Valentine's Frock, Gathered Neckline Dress Tutorial

Remember this little Valentine's Day frock?  My little one has worn this dress 6 out of the 7 days that the dress has existed. She absolutely LOVES it (which I cannot say that about everything I sew for her).  Because of that I'm thrilled, thrilled, thrilled!  This dress is feminine, without being overly so, and oh so fun for the little one to twirl in.  It's perfect for parties or play alike. 

As promised, here's the tutorial on creating a version of this little number.   

Ready to make your own? 

Here's what you need:

• Lightweight cotton fabric. The amount depends on the size you are making.  For my almost 4 year old daughter I used 2 yards of fabric.  (I suggest using a lightweight fabric (shirting fabric, a light linen, or something else that is super light over a quilting cotton because their are lots of gathers on the neckline, lightweight cotton fabric gathers oh so wonderfully.  I used a pair of cotton curtains we had around the house.. so be creative with your materials!) 
• Iron on interfacing
• Piece of newspaper, typing paper, etc to draft a bodice piece
• Ruler (preferably a clear one like the one pictured below)
• Marking pen
• Fabric pen
• A ready to wear dress that fits your little one well
• Sewing supplies: sewing machine, matching thread, hand needle, scissors, and an iron
• Optional: 2-4 buttons for added detail

Click below to see the full tutorial.

Valentine's Duds.

This week's challenge over at Project Run and Play is to create an outfit inspired by Valentine's Day.  I love Valentine's Day. I mean I LOOOOVE it.  So I just didn't want to pass this opportunity up.  For my look, I created a spring coat and a simple flutter sleeved dress that is perfect for a chilly Valentine's Day party.   

I picked up the blue plaid suiting fabric at the clearance section at Joann's months ago.  I thought it was a perfect subtle nod to the red of Valentine's Day.... so to the sewing table it went.   The coat ended up with an exaggerated collar, heart lined hidden side pockets, gathered waist, and two gold buttons.   I hate to admit this, but looking at the coat the lyrics to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore  kept running through my head (the clean version of course! ; )).  Sing it with me..."I'll wear your grandad's clothes. I'll look incredible. I got this big ole coat from the thrift store down the road."   Yes, I'm aware the coat boarder-lines grandad's clothes.  But I kinda love that about it.  What do you think? 

The dress I sewed was something I wanted to make for a long time it's simple, flowy, and ultra feminine. It's the PERFECT play dress or dress up dress in my opinion.  I love it's understated simplicity.  The dress was made from a pair of old lightweight cotton curtains that has a lovely drape, so it was perfect for the gathered neckline and it was FREE.  My daughter has not taken this dress off since I finished it two days ago. Needless to say, I will make a million more of these. : )  If you love it as much as I do, I have a tutorial for a version of this dress coming soon.. so stay tuned! : )

Enough chatter.. here are the details...

Two gold buttons are better than one. Yeah? 

I added a sweet little wool heart to the inside of the coat to give it a bit of whimsy; in addition the heart is added proof that this is not Grandad's coat. ; ) 

Fully lined coats are where it's at. 

 The dress front:

Tiny details, two red vintage buttons on the front. 

 Two more vintage buttons on the back. 

 This is an amazing dress to twirl in. Makes my little Babes happy. 

 Put it all together now.

Little hands fit in big pockets. 

As an added bonus, here's how Babes would style the ensemble. 
Clothes pin earrings. 
Pink princess bag 
Glass angel in tow. 

The girl's got style. 

Loves,

Amber

How to Sew a Fully Exposed Zipper

I am a bit obsessed with exposed zippers these days, and it's not just because they look cool. Exposed zippers are really the easiest zipper to sew on, in my opinion. You can add them to any project you're sewing or to any top, dress, or skirt you have already in your closet. So grab something that needs a style update, and let's do it. 





You will need:

• Zipper
• Iron on Interfacing
• A shirt, dress, or skirt ready for a style update
• Pins
• Fabric marker
• Scissors
• Thread, sewing machine

1. Cut a piece of iron on interfacing the same width and length as your zipper. 

2. Turn your shirt so that it is right side out. Find the mid point of the back of your shirt. Draw a line as long as your zipper down the center of your shirt.  Iron the interfacing centered on that line. Remember you should be doing this on the right side of your shirt!

3. Sew 1/4 away on both sides of the center line.  When you reach the bottom of your line, pivot and turn then sew 1/4 an inch and pivot and turn and sew 

4. With scissors, Slash down the center line. Iron the raw edges over to the right side of your shirt. Pin and sew in place. 

5. Pin the zipper on your shirt so that the zipper teeth lines up with the with the slash.  It should look like this:

Wrong side:

Right side:

6. With your shirt on the right side. You will sew two lines around your zipper. The first should be 1/4 away from the zipper edge. The second should be as close to the zipper teeth as you can. 

You're DONE! The right side of the back of your shirt will look like this:

While the inside of your shirt should look like this:

That's it!

Loves,

Amber

DIY Anthropology Tee.

Hey, I'm up and running again after a bit of some computer problems. : )

I just finished up a top that I am just crazy for.  

The inspiration for this top came from this lovely number at Anthropology.com.

The Starred Chiffon Tee, $88.  

I adore that it is a super simple tee in the front with a very feminine surprise in the back.  Very well designed.

 I just love it, but with the low reviews (reviewers say it was waaay too big) coupled with the price, I just couldn't bring myself to purchase. 

So I made my own out of an old t shirt and some chiffon fabric. 

Anthropology's version cost $88. 

Mine cost me $5 plus an evening with the old sewing machine. (Fabric from Hancock Fabric)

Not too bad, yeah? : )

This shirt is so comfy, and spices up my day to day wardrobe perfectly.  

Paired with some skinnies and some flats, I'm good to go. 

 

So I went from this...

to this in just a few short hours. : )  

Front

Back

The dolman style sleeves makes this super quick and pain free.  
Ready to make your own?   I'll show you how..

Just click below to expand the entire tutorial and to see this top dressed up. 

5 Minute DIY Newborn Cocoon from Sweater.

This one is for all you photographers out there.

  Have you seen those adorable newborn cocoons? They are all over the place and have been for a while.  Most of these lovely cocoons are either hand knit or crocheted. I made mine just a bit different; and I must say that I love it. Alot.  

I made this lovely in under 5 minutes using one of my old sweaters.

These not only make for a killer newborn prop, it would also be a great gift for a new mom or a photographer in your life.

Want to make one too?

Let's go. : )

 What you will need:

• Old sweater with a ribbed trim (preferred).  For the comfort of the baby, stick with a cotton sweater.  You really don't want the little one to break out from an itchy cashmere, wool, or angora sweater. : )
• Ruler
• Fabric marker
• Scissors
• Sewing machine or serger
• Thread.

FYI, Because every sweater will stretch differently, I will give you dimensions for the cocoon when stretched fully. Your finished cocoon will be 15 inches wide and 15 inches long (at it's longest point) when stretched fully. We will add 1/2 inch seam allowances.

Here's how you do it:

First stretch the bottom of your sweater as wide as it can go.  Measure16 inches along the bottom of the sweater.  Mark with your fabric marker the beginning and end of the 16 inches.

Now stretch your sweater from the bottom to the neckline. Measure 15.5 inches from the bottom of the sweater up.  Draw a small mark to show where 15.5 inches is on your sweater.

Using your fabric marker, draw a slight curve like the one pictured below.  

Cut your cocoon out. 

Put right sides together. 
 Set your machine to a stitch suitable for a knit fabric.

Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, sew or serge your cocoon rounding at the corners (see below).  Be sure to leave the bottom of your cocoon open.

Flip your cocoon right side out. And that's it;  you're done.

Loves,
Amber

Stretch your Dollar. From Onsie to To Tee in 3 Minutes.

I'm guessing you have a ton of onsies that your little one grew out of, right?

Yeah, me too.

You can stretch your dollar by turning your too small onsies into a t shirt in just 3 minutes.

Here's my 24 month onsie that just doesn't fit my 3 year old anymore. : (

Now that old onsie is a perfectly fitting tee!

Long Live the Onsie!

Here's how you do it.

Cut off the bottom of your onsie. Do this as close to the bottom as you can.

 

If you do not have a serger, turn your shirt inside out and fold up 1/4 of an inch.

Fold up another 1/4 of an inch to hide the raw edges.  Pin in place.

Sew the hem down.

If you have a serger, serge around the bottom edge of your shirt.

Pin in place.

Sew the hem down with your sewing machine.

You're Done!!

Long live the onsie. : )

Loves,

Amber