing patterns, I opted to do this relatively easy and modern one. I used some inexpensive, soft black and white seersucker from Joann’s.  It doesn’t have the crisp hand that I usually think of when I think of seersucker (like a southern gentleman’s summer jacket) but that was perfect for this comfortable frock.

All seams are French, felled or covered with seam binding because the weave of the fabric is kinda loose and pinking the seams wasn’t going to cut it (No pun intended – haha!).

Ok, so I started making the version in the middle. The yoke was looking quite funky, prim and unflattering (Which is sad because I thought the yoke was cool!) so I opted to use the blouse neckline and short sleeves too. I still added the patch pockets. I decreased the ease quite a bit to make it look more form-fitting which, in my opinion, is normally more flattering for us petite ladies. And even though I did that, I was delighted by the fact that I could completely omit the back zipper! (This is something that would only work if you were, um, small busted.)

I knew I was going to belt it so I sewed some soft elastic around the waistline, on the inside, with a zigzag stitch. I liked the mini-length but discovered that hemmed simply it looked as though I was donning an over-sized shirt. (Not my look, thanks.) But then it dawned on me to add the ruffle which was really the final touch and gave it some sweet, old-fashioned charm.

The ribbon belt is the very same French grosgrain from the previous post. I washed it and it become super soft and flexible – oh, it’s lovely, I need more! To, you know, tie stuff with.

I’m revved up for more dress sewing. I started another dress, in the most summery cotton voile, and this time from a vintage pattern!

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5BuyWRgVI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ee2jIuPRHOo/s1600-h/teal-pinafore4.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5BuyWRgVI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ee2jIuPRHOo/s400/teal-pinafore4.jpg” alt=”" id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223684889841336658″ border=”0″ //abr /Wee! An evening well spent. My a href=”http://thefabledneedle.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-made-it-monday-3.html”pinafore/a is finally done! (span style=”font-style: italic;”Please/span excuse the background clutter.)br /br /Watching a href=”http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/”It Happened One Night/a and eating chocolate covered pretzels definitely helped.br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5KMglcGWI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/TW7l_CTWB9Q/s1600-h/ithappenedonenight.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5KMglcGWI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/TW7l_CTWB9Q/s400/ithappenedonenight.jpg” alt=”" id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223694196562205026″ border=”0″ //abr /Gosh, this pattern is supposed to be easy and it ended up being a long string of snafus. (Good thing I like the results.) I had to fiddle with almost every part of this dress. This seems to happen to me a lot. I don’t know if it’s my haste to get a project done or my apparently non-standard issue body that requires clothes to be nipped and tucked here and there and everywhere.br /br /Not to mention the fact that this is originally a pattern for a wrap around blouse and skirt. Can you tell from the illustration?br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5LDb0VS2I/AAAAAAAAAUY/bS0OeE_-m94/s1600-h/pini-pattern.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5LDb0VS2I/AAAAAAAAAUY/bS0OeE_-m94/s400/pini-pattern.jpg” alt=”" id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223695140175301474″ border=”0″ //abr /The skirt is originally in 2 pieces with an opening in the side. I ended up cutting the back into 2 (I figured I had ease to spare) and placed a short zipper in that seam. Then I sewed the blouse’s front part hem to the entire waist of the skirt. br /br /This is where the cussing started. I mean, it seemed simple enough but the act of sewing these 2 sections together caused a lot of weirdness in the fit that I had not noticed before. Commence fiddling! I sewed that sucker in the back like 3 times or something. Experiences like this are good lessons but also opportunities to let go of perfection. (Which I suppose is also a good lesson.)br /br /Here is the back view. The back of the blouse is not sewn to the skirt, rather it wraps around to the front, covering up the back zipper.br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5MKk0kR7I/AAAAAAAAAUg/MyUrM6li8mM/s1600-h/teal-pinafore-back.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5MKk0kR7I/AAAAAAAAAUg/MyUrM6li8mM/s400/teal-pinafore-back.jpg” alt=”" id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223696362362914738″ border=”0″ //abr /Here’s a close up of the vintage button I used (not the one I had shown previously) at the back neck closure:br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5MYeMXhKI/AAAAAAAAAUo/knKUOmIsbj4/s1600-h/teal-pinafore-button.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5MYeMXhKI/AAAAAAAAAUo/knKUOmIsbj4/s400/teal-pinafore-button.jpg” alt=”" id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223696601101862050″ border=”0″ //abr /Oh yea, and I added seam in pockets too – must have those:br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5B854cgLI/AAAAAAAAAUI/gJm9sR0LQtU/s1600-h/teal-pinafore3.jpg”img style=”margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5B854cgLI/AAAAAAAAAUI/gJm9sR0LQtU/s400/teal-pinafore3.jpg” alt=”" id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223685132381880498″ border=”0″ //aI thought the yellow shoes would go nicely.br /br /Happy Wednesday!br /br /a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_M5dKBd5_Vfk/SH5BuyWRgVI/AAAAAAAAAT4/ee2jIuPRHOo/s1600-h/teal-pinafore4.jpg”br //a

I finished my pink muumuu this weekend. Cute, huh? I’m seriously thought it would be a bust but it has really grown on me. It’s super comfortable and perfect for hot weather.

Instead of creating a casing for the elastic I just sewed it directly onto the dress (on the inside of course!). Not quite as fancy but much faster and since there’s a belt covering up, it looks fine. Plus, less bulk! Less bulk in the waist area is always good.

I adore these huge deep rose-colored novelty buttons. You can’t see the ones at my shoulders in these photos, I guess because they are so big they flop over. That’s OK though, it’s better for under cardigans anyway.