June 22, 2012

Studio Update: RUFFLED SPLIT BEDSKIRT


One of my favorite things to sew up is a bedroom set. I have a client right now who is redoing her young daughter's bedroom - so I have been whipping up a new bedskirt, duvet cover, window valance, bed pillows, maybe a new lampshade cover, etc. (I will post all of these components of the room soon...)

The first thing I need to explain is the "split". The girl's bed is a beautiful metal antique-ish frame that has these railing rods or bars(I guess you call them that - we are) every 15 inches down the length of the bed. These bars by the boxspring are such that a continuous bedskirt would not work. So the bedskirt has to be split into 5 sections so that it can hang down from the bed to the floor and the bars can sit between the sections. (When we have a completed pic of the room, I will post it so you can what I mean).

Her mother had purchased a bedskirt that was pretty basic and asked me to make it AWESOME! It was the right color but did not fit the boxspring with the bars and needed my TLC, and some fanciness! So I cut up the bedskirt into sections, hemmed the sides of each section, and began to embellish!



We had cut off the selvage of the fabric for the window valance (coming soon) to use somewhere in the room. (It was a cool selvage with awesome fringe on it - I left enough of an edge to attach it to something and show off the fringe). I attached a piece of selvage to the bottom of each bedskirt piece.



Then I made lots and lots of narrow ruffles, gathered down the center. This was another of the fabrics to be used in the room.



I attached a row of ruffles on top of the selvage to cover up the serged edge, but left enough showing so the selvage fringe could peek out.



I sewed down the center of the ruffles to attach them above the selvage piece.



Cute so far! (I know - it needs a press with the iron!)



All sections are done the same way - ready to now attach to the old bedskirt deck! I just had to layer them all to see all those gorgeous ruffles together!



I lined up all my sections along both sides of the deck and sewed them on. You can't tell that they are in sections - it just looks like a continuous bedskirt, except for the corners.



Here are the corners at the foot of the bed, where the end bars are.



This is the foot of the bedskirt. It did not need any splits - there were no bars here.



Here I seperated the sections so you can see how the split looks.






Before it gets set up on the bed, I test how the corners lay and how everything looks, just on my table. Can't wait to see it all put together on the bed!



Do you have a bedskirt you could redo to fit your bedroom scheme?


I am linking up to:

Weekend Bloggy ReadingSew Chatty


Wednesdays Adorned From Above

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June 18, 2012

LEARNING TO SEW ~ CLASS: Beginner Patch Quilt


Posting a new class that is ready for signup!
Beginner Patch Quilt class!


I had received a package from Modern Fabric Studio a while back and could not decide exactly what project to use these beautiful pieces for! I loved all the chrysanthemums in different colors and wanted to use them together, for sure. Eventually I decided on using them for my Beginner Patch Quilt sample, and I am quite pleased with the results.


Two of my boys are "helping" me piece it together. They are my most "subliminal" students. (Actually the older one here has done some sewing - but it was more about how FAST he could sew, I think...)


This sample is a "doll-size" quilt - finished 20" x 25". It is a good size quilt to start out with, for first time piecing and backing. Once you know how to make this basic quilt, you can make it in any size!


If you are interested in learning how to sew this Beginner Patch Quilt, contact me and we will get you started!


I could not resist showing you some of my cute students making their first doll quilts and arranging their own fabrics! I can't wait to see their finished products!


Would you like to learn to sew?


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June 11, 2012

Dressing Your Truth




I don't know about you but I have always been interested in certain aspects of psychology. In fact, it was my major at BYU at one point. Can you believe that? (This was only until I got a little bored - I needed something fun to do along with my psych classes in my first semester - so I signed up for some sewing classes - then made a discovery: "What?! I can major in sewing - my favorite hobby?!" By the next semester my major was Clothing & Textiles. But I still to this day am fascinated by the psychology of everything). I enjoyed the tests you could take to figure out people's personalities and what was wrong with them. And I especially loved the Personality Profiling. This thing we humans do where we categorize ourselves so that we can figure out who we are and why we act they way we do. And how can we use this knowledge to figure out other people, like our loved ones.


Some examples of this profiling would be Color Me Beautiful (seasons), Psychology of Color, Love Languages, The Color Code, Mars & Venus, and other Fashion Personalities I learned about in school, to name a few.


Well, I discovered a new one that I am gearing my heart toward lately. It was referred to me by my dear hairstylist friend who is always looking for ways to figure out how to match her client's personalities with their hair! That seems to be to be tough job ("I want my hair to look like 'me'! ") She immediately knew I would love this for my clients, and we decided to do this project together for ourselves, as well.


It is called "Dressing Your Truth". By Carol Tuttle. Her approach is new and refeshing and her theories are nature-based. It's not weird or hokey or hippie-ish. It is fascinating. She has a book by the same title (and another book called "It's Just My Nature" that I also plan to read).


Dressingyourtruth.com is the website that goes along with it and you can join and figure out your own Beauty Profile and learn about all of the types there are. And how to ultimately make your outside match your inside! And...it is free! I could not believe that this great program would be at no cost to those who want to join. You sign up and you get emails daily to guide you through this course. There are wonderful videos that explain the theories and Beauty/ Personality Types. I am now on Day Four and can't wait for my email today! I am enjoying learning the hows and whys of my Beauty type. It is based on a feeling that all things in nature coexist and nothing in nature judges each other - they just let each other shine in their own way, and ultimately work WITH each other to see everything's beauty. It's very cool concept.


I am excited to apply these concepts to my family and loved ones, to help understand better the things that are different from me. I am looking at it from a "beauty eye" for sure, from a fashion standpoint, but also from a larger standpoint of understanding myself and others. I will let you know how it goes. And I highly recommend it to you! It seems like it will be a good journey. Have fun!


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June 4, 2012

REpurpose: DRESS to TUNIC Top

I want to share an easy REpurpose where I made a dress that did not fit me right into a Tunic top that I now love!

Sometimes I just don't like the way a dress fits. Like this one was just not roomy enough through my hips. So I pulled it up and moved my hip ease to my waist. Much better. But how could I make it stay? I needed to define my waistline, so that it would stay in position when I wear it. And now it was just too short for me to be a dress. So it became a top. A Tunic, if you will.
Here was my process:



This dress was actually totally straight with no waistline (I do not have a picture of it plain, but you can imagine.) What I did was mark it while wearing it. I pulled it up to where I liked it, then I marked it with chalk (actually I use soap chips - I like the way they mark better) exactly where I would wear a belt. Then I took it off and just basted a straight line on top of my chalk line. This is the pic here.



I turned it inside out, because I am now going to make a casing for elastic to define my waistline.



I chose thread to match the original topstitching thread on the dress. This is a trick to keeping everything looking professional. I am going to be sewing from the inside, so my matching thread needs to go in my bobbin. Because that is what will show on the outside. With me so far?



I used 1-inch wide single fold bias tape to make my casing. It doesn't matter the color because it's on the inside. I started stiching at a side seam and just stitched down one side of the bias tape, centering the tape on my marked basting line.



I stitched that edge all the way around, keeping the tape centered on my basting line.



When I got to where I started, I cut the tape 1-inch longer than the beginning. I turned it under 1/2-inch and overlapped the raw edge by 1/2-inch. Then I backstitched it down.



Then I stitched the other side in the same manner. That folded edge is now the opening to thread my elastic through. Remove your basting stitch marking now.



Here is what the outside looks like before elastic is in there. Nice.



I used 1/2-inch elastic and cut a comfortable amount for my waist, plus 1 inch. I put a pin in one end and threaded the pinned end through the casing. All the way around until you come out the opening. Be sure not to let your other elastic end go through.



Bring both ends of elastic together so you can join them with a stitch.



I overlapped them by one inch and zigzagged several times over the two layers. Now let it all go inside the casing. You can stitch the opening closed at the side seam now.



Turn it inside out and marvel at how pretty it looks with your new elastic casing waistline.



Try it on. See how much nicer it fits. And the waistline you marked is now perfect and it will stay where you want it when you wear it!


You can wear it several ways.


 
With different belts and a slip extender (which is really just a longer skirt to wear underneath dresses that are too short for your taste.) It looks like you added a ruffle - cute!



  Or with leggings. The possibilities are great - have fun with it!



Do you have dress sitting in your closet that you would wear if you could REpurpose it to a Tunic top?



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Button pic 9





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June 3, 2012

REpurpose: ADULT-size to TEEN-size TOP

I have a few tops of mine that don't quite fit they way I want them to anymore. But they are still in great shape. So I came up with a way to repurpose them for my daughter to wear.


YOu can use any adult size shirt for this project. It can even be purchased from a thrift store. It can be a T-shirt like I have used here or any other kind of top, adult-sized. Just long enough to get that blouson effect, on a teen-size girl.


There were two main things I did to convert this shirt. The first was to smock the bottom section. I simply filled my bobbin with elastic thread. (You may have to wind this by hand on your machine.) Use regular thread to match the top in your top thread. Lengthen your stitch length to the longest setting. Leave an inch or so of the hem and start stitching above that.


Keep going around and around for several rows (I did about 8 rows.) My rows were about 1/2-inch apart. When you are to the point you want to stop, just intersect your previous row with your last row, and backstitch.


This is what the smocking will look like when finished. Do not stress if it does not look super-smocked at this point. You will need to steam or wash the shirt to get the elastic to fully bunch up and look smocked.


Now you have finished the first step of repurposing. This will create a cute blouson look for your teen.


Next thing is to recut the armholes to fit your teen. Take some measurements beforehand to make sure it won't be too tight. Then simply cut in on the armhole a few inches, curving it out after the seam to taper it about halfway down the side seam. I used a serger on my knit to keep the stretch. You can use a slight zigzag stitch, too.


Now you are finished! A repurposed shirt with a new life!


So cute! And so easy!


Could you do this for the teenage girl in your life?


I am linked up to:
Sew Chatty

Button pic 9


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