Happy Tuesday and Sew Along Links

A very Happy Tuesday to everyone who drops by today. I don't think there's a soul in the world who doesn't know that it's election day here in United States. I was out early this morning to vote. Like everyone, I have my views and opinions, but I find it's better to just keep them to myself. But, if you do live here in United States, and you are registered to vote, please cast your vote. Just remember, it's not a right that everyone in this world has. 

I'm off to Texas today for a little rest and relaxation. With all of the events of this past spring, summer, and fall, I'm looking forward to doing a little shopping, eating some good food, and hopefully enjoying a little rest. I almost canceled my trip as I'm having a hard time with leaving my husband and Gracie behind, but I think this trip is just what I need to revive a bit, so I stuck to my decision and in a few hours I'll be off :) 

I am planning to check in, share some of what I'm doing, maybe a few outfits of the day, and possibly a story or two.

I mentioned last week that I had updated my Sew News Sew Along Links page. You can find it HERE, or on the bar at the top of the blog. Over the past 3 years, I've tested a lot of patterns and I've had a lot of fun with giving you just a little something extra with some of the pieces.

The first year we made;

The Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Handbag. 

  
The Clara Dress from Sew Liberated

The Hot Patterns Summer Breeze Top which I turned into a dress.

The Colette Patterns Clover Pant

The I Think Sew Emily Bag

The Sewaholic Robson Trench

In 2015 we made;

The Sew Chic Valentine Slip

The Decades of Style Arches Skirt 

The Dixie DIY Movies In The Park Shorts

Then I was honored to have the Grainline Portside Travel Set that I made grace the cover :)

 The Sewn Square One Jacket and Coat

And finally,

The Studio Kat Cosmo Convertible Bag

We started out 2016 with;

Waffle Patterns Pepernoot Coat 

Then we made the super popular Magic Bias Dress from Fashion In Harmony

The Papercut Pattern Soma Swimsuit

Swoon Patterns Stella Weekender Bag

And currently of course;

Closet Case Files Ginger Jeans

So if at anytime you would like to make up one of the patterns, or take a look at any of the sew alongs, they are all very easy now to find.

Have a wonderful day and I'll check in with you from Texas!
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Making The Bucket Hat

Whew, my posting has been kind of a nonexistent thing the past few days. But the break was good :)

I had promised last week to do a quick tutorial on how I put together the bucket hat from Lost In Paris. Super cute hat, great for throwing in your bag to have on hand for when you find yourself out in the sun and needing a little extra protection. As I said last week, I liked the pattern so much that I made up 2 hats. I especially like the reversible aspect of the hat.

Below is my basic denim hat.

Another denim hat, but this time in white with a fun travel print on the flip side. You can also play with the brim and give it a fedora look.

This is a one size hat pattern, so my recommendation is to cut out the side of the hat and slip it on. If it seems comfortable, you're good to go! 

To prepare the pattern, fold the crown in half and mark notches. Fold it in half again and mark notches. You will have notches for center front, center back and the sides.

Be sure to mark notches on the side of the hat as well as the brim.

Sew the crown to the side of the hat. All seam allowances are 1/2". Once the seam has been sewn, press open.

By pressing the seam open, the crown will lay much nicer.

Now sew the lining of the brim to the outside fabric, but only the bottom edge.

Trim the seam allowance to 1/4". Turn and press the edge.

Now sew the brim to the main body of the hat. Note that the lining is not included yet.

Now sew the crown to the side panels of the lining. Be sure to press the crown seam just as the did for the outer fabric. Slip the main body of the hat inside the lining of the top of the hat. Stitch around the hat leaving at least a 4" opening for turning.

Turn the hat right side out and slip stitch the opening closed. 

The hat will be secure when turned from one side to the other. 

This is a great project for anyone who is learning to sew. It makes up quickly and it's a project that insures success. And we all know, a first project really does need to be successful.

Just one last note before I go, I added a link to the Martha Stewart hat in last week's post. PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!!! I once again downloaded the pattern hoping that they had corrected the mistakes. They have not. It's an awful pattern. Here's the link just so you'll know what I'm talking about.

Hope you have a chance to get "Lost In Paris" and have a little fun with a bucket hat. I think you'll love having one....or two or three :) to throw on.

Have a wonderful week!
Rhonda 

The Winner Of The Bias Cut Blueprints Book From Fashion In Harmony

My sincere apology for not getting this posted yesterday as I had promised. I had the last procedure done on my back yesterday morning and it threw me for more of a loop than I thought it would. After sleeping most of the afternoon and over 9 hours last night, I am back to myself and feeling no pain today, so I am a very happy girl!

So without further delay.....

The winner of the Bias Cut Blueprints book from Fashion In Harmony is...

Zippi Kit!!!!!

Congratulations! 

Please email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com with your mailing address. I will need to hear form you by Saturday, May 21, 2016. If I do not hear from you, I will draw a new name.  

Thanks again to all of you who made the sew along so successful. And a big thank you to Julianne Bramson for a great pattern and for hosting the book giveaway.

If by chance you are making a Magic Bias Dress, I would love to see your creation. The link-up has been extended to June 1, 2016. I would love to see what you've made and I would also enjoy showing off your creation in a follow up post, so stop by THIS post and show us your magic!

If by chance you missed the sew along posts on the Sew News blog, you can find them HERE.

Happy Sewing!

Finishing The Magic Bias Dress

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

It's shaping up to be a very busy week. I had to laugh a little yesterday as I was out at the airport, covered in grease. You may remember that I had a tire blow out on me while landing two weeks ago. The best part of the incident is that everyone is amazed by how well I handled it all and the decisions I made. Makes me feel rather good :) The mechanic could not believe that there was no damage to the airplane, the wheel is fine, the cover that goes over the wheel is fine. Great news. Now we are in the process of taking the airplane apart and doing the yearly maintenance check that has to be done. So here I was, covered in grease, by no means a fashion plate! But it keeps life interesting :) I should have taken a few pictures. I'll be back out there in a few days after the parts arrive, so I will share a little of the experience and get pictures.

So from one extreme to another....

The final post for the Magic Bias Dress is up and I am LOVING my new dress!!! I have a meeting to attend today and I would like to wear it, but it's 50 degrees here in Chicago. Better days are coming :) You can find the post HERE on the Sew News blog.

If you do decide to make the dress, by all means consider a border print tie-dye pattern. I think the effect is so pretty.

In the post, we go over the finishing details of the dress, the sleeve, creating the French Piping, and hemming. 

The French Piping method for finishing a seam is so lovely and I can see doing this a lot in the future on necklines and armholes. 

The Sew News post does not include the color clocked dress, or the tunic. I will be doing a follow up post when I announce the winner of the Bias Cut Blueprints book next Tuesday and I will include both of those pieces.

I've really enjoyed creating the dresses and doing the sew along posts. I hope I've been able to take a little of the fear out of creating a bias cut garment. Be sure to check out the Fashion In Harmony website for other patterns and inspiration. 

Remember too that I have a link up going on THIS post, so if you do make the Magic Bias Dress, be sure to share your pictures. The link up will be extended until the end of May, so get your dresses made, I would love to see them!   

The Magic Bias Dress From Fashion In Harmony/Construction Tips

Just a quick note to let you all know that the new post is up for the Magic Bias Dress on the Sew News blog, and you can find it HERE. In the header it says that this week is about color blocking. We actually talked about color blocking in last week's post. This weeks' post is about assembling the body of the dress. And, I give you a few of my tips for working with bias. Hope it helps.

I have now made 3 dresses, so I thought that I would do a blouse. I've shared before that I can have the attention span of a gnat, so I'm always thinking of something new to try. I decided to try something a little different and see how it turned out.
As you can see below, I folded up the extended end of the pattern and basically squared off the bottom of the pattern.

What I ended up with is some what of a tunic. The back is of course quite short where the "v" comes up, but I have another idea that I think will add a little interest and make this a super cute top to wear with tights. So stayed tuned. 

I had hoped to get a few pictures of me in this skirt today, but my day is getting away from me. I'm planning a little fashion show Friday post, so I'll get a picture of me in the skirt then.

The skirt is the Chinese Lantern Skirt also from Fashion In Harmony. After making the Magic Bias Dress, I was really intrigued with the skirt, and I was not disappointed. It is SO easy to make and it is such a cute skirt. I slipped it on the first time and I now want more! This is a a skirt that you could literally live in all summer. I didn't have the right drawstring, so what you see will not stay. I just had to stick something in so I could get the true effect of the skirt. The skirt is basically 2 circles, but there's a little trick that makes it drape the way it does.

The hem is simply finished with a piece of bias tape. The fabric is a very light weight double faced gauze. When I walk in the skirt, you get just the slightest glimpse of the orange. 

The back of the skirt. Take note of the hem. The asymmetrical aspect of the hem is what cases the skirt to drape so beautifully. 

You can find the skirt HERE on the Fashion In Harmony website.

For those of you who are making the Magic Bias Dress, I hope you are having fun with your creations. If you do make the dress, remember, I have a link up running on THIS POST, so be sure to post your pictures as I would love to see what you've done!

Happy Sewing!

Rhonda

The Fashion In Harmony Magic Bias Dress/Color Blocking

As I started to prepare for the Fashion In Harmony Magic Bias Dress sew along, I just couldn't make up my mind about what fabric I wanted to use. I have changed my mind more times than a girl should have a right to!
Sew News wanted me to do a post on color blocking for this week's post and you can find it HERE. What I discovered is that you can make this pattern a multitude of ways and basically never have the same dress twice. Once again, a magic dress!!
The first piece that I did as a color blocked version is the tie-dye version below. This piece of fabric is a border print. I placed the main pattern piece for the dress along the edge of the selvedge so that the bright orange would be the most prevalent and sweep around the dress. 

The long triangular piece was placed where the orange bleeds into the yellow.

Please forgive me, I have yet to press the seams. But below you can see how the orange bleeds into the lower portion of the triangular piece and matches up with the dress. In the front, the light orange under the front yoke looks like a separate piece and gives the illusion of color blocking.

As I said, there are so many possibilities for customizing this dress. If by chance you have a couple of fabrics that are of the same weight and drape, but not long enough for the pattern, you can sew them together as you see below. This could make for some very interesting combinations.

After I sent the post in to Sew News, I realized that I left something out. PLEASE be sure to get a straight edge prior to sewing fabrics together. 

To do this simply snip the edge of your fabric and then rip it across. Be careful though. Some fabrics will run, so test the edge first to be sure that the fabric can be safely ripped.

In case you missed it, you can find this week's post HERE on the Sew News blog. 

If you are working on the Magic Bias Dress and have some pictures that you would like to share, I have created a link up on this post. I just ask that you limit this to Magic Bias Dress pictures only. If you have a picture that you would like to share, but can't figure out how to link  it up, you are always welcome to send your pictures to me directly at sewbussted@yahoo.com 

Hope you are having fun with your dresses!

Rhonda                      

An InLinkz Link-up

I Love My Waffle Patterns Pepernoot Coat!

We're in the 3rd week of the Waffle Patterns Pepernoot Coat Sew Along and I am in love with my coat. Talk about flower power!!!

The fabric I'm using for the lining is from Tessuti Fabrics in Australia. when I purchased the fabric, I had a skirt in mind. Maybe serendipity, maybe just dumb luck, but when I began working on the coat, I immediately realized that the fabric was perfect for a lining. The only problem is that I only purchased a meter of fabric, so not enough to line the entire coat. But, I had a beautiful piece of black silk that blended perfectly with the fabric, so rather than ditch the idea, the sleeves are lined in black. 

The lining prior to the sleeves being added.

If you would like to check out the 3rd week of the sew along, you can find it HERE on the Sew News blog. 

I can't wait to finish my coat. I'm hoping to wear it on Easter Sunday. In our final post, we'll work on the pockets, attach the 

hood, insert the center front zipper and hem the skirt and sleeves.

If by chance you are working on a Pepernoot Coat, I hope you are loving yours as much as I am loving mine!

Yuki, the designer of Waffle Patterns has 3 new patterns available,

1. The Tosti Utility Jacket

2. The Dropje Hooded Vest

3. The Yuzu Raglan Coat

I think that one of my next projects will be the vest. Love the dart detail around the neckline.

Happy Sewing.

Rhonda

The Perfect Travel Dress Now Available On Video

So many of you enjoy tutorial videos. They can really be an added bonus to a written tutorial.
I received an email from Sew News announcing that the episode I did on the Perfect Travel Dress is now available as a download for only $1.99. The Perfect Travel Dress is the second most downloaded tutorial of all the Fabulous Free Pattern Friday pieces that I have done. Amazing! So with that in mind, I thought you might like the info on the video download. Just click HERE for all the info. From 3/17/2016 to 3/19/2016, use promo code 15GREEN and receive 15% off your purchase!

If you are one of the few who has not seen the tutorial for the Perfect Travel Dress, just click HERE.

Happy Traveling!

Rhonda

Sleeves On Saturday/The Cold Shoulder Sleeve

You aren't seeing things, it really is a Saturday sleeve post!
I hope your Saturday is off to a great start. I'm on my 3rd cup of tea and listening to some great music. We have a wonderful radio station here in Chicago called WXRT. On Saturday mornings, they have a featured program called The Saturday Morning Flashback. Every Saturday morning, they flashback to a year gone by. Today is 1968. The music is fabulous. I was a little girl at the time, but I loved listening to my radio. I also loved everything about the fashion of that period. I wasn't allowed to wear much of what I liked...but I dreamed of a time when I could :-).
I received a message from a lovely lady who lives in England asking if I could help her with a cold shoulder sleeve. I thought it was a typo, maybe she meant a bold shoulder??? Nope, she meant cold shoulder. Since I had no idea what a cold shoulder sleeve would be, she sent along a picture. Once I saw the picture...ohhhh. 

This is a very easy sleeve to do. In order to get the fit that is in the picture above, the garment must be made in a knit fabric. Begin with a t-shirt pattern, or a knit dress pattern. 

Here's my sleeve. 

If you'll notice in the inspiration picture, the shoulder is cut away a little. In order to give a little hint of a cut away shoulder, but still be able to wear a normal bra with the top, I came in 1" from the shoulder edge and blended the line back to the notch. 

And I did the exact same thing to the front of the pattern. I did not cut the seam allowance off the armhole of the pattern. Once I drew in my new style line, the pattern was cut on the new line.There will be no need to add seam allowance.  

Now for the sleeve. 
Square a line across the top portion of the sleeve from the front notch to the back notch.

The front and back notches on the sleeve should be approximately at the point where the armpit hits the chest. I think the top line of the sleeve should be a bit higher, so I came up 1/2" from the notch line. 

You could come up a little higher if you wish. In the picture below, my ruler is sitting 1" above the notch line. I felt that this was a little too high, but you are the designer, so you get to decide what you like best :-) Remember, you can always cut away the excess, but adding it back can be a chore, or maybe impossible.

Once you have determined where the top of your sleeve should be, find the middle of the sleeve and place a mark at midpoint. From that point, measure down from the midpoint 1/8". Draw a slightly curved line back to the edge of the sleeve. 

Add 1/4" seam allowance to the new style line. 

Now cut away the top of the sleeve. 

There are a number of ways that the top of the sleeve could be finished. I opted to cut a 1" wide strip and sew it to the top of my sleeve prior to setting the sleeve into the top. 

This gave a small casing just in case I wanted to add a touch of elastic. It wasn't necessary, but it's nice to have the option.

 The neckline was finished in the same manner.

 I have not finished the shoulder edge, but I will be adding a strip to the edge of the shoulder as well. 

My almost finished top.
The sleeves on most t-shirt patterns have ease from the armpit to the wrist. Keep this in mind with your sleeve as you may want to taper the sleeve to achieve a more fitted look. 

As I said, the sleeve is quite easy to draft. It's rather fun to wear too. Think about maybe wearing it under a jacket. The of element surprise when you take your jacket off would be such fun!!!