Back to sewing!

Very pumped to say I have been sewing again! I went to the Fabric Depot in Portland a couple weeks ago, to get stretch fabric. I had to make leggings for a lady in SD, who buys them for her boutique. She found me through old items I had sold on Etsy - and I've made two orders for her so far. I don't normally like to mass produce anything - even make TWO out of the same item is a stretch - but these leggings are suuuper fast and fun, so I liked being a seamstress again!

Why does Blogger turn the picture?? Not sure...

Here's the 6 leggings she ordered... sizes 4, 5 and 6. Tried one pair on my 5 year old son - hilarious! A boy in ruffled leggings is plain weird! ..he was weirded out, too.

Well for you fortunate souls who have been to Fabric Depot and know what it is like, YES I bought more. For the UNfortunate who do not know - it is an enormous fabric store where all your savings and checking and spare and future money can disappear without any warning!!
Ah... Amy Butler's Soul Blossom....

I found this awesome fabric I knew I wanted to use to make my daughter an Easter dress. Nothing Eastery about it maybe, but it's so pretty it just had to be made into something!
Sorry I didn't feel like ironing the blue dress.. My daughter is not super pumped on trying things on - so while she was in the mood I quickly got my pictures, iron-perfect or not!

I have a big craft room that also serves as our guest rooms. It looks like a disaster zone 90% of the time - I have LOTS of fabric, trims, snaps, zippers, projects etc all over... For a close example you should take a look at my friend's craft room a few blocks over.... 

Anyway - if I ever DID have any sewing atterns, they would probably be hid far beneath all of the rubble by now. My point is, I don't ever follow patterns when I sew. Sometimes it turns out, sometimes it doesn't. This time I think it did - and my girl loves the dress(es) so that's success right there!

This is the dress that goes underneath. It can be worn as-is in the summer time I figured, or with another dress, or cardigan, to go over it. The yellow part is stretch-knit, the blue part is plain quilter's cotton fabric.

I used the idea from THIS BLOG to make my own bias tape

At this point in my project, I realized I should try to make my own bias tape! I wanted to use this AWESOME striped fabric along the edges of the dress, but didn't feel like sewing on, ironing, folding, sewing other side etc. I didn't cut it on the bias, so this isn't real bias tape, but it worked excellent for my little project.

So anyway... I use a shirt or dress that fits my daughter (this always happens when she is in bed, so no trying on for fit can happen. I'm too impatient to wait until morning, so if it fits it fits), fold it in half and lay down on my folded fabric. Then I eyeball it. I figure an approximate seam allowance, maybe make the neck opening bigger or smaller, or same with arm holes.

For sleeves, I had a random cut out sleeve laying around, and used the top curve of the for "pattern". If you try to "match up" the length of the top curve of your sleeve to your arm hole good enough, it seems to work. The taller/more curved the top of sleeve is, the stiff your dress will look like, but with non-stretch plain cotton fabric I don't make the sleeves very fitted, or else it's a pain to get the dress on & off.

The end result....

I don't know where the idea of just a button-closure dress or pinafore with sleeves came from, but that's what it ended up being. 

the soul blossom fabric is so pretty I would hang it on the wall just to look at...

The brown cotton crocheted lace at the bottom is cut off an old skirt I had.

The bold turquoise snap buttons I ordered from Snap Source ages ago, knowing they'd be perfect for a project some day...

While I was making this, I was first trying to sew a dress completely out of comfy knit fabric to go underneath. It turned out just fine, but a bit small for my girl. I love the mustard yellow fabric, and I love the ruffles..

I found this stich on my sewing machine that works awesome for stretch knit. Mishmash lady told me about having it on her machine, so I was pleased to find it on mine too. My sewing machine is a real cheapo, but it does the work for now.

See the stitching around the neck & armhole? That's what I'm talking about.

...ruffles ruffles ruffles....