Double Ruffles Bib Dress

I had in mind to make a dress from this pretty cotton that I got from Spotlight sometime ago. It had pink stripes and cute rose print on it. Very vintage feel. It was love at first sight but I didn't know if the print is too loud for me so had kept it. 

My girl saw the fabric and decided that she wants it. We look through the Japanese sewing book and she picked this one out. One of my favorite.

The dress was a straight dress with a double ruffles details on the bib. The bib was on both the front and back. I use the fabric covered button for the back.

It also has the option of a wrap skirt.

So you can wear the wrap skirt and it looks like a gathered skirt!

Little sister just want to be part of the photo shoot. You will recognize her pink ruffle dress.

So, I'll leave you with the little sister with her pink dress!

Pillow Case Dresses with Lace

I realized that my pillowcase dress was pin quite a bit at Pinterest. So, recently I saw this set of pillowcase and sheet from Ikea in bright pink gingham and thought I could make another one for my girls.

Actually I made 2 since the set came with 2 pillowcases. I made both the same as a matchy sisters outfit but decided to add a little difference at the hem. The first one has lace ruffles at the hem.

The second dress has ruffles made from the same pillowcase fabric.

Want to try making one?

Material
Pillowase
Lace
Grosgrain ribbon

Measure your kid to see how long you want your dress. Don't have to be exact for the chest since it will be gathered with the ribbon.

1. I fold the pillow in half and cut a J shape to make the armhole as well as cut the tapered line from armhole to the hem of the skirt.  See my other tutorial.  I didn't cut off the top portion unlike my previous tutorial as I need this part to fold over as a casing for the ribbon.

2. After you have cut the pieces, sew the 2 side seams together, Right Side facing. Serge or zig zag over the seams.

3. Fold over 1/4" at the armhole to the wrong side and then fold again to make a narrow seams. Sew.

4. Then, fold 1/4" of the top portion to the wrong side and sew. Fold over about 2" again to make the casing. Sew close to the bottom edge. Just make sure that your casing is big enough for you to insert the ribbon.  Do the same for the back ribbon casing.

5. At the front, I pin a stripe of lace just beneath the casing. Fold and sew the raw edge of the lace in so that it don't fray.

Sew carefully, make sure don't sew over the casing.

6a. For the hem of the first dress, I use the same lace and serge the upper raw edge using a narrow hem stitch.

see the narrow stitch hem on the top

Then, I use the longest stitch and higher tension on my sewing machine and sew 1/2" from the edge. It will automatically gather the lace.

7a. Attach the lace to the hem and sew along the same gathered stitch. Oh, you have to serge or zig zag the dress hem so that it doesn't fray.  After you have sewn the lace, remove the basting/gathering stitch.

6b. Or if you prefer using the same fabric, just cut a long stripe from the same fabric, about 1.5 times longer than your hem width and 2" width.  Serge the top and bottom of the stripe. Then using the same method above and gather your stripe into a long ruffles.

6b. Pin and sew the ruffle to the hem of your dress. Insert the ribbon and you are done!

For my 2 year old, I use 32" long grosgrain ribbon and for my 7 year old, I use about 52" long. I fold the ends of the ribbon twice and sew the raw edge down. 

Time to enjoy the dress.  My older girl has yet to wear it but my younger one looks so cute in it.

Iris Shorts & Another Sorbetto

I'm so excited to share that I bought the Iris e-pattern from the newest Coletterie collection.

It was really easy to sew and I was thinking hard on the fabric to use.  I've made this for my sister Iris. Haha...the shorts has the same name as her!

I've used cotton lawn for this project so it was a bit light weight and sheer, so I underline it. Basically, I used a lining fabric and serged the sides/edges together so that I sew them as one piece and they will not shift as I sew.  I underline all pieces except for the waist band since it will be interface and don't need the bulk.

The instruction is really clear and I sew it up in no time. Got some difficulty with the facing at the waistband cause I was stumbled by the zipper and all but the Coletterie website had great instruction so I refer to it much. See, the concealed zipper is really concealed!

One main feature that attracted me to the shorts were the pockets. I've used the lining fabric for the pocket.

Well, a shorts is incomplete without a top, so I made her a Sorbetto using the chiffon that I've on hand.  I made a size 0 with waist at size 2.

This one goes so much faster since it's my 3rd! Since I'm using chiffon, I've used french seams to encase all the raw edges. If you are not familiar with french seams, basically, you sew the pieces Wrong side together and then turn it inside out and enclose the seams again to sew it right side facing.

I love how the stripes looks so pretty on the pleats. I've tried hard to match them when cutting.

Happy birthday Iris!

Stripe Top with Lace

I'm so pleased with this top that I've drafted myself.  It's really simple blouse with only front and back pieces. 

I've also have bust darts in front and make a small pleat at the sleeve.

Since it is a simple top, I added some white lace that I got from Diaso at the neckline and the hem.

It's amazing how you can change the look of the top with just lace! I hope my sister likes it since I made it as a birthday present :) Happy birthday Serene!

Papaya Whip Linen Dress - Pattern from Ottobre 3/2011

I'm so excited to sew up this little dress from Ottobre Summer 2011 issue.

The name of this pattern is quite funny - Papaya Whip linen dress! Not sure why it's name that way but it was a good experience for me to sew my first Ottobre pattern.

It is a fully lined dress so I had to hand sew the zipper to the lining. Since it is lined, all the raw edges are enclosed so it is really professional looking when finish. The pattern recommends using a linen fabric but I use 2 fabric instead of one.  A blue polka dots cotton as a contrasting fabric panels on the sides.  The back bodice is the polka dots as well.

Since it is a first Ottobre pattern for me, I was stumbled in the beginning to get the correct measurement. In the end, I go for size 92 which I think it's a bit tight at the arm hole for my chubby girl. Next time, I'll go for 98 or even 104.

I've learnt a lot from this pattern but because there is no step by step guide or pictorial help here, so I had to depend on my previous sewing experience to figure out the steps. If you are adventurous like me, go ahead and try it. The patterns are so pretty and I can hardly resist. One bonus is, there are a lot of boys clothes and they are so cute and refreshing design that I was even tempted to try out!  

Woman Ribbon Tie Shorts

I'm not someone who wear shorts out of my house.  To the beach or swimming pool is still okay but for shopping, church and dinners, I mean, culottes and bermuda are usually my limit since I'm quite conscious of my chubby legs.

But this shorts from the Cucito Early Spring 2012 issue really caught my eyes. I was so tempted to try and I reason with myself that I can wear it with a black tights. So cute and Japanese/Korean like right?

Anyway, that's what I did. There are 3 sizes and I took the L size since I'm bottom heavy. It fits just nice for me since the waist is elastic so it is not too loose either. But if you have waist bigger than 30", the L size may not fit you cause the pattern for the pants run small, as compared to their top, this is my observation from sewing so many japanese pattern.

The shorts has pockets at the back but I would have prefer it to be at the side since I'm use to putting my hands into them but maybe that would have added to the bulk at the hip area.

The shorts have additional band around the hem area so it gives it some weight and hold down the shorts. I can't figure out how they attach this band and I did it my way. I also sew down the side seams to prevent the bands from folding over due to the weight.

This is how I wore it when I went to church - with a top and dark blue tights! I think I managed to pull it off..what do you think? The shorts will match my Peter Pan collar top too!

I've also bought the Iris Shorts pattern from Colette Pattern. Bought the e-pattern online but didn't have the time to cut the fabric. So now, I think I am ready to handle another shorts!