Maja's Heirlooms Larkin - review

A member of our Threads of Love group just had a baby girl.  You can find the bishop here.  She is such a huge help to us, that I wanted to do something for her.  I chose to make matching dresses for the baby and her older sister. This is the Larkin by Maja's Heirlooms.  It was recommended to me by Kathy Dykstra.  It is a great dress for an older girl.

I found the smocking plate in issue 105, 2006 SB magazine.  There were a ton of beads in this pattern, and if I don't ever see another bead, it will be too soon!  LOL  My bullions still need a little practice, but they are getting better.

This is the back.

The sleeves are probably my favorite.  I love lace!!

See the review below for the modifications I made.  I struggled with the neckband and the back facings, so I did them the way I've always done them.  It's a great pattern, and I recommend it.



Pattern Description: Smocked dress for older girls who've outgrown traditional smocked dresses.

Pattern Sizing: 10, 12, 14, 16 (I made size 12) NOTE: the pattern runs small.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, mostly

Were the instructions easy to follow? Not as easy as I would have liked. I had some difficulty with the neckline and back facing which I address below.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It is a great pattern for older girls. And it's beautiful one made.

Fabric Used: cotton batiste main fabric, cotton lining
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I chose to do a traditional neckband like I've always done on my bishop dresses. The pattern appears to fold the pleating over to the back. This really distorted the pleats. So the traditional neckband worked better for me. I simply cut the bias band to 2 1/2" to allow for the extra. She actually makes this adjustment in issue 105, 2006 SB magazine. I found it after the fact when searching for a smocking plate.

Speaking of smocking, I used the pattern in the same issue of SB designed specifically for this pattern. The tiny beads are seed beads I picked up online. They are smocked into the design rather than added later as is done quite often. I think they hold up better when smocked in. Bullions are embroidered at the bottom of the last row of smocking.

I used french lace on the sleeves using a machine technique to stitch lace to lace and lace to entredeux. I think the sleeves just needed a little something extra. The sleeves are also smocked with a tiny bullion added in the center of the design.

I didn't like the way the back facing was done. The pattern calls for folding the placket to the wrong side then stitching down the facing. I didn't like that edge showing. I chose to fold the placket to the right side, then put the facing down right side, then fold the lining placket on top of that, basically sandwiching the facing in between the placket and placket facing then flipping to the wrong side enclosing all the raw edges. Then to keep the facing in place, I ironed a small piece of heat bond in between the placket and facing.

And I put piping where the skirt front joins the bodice.  I just thought it needed something there too.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I think it's a great pattern with modifications.

Conclusion: This is a very sweet dress for older girls. It was relatively easy once I figured out some of the instructions.

This has been entered in the sewing for children contest on pattern review. 
I would love your vote.  See the badge to the right.  

Thanks for stopping by!  I am happy to answer any questions.  Just email me or post it below.

Angela

Baby Bishop

One of the ladies who helps me tremendously with our Threads of Love Ministry is expecting her second child.  I wanted to do something really nice for her, so I made her girls matching dresses.  This is the baby bishop.  I used Ellen McCarn's pattern and have for years.  It is my go to for bishops.  I used a smocking pattern I found in Sew Beautiful issue 105, 2006.  It is a pattern for Maja's Heirloom's Larkin pattern which is the dress I made for the older girl.  I'll have that one posted very soon as a review.

The pattern called for beading......lots of beading.  In fact, if I never see another bead it will be too soon. LOL  The smocking itself wasn't difficult except for the bullions.  I always struggle with those.  I also still struggle with pleating those seams. Grrr....

I added lace to the sleeves with entredeux.  It's been a very long time since I've done that!  But I found it's like riding a bike.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to ask questions or share comments.

Angela

McCalls 4060 - ladies' boxers

I have been wanting to make boxers for my dd, Britt.  I probably should wait to post this, because she'll probably see this before Christmas. Oops!  Anyway, I tried the first choice boxers, but they don't fit girls as well as boys.  I found this pattern on e-bay from one of my favorite sellers and bought it.

I thought about doing a lace insertion on the front but didn't have the right type of lace and needed to get these finished.  I opted for a monogram instead.  I sent this out since I don't have an EM. :(

I wanted a back pocket but wanted it girly.  I had some 4" lace on hand, so I decided to make a pocket with it.  It was super thin, so I lined it first with satin batiste but lined it just under the eyelet.  I used a rolled hem on the sides, then used a straight stitch to sew it to the boxers.

Love this pattern and will definitely use it again.

Pattern Review:


Pattern Description:   McCalls 4060 Misses classic pants and shorts.  I made view D. 

Pattern Sizing: XS - Med - I cut a small.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very clear instructions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was super easy and great for beginners.  These sit higher on the waist.  The fold over is about 2" for the elastic.  I folded it twice for a total of 4".  My dd likes them to sit lower.

Fabric Used: 100% cotton - Moda dot

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I folded over the top twice but will just cut off 2" next time.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I absolutely would sew it again. And I definitely recommend it to others. 

Conclusion: This pattern was super easy and quick.  From start to finish, they were finished in about 90 minutes.  That includes preparing the pattern, tracing it onto tracing paper and cutting out, and sew time.

Feel free to email any questions.

Thanks for stopping by.
Angela

Adding ruffles to RTW jeans - Tutorial

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Big difference, huh?  I'll show you how I did this in about an hour.  Very simple.  I didn't choose these fabrics.  My friend, Cheryl, did.  She had a shirt embroidered for her dgd and wanted the jeans to match.

The belt was easy.  I cut a 4" strip the WOF.  Folded that in half, opened it back out and folded the edges in to meet the fold line.  Fold again and stitch down both long ends turning in the short ends and stitching those closed.

Now for the ruffles.  This is not rocket science, so no worries about getting these perfect.  We wanted the ruffle on the bottom slightly larger than the other two.  

Here are my pieces.  I cut the pink polka dot at 3.5" X WOF and the other two 3" X WOF.  2 strips of each, but I wound up only needing one.

I hemmed the long edges using a rolled hem on my sewing machine because my serger is in the shop.

I tried ruffling the pink and purple together, but it wasn't as full as I wanted. You can see the pink isn't as full.

So I took it apart and ruffled them separately.  I used my ruffler foot, but you can easily do this with a gathering stitch.  I ran it right on top of my stitch line of my hem.  We didn't want any length added to the jeans, so I only dropped the ruffle down 1/2" below the hem line of the jeans.  I pinned the ruffle in place.

When you get back to the first pin, overlap the ruffle by 1/4" and mark with a pin.

Take it off and to the machine and stitch a 1/4" seam at the pin mark. I pinned it here to show you.

I used my pinking blade to trim the seam.

And it should look like this now.

Pin this back to your jeans legs and use a basting stitch to attach.  **Note.  I put a piece of tape on my machine and lined up the hem line of the jeans to be sure the ruffle was stitched on straight.  If the ruffle 

And here it is stitched on.

Repeat the same procedure with your next ruffle. I aligned it on the same seam so the seams would be stacked.  I used a basting stitch again.

You can see them better here.

Now stitch it along the ruffled stitched line.  I still used my tape as a guide.

This is why I say no need to worry about exact measurements.  I have a smidge extra width on my purple ruffle.  See where my finger is poking through?  That's roughly 1/2" too much.

 To fix it, I simply pinched the excess.

 And folded it toward the seam (toward me).  Stitch right over it.

 It just blends right in.

 Now it's time for the last ruffle.  I ran my ruffle stitch line right down the middle of this last piece.  I wanted to be able to move it just above the first two ruffles to hide the seams.

 I used the same procedure for attaching this ruffle.  Line up the ruffle stitch line right on top of the previous stitch line.  Sew it on the ruffle stitch line (right down the middle of the top ruffle).

 Lift the ruffle edge just to be sure you are covering the other ruffles.  You also want to be sure to catch the other two ruffles on this stitch line since they were only basted.  This last stitch line will secure all of them.

 And now stand back and admire your new ruffles.

And I thought I'd give you a modeled picture.  Isn't she adorable??

Happy Birthday Emma!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to ask any questions especially if I haven't made something clear.  

Angela

Finally Finsihed!

So this is the dress I made for my little friend, Gracie.  This is a dress I found in Sew Beautiful Magazine made by Kathy Dykstra.  You can find the original here.  Be sure to check out all her creations while you are there.  She is amazing!

The lace alone for the original would have set me back about $300.  I couldn't justify that cost any way I tried!  So I left out the lace and made my own tatting to adorn the top of the dress both front and back.

Don't pay really close attention to my bullions.  Some of them leave a lot to be desired, but I started on the less conspicuous ones and migrated to the ones that would be very noticeable as I got better at them.

I had some issues with the floche because it wasn't as bright at my dress fabric or the DMC floss.  But I liked the contrast and went with it.  But I had to change out my tatting to a slightly different color to match the floche on the front.  I thought the contrast looked much better matching the bullions rather than the brighter white floss.  I used the brighter white tatting on the back, since I had no bullions there, just geometric smocking.

I love how this turned out even if it is a much simpler version of the original.  This was by far one of the most time consuming dresses I've done because of all the bullions.  But once I figured out how to make them the right way, it went much faster.

Did You Know?

1. Did you know that an eye of a needle has a right and wrong side?

If you have difficulty getting your thread through the needle, try turning the needle around and thread it through the other side.  Threading through the "right" side is much easier.

2.  Did you know that floss has a grain?

Do you notice sometimes how floss will come apart at the end you are threading.  Try threading the other side of the floss.  Also make sure if you have more than one strand, they are all facing the same direction.


3.  Did you know that the needle number is printed on the shank of your machine needle?

If look closely, you can see it.  If you can't see it while it's out of the case, put it back in the case and look.  The top part of the case is slightly magnified so you can see it inside the case.

4. Did you know on most good quality cotton fabrics, you can tear across the selvage to get the straight grain?

Snip about an inch with your scissors, then tear the rest of the way across the fabric. 

5. Did you know you can use your needle to get the perfect end knot on your thread?

Once you have your needle threaded, take the end of your thread and wrap it around the end of your needle holding the thread snug. 

Then slide that wrap all the way down the needle 

and continue down your thread to the end.  

 Perfect knot every time.  Adjust the number of wraps to how large or small you want your knot.

Just a few little fun things for you to ponder on a very dreary day here in Georgia!

Have a great Thursday!
Angela 

UFO Alert!!

This is a dress I've been working on since I forget forever.  I thought I would have it finished by now, but no such flippin luck!! hahaha.  I finally got the tatting finished and attached on front and back.  This is a little white sun dress I made for my little friend, Gracie.  It is a Kathy Dykstra dress from an issue of Sew Beautiful magazine. 

I think my big hold up was those bullions.  Smocked bullions are NOT the same as embroidered ones.  Well, they are kind of the same, but they don't behave the same way.  I could get the little bullions done with few problems, but those big ones took some practice.  A LOT OF PRACTICE!!  I found a tute on Laurie Anderson's blog and some helpful hints from LaSewista.  After reading those two, those bullions were toast!!  I wish I had seen those sooner.

Then I ran out of floche. HA!  It came in yesterday though, and I should have this one completed this week.  In my defense, this has been one of my carpool projects.  You know when you are waiting in carpool to pick up the kids with nothing to do.  Well this is what I've been working on.  I did not do the dress like the original, because, well, it is VERY expensive with all the lace.  So I went with a more simple look.  I wanted to try something on the bottom of the dress, but Gracie's mom always like extra room to let her dresses out to extend the life of them.  So I'll try it on another project.  Like I need another project!! lol

Have a great day!
Angela

My newest project.

This is an Old Fashioned Baby pattern that I got sometime last year and have just been waiting to get to it.  It is totally sewn by hand.  We'll see if I have that much patience. lol  The fabric is a striped pink batiste that I scored from Farmhouse Fabrics last August.  I've been dying to use this.  I have the pattern pieces cut and marked.  Just waiting on lace to arrive.  I want to incorporate some hand made tatting insertion into this gown.  I hope it works the way I've envisioned.

Check back later for my failure progress.

Thanks for stopping by.
Angela

Another Baby Day Gown

I love baby daygowns!!  This is an Old Fashioned Baby pattern, and this time I chose to have it open in the back.  I used a large inverted pleat with a little bullion right where the stitch line ends in the middle front.

I made my own piping for this one.  I love piping!  I also found a terrific tutorial on how to get the perfect Peter Pan collar.  Don't you hate when you wind up with a gap right where they are supposed to meet??  I was having a hard time with that, until I found this tute. Check it out!  I must admit, I was nervous even using this method, so I managed to get just a tiny overlap.  But I will have it perfect next time!

This is the first time I have done looped bullions.  They are surprisingly easier for me to do than regular bullions.  I have done a ton of bullions over the last few months, and I still stink at them!  I thought we were supposed to get better with practice!!  It seems that I get worse! lol  I also chose a little scallop hem treatment.  This was for a little boy, so I wanted simplicity.  This little gift was well received!  I'm glad she liked it.  I might get lucky and get a modeled pic!

Happy Monday!
Angela