June Bug Shirt and Maxi Skirt

My sweet niece Kali just had a birthday.  I love that I have nieces.  It gives me the opportunity to sew for little girls. Kali is a sweet little girl, and has always been called "June Bug" by the family. So this red and black polka dotted ITY knit, seemed like the perfect fabric for our little lady (bug).

I used my silhouette cameo to design a little personalized t-shirt.  I love heat transfer vinyl, and have several projects to show you.  In place of the dot above the "I" in her name, I added a little lady bug.  I didn't know for sure if an eight year old would be down with lady bugs, but she loved it.

On the back of the shirt's neckline I added the words June Bug.  

Kali is quite petite, and this knit maxi fit her perfectly. She was so excited to wear it. 

 I used some scraps from the knit, and made a sailor's knot headband for her.  It was my first attempt at the sailor's knot, and it was fun.  I can't wait to make one for myself.  I followed this Sailor's Knot video tutorial from youtube.

Satin Bow and Box Pleat Skirt

Another Christmas project, but this time not for my boys.  I have a sweet neighbor girl that babysits for us occasionally.  The only thing on her Christmas list this year was a skirt.  She loves skirts. I was so happy when her mom asked for help in making her a skirt. I got to use up some purple satin from my stash, and sew for a sweet girl.

This was kind of a last minute project, so I didn't write up a tutorial, though I'd love to make this skirt again, so you might see one in the future.

The skirt hits just below the knee, features two front box pleats, a satin bow on the waistband, and a double channel elastic casing on the back.  I love doing a partial elastic waistband, it leaves the front flat and clean, but is still easy to slip on, and makes for a perfect fit.

I loved the way the satin gathered when making the waistband.

A sweet skirt for a sweet girl.

A Mini Minnie Skirt

We welcomed a new nephew to the world recently, and he is fortunate enough to have an adorable big sister.  Becoming a big sister can be a rough transition, so the boys and I set out to find something just for her.  A trip to Target yielded some adorable Minnie Mouse socks, and a Minnie Mouse board book.   They were sweet, but seemed to be lacking something.  After a bit of brainstorming, Clark and I decided that the Big Sis needed a polka dotted skirt to wear with her socks.

Joann's had the perfect pink and white polka dot cotton fabric, so we snatched up 1/3 yard of pink and white dot, and white on white dot for a lining.

I modified the Buttercup Skirt, to fit a 2 year old, skipped the paper bag waist, and the minnie mouse skirt was complete.

A simple serged rolled hem, repeated the pink, and made for a fun contrast hem.

The skirt fits a 24 month old, and hits just above the knee. The skirt is really full, which any Minnie Mouse skirt should be.

Here are the basic dimensions: (24 months)

Lining: 2 panels 9.25"x21.5"
Skirt: 2 panels 9.25"x21.5"
Elastic for waistband: 19.5"

You can find the full Buttercup Skirt tutorial here.

Thanks for reading.  Happy sewing.

Gathered Eyelet Trim Baby Bodysuit

Last week I was invited to a baby shower, for a baby GIRL.  I love sewing for girls.  Boys are fun too, but I get to do that whenever I want.  Girls mean that I get a chance to indulge in lace, and ruffles, skirts, and ribbons.  It's just fun.  I'll admit it.

 About a year ago I inherited some gathered eyelet lace trim.  It is so delicate, and clean, that I thought it would be the perfect addition to a baby bodysuit.  I love lace trimmed bodysuits, but eyelet lace, it's even sweeter.

I used my serger to finish off the raw edges of the eyelet lace, but you could easily use a tight zig zag stitch or some fray check to prevent fraying.  I then tucked the tabs up under the envelope neckline, and tacked them in place.  The lip of the lace was positioned right next to the neckline, and stitched down.

After embellishing the neckline, I couldn't help but embellish the backside.  a few rows of eyelet lace on the rump, and the little lady is ready to shop off her adorable diaper bum.

Just to make sure that the ruffles on her onesie were shown off, I added a mini version of the buttercup skirt.  Sweet, simple, and a quick baby gift.

You've Gotta Have Faith-Skirt

The last skirt I'm going to show you this week, is for the oldest of the three sisters.  

Clark was really concerned about this skirt, and the fact that it is green and blue.  EVERY time he saw me working on it he'd express his concern that she would not like it. "I think it looks a little bit boyish", he'd say.  I happen to love the scale of this print, and the colors.  I'm hoping that this little eight year old can get past the fact that it's mint green, aqua, and cornflower blue (the girliest greens and blues you can have). 

I added a small mint crochet trim between the print, and the solid white band.  There are four pleats on the front of the skirt, and the back features an elastic casing.  It was fun to work with the print of the fabric when determining pleat placement.  

We added pockets, and an aqua blue ribbon sash. Three different skirts, for three different sisters.  Hopefully they like them, and put them to good use.

The June Bug Skirt

 After making the Kissing Cousins skirt for my nieces on my side of the family, Clark and I thought that it was only right to make a few skirts for his cousins on my husband's side.

Unfortunately, these are not accompanied with tutorials.  The first skirt that we made was the June Bug Skirt, named after a certain little miss by the same name (not given, and minus the skirt).

You'll recognize the fabric, as being the same as one of the Kissing Cousins skirts.  Clark loved it so much, and I did too, that we thought we ought to make another skirt out of it.  A big old bonus is that all of the material for this skirt came from Miss June Bug's great grandmother.

The skirt is a basic A-line, with a ruffled side box pleat.  I've been wanting to do a gathered box pleat for quite some time, and hadn't quite found the right application.  I love the idea, but think that I ought to have added even more extra material for the gather.  I ended up pressing the fabric to create a bit of a crushed gather.  Jury's still out if I like it pressed. Perhaps I'll do a tutorial on this technique, any takers?

The box pleat was topped off with a grosgrain ribbon bow.

The waistband is flat in the front, and gathered with elastic in the back. For the front, I added a bit of eyelet lace trim.  I love this material, and it seemed like an appropriate garment for it. To attach the lace to the waistband, I added a bit of hem tape to the back, ironed it in place, and then stitched along the scalloped edge of the lace.

  I didn't have thick enough elastic for the waistband, so I ended up using three separate pieces of elastic, and creating a divided casing.  I actually really like the effect.

The skirt has two large pockets sewn into the side seams, I probably won't make a girls skirt again without pockets.

The hem of the skirt was finished with a scalloped stitch.  I finally found a project for that technique as well.  I am kind of in love with this skirt, and may have to make one in my size!

Side Note: I am 95% sure that Clark married one of his cousins last weekend.  We saw them standing together in front of the wedding reception backdrop, with an eight year old officiator between them.  

Tutorial: Kissing Cousins Skirt

My sister just had her third daughter. Her oldest two girls are ages seven and five.  They'll both be starting school soon, and I thought it would be nice to make them something special for them.  It's always hard to adjust to adding a new member to the family, especially when they are being showered with gifts.

I suggested to Clark that we should make them each a skirt.  He was excited about the idea, and immediately began offering design advice.  He insisted that Hallei's skirt should have red roses, and Ellee's should have hearts. He also wanted big pockets, and a bow.

Sometimes it's easier not to fight with a three year old, so we ran with his plan (after several of my revisions were shot down).

My nieces are very similar in size, so I lucked out, and was able to use the same measurements for each skirt. My skirts were sized to about a 7, but you could easily adjust the skirt to any size, all you need is a waist measurement and an approximate length.

The skirt is pretty basic. It has an elastic paper bag waist, side seam pockets, a contrast band along the hem of the skirt, and a wide sash around the waist. I was pretty pleased that I was able to make the skirts with materials that I had on hand, they would have been cuter in coordinating fabrics, but my pocket book is quite pleased that I stuck with my stash.  

Making the skirt for a loved one, and don't know exact measurements?  I didn't either, but I found this sizing chart from Children's Place to be quite helpful. I'll share my measurements for a girls size 7, but don't be afraid to adjust it. 

Tutorial: The Sheer Thing Skirt

Yep, you read it right....skirt, not slip.  The color of the materials gives it a slip like look, but it's a basic sheer overlay skirt with a simple elastic waistband.  The same process that I used to make the Sheer Summer Skirt.  

This skirt requires very little materials, and a small chunk of time.

Materials:

 Elastic (1.5-3 inches wide)-You'll need as much as your waist is wide

3/4 yd Sheer Lace or Chiffon fabric (mine was 58" wide)

3/4 yd Skirt lining fabric (at least 44 inches wide).

Coordinating thread

Sharp Needles (if working for silk, satin, chiffon, or other light fabrics).

Cut your overlay material to 24".  Cut the width in half and remove selvage edges.  This will result in two rectangles (mine were 29"x24").

Cut your skirt lining to 23" long.  Fold in half, cut down the center, and remove selvage edges.  Two rectangles, (22x23").

If the width of the fabrics isn't quite the same as my dimensions it is okay.  I would just make sure that your fabrics are at least 44" wide when purchased.  If you want to overlay material to gather more than the lining, you will want to have it wider than the lining when you begin.**

Place the right sides of both your sheer fabric together, sew side seams and finish edges.  Repeat with lining fabrics.

Create a narrow hem for the skirt lining.  I serged the raw edges, turned it under 3/8", pressed, and stitched.  If you don't have a serger, turn the raw edge under twice to encase the raw edges.

My sheer overlay was a netted lace material that doesn't fray, so I left the bottom edge raw.  You could  serge or sew a narrow hem if needed.

Gather the sheer overlay material along the top edge.  Begin gathering row(s) 1/4" from side seams, and about 1/4" from the top edge of the skirt.  See my gathering tutorial for more information.

**If your materials are the same width, you won't need to gather the overlay.  Simply stay stitch the overlay and lining along the upper edge.

Gather your overlay skirt until it is the same width as your lining fabrics.  Position the overlay so that it sits on the outside of the skirt lining.  Match upper upper edges of the overlay and lining.  Match side seams.  Evenly distribute gathers, and pin along the length of the upper edge.

Stay stitch the lining and the overlay together just outside the gathering line.  Finish raw edges with an overcast serger or zig zag stitch.

Finish off the edges of your elastic using a serger or overcast zig zag stitch.

Match up the ends of your elastic, and stitch them together.

Open up the seam allowance, and press to either side.  Tack down the tail ends so that they lie flat.

Divide both the skirt and the elastic waistband into quarters.  Match up quarter marks, and pin the elastic waistband to the skirt, overlapping by 1/4" to 3/8".  You can further divide the skirt into eighths if you'd like more security when attaching the elastic waistband.

Using a zig zag, narrow zig zag, or three point zig zag stitch, attach the waistband to the skirt.  Stretch the elastic to match up with the skirt as you sew.

That's it.  A basic sheer overlay skirt for summer.  It really is very quick to make, and is nice and breezy for the warm weather.

Thanks for reading!

Sheer Summer Skirt

I have another skirt to share.  I found this sheer polyester fabric for $1.50 a yard.  I love the colors and the print, but don't really enjoy sewing this type of fabric.  I purchased the fabric without a particular project in mind, but I knew that whatever it was that I made would have to be simple. I wanted to keep the number of seams to a minimum.

I cut out a simple two rectangle panels for the skirt, and the lining.  I then sewed the side seams, hemmed the bottom edges with a narrow rolled hem, gathered the waist slightly, and attached it to an elastic waistband.

I picked up the navy elastic at Joann's.  I wish that it were a bit wider, but it does the job.  The skirt falls just below the knee, and the lining is about 2 inches shorter than the skirt fabric.

Sheer polyester fabrics like this can snag and pull easily when working with them.  I recommend using Sharp needles when working with it.

Exposed Zipper Pencil Skirt

So I made myself a skirt.  Another bengaline pencil skirt. The pattern was drafted using a stretch pencil skirt that I have in my closet.  I added a contrast waistband, that angles down in the front.   I also added an exposed metal zipper that runs down the front of the skirt.  As you can see, I inserted the zipper upside down.  The zipper pull is quite large, and I really didn't want it jabbing me in the stomach while seated. To avoid having my skirt unzipped by my children I plan on tacking it down along the zipper line.

I like the skirt. What I don't like quite as much is how it fits my body.  My body has changed with  babies, and unfortunately I haven't put in the time or effort that I need to rebuild my atrophied gluts and abs. My rear just seems to be getting longer and flatter, probably in large part because of sewing and blogging.  I am pretty straight by nature, and I need some junk in my trunk to define my waist....hmmm that probably requires exercise (or a glutimax padded bum enhancer that I see advertised on the spanish channel).

Okay, enough about my rear, more about the skirt.  I had to shorten the zipper a bit to fit the skirt length.  I ended up removing some of the metal teeth with my handy dandy pink tool set.  I found this helpful tutorial on removing zipper teeth and stops. One of the things that I love most about this skirt is how much it cost me.  I spent 20 cents on the zipper (it was on super clearance), and about $2.25 for the black bengaline (remnant at 50% off the sale price).  So I have a brand new skirt for less than three dollars.

With the zipper on the bottom, I can easily adjust the length of the slit in my skirt.  Adding the zipper completely eliminated any need to add a back slit, and was so much easier to do.

So are any of you entering skirts in the Crafter Hours Skirt Week?  I've added a couple, I always want to be more active in participating in online sew alongs and challenges, but I don't usually get around to it.  This time I think I'll make more of an effort.

Happy sewing, and thanks for reading!

Bustled Buttercup Skirt-a mini tutorial

To go along with the lace appliqued onesie, I made a little buttercup skirt with a side front bustle.  I don't think that bustle is the correct term for it, but it's the only term that my little mind can come up with at the moment.

My husband thinks that the outfit looks a bit like a saloon girl outfit.  It might be fitting, considering that this little girl has a sister that wants to name her Sparkle.

Anyway, back to the skirt. To create the bustle all you will need is 5 inches of coordinating bias tape.  I used an extra wide double fold bias tape, because I had it on hand. You will also need about 18 inches of 1/4 inch wide ribbon, a safety pin, and fray check for the ribbon ends.

After sewing the side seams, and hemming the bottom, place the bias tape along the hem edge. I divided my front skirt panel in thirds, and placed my bias tape on the 1/3 mark, closest to the right side seam.

 Stitch near the side edges.  Sew up the center of the bias tape, stopping 3/8" away from the top edge of the tape.

Thread your ribbon up one side of the bias tape...

...and down the other.

 Pull on ribbon tails to gather the bustle of the skirt.  Tie the ends in a knot or bow. Apply fray check to the raw ends of the ribbon.

Continue to follow the original buttercup skirt tutorial to finish assembly.

The little bustle shows a bit more of the skirt lining, and is an easy way to remix the pattern.