Christine Sherman wrote:

Love what you have done! This is great fabric!

Woohoo!  email me your address and Carrie will send out your lovely prize!!

Happy Sewing-

Shelly

What can I say about Ms. Bloomston (SUCH DESIGNS) except she is one of the most “real” people I have had the privilege to know and we’ve never even met in person!  I don’t think you always have to “know” an artist to get to know them. That’s what I love about an artist you can just feel them through their work.   I first fell for Carrie’s work when I saw this pattern cover:

Then of course I fell in love with her Giggle n Squeak quilt because all the girls in my sewing classes were going crazy over it so I taught a class (aren’t they awesome!).

When I found out she was releasing a fabric line I couldn’t stand the wait and emailed her!  The fabric addict in me HAD TO HAVE IT as soon as possible.  The line does not disappoint.  I’m not one to suggest quilters cotton for garments but with some patterns it’s absolutely fine to use especially if it’s Carrie’s line.  It has good drape and the hand is dreamy soft.  What a privilege it was to work with.  This line has something extra special…it has heart.  It’s not just some more gorgeous flowers or pretty stripe, it speaks to you.  When she said I could choose which print to use I knew I wanted to use some of the newsprint because I wanted to read it all.  She titled her line “Collage” and I find it very fitting.  When her fabric arrived it spoke out one word “Scirocco” and so I went to work.

She is one gorgeous girl!

Thank you Carrie for the honor of being one of the first sewists to get my hands on this amazing fabric.

Lucky for one of Figgy’s readers too because Carrie is giving away a super fun stack of Collage!!!

Woohoo!!

Leave a comment below and I’ll select a random winner next week.

Want more chances to win?  Follow along the blog tour!!

The COLLAGE party rolls on:

Happy Sewing Everyone!

Shelly

 This super gal has allowed me to post about her recent creativity, making the Sunki with knit fabric.  I love it when sewists take patterns and made them their own and lucky for us she’s sharing a “how to” with us!

From Lou:

When I decided I wanted to make this dress (Figgy’s Sunki! so lovely!) out of a non-woven fabric, I searched to see if anyone had done it before and had any tips. I didn’t come up with anything so thought I’d document what I did here to make it easier in case anyone else wanted to change it up!

 1. The first thing is to size down. I have made this dress before in a quilting-weight cotton for my average-sized almost 5 year old and it fits well. Just right in fact (so not much growing room). I thought if I made the knit version in the same size, then we’d get a bit more wear out of the garment. It’s quite loose now and she tells me it’s very soft, comfortable and slinky! I could have made it in a size down for it to fit perfectly now. The fabric is a bamboo jersey and was great to sew with. I used a jersey needle (important tip#1.1) and a stitch that looks like a little lightning bolt that has lots of stretch (zig zag setting with a 3.0 length and a 1.0 width). I used my serger for some of the edges but not all of them (the bits around the armholes seem softer if they’re not finished).

2. I eliminated the zipper by cutting the back piece on the fold.

3. I didn’t bother with the facings and instead cut 2 pieces of 2×2 rib knit (the grey pieces around the neckline). The back piece is 1 5/8″ x 13.5″ and the front piece is 1 5/8″ x 13″ (I probably should have made them slightly – 1/2″? – shorter. So next time I would make them 1 5/8 x 13 and 1 5/8 x 12.5). I put them on in the same way as the Envelope t-shirt in the book Growing Up Sew Liberated (which I’d just made a few weeks before (I’m paraphrasing from the book for this next bit, I couldn’t come up with this genius!): Sew one long edge of front binding to front with lightning bolt stitch and right sides together. Gently stretch binding to fit. Press binding away from the front and turn the binding edge to the wrong side, encircling seam allowances and press. The raw edge of the binding will extend just below the seam on the wrong side of the front, then zig zag stitch (small zigzag) on the right side of the front along the bottom edge of the binding, just above the previous seam. On the wrong wide, the raw edge of the binding will be caught in this seam, finishing the binding. Repeat the entire step for the back and the back binding.

4. Instead of using the fold guides for the sleeves, I measured and marked 3″ over from the centre fold line on each sleeve (so 6″ total on each sleeve) and sewed a basting stitch 1/4″ from the edge. I pulled the threads tight and it was a perfect fit for the armhole once I put the sleeve in. (I sewed the sides first and put the sleeves in in the round which is my preferred method. It was no problem!)

5. I decided that the dress would be cool if I changed up the side panels but didn’t use a different colour of fabric so I freezer-paper-stenciled the stars. It’s awesome! I used Pebeo shimmer opaque fabric paint in Silver. Amazing stuff.

That’s It!

Things I would change for next time:

1. Use stay tape on the pocket fronts. The pockets stretched out quite a bit when I sewed them – a bit of stay tape around the curve where the pockets meet the front piece would help I think.

2. Make the pockets deeper. The pockets on this dress are not quite deep (I agree Lou) enough for a small lady’s hands or other trinkets. I think I will do this with any future Sunki dresses I make, knit or woven. With the knit fabric though, the pockets have a tendency to flop out if there’s vigorous movement (which is pretty much constantly!)

3. Put a bit of stay tape around the shoulders on the sides where the front and back overlap for about 3 inches. As Sylvie has worn this dress, one shoulder might flop off her shoulder (which she thinks is daringly grown-up and fancy but I don’t know if she needs an off-the-shoulder dress… hm). I think cutting the rib knit binding a little smaller (as mentioned above) would help to tighten it up a bit as well). Now that it’s been sewn up I think I’ll just do a few tacking stitches where the two pieces of gray rib meet at the shoulders.

It was a fun project and a very wearable dress. I think it might be one of her favourite garments I’ve made for the little miss!

Lightened Version so you can see more detail.

Thanks Lou for sharing!!!  If you followed along with this post and create your own knit Sunki we’d love to see!  Share in the Flickr group or on Facebook!

Now, on to the saleS, yep I said sales with an s.

First up a Figgy’s sale!  In celebration of nothing but a little warmer weather here in Oregon I’m having a 15% off sale on all paper patterns from April 5th – 12th!  Please use code SPRING15 to receive the discount!

Next a Craftsy class special!~  If you haven’t tried taking a class online via Craftsy then this is the perfect time to grab one.  I had a ball filming this class and the reviews coming in are all positive, woohoo!

Just click the banner below!!  The sale begins today and ends on April 8th!  So hurry before Monday and grab the class but then take the class whenever you like, it never expires!!

Hopped over to visit the Flickr group this morning and was so pleased to see all the amazing garments!!  I love them all!!

Please email me and I’ll gather your address to post these adorable buttons and skirt!

Don’t forget to visit Fulton & Co for all your button needs!

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3 years ago when my GG passed away she left me two cherished items: a gorgeous chair and her vintage button collection!  I couldn’t have asked for anything more.  My mom and I had a wonderful time sifting through all the buttons and picking out our favorites that we’ve hoarded for just the perfect garment.  Some will also sit in our box and look pretty because we can’t bare to use them.  You could say I’m picky when it comes to buttons.  You won’t find me walking into a big box retailer and grabbing a 5 pack of plastic buttons.  I think about all the time put into designing and creating a gorgeous garment then topping it off with a few plastic buttons. That’s like spending all day in the kitchen baking a cake then spraying a can of whip cream all over it as icing, not for me.

Here are just a few a my favorites from past garments.  That cute little birdie on the bottom right was made by a friend, April from Sew to Speak, many years ago and I hope she’s still making them!

Not so long ago I was wondering if I hadn’t been blessed with this massive supply of buttons where would I find gorgeous buttons (that are not big box machine made).  Not long after wondering about just that I received an email from a wonderful lady named Sarah Fulton, button maker extraordinair!   Sarah recently opened up a shop on Etsy in December and we are so lucky she did!

Sarah Fulton started FULTON & CO. because she loves things that are practical and useful, and because she could not find the kind of buttons she was looking for, anywhere. Namely, buttons that are plain, simple, handmade, neutral in color, and in a variety of sizes. Because the majority of American button companies have gone out of business, Sarah is motivated to be a local source of a quality product. Sarah’s goal is that FULTON & CO. will be the go-to company for simple, artisan buttons. Buttons that will be kept and collected over the years. Used and re-used. The ceramic buttons are created in small batches, each one going through an 8 step process, using a low fire, porcelain-like clay that gets bisque fired and glaze fired in the kiln before they are finished. FULTON & CO. buttons will, without a doubt, add a touch of character and charm to anything they adorn!

Sarah not only answers our button prayers but she is also extremely generous.  Sarah has offered one lucky Figgy reader an amazing assortment of buttons!  All you need to do is LIKE her Facebook page! And don’t forget to visit her Etsy shop to see all her goodies too!  Sarah’s generosity rubbed off a little on me too so I decided to add to the package a little Ayashe skirt created with brushed cotton Nani Iro fabric and adorned with none other than Fulton & Co. buttons (Skirt is size 18mo)!

Please enter for your chance to win below and I will announce the winner when I return from Seattle on Monday the 18th!!!  Why am I going to Seattle you ask?  I will be teaching a workshop at Make Do Mend (Dry Goods Design) this Saturday  the 16th of March from 11am – 4:30.  I think there are 2 seats left if you live in the area and want to have a blast of sewing fun!!

Have a wonderful week….off to design..yep that’s right I’m back at it!

Happy Sewing- Shell

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 Happy Heart Day!!

As most of you know I taught a class on Craftsy last year and for the next 4 days my class is on sale!  A bit about my class….

In Kid’s Romper Revamp, we’ll explore all kinds of useful sewing techniques, like how to properly measure a child, and adjust the pattern for a perfect custom fit.  We’ll choose high-quality fabrics that are seasonally appropriate and fashionably fun, and cover the ins and outs of interfacing and how to apply it to the romper.  I’ll go step-by-step through constructing the romper’s braided straps, gathering and assembling the yoke, sewing knit and woven fabrics together, and more.  Then, we’ll move on to making the shorts, adding pockets, hem ties, and attaching the top and bottom to finish it off. Finally, I’ll discuss extending the romper into pants for the colder season, creating separates and making the romper into a sundress! Create 4 patterns from just 1.

I hope you enjoy the class & the huuuge discount!

If you haven’t heard by now Figgy’s and 9 other pattern designers have come together, thanks to Jenny over at The Southern Institute, to offer an amazing pattern bundle.   I had some extra time yesterday and made a couple of adorable little bunnies from the bundle by Gingercake.  This was a fun pattern to work with and easy enough for my kids to take a class.

I was also excited to have the time (30 minutes!) to make my niece a little shirt for her Valentines day party at school next week.  I found the fabric at one of my new go to shops online Girl Charlie Fabric.  Are you making your little one something special for next week?

I hope you’re able to take advantage of this great deal on the pattern bundle because there are some really cute patterns for all your needs!  I can’t wait try them all!

Happy Sewing!

Today is the 1st day of the 1st ever Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle Sale and giveaway, sponsored by The Southern Institute and Fat Quarter Shop!

Over the past eight weeks a lot of behind the scenes work has taken place to bring you this amazing bundle of ePatterns from several of the top pattern designers and bloggers in the sewing and blogging world. The result is a bundle of 18 PDF sewing patterns that you don’t want to miss.

For one week only, ten pattern designers have come together to bring you 18 of their best PDF patterns, valued together at over $139.00, for the incredible price of $24.95! That’s over 80% off of the combined retail value! Plus you can enter to win a dream of a giveaway valued at $390 from some really great shops!

For less than $25.00 you will have a library of resources that you can use over and over again. The designers that have joined this sale are experts in their craft. They have been sewing for a very long time and are well known in blogland and elsewhere. Each designer has contributed one or two of their favorite patterns to create a bundle that is sure to please! Whether you are sewing for your own family or making gifts for others, these are patterns that you will love to use.

If you’ve never sewn with a PDF pattern before, let me tell you how great it is! After downloading your pattern instructions and your pattern, you will print out the pattern itself, creating pattern tiles, if you will. Simply tape the tiles together to create the full pattern! At that point you can cut out the size that you need and pin the paper pattern directly to your fabric or you can trace the pattern size that you need onto sewing paper or tissue paper and cut it out, saving the paper pattern for later when you need to sew another size. Pdf patterns are so convenient because you can print them out as many times as you need!

Click here to buy the bundle!

Now let me tell you a little bit about the giveaway!

The Sew Fab Giveaway is amazing! One lucky winner will win a bunch of amazing prizes from Craftsy, Fat Quarter Shop, fabricworm, Jennifer’s Jewels Custom Labels on Etsy, Green Bee Patterns, author Deborah Moebes, Mee a Bee, Gussy Sews, I’m Feeling Crafty, and Ball and Chain on Etsy. See the end of the post for giveaway details. This giveaway is not to be missed!

I know you’re dying to know “What is included in the pattern bundle?”

18 well-loved ePatterns from 10 well-known designers are instantly accessible to you by PDF download upon purchase of the Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle. Here are the patterns that you will receive (click on the links below to see more details):

Goodship Dress by One Girl Circus, Mommy & Mia Apron by Sew Much Ado, Ruby Lou Doll by Sew Much Ado, Mini Maxi Dress by Seamingly Smitten, Miss Mod Top by Seamingly Smitten, Love Your Lunch Box by Ginger Cakes, Modern Folksy Bunny by Ginger Cakes, Banyan Pants & Shorts by Figgy’s, Banyan Top & Tunic by Figgy’s, Go To Shift Dress by Go To Patterns, Go To Gift Bags by Go To Patterns, Sidekick Suitcase by Sew Fearless, Madeline Dress by Me Sew Crazy, Forget Me Knot Dress by Me Sew Crazy, Alex & Anna Summer PJs by Peekaboo Pattern Shop, Alex & Anna Winter PJs by Peekaboo Pattern Shop, Commuter Cowl by luvinthemommyhood, Scirocco Dress by Figgy’s

The Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle is only available for one week and will never be available again! You can purchase the bundle from February 4th at 8 a.m. EST through February 11th at 8 a.m. EST and there will be no late sales offered. Due to the nature of the sale there will be no refunds offered.

You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity to purchase a ready made collection of 18 PDF sewing patterns from 10 of the best designers out there!

And now for The Sew Fab Giveaway!

You are not going to believe the prizes included in this giveaway! Can’t buy the bundle? It’s okay… purchase is not required to enter. Take a look at what you have the chance to win:

A Sewing Themed Box of Goodies from Pick Your Plum

Fabulous Wristlet from Gussy Sews (not necessarily the one pictured)

The latest release, Stitch Savvy, by Deborah Moebes

Sterling Silver Sewing Machine necklace from Ball and Chain on Etsy

$50 Gift Certificate to Fat Quarter Shop

$50 Gift Certificate to fabricworm

A free online class from Craftsy.com

The Scoop Tote Pattern from Green Bee Patterns

60 Custom Tags from Jennifer’s Jewels

Red Riding Hood Little Girl’s Satchel from Mee a Bee

Handmade Sewing Machine Cover from I’m Feeling Crafty

YES, ONE WINNER WILL WIN ALL OF THOSE GOODIES!!!

There are lots of chances to win and no purchase required to enter the giveaway. Just use the Rafflecopter widget and enter to win this amazing prize package that will inspire you in your sewing as well as keep you stocked with fabric for many projects to come!

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The Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle Sale!

Sew Much Inspiration right at your finger tips…

only $24.95!

Get your bundle now!

Graphic design by Andrea Panell.

From February 4th- February 11th…

the first ever

For one week only, ten pattern designers will be joining together to combine 18 of their best PDF sewing patterns (valued together at over $139.00) and selling them to you for the incredible price of $24.95! That’s over 80% off of the combined retail value!

That wasn’t a typo! For less than $25.00 you will have the chance to purchase a library of resources to get you started on several great projects that you can sew over and over again. The designers that are joining this sale are experts at their craft. They have been sewing for a very long time and are well known in blog land as well as in children’s and women’s sewing pattern design circles. Each designer has contributed one or two of their favorite sewing patterns to create a bundle that is sure to please! Whether you are sewing for your own family or making gifts for others, these are patterns that you will love to use.

Figgy’s Patterns, Go To Patterns, peek-a-boo pattern shop, Seamingly Smitten, One Girl Circus, Sew Much Ado, luvinthemommyhood, Gingercakes, Sew Fearless, Me Sew Crazy… this is the lineup! But you have to wait until Monday to find out exactly which sewing patterns are included in the pattern bundle. I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed!

We are offering an affiliate program for this amazing sale too! If you think your blog readers, Facebook friends, or Twitter pals would be interested in buying this bundle of sewing patterns, why not sign up as an affiliate? As a Sew Fab Sale affiliate you can sell the pattern bundle on your blog and earn 40% of all of your sales! Contact Jenny at thesoutherninstitute @ gmail.com for details.

Oh! And there will be a giveaway! The Sew Fab Giveaway is amazing! One lucky winner will win a bunch of amazing prizes from some of your favorite companies and online shops! I can’t wait to reveal the giveaway package next week!

Don’t miss the Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle Sale

starting Monday, February 4th!

Sponsored by

The Southern Institute and Fat Quarter Shop

We’ll see you there!

The Sew Fab e-Pattern Bundle is only available from 8 am EST February 4th through 8 am EST February 11th. Due to the nature of the sale there will be no late sales or refunds.

I’ve been receiving a lot of emails asking about future Figgy patterns.  To be honest I have been so in love (busy too) with teaching  sewing to kids of all ages that patterns have been pushed to the side.  Am I going to stop making patterns?  I’m not sure just yet.

 Instead of typing away at the computer and testing garment after garment these last 6 months I’ve spent time with my young boys and husband.  I’ve allowed life not to get away from me and wow what a gorgeous world I live in.   Before pattern designing 7 years ago I had dreamed of opening a little shop/sewing studio and it seems that was once just a dream may actually become reality.   In the meantime you’ll continue to find Figgy’s Happenings going on around town or online:

During the next two weeks  Mad Mim and One Little Minute are hosting “Stretch Yourself” a learn to sew knits blogarama.  On Thursday, January 17th there will be a Figgy’s Banyan Tee Review at One Little Minute + Mad Mim // Guest Projects at Anu*Miki + Paunnet.  So if you have felt intimidated by knits then this next week is perfect for you~

Love blog posts and helpful information online but feel like you need just a little more hand holding?  Lucky for you my class “Kid’s Romper Revamp” on Craftsy may be just what you need.  The classes teaches you how to pick proper fabric, take proper measurements, work with knit fabrics and their is a bonus free pattern too!  Craftsy has a terrific interactive platform so if you have questions during class you just stop the lesson and type in your question.  It’s my job to check in a few times a week to answer those questions.  Seeing some of the finished rompers & dresses has been so fun.

Love online classes but need just a little more hand holding than through the internets?  Do you live near Seattle?  GREAT!  Join me for a workshop at Dry Goods Design (make * do * mend) on February 16th from 10am – 4pm (lunch will be served, yum)!  I hope to see you there soon!

And for my fellow Portlanders, I have a new website where you’ll find all the classes I’m currently teaching HERE!

Happy Sewing!

Shelly

Figgy’s is so excited to be a part of an incredible giveaway, tis’ the season to give and I’m loving it!   Imagine Gnats & Craft Buds have put together an amazing giveaway and starting TODAY, you can enter the Stuff Your Crafty Stocking Giveaway for your chance to win one of five HUGE stocking stuffers. The total of all prizes is valued at more than $2,000!  Want to see what they’re giving away???

Janome Hello Kitty 15822 Sewing Machine • Coats + Clark • Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores

Andover Fabrics • Pink Castle Fabrics • Sewn Studio • Go To Patterns

SewCanShe.com• Sew Mama Sew• Figgy’s• Casa Crafty

FreeSpirit Fabric • Aurifil • Pellon

Craftsy

 WOW!

NOW, head on over to Imagine Gnats or Craft Buds and enter the giveaway to WIN!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

* This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability.

No purchase necessary. For alternate entry, e-mail lindsay(at)craftbuds(dot)com with your full name and the subject line “Stuff Your Stocking Contest.” The sponsors will ship all prizes within 7 days of the end of the giveaway. Giveaway starts Monday, December 10th at midnight pm EST and ends Monday, December 17th at midnight EST. Once the giveaway ends, winners will be chosen using Random.org and contacted within 24 hours by e-mail. This main contest post at CraftBuds.com will be updated with winners’ names once we’ve heard back from them. Winners will need to respond within 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. Some giveaways open worldwide.

Happy Cyber Monday shopping day!  Today we are offering all patterns at 15% off retail price!  Please use coupon code SHOP15 when checking out!  Happy Shopping & Happy Sewing!!

Figgy’s Sewing Studio & Kids Foundation continues to be my dream and the dream of all my students.   It was a really hard decision for me to try online outreach what (“Internet begging”), but opening the studio/foundation isn’t just a way for me to make money it is a place for kids/adults to learn, to create and to express.  This studio is a community need so I reached out to my community and I am so grateful to you all for your faith, generosity and belief in my dream.

A sincere thank you to:

Shelley & Jerry Brown 

Teresa Coates

Carrie Bloomston

Anna Graham

Keli Faw

Sarah Haag

Sara Lawson

Shannon Cook

Emily Flippin Maruna

Deb Miller

Lara Klinger

Sandy Wright

Cate Oaten-Hepworth

Lara Klinger

Mandy McGlone

Erin Harris

Laura Jansen

Kelsey Richards

Lindsay Conner

Sarah Costa

Alexandra Smith/Lola Nova

Joan Callaway

Erica Horton

Emma Jeffery

Laura Lee Scott

Amy Newbold

Joe & Allie Sabo

Bari J

Elegance & Elephants

Nicolle DuPont

Michelle McGinley

Schmidt Family

Jessica Abbott

Monica Glumbik

Rachel Shields

Shannon Curry

Sew Much Ado

Darcy Reardon

Melissa Seymour

Heather Anderson

Megan O’Toole

Five Eighth Seams

Kiki Adamovics

Kendall Coyne

Keli Dean

Amy Alan

Mo Bedell

Marylou Noble

Melissa Davis

Irene Rodegerdts

Grayson Dempsey

Karen Davitt

Frances Arikawa

Julie Wheeler

Hilary Smith

leslie keating

Rachael Gander

Ewa Duda-Maciejewska

Leah Bandstra

Elizabeth Pollock

Scott & Abby Truitt

Katy Hadad-Dyler

Karen O’Holla

Lisa Anne Logan

Nazanin Mansouri

Julie Bossert (SEWN Studio)

Jake Finch (Generation Q Magazine)

Helen Julian

Laine Family

Sohelia Adyani

The Pollocks

If for some reason your name or link is missing from this list please email me!

A total of $3915.00 was donated to the Sewing School & Foundation.  Because I didn’t reach my goal Indiegogo took 9% of the funds and Paypal took 2.9%.  This left us with a total of $3449.12!  If you’re reading this and didn’t realize the project ended no worries, I have opened a second funding website:  http://www.gofundme.com/18fn58 in hopes to raise more funds. The funds donated so far are safely tucked away in the Figgy’s Sewing School bank account.

Please feel free to continue to spread the word to raise money for this school and foundation.

Sewing Studio Update!

 I have been busy putting the finishing touches on my business plan and will move forward presenting this plan to a few banks and angel investors.  I am also diligently working on my tote bags and zip pouches to send to you!  Please expect those to arrive in your mailbox no later than December 15th.  A special lap quilt created and donated by Elizabeth Hartman will be given to Ms. Kiki Adamoviks for donating $500 to FSS!

Foundation Update!

I am so happy to have already received a BIG bag of goodness from Art Gallery Fabrics donated directly to the Figgy’s Kids Foundation!!  I have begun working on patchwork skirts and strip quilts to be delivered to “Northwest Children’s Outreach” located at Rolling Hills Church in Lake Oswego this November (photos to come).

 Figgy’s Kid’s Foundation gave away our very first scholarship during the month of October!!!  It was so incredible to give to a child a gift that will stay with them for a lifetime.

A special thank you to Amy Butler for spreading the news about my project on her facebook page.  Figgy’s story will be published in the next issue of “Blossom” (Amy’s  new magazine).  Look for that article next February.

An extra special thank you to SEWN Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.  These gals not only put together a fun class using the Figgy’s Flutter Skirt pattern but they have generously donated the class fees to the foundation.  THANK YOU so much.

 Happy Sewing!  Shelly

Congratulations Jerri!!

Jerriwrote:

This book could take care of my whole family. Wow!

Please email me Jerri and I’ll post your hat and book!!!  shelly@figgyspatterns.com

Happy Sewing!

Whow, this girl knows how to pose! And another ‘whow’ -  it’s been a while but sometimes, good things just need their time! And this is a very special blog post: As you might know, the charming and talented Celina (mom of the cutie up there) of the blog petitapetitandfamily won our Figgy’s circle skirt design contest in July and with her cascade dress design. And with this win didn’t only come awesome prices – but also a feature tutorial for her winning design right here on our Figgy’s blog!

So, who is Celina? She’s half British and half Moroccan, living, playing, working and raising two kids in Montreal, Quebec. She’s a childrenswear designer by trade (which certainly explains her exquisite aesthetic) who has worked in the industry before having her own kid’s label – Laila B. and her own children’s boutique – MossPink. Whow! As committed as she was to her business when she didn’t have kids, so committed she now is raising her two young children, designing, creating and blogging about her inspirations, life and projects. Hop on over to her blog and check out what she’s been up to lately. Click at the pattern sheet below to download instructions how to re-create this fashionable high-low dress.

Of course, we had a couple of questions to get to know her a little bit better:

Figgys:  How long have you been sewing?
Celina: I took my first sewing class when I was 13… that was ummm 23 years ago and I’ve been sewing ever since!!!! But I graduated from Fashion Design in 2001 and really learned how to sew and make patterns then.
Figgy’s: What are your favorite things to sew?
Celina: Anything I can upcycle is my favorite, it’s always a brand new challenge getting all the pattern pieces to fit in.
Figgy’s: Would you consider yourself an experimental sewer or perfectionist? And why?
Celina: Definitely a perfectionist, I think that the difference between a good piece and an amazing piece is all in the details, I pay a lot of attention to the little things and I usually spend a lot time on the finishing details.
Figgy’s: What’s your favorite fabric to sew with? Maybe a designer or Fabric line?
Celina: Usually I’m attracted to the color or the pattern first, then I usual go for natural fibers, whether it’s woven or knit really depends on what the project is. Although, knit is always quicker and easier, I have no real preference.
Figgy’s: Do you have a favorite tool that you don’t want to sew without?
Celina: The seam ripper is by far my favorite tool, I guess it goes with being a perfectionist! Funny thing is I always seem to be looking for it. However, sharp scissors and an iron are a must.
Figgy’s: And because we all need inspiration at the pots too – do you have a favorite go-to recipe you’d like to share?
Celina: Oh boy! Cooking is not my thing, it’s not that I’m not good at it, it’s just that I don’t enjoy it. The one meal my whole family enjoys is my spinach quiche. Yes my kids eat spinach!

Daniela & Shelly

I’m very excited to share with you “Sewn Hats” by author/designer Carla Hegeman Crim !   I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Carla at the Spring Quilt Market in 2010 and she is as sweet as her pattern line.  When Carla asked if I would like to contribute a hat patterns to a new book about hats I jumped on board.  I love hats.  Before I had the boys I wore a hat every Sunday and any other day I could find an excuse to wear one. When the boys were young they always pulled at my hats and wanted to wear them but now that they are grown I’m ready to start sewing!

You’ll find 35 different hat patterns in this book.  They are organized by weather, vintage, stepping out, working, playing and just having fun.  The size range is Newborn to a size X-large woman/man.

The book is full of gorgeous photos, wonderful illustrations & a handy guide to help you through any hat.  You’ll find my hat pattern on page 69 the “Turn It Up” hat.  Simple, quick and fun to make.

Not only is this a great book and you should run out and pick yourself up a copy but if you leave a comment here on the blog today you’ll get the chance to win a copy of the book and a “Turn It Up” hat made by me just for you!  Thank you so much Carla for asking me to be a contributor in your book.  I’m so happy for you and all your success!

For more chances to win please follow along Carla’s blog tour:

For this garment in particular there was no doubt, the fabric choose the design.

I was thrilled to have the chance to work with Sarah Jane’s new line “Out to Sea” not only because I fell in love with the prints themselves but because of the wonderful fabric hand.  The fabric arrived just in time for me to create something special for a very special girl “K”.  K’s family was having a lifestyle photo shoot taken by the ever so talented local artist/photographer Tracey Freeman, so I jumped at the chance to have a few photos taken of K in her new dress.

I try not to recommend quilters cotton fabric for garments because they are “quilters” cotton and the drape can be a bit “stiff” for some garments but, in this case I say “Go For It”!  The weight is light with lovely drape and the texture is so soft and perfect for little ones’ delicate skin.  For this dress I used the “Deep Sea Jewel” navy anchor fabric as the main fabric, the navy and white “Ahoy There” stripe for the bodice lining/skirt panels and a red ric rac under the front pleat.  It is DARLING!  I’ve been getting a lot of requests to start making ready made garments again and this is perfect line to start making again!

Thank you Sarah Jane & Michael Miller for a great line of fabric!

Happy Sewing! – Shelly

*all photos taken by Tracey Freeman of Tracey Freeman Photography

ATTENTION:

  Only 2 more days left to support the Figgy’s Kids Foundation.  Please consider sharing the project, donating financially or donating goods.  Thank you!

Before I began designing/selling childrens’ pattern in 2008 I was a sewing teacher.  I still am.  I’ve not stopped teaching because it is my escape from my other job which consists mostly of me in front of the lap top or stuffing patterns.  From the time I was a young gal my mom always thought I would be a good teacher and when I teach children how to sew I agree with her.  Teaching keeps me in touch with creativity.  The kids let me be a good teacher because they continue to inspire me and encourage me.  The children keep me going.

It has been amazing to see the increasing number of children that want to learn how to sew and the number of parents that want them to learn as well.  Actually, I don’t know many people that don’t want to learn how to sew or craft on some sort of level.  My dream is a sewing school.  A place where children young and old can learn how to craft: sew, knit, crochet, embroider & learn handi work.

Want to learn more about my dream?  Perhaps we share the same passion? If we do please pass along this link to your friend and family.  http://igg.me/p/212210?a=1090124

  I’m ready to make this dream a reality and in turn hopefully I can make a child’s dream come true too.

Happy Sewing – Shelly

Please feel free to Donate direct!

From Teresa:

When I volunteered, along with my two children, to spend a couple of months working with orphans in Vietnam, I had no idea just how much I would grow to love those children. Despite the language chasm between us, we developed friendships and an affection that is incomparable. As a mom, it was amazing to watch my kids with them–Audrey would hold the babies and feed them formula, while Stuart was the one the young boys flocked to for a game of chase.

Six years and two return visits later, the situation at the orphanages has not improved. The state-run facilities are desperately in need of additional items that cannot be purchased with the limited funds provided by the government. International adoptions were shut down and children continue to be left at the orphanages.

Today there are more than 100 kids in the orphanages in the small city of Tam Ky.

Along with efforts to publish our story about moving to Vietnam, I want to provide yet again for these kids. Each time we’ve returned we have been able to bring along clothes, food, shoes, and toys, as well as cash to pay for fruit, yogurt and milk (all are considered non-essential so not supplied by the government).

This is where I need you help. I want to get as many quality, handmade items as I can to these kids. Whether it’s a bag to carry their school books in, shorts to wear in the hot heat of summer, or diapers for the many infants that find a new home at the orphanage.

For more information please visit her website at “Pho for Three a family love story”

…and please let me know if  you’ve helped provide for these children in need because Figgy’s would love to send you a 15% off coupon code for your generous donation.

Happy Sewing! – Shelly

1st prize goes too:  Celina!  from Petit a Petit

* The winning design will be featured here on the blog with a full sized tutorial and designer bio. * Any three e-patterns of your choice.

2nd prize:  Elegance & Elephants!

3rd Prize: Mama Turtle!

2nd and 3rd prize:

* The 2nd and 3rd winning designs will also be featured here on the blog with pictures and designer bios. * any one of our e-patterns of choice.

 Thank to all that entered!

Winners please email Shelly (shelly@figgyspatterns.com)

Happy Sewing!

(Please excuse the quality of my photos,  I hit a button when I pulled my camera out of the bag and didn’t realize it :0 (bummer))

In June I packed my things and flew to Denver from Portland.

 It is always so neat to see all the mountains when flying over Oregon

It was only the second time  in 11 years I had been away from my husband and boys so I was really nervous about flying.  Flying into Denver if you haven’t before is reeallly bumpy.  Thank goodness for Skype because every night I was still able to read the boys a bedtime story.

I loved this set.  They asked me to send them a few photos of my family and I threw in some shots of my parents, grandmothers and great-grandmothers.  I didn’t know what they were going to use them for until I walked on set and saw that they had taken the photos and framed them as part of the scene.  I almost cried it was so touching.

A few of my favorite things about Craftsy:

• You only pay for what you want, meaning no monthly fees to have access to shows you’re not interested in.
• The class is yours to view for the rest of your life.
• You can start and stop whenever you want and make notes on the site.
• Teacher/Student interaction.  Love it!  You can stop the video exactly where you have a question and type it in.  Part of our responsibility in being a teacher is to check in and answer any questions you have.
• You can sew in your underoos and no one will know!

So this week stop by one or all of these blogs to find out what they all thought of Craftsy and the Kids Romper Revamp class!

Happy Sewing!!

]]> http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/07/kids-romper-revamp/feed/ 0 http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/07/shorts-on-the-line-banyan-tutorial/ http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/07/shorts-on-the-line-banyan-tutorial/#comments Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:05:32 +0000 Shelly Figueroa http://figgyspatterns.com/?p=1991

  Sometimes when creating a tailored short with an attached waistband the waistband ends up being too long or too short so for the shorts on the line post I have decided to provide a couple tips and tricks to creating a tailored pair of shorts.  I chose to use our Banyan shorts pattern and a really sweet Lecien fabric called “Vintage Linen” by Meg Hawkey of Crabapple Hill Studio.   This is not a full tutorial but if you need a little help with the zipper please visit our zipper tutorial here or you can always email me.

 Let’s begin!

I’ve cut out some of the pieces I’ll need to create these shorts:  Front and Back Shorts, Zip Extension and Pocket.  You’ll notice I cut around the cutting line and not on the cutting line.  The reason for this is you don’t want to cut on the cutting line twice because you could alter the pattern size.  You’ll notice I didn’t cut out the waistband pieces yet (more on this later) or the cuffs either.  I’ve decided not to make this pair with the cuffs this time because I wanted to showcase the print on the fabric.

Because I wanted the print to show at the bottom of the shorts I had to go against the grainline :0.  There are certain patterns you can do this with and certain ones you can’t (that’s another post in itself).

Once I cut out the pattern piece I then cut out the markings for the pleats.  This will allow you to create more accurate pleats which makes all the difference in the fit and size of the shorts.  Alternatively you could pierce through the pattern at the points.

Transfer the markings onto the wrong side of the fabric and on both front pieces.

For the back pattern pieces you’ll want to do the same thing but first transfer the pocket markings onto the right side of the fabric.

To create the pleats you will align the top two yellow markings and pin or press flat.  The bottom point should run along the fold of the fabric.

When you sew the pleats be sure to sew along the folded edge and leave long tails to manually tie the threads in a knot.  Also, about 1/2″ before the folded edge shorten the stitch length.

After you sew the pleat take a moment to measure the distance between the waist edge and the pleat bottom.  You can compare that with the pattern piece markings to make sure you sewed them correctly.  You’ll also want to use this measurement against the opposite shorts panel to make sure the pleats are the same length.

Place the pocket and stitch in place.  (Isn’t this fabric darling?)

When creating the front pleats you do not need to sew these to a point.  Simply sew down to the stopping line and backstitch.  Press all pleats to the center.

I went ahead and attached the pockets and the side seams.

Measure the back along the raw edge of the waist hem and then compare this measurement to the pattern piece (doesn’t quite look like it in the photo but the measurement was 11.5” (29.2cm)). If I have sewn the shorts perfectly the back pattern piece measurement + the seam allowance (total of 1”) will be 12.5” (31.8 cm).

The pattern piece measures 12.25” (31.1 cm).  It looks like I am ¼” off.  This could mean I was slightly off when I created my pleats, center or side seams or I was off a tiny tiny bit in all of those places.  Perhaps my needle was in the incorrect spot.   It happens to all of us.

How do I fix this?  Do I rip out my side seams?  Not in this situation.  I simply added ¼” to my waistband which is just 1/8” on both sides.  Now, if it is off by more than that I would have a look at your seam allowance and trouble shoot as to where you were thrown off a bit.

Repeat this exact process with the right and left waistbands.

At this point if you have read through the instructions (you should always do this) you’ll know that the waistband pieces for the right and left side should be at least ½” longer than the waist measurement.  So when you measure the pattern piece make sure you include the seam allowance and ½” overhang when comparing the two.

When aligning the raw edges of the waist hem and the waistband begin with the side seams and pin.  Pin the center back and then pin along the front panels.

You’ll want to make sure that the waistband side seam and the shorts side seam align.  Once attached press the seam allowances up.

  When sewing the inner waistband side seams be sure to leave a 1” opening for the elastic to slide into later.

Repeat the seam process by aligning the side seams, center back and then the front with the inner and outer waistbands.

Once the inner waistband is attached along the top you can make a chalk line to ensure you will make your sewing line to match the shorts edge.

Trim the corner at an angle and then trim the seam allowance.  Press the bottom of the inner waistband up ¼”.  Turn the inner waistband so wrong sides are facing.  Using a point turner gently push the corners to a point.

Lay the folded edge on top of the seam allowance and top stitch on the right side of the shorts.  I finished my shorts by finishing the raw edge of the bottom hems and turned them up ½” and finished with a nice topstitch.  I of course found an adorable vintage button for the final touch.

Ofelia (as usual) was the recipient of these darling shorts and I couldn’t get her to stay in one place long enough to get a good shot.  She’s really moving these days!

She was a very happy girl and even noticed the trim print on the fabric!

Be sure to visit Imagine Gnats, Small + Friendly and Designs by Sessa this month for shorts galore!

Happy Sewing!

We are excited to be a guest over at the Small + Friendly blog today!  If you are interested in learning a few helpful tips and tricks when sewing tailored shorts (like our Banyan shorts) then please hop on over.

Happy Sewing!

Have your pieces ready?

Instead of using chalk (it sometimes won’t come out), press to mark stitching line.

Pressed stitching line

Sewn seam.  Using a template made with card stock cut to the width of my pleat.  Rounded corners help it to slide in. The template gives a uniform-width pleat when pressing.

Match up the pressed line and stitching line at the top and bottom and the cardstock will make sure the rest is straight and even.

Make sure to get your trim deep in there, and edgestitch very close to the edge. Alternatively, you can use wondertape instead of pins to hold in place.

It’s the only edgestitching so for me it was worth it to switch to silver silk thread for this bit. My line wavered a bit at the bottom but mostly within the final half inch, which is the seam allowance, so I left it.

Bodice and Lining right sides together, raw edges aligned.  Approximately, in my case. I’m sure you’re more precise about cutting and stitching.

Mirrored Side Panels

Flipped second piece

Right sides together pinned in place.

Oops, you should be two inches left free at the shoulders, not half an inch!

All sewn up!

Trimmed

Turn right side out.

I pressed the untrimmed seam allowances under and made sure they matched in width, about 2 inches.

Twisted

Right sides together

Match the front & back to join together. The pin marks the important spot to match up.

Pinned together the side becomes a U shape.

Stitched

Seam roll is very helpful here to press open the seams.

Completed side seams.

Pin the inner shoulder seams right sides together.

Stitch

Press open the seams.

Pull the shoulder through the inside of the bodice to the bottom.

Pin the shoulder seam together.

Stitched and pressed.  I didn’t have enough working room to use my iron but a good fingerpress worked fine.

Pull farther to match seams.

Just keep going, the same way you pulled it all through just before this.

Pinned

Opposite side view.

Complete stitching line.  Just closing the gap, so to speak. You don’t have tons of slack at the ends, it’s ok. Just wiggle it under there. The wide walking foot was a bit in the way, switching to a regular foot would’ve helped but I was lazy.

Funky.  Bit like an elephant trunk, maybe it’s just the grey fabric.

But pulled back out, looks good!

Pressed

Ooooo!

Inside

Side View.  As my friend Nicole says, neat and tidy, Heidi!

Voila!

Isn’t this a sharp finish?  A great technique to use if you want a professional finish without any hand-stitching.  :)

Thank you so much Sarvi for this wonderful photo tutorial!!!

Happy Sewing!

Anybody who lives in the Pacific Northwest knows, that Summer starts on the 4th of July!  So, to celebrate summer (which finally arrived here in Portland as well!) we are excited to share our free (!!!) Flutter Circle Skirt tutorial with all of you! It’s a beginner friendly sewing project that might only take you a couple of hours to complete from finish to end. Yet what we are providing here is a great pattern base or blue print for lots of sewing projects like, tiered skirts, minis, maxis, empire waist dresses, sun dresses – just perfect for summer! And as a bonus, we threw in adult/tween sizes too, so we grown ups can finally wear our own Figgy’s too.

And because we think it’s such a great pattern, we’d like to kick off a design competition throughout the month of July:

* create a garment based on the Flutter Circle skirt
* photograph your project and upload to the Figgy’s Flickr group.
* indicate in the title: Flutter Competition.
* submission deadline: August 10th 2012
* a panel of insiders in addition to Shelly and myself will review all submissions and pick a winner!
* the winner is announced on August 15th 2012

And now for the prizes:

1st prize:

* The winning design will be featured here on the blog with a full sized tutorial and designer bio.
* Any three e-patterns of your choice.

2nd and 3rd prize:

* The 2nd and 3rd winning designs will also be featured here on the blog with pictures and designer bios.
* any one of our e-patterns of choice.

What are you waiting for? Download your free pattern and get designing! We can’t wait what you come up with!

Happy Sewing!

Daniela & Shelly

KID’S ROMPER REVAMP!

I am so very excited to announce the news about my course for Craftsy “Kids Romper Revamp”.  It was such a fun experience and I was able to work with some amazing and talented people.  If you haven’t heard about Craftsy yet then I have to say I’m a little shocked but also excited to be the one who gets to share this terrific site with you.  My most favorite part about this site is that it offers all sewists who would love to take a class the chance to do so no matter where they live and also it’s interactive.  I get to chat with you as you take the class, I love that!

 Here is a bit about my course.

During childhood, play is paramount.  So whether it’s a hot summer day or a chilly winter afternoon, kid’s need to be comfy in their clothes.  Like adults, kids should enjoy the way their clothes look, as well as how they fit and feel.

In Kid’s Romper Revamp, we’ll explore all kinds of useful sewing techniques, like how to properly measure a child, and adjust the pattern for a perfect custom fit.  We’ll choose high-quality fabrics that are seasonally appropriate and fashionably fun, and cover the ins and outs of interfacing and how to apply it to the romper.  I’ll go step-by-step through constructing the romper’s braided straps, gathering and assembling the yoke, sewing knit and woven fabrics together, and more.  Then, we’ll move on to making the shorts, adding pockets, hem ties, and attaching the top and bottom to finish it off. Finally, I’ll discuss extending the romper into pants for the colder season, creating separates and making the romper into a sundress! Create 4 patterns from just 1.

   In sewing for kids, I use comfortable fabrics as a platform to build from.  For this class, I wanted a platform that’s as comfortable for teaching as the romper is for wearing.  That’s why I chose Craftsy.  With Craftsy, you have unlimited access to your classes so you can learn at your own pace, and you have the added comfort of being able to watch the lessons in brilliant high definition, rewind, make notes, ask questions, and get answers from me and your classmates.  Plus, you can browse other people’s projects for inspiration, and upload pictures of your projects to get feedback and insight.

Enroll in Kids Romper Revamp, and create a comfy, yet stylish, custom girl’s romper, learn new sewing skills, and have fun doing it! 

 Bolt Fabric Boutique (Portland)

SEWN (Cincinatti)

The Sewcial Lounge (Wisconsin)

and most recently Dry Goods Design (Seattle).

Daniela had the pleasure of stopping in during a fun filled evening with the shop owner Keli and her friend/employee Joanna.  I was so sad that I missed the opportunity to visit but I’m rescheduling a visit very soon!  When Daniela returned from Seattle she sent me this email:

The store is located in a very cool area with lots of shops and restaurants. The store is very cute and Keli is a super nice, energetic gal and so passionate about her business. I bought some of the zigzag fabric to cover my ironing board.  There always was a handful of people in the store who always stayed a long time, had drinks and snacks and took time for a chat. Our patterns were displayed all over the store and I could talk to customers,  how they can customize a pattern to fit their child, how to turn straps with a bobby pin, what to watch out for making the pattern. Sewing with knits etc. it was real fun and lovely to meet people.   -Daniela

What a pleasure to hear.  She also mentioned that Keli makes an outstanding Grapefruit Elderflower Fizz!  Now if I can just get up to Seattle sooner rather than later I could have my own GEF and sit on her super cozy looking couch…..

Are you a fabric shop owner interested in hosting your own sample sale?  Just email us at info@figgyspatterns.com and we’ll find the perfect date for you!

Happy Sewing

]]> http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/06/trunk-shows/feed/ 0 http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/06/flickr-round-up/ http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/06/flickr-round-up/#comments Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:43:04 +0000 Shelly Figueroa http://figgyspatterns.com/?p=1688

or as I like to call her, “Tang” (short for her website name tangerinesamurai.com )

I “met” Daniela on flickr in 2009 while I was still living in Ohio.  I believe it was these photos that drew me in.

Who wouldn’t be drawn to that beauty of a fabric!  After I moved to Oregon I was teaching private sewing lessons and during one of my lessons I kept talking about “Tangerine Samurai” and how enamored I was with her work.  I knew she lived in Portland but I hadn’t had the chance to connect with her.  One of the gals I was teaching happened to know her and secretly surprised me by having her come to her home during one of the lessons.  She introduced herself as “Daniela” and I just kind of stood there for a second and then she said “Tangerine Samurai” and let out a tiny scream and jumped for joy, I was a little star struck.

Luckily for me, we became and stayed friends.

Her work as a designer is a true gift for us all. In the 90′s she worked as a Designer in the Global Sport Apparel Industry.  Throughout those years, she held leadership positions at Adidas, Nike and Columbia Sportswear.  She created financially successful performance apparel designs that you may actually have hanging in your closet.  She has her own design company The Gestalter.  She had her own successful yoga line called “Seek” and currently freelance designs for the company RYU.  She is also a wife, mother, knitter, quilter and fabric designer!  She designed 90% of the fabrics used in the Sewing For Boys book and a few projects for Modern Log Cabin Quilting by Susan Beal.    My goodness woman!

I’m writing about Daniela today because she is first, a wonderful human being, soft spoken, honest and patient.  I was floored when she said she would like to work with me and I jumped at the chance to have her as a partner.  She is an amazing co-owner & partner.  I feel very blessed to know her and work with her.

Since I’ve been around longer and my name is attached to Figgy’s I get a lot of credit for what should be hers.  When we talk about credit she simply says that it’s not her or me it’s Figgy’s as a team.  I would call that selfless on her part for sure.  75% of the time it will be me you’ll see hanging around the Internets and answering emails because I love to do that, but please remember Figgy’s is a team of two.

Thank you Daniela for being you and teaming up with me.  Figgy’s is evolving into the wonderful small business that it is today because of you.

Happy Sewing-  Shelly

 I’ve inserted a lot of zippers in my time but for the last 6 years they have mostly been the closed seam, invisible centered or exposed zipper applications.  Daniela’s Banyan pant design called for just a slight overlapped zipper, which is the more modern look.  I love photos & illustrations because I’m a “visual” type of gal and lucky for me when we were writing instructions for this pattern Daniela sent over photos (yay) to help make sure we were clearly guiding our sewists. Now that the patterns have been released I thought what better way to make sure everyone has enough visual aids then to share these great photos with you!  So, here you go:

Once you have interfaced the fly flap, sewn the center seam beginning 1/2″ below the fly flap and baste stitched from the bottom of the flap to the waist hem. Press the fly flap open and change the presser foot to the zipper foot on the machine.

STEP 1

If you have sewn most of the Figgy’s patterns by now then you know that my most favorite notion is Wondertape.  You really can’t beat it (if you think you can then please leave us a comment we love new knowledge) especially when installing a zipper.  I place the Wondertape along the right side of the zipper tape close to the edge (not the teeth).  This double sided tape will hold the zipper in place while you sew and you don’t have to worry with pins.  With the zipper unzipped, align the right side of the zipper top edge with the waist hem and the zipper teeth with the basted seam line.  Stitch the tape in place.  Be sure that only the fly flap is resting on the sewing plate and not the pants and fly.  Remember to backstitch!

STEP 2

Close the zipper.  Turn the pants upside down, align the opposite zipper tape to the opposite fly flap.  Again, make sure only the fly flap is resting on the sewing plate and not the pants. Stitch the zipper in place.

STEP 3

Change back to the regular machine presser foot and turn the pants so the right side is facing up.  With most pants you can simply feel the curve of the fly flap from the right side with your finger.  Using a chalk or fabric pen mark this curve from the waist to the center seam.  Change the stitch length to 2.5 – 3.0 for a nice looking topstitch.    If your machine has a nice topstitch try using a contrasting thread.  After top stitching along the marking remove the baste stitches and unzip the zipper.

STEP 4

A fly extension will keep the zipper from rubbing your little one’s skin and it gives a nice professional touch.  With the right sides facing, fold the extension in half lengthwise and press flat.  Stitch a crescent shape along the bottom raw edge.  Trim the seam and turn right side out.  Using a point turner  smooth the seam and press flat once again.  Finish the long raw edges by using a serger, zig zag stitch or pinking shears.

STEP 5

Align the finished edge of the extension with the fly flap edge behind the zipper.  Edgestitch through all of the layers from the right side of the pants.

All done! Not so bad was it?

Here is a look at the finished zipper after the waistband is sewn in place.  Nice!

 Thank you Daniela for providing these photos and we all hope you’re having an amazing time visiting family in Germany (lucky girl)!

I have the honor to work with Shelly and Daniela at Figgy’s Patterns and their
wonderful garment pattern designs for children and tweens – in this
case one of their latest: the Banyan shirt, tunic,
pants and shorts. Today I have for you a tutorial for custom
sewing pants for your child. But let me give you a spiel first.

One of the best things about learning to sew clothing is you can make
exactly what someone wants, using colors, fabrics, and
embellishments just for them. You can construct the garment in a way
that fits them perfectly and feels better to wear than anything
purchased ready-to-wear (RTW). And finally – these clothes last longer
than even rather expensive retail products. Yes, it takes time to
build these skills, but today I CAN HAZ THEM, and I love to share
them.

Specifically what I’m going to show you today concerns sewing
trousers for the tall and/or slim child.

My children have typically been slim for their age and size. When it
comes to pants, in RTW this means buying slim-fit trousers, elastic
waist pants, or using belts – all of which have drawbacks and
limitations. But in sewing we have the opportunity to create custom
fit, and here’s how I did it.

First, I measured my client – in this case, my eight year old son.
Here are his measurements in inches, with the corresponding Banyan
pattern size in parenthesis:

Height: 51 1/2″ (size 8/9)
Chest: 24 1/2″ (size 6/7)
Waist: 22″ (size 4/5)
Hip: 23″ (size 4/5)

In making pants, the next thing to consider is where your child tends
to like to wear his or her clothing. In Nels’ case, he wears in
between his hip and his waist. Both these body measurements are in the
4/5 size. And since his height corresponds to size 8/9, I’ll simply
adjust the fit to correspond to a size 4/5 body girth and a size 8/9
length.

If you trust the pattern’s draft, you can adjust the pant fit
according to the pattern’s waist size. Let me describe another method
to determine which size to grade to, or a way to double-check waist
sizing at a selected size.

On a flat or pleated – that is, non-elastic – pair of pants, the
length around the front waist, side seam to side seam, should
correspond to front body’s wearing waist, ideally bisecting the
side-body. Said another way, the front body section of the pants’
waistband should reach halfway around the body at the wearing waist.

Flat-front pants with pockets, or pleated pants, take a moment to
figure out, but it’s pretty simple really (see below). This
pattern has a 1/2″ seam allowance. So measuring 1/2″ in from the top
raw edge, I drew lines (shown in red) from the center front
(dashed line at left), skipping over the pleats (which
will reduce to zero once sewn), and extending to within 1/2″ or
one seam allowance, of the side seam.

But – we’re not finished! Remember, the pockets will extend the front
waist of the pants. In the case of this pattern, figuring the added
length is very easy: simply fold the pocket piece in half (as the
pocket will be when finished) and measure the distance from the
slanted raw edge to the side raw edge – AT the size selected (shown
here, 4/5). Add these red-line measurements up.

For the 4/5 size, the finished front pant measurement was 12″
(and, spoiler alert!, when I finished the pants, they were 12″
exactly). Obviously your cutting, tracing, measuring, and
stitching abilities will all affect the outcome of this method, and if
it seems too complex put it aside, or write me an email. However,
thinking this way about clothing is a good technique to learn.

On to tracing and cutting. When making a smaller girth to height, the
pant leg is a fairly simple adjustment: since I wanted the length of
the 8/9 size, plus 1/2″, I simply traced from the crotch point of the
4/5 size in a smooth curve onto the thigh of the 8/9 cutting line
(you can see my resultant cutting line below, in red).

For the other side of the pant front leg, the difference between a 4/5
and an 8/9 is so minimal – about 1/8″ as marked, I didn’t do any
grading at all but just cut along the 8/9.

Layout: This pant pattern only includes one back pocket. You can see
my pocket piece near the center of the photo, waiting to be cut after
I cut the rest and unfold it (this is a great opportunity to cut a
bias pocket if you have a cute pattern on your fabric, stripes,
corduroy, et cetera). I added 1/2″ to the length of the pant legs
for a bit of growth room. To do this, I simply extended the bottom hem
of the front and back pant leg – using the large ruler you see laying
on my pant front pattern piece.

One more comment about cutting. The waistband for the Banyan pants and
shorts is a bit of genius. It is a three-part waistband, with a long
back waistband fully-elasticized and corresponding to the side-seams
of the pants, and a left front and left right flat (i.e.
non-elasticized) waistband. In a case like this I typically cut
the front waistbands a bit longer, to make sure I don’t run out of
room later. Waistbands can be kind of a pain and I’d rather add a
little extra now, than rip out stitches and/or add darts and/or cut
new pieces later.

After cutting according to your adjustments, the rest of
construction follows the pattern instructions. I’ll continue here
to write a bit about constructing the pants. You can skip to the
bottom of the post if you’d like to see the fit difference my
adjustments made.

To prepare the pants for sewing, I marked darts, pleats, and pocket
placement, interfaced appropriate sections, and pre-serged a few
seams.

For marking, I prefer either water-soluble marker or chalk or thread.
I used pencil in this case as I knew it would wash out.

I typically insert a needle through the pattern to get perfect
placement of marks. Here you see the inner pocket placement upper
edge. After pushing the needle through the paper, I carefully lift the
pattern and mark, on the right side, the pocket placement.

Pocket placement markings on the right side of the garment. The little
bump at waist-edge is the dart head.

For the darts, I used the same needle method to mark the termination
of the darts on the wrong side of the pants. I make these
markings simultaneously on both left and right pattern pieces.

Given there is a 1/2″ seam allowance, I give myself license to mark
the dart heads by notching. Below in the center of the picture you can
just make out my 1/8″ notches, which will be matched up and stitched,
right-sides together.

Now, the front pleats. Here you can see I notched and drew the pleat
headings with red, and used my trusty pencil for the pleat termination
points:

After marking and/or notching, I interfaced and pre-finished a few
seam allowances. I used a serger for finishing on this project. For
this pattern, I recommend finishing the edges of the cuff pieces, the
edges of the fly extension/guard (center of photo, rectangular
piece), and all four crotch seams, front and back pantleg. For
interfacing, follow directions in the pattern – interfacing one of
each waistband, the fly extension/guard, and the fly extension on the
front flaps of the pants (at left). Interfacing the fly
extension on the pants front will make a lot nicer fly – promise.

We will be serging/finishing more seams as we sew.

Now we get to stitch a little! Here is a finished dart:

After sewing I steam-press, then carefully knot the thread and use a
tiny dab of anti-fray glue.

Now it’s time to make the pocket!

In this picture you see the pressed front pleats (left), and
the pressed pocket with finished embroidery. The embroidery is my
son’s drawing of Uranus, traced onto one of my favorite little
helpers, Sulky’s Fabri Sticky-Solvy. I keep my sticky
stabilizer scraps (like the red type you see here) so I can
use it for all kinds of stabilizing jobs. It washes away easily and
makes things a lot easier than tracing, basting stabilizers, etc!

Creating the fly:

I use an extra long zipper whenever possible. That way I can sew
without coming anywhere near the zipper pull. Just be careful not to
cut the top of the zipper off until you’re about to secure that top
raw edge. If you aren’t going to need to zip up the zipper during the
rest of construction, you can stop at this stage and apply safety pins
along the zipper tape so you don’t accidentally pull the zipper pull
right off the cut zipper tape (ask me how I’ve learned this, the
hard way!).

Here you see the finished inside of the pants, including the bar tack
in white. The pattern calls the piece in foreground a fly extension -
I’ve also heard it called a fly guard (my son calls it “wiener
protection”, which I think is awesome).

Outseams: I like to stitch, serge, then topstitch. This is easy to do
as the inseams aren’t sewn and we can work in the flat with ease.
Outseam with pocket:

After serging and topstitching, I serged the pants hem. Again, easy to
do as we’ve not yet sewn the inseam:

Now to stitch, then serge, the inseam! Here you see the crotch curves,
already pre-serged. We’ll have a very tidy finish when we’re done.

Finally – it’s time for the waistband. This is a bit picture-heavy,
but I’m trying to demonstrate how to do a quick, yet good-looking and
sturdy, waistband.

I sewed the outer waistband on first (you can see the
water-soluble blue pen for my fly stitching, here).

Next, I stitched the inner waistband, at 1/16″ larger seam allowance
so no stitches would show on the outer edge of the garment. Don’t
worry if you don’t get this perfect. The only person who’s going to
inspect your waistband is you. Here you also see the gap in the inner
waistband for inserting the 3/4″ elastic.

Waistbands both attached.

Trimming. Remember when I said I made my front waistbands a little
longer than the pattern? Here’s where I correct if needed.

Grading seams eliminates bulk. It makes a big difference for wear and
comfort, and it can also make a huge difference if you have more
construction steps. Here, we’re just about done with the pants, so
don’t skimp! The general rule is, leave the longest seam allowances
where they will be facing the public side of the garment. So here in
the foreground you see the inner waistband, behind that the pant
front, and behind that the outer waistband.

Topstitching the waistband. I start here on the underlap where you
won’t be seeing the overlapping stitches.

Have I mentioned how much I love linen? It is so crisp it’s easy just
to finger fold and sew. Remember though to fold enough of a seam
allowance and stitch so that the waistband won’t ravel later. And go
careful over those zipper teeth. My 1950 Singer is a champ, but my
newer, pricey Juki will grind on a metal zipper tooth, break the
needle, and scare the camp out of me.

Still topstitching. Again, my desire isn’t topstitching perfection so
much as sturdiness and no waistband ripples. That said…

Even my quick and dirty results look pretty nice. Go check your RTW
pants and compare! The waistband is also delightfully light, thanks to
that grading work.

A few words on tidy thread tails. I like to make invisible knots so
there are no ugly thread snarls or tails. Here after inserting and
stitching the elastic, I pull both thread tails firmly to the inside
of the garment. Then I thread a needle and stab it right through where
the thread tails end, emerging a little further down through the
inside of the waistband…

Then I pull the threads all the way through (you can see a little
loop just before I snug them up)…

After snugging and snipping, the thread tails are secure and invisible!

Okay, now for a few comments on the finished garment and fit. Here you
see my adjusted version:

And here’s the 8/9, made without adjustment:

While the Banyan trouser, by virtue of an elasticized back waistband
and a fair amount of dart and pleat action to boot, is designed to
have a full seat and thigh, you can clearly see superior results after
adjusting for proper size. The too-large waist of the 8/9 pants meant
using a shorter elastic in the backwaist, leading to an overly-full
thigh and very bunchy bum.

And finally: here’s how the pocket turned out:

This rendering of Uranus is a simple drawing of my son’s, taken from a
larger solar system sketch he drew. My son selected Uranus for his pocket
as it’s one of his favorite planets, with its “sideways” axis of
rotation and complicated ring system. This sketch may be a little less
than cosmically-complex, but the “ring system” does glow
in the dark.

Thanks for joining me in my tutorial, and if you have any questions,
please do email or comment below! kelly@hogaboom.org

Thank you Kelly!!!  I hope you come back again soon because YOU rock our socks

Via Flickr:  Tribecca, Elsie, dkbnyny, Living with Punks, June Craft, Elsie, June Craft, Hazelnut Girl

 I was able to participate a little this week and created a little Zephyr sun dress. For who else but Ofeliam of course.  She was quite camera shy yesterday but she really loved it.  My mom made her some purple linen bloomers (she calls them her spanx) to match.  Super Cute!  Fabric is a cotton lawn: London Calling by Vanessa Sorbet distributed by Robert Kaufman.

It was the perfect weight for a Spring sun dress.

Although KWCW is over for now we hope you will keep sewing a little bit everyday to create gorgeous garments for your little ones, and very soon with the new patterns too!  Happy sewing!

 Sizes: 18mo – 8/9yr

Banyan

  A Royal Navy term for a short period of rest and relaxation.

You have asked for boys and knit patterns and we delivered! This pattern
package is chock full of handsome and stylish staples that will easily take
you through any season and will work equally well for boys and girls!
What more could you ask for?

The pants are a modern design with a pleated flat front and our signature adjustable
back. You choose between a long leg length or a severely cute pair of
shorts. The pant is tapered through the legs and ends with a fold up that
just takes this style up a couple of notches! Pair it with this easy to make
tee or choose between a girls slim fit handkerchief hem or tunic length tee.
We promise to help elevate your sewing ability while we guide you step
by step through a professional fly zip installation and plenty of sewing
tips for wovens and knits!

Scirocco

The constellation of winds blowing hot air from Sahara into Europe.

As a child, growing up in Germany, Scirocco meant hot summer days and
nights. The scent of sunscreen, swimming pools, ice cream and barbecues.
It meant swimming in cool waters and hanging out with friends
along the waters edge. An incredible sense of self, freedom and a terribly
freckled nose.
Celebrate your summer by sewing your girl(s) this beautiful airy summer
dress – with a fun and funky twist which surely will make your little one
feel extra special. We are sure she will always remember the summer
when she got this favorite dress! Opt for light weight fabrics and try it
in sophisticated solids with pretty lace accents along the front or play it
up with beautiful prints. The results will make you wish for hot summer
days!

Zephyr

Mild winds blowing from the Pacific.

A pattern combo that surely fits the famous California lifestyle. Just think about your family strolling down the beach promenade in Venice Beach, your little girl skipping ahead, wearing this adorable romper or breezy sundress. Picking up a sea shell or twenty along the way. The sundress is a quick and simple sew, perfect for a beginning seamstress.

The romper however is a little more advanced as it is a little more time consuming especially using the recommended knit body/woven yoke combo. Yet with many trips and tricks sprinkled throughout the instructions, we are sure to help elevate your sewing experience.

 (Please drag your mouse to the number 360p to enlarge to 720p HP, thank you)

I hope you enjoyed the little peak at our Spring & Summer line and please come back tomorrow as we begin our PRE-SALE event.  Our pre-sale event includes 10% off any purchased pattern.  We are scheduled to ship all patterns by May 10, 2012!!

Daniela & Shelly

Congratulations!!!

Stephanie wrote:

I’m working on some baby shoes right now – a pair for my son and some for a friend’s twins.

Congratulations:  Kimberly!!!  I have one little problem….I don’t have an email to contact you :0

Please email me when you see this post and we’ll send you a gorgeous new pattern!

Kimberly wrote:

What a fun embellishment for this pattern. I have a baby quilt that I am in the middle of. I hope to finish it up soon, the baby’s already 4 months old! Thanks for the giveaway.

From Jen:

The Ofelia  pattern is my all time favorite little girl dress pattern. Its FOUR pieces, easy to sew, only takes a yard of fabric, is stylish and well, Amelia my daughter loves it. Which means she already has four hanging in her closest. But they are getting small and are ready to pass down. Since I’ve already made them with the cute ribbon down the front, I thought I’d try something new!

Digging into my scrap bins, I found the answer.  Below I’ll show you how to create this super cute patchwork binding as well as how to attach it three different ways. This is also a great way to add length to a dress if you have a tall lanky girl like I do.

By no means am I the expert in binding the hem of a dress. I’ve learned by trial and error. The point of this tutorial and showing you three different ways is to get you motivated! To get you to sew! To look at these, and think “Hey that’s not so hard-I can do that!” Because really, that’s what it takes, a little motivation, a little confidence and a desire to try.

So do it.

Try something new today.

Make a cute dress for your little one and then make it your own with special little touches!

Supplies

• An almost complete Ofelia Dress (You can win a PDF download of this!)
• Scraps of fabric measuring 1-4 inches by 5 inches
• Regular sewing materials (machine, thread, cutting mat, rotary cuter, ruler, etc)

The first method is what I most commonly see in today’s patterns. It’s great to use if you want the inside seam to be completely hidden and if you don’t have a serger.

Step One: Making the binding

• Measure the bottom of your dress to determine how long your binding should be and add ½ inch.
• With your scraps sew them together to make one long strip that equals the width of the dress (mine was around 40 inches)

Step Two: Press and Square Up

• Press your seams, which ever way suits you. (I press mine to the side-I like the texture it gives)
• Square up the binding using a ruler and a rotary cutter. I found that five inches wide on all of these worked best. I made the 6/7 size dress-adjust the binding according to the dress size and preference.

Step Three: Attach

• Press one side up a ¼ inch
• Pin the binding to the bottom of the dress raw edges together and right sides to right sides.
• Join the ends of the binding by sewing a ¼ inch seam and creating a circle. Press.
• Attach to the hem using a ¼ inch seam

Step Four: Finishing

• Press your seam down towards the binding
• Fold the biding in half so the pre pressed ¼ inch seam just covers your stitch line (photo 2)
• Pin in place and top stitch using a 1/8^th inch seam allowance

This next method is my favorite and the one I call the “down and dirty”. It’s quick, easy and still looks neat and professional. I also totally thought I made it up-yeah I know, total dork…

Follow steps 1 and 2 above to make your binding.

Step One: Attaching the binding

• Create a circle by sewing your end seams together with a ¼ inch seam (do this by measuring your dress hem width and adding ½ inch)
• Fold the binding in half with wrong sides together. Press.
• Pin to the hem and stitch a ¼ seam
• Serge

Step Two: Finishing

• Press the seam towards the bottom/binding
• Top stitch using an 1/8^th inch seam

(Note: Some people press up and stitch above binding-do what you like best just make sure to catch the serged seam allowance in your stitch)

The last method is probably the most traditional. It’s a double fold and adds weight and some thickness to the hem. It would be good on a heavy weight fabric such as wool. It also creates a narrower hem.

Follow steps 1 and 2 in the first set of directions to create your binding.

Step One: Create the double fold and attach

• Fold the binding in half wrong sides together. Press
• Open the binding and fold one side all of the way to the center line. Press.
• Fold the other side towards the center but leave a ¼ inch gap.
• Fold in half and press. One side will be slightly wider than the other

Step Two: Attaching

• Open the binding. Pin the narrower side to the hem of the dress with right sides together matching the raw edges
• When you get to the ends, turn one end up a ¼ inch (photo 1 below)
• Place the other end on top to over lap (photo 2 below)
• Stitch in the fold line (photo 3 below)

Note: You can also create a circle by sewing the end seams together as shown in method 1 and 2

Step Three: Press and Pin

• Press the seam towards the bottom
• Fold up at center seam; this should naturally fall above the stitch line
• Press and pin in place

Step Four: Finishing

• Top stitch 1/8^th inch on top of the binding on the right side of the dress

TIP: Increasing the stitch length to create a longer stitch will give the garment a more professional look

Bonus Head Band!

Remember the tie tutorial from the other day? Well, all you have to do is slip it on a headband and your little girl has a super cute bow headband. Depending on how thick the headband is, you might need to make the center tighter by sewing a ½ inch seam allowance instead of a ¼ inch.

You could also attach it to various clips! I would add a touch of hot glue to the top of the clip to secure it. Amelia only wanted them on the headband, so I just fed the clip through to demonstrate; which actually worked just fine in my hair!

Hopefully this tutorial has inspired you to sew something pretty for your little one! To get you started, Shelly & Daniela will be giving away a free PDF pattern of the Ofelia dress to one lucky winner!!!  Perfect timing for this Holiday season.

Just leave a comment on this post to enter. It would be great to hear what you are working on now or what you’d like to work on soon! For an extra entry follow us on Facebook or Pintrest!  Please also make sure your email is in the comment or is linked to your comment! A winner will be chosen by random on Monday!

From Jen Carlton Bailly of www.bettycrockerass.com

One thing I love to see is a little boy in a bow tie with a rumpled shirt and jeans. It’s probably the love of all things from The Preppy Hand Book in me. But it’s also teaching our boys that dressing up and looking nice is cool and awesome!

Ready to create this simple tie?  It’s a little bit over-sized and oh so cute!

Supplies

• Scraps of fabric in varying widths at least 12 inches long
• 1 piece of 4 by 4 inch solid fabric for the center of the tie
• 1 piece of 4½ inch by your child’s neck measurements (shirt on) plus 1 ½ inches in solid for the neck strap
• 1 piece of 1 inch Velcro
• 1 piece of fusible interfacing cut to 6 by 7 inches (I used Pellon 906F)
• 1 piece of card stock cut to 6 by 7 inches
• Point turner or knitting needle to poke out corners
• Liquid Stitch

Step One: Making a String Block (as it’s know in quilting)

• After cutting your card stock and fabric strips, lay them out over the paper at a diagonal to determine your order. Most of my strips did not measure over 2 inches wide
• Set your machine on a really tight stitch width. I usually sew at 2 for this I set mine at 1. This helps to perforate the paper and make it easy to tear off

Step Two: Sewing the fabric to the paper

• Lay the middle strip down, then your next strip on top of it right sides together
• Sew a ¼ inch seam
• Fold over your strip and press flat with a dry iron
• Continue this process on each side until you have covered the paper

Step Three: Squaring up your block

• Turning your block upside down-paper facing up, use your ruler and rotary cutter to square it up trimming the fabric

Step Four: Taking of the paper

• Since you used a nice small stitch, taking the paper off will be like tearing a perforated coupon out!
• Stick your finger under the paper, and gently tug. The paper should come lose, bend it back and gently tear.
• Continue until all the paper is off.

(FYI: If you are a garment sewer, you actually just became a quilter too! You did your first quilt string block!)

Step Five: Interfacing and Sewing

• Following the manufactures guidelines for your fusible interfacing, attach it to the back of your block
• Fold the block in half on the 7 inch side right sides together
• Your block should measure 3 ½ by 6 inches
• Make a 1 ½ inch mark in the middle at the raw edges (this will be were you will turn your tie inside out.
• Stitch all the raw edges with exception to where you marked
• Make sure your stitch length is back to where you normally have it
• Clip the four corners on the diagonal being careful not to cut into the stitch line

Step Six: Turn out and Top Stitch

• Turn your block inside out, take care to poke out the corners with a point turner (as pictured) or a knitting needle
• Press flat (the flatter you get it the nicer it will look)
• Top stitch using a 1/8^th inch seam allowance

TIP! Increase your stitch length a bit when top stitching. You’ll get a nicer looking stitch.

Step Seven: Forming the Bow Tie

• Pick the side of the tie that you like best
• Find the middle and pinch in place
• Stitch down the middle to hold it in place (I went back and forth a few times to ensure it was secure)

Step Eight: Making the Center and Neck Strap

• Using the 4 by 4 inch piece of fabric, fold it in half and press
• Open it up; fold the sides in to meet the center and press
• Fold at the center and press
• Top stitch
• Fold in half and match raw edges
• Stitch a ¼ inch to form a circle
• Turn so the raw edges are facing in
• Complete the same process for the neck strap
  • Measure the neck WITH the shirt on (add 1 ½ inches to this)
  • Cut out
  • Fold each end up by ¼ inch
  • Follow above directions with exception to the last three points
  • Top stitch along all edges

Step Nine: Finishing the Bow Tie

• Slip the ring onto the tie by compressing it

Step Ten: Finishing the Strap

Note: I realize that not everyone is going to like to glue on their Velcro. This just happens to be my favorite product right now. It dries clear, is super strong and I don’t have to have stitch marks! Do what works best for you.

• Taking your strap position the Velcro at the ends
• Add a dap of Liquid Stitch and apply the Velcro to the fabric.
• Take note of the 3^rd photo below-one piece will go on the top side, the other on the bottom side
• Let dry for recommended time

Step Eleven: Completing the tie

• Fold your strap in half
• Feed through the back of the tie

Step Twelve:

• Try it on
• Admire your work and enjoy creating a hand made wardrobe

 (Zeke calls it his “party boy tie”)

Here is the same tie using one fabric. Do what you love or better yet, what your little guy would love best. Involving him in the process will probably help encourage him to keep it on longer!

Thank you so much Jen for gifting us with another terrific tutorial!  Thank you Z for being SO DARN CUTE!  Look at those eyes.  Stay tuned because Jen has one more wonderful tutorial coming our way for the upcoming holiday.

Enjoy preparing for your future event and Happy Sewing!

Congratulations:

Megan wrote:

I would LOVE to win this awesome book! Your project looks so awesome. I am new to sewing and this would seal my obsession with it! Thanks Figgy’s!

When I think of Liberty of London fabric I think luxury.  Whenever I purchase Liberty fabric I have the hardest time deciding what project I want to use the fabric for because it needs to be worthy (like the Ayashe blouse).

When Chronicle books sent Daniela & I the “The Liberty Book of Home Sewing” book I had to sit down immediately and read every page from front to back.  This is the very first sewing book from the internationally popular and stylish textile brand.  A grin stayed on my face all day long.  I will say that this is not a “teach you how to sew book” so there isn’t much hand holding.

The book offers 25 projects that allow the reader to incorporate a touch of Liberty elegance into their home.  There are simple projects like a tote bag or apron and a bit more intermediate projects like full-sized quilts, throws and cushions. Yum.  In the beginning of the book Anna Baruma offers a bit of Liberty history.  I love “behind the scenes” and hearing how companies begin so this was terrific for me.  I really appreciated that each project listed the names of the fabrics used in case you wanted to create the exact same project as it is in the book.

(project: book covers)

The very first project I wanted to sew was the “Kimono”.  The Kimono offers a touch of old-fashioned glamour to your morning routine but, I only had 1 yard of Liberty in my sad stash (sniff sniff).

Instead I decided to make something for my Mom.  My parents are taking a much needed and deserved trip to Hawaii and  I found the perfect little gift to send with her, the “Toiletry Bag”.It went together perfectly and was a quick sew (which is nice when you have littles running around).  When working with projects in this book remember to read through the instructions before beginning your project. You should really do this with all patterns because you never know what little tricks may pop up.  In this project you create paper pattern pieces with measurements but you have to add 3/8″ around the paper pattern onto the fabric….I almost didn’t catch that and started cutting :0.  It all ended well.

For Mom.

The only tweak I made was to the zipper pull.  I decided to braid strips of the fabric and thread it through the zipper head.

 It  deemed to be a worthy project and it’s certainly going to a worthy lady.  She deserves this and the robe!

Now for the giveaway!  We are happy to announce that Daniela and I have an extra copy of this lovely book for one of you!  Please leave a comment letting us know you’d love to win!  For an extra chance to win visit our facebook page and “like” us.  I will announce the winner on Wednesday the 7th of March!

I promised a few people a little blog regarding sewing with knits; here goes. My daughter requested a shirt in “earthy” tones. I had just enough in my stash to make her one. The natural-colorway was from a piece of organic bamboo yardage given to me by a friend; the brown was from a 100% organic cotton t-shirt I thrift-ed (I used most of the shirt to make a headband for my mother). In both cases once I cut out the shirt pattern pieces I ended up with only a small portion scraps to compost. I love it that I use fabric so economically.

Kelly used the Tee for Two pattern available here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/Clothing/Tee-for-Two-Small-sizes/3910

Knits are tricky. So many sewists claim to “whip up a t-shirt on the serger” – but the truth is, for most of us it takes time to get proficient at knits, especially those with a high degree of stretch. Many home sewists don’t even own a serger (or they own one and don’t know how to use it). I hasten to add, a serger is not needed to make great knitwear. The following tutorial regards making a t-shirt on a sewing machine. It needs only a zig zag function to achieve good results (a width of 0.5 – 1.0 and a length of 3.0 was used for this shirt).

One of the best tricks I know to make t-shirt sewing go easier is to stabilize the seam allowances. This means “painting” a solution on the seam allowances and allowing them to dry. This solution ensures that the knit will not roll nor be sucked into the feed dogs of the machine. It’s not a necessary step to sewing with t-shirt knits, but one that makes things a lot easier. In addition to creating an easier sewing experience, I have found the stitch formed on stabilized knits “floats” on the fabric (instead of being pulled into it). Not all knits need this treatment (a sturdy or non-stretch knit may not), but for my slim-fit t-shirt with the very stretchy, soft bamboo it made the whole process easier.

To stabilize the seams you can either purchase a water soluble spray-on stabilizer or a stabilizer by the yard. If you choose the latter, you simply dissolve a small amount in water to create a solution then “paint” the edges of your pattern pieces (shown below in a moment). In this case, I am sewing with a 1/4″ seam allowance so I stabilized about 3/8″ on each seam.

Which seams do you have to stabilize? Those that will be travelling across the feed dogs of the machines. For this pattern, this means all edges except the sleeve and shirt hems (which remain unfinished). I stabilized the short ends of the neckband as well, given as a last step in this pattern the neckband edges have to be top stitched closed in a little rectangle and I figured, “Why not?”. The neckband in general does not need to be stabilized as it is rarely against the machine (when you attach the band it will be the shirt bodice that travels across the machine surface) and it needs to stretch quite a bit to perform its function (which is to “snap back” after sewing and bring the shirt edge in to hug the neck).

Here’s a little photo-explanation of stabilizing (click each photo for more information):

After you’ve stabilized your seam allowances, you must let the pattern pieces dry. Give it overnight or, if you’re in a hurry, carefully put the pieces in front of a heat source (don’t burn your house down!). When the seams are dry, they will have a stiff edge to them. They may even be a bit waffle-y. Don’t worry about that, as on the machine they will sew up beautifully. Here is an example of the texture change resultant from the stabilizing process. It’s a bit difficult to see but it’s obvious to the touch (the green thread is the tailor’s tacks I use for pattern markings):

Now we’re all ready to sew!

In the Tee for Two pattern, the first seams sewn are those of the sleeves to the front and back bodice. I chose to do Option B. of the pattern – that is, a raw-edge, top stitched seam. This means first sewing the sleeve seams wrong sides together. The sleeve seams are curved – one generally a “convex” curve (the shirt bodice) and one generally a “concave” curve (the sleeve piece). The way you pin and sew these seams will make a difference in the ease of sewing. When pinning curves that have opposite lines (concave vs. convex), pin such that you’ll be sewing with the convex curve against the machine. To look at it another way, the curves will often look like they won’t match (don’t worry, if you cut accurately they will). Whichever seam looks like it has more fabric to be taken up during stitching, pin and place this piece against the machine. The natural action of the feed dogs will help subtly gather it (in the below photo, the brown is the sleeve, the natural-colorway the bodice. You can see the concave and convex curves):

When sewing – any time when sewing, but especially with a picky knit – hold the thread tails before you sew. This actually take a bit of practice. But if you don’t, your machine will often pull the thread tails into the machine’s throat plate. You’ll end up with a snarled-up bunch of thread and sometimes an ugly, bunchy seam. Observe the results when the thread tails were properly restrained:

After you sew each seam, you should steam press for best results. In general, it is always a good idea to “set the seam”, then press. “Setting the seam” is a technique I learned in a quilting class. It means pressing the seam just as sewn, before you turn it up and top stitch or whatever is next. Fabric is not two-dimensional but 3D – “setting the seam” helps integrate the seam into the structure of the garment (in this photo you can also see the nature of the zig zag that works well with stretchy knit sewing):

After you set the seam, go ahead and finger press it open and press with the iron again, this time in the formation you’ll want it in before proceeding. In this case, the seam allowances are pressed toward the bodice and then top stitched down for a deconstructed-look finish. Since the seams are curved, it makes sense to use a tailor’s ham (although this is rather optional):

The final touch in the raglan bodice/sleeve seams is the top stitching with the raw edge finish. I chose to do this from the inside of the shirt. This is because the stabilized portion of the pattern pieces would be travelling across the feed dogs. When I tried this from the outside of the shirt (as you typically do with top stitching) the seam process distorted the fabric and made a wonky seam, so I flipped the shirt. As long as you go slowly and make sure to gently pull the seam open, sewing from the backside of the garment lends a good result:

Since I made the “puff sleeve” version of the garment, the next steps in the pattern were to gather the raw edges of the sleeve hem into the two strips that will form the finished sleeve. This is done by a long basting stitch on the sleeve’s raw edge to gather the sleeve, then applying the two edge strips simultaneously. Again, the importance of securing the thread tails before you sew will result in a clean finish:

After attaching the sleeve strips, you press them together (hiding the raw edges of the sleeve end) and top stitch. Easy-peasy!

For a more subtle finish, you could use a matching thread instead of the contrast I have done here.

The side seam is one of the last remaining aspects to shirt construction. I elected to do a typical finish – that is stitch it right-sides together, then finish the inside seam allowances for sturdiness. One nice thing with a knit is you usually only have to pin at the top and bottom of a seam. Go slowly and stretch to fit and you’ll have lovely results. I sewed at a 1/2″ seam allowance (instead of the pattern’s 1/4″), because I knew my skinny-minnie daughter would fit just fine, and I wanted to trim the seam down to a clean edge before finishing the seams:

After trimming, and then stitching along the seam allowances:

The neckline is probably the trickiest part of this particular pattern, but it is an ingenious little treatment that not only looks fabulous but is a lot less trouble than most self-finished necklines. Two strips are sewn, one at a time, first to the outside of the garment than the inside. Both strips are simply overlapped at each short end. The outside strip is sewn at a slightly wider seam allowance. Thus when you press up both strips the seam line will cover itself. The only thing that remains is to sew a tiny rectangle, anchoring the overlapped ends of the neckband at the back-left shoulder.

So first, pinning:

I always imagine the Beginner stitcher is alarmed at this point. The neckband of shirts is always so much smaller than the shirt opening! But, that’s the point. This strip, cut against the knit grain, will pull the shirt neckline in to lie flat on the body. Again, you sew with the strip facing up and the shirt neckline against the machine. Carefully pin at a few places and stretch and the whole thing comes together like a dream.

Although the pattern doesn’t have this extra step, after attaching each neckline strip I prefer to trim the seam at 3/16″ from the innermost seam, then press up and top stitch:

Here’s the best trick I know regarding top stitching: go slow! Very few of us make “perfect” top stitching but the slower you go, and the more you practice, the better things will look.

Finally, stitch the little rectangle at the back-left shoulder seam where the strips overlapped. The best thing about this little square is it will look different every time. It’s like a signature:

Finally, either wash by hand or throw in the washing machine and dryer to rid the fabric of the crunchy stabilizer. Then present your client with their new shirt! After the cutting and stabilizing aspects of construction (which I typically do the night before and take about a half hour), the shirt takes less time to sew than it took me to write out this tutorial. It’s a quick and lovely creation.

Thanks again Kelly!

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Sewing!

ps.  visit again on Monday for a little Liberty giveaway.

photo source: style.com

If you are like me, there are 6 seasons in a year. And right now, it’s fashion week season! I have been following along and even though NY Fashion week hasn’t even wrapped up, it’s pretty obvious that fur will carry through to next season! Faux fur – pretty please!

It feels so validating as we launched our Lux Vest pattern in late December. We truly think every little girl should have one! One yard of the fuzzy goodness will yield two of those adorable vests. For our photoshoot I made two identical vests for our two models. They are really good friends (so are their moms) and whenever they show up in their partner gear, people literally stop us to ask where they got the vests!

It’s a super quick sew and the best part is to see people’s jaws drop when you tell them that it’s handmade! Yay!

Just browsing the web a bit I found these other options for kids:

collage: Babycenter

Babycenter put this trend alert-fur-vests on their blog.

photo: Pink Chicken

Or this cute little combo here by Pink Chicken…

…which reminds me so of this funky vest Regina made from our pattern!

crew cuts fur vest

How adorable is the crew cuts vest with a satin ribbon around the waist?

Threads Magazine has a sewing school article about how to put together the fantasy fur jacket.

We also found some great online resources that stock a wonderful array of faux fur for this fuzzy pleasure:

- Fabric Depot stocks the fur I used.
- Fabric.com has some great long pile as well as short hair fur.
- Fabric Empire is running a sale on furs right now.
- I’m stuffed fur has some really great ones too!

Now, get your vacuum out (trust us, you’ll need it!), get ahead of the curve and sew one (or make that two!). We’d love to see the results on our flickr group!

I have a very opinionated little girl.

Over the last years I have learned that with kids everything is a phase. Right now, my daughter is going through an intense phase of not wearing anything but dresses. Pink dresses I might add. I surrendered – getting her into separates is a fight not worth fighting.

I love the Ayashe blouse and how quickly it goes together. How lovely would it be as a tunic or dress? Have you wondered the same? Here a little tutorial on how to lengthen the style.

Here is what I used:

1. Swedish Tracing Paper – I love that stuff and it literally revolutionized my sewing – I am not kidding. It doesn’t tear like regular paper or tracing paper, will cling to the fabric, so there is no need to pin the pattern to the fabric AND it totally eliminates the need to carefully cut the pattern pieces prior to cutting into the fabric! Besides that it folds/stores well and can be ironed. A total time saver and therefore a win in my book!

2. Vary Form Rulers – a set of curved rulers that helps strike beautiful curves and is indispensable for paper pattern making. Easier on the budget though is this styling ruler that’s kind of all-in-one if you are just starting out to make pattern adjustments.

3. C-Thru Ruler – a straight ruler that is a little easier to handle then a quilting ruler. Yet the later would work the same and if you go with the aforementioned styling ruler, you’ll be set anyways.

4. Pencil

5. Measuring tape (not shown – it hung around my neck while I took the picture )

6. The Ayashe pattern, of course.

The pattern weights are optional and I only used them to accurately trace the blouse pattern from the pattern sheet.

Now let’s get to it: Lengthening the main body parts of the Ayashe blouse.

Can you see my traced blouse pattern piece lying underneath my tracing paper? If you want to start out with the tunic length right away, make sure to start tracing you pattern towards the top edge of your tracing paper to leave enough space to lengthen the hem, at least 9″ though.

First, elongate the Center Front (CF – that’s the straight line, not the curved one) in a straight line.

Measure 6″ (for size 2/3 and 4/5) down along the extended CF line, and mark with with the pencil.

Here what we recommend per size for a dress ending above the knee:
5″ (18mos)
6″ (2/3 and 4/5)
7″ (6/7) and
7.5″ (8/9).

Generally, if you want the outcome to be longer, add a bit more as it is so much easier to shorten, then to lengthen a garment.

At the marking, draw a line in a right angle towards the side seam. It’s important that this line is at a right angle – otherwise you’ll end up with a funky point or dip in your garment.

Now on to the side seam. With your Vari-form or Styling ruler, find a curve you feel will elongate the existing curve nicely. Cut the little corner like shown above to create a nice line. Don’t worry too much, there is no single ‘right’ curve here. Yet, be careful as to let the curve swing out too much as it will be harder to hem a very dramatic shape at the end.

Now, measure along the new side seam beginning with the original hem, the same length you measured along the CF and mark on that line. In my case, it’s again 6″.

Then strike a short line in a right angle towards the CF and let it cross the straight hem line.  Again, drawing a right angle at the side seam will ensure your side seams will sew together without a weird angle poking out or dipping in.

Use your Vary-Form or French Curve and find a smooth curve connecting the new hem line with the right-angle-line we just drew.

Your new hem line is almost finished! Final steps is to measure 1″ and 3/4″ up from the new hem line. Mark both.

Lay your ruler parallel to the CF, intersecting the 1″ mark – as shown above,  and transfer the 3/4″ mark down to the new hem line.

Join this with the 1″ marking. This little angle will help eliminate excess fabric when you hem the dress.
Repeat the same steps with the back piece of the Ayashe and….

TADA!
Your new dress pattern is finished!
Well done!

Curious to see how mine turned out? Here’s the final outcome of my pattern adjustment.
A happy camper in a pink floral dress made out of Liberty Art fabric.

Need any tips beyond the instruction booklet on how to put your dress together? Don’t forget about Shelly’s three part sew along Ayashe post here, here and here! Also did you see Jen’s gorgeous hand embroidery for Valentine here? Now, we can’t wait to see how your Ayashe turned out? Please share on our flickr group.

On a side note: Do you love Liberty Fabrics as much as we do? We are preparing a little surprise give away on this blog – so come back again soon!

]]> http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/02/ayashe-how-to-lengthen-the-blouse-to-a-tunic-or-dress-length/feed/ 6 http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/02/just-in-time-for-valentines-day/ http://figgyspatterns.com/2012/02/just-in-time-for-valentines-day/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:31:17 +0000 Shelly Figueroa http://figgyspatterns.com/?p=861

Today we have a special guest, a dear friend and very talented sewist Jen Carlton Bailly!  Jen had stitched up some cuteness during the sew along and we are so pleased she’s is sharing with all of us!  I won’t keep you waiting…..

From Jen:

It’s not a secret that I love sewing patterns from Figgy’s.  They are simple, clean, modern and easy.  The Ayashe was no exception. When I read this, “You love your little one and one way you express your love is by hand tailoring a beautiful wardrobe especially for her”, from the front of the Ayashe Pattern I was so inspired to make something beautiful for my daughter. Amelia has so many prints in her closet, so I thought using simple red linen that I had stashed away for something special would be perfect.

While sewing I was reminded of a little shop in Seattle that used to sell clothes from Europe. All of the hand stitching was so beautiful.  Then it came to me, I’ll add a little hand stitching to the front of this to give it a little pop, and it would be perfect for Valentines Day! Below are instructions for how you can do this to your blouse too!

Supplies:

Embroidery floss- I used three strands of white DMC

Hand sewing needle

Water Soluble pen

Ruler

Step One:

Using a ruler and a water-soluble marking pen, make a straight line up the front of your blouse and in between the stitch lines. Carry the line gently to form the heart. I just free handed.

Step Two:

Thread your needle, and tie a knot.  Starting about ½ inch from the start of your line, insert your needle in between the layers of the front and the back of the blouse. Pull your floss all the way through and gently tug on it to pop the knot in-between the layers of fabric.

Step Three:

Using a small running stitch (Pass the needle in and out of the fabric, making the surface stitches of equal length) follow the line that you marked. My stitching was about a ¼ inch.

Continue into the heart. At your last stitch tie a knot and pull it through the fabric the same way you began. 

Step Four:

Repeat on other side.  Spritz marks with water.

Give to a little one you love.

Thank you so much Jen, and thank you A for being so cute!

I hope you are all inspired to add special touches to your Ayashe blouse as I am.

  Remember to add your photos to our flickr group or facebook page!

Welcome to the last day of the Ayashe blouse sew along.  It went too fast, that just shows us, that even with all of the wonderful details in this blouse, it is a simple pattern but still tastefully contemporary.

Today we will set in the sleeves and finish the hem.

SLEEVES

I accidentally forgot to take photos of how I hemmed the sleeves.  I got excited, and moved on to the next step.  I am making the 18mo size and I found that turning the raw edge of the sleeve hem 1/8″ twice was sufficient and left room for the sleeve to attach to the body.  There is still room if you choose to turn the hem 1/4″ twice, but I wanted extra room to set in the sleeves.

I also hemmed the sleeves before I set them.  The reason why is because I find it easier to do this first rather than last for toddler size patterns.  The reason why most don’t instruct sewists to do this is if you look at the photos above you’ll see that I hemmed and pressed my seam open, but it won’t stay flat permanently. To fix this I tacked the seam allowance.  It won’t show and it fixes the issue.

See.

To set in the sleeve you will first turn the garment wrong side out.  Insert the sleeves right side facing the right side of the blouse.  Align the markings and underarm seam with the side seam and pin.  You’ll see that it fits perfectly, ahhh.

The trick to setting a sleeve in little sizes is not trying to wrap the sleeve around the machine bar but place the presser foot into the sleeve itself.  As you can see above I am sewing on the wrong side of the sleeve inside the sleeve cap.  The machine will take me full circle without any drama.

Pink and press.

BOTTOM HEM

I chose the elastic hem because Ofelia is still young enough to pull the drawstring out of the casing over and over again just for fun.  My sister would have to re thread it over and over again, not for fun.  Also, I am an awesome sister by thinking of her.

First, turn the bottom hem 1/4″ and press.  Turn again 1″, press and pin.  Leave a 1″ opening to feed the elastic through the casing.  I left my opening at the side seam where stitches will be less obvious.  I am without a bodkin so I used a safety pin to thread the elastic through the casing.  Make sure not to twist the elastic and don’t let the tail get swallowed or you’ll have to re thread.  Overlap the ends of the elastic and stitch together.  Sew the opening closed.

How much elastic should you use?  Good question.  My neice’s waist is 20″ so I cut 15″ of elastic that has a good amount of stretch.  It stretched to 30″.  I would go by your child’s waist measurement and deduct the amount necessary for the amount of elasticity the elastic has.

For the Draw String method:

On the wrong sides of the shirt hem fuse a 3″ piece of interfacing to the blouse on the center bottom front hem.  Sew buttonholes 1/4″ to the left and right of  the center front. Refer to day 2 on how to prepare the bias tape.  Once you’ve press the tape in half, stitch down both edges.  Knot the ends of the tape.  Feed the tape/string into one buttonhole, around the hem line and out the other.

All Done!  Nice work.

Want to see mine?

Back Detail.  My wooden hangers are curved which is causing the back to look a bit “hump back”.  I need to purchase some flat hangers.

I don’t know about you but I LOVE IT!

I hope you find this sew along to be helpful as you sew your adorable blouse.    Please come back again tomorrow because we have a very special guest hosting a tutorial on how  to make the perfect Ayashe blouse just in time for Valentines Day!

Happy Sewing!

Welcome back to Day 2!

It is nice and bright this morning in Portland and perfect for sew along photos.

We left off yesterday with all of the pattern pieces cut, the upper collar interfaced and we gathered the front shoulders and back panel.  I think we’re ready, let’s sew!

For a larger view please click on the photo.

Front Seam

Before sewing the center front seam it is best to measure the 1 1/4″ seam allowance rather than hope for the best.  This will ensure a nice straight line.

Sew the center front seam from the bottom hem up.  Once you reach the slit marking do a back stitch and then adjust the stitch lenth to the longest length.

Press the seam open and fold the raw edge 1/4″ under on both sides of the seam. The Ezy-Hem helper is a great way to measure this long seam so it will be nice and even.  Press flat once more.

Top stitch along both folded edges.  Top stitch again centered between the seam alowance and the stitch line.  Now you may notice I am not perfectly centered between the two.  Why?  Honestly?  I was being lazy.  I decided that if I aligned the presser foot with the center line it would give me a nice straight line all the way down.  You should measure between the two lines, chalk and topstitch.

Shoulder Panels

Align the markings, distribute the gathers evenly and pin.  Sew the seam.

Remove the gathers.  I like to press the seam up on the wrong side and then press again on the right side for a nice clean pressed look.

Repeat with the front shoulder panels.

The shoulder panels are now sewn, pressed and ready for the facing.  Using a seam gauge fold the seam allowances 1/2″ towards the wrong side and press.  As you may already know I have an obsession with “Wondertape”.  Karen and I used to buy it by the box.   I use it for so many things.  In this case, I’m using it to hold the shoulder panel facing in place on the wrong side when I top stitch on the right side.

If you don’t know what “Wondertape” is (for some reason whenever I say the word I want to shout it out like Oprah when she would shout out the name of her guest.) then I’ll quickly tell you.  It is wash away double sided tape.  Place the tape on top of the seam allowance, then place the shoulder panel facing on top of the seam allowance.  Other options are to baste the panel in place or use pins.  On the right side of the garment top stitch in the seam (stitch in the ditch) or next to the seam.  I aligned my 1/8″ marker on the presser foot along the seam and top stitched.  Remove any baste stitches if used.

Repeat on the back.

Collar Time

Begin by stay-stitching the neck opening.

We have two collar options: Mandarin Collar or Tie String.  I’m going to take you through both.

MANDARIN COLLAR

Press the bottom raw edge of the outer collar (upper) 3/8″ towards the wrong side.  Align the raw edges of the inner and outer collar and stitch along the short and long edges.  Trim the seam allowance to 1/4″ and clip along the curve. This will help reduce bulk and give you a nice smooth finish.

Align the collar raw edges with the neck opening and markings.  Pin and stitch.  Trim the seam allowance to 1/4″.  Turn the collar towards the wrong side of the garment and smooth the edges.  I used a dull pencil to do this but you can use a turning tool or a knitting needle, just don’t use anything pointy and sharp.

Once again, I found another use for my “wondertape” (no they don’t pay us to advertise, but they should).  Included in each pattern you purchase is a lovely woven label.  These labels will give the garment that professional touch and they can also serve as hooks to hang the garment (like the Nituna Jacket).  I placed the tape along the seam and then placed the label on top.  Sandwich the Figgy’s label between the blouse and the collar and be sure the seam allowance is tucked inside.

Pin and top stitch. Done, unless your hosting a sew along and you need to show the alternative collar option.  A little seam ripping and then we’ll be ready.

TIE STRING COLLAR

Yesterday I shared a wonderful “how to” link for making bias tape and if you read it you’ll notice in my photo I cheated a little today.  For good reason though!  I love selvedge on Japanese fabric.  Some of them are really unique and I really wanted to use this for the tie string, so I did.  Press the bias tape in 1/2.  Fold both sides in toward the center crease and press.  I also folded and pressed mine once more to ensure a nice clean crease.

Turn the garment wrong side out, open the bias tape and align the right side of the bias tape raw edge and the wrong side of the blouse. Leave an equal amount of tie string hanging off each end of the neck slit.  Pin and stitch.  Use the same method as the mandarin collar mentioned above to attach the label.

Fold the tape in half wrong sides together, press and top stitch from one end to the other.  Tie each tie string end in a small decorative knot.

The last thing I did was sew a little bar tack at the bottom of the neck slit.  I did this for extra security. A backstitch should suffice but I wanted just a little more security for the times when Ofelia wants to pull her blouse on herself toddler style.

Look, it’s almost a shirt!

It’s beginning to rain now which is perfect timing because day two is complete.  Well Done!

See you tomorrow to finish our Ayashe blouse!

Happy Sewing!

ps.  Did you happen to catch Daniela’s comment yesterday?  She’s got something gorgeous to show us very soon and you will see she gave us a small piece of her design wisdom.

Welcome to the first day of the sew along!  If you are just now joining us please feel free to jump in at any time!  Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something new by just reading along?  Today we are just going to cut and prepare our work for tomorrow’s sewing, but first if you don’t mind, I’d like to start by answering one frequently asked question.

Why is the pattern printed on both sides?

1. We print our patterns on both sides using recycled newsprint to save paper waste. Less paper also means lighter shipping which means less shipping cost for you!  You can trace the pattern using tracing paper, freezer paper or any paper that is translucent.

2. Tracing the pattern allows you to use the pattern over and over again as your daughters or granddaughters grow, and they do grow fast. If you were to cut the pattern you would only get one size out of the pattern and that’s not good for anyone.

3.  Personal preference.  Tissue paper patterns tend to rip easily and the print fades with time.

I hope this answers your question, but if you have more, please feel free to email us.

Let’s get started!

For a larger view please click on the photos.

The very first thing you should do before anything else (if possible) is measure your child.  Every designer and label has their own unique sizing, which means your daughter may measure to be a Figgy’s size 3, but for another pattern she may be a 2.  You’ll find the sizing chart on the back of the pattern cover.

When preparing this sew along I noticed a tiny typo in the sizing chart.  The Chest measurement for size 2/3 should read 21 – 21.5.  We apologize for any confusion.

For this blouse you’ll want to take a chest and waist measurement.  If you have decided to make the long sleeve version, I would also measure from the shoulder to the wrist.  What happens if your daughter is between sizes?  I always recommend going bigger before going smaller, because tomorrow they’ll probably awake .5″ taller, and of course their bellies grow after every meal.

Fabric.

  Gosh, I love it!  For this blouse I chose to use a Japanese Lawn cloth by Yuwa because it’s one of my favorite fabrics to work with. It will drape well and the fabric hand is perfect for my niece’s sensitive skin.

Tracing the pattern.

 A little lesson I learned from Sarai & Caitlin at Colette patterns is using colored pencils to trace.   They really are perfect for the job.  I use one color to trace the outer main pattern piece and another color for my markings.

 So here we have traced all the pieces we need for our Ayashe of choice.  As you can see I’ve decided to make the Ayashe with the Mandarin Collar and short sleeves.  I am still undecided as to whether or not I’d like the drawstring or elastic at the hem.  If you have already chosen to use the bias tape draw string you will need to cut bias tape from the fabric 1.5″ x 35″.   If you have chosen the bias tape tie string collar option you will need to also cut bias tape from the fabric that is 1.5″ x 30″.  Sarai also has one of the best bias tape tutorials I’ve seen so if you need a little help with the process please visit HERE.

 You can use weights or pins to keep the pattern from shifting.  Normally,  I would use weights and my rotary cutter, but the blade broke and I had to use pins and scissors. The reason why I suggest the rotary cutter is with this lightweight of a fabric the pattern pieces can slip easily and the scissors may leave chomp like markings.

Before I begin cutting I like to snip out the triangles on the paper.  It is important the you never snip in towards the seam allowance when cutting out the fabric pattern pieces.  You don’t want to accidently snip in too far.

Prepare the details.

Interface one of the collar pieces, this will become the Upper collar.  Remember, the “bumpy” side of the interfacing faces the wrong side of the fabric.  I use the fabric pattern piece I cut and not the paper piece, because I feel it gives a more accurate cut.

All cut and interfaced.  I’m ready to go!

 Notice I put my pattern pieces in a zip lock bag?

This is a great way to store your patterns.  Just remember to label the bag then file it away.

Last step, gathers.

Sew two rows of *gathering stitches between the notches on both the back and the front pieces.

To create *gathering stitches you simply increase the stitch length to the longest length.

*To gather simply pull both bobbin threads and slide the fabric towards the opposite direction.

That’s it for today!

See you tomorrow when we will stitch up the front and attach the shoulder panels and collar!  Happy Sewing!

I love a fun sew along.  My two favorite parts:  all the visual details of the sewing process and the gorgeous results from the sewists.  We decided that the “Ayashe” blouse will be the highlight of our first sew along because of all the little details it has to offer.  We’ll take you through learning how to gather, attach facings, adding elastic or a draw string to the hem and attaching a mandarin color.

Need a little inspiration?  Have a look at these two adorable Ayashe Blouses that popped up in the flickr group this last week created by Hemoglobin Hummingbird and Daisy Girl.

Just a touch of Liberty, perfect!

Just Lovely!

Using Tula Pink, Prince Charming was a terrific fabric choice and her daughter couldn’t be any cuter!

The sew along will begin on Wednesday, February 8th.  Don’t worry if you haven’t purchased the pattern yet, you still have time!  Order by Saturday the 4th and I’ll post the pattern priority mail.  Visit the Ayashe page for the supplies you’ll need to purchase this weekend to get started.

Daniela has created two adorable buttons for you to choose from.   Feel free to copy and paste this code onto your blog.  Email us at info@figgyspatterns.com to let us know you’re sewing along and we’ll be sure to link your blog at the end of the sew along.

Happy Sewing!

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I made this little heart last year for Franco.  I put it in his lunch box the day before Valentines day so it would be a surprise.  I loved it so much I made 25 just like it for his classmates!  It was a lot of fun and I received many emails from mothers saying how nice it was for their child to receive a handmade heart instead of the typical buy and toss kind.  Some of you may remember this from last year but the original post is lost and not yet found so I thought I’d share once more. Happy Stitching!

Supplies:

Download the Hearts template HERE!

2 – 7 x 7 felt squares

1 – 5 x 5 felt square

Red Carpet/Button Thread

Beige Carpet/Button Thread

Hand Sewing Needle

Pin and cut 2 out of the Main felt and 1 out of the Contrast felt.

Center the white heart onto one of the red hearts and pin or use a double sided tape to hold in place.  Using a running stitch, sew the heart in place.  Begin sewing down first so the knot shows.

Next up is learning how to do sew a Blanket Stitch.  I prefer visuals when learning something new so I hope this helps.  Grab a piece of scrap felt and practice first.

Thread the needle and knot one end.  Sew from behind to the front.

Loop around and sew into the first hole.

Don’t pull it tight but leave a loop.   Sew into the loop then pull tight (not too tight).

Repeat roughly 1/4″ away from the first stitch.

Ready?

Place the two red hearts on top of one another.  When you first begin, only sew along the top layer beginning about 1/2″ from the center along the right and ending 1/2″ from the center along the left.  This will leave an opening to place the love note.

Now begin to sew through both layers.

Stitch around the heart until you reach 1/2″ from the center top and then only sew along the back of the heart.

Write a cute letter to your Valentine, roll it up and slide it into the opening of the heart envelope!

 Tada!

Happy Sewing!  Figgy’s Hearts YOU!

This story begins with 1 yard of fabric, passed on to me by Susan, with a task attached: Create something really beautiful – anything you like – and once finished, it’ll be showcased at a particular store and I would have to teach a class on the item – then, the finished product would be mine.
It was a beautiful fabric.
And I knew exactly what I would want it to become.

At the same time, a warm and sunny September day, Shelly and I were meeting for lunch. I showed her the the fabric and told her what I’d like to make from it. Her eyes lit up and she responded … what if …
Then we put our heads together and started planning. It was a long lunch break and I don’t know if either of us ever expensed it (tax time people – get ready!) but the outcome was a new pattern company and this:

Nituna in the Ochoco fabric I was given,
with brown suede tape and binding details.

and then this:

Nituna reversible Jacket

The Nituna reversible jacket pattern was actually the first jacket pattern in the new Figgy’s line. I love the simplicity of the design and the versatility of the pattern. And how it can showcase double faced fabrics beautifully without strange bits and bobs that you have to live with when making a reversible style. And made up in any of the many beautiful Pendleton fabrics – you’ll create a truly show-stopping piece.

“Wait a minute!” you might say “all of this sounds super nice but where I live, I can’t even get my hands on any Pendleton fabrics”

No need to be discouraged – Pendleton has a huge store here in Portland and the staff is very nice and extremely helpful. They post most of their fabrics including (sales) on their blog – and if you have laid eyes on a specific fabric, just call them toll free 866.865.9285  and they’ll ship out to you. All the ingredients for the jacket above can be purchased at their store and they also carry the Nituna pattern.

Didn’t I mention that the pattern is very versatile?
This version here  is made up in Loden (node to my Bavarian upbringing) with a graphic quilting cotton as lining:

And this guy here is out of a thick double face polar fleece with a Sherpa like side (inside) and a flat micro fleece side (outside). I left the patch pockets unfinished with the raw edges showing which just underlines the rugged appeal of the fabric. I omitted the buttons at the front which makes for a nice, flattering drape effect.

Last but not least: The class I talked about earlier.
Portlanders and all sewistas in the vicinity: I’ll be teaching a class on the Nituan patten at the Pendleton Wollen Mills Store end of January. The price of the class includes fabric, all trims, a label and the pattern. It’s rated an advanced class as handling blanket weight fabric requires somewhat experienced hands. It’s a two session class so there will be homework in between classes. The official list is not up yet. But like us on Facebook and stay up to date once the listing is up to secure your spot. All you need to bring is yourself and your trusty sewing machine. Everything else is provided. Here the details to pencil in:

1/28 & 2/4
10am – 12pm

Pendleton Woolen Mills Store
8500 SE McLoughlin Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97222
503.535.5786
866.865.9285 toll free

Hope to see you all and
Cheers to 2012!!!

We can’t believe 2011 is almost over and what a year!

 Will you be hosting a big party to celebrate the coming year or staying in to watch the ball drop?  Do you need the perfect addition for your little ones outfit to celebrate?  Well, we have something special for you!   As we quickly approach this new year we are very excited to introduce our first Figgy’s e-pattern: The “Lux Vest”- priced at $8, available exclusively through our website! But because giving is better then receiving – especially for all our Figgy’s friends – we’ll include the e-pattern FREE of charge with the purchase of any pattern placed on the site now through January 1, 2012! Simply use the coupon code LUX2011 at checkout for sewing fabulousness.

The Lux Vest is rated a beginner project and comes with Ohhh! and Ahhh! guarantee.  It is a quick and easy sew with tips and tricks about how to sew with faux fur and can be completed in just a couple of hours with enough time to spare to make another Sunki, Ayashe or even Nituna!  Size range 18mo – 8/9yrs

We hope you have a fun & safe night out on New Years Eve, or if you’re like me, a cozy and quiet time  with my boys (what could be better?).