Sewing patterns for the modern sewist!
  • Home
  • Store
  • About
  • Blog
  • Tutorials

Bright, Blue, Breezy Dress - McCall's 8035

5/6/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
A bright blue, breezy dress for a girl with a beautiful smile is the way to kick off summer sewing, right? I really enjoyed making this blue gauze dress for my daughter and I think she felt good about having something pretty to wear out after having so many months in, It's a simple and fun make and easy enough for a beginner or if you need a dress quick!
Picture
I used McCall's 8035 and this was my first time trying their PDF patterns. Now I sew with PDF patterns all the time (needless to say) and also with the Big 4 but I have to say I don't recommend using Big 4 PDF patterns. This printout was 55 pages!!! Just for the tile! I know one of the things we indie designers take lots of time on is the layout of our tiles because time and paper are precious resources. Also, there was no test square anywhere on the pattern so I printed out the skirt pieces and verified the finished measurements on the pattern to be sure my settings were right. That said, otherwise it was a good pattern.

​She chose a cotton/rayon gauze for the dress I got from Stylish Fabric on Etsy. I have to say this fabric is wonderful! I don't think it was even $8 per yard and it's soft and drapes a little bit closer to the body than some gauzes. It comes in lots of colors and washes really well.
​
Picture
Picture
Picture
Lining cotton garments always send me into a quandary because most typical linings defeat the purpose of why we wear cotton garments. I decided to use this very lightweight white challis and it turned out to be the perfect option. I lined the bodice and half of the skirt (lots of maxi's are lined just to above the knee these days) and left the sleeves sheer.

By complete luck, I had the perfect color serger thread and these days I've been cutting projects ahead and grouping them by serger color. Don't we all hate the serger rethread?

​The pic on the right shows where I was in construction for the first fitting. I basted just the bodice and skirt together (no lining) and wrapped the elastic around her to make any changes. I ended up shortening the bodice slightly and bringing in the side seam 1/4" on both sides. I also added a slit on one side.
Picture
I prewash all my fabrics before I sew them with no fabric softener. The extra stiffness in the fabric helps with accurate sewing and crisp ironing. But after I finish the garment I do wash with softener. The stitches disappeared and the texture of this fabric got so yummy after washing. I purchased several gauzes this spring to see what I liked, and I was impressed by this one partly because when I press it, it still retains the "gauzy" texture.
Picture
Mother daughter day! I'm wearing a self drafted dress I made about 6 or 7 years ago that I still love.

Lots more projects on the sewing table. I'll share soon!

Diane
Picture
1 Comment

Beachy Stripe Coffeehouse Pants

7/22/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
A sewing project can start forming from different inspirations.  Sometimes it's a fabric, or a need I have in my closet but in this case it came from ready to wear. I've seen some adorable striped pants around and couldn't wait to make my own.
Picture
Picture
These pants are from Madewell and since I love elements of both I combined them into one pant.  I added a button placket at the hem and made a channel elastic waistband.  These are easy additions to an already simple pant, but the details really make it special.
Picture
I chose a linen/rayon blend uneven stripe as the fabric and paired it with the Coffeehouse Pant pattern. Here are the changes I made to get the look I wanted:
  • Added 4" of width to the pant leg
  • Made channels for 3 rows of 1/4" elastic and left a small ruffle at the top
  • Added a placket with 2 buttons at the pant hem
I was able to use the waistband pattern as is and just added 3 rows of stitching each 1/2" apart. I used this nifty seam guide foot I have for my Janome machine to keep all the channels even. I'm really happy with how it came out and the band is really comfortable.
Picture
Picture
Picture
To make the placket, I added an extension at the outside hem on both the front and back pieces. 
  • Front tab extension is 6 1/2" tall by 1 1/2" wide
  • Back tab extension is 6 1/2" tall by 3" wide
  • The finished tab measures 1 1/2" wide after all is finished
  • Buttons are 3/4" wide
Picture
Picture
I'll be adding a blog post soon on how I worked with the uneven stripe.  It can be done, so those of you who shy from these fabrics, don't dismay because they can be tamed.  Stay tuned!

The Coffeehouse Pant PDF pattern is combined with the Morrison Top/Dress PDF pattern in a "Summer Bundle" for just $15!

Happy sewing, friends! I hope you're all well.

​Diane
3 Comments

The Morrison Maxi

7/17/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
The summer sewing continues with the first maxi I've made in quite a while even though I wear them all the time. The Morrison Top and Dress pattern has turned out to be the basis for this summer's wardrobe. It's easy, quick and since I'm home most of the time right now, comfortable. 
Picture
I purchased 2 yards of this double brushed poly online with the idea of making a dress or jumpsuit. When I got it I figured it might be too much print for a jumpsuit (plus how did I think I'd get a jumpsuit out of 2 yards?) and better in a dress.  I had just enough for a maxi, whew! 
Picture
I measured my favorite maxi and made the skirt the same 41" length.  After cutting, it went together in under 2 hours so it turned out to be a satisfying make.  The total project was less than $20 because I already had the pattern (of course, but it's $10 on the website) and the thread. It will also travel well as this fabric doesn't wrinkle. What a dream!
Picture
I did end up making that jumpsuit and I'll be sharing with you very soon!

Be safe friends!

​Diane
1 Comment

Garden Dress - The Margo Pattern

6/30/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
Once it starts creeping into the 90's here, I begin dreaming of summer shift dresses (check out my Summer Frock Pinterest Board), The ideal dress is comfortable in the heat, versatile enough to work in (water plants, sew and run errands too) and look good enough to go out to dinner because let's face it, who wants to cook when it's this hot?!  Enter the Margo Dress!
Picture
As many of you know, one of my goals as a pattern designer is to create versatile patterns that can be used over and over. It's so much easier to start with a base pattern that you know works and use it as a jumping off point for creative and unique pieces.  The Margo Blouse is one such pattern.
Picture
I used 2 yards of iridescent linen from my stash and coordinating DMC embroidery floss for the contrast stitching.  Here are the changes I made:
  • Left the sleeves off and bound the armhole.
  • Added 15" to the length of View A so it hits just below the knee.
  • Added patch pockets at the side seam (large enough for my phone, of course).
  • Used reverse bobbin stitching at the yoke, pockets and hem.  Check out my tutorial on how to do this. It's easy and fun!

​That's it!
Making the dress shorter or adding tiered ruffles would also make a beautiful romantic dress for the summer. Embroidery or lace added to the yoke would make a fun, bohemian feel. So many options!  I have a Margo Blouse Pinterest board for even more ideas.

Happy Sewing, Friends!
​Diane
3 Comments

New Look 6413 and Yet Another Blackwood Cardigan

5/24/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
I just finished a dynamic duo to add to my summer wardrobe.  Here's New Look 6413 and of course the beloved Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet in a combo that I got really lucky to find.  I've had my eye on this rayon crepe print at Fabricland (my local fabric store in O.C.) and was fortunate to find a dreamy lightweight french terry in a beautiful rose that goes perfectly with the print.  When this happens...you have to bring both fabrics home.
Picture
Picture
This dress is really simple and perfect for a beginner or anyone that needs a quick project.  It calls for a front bodice zipper which I thought would be odd but actually looks really nice.  It's completely unnecessary for the dress (it would pull over without it) but you would need to put it in for the jumpsuit view.  Since I made this as a sample for the fabric store I included it so people could see the pattern as it's written. 
Picture
I don't think anyone needs another Blackwood cardigan review so i won't add one here but I've made 5 now if that says anything about it.  But what I like about this one is the color.  It's not a color I would normally look at but it turns out it goes with so many things in my closet!  I probably have at least 3 other outfits for it.  
Picture
Picture
Just a quick share today as I've got more dresses in the works.
Happy Sewing,
​Diane
1 Comment

Cold Shoulder Georgia Top - And A Sale!

6/22/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Nothing makes me happier than when I see someone hack one of my patterns.  I don't attach any pride to the pattern by expecting for the pattern to only be made as I first designed it.  In fact, The Georgia Top is the perfect simple design to have at it.  Now it's my turn...
Picture
The cold shoulder trend is hotter than SoCal in August and Georgia needed to hop on that party wagon. This fan print rayon jersey came from my last haul from Craftsy.  It's a cream background with peach colored Asian fans and is soft and cool for the warm summer.
Picture
Picture
This hack couldn't be easier and I think I finished sewing it in under 2 hours.  It was one of those pieces I made in the morning and wore to my class in the afternoon.  To start, I left the armbands and waistband off of view A.  To make the cold shoulder I stitched the shoulder seam from the neck 2" and stitched the last 4" from the shoulder to the sleeve hem.  I finished the opening by folding back the seam allowance and stitching in place.  Seriously....that's it!
Picture
Because I want you to have fun with Georgia too, the pattern is 25% off now through July 4th!  
Check out my Georgia Top Pinterest page with even more ideas! Have fun! 

​Happy Sewing!
0 Comments

Wrap Skirt for the Girl - New Look 6456

6/8/2017

3 Comments

 
Picture
 I set aside my selfish sewing for a bit to sew for my favorite girl.  She's home from college and a girl needs something new when she comes home, right?  I made a wrap skirt out of this rayon challis print she found at Joann. It was quick and easy and she's very happy.
Picture
I used New Look 6456 and made View C and made no changes (not even to the length) and it's perfect.  You really can't go wrong with a wrap skirt, they're an easy fit and easy to make.  The fabric shrunk like crazy so I had a difficult time getting all the pieces out of the fabric. I think figuring out how to make the pieces fit took almost as long as making it.  Cutting and sewing was under 2 1/2 hours and I only had a few square inches of fabric left over.  Yay me!
Picture
She's going away to work this summer and my plan is to make her another one before she gets back.  Chambray maybe?  I'm going to miss her so sewing for her will make me feel better. 
Picture
Picture
There's still so much more I've made and haven't blogged about.  Coming soon!
3 Comments

"I Had To Have That Fabric" Dress - McCall's 7381

6/1/2017

5 Comments

 
Picture
One of my students brought this fabric into class and I immediately fell in love!  Not with my student (although she's wonderful and has amazing taste) but with the fabric.  I thought about sliding it into my work bag when she wasn't looking or offering to buy it from her but instead she told me she got it from Craftsy and I was giddy to discover it was still available!  Yay!  For those of you that haven't purchased fabric from Craftsy, all of the their fabrics either come in kits or in precut lengths.  I purchased a 4 yard cut so I still have enough for a blouse or shell.
Picture
I made McCall's 7381 View A in a size 12 straight out of the envelope but ended up making quite a few changes after I wore it the first time.  This is a polyester/spandex knit and although I usually sew with natural fibers, I love the way this dress looks, feels and washes (which is a good thing since I purchased another knit just like it.)  The dress calls for a woven fabric and has quite a bit of ease built in, so sizing down to a 10 would've minimized the alterations I needed (and the amount of time it took to take it apart!). 
Picture
Here are the changes I made:  
  • Made the shoulders 1" narrower (more flattering for me).
  • Took the sides in 1" on both sides.
  • Stitched the elastic casing to the dress instead of having it feed through in the seam allowance.  A stitched down casing looked less bulky.
  • Fused knit interfacing to the front neck so it would hold it's shape.​
Picture
I'm happy I took the time to make the changes even though it took me almost as long to make the changes as it took to make the dress.  Every time I need to make changes that require a lot of ripping out I spend days deciding if I should do it or not.  I'm always happy when I take the time. "Unsewing" can be very discouraging but I highly recommend taking the chance sometimes.
Picture
I've been sewing faster than I've been blogging so I have more to share with you.  Summer sewing is in full swing and I couldn't be happier.
5 Comments

Are They Jeans or Pants? - Butterick 6331

9/6/2016

8 Comments

 
Picture
This is my last spring/summer make and it's taken me a while to post it. I bought this pink fabric last summer for a pair of pants but never got around to making them.  There’s never enough time, right?  So this year I made it a point to get to it even though it’s almost fall and I really won’t wear them much until the spring.  I didn’t pay a whole lot for the fabric so I chose a new pant pattern and attempted a wearable muslin.
Picture
I used the Lisette Pattern 6331 by Butterick because I liked the narrow leg (there’s a cute jacket included in the pattern if you’re interested) and the opportunities for topstitching.  There is a back yoke on the pants which makes me wonder if I should call them jeans or pants.  They’re something like the Chevy El Camino. Is it a car or a truck?
Picture
I made all of my usual adjustments to the pattern which included adding 3/4” to the back rise and “scooping” out the crotch and redrawing the curve by copying the curve from my favorite pants pattern. This pattern has a straight waistband which almost never works for me so I ditched the waistband pattern entirely and used my own curved waistband. Typically when there’s a straight waistband on a pattern, the pants/skirt are drafted to sit all the way up to the waist, 80’s style.  Now there’s nothing wrong with the 80’s (except for the red suede scrunchie boots I may or may not have worn) however,  1 1/2” lower at the waist would be more comfortable for me.
Picture
High waist.
Picture
Lots of topstitching, my favorite.
I don’t remember the fabric content of these pants but I can tell you it has ALOT of spandex and is quite stiff.  The spandex thing is such a catch 22, isn’t it?  We love how woven fabrics with stretch feel but it’s frustrating when a garment loses it’s shape after just a couple of hours. Don’t you hate the jeans you have that fit great in the morning but get the “baggy butt” by lunchtime?  This is only part of my fit problem, however, so I still need some adjustments.
Picture
Seat needs room.
Picture
Too much fabric at the thigh.
You can see in the photo that there’s too much fabric at the top of the back thigh.  In the future, I’ll take out 2” horizontally at the top of the thigh (I know the pic on the right is a sketchy photo and I have no pride, but I wanted to show the problem in the hopes of helping other sewists, right?) and add the 2” back in at the hem before I make the next pair.  The adjustment will look like this:
Picture
If I make these pants/jeans again I’ll change a couple of things: 
  •  I’ll choose a softer fabric with less spandex.
  •  Lower the waistline at least 1 1/2” because they sit right at my natural waist.
  •  Make back leg adjustment I described above.
  •  “Scoop” the back just a little bit more (to ease the pull in the seat).

​I have a Dover Jacket that I turned into a dress under the machine right now.  What are you sewing?
8 Comments

Match the Pattern on a Pocket...and Stitch It.

8/29/2016

3 Comments

 
Picture
I made the tiniest little boy shirt out of this fabric and since the shirt was so small, I wanted to minimize the busyness of the pattern by matching the pattern on the pocket.  Actually, if I were to be completely truthful, I really wanted to match the pocket because I love matching patterns and probably would never have another chance to line up "googly eyes".  Learning to match a pocket is quick and this method works for prints, stripes as well as plaids.
 Here's how to do it:
Picture
1. Transfer pocket placement dots to front of shirt.
Picture
2. Place pocket pattern on the shirt so dots match.
Picture
3. Trace design of fabric onto tissue ( I marked the "googly eyes" of the crab using a water soluble marker just in case it bled through the tissue and onto the fabric. This may or may not have happened in the past. Hmmm.)
Picture
4. Place pocket pattern over shirt fabric, matching "googly eyes". Cut out the pocket.
Here's how to prep the pocket and stitch it on:

Picture
1. Fold over hem allowance.
Picture
2. Fold under 1/4" under hem allowance for clean edge.
Picture
3. Fold hem back along the foldline, right sides together.
Picture
4. Stitch along hem allowance line (in this example it's 5/8").
Picture
5. Turn the hem so the right side is out and press in along stitching line. Using the line as the guide insures that the pocket is even.
Picture
6. Stitch along top of pocket at hem (I completely forgot to photo this part...we will use our imaginations and pretend it's there, uh-hem.)
Picture
7. Place pocket on shirt, pin in place and stitch (I use my ditch foot for a really clean line.)
Picture
There's our pocket all ready to go!
3 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

    About Me

    Hi!  I'm Diane, a wife, mom, sewing teacher and pattern designer from sunny Southern California.  I share my sewing adventures here on the Blue Dot Blog formerly Gatorbunnysews.  For more info click here.

      Don't miss a thing...
      Sign up for our newsletter for the latest news and sales.

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    Picture
    Picture

      Email me:​

    Submit

    Categories

    All
    Ally Skirt
    Andrea Wrap Dress
    Blouse
    Blue Dot Patterns
    Burda
    Butterick
    Butterick 6331
    Chambray
    Coffeehouse Pant
    Dover Jacket
    Dress
    Expansion Pack
    Fall Sewing
    Fitting
    Georgia Top
    Gifts
    Holiday Sewing
    Inspiration
    Jacket
    Jumpsuit
    Knit
    Margo Blouse
    McCall's
    Men's Sewing
    Morrison Top
    New Look
    New Look 6035
    No-Zip Skirt
    Pants
    Pattern Release
    Pattern Testers
    PDF Pattern
    Sale
    Sew Along
    Sewing Challenge
    Sewing Class
    SewIt2017
    Shirt
    Silk
    Simplicity
    Skirt
    Spring Sewing
    StyleArc
    Summer Sewing
    TNT Patterns
    T Shirt
    T-shirt
    Tutorial
    Upcraft Club
    Velvet

    Archives

    October 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    May 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    April 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Store
  • About
  • Blog
  • Tutorials