FullOfStitches.com blog.A good laugh leaves me in stitches!

Last fall, I came across another modest swimwear design: Fresh Modesty. This is a design your own pattern ebook. She begins by explaining how to design a pattern and walks the sew-ist through making a pants sloper and a bodice sloper (basic pattern from your measurements so it will fit you – there is a bodice and sleeve pattern included, but they are one size), then walking through some alterations and ideas to make 3 or 4 swimsuits, and showing how easy it is to alter patterns to one’s own taste.

For this swimdress, I used the sleeves and sash from the Fresh Modesty pattern. Or rather, I altered the sleeves in my existing pattern by looking how hers were formed, and following the simple directions of how to add the sash.

I hope my neighbor girl likes it! (she’s always liked my girls’ swim wear)

I had fun with MissC’s swimdress. I raised the waist to empire level and added in a ruffle. The sleeves I widened and added a band to give them a pouf. I accidentally made the skirt shorter than I care for, so I may add a ruffle.

Here’s the changes for the sleeve. I lengthened by about 6″, tapered the side seams out, and curved the hem. For the band, I measured her arm (8″ with pajamas on) and added an inch. To gather, it’s easier than wovens – no basting! Just mark the hem and band in quarters and pin the marks together. Since I stretch to sew knitwear, it was easy to gather just by stretching.

Today I finished the top for MissB’s swimdress. Her favorite colors are purple and green, and I could only find one (1!) purple swim fabric – and it’s not even the good stuff! But it works for swimming, and she likes the pattern on the fabric.

A while ago, I purchased the “Fashionably Modest Patterns – Modest Swimming Suit” pattern. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be available any more. I sewed some swimdresses for the girls a few years ago – before MissC was big enough to need one! Then they used swim shirts and board shorts the last couple years. Yet, we like the girliness of the skirted things, and the coverage! Redheads plus sun equals sunburn. I don’t want to have to invest in a sunscreen company to cover all that flesh in sun block, we’ll stick to just the normal parts! Anywho…

I took a shirt that fits her (this is actually C’s shirt, the other was put away), and drew a new higher neckline for the suit. Then folded up an equal amount on the front and back pieces (about where the grainline arrow is). I sewed the top together as usual (I think I added 7-8″ to the sleeves for elbow length). This pattern has you sew the skirt to the shorts, but I prefer to connect it to the top – have you seen the floors at public beach/pool restrooms? I simply measured the bottom of the bodice/shirt piece and cut the 2″ wide contrast fabric so it fit around the bodice plus 1/2″ seam allowance, and sewed the short edge, then folded the piece and placed it between bodice and skirt.

I actually ended up making the dress too long at first and had to cut off the waistband, so I think the contrast piece ended up 1- 1 1/2″ wide instead. It looks better this way.

The neckband was done like the waist. Just measure the neck, cut a piece of 2″ wide fabric the neck measurement plus 1/2″ seam. Sew little seam to form circle, fold band in half, then pin to neckband and sew in place.

Then I took the rest of the contrast fabric (I’d purchased about 1/8 yd, I think, it was more like 6″, and had used a 2″ strip so far), straightened the edge (ended with about 3 1/2″) and cut in half (1 3/4″ish), sewed the ends to make a really big circle, and pinned and sewed that to the hem of the skirt. I’ll see how it looks after a swim, I think she’ll like the ruffle.

I’ll get pictures of the girls soon!

This has been a major sewing week for me. Before they left for Thanksgiving vacation, I made 3 sets of pajamas from Simplicity 5382 & 3 jumpers from Simplicity 2156. By the time they returned, I had the other 6 jumpers and a nightgown sewn. The weekend ended with pillow cases, one for each child.

Last summer, I made a dress that I was hoping to wear to work as a jumper over my tshirt. I lined it completely and was happy with the style and look, but the “waistband” that goes around the ribs was a smidge too tight. I came across the dress just now (as I still have to attach the pockets, it was in my sewing WIPs) and tried it on.

Beyond the tight rib, the dress still fits pretty well at 19 weeks pregnant. I may just have to make a couple maternity versions..

If I remember correctly, I had less than 2 yards of fabric, maybe 1 3/4 yards. It was the end of a bolt and I just loved the pattern! I was just able to cut out the dress in bodice size 4, rest of it size 6. Looks like I’ll need to check if the waistband was a 4 or 6 and go up a size!

Last month, I cut out a couple dresses. Late at night. And managed to have the pattern pieces upside down. The green fabric has words across it: birds, flowers, fruit, vegetables.

I think it’s cute. This is view 1, with the scoop neck. MissB took these pictures for me.

I had picked up this blue and brown voile on sale at the fabric store with the Swing Dress in mind. Then I started on the Chantilly muslin and decided that would combine well with the blue for my Resurrection Celebration (Easter) dress.

I added brown piping at the waistline. It seems as if I could have used an 8 at the waist instead, maybe I stretched it while adding the piping.

I did pick up some brown to use with the red muslin top, so maybe I’ll drop down a size at the waist and see how it goes.

The only change i made on the pattern was to add 8″ to the hem. Overall, it fits well, flatters my figure, and is very feminine. I think it’s a keeper!

My Mother-in-law, Barb, sewed these cute dresses for the girls for Easter. Adorable!! The pattern is McCall’s M6312. These are the dresses that I had hoped to help with when she was visiting. We found this adorable silhouette fabric on discount at the local quilt store (no complete selvedges are left, or I’d let you know it’s name). It took a while to find the right contrasts, too!

Barb sewed the dress together and left the buttons/-holes and hems for me to do. On this pattern, the straps are supposed to be buttoned closed, but the straps are so short, it didn’t make sense to take that extra half inch to overlap the fabric far enough down to add the button. And, since it was cut on the pattern size of the girls’ age, with added length, it was too big around. So, my simple solution was to move the buttons over to take in the fullness. The buttons can be moved as the girls grow -MissC’s dress (4 year old) fit MissA (8 year old) with the original button placement.

I like to add something to make the dress individualized for each girl when I make them. Since I was on hem duty, I thought it would be fun to use hem lace -which I’d never used before- in the girls’ favorite color. I went with muted colors instead of bright to go with the dresses. MissA has peach as it is close to pink, MissB has lavender or lilac, and MissC has Mediterranean blue.

Celebrating the Risen Lord!