Sail Away Dress Sew-Along: Day 3

Today will be the most detailed day because I'm going to cover the steps to bind your dress either with store-bought bias tape, or by making your own. If you want to make your own bias tape like I did, Prudent Baby has a great tutorial for how to make your own from scratch HERE.

Step 1: Add bias tape to the arm holes and keyhole closure.

Now, you need to enclose the raw edges of your dress. To do this, use store-bought double fold bias tape or make your own like I did. If you're making your own, you want to cut 2-inch wide strips on the bias from your button down shirt so that your final bias tape will be 1 inch wide after folding and cutting. Again, go HERE for more detailed instructions for making your own bias tape if you've never done this before.

First, use a tape measure to measure the length of your arm holes. Cut this length of bias tape out and tuck the raw edges of your dress, as well as the edges of your ruffle, into the tape. Pin and sew the entire length of your arm hole. Repeat to finish the other arm hole.

To enclose the raw edge of your keyhole closure, you'll need to measure the keyhole and line it with bias tape. Pin and sew to finish.

*Optional: If you find that your keyhole closure is poking out too much, you can fold both sides of your keyhole closure with the right sides together, pinch the bottom of your keyhole, and sew a straight line 1/2 inch or so from the bottom. This will help your keyhole closure stay flat and give the back of your dress a cute pleat (ignore the button and bias tape on the top of the dress, we're about to get there :).

Step 2: Finish the back of your dress. 

To finish the back of your dress you'll need to measure 2 pieces of bias tape, 1 for each side of your keyhole closure. Measure each side and add 1/2 inch to both measurements. Cut your 2 pieces of bias tape.

The sides of your bias tape will need to be sewed closed because they are exposed. You could just sew the ends closed, but that leaves messy ends and I like to make them pretty.

All you have to do is take your bias tape, which has already been folded and ironed, and fold it down the middle against the crease so your flaps are to the outside and the end looks like an "M". Sew a line down the short ends 1/4 inch from the edge and clip the extra fabric, then turn inside out using a pointed object to push your corners out, and voila! Now you have your tape for the right side where you'll be sewing your button.

The bias tape lining the left side will need some elastic sewed on one side to keep your dress closed in the back. Using the same method above, fold your fabric against the crease making an "M" and sew one end closed. Before sewing the other end, insert a loop elastic thread 2 inches long (or how ever big you need it to be to accommodate your button) into the crease with the loop facing away from the end of the fabric and the tails sticking out some (see picture below.)

Sew this end closed, clip the extra fabric and any additional elastic thread tails sticking out, and turn inside out.

Now, pin your bias tape with the loop to the left of your keyhole, and the other piece on the right side. Sew to finish.

Hand sew a button opposite of your elastic string to complete your keyhole closure.


Step 3: Finish the front of your dress.

To finish the front, measure the top of your front piece and add 1/2 inch. cut out this length of bias tape. I used the same fabric I used for the ruffles. Since both ends of your bias tape will be exposed on the front as well, use the method above to enclose both edges of your bias tape.

Pin and sew to enclose the top of your dress and armhole.. Your dress should look like the picture to the right so far. Still with me?

__________________________________________________

Whew! Today was pretty detailed, but it's smooth sailing from here.

Smooth sailing, get it? Ok, bad nautical joke ;)

Tomorrow, we make straps. Try to contain yourselves! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Sail Away Dress Sew-Along: Day 2

Welcome back to day 2 of the Sail Away Dress Sew-Along!

If you missed day 1 where I show you how to make your pattern and the ruffles, go HERE.

Yesterday we covered the beginning basics of making your dress. Now, we'll dig a little deeper into the details.

Step 1: Cut your keyhole closure.

Now to make the keyhole for your button closure on the back of your dress.

First, measure the top of your back piece to find the center and draw a line 3 inches long with a disappearing ink marker.

Next, measure 1/2 inch on either side of this line, and draw 2 lines 1/2 inch shorter than the first.

Cut out your keyhole following the lines you drew, making sure the top and bottom of the keyhole are  curved as you cut.

Step 2: Sew your front and back pieces together.

Place your front piece on top of your back piece with the right sides together. Pin from the arm holes to the bottom of the dress. Sew from the bottom of the arm holes down (don't sew the arm holes closed!) with a straight stitch and finish the edges by serging or zig-zagging the edges.

Turn your dress inside out and press. It should look like this so far:

_________________________________________________

Thanks for coming back for day 2. Tomorrow will be pretty detailed. We'll be covering bias tape and how to make your own (or, if you want to make things REALLY easy, you could always buy a couple of packages of double fold bias tape from the store.) 

See you back here tomorrow!

Sail Away Dress Sew-Along: Day 1

Welcome to the first day of the Sail Away Dress Sew-Along, which is just a long title to say "here's some steps to make a cute dress using 2 old button down shirts and some scraps." 

But doesn't "The Sail Away Dress" sound much better?

 The sew-along will be going on all week, and I'll cover steps from making your pattern to binding your dress. I use 2 men's button down shirts to make my dress, but you can substitute cotton fabric or knit fabric if you like.

Let's get started!

 Supplies

• 2 men's button down shirts to cut up
• 3 buttons
• 2 inches of elastic thread
• Scraps of knit fabric for the sash
• Sewing machine and basic sewing supplies

Step 1: Make your pattern.

Using a dress that fits your child well, lay the dress on top of the front of your men's shirt that you want to use for your main fabric, making sure it's centered over the button placket and that the bottom of your dress is 1/2 inch from the bottom of your men's shirt (this is so you can keep the original bottom hem - less sewing you have to do!)

Trace 1/2 inch around the dress for seam allowance - add more if you want it looser for longer wear. Also make sure any sleeves are tucked in so you can trace the armholes properly.

Cut out. This is your front piece.

To make your back piece, trace the piece you just cut out on the back of your men's shirt, but add an additional inch to the top since the back is higher than the front. Cut out.

That's it for your main pattern pieces, seriously.

Step 2: Make your ruffles.

Measure the length of the top of your front piece and multiply times 2. Cut 2 rectangles from your other men's shirt with this length and 3 inches wide.

Fold and press one of  the long edges on each rectangle 1/4 inch under, then fold and press another 1/4 inch. Sew your folded edges down with a straight stitch.

For the other long edge, set your machine's stitch length and width to the highest numbers possible, and sew a basting stitch straight across 1/4 inch from the edge, making sure not to backstitch at the beginning or the end. Keep the tails of your string long when you cut them.

Gently tug on one of your thread tails and push the fabric with your other hand to create your ruffle. Keep scrunching your fabric until the ruffle is the same length as the top of your front piece. Tie knots in each end to secure your ruffles. Cut the extra thread.

Step 3: Attach your ruffles.

Line up the raw edge of one ruffle with the raw edge of your dress's front piece (make sure your ruffle is right side facing up.) Set your stitch width and length back to normal. Pin and sew your first ruffle down.

Next, flip your top ruffle up and measure 1 1/2 inches down from that (if a button is in the way just pin it above or below the button a little), pin your second ruffle, and sew straight across.

Both of your ruffles should now be attached to the front of your dress like so, and the raw edge of your second ruffle should be hidden under the first.

__________________________________________________

That does it for day 1 of the sew-along! 

Tomorrow we'll cover how to make your keyhole closure and sewing your main pieces together.

Please let me know if you have any questions: myownroad(at)yahoo(dot)com

Check out my sidebar to see where I link up each week!

A feature and a reminder

Just popping in to say how excited I was to get an email from Summer over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff that she would be featuring my Tunic Dress in her Showcase Saturday today! I just love her blog, it really made my day to hear that she was featuring me.

And of course it made all the effort I put into trying to get Haley to pose for pictures worth it. That kid cannot be bought with anything. Chocolate, toys, nothing will make her stand still and smile for pictures. Out of the 25+ pictures I took, most of them were like this:

I guess 2-year-olds can't appreciate the time it takes for us mama's to sew a dress for them ;)

On another note, just a reminder that my Sail Away Dress Sew-Along begins Monday morning! Hope you'll join me.

Have a great weekend!

Sail Away Dress Sew-Along Sneak Peek

Since the Button Down Rehab series ended, I've been hinting around that I have another mystery piece of clothing that I made out of a button down shirt. You're all probably like, "Yeah whatever, she's been talking about this hypothetical piece of clothing for weeks now. Shut up and give us a tutorial already."  Or maybe you're tired of button down shirt projects?

Well either way, I have one more for you my dear bloggy friends!

I've had this dress done since the end of BDR, it just turned out to be a monster of a tutorial because I take a ton of pictures and try to explain things as much as possible, so I decided to share it with you in several parts as an impromptu sew-along beginning Monday morning.

I hope you don't mind.

I've been loving all the nautical-themed stuff out there, so I decided to make this dress with lots of reds and blues, and of course stripes. Can you ever have too many stripes?


Or blueberries for that matter?

And the greatest part is that the fabric came from 2 men's button down shirts I had laying around (thanks hubs!) so besides the buttons and the tiny piece of elastic thread, the dress was basically free.

And boy do I love free things.

If you want to plan ahead and join me for my little sewing soiree, you'll need just a few supplies: 2 button down shirts to cut up, 3 buttons, some scraps of knit fabric for the sash, and 2 inches of 1/4 inch elastic or elastic thread.

That's it!

I'll even show you how to make your own pattern in 3 easy steps! How's that for an attention-grabbing infomercial? Are you intrigued?

I hope you'll join me for the Sail Away Dress Sew-Along next week.

Grab your stuff, I'll see you back here Monday!

Linking up to THESE great sites!

King of the Sandcastle Shirt {a Silhouette project}

After making a shirt for Haley using my Silhouette, I got brave and decided to give the Silhouette a challenge. I chose a more detailed image for an applique to see if it could cut out tiny details on fabric.

Oh yeah, it can.

On a completely unrelated note, are you loving the baby mohawk? People think we shave his head that way, but it just grows that way somehow. I tell people he was just born cool. It's a burden he'll just have to learn to bear as he gets older :)

Using the flocked heat transfer material, which Silhouette so sweetly included in my prize bundle, I ironed on some wording then used my Silhouette to cut out and iron on some fabric for a sandcastle applique.

Here's how you can make one too!

Supplies:

• White flocked heat transfer material
• Fabric for the sandcastle
• Small scrap of fabric for the flag
• Iron
• Silhouette or X-Acto knife and cutting mat
• Sewing machine and thread
• You can download the King of the Sandcastle Silhouette Studio template found HERE

Step 1: Create your wording.

You can download the Silhouette Studio file for the King of the Sandcastle Shirt HERE. If you don't have a Silhouette, no worries! Just google "sandcastle" and you can find plenty of images to print and trace onto fabric to make your sandcastle and wording.

If you want to make everything from scratch, use Silhouette Studio to create your wording. I typed "king of the sandcastle" roughly 5 1/2 inches wide and 2 1/4 inches tall. Next, I inverted the wording so when I ironed it on my shirt it would read correctly.

I positioned a square of my flocked heat transfer material on the sticky cutting mat and sent it through the Silhouette using the pink blade to cut it.

When I peeled away the negative space, this is what my wording looked like. Use tweezers to remove the little pieces inside the lettering.

Step 2: Make your sandcastle

To make the sandcastle, I used the "Echo Park Sandcastle" design from the Silhouette store and sized it to fit my shirt (approximately 4 inches tall by 4 inches wide). I wanted to cut the flag out of a different color of fabric, so I ungrouped everything by right clicking on the castle and choosing "ungroup," then I moved the flag away from the rest of the sandcastle so I could cut it out of different fabric.

Next, iron on some sewable interfacing to the back of the fabric you want to use for your sandcastle. Make sure the interfacing is an inch or so larger than you want your final image to be. For example, my sandcastle was 4"x4", so I Ironed on a 5"x5" piece of interfacing to the back of my fabric. Repeat with the fabric you're using for your flag. Cut out and remove the paper backing.

Step 3: Cut out your sandcastle and flag.

Follow the instructions for cutting out fabric on your Silhouette. Place your fabrics on the sticky carrier sheet with the right sides facing up and the interfacing down on the carrier sheet. Make sure you pay attention to the positioning of your fabrics relative to your design in Silhouette Studio. You want to make sure your fabric is lined up where your design is located in Studio so the Silhouette will cut your fabric in the correct places. I like to double cut my fabric to make sure I have clean edges.

Send your carrier sheet through the Silhouette for cutting.

Remove the negative space around your sandcastle. Use tweezers to remove those little pieces of fabric in the windows.

Step 4: Iron on your images.

Position your sandcastle and flag where you would like them on your shirt.

Follow the instructions on your interfacing to iron on your sandcastle and flag. Mine said to place a damp cloth on top of my image and iron.

Once ironed on, stitch around the perimeter of your sandcastle and flag. Usually, applique is sewed on with a zig-zag stitch, but I chose to use a straight stitch because I wanted the edges to fray a little to give it some personality.

For your wording, position your words with the shiny side up (the letters should be right reading now) on top of your shirt and using a hot iron on the "cotton" setting, place a washcloth on top of your image and iron for the amount of time indicated on the your interfacing instructions. Silhouette flocked transfer material suggests 45-60 seconds.

Tah-dah!

Every man needs to be king of some kind of castle, right?

It's a great little summer shirt, even if you don't have a beach (*sigh*)

Check out my sidebar to see where I link up each week!

I'm a vegetable murderer

Aren't these lovely squash? The only problem is that they're not squash, they're cucumbers from my garden.

They're HUGE and lacking that certain greenness that cucumbers are supposed to have. At the beginning of spring, I planted 2 cucumber plants, 3 tomato plants, 2 strawberry plants, 5 lettuce plants, and a handful of red onions. Fastforward many, many hot Tennessee days later, and all of the plants except for the tomato and cucumber plants have died. Actually, one strawberry plant is hanging on for dear life and has produced 5 strawberries the size of dimes - does that count?

I had some hope for my lettuce plants, but when we went on vacation to Pittsburgh for a week in June, this is what I came home to:

My heads of lettuce had bolted. I had never heard that term before, but from Googling "my lettuce plant looks like a mutant," I discovered that "bolting" basically means my lettuce plants thought they were going to die so they decided to flower, which makes them grow upward and flower. Unfortunately this means the leaves become bitter and inedible. Which meant I got to add to my compost pile.

I had some hope for my cucumbers, so when they were growing in humongous proportions, I looked past the fact that they were yellow instead of the typical green cucumber-y color. After realizing that they had yet to green up, I picked one and cut it open to see how it tasted.

Yuck-o.

It was bitter and had this gross white inner rind. After visiting my friend Google again, I found out that cucumbers weren't supposed to get this big (oops) and that the yellow color probably meant that they had some crazy plant virus or that the weather was too hot. Sigh.

So now I have a big pile of these cucumbers the size of my calf that taste like a shoe. Anybody want one?