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!

Matching blue and white striped shirts. I think the fabric was on sale for $2 a yard, and I only had about 3-4 yards. So $8 for three shirts. The smile Ben gave me for being all matchy-matchy with his boys? Priceless.

I’ve got girls’ dresses yet to sew up.. Later. Time now to enjoy BBQ’d burgers and homemade potato salad.

Patterns:
Colette Negroni (#1014) size Med: adapted the pattern so the facing was part of the shirt front. Used size Large neckline for his comfort.
McCall’s M6226 size 14: is he really that big already?
New Look 6880 size 3: wow, same question!

Happy Independence Day!!

Darts used to drive me crazy until I stumbled into how I sew them now..

First, as I cut the patterns, I mark the pieces by stabbing pins through the pattern piece then gently hold up the edge of the pattern and carefully put a pin through from the wrong side into the pattern piece exactly where the first pin marked (I’ll try to get pics or video of this up)

The darts are marked by pins at the dart point and about 1/4″ from the edge ON each dart leg.

Now, I position the fabric so the dart legs away from me on the ironing board and I can use the left pin to replace the right pin (so the left pin goes down through the wrong side of fabric on the left dart leg, then up through the right dart leg from the right side).

Next, I stab that pin into the ironing board (doesn’t my friend have the coolest burn mark on her ironing board cover?). The dart point had been marked by another pin: keep it in place and work the folded edge of the fabric to make a straight, even fold from the pin to the edge of the fabric.

Now, carefully iron the fabric to make a crisp fold without melting the heads of the plastic pins and permanently adhering them to your fabric.. (’cause that would be bad..)

Take a straight edge and something to mark the dart: pencil, disappearing ink..line up the straight edge, draw a line between the two pins.

See how lovely?

Use the pins to pin the dart in place to maintain the edge and keep the fabric from moving whole sewing (a third pin in the middle helps).

Either, sew by hand with small stitches. Or, by machine:

At the normal stitch length, begin by sewing a few stitches backward, and then stitch, stopping about 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric.

Change to a smaller stitch length..

..and sew off the edge of the dart. (With practice, you’ll be able to change the stitch length at the appropriate place without stopping.)

Leave threads long and tie them in a square knot (really, shortening the stitch takes care of this, and I just snip the threads, leaving ~1/4″ ends). Tada!:

Press dart in direction suggested by pattern, and you’re good to go!

Crafting overtook the game table set up in the corner of the living room. Then fabric filled some of the laundry baskets and were piled onto the coffee table. I considered building cabinets along the wall. I prayed for a cabinet to organize this chaos.

Last Friday, I was visiting a friend whose children have nearly all been potty-trained. She asked if I knew anyone who is expecting and needs a changing table. I drew a blank. Is anyone I know in the area expecting right now? She showed me the unit and my corner of piled baskets of fabric came to mind.. If she didn’t find anyone in need, may I have it? Apparently, she’d had it on offer for a couple weeks without takers and was more than happy to give it to me!

My cutting mat fits on the lower side of the table, where the changing pad belongs. This disturbs Ben a little.. Now, the bottom drawer has scraps and fabric the children have requested, the middle drawer has my projects, and I’m working on organizing the top drawer.

LX fits in the cabinet, so I’ll move in there more slowly. Otherwise, he dumps out what I put in there, or claims it as his own.

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.