School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2211 - White Blouse

My daughter came home from camp today, saw the skirt and immediately loved the pockets. She really seems to like them, so if it passes the wear test I might be making more items from the same pattern. 

The white blouse is now being made and since this is the second time I've made this pattern it is sewing up more quickly.  This is how much I've been able to do:

I would be a little further along, but we've lost power at the house so that is limiting how much I can actually sew.  The power should be back tomorrow and I should be able to easily finish the blouse. 

Parting Shot:  New Steps.  Our deck needed new steps, and today was the day to take apart the old steps and put new ones in.  This project would be done today, but because of the power outage, my husband can't finish it up.

School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2224 - Part Two

This morning I was able to quickly finish the skirt.  I stitched the waistband casing to the skirt, put the elastic in and finish up the hem.

I did not to make the faux waist tie as shown on the pattern - my daughter didn't want it.  That made the skirt easier to make, too.  Here's the inside of the waist casing, all finished:

I'm really pleased with the skirt!  It was easy to make and looks comfortable to wear, not to mention the fact that it has pockets.  I also like the fact that the pattern also includes pants and shorts, too.  I'll probably make those for her, too, but won't have to buy another pattern. 

Next up:  the white blouse.  It is already cut and waiting;  I just need to change the thread over to white in both machines and I'll be ready to go.  

Parting Shot:  Kinsman Pond.  My son and I did some hiking in Fraconia Notch the past two days.  Here is he at Kinsman Pond before hiking up to the summits of North and South Kinsman.  To quickly answer a question from the comments:  no, my daughter does not like to hike, so we find other things to do together.

School Wardrobe

Simplicity 2224 - Part One

Since my daughter is at camp this week, I decided to start with an easy elastic waist skirt, Simplicity 2224.  She chose the green leafy batik fabric for this skirt, a fabric which I thought was unusual for her, but she said she wanted to try something different. 

The skirt itself is easy to make, and this is what I have so far:

The pockets are really easy to make.  They're finished at the top with wide binding and then the bottom edge is turned up and stitched to the side panel.  The sides are aligned with the edges of the panel and are included in the seams that join the side panels and center fronts/backs. 

Since this is for a junior high student, and I'm not sure what sort of torture she'll put these pockets through, I decided to use two rows of topstitching when attaching the bottom of the pockets.  I also added an extra row of topstitching when stitching down the top pocket binding to keep the look consistent. 

Now, if I had another 30 minutes or so, this skirt would be done.  The waist casing is assembled, and just needs to be added along with the elastic.  A quick hem would then be the final touch.  I'll be gone for the next few days, but I think I'll be able to finish this off  and show you the final skirt on Friday.

Parting Shot: Mt. Carrigain.  My son, husband and I were able to hike Mt. Carrigain this weekend.  The three of us have never done a longer hike together, and it was good day.  This peak is nice because there is an observation platform, and you have 360 degree views of a good portion of the White Mountains. 

School Wardrobe

Shopping Day

Today we went down to Jo-ann's with a few other stops to look at RTW.  We went to Jo-ann's first to survey what they had and to narrow down some choices.  Based on what we saw in RTW, we'd go back after lunch and pick up the fabrics we needed at Jo-ann's. 

My daughter ended up with three RTW knit tops.  I would have had to order in this fabric and would have ended up paying more for the fabric than I did the tops, so I just bought them.  She loves the colors and styles and it works for me.

As a side note, take a look at the finish of the neckline of the purple top.  It was left as a raw edge and then stitched to a narrow piece of elastic while the elastic was stretched.  When the elastic relaxes, it forms the gathers at the neckline.

For fabrics, we then decided on two skirts and two tops.  We found another summer skirt in her closet, so we decided on just two more, rather than three.  There's a paisely silky stuff for the tunic top from Burda, a white embroidered cotton for a white version of the Lisette top (which she'll need for warm weather choir performances, too), a green leaf batik print for the Simplicity 2224 skirt, and then a butterfly print for what was going to be the other Simplicity skirt with the flounces.  We actually found an acceptable substitute pattern in a Patrones magazine that I have so I didn't bother to buy another pattern. 

It was a pretty successful trip - she's getting everything she needs to fill in her wardrobe and she really likes all of it.  We were able to edit and compromise on her list and I've ended up with less sewing to do.  That's not a bad thing, considering we're having a busy summer!

Parting Shot:  Ready To Play.  Kiwi is ready to play with her mouse, now I just need to get her away from the dressform!

School Wardrobe 

Planning

Yes, it is that time of year again:  time to work on the school wardrobe.  I know it is early, but I just checked the calendar and school starts in 6 weeks and I'll be gone a total of 3 weeks (although not all at once).  So, I need to get things together now, especially since my daughter will be at camp all next week and not available for shopping or fitting. 

To that end, we went through her closet and cleaned it out of things that weren't working for her or were too small.  That left a group of dark, heavier winter skirts, plenty of winter tops and sweaters, one lightweight skirt and 3 lightweight tops.  What she really needs is warm weather stuff - more skirts and tops. 

So, we looked at patterns.  That's always a task I don't look forward to with her.  She's very picky and her school has a strict dress code:  knee-length dresses or skirts and no sleeveless tops.  It might sound easy to do, but it really isn't, and then add in the challenge of dressing a jr. high student in fun, cute, but not overly mature (or revealing or sexy or whatever) clothes.  Sigh.  At any rate, we did find some things we think will work.

For skirts we have Simplicity 2224 and 2190 and Burda 11/09, #113.  We're thinking prints or summery plaids and solid tops. 

For tops, Burda 4/09, #121 in some sort of print to go with the solids skirts she already has, and a few of Simplicity 2211 (the Lisette pattern I just made) one of which I'll just modify to look similar to the Burda 3/09 #109 shown, plus a few Jalie knit tops (patterns not shown):

Tomorrow is shopping day, so we'll go to Jo-ann's and see what they have and then also do some other shopping.  If I can get a good deal on something that is cheaper than fabric and my time, we might just get it!  Outfitting my son will be easier.  He needs three pair of pants and a pair of tennis shoes.  Easy.

Parting Shot:  Hostas.  Our hostas are now blooming adding some nice lavender blooms to the mix.  My husband has seen a tiny humming bird at the hostas a couple of times, too.  I can't ever remember seeing one on our property, so the sighting was a first.

Burda 4/11 #115

A Finished Refashion

The  new dress was pretty easy to finish up!  I had enough fabric to cut bias binding for the neck and armholes.  The original Burda instructions include a facing and a binding.  I wasn't so sure that this dress needed both, so I opted just for a binding to make things easy.  I did end up adjusting the neckline to bring the shoulders in a little more;  I probably should have cut a size smaller in the shoulders only.

For the waist casing on the inside, I used some commercial bias tape to make things really easy:

One of the children was able to snap a quick picture this morning before leaving:

So far I'm happy with it - the style is a little more updated than the previous dress and the front is bloused just about right, although if I made it again, I might add back an 1" to the bodice.  I'll wear it out tomorrow night and see how it wears.

Overall, very easy to make, and I think you could make this dress even easier with a few changes:

• omit the pockets
• use commerical pre-made binding for the neck and armholes
• skip the casing and elastic and just use a belt

That would get the total number of pieces down to two and construction would be really easy.  

Parting Shot:  Beach.  The kids are ready for a day at the beach with their grandparents.  It is supposed to be hot in New England today so it should be a fun time!

Burda 4/11 #115

A Refashion and Update

While looking through my closet recently, I came across a dress I've not worn much the past few summers.  I'm not sure why, but I'm not reaching for this one at all.  Maybe it is because it doesn't have pockets or because all that fabric is a bit bulky around the waist?  Not sure. 

I made it back in 2008, and I'm not sure why I'm not loving it or wearing it, but it was a good candidate for an updated refashion.  There is plenty of fabric both length- and width-wise, so all I needed was a fairly simple pattern.  This is supposed to be an easy summer dress, so when I came across Burda 4/11 #115, I knew I had found the right thing.

It only has three main pattern pieces, plus some other smaller (and to me, optional) ones and no closure.  This pattern is pretty versatile and can be really, really easy if you want to make it that way.  I traced off the pattern and then took a look at one of the two areas I was concerned with the most:  all the blousing above the waist.  The model photos show a lot of blousing and this didn't seem like a good idea to me.  First, I didn't want all the excess blousing and second, I'm short waisted.  Not a good combo.  A quick tissue fit revealed that I could take 4" out of the bodice and still achieve a bloused look without being extreme.

In the photo below, the top of the ruler is at the waistline, and the bottom of the casing, as drafted is near the 7" mark.  That's a lot of extra fabric, as you can see on the right side, I've folded out quite a bit.

The other issue that concerned me was the width of the shoulders, as I have narrow shoulders, too.  I decided that I'd work with the neck gathers to get the right width when the time came.

I carefully cut apart the dress and had just enough length to cut out the new front and back and was able to use the old hem as the new hem.  Perfect.

I decided I did want pockets, so I made the pockets pretty much according to the Burda instructions, but also referenced Roberta Carr's book, Couture the Fine Art of Sewing, like I did when I made the pockets for the burgundy jacket earlier this year. 

Now that the pockets are done, all that's left is finishing off the armholes and neck and then adding the casing and elastic at the waist. 

Parting Shot:  Wrapped and Ready.  My niece's gift is ready to ship.  To finish the crafty theme, I decided wrap it in some fabric and extra ribbons for fun.

The 13th Birthday Outfit 

Complete!

Here it is, all finished:

Here she is wearing it.  She won't be 13 until next month, but with a very busy schedule and both of us being away on different trips at different times, making it ahead of time was the best plan.

Not too bad, probably need to think about a sway back adjustment in the future! ;)

We still need to pick up the rest of  the accessories, but for right now, it looks fine.  We were able to pick up some fun new sandals:

I really liked this pattern.  The pattern itself was not hard to make and the results are really good.  I'll be interested to see if the other Lisette patterns are the same.

Parting Shot:  Envelope.  My daughter has been working on some book making skills this summer, and that includes some envelopes and other paper goods.  She made these yesterday, just out of circles of paper.

The 13th Birthday Outfit

The Skirt - Part Three

This is the last post for the skirt, and since the outfit is finished, I'll show you the whole thing tomorrow.  The only thing that the skirt needed was a hem and decorative buttons.  Because of the pleats and underlays, the hem takes a little more work, but isn't hard.

First, the hem needs to be pressed up all the way around to whatever depth you want it. For this thick twill, I've decided just to serge the edge and press up once.  If this was a thinner fabric, I might have turned under the top edge or turned the hem twice.  The thing to remember here is that you will have to clip the seam allowances of the skirt and pleat underlay so that the pleats will lie flat and the hem will not be super thick.  Clipping the seam allowances lets the seam allowances in the hem area to be pressed open and flat, eliminating some bulk.  This gets rid of potentially 6 or 8 thickness of fabric that will have to be stitched over to make a hem.  Please note that the seam allowances should be turned in towards the pleat underlay, *not* like as in the photo below!

The other thing that needs to be done once the hem is stitched in place is to go back to all the pleats, fold them and stitch along the folded edge on the inside when the seam is.  This helps to keep the pleats folded nicely.

Lastly, the skirt needed the decorative buttons and a good pressing.  I took the extra time to press the pleats with vinegar.  That's right, a pressing cloth soaked in good old white vinegar.  It does smell a bit, but only during pressing, and the pleats stay nice and crisp even through several washings.  I learned this trick a long time ago in high school from my mother who said that they used to do that with skirts back in the 50's.  Still works fine today!

I'll show you the whole outfit tomorrow, minus an accessory or two!

Parting Shot:  Mt. Madison.  Mt. Madison was one of the peaks we visited yesterday.  Here's my son at the summit with Mt. Washington behind him.

The 13th Birthday Outfit

Skirt - Part Two

Once all the pleats were done, I basted the side seams of the skirt for a quick fitting on my daughter.  It was a little bit big, but easily fixed by taking out the excess at the side seams.  This skirt does have multiple seams, so the are choices as to where you take out the excess depending on your figure type - just don't topstitch those pleat seams until you're sure of the fit!

After the quick fitting, the next step was the zipper.  I used an invisible zipper instead of the lapped application in the instructions.  It was easier for me and looks neater.  With that done, I made up the decorative tabs.  They're cute and easy to make and add a nice touch to the skirt.

Once the tabs were basted in place, I needed to finish the waist edge.  The instructions have a grosgrain ribbon finish, but I find that grosgrain does not stretch and mold to a curved waist edge like petersham ribbon or bias binding.  I opted to use a piece of bias cut from the skirt fabric.  Before even sewing the bias to the skirt, I interfaced the top edge of the skirt to help keep it stable.  It has a slight curve, and it is better stabilize than to have it stretch out. 

I then cut a bias strip, 1 1/8" wide, pressed up 1/4" on one long edge and stitched the other long edge to the skirt, right sides together.  I then turned the bias to the inside, pressing carefully and following the curve of the waist edge.  This skirt does not have an extreme curve to the waist edge or else I would have preshaped the bias with stem before stitching.  After pinning, I topstitched the pressed edge of the bias strip in place.  Pretty easy and looks clean from the inside:

Hemming and button details are the last steps - I'll show you those later this week.

Oh, and I did get the buttons on the blouse, it looks better with the buttons:

Parting Shot:  Almost Ready.  We're almost ready for another two day trip to the mountains.  This is a trip my son has been looking forward to.  See you on Friday!

The 13th Birthday Outfit

The Skirt - Part One

The blouse is almost done - I got the buttons today and will stitch them on tonight.  The skirt now is being worked on in stages.  So far, I've got the back finished and am working on the front.  Since they are almost identical, I'll take you through the steps.

First, I've serged all the edges of the skirt center and side pieces and the pleat underlay, with the exception of the top of pleat extension - I'll finish those later.  This is the best way to make the inside of this skirt neat without being bulky.  Because this skirt has pleat underlays, this really was the best choice.  I've also marked the large dots on the pattern - where the stitching stops on the seam before the pleat.

The  next step is to stitch the center to the skirt side pieces.  With right sides together, the seam is sewn only to the dot (the lowest pin) and then pressed open.  From below the dot to the hem can be basted, if you want.

Now the pleat underlay is stitched in place.  Place the pleat underlay on the skirt, matching the top and side edges, right side down. 

Next, turn each side over separately and pin pleat underlay to the skirt piece. 

Now, stitch along pinned edges, pivoting at the corner and ending (or beginning, depending on which side you're sewing) at the large dot that was marked earlier.  Each side will need to be stitched separately.

To finish that last unserged pleat extension, I zigzag the pleat extension and pleat underlay together.  This finishes and helps to give the pleat a little more support at the same time. 

Now that the pleats are done, I can baste the side seams and check for fit.  After any corrections, I'll be able to add the zipper and finish the hem.  The last thing I'll do is make the decorative waist tabs and finish the waist edge.  Just a few more days of work and this outfit will be done!

Parting Shot:  White Lilies.  The white lilies are blooming now, and we have quite a few, so my daughter made a pretty little arrangement this afternoon.