Petticoats 101

I had debated about making petticoats, and decided last min to do it, and I'm glad I did! Our pics turned out so much better with them. BUT, that meant there was even more things that needed to be done before the big day.

Good thing I love to waste time blog surfing and came across this post from Gertie about petticoats! So, I headed to JoAnn's and purchased both the magazine and all the supplies for 3 petticoats. They were easy and came together fairly fast. I made and finished all 3 on Memorial Day (shout out to Ron for being Mr. Mom!!).

The hardest part was gathering the tiers, and then attaching them all while maintaining an even fullness. My thread kept breaking when I was gathering, so I tried using 100% polyester thread, but it didn't make any difference. So, I started googling. One person suggested fishing line - horray! Ron has an entire box of fishing line in the garage. So, I hand wound it around a bobbin. It worked for a bit, but started getting stuck under the feed dogs. So, I just moved it to the thread spool, and used it there.

For the most part, I am really happy with them. They are super cute under the dresses and the bias finish looks so good!

I decided to attach the girl's to an undershirt and sew a piece of lining under the petticoat to help prevent all of the itchies from the nylon net. This was an awesome idea! Not only did it make it easier for them to get dressed, but the undershirts also acted as a lining, so their dresses were not too transparent.
Now they are asking to just wear the slips!

Liah's dress

So, remember when I was going to get Liah's dress done before we went on vacation? Well, it didn't exactly happen. I cleaned the house instead...BIG mistake. Totally should have finished the dress and cleaned later!

After vacation, I came home and busied myself with finishing her dress, because I hadn't even begun my dress. And I knew mine would be quite the project. Maliah's came together pretty quick. I read up on how to make pin tucks in my favorite sewing book, and away we went! They were easier than I thought. But, every wave in their sewing line is obvious on the dress. To look perfect, each line of stitching needs to be perfectly parallel to the previous one. I'm sure no one else will even notice...Why is it that we are so much more critical of ourselves, than others?

Anyway, after the tucks and ribbon were attached, then it was basic stuff - attaching front to back, marking button placement, and gathering/attaching the skirt to the bodice. Then the sleeves. The last part was covering the neck/sleeve edges with self bias. Although the process wasn't necessarily difficult, it was time consuming, because it was done by hand. I suppose I may have been able to blind-hem stitch it, but I don't remember how...Maybe its time to read up on that!
I used flat felled seams (which are easy, these are like the seams on jeans) with Anna's dress, and it was too stiff. So, I used french seams on this one instead - which I love!!! I think they are my favorite seam finish, and I may begin to use them as my default whenever I sew. There are a lot of tutorials online, if you aren't sure how to do them. They are so easy, and look amazing.

Up next: Petticoats!

Midnight Oil

Oh, my goodness, friends! So much sewing has been happening at my house that I think I'm ready for a big break - and whole lot more sleep! And my children are asking when their Mom is coming back, as is my husband.

Good thing for them our pics are tomorrow!!!!!! All the sewing, pressing and starching are finally finished, so I'm headed off to actually go to bed before the wee hours of the morning. In the coming days, I'll be posting pics and doing a lot of talking about all the things I learned (by doing them the wrong way, of course).

Happy sewing friends!

Look what I made!

We've (I've) decided to have a themed family photo this year. They are in about a month and guess what our theme is?! The 50's!!!! I LOVE the 50's. So, I have been busy getting patterns and fabric to make some dresses for the girls and I. Here is the first one - Anna's little full circle dress:

It is so amazing! I can't believe those little darts. Seriously so cute. It has self-made bias tape for arm and neck facings, all hand stitched. And the skirt allows for a 4" hem - crazy compared to today's patterns. But the tacking allows for a seamless finish on the outside, which is very professional. I can't believe I just used the word "professional" in the same sentence regarding something I made. I like it, but don't expect it to happen too often.

This is the back. The skirt will come about mid-thigh and she'll wear bobby socks and black mary janes! Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited just typing about it! Can you believe how long those ties are? She is going to have one seriously big bow. Speaking of which, does anyone know how to tie a perfect bow?

I ordered a vintage pattern from Midvale Cottage on Etsy. I was a little worried about being able to read the pattern because I thought so many techniques would be assumed, but it wasn't too bad. I did get out my sewing book to read about the facings, but other than that it was pretty straight forward.

I want to have Liah's dress done before we leave for D.C. - next Friday. I haven't started yet, and it has loads of pin tucks on the bodice, which I have never done. Hopefully, I'm not being too adventurous! So stay tuned for more vintage awesome-ness in the coming week!

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Celebrating the Boy

If you aren't familiar with Made by Rae, be sure to check out her blog soon! This month's posts are all about creating for the little boys in your life! Guest bloggers and loads of fun projects!

Finally!

So, I finally have a few pictures of the loveys I made for Christmas! First up are some super cute dolls from Wee Wonderfuls. The girls love these little babies. I made these with wool felt hair - which I like working with more than the polyester felt - even though its drastically more expensive. The biggest downfall is that now the dolls are not machine washable. What would you prefer, the polyester or the wool?

The next few are from Simplicity's 2613. They came together pretty quick and I thought they were super cute. The elephant is for Maliah...

...And the giraffe is for Anna. I made the mane like a rag quilt, since her rag quilt is her most treasured possession. She loves to rub the edges when falling asleep, so naturally, I modified the mane to incorporate this feature. She loves it!

Retail Therapy

Our camera cord is currently MIA, which means I can not load any of the photos onto our computer. Which means, there is no creating to blog about, so instead of my own. I'm going to blog about other people's creativity!

First up: Shabby Apple!

If you have never visited their website, you won't be dissappointed! Their designs are awesome! I love all their collections. They even have a few bridesmaid's options (below) - wouldn't you kill to have worn a dress like this instead of those frilly things?! Geez, I would've worn this to get married in!

Next up, full circle dresses. Which I love. I think they are so flattering and timeless. Like when you are wearing one, you could've walked off the pages of 1960 Vogue. The following is from Wedding Inspirasi:


And this lovely dress is from etsy shop, Emorie. I love the handmade, vitage/modern mix at her shop.

When I was in college I spent a semester in China, and had a number of clothes custom made for me and they are so beautiful. If you've never done that, don't pass up the opportunity if it arises! Few things will make you feel as beautiful as a custom tailored garmet.

For example, the above coat from, Imoda by Xiaqq. Wouldn't you feel like the "Belle of the Ball" whenever you wore this? Which remindes me, have you seen, The Tourist? Oh, my goodness, the fashion is so glamorous! It'll make you want to wear dresses and pearls everyday! If I were, Elise, I'd wear something like this, don't you think?

(also from Shabby Apple)