Design A Slip Cover Kit (Details here)

This blog post is for those of you that are interested in making your own pattern for your furniture or having me make you a slip cover for pieces of furniture such as Wingback Chairs, Rocking Chairs, Lounge Chairs, Love Seats and Couches. 

I have just listed this kit in my etsy shop in two prices /kit sizes. Here is the link to the full sized kit -> https://www.etsy.com/listing/157943761/design-a-slip-cover-kit-for-wing-back?
and here is the link to the medium sized slip cover, which is more for wing back and lounge chairs - https://www.etsy.com/listing/158577694/design-a-slip-cover-kit-for-wing-back?

I have recently put together a Design A Slip Cover Kit which provides you with an opportunity to design a pattern for your furniture. You can then use the pattern and design ideas to make your own if you sew, send it back to me and I will make you a slip cover (I have included return packaging after all but we’ll cover that below), or even give it to your local seamstress to make you a custom slip cover from the pattern you have created. The simple to follow instructions and packet of materials will be everything you need. You also receive a $4 coupon when you send the pattern back to me that I will apply to your future sewing order. Prices as well as additional details are listed below so you have a good idea of what you can expect to pay and the wait time you can expect while your order is being worked on.

This kit is a new one for me but the best way to ensure the correct fit when it comes to making those larger and more detailed slip covers for pieces of furniture such as couches, lounge chairs and wingback chair covers. We all need slip covers for furniture and sometimes we don’t want to just throw a blanket over them and try and make do. One must keep in mind that these slip covers are a bit bigger than the furniture you are making the slip cover for in many cases but they work much better than that old blanket will and even those oversized slip covers you can buy at other locations. Experience making slip covers, both for myself and for others, has taught me that despite how many measurements we take and how well we might plan out a project, making a paper pattern as a guide beforehand will help. This is especially true of the more detailed lines on select pieces of furniture such as wingback chairs and larger pieces of furniture such as couches.

How it Works:

You order the kit and follow the instructions provided. Next if you are planning on having me make the finished item for you, you will send back your newly made pattern in the return envelope along with your completed order form. You will also include style and fabric requests at this time. *If you need specific fabric samples let me know when ordering the kit and I will include them.

Along with sending your pattern packet back to me you will also want to provide a photo of your piece of furniture. You can send your photo to me directly via etsy or you can email it to me at Craftzies@gmail.com. Please include the order number provided on your kit when sending me furniture details such as the photo as it helps me keep track of order details.

I check my po box regularly so as soon as I receive your package I mark the date of receipt, notify you that the package was received, give you a total you can expect for your final order price (but you will already have an idea of the cost because I am providing prices below as well as a copy in your kit) and then within 2 weeks you can expect to see the listing with your completed order ready for final purchase. I then ship your package out within 2 days and will then notify you with your tracking info.

I will be listing the sale of these kits as I can keep up with orders. That is the best way for me to keep on a timely sewing schedule. That means if you see a kit for sale in the shop you can expect to receive a shipping notice within 2 weeks from when your kit has arrived back at my po box. I will list the finished item on my etsy shop (with your coupon discount applied) and you will be able to order your item at that time. Most items are shipped out USPS Priority in the states/ first class internationally.

Project Timing: Your custom item will be made and listed in my etsy shop within 2 weeks from when your Pattern Kit has arrived. I check my po box regularly.

What the Pattern Making Kit Includes: This kit includes all of the materials, instructions, diagrams, examples and design ideas you need in order to make your own slip cover pattern for your furniture. The materials include a tape measure, scissors, pencil, fabric marker, order form, pattern paper, price info, return shipping, a coupon for your $4 ordering @ Craftzies discount, fabric samples, etc.

Make Your Own Pattern: I will only accept orders for slip covers for wingback chairs, rocking chairs, lounge chairs, love seats and couches with the purchase of the Design A Slip Cover Kit. If you have a simple piece of furniture and want to see if I will require kit purchase ahead of time feel free to message me on etsy and we can discuss it. For those who do have rather simple furniture pieces-these would be smaller, less detailed and similar to bar stools, kitchen and dining room chair covers, sewing chairs, large computer chairs and other furniture of that nature-you will find the kit is not required. 

If this is the case then you may find these links below useful instead ->

http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/11/custom-dining-slip-covers.html

http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-it-awesome-custom-made-office.html

http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/07/sewing-little-desk-chair-slip-covers.html

Pricing Guide:

There are a number of factors to consider when calculating pricing for your new project such as ->

Size of the furniture piece-Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL (example-small wingback chair would be a small/ med, Rocking, Lounge and Love Seats would be Medium, large couches would be a large-xl and then something like a really big separate couch type style or for those looking for a kit with enough pattern paper to handle multiple furniture pieces you would want the xxl kit. I am providing enough pattern paper to make up to a large couch, if you need a bigger kit size let me know and I will add some in this xxl size in the Craftzies shop.

Fabric & Materials-Price per yard + Yardage needed + Accessories (such as Zippers, Piping, Buttons, Elastic, Thread, Velcro, etc.) The cost of materials changes based on what materials you would like and the additional accessories needed to create the look you want. Some people want a simple solid colored cotton fabric with little to know detail that can be slipped on a tied in back for cinching. Other customers want separate pieces such as a base cover and then a top and back cushion with piping, and then something such as arm covers to go with to finish the look. All of these are possible and the kit will help with the details but the more separate pieces means more fabric and accessories required. Some customers like to mail me some or all of the supplies needed for the project and this is fine with me. If you happen to have a long zipper that you know will work perfectly for the slip cover and it will save you something like $4-$7 and you are sending the kit back to me anyway, hey, why not? It saves me time picking one out for you so the more the merrier. Piping runs about 50 cents a yard or less. 

For fabric, the costliest of materials for these projects, if you have it on hand or have picked it up for a steal, feel free to ship it. Just know vintage pieces may have fabric discrepancies throughout the pieces if the fabric sent had discrepancies. I try to take the best pieces but I can’t be responsible for having a visible hole in a slip cover if you sent vintage fabric with holes, etc. I have rules for sending me fabric so check here if doing so -> For those having me pick up fabric for you I charge what the shop charges me so if the fabric shop is one that has a regular rotation of sales for their fabrics we can in many cases catch the fabric on a discount to help you out on the cost of fabric.

Here are a few links to fabric details ->

http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/06/cotton-prints.html

http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/07/upholstery-fabrics.html

http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/07/fabric-bolts-fabric-bolts.html

*Please keep in mind once I have received your order and reviewed the details I will send you a materials fee before I get started on your project if I am picking up the fabric for your order. I then transfer those funds and pick up the fabric for your order and make your slip cover. I have to do it this way in the event that a customer disappears and I am stuck with a custom slip cover that fits only your piece of furniture.

(*thread is highlighted above however my customers find I usually cover the thread myself for the project. I like really good thread so I would rather cover it and know I’m using the best. My machines know the difference ;)

Amount of detail needed for the cover and how many pieces being made-The prices added below give you an idea of what I charge for the work to create one slip cover for you based on the pattern you send back to me. In designing your pattern and slip cover style with the kit, you will be able to determine where you want closure to go, what fabric, the style you visualize, etc. When looking over the pricing provided below please note that that is with the intent that you want one slip cover per piece of furniture. Separates are prices slightly differently as well as additional design and style requests such as piping, etc. Separate pieces are charged an additional $8-$12 per piece and piping is charged an additional $5 for the work not including the cost of the piping material which you will find added to the materials section of your bill.  

Type of furniture-

Wingback Chair: $55 for the work

Small/ Medium lounge/ rocking chairs: $30-$40 for the work

Large-xl Rocking / Lounge Chair: $55-$75 for the work

Love Seats / Couches: $40 for the love seats/ $50 for the work

Small Foot Rests/ Ottoman Covers: $14-$18 for the work

Poufs/ Small Covers: $18-$25 for the work

Bean Bag Chairs/ Luv Sacs: These larger shaped pieces are based on a few specific patterns, contact me directly for one of these, kit not required. ($60-$70 for the work).

Each of the prices above reflect a discount as I have taken into consideration the price of the kit and the time I save with you having created a pattern and having worked out a bit of the style details yourself before the order comes to me. I try to keep these projects affordable for you however please keep in mind for some of these larger items I can spend upwards of 5-8 hours on the project. If you are interested in a small item such as a pouf cover or ottoman cover then the kit is not required, the kit is for larger more detail styled cut of the larger furniture. If you have any questions or want me to price out your project ideas a bit more for you before we get started feel free to message me @ www.Craftzies.etsy.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If it takes a few days to shoot a message back it’s just because I’m calculating and ohh...probably answering a ton of emails while weaving a rug and making a new Game of Thrones costume… It’s a bit of a crafting modge podge over here but have no fear, I will sift through all of the messages and get back to you ;)

*You are free to send me some or all materials when sending back your pattern kit if you are having me make the slip cover for you. If you need help with the purchase of materials such as the type or length of zippers, etc. please let me know and I will get back to you. Please send basic measurements of the furniture so I can send back an estimated materials quote, ty :)

Pricing example: 2 slip covers for 2 medium sized lounge chairs-these were simple drop over slip covers made out of a teal suede cloth fabric. Once the pattern was made these required only the fabric and thread to make and no additional accessories such as zippers were needed. This is the simplest style and will cost more like $60 for the work not including shipping or any discounts applied.

Materials: Fabric needed of 3.5 yards @ $12 yard=$42 + additional accessories

Additional style details such as piping added. I would also include small extras such as matching arm covers or a small pillow cover or foot rest cover to this area when pricing your project out.

Work: $55-$60

*This does not include the cost of the kit originally purchased. This also does not include the cost to ship the kit and any materials you have on hand for the project to be shipped to me and this also does not include shipping your finished item back to you in the end.

It starts to add up from a cost perspective doesn’t it? I know it does but I do try to make it affordable, it is however impossible to give you a specific final cost until I have all of the information, but at least the above prices will give you an idea of the high end of the quote. In the end I hope to find the final prices to come in under both my higher estimated quotes and even other estimates out there. I look as it as though the high end covers me if something ends up costing slightly than expected but at the same time you helped me out by making a pattern for the furniture piece ahead of time.

*Reusing the kit and future projects: You can reuse the kit materials for future project. If you want a paper refill for future orders let me know when ordering your finished item in the Craftzies shop and I will include more paper. Feel free to keep the materials included with the kit however if the tape measure is returned with your pattern you will find a $1 deducted from your final order (a $5 discount total as I am offering a $4 coupon for project orders received) as I can reuse the tape measure in future kits.

Alright, I think that covers just about everything. If you think I have missed something or if you have any questions feel free to ask. In regards to photos of finished slip covers I find I do not end up with a lot of photos as these slip covers fit custom pieces of furniure that I do not have on hand. In most cases you will find that I have simply used one of my stock photos or a photo of the fabric from your slip cover when listing your item in the shop in which to order up as it is easiest for me. The best way to reach me is via etsy @ www.Craftzies.etsy.com

Lindsay J

Little Stitches: Bloomers, Shorts and Pants (Plus all the Rest...)

I recently shared with you a Little Stitches: Tops and Dresses blog post (http://craftzies.blogspot.com/2013/07/little-stitches.html) and thought one on bottoms might be helpful as well so here is a little instruction and some helpful tips on making the bottom half of the wardrobes for your little ones. 

I know I have mentioned this on many an occasion before but the very best way to have these items hold up to child-strength wear and tear is to sew them really well the first time around. Sewing machines and dryers are also particularly harsh on clothing and we are used to clothes sewn on industrial strength sewing machines. The difference is those machines hold down and chomp on that fabric at the seams all at the same time, thus creating a very tight seam. This in turn allows us to wash our clothing without even thinking about how handmade garments made from our home sewing machines will require a similar technique throughout the sewing process if we want them to hold up as well as those we purchase. 

I personally like to sew items such as pants for children one of two ways, the first being a set of three stitches, 2 straight stitches and then once the seam has been trimmed, a zig zag stitch added to finish it up. If using a serger you can skip this as the machine does all the needed stitches at once but for those of you using a regular single stitch machine you will find this helpful as it really holds the seams together. In the photos below you will see I have sewn these little shorts in this way. The second way would be to sew French seams and for this I would cut the fabric not one but a size and a half up from the original pattern so as to accommodate for the French seams. French seams are really nice in that they offer a very clean look on the inside for clothing but I want you to not slack here and just add one stitch but at least two straight stitches to really make those seams tight before turning in and sewing again. The other thing you want to remember for French seams is to always check that none of the raw edge of the fabric is showing on the outside before turning in finishing up the inside seam. If you do think some of the fabric will stick out simply trim it down a bit before sewing in the inside and you should be good there.

Making items such as bottoms are as easy as the photos below and the simple tricks I use ensure everything is even on both sides and sewn well enough to handle the wash and dryer.

I also have a habit of adding a little tab of fabric of elastic to the center back of items (you will see this in a photo or two below). I just go with a piece of something on hand but I always think that if I had to dress more than just myself in the morning I could really use every bit of help I could get and something as simple as adding a tab to remind you which is front and back just might help you out in the early hours. So if you receive an item and see a strip of fabric or elastic or some defining marker on only one side, that is your tell that that is the center back. You might not care, you might be saying the child is dressed-that’s good enough and now it’s time for a ‘Mommy Needs a Minute Cocktail’ but never the less, I figured the tab on the center back can’t hurt.

For bloomers, simple diaper clovers and little shorts simply cut out two pieces for front and back. For sewing as I did with the non-French seam style, lay your fabric piece so the up side of the fabric is facing inward. Sew the side seams twice each, trim and then add a zig zag stitch. For a French seam, do not put the fabric right side in but right side facing out and sew the side panels together, sew the seams again once more, trim (add a zig zag stitch if desired at this point) and then turn inside out and press the seams and then sew in ¼” from the folded inside seam.

Next I line up the crotch and sew, repeat sewing as desired and then I fold under ¼” and sew the top waistband and the bottom hem of the legs.

Making easy style changes to patterns is simple:

At this point you have decided whether you want an elastic waistband around the waist or a draw string. You may want straight legs or elastic. Those choices are all fine and elastic is easiest for the kids as they don’t pull the drawstring out. Elastic is also great in that it provides a decent way to hold those bottoms up on the kids and space for growth a bit more in the tummy area. Straight legs are more popular for the toddlers and elastic more for the smaller munchkins, usually the parents go up to about 16 months with the elastic legs but honestly these are all things dependent on you and your kids needs. So if your little one loves the sand box, maybe elastic around the legs of the shorts will keep the sand out? Kids are messy and as their adult supervisors you know their needs more than anyone so when sewing I know you will know what is needed when you reach this point in the sewing process. 

If you are going to go with straight legs and or a drawstring waistband then you will want to sew the hem for each once, trim and then for the legs fold under once more and sew a straight stitch. For the drawstring waistband you will have folded the top hem over once, sewn, trimmed, and then fold over once more and see where you will need a button hole added and add a pin to mark the spot. Then open the folded fabric up and cut a little button hole and sew the button hole clean on a tight button hole zig zag stitch. Then place your drawstring material back into the folded over waistband and pull the ends of the drawstring material through the button hole. Once in place and pinned, carefully sew the top waistband stitch down, taking care not to sew any of the drawstring down or it won’t move freely throughout the waist area. Trim any excess drawstring material as desired, fold the ends of the drawstring and sew if needed and you are finished.

For elastic waistband or legs you will want to sew once seam for the hems, trim, and then fold elastic into the folded hem, pin and sew in the same manner as described for the drawstring so as not to sew any of the elastic but also pull the elastic through the casing you are sewing so as to cinch the elastic a bit before you reach the end of the seam. Take care when sewing at this stage to cinch the elastic to a comfortable length but not too tight. You may wonder how you can tell. You will be able to tell. Test it out a little, pull the elastic slightly through the casing as you sew and you will find a happy medium with the elastic length in relation to the fabric getting the elastic. When adding the elastic to the legs I recommend sewing one leg and then when I go about sewing the other leg I start out by sewing a tiny end of the elastic to hold it in place and then I line up both legs to make sure the legs width with elastic are proportional.

Here are some more photos of the finished items. 

And then for those who want some accessories to go with, here is what I've made recently ->

and then here is a super big Pebbles & Bam Bam Beach Bag...

measurements for the above bag are: Dimensions: 22" width (55.88 cm), 9" gusset / depth (22.86 cm), 18" length (45.72 cm), 16" width zipper at the top (40.64 cm),  8" x 8" pocket (20.32 cm) and long handles that run around the bottom so as to increase the overall strength of the bag.

For some baby clothing from the past click this way ->

http://craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/06/baby-be-stylin.html

Happy Sewing and have a great 4th!

Lindsay ;)

Little Stitches: Tops and Dresses

Hello Everyone. The last few weeks proved rather useful as I had an opportunity to finish up some new clothing and accessories for the little ones and test out some patterns and sizes before the Halloween season. While working on such small stitches I thought it might also be helpful to some of you if I were to show off just how easy it is to cloth those children. In the end you will all be saying “If only raising them were this simple” and I certainly won’t argue with you as I don’t have children, only the loveliest of shih tzu. I have done a rather good job of raising them however (scrambles eggs for happy dogs).

I have to admit I was pretty surprised by the price of kids clothing these days, especially since I know how easy it is to make clothing for them. For those of you out there that have kids and don’t sew I cannot encourage you enough to pick up a sewing machine and get started because seriously, you must be tempted to say to those kids “ok, you get 2 outfits, try not to get them dirty and try not to grow too much ok?” An impossible feat, I know. The up side to making clothes for kids is they require less materials than those for adult clothing, obviously, but a lot of the sewing patterns for children come with a variety of styles and different patterns as well so once you have a pattern or a few at your disposal, making a decent summer wardrobe for them isn’t as difficult or time consuming as you would think. 

The down side, at least I found this to be true while experimenting with the smaller clothes for kids, is that you are making small items and that takes a tiny bit more precision, especially in areas like the neckline on tops and minor alterations in areas like the shoulders and closure areas. For the kids clothes I always go up a size when cutting the fabric mainly because I sew and trim quite a bit as I work on the item and my tests have led me to believe this is the best option for when I make clothing. I suppose this depends on the pattern but in general I have found this to be true. There is also the old rule that you can more easily size down than you can size up when sewing to take into consideration. So once you have a pattern and the materials and have cut the pattern and the fabric to (my recommended) size +1, then you are ready to go.

I think the main things to consider when making clothing, and this is true of any clothing regardless of age, is that we have rather high expectations when it comes to clothing. We really do. We have been spoiled by the precision and standardization of the garment industry. And this is ok. It is not a bad thing to have high expectations. So when we set about sewing clothing we want to hold those high expectations in mind so that the finished piece is nice enough to be worn when out. It’s really that simple. The other aspect of that is we want our finished items to hold up in the wash. It’s easier and for adult clothing in many cases I recommend hand washing an item such as a delicate dress but when it comes to kids clothing this is simply not realistic and we need these items to hold up a long time and that also includes washing machines and dryers. 

Making the Little Leona Dress

Taking a close look at the construction and cut of clothing helps us determine the best ways in which to make clothing for ourselves and our families. So when it comes to making little clothing I picked two patterns in particular to discuss, the first being bottoms which is discussed above, because those work for babies and toddlers and cover diaper covers, bloomers, shorts and pants, a staple for every child. So when I thought about tops the one thing I wanted to do was specifically select a project we can make together but also demonstrate a few ways to in which we can get necklines perfect for these smaller items. So for those of you who are saying to yourselves “I need clothes for boys, not dresses for girls!” bear with me just a tiny bit here because the construction for necklines for boys tops is similar if not identical in construction so despite how it might seem as though this section may not apply to you, you may be rather surprised. 

The neckline on both tops for girls and boys and dresses for girls is really one of the areas we can easily mess up on and then it becomes one of those imperfect items. Sure, the little munchkins won’t be able to tell and they can still get dirty and live their lives happily but isn’t it nice to not only be able to make clothes but where they look really good too? So when I was testing out this little dress pattern I discovered areas like necklines for kids clothing is even tougher than adults in that the area you are stitching is smaller and the rounder and smaller the pieces become the tougher it is to get a perfectly flat, symmetrically sewn neckline. This first test was a dress and even though I went slowly and went along as carefully as I could I still felt getting a perfectly even rounded stitch along the neckline was tough to do. 

I also found, despite how I do like this pattern, that the shoulder areas did not line up perfectly when matched up so I made the decision to add a small gather at the upper front and back shoulder blade area on each side. Needed alterations such as this are generally needed in a lot of cases so instead of scraping patterns because they aren’t perfect, making a few minor alterations fixes any issues and quite honestly you will most likely find you want changes of your own anyway so it’s really not a problem, just assume that it might not match up perfectly to start. In fact, if you think they really won’t match up and it’s for a boy’s top or one you definitely do not want to add a gather or other detail at the shoulder blades area to then your best bet is to assume the pieces will be slightly off and compensate for the difference when originally cutting the fabric. The way in which to do this is when cutting the fabric originally is to cut it big at those shoulder and underarm areas ever so slightly with the intent that they will be trimmed down to size as needed once matched up. Once you have the front and back aligned and sewn you will easily see where you need to trim the excess. You might find folding over and sewing the first seam easier before trimming the excess but do not fear, you will be able to easily determine where to trim before folding over and adding the final topstitch to that area.

I first cut the pattern and then the fabric 1 size up from the size I wanted. For this dress I cut it to a size 3. I knew I was going to be making so adjustments to the pattern but I started out by cutting a front and back top panel for the dress and then the skirt. I was using up some scrap fabric left over from an apron I made for this project so for the skirt back I actually matched up fabric and had a seam running up the back of the skirt but it was pretty unnoticeable once finished. If you are doing this then a French seam will work nicely, especially since the lower skirt of dresses can flip up every so often and a finished seam for the underside is nice for both here and the side seams.

Once the pieces were cut for the top front and back and lower front and back of the skirt I held off on cutting the rest of the pieces until I got a little further along on the project, especially since I was dealing with limited fabric. I made small incisions in the neckline, folded and pressed the seam and sewed a straight stitch in ¼”. I then trimmed the excess fabric and carefully folded and pressed that seam down once more. Yes, I want you to take the time to iron down that front and back neckline because by doing so you will have a better opportunity to determine exactly where you want your sewn stitch around the neckline to be. If it helps take a fabric marker and mark where you want your stitches to be but this is a step in the clothing making process where attention to detail will pay off, especially as this is an area in the project where crooked stitches will be rather noticeable.

If you find you have sewn the top neckline and it is slightly crooked or you are worried that it will be (and this happens in some cases no matter how carefully you work this area) then you have two choices. Well, sort of. You can either try again more carefully, add trim to the area to cover up the stitches a bit, or you can anticipate this and instead of going with an unlined front and back top panel for the front and back you might want to cut a total of four pieces and plan on lining the top. Then instead of folding down and sewing, trimming and sewing down the top neckline with visible topstitching you instead have an opportunity for a very clean look for the top neckline by way of the stitches being on the inside. For this style you can sew one straight stitch when the fabric pieces are turned in right sides facing and sewing the neckline pieces together. Then flip the piece around and sew the neckline again. You will see how your rounded stitches might be slightly off from the first ones but at least this way you get a well rounded neckline. Trim the excess, add another stitch if needed to even out the underside of the neckline-especially important for round necklines as opposed to straight ones) and then when you turn it right side out you will see a clean outer look.

Closure: Making alterations as needed

This is a tricky one and needs to be determined ahead of time if possible so as to compensate where needed, etc. For example, this dress was a test but I know who it was going to when I was working on it so I wanted an easy closure. I didn’t want to bother with a zipper or even button if I could help it because I wanted a simple, easy to wear and slightly size adjustable summer dress for a little girl. So when making this I admittedly was not too sure where to add closure to the style of this dress. Easy buttons up the back would have worked but I had a hard time finding buttons to match. So then I just decided ties for the shoulder blades would work and it would make this dress slightly adjustable as well. So I cut the top of the shoulder blades about ½” longer and then once I added the folded down neckline I folded down the top of the shoulder pieces where they meet in front and back and added a stitch across. Then I sewed four little strips, two to be sewn on each side and well, it worked out really well. I found this will probably, at least for a while, work as a pull over dress but also doesn’t fall off the shoulders because it’s too big but also can be opened up a the shoulder area if the munchkins head is too big for the neckline opening.

As mentioned before, I cut the fabric for the top front and back and skirt front and back and then held off on cutting the rest until I progressed a bit further on the project. I added a French seam to the skirt side seams and then folded over the top and bottom hem once and sewed a straight stitch. I then added a gather to the top of the skirt all the way around.  At this point you will find you have the top piece finished and then the skirt portion finished. Next we need to make the waist tie so that we can add it to the waistband when we sew the top and skirt bottom together.

For the long waistband I scrapped the pattern and simply estimated the length I would need to go all the way around the dress and have enough length on each side to put a big bow in the back. In the end this piece turned out to be a lot longer than the recommended length of the piece that came with the pattern. I went with a strip that was also about 7” in length. I folded it right side in so the fabric print was facing inside and I added a straight stitch twice to the length of the waistband. Trim the excess as needed and turn this piece right side out, leaving the ends opened. Fold this strip in half lengthwise and note where the center is. 

By folding the waist tie so that you have the seam pinched a bit, sandwich the tie so it lies in between the top and bottom pieces to be sewn, but only * the front across the waist as we want the tie to be free on each side out from the dress so it can be pulled and tied in back as needed. Pinning and taking care not to sew too much of the waist tie when sewing the top and bottom panels together can be tricky so pay attention at this point and go slow if needed. It’s better to get it right and have the tie pull away at the side seams than having to pull out stitches later on because you stitched with the waistband in too far toward the back of the dress.  Once I had the waist tie added and the entire top and bottom sewn at the waist all the way around I took a needle and thread and tacked down the waist tie at the sides about 1” in from the top and bottom to hold it up a bit. That way once tied in back the waist tie won’t slouch. Once you have sewn the top to the bottom and the waist tie is appropriately free on the sides as desired then you will want to add the vertical French seam to close up the skirt back vertically.

The final bottom hem of the skirt falls straight in the sewing pattern but I wanted a little something to finish it off but nothing too much. With limited fabric left at my disposal I found I did have enough to sew one long strip of fabric, fold the bottom hem down and under twice and then the top folded over once and then gathered and sewn to the bottom of the skirt. Once I added the frill to the bottom I finished up the back vertical seam with a French seam (don’t forget to leave about ½” allowance for this area when folded back in and the final stitches are sewn to the underside) and I was finished!

All in all the sewing for this dress was not bad and once I worked out the ties at the shoulders along with the little gathers, the best way to add the waist tie and even the bottom frill I found I really liked how it turned out. One final thing I would like to mention and this goes for the making of all clothing, don’t be afraid to pull out a needle and thread and add a little hand stitching to areas that might need it. We want near-perfection when we make clothes and the best way to bring this about is by way of a sewing machine and when needed, a needle and thread for those small areas that might need a tiny extra. You will know where they are, just go with it and you will be happy with the final product. In regards to this dress, it has since been given away but the photos that were sent my way by way of the mom were the cutest! I will hopefully share those with you, I just want to check with the mom first and make sure including her little one’s photo here is ok. It’s best to check but I have to say it ways way more cute on the little human than on the hanger for sure! Well, if you saw the little human you would know it doesn’t get cuter and that has nothing to do with the dress!

So, that’s about it for now on the construction of tops and dresses for the munchkins. Here are a few other projects for the little ones I have recently made and you will find a few of these pieces still available on my etsy shop @ www.Craftzies.etsy.com. If you have any questions or have any ideas please feel free to say hi, I love new ideas and suggestions and I am sure others will as well.

This Baby Hip Hop Dress and Bandana was made for my niece Zoe.

(She’s so cute! I can’t wait to give that baby a kiss on her rosy little cheek! Aunt Lindsay and little Zoe have so many things to chat about, yes we do…).

I have enough material for 1, maybe two more dresses and matching bandannas. I was going to put a custom listing up on etsy but I think I will just mention it her and see if anyone is interested. This way you can pick the size & I want to say up to a size 2T max is possible for this dress in this fabric print. If you were interested in one of the Little Leona dresses it is possible, though other fabric will have to be picked out. For that you might have some picked out already, or you can check out this link with some cotton prints to give you an idea of what is available -> http://www.craftzies.blogspot.com/2012/06/cotton-prints.html

Happy Sewing & stay cool out there.

Lindsay ;)