Sew Country Chick: fashion sewing and DIY

Sewing the Trends: Shannon From Little Kids Grow

2013-06-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today's special guest is Shannon from Little Kids Grow. Shannon is a mom of six who makes some very great looking outfits for her kids and herself as you can see! You may recognize her work from Project Run & Play, where she was a contestant. Shannon also has a line of patterns coming out very soon for bigger girls. How does she do it? Here are a few of her projects:

Boys jumpsuit, Ladder skirt tutorial , Pillowcase Halter Tutorial,

Shannon's outfit today was inspired by the trend of Mixing Patterns.

Stop by her blog to get the scoop and to say hi!

"Hi everyone. It's Shannon from LittleKidsGrow. I was really excited about Justine's series because it gave me another "excuse" to sew something for myself. I mostly sew for my kids, but this year I made a promise to myself that I'd start sewing more things for me.

I'll be honest with you. I had no clue what was trendy this summer.I'm pretty sure I could tell you what the little ones are wearing this year, but I was really behind on current trends for women. I absolutely loved researching what was "in" this year. Most of the things that I like to sew for myself are little bit side of center. My style choices have definitely calmed down as I've gotten older, but I still love the element of surprise. Maybe it's a skirt in a really unique texture, or a maxi dress with a hand painted design on the side. Whatever I make, I'm going to try to figure out some way to infuse a little bit of my personality into the the final piece. I'm kind of on the artsy side, so maybe that's where I get my sense of style.

My favorite trend for this summer is mixing patterns. I drafted a hi-lo top with an open mandarin collar and a pair of shorts with box pleats. I probably haven't worn shorts in 10 years, so I'm really excited about the look. You can see more pics of my new outfit on my site.

Thank you for having me, Justine."

And thank you Shannon, for participating. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your outfits you make for yourself! Because Lord knows moms deserve some hand made fashion too! Cheers!

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!

Sewing The Trends: Marie from A Stitching Odyssey

2013-06-18T06:01:00.001-07:00

Today's guest is the lovely Marie from A Stitching Odyssey!

I was so happy that Marie agreed to try the Sewing The Trends Challenge! I have been reading her blog since 2011, and have always enjoyed her pretty and feminine projects. Not to mention she is just so sweet! Plus, I love to get her English perspective on all things sewing.

below are a few of her lovely projects from her blog I'd like to share with you.

Hazedale dress, Refashioned top, Elisalex dress

Let's hear a little from Miss Marie herself!

"I learned to sew just over three years ago and haven't looked back since. What I love most about it is that sewing provides an escape from my 9-5 day job and allows me to be creative in ways I didn't even know I could be. And I get to create a unique wardrobe for myself at the same time! I particularly enjoy sewing cute blouses and dresses and I'm very much drawn to vintage styles - I have a soft spot for sewing patterns from the late 1930s to the early 1960s. My blog goes hand-in-hand with my sewing. I started it as a way of documenting my projects and progress, but it's much more than that now. I like to think that I'm giving something back to the online sewing community through it, by sharing my honest experiences and handy tips."

For today's challenge Marie decided to interpret the Metallic Trend.

Here is a little preview of what she made.
Lovely, isn't it?

Stop by her blog to get the full story, more pictures, and to say hi!

If you would like to check out some fashion trends yourself we have put together a Pinterest board you can visit.

Thanks for stopping by!

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!

Sewing The Trends Series : Bethany from Lil Bit & Nan

2013-06-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Day 1 of the Sewing The trends Summer 2013 series!

Today's guest is Bethany from the blog Lil Bit & Nan. I've been following Bethany for probably about two years now, since I discovered her at The Sew Weekly back when I was participating in the weekly sewing challenges. Did anyone else do that? It was such fun!

Anyway, Bethany is seriously talented, not to mention cute as a button!

Here are a few of her fab creations I pulled from her blog to share with you...

Settle Down Jumpsuit

Olympic Fever Dress

Vintage Polka Dot Shorts

Isn't she great?

I actually got to meet her two weeks ago at Jessica's Girls' Night Out event during Fabric weekend recently....

Here is a little something from Bethany herself, and then we will get to her outfit for today!

"Hi! I'm Bethany. I'm a bubbly lil' gal with a husband and a little girl. I live in So Cal, and I am an aspiring designer. I love to sew for myself and my daughter. I also have clients I design and sew custom clothes for. I have a love affair with vintage style and find it inspires most of my designs. I started my blog as a progressing journal and in hopes to show other women they can sew for themselves too. Self reliance is an important thing to learn, especially for women. Check out what I've made and hopefully you will find it inspiring as well. "

Thanks Bethany!

Bethany's outfit today is inspired by summer's Tropical fashion trend

A tropical print romper with a peplum! How cute is that?

I love how she stayed true to her vintage style yet made something very current and fashion forward at the same time.

Stop by Bethany's blog to get the scoop on how she made it and to see more photos.

To find your own inspiration check out our group Pinterest board.

Thanks for stopping byF!

Sew & Tell Saturday 6/15

2013-06-14T22:21:00.003-07:00

Welcome to Sew & Tell Saturday!

Where you can post your sewing projects and check out the projects of others.

I've been working on a chambray shirt from the Colette Negroni pattern for my husband for Father's Day. It's the first thing I have sewn for him besides a peacoat I started this winter but never finished.

I hope he likes it!

Now let's see a few featured projects from last week, shall we?

Brocade skirt by the amazingly talented Haylee at Threaded.

By hand London Blazer by Rachel from House of Pinheiro

Appliqued bike skirt by Hamilton Chicklets

If you haven't read my post from yesterday, I want to invite you back starting Monday for my Sewing The Trends blog series. I have ten talented bloggers sewing up their versions of today's fashion trends.

It should be very interesting!

Click here to see more.

Announcing Sewing The Trends: A Blog Series

2013-06-14T08:59:00.002-07:00

There's no doubt I love fashion. But I don't really love spending lots of money on it. Since reading the book Overdressed, which should be required reading for anyone who is thinking about why they should sew their own clothes, I've become more determined than ever to cut down on my fashion chain store purchases.

Of course with 3 daughters at home, two of whom are quite fashion conscious themselves, I often have no choice to shop these places, as I can't possibly make everything for everyone, and I don't have an unlimited budget for fashion. But we still love it.

I'm really making an effort to make myself more clothes that are both more practical and stylish at the same time. I was spending a lot of time making things like vintage style dresses from tablecloths, which ended up sitting in my closet, while I grabbed some of my simpler, more modern fashions I had sewn like knit dresses and dolman tops, to wear on a daily basis. While I still love making fancy dresses I just don't really need a WHOLE closet full of them!

I thought it would be fun to invite some other bloggers to join me in giving themselves a challenge:

Sew something for themselves that is based on the current season's fashion trends.

Sure, we can go out and buy it because fashion is now cheaper than ever, but wouldn't it be more satisfying to recreate today's fashionable looks on our own?

It feels pretty awesome when you make something for yourself and the salesgirl at a boutique goes crazy over it, saying they have something a little bit similar on the floor, but yours is SO MUCH better, especially because you made it!

I hope you stop by starting Monday June 17 until Friday June 28 to see what my fabulous guest posters have come up with!

Here is the talented lineup of bloggers who are participating for the Summer 2013 edition of Sewing The Trends:

I am so excited to have them as guests!

Mon. June 17 Bethany from Lil' Bit & Nan
Tues. Jun 18 Marie from A Stitching Odyssey
Wed, June 19 Shannon from Little Kids Grow
Thurs. June 20 Melissa from I Still Love You
Fri. June 21 Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings
Mon.June 24 Abby from Sew Much Ado
Tues. June 25 Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts!
Wed. June 26 Mercedes from Aventuras de Costuras
Thurs. June 27 Mie from Sewing Like Mad
Fri. June 28 Alida from Alida Makes

Fabric Weekend Wrap Up and Group Giveaway !

2013-06-11T08:27:00.001-07:00

Giveaway prizes, rules & entry:

One GRAND PRIZE winner!

Brother 1034D serger! (donated by GoToPatterns.com)

Four lucky winners will receive $150 in prizes!

$50 to GoToPatterns.com

$50 to LowPriceFabric.co m

$50 for a class at Craftsy.com

Contest Rules:
Giveaway open internationally to contestants 18 years or older. Contestants must enter their email address to be added to the LowPriceFabric.com and GoToPatterns.com email newsletters to win. All prizes are awarded in the form of gift certificates. Winners responsible for paying shipping. Gift certificate value of serger is $210. Contest open from June 11, 2013 through June 20, 2013 EST. Winners will be notified within 24 hours of winning. Winners have 48 hours to claim their reward. New winners will be chosen if prizes are unclaimed. Winners will be emailed their rewards within 7 days of claiming their prize.

ONE ENTRY per person. This contest is being held on multiple blogs. Please enter only once. You will be counted only once.
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My Fabric Weekend Day One

So last weekend I drove down to my old neighborhood to spend the weekend shopping for fabric, didning, and getting to know about 20 sewing bloggers. We all stayed at The Omni Hotel, which was pretty darn swank, with berry and melon infused ice water in the lobby. Swoon.
It was fun to pretend to be a tourist with my new friends and we had so much fun. Seriously.
I was a little nervous as I had arranged most of the eating spots and a tour at FIDM. I was hoping everything would go smoothly.
We had a little meet & great out on the Courtyard of FIDM. Bev and Andrea had made some cute little name tags for us to wear and we introduced ourselves, our blogs, and showed off whatever handmade garments we had worn that way. Show & tell for bloggers!

Here is a funny picture of some of us at FIDM Instagramming away. So funny! yes, we really are glued to our smartphones. But we did plenty of socializing too.

Jen from i candy handmade, Bev from Flamingo Toes, Melissa from I Still Love You, Miriam from Mad Mim, and Leanne from Elle Apparel.

Photo courtesy of Jess from the Sewing rabbitt

Bev, Jess from Me Sew Crazy, and Andrea of Train To Crazy.

These ladies are the best! I was so glad to meet them after knowing them online for a long time. It's a funny feeling meeting someone whose blog you've read a long time. You feel like you know them already.

After our FIDM tour, we were met by Larry, the owner of Micheal Levine Fabrics known online as LowPriceFabrics.com, and Regina, who is in charge of the website and online presence. These two were so nice, welcoming, and generous ! You can tell that although it's a huge store with a fashion fabric shop, a home decor shop across the street, and a by the pound shop upstairs, that it's a family run business and the care they take towards it's operation really shows. They gave us a personal tour of their vast fabric warehouses, a nice lunch and some goody bags and were on hand to answer all of our questions while we shopped. I could get used to that treatment!
I was able to spend hours in the shop talking with new friends and checking out everyone's fabric choices. I usually have kids with me when I go down here and NEVER get to just 'hang out.' What fabric did I buy? Lots! I did get another couple yards of some beautiful Liberty fabric with a Peacock print. I'm hooked on Liberty now.

Larry describing his world wide shopping expeditions.WHAT A GREAT JOB. Traveling the world finding amazing fabrics to sell? Sign me up.

Regina from Micheal Levine fabrics and their Lowpricefabrics.com website.. The hostess with the mostest.

Gift bags and goodies galore! What a fun day!

Time to shop!

Photo by Marigold of the Hideous Dreadful Stinky blog.

We spent the rest of the day shopping the garment district and adding to our fabric hoards!

That night we went to Olvera Street and had some good Mexican food. We stayed up late talking and the next morning we headed out to Mood Fabrics in Hollywood to do yes , you guessed it, more shopping!

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!

Summer Home Tour The Sew Country Chick Ranch

2013-06-09T23:58:00.001-07:00

I have been reading a lot of decorating blogs lately and came across The Summer Tour of Homes at Tater Tots & Jello and decided to add my own tour to a linky party going on over at The Shabby Creek Cottage. I'm actually in the midst of redoing my upstairs bathroom and was hoping to be done already but it will have to wait! So here is my incomplete summer home tour...
I can assure you my house isn't normally near as clean as these photos! Not with four kids and two dogs constantly trashing it. I'm only showing the rooms I LIKE here. The rest are either in transition or too messy to photograph. So I guess it's a partial home tour....
Since I just got inspired to write this post about 1/2 hour ago, I apologize if you have seen some of these photos in previous posts. I thought it would be fun to do the tour even though I need to take a lot more pictures. It's taken years to get things how I like. I believe a home should evolve over time.,slowly. The only brand new, store bought items have been pretty much only the appliances and sofas.
Next time!
Welcome to The Sew Country Chick Ranch!

This is the front steps going up to the patio. We haver an old railway cart filled with flowered pots, most of which I mosaicced myself. Not sure I spelled that right...

Our house was built for the foreman of an 8,000 acre walnut ranch which was here in the 1920's . The owner of the property lived up in Santa Barbara. Today it stands on 3 acres. The rest was sold off years ago.

An old chicken nester holds pantry stuff. I painted that iron stand and made the chalkboard.

The turtle doesn't really go with it, but hey, how can a turtle tank match anything?

I like open shelving. This old farmhouse had few cabinets. We chose to only install a few and use furniture for the rest. We added the beadboard behind the stove.

I love this old stained glass window.

Ditto the farmhouse sink.

The glass front fridge looks cool, but I have to keep it clean inside! Sometimes.

So that's my kitchen. The stove is French. it's made by a company called Morice, is cast iron, and I'm sure it will outlive my grandkids.

The Den:

I painted the blue coffee table and made the slipcovers years ago. And sewed all the pillows.

The chicken coop.

My two youngest girl share a room because they both get scared sleeping alone.

Here ya go....

I painted the dresser, bed, cubbies, and stool and made the pillowcases and curtains.

Now I lay me down to sleep....

We LOVE vintage toys. Or at least I've brainwashed my girls to love vintage toys.

My sewing nook is in the dining room. I redid the sewing desk and the dining table and chairs.

The garden

One of many sheds.

The porch

The master bedroom:

A lovely view.

the potting shed.

In the rose garden in handmade outfits.

Making jam.

The chickens.

The farm across the road.

The orange groves.

A peek of our red baby grand. I sadly have no other photos of the living room. Yet.

Giant sunflowers my husband grows in summer.

Thanks for visiting!

Shared at It's Overflowing

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Sew & Tell Saturday June 8

2013-06-07T21:31:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Sew & Tell Saturday!

There is a fascinating story about this dress which had started off as an unfinished sewing project in Soviet Russia in the 80's and not finished until the Project Sewn contest a few weeks ago . You will have to visit Olga's blog Kid Approved to read it!

The Washi Dress pattern would make a perfect maternity dress with a few tweaks. Katie from a Creative Counselor made an adorable version.

I TOTALLY love this little refashioned BOHO dress from Handcraftiness.

High fashion and sophisticated color blocking for the kids from Mie at Sewing Like Mad. C'est tres mignon, n'est pas?

Such cutie baby legs in these bubble shorts by Amy from Sews & Bows! I like the contrasting topstitching here!

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Hi / Lo Strapless Dress Pattern Making Tutorial : Melly Sews' 30 Days Of Sundresses Series

2013-06-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Boy have I had a busy week! I went to Fabric Weekend and met about twenty new sewing friends . I laughed so hard with my room mate Mie from Sewing Like Mad. We all shopped for fabric, ate like maniacs, and stayed up late talking. I felt like a college kid hanging out with my buds and I miss them already! I could go on about how much fun we had but I'll be writing a post as soon as I get my photos edited.

I came home to have to plan a family birthday party party for my youngest who turned four Monday, and the next day my older daughter was graduating from high school! Let me tell you having a child graduate from high school will really turn you into a bowl of jello. You will feel some weird feelings, maybe. Relief and surprise that you were able to raise a kid to this age without completely ruining her or losing her in a department store, sadness that your little girl is growing up and away, and wonder at how the years could pass so fast!

Well, I had to try to stop acting like a total space case, and think of a project to post for Melissa's Sundress Series PRONTO . I had been having a bit of a creative block due to my head turning into jello and my big hangover from my weekend away. The photos were supposed to be sent over that day and I had NOTHING. NIENTE. Was I going to have to e mail my organized and super together blog friend Melissa and reveal to her what a California flake I really am?

I have to mention here that you really NEED to go over and check out The Sundress Series to get some ideas for your summer sewing. It's a month long series dedicated to making sundresses. There are daily tutorials from a variety of sewing bloggers. Girls projects, adult dresses, easy ones, more advanced ones. Something for everyone there friends. Just in time for summer.

Below are all of the blogs involved in the series. Feel free to click on any name and you will be redirected to that bloggers blog. Aren't image maps cool?

Meanwhile, Isabelle found some funky silk fabric I had been hoarding for some future project and insisted she NEEDED a dress made from it to wear to her graduation THAT NIGHT.

The lightbulbs turned on and off in my head, one of them popped, there was some actual computing going on in there, despite feeling really scattered, and I came up with this simple dress to make that would showcase the outrageousness of this fabric.

This is the type of fabric you either love or hate. I love it. But I was giving it up for my baby's graduation dress.

It was 2 PM and the dress needed to be ready by 5:30. Could I really make the dress and pattern by then? Yes, and I did. It helps that this is a super easy project that any beginner could tackle. So there you have it.

THE HI / LO BANDEAU DRESS

The idea came from a dress I had already made in August of 2013, the Galaxy Dress. I had been meaning to write a tutorial for it because I had just thrown it together without a pattern the first time I made it, but hadn't gotten around to it....

Here is how to make your own hi lo bandeau dress pattern and sew it.

Materials needed.

2 yards fabric

3/4 inch wide elastic for bust and waits

First you will need a few measurements.

Full bust circumference. I'll refer to it as bust width.

Upper bust where the elastic band of the top will be over the bust and to the waist. I'll refer to it as bust length.

Waist to knee length.

Hip circumference.

Make the front and back bodice pattern piece.

Take your bust width and add 4 inches. This includes some ease and the seam allowance, 5/8 inch. Divide that measurement in 2 to use for the front and back pieces. You can draw it on flat paper or fold the paper in half and draw 1/4 of the total measuremnt. I always make my pattern on a quarter folded pattern to make sure both sides are identical.

Take your bust length and add 3 1/4 inches to allow for a one inch casing on both the top and the bottom, plus a 5/8 inch seam allowance to fold under.

Mark the fold line and the seam allowances on the pattern. You can also draw the grain line so you don't accidentally cut your fabric off grain.

Front Skirt Pattern Piece.

Multiply your total hip circumference by 1.5. Divide that number in half to use for the front and back skirt pieces.

Fold a piece of paper in half and mark the waist to knee points on the fold. That will be the skirt's center.

Measure UP from the knee point on the fold about 5 inches or however high you want the shortest part of the highest part of the skirt in the center to hit. Don't go too short now!

Draw the hem curve from the fold sloping down and end the curve at about knee length on the side seams.

I advise you to wait until you are done with BOTH pattern pieces before you draw in your side seam allowances. I didn't in these photos but it will make things easier. Just draw in your side seams, but leave some room for the seam allowances . Don't cut out the piece until you have made the back skirt piece.

Hope I'm not totally confusing y'all!

Cut a pattern piece about 8 inches longer then your waist to knee length measurement.
Fold it the same as the front piece and mark the waist knee length on both the side seam and the center fold.
On the center fold measure down about 6 inches. Now draw a gentle slop upwards to the side seam .

When drawing the slope butt the pattern pieces right up against each other on the stitch lines. If you look at my side seams in the above left photo they are overlapping because I had already drawn in my seam allowances and was matching up the seam lines. This is why I would recommend waiting to draw in your seam allowances until last. You can do it either way.

Open up your front and back pattern pieces to make sure you find the slope of the pattern pleasing. I had to adjust my back piece because it looked too pointy.

Draw seam allowances.
Add 1 5/8 inches to the top of both skirt pieces for the elastic casing you will sew.
Draw your side seams. Make sure to square up your edges. Squaring seam allowances is a technique I learned years ago in fashion design school to make it easier to line up a pattern. Most industry pattern will have square seam allowances. Home sewing patterns rarely do. Something I find slightly annoying as it reduces accuracy in sewing perfectly aligned pieces. As you may know from experience, 1/4 inch off can really mess things up.

I'm not going to give very detailed directions on sewing the hi lo dress, as there are so many tutorials on the net for these techniques but I will highlight them so you can research or Google how to do them elsewhere if you aren't familiar with them yet. I have a really great sewing book by Connie Amaden Crawford, an old teacher, called Fashion Sewing, I like to reference.
Following sewing directions on the internet can get a little wacky sometimes!

Order of sewing for the dress:
Serge or zig zag raw edges. If I had had more time I would have sewn French seams but this is the quick way here.
TOP
Sew or serge the side seams of the top. If sewing press open seams and if serging sew another stitchline with your normal sewing machine to reinforce the seam.
Iron under seam allowance and fold casing over 1 inch. Stitch as close as you can to the edge, leaving a small opening for the elastic.
SKIRT
Sew the side seams then hem the skirt with a very narrow or rolled hem.
Gather the waist of skirt to the same size as the bodice width.
Sew the waist casing.
Pin the skirt to the top and sew with a 1 5/8 seam allowance. Iron the waist allowance upwards folding under the seam allowance.
Stitch the seam allowance 1 inch above the waist.
Leave a small opening to insert elastic.
ELASTIC
Cut two pieces of elastic 2 inches smaller then the upper chest and the waist. Insert and stitch closed the small openings.
Done!

Linked to

The Train To Crazy

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Hi/ Lo Lace Drape Front Top For The Beach

2013-06-04T08:53:00.003-07:00

This is a top I made to go over my black crochet lace style bikini which I'm not confident enough to show you a photo of.

However, my daughter loves it too, and she has 'stolen' it from me. It was simple to make. I used a BurdaStyle pattern I had as a basis and I just drew a new hemline.

I have been finding a few of my sewing projects missing lately, and with a quick peek into my daughter's room I found a few of them lying on the floor.

I guess they have her seal of approval!

Here is a photo of the Cowl Top Pattern I hacked to make this. I wonder if I fall for the actual patterns of Burdastyle or just the styling? Their photos really do look chic!

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A Sailor Skirt Pattern Making Tutorial

2013-06-02T23:00:00.004-07:00

Today I am very happy to be participating in a blog series I've enjoyed reading for a couple of years now.. Skirt Week held by Adrianna and Susan of Crafterhours.

Skirt Week is a fun packed series full of skirt making tutorials, contests and prizes to get you motivated to sew up some skirts for summer. And who doesn't love wearing skirts in summer when jeans feel so heavy and hot? You can stop here by to join in and see last weeks tutorials.

I sort of kinda love anything sailor style... sailor pants, sailor skirts, sailor tops, sailor blue & white stripes. It just feels so classic and timeless!

When I was deciding what to post for my Skirt Week Turorial, I just knew I wanted to teach people how to make their own sailor skirt pattern from a basic A line skirt pattern. My idea came from a 1960's skirt I saw.

Making this pattern is a lot easier than you might think.

If you can download and print out a PDF pattern, tape it together, figure out the directions, or lack of them in some cases, and sew it up, why not take the next step and try making your own pattern? It saves a lot of hassle and expense in the long run.

This skirt has one piece for the back and three separate pieces for the front.

It has a fully functional button front sailor flap for its opening.

But you can add a side zip opening if you don't want to fuss with the buttons when putting it on.

This skirt can be made for either a child or an adult and it has a fitted waist.

You start with a basic A line pattern, the easiest pattern there is to make.

I have a tutorial here if you want to make your own. You may have an old A line pattern lying around that you can adapt and that's great too. My A line tutorial is an old one I wrote for making a women's skirt but you could make it for a girl. However it's may be wee bit complicated so I'm thinking of posting an easier version of it . If you want to make it for girls just skip the darts. Girls don't need waist darts.

Drafting The Sailor Skirt Pattern:

Start with an A line skirt pattern.

Trace the front of your A line skirt piece and with your ruler, draw a parallel line from your center front about halfway across the waist line going straight down.
Mark about 6 or 7 inches down from the waist to mark where the bottom of the sailor flap will be.
Cut open the line you drew. This will create three pattern pieces. One on the fold in the center, and two side pieces.
On the side skirt piece, extend from the bottom of the flap mark you drew up until the waist 1.5 inches.

5. Draw a 5/8 inch seam allowance on the middle seam you made for the side skirt piece. Since you cut the pattern apart, it doesn't have any seam allowance and needs one in that area.

6. Do the same for the center piece of the skirt.

7. Make your facing pieces. Number 7 is the back of the skirt. Trace the top of the skirt and make it three inches wide. For the front do the same but continue down and trace the button extension you drew. That isn't pictured but look at the red picture on number 3 of the sewing directions to see what it should look like. Sorry about that!
8. Trace the center piece down to the mark line for the flap you drew in step 2 above.

9. Draw your button markings and buttonhole markings. I spaced mine 1.5 inches apart. How wide you want to make them will depend on your button size. Place them on the skirt and find the spacing you like.

10.

So there you have your pattern pieces for the front skirt. From this you will cut from your fabric two side front pieces,
one center front piece on the fold,
two front facing pieces,
one front center facing piece cut on the fold,
one back piece on the fold and
one back facing piece on the fold.

I would also recommend adding interfacing to each facing piece .

Sewing The Sailor Skirt

Sew the center front facing to the center front piece, right sides together. Clip the edges , turn right side out and iron flat.
Sew buttonholes onto the center front piece
Sew the front side skirt pieces to the back skirt piece and do the same with the front side facing pieces and back facing piece. Iron side seams open
Sew the facing to the skirt
Sew the sides of the center front piece to the side pieces up from the hem until the bottom of the flap. Sew the buttons onto the side pieces.
I sewed welt seams on the skirt and top stitched it to give a sixties vibe.

Ready for summer!

Some of my past sailor looks I've created.....

Pirate Girl Dress

Sailor Dress from a 40's Pattern. This is one of my favorite posts ever.

Another 40's pattern, shorts and top. Oh, how I love forties patterns!

Do It Yourself Sailor Dress

Faux front sailor pants and top look for me.

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Announcing Fabric Weekend 2013 !

2013-05-30T07:52:00.002-07:00

Yay! Fabric Weekend starts tomorrow!

And what , you might ask, is Fabric Weekend?

Just a super fun weekend filled with shopping at the Fabric district in Los Angeles with about 20 blog buddies and new to me bloggers I can't wait to meet! The brainchild of Andrea from A Train To Crazy, Fabric Weekend is all about shopping for fabric, getting to know each other, and eating! I look forward to meeting some of the bloggers I've known online in person, and having a regular girls weekend without any kids in tow! Being based near LA myself, and growing up in the city, helping to plan some of these events has been a lot of fun and I hope everyone flying in has a great time in the City of Angels.

Sorry I won't be posting Sew & Tell Saturday this weekend but I do have a Craftsy Class Giveaway up this week. Stop by my post here to check it out.

There will be a private shopping tour and lunch at of one of my favorite shops I've been going to since I was a kid, Micheal Levine. Micheal Levine has been one of my favorite fabric shopping destinations in downtown since I was a teenager eons ago. The funny thing about the Fabric district in LA, is that it's one of those places that hasn't changed much over the years. In a city that seems to change it's identity on a weekly basis, that's something I find comforting.

We will be shopping at the new and improved Mood Fabrics store on La Brea, the funky little mom &

pop fabric and pattern supply shops in downtown, have a tour at FIDM and will be ending the weekend with Girls Night Out, a bloggers dinner party.

They have smoking deals, and now offer them up on their website Low Price Fabric .

To end the weekend, Jessica from Me Sew Crazy will be hosting her popular bloggers event, Girls Night Out, a dinner party hosted by the generous folks from Jo-Ann Fabrics . The Los Angeles GNO event will be held at Industriel Farm, a swank new hot spot in downtown LA. Thanks Jo-Ann!

Follow Our adventures in fabric shopping on Instagram!

#GNOLosAngeles #FabricWeekend

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Craftsy Class Giveaway: Decorative Seams

2013-05-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to be offering a Craftsy Class Giveaway to my readers today!

I love the classes over at Craftsy and the one I'm giving away today looks really interesting:

Decorative Seams taught by Katrina Walker

"Katrina Walker is an educator and designer specializing in textiles, construction and surface design techniques. She also writes and creates designs for publications such as Threads and StitchMagazine.

Work through each seaming technique with Katrina as you build a reference notebook of techniques you can apply to any garment. Katrina will show you the creative possibilities of vintage seaming techniques and design details with stunning inspiration samples. Learn a variety of tailored effects including topstitching, padded and welt seams, piping and double piping, strap seams, lace insertions and more. Design bold garment elements using faux tucks, prairie points and Seminole piecework. Katrina puts it all together in three renditions of the included Vogue Pattern 1329 to show you how decorative seams can transform simple garments."

This certainly sounds like a great way to improve your sewing skills and add to your arsenal of decorative techniques, doesn't it? I love using piping and have done welted seams, but have never tried faux tucks, prairie points or padded seams! I 've read about these techniques and have to say I'm intrigued.

I like that the Craftsy classes are in video segments so you can watch them over again and come back to the class after you've finished for a refresher.

Have any of you ever taken one ?

I have Susan Khalje's The Couture Dress class and Kenneth King's Jeanius class on my to do list.

If you would like to enter simply click here after you finish reading about fabric weekend

and you will be redirected to the sign up page for my readers at Craftsy. Bonne chance mes amis!

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Trousers And Shorts: Fitting Tips

2013-05-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hi readers!

Today I'm doing some fitting on a pair of shorts I 've been working on over the weekend : McCall's 6756

Lately, I've been cutting my patterns a size smaller than the envelope says to, because I don't like a lot of ease. But I could tell this pattern ran smaller just by looking at it so I cut out the recommended size 12. And it was almost too small.
This pattern actually fit really well without a lot of fiddling, except for the center back, which was riding up. It doesn't have tons of ease like usual. I'm actually sort of shocked my butt didn't fit into them. (I've never been that well endowed in that department.) I guess all those lunges at the gym are working!

I have no idea what the official fitting name is for the problem but let's just say kids in California called it a murphy or a melvin when I was growing up. If you have to tug your pants from behind because they keep creeping up you know you have one. And boy did I get them a lot with those high waisted pants I wore as a kid in the 80's....

Ok I just aded my daughter if she knew what a Melvin was and she looked at me quizzically. I explained to her the meaning and she laughed. " Oh you mean a wedgie!" So from here on out I will refer to it as a wedgie.

So how do you fix the dreaded wedgie?

Since every trouser or shorts pattern is going to be a little different, I would advise you add 1/2 or more, maybe 1 inch would be safer, to your center back and front crotch seams to allow for letting them out in this area if you need to. It's a shame to cut into some beautiful fabric, sew it up, then find out you have this problem. If you haven't added any extra like I advise at the seam, you can let it out, only to realize you need more fabric but don't have any left . Such a bummer.

As you can see above I had to let my shorts out a good inch to get rid of the problem.

When tracing your pants trace the original stitch line. Your seams will be very wide so you wull be confused where it is if you don't.
Sew up your pants and only baste the center back and front center front seams.
Try on pants.
If they are tugging or riding up let them out in 1/4 inch increments..
Keep letting them out until they fit comfortably.
If you let them out as much as you can and they are still too wedgied, you can try letting out the side seams.
If that still doesn't work then ....hmmm.... next time you need to just add more width to your crotch seams.

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Woven vs.Nonwoven Interfacings

2013-05-26T10:08:00.003-07:00

There are many interfacings to choose from. I'd like to recommend my favorite type when it comes to choosing which interfacings to use for your garment sewing:
Woven fusible interfacings.
It's a light cotton that's backed with glue and is available in both black & white. It also comes in different weights, just like the non woven fusibles.
If you don't live near a serious fabric store catering to clothing construction, you may have to buy it online.

Woven interfacing available online from B. Black & Sons . B. Black & Sons is an awesome shop in downtown LA for tailoring enthusiasts, family owned and operating since 1922.

Fusible woven is so much nicer to work with than icky non woven fusible interfacings. Plus, it's so much easier to use than the couture method of sew in only interfacings.
Did you know couture sewing forbids the use of any fusible interfacings? In some exclusive sewing circles, the nonwoven fusibles that they sell in most chain fabric stores are considered cheap and tacky. Like drinking Two Buck Chuck with Russian caviar instead of Dom.

But who has hours upon hours to hand sew silk organza or hair canvas onto the back of each pattern piece? A painful and tedious process....I've done it and it's exhausting.

Woven fusible interfacing is a nice compromise. It doesn't give you that weird papery crunchy effect that some non woven interfacings give your clothing, but you can still save time by ironing it on your fabric instead of hand sewing each piece.
Not that non woven interfacings don't have their merits. But I would save them for making bags, crafts and things that don't need to be washed.

Now here is the most important thing to remember to do when working with ANY fusible interfacing , woven or not. I can't stress it enough because it's the reason for lots of my failed projects:

You have to preshrink it.

Soak the interfacing, woven or not in very hot water, then let it air dry....

If you don't, the interfacing will shrink when you iron it on, and slightly over time, resulting in little ripples and twists in the garment. Not pretty. It's happened to lots of my garments in the past and I had no idea why.

This is a blouse I just made and I forgot to preshrink my interfacing. See the little ripples? That's because my iron shrunk the interfacing while I was pressing it.

It's not horrible but it will get worse if I throw it in the dryer.

How about you? Do you have any tips for working with interfacings?

Is there a method or type you prefer?

If you'd like to read more about the wonderful and exciting ( ahem) world of interfacings here is a handy chart from Threads magazine you can print out

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Sew &n Tell Saturday 5/25/13

2013-05-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sew & Tell Saturday

We have some lovely projecst featured this week!

A pretty summer blouse made from a 40's pattern by Farmhouse Garden.

Original design dress and jacket by Amy Stebbins.

Adorable Burdastyle skirts from Used to bees.

Cute upcycled bed sheet dress accessorized with a pink cast! McCall's 5613 by Amy from Sews N Bows.

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!

Peplum Top and Floral Pants: Sewing My Basic Wardrobe

2013-05-23T08:54:00.001-07:00

OK, these stretch floral pants don't exactly count for being basic but if I wore them with a black T shirt they might be, right?
The peplum top is a great basic. I'll probably end up wearing it with jeans a lot.
The top is made from double knit I bought at Britex in San Francisco and the pants are made from stretch cotton woven from Mood in Los Angeles.

These are the second and third projects I have sewn from my recommended pattern picks for a basic wardrobe post:

Simplicity 1696

Vogue 8813

I recommend both of these patterns because the instructions are excellent and the fit was good without many adjustments. I cut a size smaller than recommended for my measurements as usual, a size 10 instead of a 12, and everything fit almost perfectly out of the envelope.

The pants have extensive instructions on fitting and come with one inch seam allowances to allow for adjustments. I also sewed a zipper fly, my first time, without too much trouble.

However, the peplum top recommended facing the neck and arms with bias tape and top stitching. I traced the pattern and made old fashioned facings instead.

I'm trying to take more care with my sewing and one of the things I am trying to do is remove ANY SIGNS OF STITCHING from my outer garment. I was taught to sew in a time when machine stitching on the outside of a woven garment was a sign of poor quality, unless you were wearing jeans and knit clothing items like T shirts.

The hems on fine clothing were always supposed to be invisible. I'm always a little taken aback when a pattern tells me to just turn a hem over twice and stitch it down with my machine.

Since most home sewing machines don't exactly do a great job of top stitching, mine included, a machine sewn hem always looks a little shoddy and "homemade" to me.

BTW, I need to tack down that neckline facing! Sewing things the old way takes more time but if you are interested in really getting good at sewing it's worth it. I have a few sewing books printed from the 1940's to the 1960's that I like to consult. Get an old sewing book and you can't go wrong!

Walk into any designer boutique and look at clothing from Chanel, Valentino, or Gucci. You most definitely will never see a machine sewn hem.

So I'm surprised patterns recommend this shortcut instead of doing a hem the right way, which is a blind hem or a catch stitched hem.
Just my two cents here, readers!

I used an exposed zipper on the back of the top. It's a little hard to see but I like it!

I'm entering this outfit into the Project Sewn Sew Along Pool. The challenge is 80's fashion. The peplum top and the floral pants were huge trends in the eighties. I know because I'm old enough that I actually wore both. I've heard the saying that "If you are old enough to have worn a trend the first time around you shouldn't be wearing it again". Well I say, go for it!

Here are some nitty gritty details:

Side pockets, zip fly, bias bound waistband, belt loops, mock back welt pocket.

Self fabric top facings, hem tape used for the hems on both the top and the pants. I love hem tape.

If you would like to see more sewing and craft related posts consider adding Sew Country Chick to your rss feed reader. Or follow with Facebook, Twitter, or Friend Connect!

Vintage Fabric Square Pillowcases And A Pink Bed

2013-05-21T20:59:00.003-07:00

I am finally finished sewing for Lily's room.

Hooray!

Bunny is very old. Lovingly handmade perhaps a hundred years ago and dressed in antique calico grain sack fabric.

I have loads of vintage fabrics I have collected at various flea markets over the years and I'm on a mission to use my fabrics and finally enjoy them!

These pillowcases were so simple to make but I have misplaced the directions I wrote for how to make them.

Perhaps I'll write a tutorial when I find my little sketchbook....

I have a nice little sketch book to write all of my ideas in but somehow I am always losing it.

The quilt on lily's bed is an old piece I bought at a flea market in a small French town called Isle Sur La Sorgue. I bought it when she was one, thinking I might someday use it on her bed. I have always loved it and it's perfect on the old wood bed, which I recently painted a cheery pink.

It had been previously painted white with a "Shabby Chic" finish, but over the years it had become more shabby than chic, with marker drawings and all sorts of nonsense scribbled on it.

I was tempted to leave it as a memory, like the wall I have in my kitchen with all of the kids heights marked on it.

But the urge to paint something pink was stronger.

A quick reminder that my ShotRockers online digital photography class giveaway is still going on. Stop by here to enter!

Sewing A Stylish Basic Wardrobe: Spring / Summer 2013

2013-05-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Has your sewing expertise grown to a level where you are making your own clothes and loving it? But do you find yourself impulsively buying your fabrics and patterns, creating garments, but none that really go together? This is a common problem for those of us who make our own clothes. I'm also guilty of sewing "the icing on the cake" when it comes to sewing projects. Bold patterns, colorful items that I don't exactly know how I am going to pair together. I have made lots of flowered dresses, but only one in basic black one, which gets worn the most. I get so distracted when I shop for fabric!

What to do?
Make a SEWING PLAN.

Create mini collection of basics that you can build on and that you can add to with pieces of colorful, fun pieces you may have already made. And bring your list of patterns you plan on making with you when you go shopping for fabric so you can focus.

My Must Sew List Of Basics:
Below is a list of basics every woman should have in her wardrobe from the April 2013 Harper's Bazaar issue.
I'm substituting how to sew the basics instead of where to shop for them.

A plain, neutral colored pencil skirt:
You can make it in a black stretch woven, a khaki woven or even in denim, depending on your wardrobe. I would recommend sewing it in a stretch twill. It's durable and comfortable to wear. A woven cotton pique is also a nice choice fro summer.
Two pairs of trousers:
One in classic black. I would sew these in a stretch woven twill. Stretch cotton pique would be cute for summer.
A more trendy pair, perhaps a tuxedo style pant or in a bright color. Or even try a floral print.
A Pair of Tailored Shorts
You can sew these in a basic color or go wild with a print. Some fun options for summer might include cotton lace over a lining, a super bright color, a floral print, or something more classic like seersucker.
Two dresses
A little black dress which will be a basic wardrobe staple you should sew in a timeless style.
Another more festive style in a print. Maybe a maxi style, always nice in summertime.
Three to Five Tops:
Two silk blouses
One button down
Two knit tops

My Pattern Recommendations For A Basic

Handmade Wardrobe

Spring Summer 2013

Pattern recommendations for the pencil skirt:

Pencil skirt patterns you can buy:

Pencil Skirt by Burdastyle

Basic Slim leg trouser pattern:

Simplicity 1696 Amazing Fit Pants.

I have just finished this pattern in a stretch floral and will be blogging about it this week. I highly recommend this pattern. I like this pattern because it gives lots of info on how to fit your pants properly. The pattern is a bit more advanced with slash pockets and a center zip fly. But the instructions are very thorough.

Tuxedo Trouser Pattern

McCall's 6707

Tailored short pattern:

McCall's 6756

Basic peplum top pattern

Vogue Patterns 8815

This peplum top in a solid color and sewn sleeveless is a fashionable and flattering choice for your wardrobe.

I would sew it in stretch woven cotton or double knit.

I will be blogging about his top later this week. I made mine in double knit with an exposed zipper.

Dressy blouse pattern

McCall's 6650

This makes a dressier top for summer and would look great with a pencil skirt or even jeans.

I would sew it in a silk print and I have. To see my version click here.

Basic Button Down Top Pattern

McCall's 6436

I like this pattern choice for a button down because it comes with cup sizes, an awesome feature!

For summer, I'm planning the sleeveless version in chambray.

New Look 6648

A dolman sleeve knit top. That sleeveless top on the bottom right would look great on most people! I love tops that have a draped neckline.

Knit dress patterns for summer

I love the ease of throwing a knit dress on when it's hot out.

McCall's 6752

This little knit dress would make a great LBD to wear in the summer time.

Simple maxidress pattern

McCall's 6744

To see my version of this pattern, click here.

I have been loving the McCall's patterns this season, as you can see! They just seem to very fashion forward lately.

How about you? Do you find sewing basics boring and only like to make the fun stuff, too?

Sew & Tell Saturday 5/18/13

2013-05-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sew & Tell Saturday!

Thanks for dropping by to post your sewing projects and to check out some new talent!

Here are the featured sewing artists from last week:

Great Gatsby Dress by Bethany of Lil' Bit & Nan made with an altered McCall's pattern. Did any one else participate in The Gatsby Challenge? What a fun idea!

Vintage sheet skirt made from the Miette pattern by Marie from A Sewing Odyssey

Tutorial to turn plain pants pattern into cuffed capris by Veronica of Sew Very from the Hosh pants pattern.

Scarf collar top, a Jalie pattern sewn by Sewing with Shirley

One shouldered dress,McCall's 6547 from Judy at Sew Blessed Maw

Feel free to garb a button!

McCall's 6744 Maxidress

2013-05-16T23:37:00.001-07:00

I made this dress from some fabric I bought for one dollar a yard in downtown LA. i would say it's some sort of polyester viscose.. I'm trying to be more conscious about where my fabrics come from as I have been reading about the negative impact textile factories in developing countries are having on the environment.

This fabric came from a higher end designer who donated it to the FIDM Scholarship store. All funds go to fashion design students in need so I love buying there not only for the incredible deals, but also to help struggling students.

I only had two yards so I couldn't exactly match the stripes.

The top from=nt pattern piece was way too low and revealing for Isabelle so I drafted a new front by tracing one of her tops. Easy Peasy!

This dress was SO easy to make. I made it in less than two hours...

It's not exactly couture. the hems are just turned down and stitched with my double needle. I used the rolled hem feature on my serger to make a really quick hem

isabelle is visting France this summer and I have been sewing her up some easy to pack items to bring.

This pattern is am A plus!

McCall's 6744

Pattern Description:
A long gathered skirt maxidress with an option for a tank top bodice or a crossover bodice.
Pattern Sizing:
XS to XL
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes it did.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
This is a dress that is very simple to sew up and the directions are fine. I sewed it in a little over an hour.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I felt the tank top top was actually TOO revealing for once. I usually have to lower necklines and tighten my patterns to give them a little more style. In this case I had to redraft the top, raising the neckline and widening the shoulders because my daughter was too revealed in the original pattern top.
Fabric Used:
A stretch matte ITY jersey fabric with large painterly stripes.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
As usual I ignored the pattern sizing instructions and cut the dress in an extra small because I'm not a fan of all of the added ease in commercial patterns.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I plan on trying this pattern in another fabric with some more design tweaks to it. It's a great basic maxi dress pattern.

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Shot Rockers Online Photography Course Giveaway!

2013-05-16T08:05:00.003-07:00

Today I am really excited to be giving away an entire online photography course from Shot Rockers to one lucky reader! And I can honestly say, because I have taken the whole course which consists of a month's worth of daily lessons in video and PDF format, that this class is excellent, and an excellent value if you decide to purchase the course. Seriously. I'm not getting paid for this post either. Just my honest opinion. I have learned a ton from it!

When I first started blogging in 2010 I honestly knew very little about photography. I was using a point and shoot, took photos indoors with flash and couldn't tell you an aperture from an ISO and had no idea about exposure. I could barely upload a digital photo I was such a computer dud. My camera didn't have those capabilities anyway, so it didn't matter. In short, my pictures were crummy!

The photo on the left is from 2010. This photo of Gigi is hilarious! The photo on the right of Isabelle was taken a couple of weeks ago after learning about utilizing natural lighting in the Shot Rockers class. I would probably increase my shutter speed to make the photo sharper, but it's a big improvement. Practice make perfect!

Over the past few years I have invested in a DLSR and a few lenses, and have slowly been learning how to improve my photography. When I took Tony's Shot Rockers class, I thought I might already know the material he was going to be covering. I was so wrong.

I learned so much from this class; adjusting ISO, shutter speeds, aperture focal lengths, using external flashes, metering modes, adjusting white balance, composition, lighting.... Tony also teaches about editing, and taking better portraits and landscape photos. This class is so worth $119. But for a short time, you can get it for half off! Scroll to the bottom of the post to access the link.

Do you own a DLSR camera yet know so little about it that you end up shooting in Auto most of the time? If you are shooting in Auto you may be wondering why you spent so much money on a DLSR camera because your photos aren't that different from a point and shoot camera. Do yourself a favor and learn how to get your money's worth by learning to use your camera properly whether you take this class or not. And if you are a creative blogger like me, your photos can make or break the success of your blog. You can make the most gorgeous dress in the world, but if you don't know how to photograph it properly no one will want to see it! You have about a second to capture your readers attention and your photos are crucial to the success of your blog.

If you are already shooting in manual modes like I was, there is still so much to learn about metering, using your focus features, flashes, filters, etc. It's all covered in Tony's Shot Rockers class.Shot Rockers also has a blog where you can get free photo tips.
Here is the list of daily lessons:
Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO, Exposure compensation, understanding light, get the sharp photo, lenses, using tripods, all about flashes, filters, camera care, white balance,metering, shooting JPEGS vs RAW files, photo composition, storing photos, editing, better landscapes and portraits, and printing and sharing your photos online.

As you can see there is a lot to learn!

Here is a little extra something for y'all.. Tony is now offering his course half off to readers of Sew Country Chick! (In case you don't want to take your chances on the giveaway or don't win. That is an amazing deal! Click here to check it out!

Now on to the Giveaway.

Please fill out my Rafflecopter form below to enter my giveaway.
Sorry, this giveaway is open to Sew country chick subscribers only!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why We Moved To The Country

2013-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago I was a pampered housewife living in an exclusive area of Los Angeles.

My husband and I spent our weekends going to swank bars, nightclubs, and Hollywood parties. We rubbed elbows and drank martinis with celebrities, heiresses, and lots of fake people.

I wasn't shocked to find the husband of a couple we sometimes went out with that lived on the beach in Malibu, arrested for running a huge scam were he bilked millions from folks in the midwest to fund a Christian movie company that didn't exist.

Like many people in Los Angeles, you never knew quite what the real story with anyone was, as many people had a facade they showed to the world. That extremely wealthy looking man who pulled up to the club in his Ferrari might be living in a small rented studio, and the car might be leased.

I myself had grown up on the east side of LA, my dad a sound editor for the movies, and my mom was an ex hippie. I married right out of fashion design school to my husband, ten years older than me. His business had thrived so I had quit my budding career to raise the kids. We were riding the whole technology boom of the late 90's. We thought it would last forever. Little did we know everything would change for us after The Great Recession of 2008....

I had long since stopped making clothes or being creative. The Hollywood lifestyle was wearing me thin, and one night, lying in bed awake, I told my husband I wanted off the merry go round of our lives. I wanted to live in the country, away from all the noise and chaos of LA, where we had both grown up going out to clubs and parties since we were both young teenagers.

Luckily, I have a husband with an open mind. He wanted to change too. He wanted to start farming, and I wanted to homeschool the kids. We had recently sold our house in France, so that was no longer an option. We decided to look locally for a new life.We searched for an old farmhouse and found the perfect one about and hour and ten minutes out of LA. But a world away.

We traded in our fancy cars, got a truck and a mini van, and I learned to ride a quarter horse at a ranch across the road. We are surrounded by avocado and orange ranches and live across from a river in an area that has looked the same for the past hundred years, almost forgotten by time. We are a few miles outside of a small farming town, with few restaurants besides taco places, so sometimes I pack the kids in the car, drive them down to LA and take them to a museum so they can have some culture.

We raise chickens, make jam from the fruit on our trees, have homeschooled, go to church, grow our own veggies, and I now make most of the clothing for myself and my girls. Even though I am only an hour and ten minutes from LA, I still find it hard to believe I had never heard of this place before I moved here.

When I became pregnant with our fifth child four years ago, I started to sew clothing regularly again, rekindling my love of making clothes. I started my blog Sew Country Chick to document my progress. I am now designing most of our own clothing, making patterns, and considering selling some of them.

Making things has become a way of life and so much more rewarding than an endless cycle of consuming that many Americans are hooked on.

I'm not trying to say that living in the city is bad, and plenty of creative people do live there, but for me, moving to the country was the best thing I could do. I had to get away and slow down to find out what it was I wanted to do.

Quilting leather tutorial

2013-05-13T09:22:00.002-07:00

Quilted leather is a great technique to step up your fashion sewing projects and add a rock & roll edge. Whether you make a full project with this technique, or just add touches of it to a project, it looks really cool.

Below are some projects I pulled from the web to illustrate how you can incorporate quilted leather or vinyl into your fashion sewing.

An extreme example of leather quilting from the 2009 Balmain collection.

Quilting on pants from Michelle's final collection on the season's Project Runway.

from Burberry....
Are you convinced that quilted leather is a great way to add some flavor to your wardrobe?
But how to do it?
Here is my method.......

Two layers of batting gives a nice puffy look, but use only one if you want only a little dimension. To do two layers iron on one layer to the leather, then iron on the second layer on top of the first layer.

Quilt your grid along the lines you drew on the wrong side of the leather. I would advise you to trim each line as you go. Some of my threads got caught in my quilting lines and I had to pull them out and trim them, which was time consuming.

Here are a few things I discovered when trying to figure out how to quilt leather:

Two layers of fusible batting gave a nice padded look.

Don't try to use spray adhesive on normal batting. Everything will get gummed up, including your needle. Yuck!

Don't just try to pin on normal batting either... It will shift around when you are trying to quilt the lines. I tried that too..

Make sure you cut your strings after sewing each line. Or else the loose strings will get caught in your quilting lines. can you see this happening above? Practice makes perfect! ( That's why I did this project in vinyl and not the awesome chartreuse leather i have been saving...)

You WILL need to line your quilted leather. The batting will feel all scratchy next to your skin if you don't !

Sew & Tell Saturday 5/10

2013-05-11T06:28:00.005-07:00

Welcome to Sew & Tell Saturday!

Many of you have been busy sewing up clothing for your spring wardrobes and I'm looking forward to see what you've made!

I've been working on a pair of slim floral print pants with a sleeveless peplum top the past two days. It was my first time making a fly zipper so now that I know how, I'm excited to get to more pants and shorts projects with the fly zip. ( It was one of those things I avoided)

I have also been reading my new book, Overdressed, about the fast fashion movement. I didn't buy this book for a long time because I had read lots of reviews and got the gist of it, but WOAH! This is a total must read, and will really make you glad that you are a part of the handmade clothing movement.

So let's get to our featured sewists from the last party.....

Japanese pattern top and bubble shorts from Sewing Like Mad

Vintage Style sunsuit from Stitch-It-Up

A 1960 dress pattern sewn by Cari Homemaker

A stylish spring jacket for boys from Kid Approved

Feel free to garb a button!

Sew Country Chick: fashion sewing and DIY

Sewing the Trends: Shannon From Little Kids Grow

Sewing The Trends: Marie from A Stitching Odyssey

Sewing The Trends Series : Bethany from Lil Bit & Nan

Sew & Tell Saturday 6/15

Announcing Sewing The Trends: A Blog Series

Fabric Weekend Wrap Up and Group Giveaway !

One GRAND PRIZE winner!

Brother 1034D serger! (donated by GoToPatterns.com)

Four lucky winners will receive $150 in prizes!

$50 to GoToPatterns.com

$50 to LowPriceFabric.com

$50 for a class at Craftsy.com

Summer Home Tour The Sew Country Chick Ranch

Sew & Tell Saturday June 8

Hi / Lo Strapless Dress Pattern Making Tutorial : Melly Sews' 30 Days Of Sundresses Series

Hi/ Lo Lace Drape Front Top For The Beach

A Sailor Skirt Pattern Making Tutorial

Announcing Fabric Weekend 2013 !

Craftsy Class Giveaway: Decorative Seams

Trousers And Shorts: Fitting Tips

Woven vs.Nonwoven Interfacings

Sew &n Tell Saturday 5/25/13

Peplum Top and Floral Pants: Sewing My Basic Wardrobe

Vintage Fabric Square Pillowcases And A Pink Bed

Sewing A Stylish Basic Wardrobe: Spring / Summer 2013

Sew & Tell Saturday 5/18/13

McCall's 6744 Maxidress

Shot Rockers Online Photography Course Giveaway!

Why We Moved To The Country

Quilting leather tutorial

Sew & Tell Saturday 5/10

$50 to LowPriceFabric.co m