Vixen Bralette Mash-up
We have an easy mash-up for you today. We turned the Vixen Bralette into a dress by adding on the empire skirt of the Boundless Knit Dress. This mash-up uses the knit short band and can be done with either the crossover or the straight back options of the Vixen.
To prepare the bralette, follow the tutorial all the way through to just before attaching the knit band.
- Quarter and mark the bralette and both of the knit bands. Take note of the tips in the tutorial on how to find the quarter marks on the crossover back option.
- Take one knit band and pin to the bralette RST.
- Take the second knit band and pin the right side of the knit band to the wrong side of the bralette, making a sandwich.
- Sew using a 1/4″ seam allowance.
- Flip the bands down and mark the quarters of the bottom of the band. Set aside.
To prepare the skirt, reference the Boundless Knit Dress tutorial. Using your underbust measurement to determine which size, cut out your skirt based on the Empire skirt cut chart on page 5. I used the dress skirt length, but any of the length skirts will work for this mash-up. I also cut out the pocket pattern pieces, because pockets are life 😀 Follow the Boundless knit tutorial starting on page 18 with attaching the pockets to the skirt. If you are skipping pockets, then start on page 20 of the tutorial. The Boundless dress tutorial will guide you through finishing up your skirt and how to attach it to your bodice.
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7
Hello, friends! Thank you everyone who joined us last week for the Kelli and Charli sew along. I thoroughly enjoyed making the stretch velvet Kelli dress…plus , I am Christmas ready with month and months to spare. I know you are here to find out the winners so without further ado, here they are!
Congratulations, Stevie Puckett-Perez ! She is our first winner. Mel won a $20 gift card from Patterns for Pirates and a $25 gift card from Mily Mae Fabrics.
Congratulations go to Cathryn Larkin as well! Cathryn won a gift card from Made for Mermaids valued at $20.
A huge THANK YOU to our sew along sponsor. Make sure you check out Mily Mae Fabrics on Facebook to keep up to date with their sales and fabrics.
I am passing the baton to the mermaids! I’m excited to see what’s next in the sew along group.
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6
Welcome to the final day of the Charli and Kelli sew along!
All we have left to do today is attach the skirt to the bodice and hem. If you have not basted the two front skirt pieces yesterday, I recommend you do so today. Find the center point of the skirt’s front and back ad well as bodice front. With the right sides together, match the side seams and center marks on the skirt and bodice. Pin in place.
Tip: If you are using a fabric with vertical stretch or on the heavier side, add clear elastic to the waist seam. This will prevent the bodice from stretching too much when worn.
Sew the skirt to the bodice using a stretch stitch. I love a triple stretch stitch for this step. Press the waistband to reduce any waviness from sewing. Remember that a lot of the fancier fabric require a pressing cloth to be used.
Final steps of this sew along are hemming the skirt and the sleeves. If you opted for the split skirt and cap or sleeveless you are done with your Kelli and Charli projects. Our P4P University hemming knits blog post gives you a few tips for an easy and successful process. I have “discovered” the overcasting stitch on my sewing machine and I found it to just perfect for hemming stretch velvet. Give it a try!
All done! I love the classic look of my glitter velvet Kelli, it will be just perfect for the holidays.
Here is the final construction and hemming video. Post your finished Charli and Kelli dresses in the comments of day 6 photo of the sew along album. I look forward to admiring your beautiful dresses!
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5
Welcome to day 4 of the Kelli and Charli sew along! Today we create the gorgeous skirt. I opted for the knee length with slit for my glitter velvet one. Both the adult and the youth patterns include various options and length so everyone can find a favorite.
The Charli skirts and the long overlay Kelli one are similar in construction. Start by hemming the oberlao piece. This step can be done on a sewing machine or a coverstitch. Once hemmed, gather the side seam to match the notched on the skirt side seam. Baste the overlay to the front skirt at the side seams and top. You will now treat this piece as one. All you have left to do is sew the back of the skirt, right sides together, at the side seams. We will hem tomorrow.
Press the side seams to reduce any waviness.
The construction of the split skirt, whether mini, knee or long is slightly different. The first step is to sew a few inches of the side seams at the bottom. We need tom hem this skirt prior to add continuing creating the skirt. I like to sew this step on a sewing machine so I can press the seams open. Hem the bottom of the skirt using a twin needle, coverstitch or zig zag stitch. You are now ready to gather the one side. Remember on day 2 when we gathered the top? We will do the exact same but on the skirt. Once you have matched the notches, pin the side seams of the skirt, right sides together.
TIP: double check to make sure the skirt in not twisted before you sew the side seams!
I like to baste the top of the two front pieces together so they stay in place when we add the skirt to the top. It’s optional, you can just pin them together.
In day 5 video below I show you how to create the slit skirt. Once you finish the steps, post a picture of your progress in the photo comments of day 5. That will be your check in for today. See you back here tomorrow for the final assembly!
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem
Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
Grace Dress- Easy Hacks
Ahoy pirates! The newest P4P pattern is here and it’s a must have. The gorgeous Grace dress features so many sleeves options but we just had to show you one more. We couldn’t let this release happen without showcasing probably the easiest hack in the history of hacks…the Grace flared sleeve.
Djem here, with another simple hack for some cool flared sleeves! Can’t decide between the flutter sleeve or the bishop sleeve? Want a mash of the two? Flared sleeves is the answer!
This can be done using either the 3/4 sleeve or long sleeve bishop options. Simply omit the elastic and then finish the hem using the narrow hem instructions for the flutter sleeve. Voila!
Facing Hack
If you, like me, are getting ready to cut out the fabric for your Grace Dress and realise that you have forgotten to buy your lining fabric, you can very easily make a facing instead. It won’t work if you are using a translucent fabric, like a chiffon (as you will be able to see the facing through the main fabric) but for the crepe I had picked out for my Grace, it worked perfectly.
First of all you will start by taking your main bodice front and back pieces, and drafting your facing pieces. I use a projector these days, but if you have a paper pattern you can use a tracing paper or just re print the pages that give you the necklines of both bodice pieces.
Take your front bodice and trace off the original neck cutline, then using a measuring tape or ruler mark 2 inches away along the length of the neckline. Then join the dots. You can use a French curve to help you here.
Do the same for the back bodice neckline. These will be your facing pieces.
Cut these out of your fabric and you will have two pieces that look like this.
Then cut out the same facing pieces from a light weight interfacing. This will help stabilise the neckline and give a better finish. Apply the interfacing to the wrong side of your facing pieces following the manufacturers instructions.
Sew them together, rights sides together, at the shoulder seams.
If you haven’t already, sew your front and back main bodice pieces together at the shoulder seam. Then lay your facing pieces, rights sides together with the main bodice pieces, matching the fronts and backs together and matching the shoulder seams. Sew them together around the neckline. Making sure not to stretch the fabric as you sew.
Finish the raw edge (the long, outer curved edge you haven’t just sewn to the bodice) of your facing using a serger or your preferred method. Using a sharp pair of scissors, like these duck bill scissors, CAREFULLY trim down your facing seam allowance only to a ¼”. This will layer the seam allowances and reduce bulk. Then clip along the neckline, up to, but not through, the seam line. Turn through and give it a good press.
You now have two options. You can use a hemming tape, like this Wundaweb, to fuse the facing to the outer which stops it flipping out, or you can top stitch the facing down. I did both!
That’s it. You can now finish the rest of your garment as per the tutorial.
Enjoy your beautiful new frock.
Happy Sewing!
Dana x
How gorgeous do Djem and Dana look? I must admit, I will be adding these sleeves to my next Grace dress. I am thinking lace! I can’t wait to what your take will be on the Grace dress.
Lumberjack Sew Along – day 7
Wow!! I am so in love with all your Lumberjack shirt! You have outdone yourselves this past week. My little one said this was one of his favorite sew alongs I did. Could it be because he was the recipient of this shirt? 😉 “Mom, it’s so cool. I’ll wear it today at school!” This Lumberjack shirt was less than $9 in materials. Score!
But enough about me! Let’s give out some prizes!
First winner is Tammy Richards! Tammy won a $20 gift card from Patterns for Pirates and a mystery Fabric 4 Pirates package. Look at these 3 ( yes, THREE!) beautiful Lumberjack shirts she made for her loved ones.
Our runner up is Barbara Wong. Barbara won a $20 gift card from Made for Mermaids. The Lumberjack she made looks so cozy and those covered buttons are mighty cute!
Thank you so much for joining the P4P sew along for January. I pass the baton to Colleen for the February SAL. See you back here in March!
Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs
Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar
Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures
Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
Lumberjack Sew Along – day 6
Good morning friends! You did it!! You made it to the last sewing day. All we have left to do today is to hem the bottom and add the closures.
HEMMING
The Lumberjack features a 1/2″ hem allowance and a curved hem. Since the shirt is woven, I find it easier to run a serger stitch along the raw edge and press 1/4″. Stitch down then fold again 1/4″. Sew with a slightly longer stitch going very slow where the front plackets are. That part is pretty bulky. Give your hem a good steam press so that you eliminated any waviness from sewing the curved hem.
CLOSURES
Time to put the finishing touch on your Lumberjack. Choose your favorite closure and mark the placement. The pattern includes a marking guide that you can print, no additional tools needed. If you add buttons and buttonholes, take a look over our Buttons 101 P4P University blog. I give you some tips and tricks for a smooth process. For my Lumberjack I opted for metal spring snaps. I love the look of these metallic snaps and how easy they are to install. You can see how I added them in the video below.
Great job!! All you have left to do is add your final photo to the comments of day 6 photo in the Lumberjack SAL album. That’s where the team will pick the two winners. There is still time to catch up. Winners will be announced on Tuesday.
Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs
Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar
Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures
Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
Lumberjack Sew Along – day 5
Hello, friends and welcome to day 5 of the Lumberjack Sew Along! We are almost there! I love seeing all the beautiful shirts being created this week. Today we tackle the collar or hood.
Hood
For a more sporty look and “easier” construction you can add a hood to your Lumberjack. The hood can be made of either knit fabric or woven so you can get really creative with it. Line the hood with sherpa for a super cuddly one or line it with a fun minky print for an extra little something. Once you sew the hood pieces right sides together along the curve, place the lining and main right sides together. Sew along the face opening, turn right side out and top stitch. All you have left to do is attach the hood to the neck opening and finish the raw edge with single fold bias tape. I highly encourage you to use store bought bias tape, it will save you so much time. In a pinch, you can certainly create your own.
Collar
Oh the dreaded collar! Let me guess! It’s the “scariest” part of shirt! I hope I can convince you today that collars can be fun and not so difficult. The key to a great looking collar is making sure that the seam allowance is correct throughout. Another advice I have for when creating the collar is to press as you go. Remember to fuse the interfacing to the lining pieces of both the collar and the collar stand. If you added woven cuffs yesterday, you will find that the process is pretty similar today. Do not skip pressing 1/2″ hem on the collar stand bottom lining! Just as for the cuffs, prepressing this fold helps tremendously when enclosing the raw edge of the neckline in the collar.
You can see in the day 5 video how I added the woven collar to my Lumberjack. Once you finish your collar or hood, post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Lumberjack sew along album.
Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs
Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar
Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures
Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
Lumberjack Sew Along – day 4
Welcome to the 4th day of the Lumberjack sew along. Today we finish the sleeves with either cuffs.
Knit cuffs
The simplest way to finish the sleeves is with a knit cuff. Make sure that the fabric you use has great recovery and stretch. My favorite bases for cuffs are cotton spandex, rib knit and french terry. It is very important that you follow the grain of the fabric when cutting the cuffs. Lastly, press! Press and press some more! You will love the finished cuffs much better if you press throughout.
Woven cuffs
I opted for the woven cuffs for my Lumberjack. I love the classic look. If you have not done the vertical slits marked on the pattern pieces, now is the time to add them. You will now bind the opening with the fabric piece that is cut on the bias. Remember, the lining is the interfaced piece.
Tip: Do not skip pressing the lining 1/2″ along the bottom. It will make a world of difference when you stitch the cuff on.
If you need any visual help, take a look over today’s video. I show you step by step how to add woven cuffs to your Lumberjack shirt. Once you finish the steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of day 4 photo of this sew along album.
Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric
Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams
Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs
Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar
Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures
Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement
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