Memorial Day is coming up and with it brings the official start of summer!  Here are seven free Summer Dress patterns that you can find here on the Polka Dot Chair Blog.

Happy Summer and Happy Sewing!

1- Summer Dress made from two t-shirts

2- Maxi Dress made from a t-shirt

3- Tiered Pillowcase Dress

4- Baby Pillowcase dress and matching quilt

5-Pillowcase Shirt

6- Pillowcase dress with waistband

7- Striped Summer Maxi Dress

Now tell me, what are some of your favorite summer dresses to sew? Do you have a tutorial or pattern that you love? Please share a link to it in the comments!

The post Summer Dress Patterns for Girls appeared first on The Polka Dot Chair.

File this one under “holy cow it worked”! I cut fabric with my silhouette machine!  To be honest when Silhouette contacted me about reviewing their new Fabric Interfacing I was a bit skeptical…..

They sent me a special fabric blade for my machine, and 2 types of fabric interfacing, sewable and clean cut.  

To cut fabric with a Silhouette Machine it turned out to be very simple and quick!

1. Cut and iron your fabric.

2. Cut the interfacing the same size, and iron onto the back of the fabric.

4. Place the fabric on your cutting mat, make sure it’s stuck down well.

5. Change your blade to the fabric blade. Just as with sewing scissors you need a special blade to cut fabric that you don’t use for ANYTHING else.

6. In the Silhouette software choose fabric backed interfacing. Click Cut.

7. Peel away your images, they are now ready to iron onto your project!

I was able to quickly cut out these fun shapes! I’ve got a cute project planned for them next week, be sure to check back to see it.

Silhouette is running a promo now on either the Fabric Interfacing, a machine or BOTH! You pick!

ALSO,

Did you notice, I’M GIVING AWAY A CRUISE for 4???

Yeah, I thought a few of you missed out on that detail!!!  Yes it really is a cruise giveaway!  I’m seriously bummed I can’t enter this one.

Just click here for the giveaway details and to enter!

Disclosure: I have an affiliate relationship with Silhouette. I was provided free product to write this review

The post How to cut fabric with a Silhouette appeared first on The Polka Dot Chair.

 Hi!

Welcome to Sewing School! Today we are going to learn How to Sew a Zipper.  Are you excited?  The lesson today is part of my “Sewing Lessons”  blog series sponsored by Bernina.  

Just a note, all of the instructions today will be based on using a Bernina 710 machine, but you can use ANY  brand sewing machine and follow the SAME directions.   I will say things like “adjust your stitch length to 6″ , if you don’t have the same sewing machine as me, you’ll just need to know how to adjust your stitch length. If you’re not sure, pull out your user manual.

This sewing technique is one that I picked up in a class at my local sewing shop, the Smocking Shop.  They have a masters class and this was featured as one of their mastery techniques. They have graciously agreed to let me share the technique with you here today.

This technique might be a bit different than one that you have learned in the past, I think this one so much EASIER than how I learned to put in a zipper originally.

Before we get started a few things:

• For teaching purposes, we are going to pretend you want to add a zipper to a skirt.
• I picked crazy colors so that they would show up for illustration purposes. This is not a real skirt. I know that nothing matches :)
• STOP being scared of zippers!  Your fear is going to hold you back more than anything. Try it, if you fail so what. You can unpick it and do it again.  You’re only going to learn this by DOING.

First up.

Start with a zipper that is at least 2” larger than the one called for in your pattern. It can be even bigger than that, but go for at least 2” longer.

From your pattern, mark where the zipper should stop. (You can see it in the photo above, it’s the purple mark)

On your sewing machine adjust your stitch length to 6 (or as high as it will go, it might only go to 5). On the 710 it’s super easy, just turn the bottom dial and watch the stitch length get longer, stop when you get to 6.

Here’s a trick, see that red tape? That’s washi tape.  I use it to mark my seam allowances when I’m sewing. For this technique we want to use a 1/2” seam allowance. (that’s 1/2 from the needle to the edge of the fabric)

Begin sewing at the top of your skirt, you are basting the seam. When you get to the purple mark where the zipper should stop, change your stitch length back to 2 1/2. Don’t take your fabric out of the machine, or cut your thread.

Finish sewing the remainder of the seam with a 2 1/2” stitch length and a 1/2” seam allowance. Stop when you get to the bottom of the skirt.

Press the seam open.

Take your zipper and place it on the seam. Have the top of the zipper at least 1” above the fabric. Mark the top of the fabric on the zipper and the place that the zipper should stop.

With the right side of the zipper facing the seam, pin one side of the zipper to the edge of the fabric.  Your zipper is 1/2” wide on each side and your seam allowance is 1/2” , it should match up.

Change to a zig zag stitch. On the 710 I set my stitch width to 4.2 and my length to 3.5. Just find a zig zag stitch on your machine.

Zig zag the zipper to the seam allowance. Your stitch will go over the edge. Stop when you get to the mark you made for the zipper stop.

It will look like this when you are done. Do the same thing for the other side.

Here’s what it will look like. You can see the marks I made for the zipper start and stop points.

Put the zipper foot on your machine. Most all machines come with one. Check your manual if you’re not sure which one it is.

On the 710 in the sewing advisor select woven medium, then zipper.

Check on your machine if you need to move your needle over. You don’t want the needle to hit your foot.

Starting at the top, sew 3/8” from the seam. I eyeball this, you just want a straight line all the way down, and for it to be the same on both sides. You can use your zipper foot as a width measurement if you like.

When you get to the point that your zipper should stop, put your needle down and pivot. Sew over the zipper (yes you can do that) and stop on the other side of the seam.  Do one back stitch.

Do NOT pivot and go back up the zipper, your fabric will bunch up. Start again at the top of the zipper on the other side, and sew down until you get to the stopping point.  Do one back stitch.

It will look like this. Unpick the basting stitches. Now don’t be confused that the zipper is ABOVE the skirt top, we will get to that.

Move the zipper pull down so that it’s at least 2” below the skirt top.  Now just cut off those zipper ends.

Now, if you didn’t put a facing on your skirt, the zipper pull would come right off, not a good thing.  Next let’s put the skirt facing on, and you’ll see how it all comes together.

Sew your skirt facing to the skirt, make sure that the facing is at least 1/2” longer than the skirt (usually a facing is interfaced but I skipped that part). Stop sewing at the edge of the zipper.

Press this seam up. Sew a “stitch in the ditch” 1/4” up from the seam. This will keep your waist band from rolling up.

Press under the extra facing fabric.

Turn it down and press. Hand stitch the facing to the zipper to secure. (and so your facing doesn’t get stuck in your zipper)

You’re done! Feel free to leave questions in the comment box, I’ll be sure to get them.

Follow this blog to get updates on the rest of the Sewing Lessons this year!

The post How to Sew a Zipper appeared first on The Polka Dot Chair.