Sewing Friends: Courtney from Sweeter Than Cupcakes

Hi all! I’m Courtney, and you can find me over at Sweeter Than Cupcakes. What I love most about Project Run & Play is how it pushes me to try new things. During the last season’s “It’s all in the details” week, I created the shirt below with a twisted, pleated shoulder detail.

I thought then that the twisted pleat would be fun for an applique, so today I bring you the twisted pleat flag tee perfect for the 4th of July.

To make this tee you will need a plain tee, striped fabric for the twisted pleats, and a rectangular scrap for the “stars.” Cut a rectangle of striped fabric larger than you want the final flag shape to be. You can trim things down later.

Fold the fabric wrong sides together along one of the stripes and pin.

Sew along the next stripe over.

Keep pinning and sewing stripes together until the fabric piece is all pleated. Just keep your spacing equal and leave room on each end to sew it to the shirt.

Press one side of the pleats up and the other side down. Baste along each side. Trim the rectangle to the desired size plus 1/4” all around

Turn the tee inside out and pin the right side of the striped fabric to the wrong side of the front of the tee.

Sew around the rectangle with 1/4” seam allowance.

Turn the tee right side out. Carefully pull the tee away from the striped fabric and cut it away. I cut from the center out to the corners and then trimmed along the edges.

Use Heat-n-bond to adhere the “star” fabric in the corner. This is slightly tricky because it’s not a completely flat surface, but you just need it to stick in place long enough to sew around.

Zigzag stitch around the “star” fabric.

You’re done! Now, you have a dimensional flag detail with those twisted pleats.

Come visit my blog to see my handsome nephew wearing his new shirt! Courtney http://sweeterthancupcakes.blogspot.com/

A Flashback Tutorial: The Starboard Skirt

This flashback tutorial is actually from 2 years ago!

But...it's still one of our very favorite.

It's the Starboard skirt:



I still love this skirt.

(And it makes a great skirt for ladies to...not just girls!)

For the complete tutorial just click here:

The Starboard Skirt Tutorial

 

Have a happy Tuesday!

Sewing Friends: Jenn from A Jennuine Life

Hey Project Run & Play readers!  I'm Jenn from A Jennuine Life.  I am so. excited. to be joining you as a Sewing Friend - what an honor!

I have been avidly following along since the very first season.  There is always so much talent displayed in the competition and great new blogs to follow.  I had never sewn along with a season.  When I decided to try out for a spot in Season 6 even though the timing couldn't have been worse I made a deal with myself that I had to complete every challenge regardless.  I didn't make it into the competition, but I did satisfy my bargain and finished a look or looks for each week:

And I had an absolute blast!

Today I'd like to share a project I made using the skills I built while sewing along with Project Run & Play, and then put to use when I did make it onto a sewing competition - Sew-vivor hosted by Rach at Family Ever After.  I used my Sparkle, Shine, Swirl dress I completed for the signature look challenge as my audition piece.

The first round for Sew-vivor was the Emerald Challenge.  I'd had this vision of a dress with a plunging back and sash at the empire waistline for a long time.  I found this adorable green on white dotty ombre fabric from Moda's Simply Color line by V and Co. but after sewing it I decided that it wasn't "emerald" enough for the challenge.

You might have heard the term "wearable muslin" which means making your first draft dress out of fabric that you would actually wear instead of just cheap unbleached cotton.  So that's the approach I took for this dress and my "muslin" has gotten much more wear than the fancy "finished" version.

Wanna make your own?  Here's how:

I drafted my bodice using a basic sloper I've used many times and know fits well.  I adjusted the front neckline to bring it up higher to follow the line of her collarbone and the back with a gentle curve to about 3" from the bottom back.  I was shooting to have the sash about halfway between the neck and the waist and line up comfortably below the arms.  Cut bodice front and back from main and lining fabrics. 

With right sides together (RST) sew at shoulders for both front and lining.  Press seams open.

With RST, sew along neckline and arms.  Be sure to leave the side and bottom seams open.  If you prefer button loops, this would be the time to insert them into the seam at the lower back.  I used buttonholes for this one.  Clip curves, turn right sides out and press.

This is difficult to show in pictures, but with RST align the side seams outer front fabric to outer back fabric, and lining front to lining back.  Be sure to match up the seam at the armpit.  Repeat for the opposite side.

Finish the bottom edges in your preferred method.  I used my serger (I call her Nina).

Cut your skirt pieces.  For the dotty dress I had only purchased a yard of fabric, so I was able to squeak out two pieces about 2x the total bodice width x 14".  I cut one piece in half across the long edge and finished all the edges.  Sew back pieces together with RST, leaving an inch or so open at the top to line up with the bodice back opening.  Press and sew seam allowances down along the opening.  Sew front to back with RST.  Hem the bottom edge.  As my skirt was only 14" I had to do a narrow hem for this dress.  Run two lines of basting stitches within the seam allowance to gather the skirt.

With RST match and pin back edges and side seams of the skirt and the bodice front.  Pull the bobbin threads to gather the skirt until each section fits where pinned.  Spread out the gathers until they're even and then pin generously.  Sew, remove pins and press.

Pinning from the inside, match up the lining bottom edge with the skirt bottom edge and then fold down the lining so it aligns with the stitching where the skirt is attached.  Topstitch from the outside a scant 1/8" above the waist seam.

I didn't take pictures of the sash, but it was pretty straightforward.  I wanted it very simple, so I just cut a rectangle about 3.5" wide by a couple of inches longer than the chest measurement just below the arms.  Sew together leaving an opening for turning along one long edge.  Clip corners, turn and press.  Pin in place along bodice using a ruler to get it nice and straight and stitch in place about 1/8" from edge.  Add buttonholes (and sewn button loops if you're using those) and buttons.

There you are!  I hope to sew along again in upcoming seasons - maybe without the set prerequisite to finish every one this time.  If you haven't sewn along and want to try, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so!  Not only did I make some really fun outfits, I've made some great friendships with other sew along-ers!

If you'd like to see more of my sewing, crafting, DIY (or whatever else I scheme up to try), come on over to A Jennuine Life for a visit and stay a while!

Sewing Friends: Zoeope from Zoeeden Designs

Hi, I an Zoeope from Zoeeden Designs. I am a working mother with three children and I lovee!! making dresses for my girls mostly. I'm just so happy when they outgrow thier dresses, more excuse to make more. :) Thank you so much for inviting me over Project run and play.  I have been blessed by this website with all the tutorials and designs posted and I am so happy to be able to 'give' back.

I play with the basic bodice pattern a lot. I use it for pretty much everything. I just alter and use it. Used it for Dresses, Jackets, A-line dresses, different neck designs etc.
I get my dress designs mostly on-line as I don't go shopping for clothes (ha ha ). One place is pinterest, I have my own collection there now. I came across this dress one day and thought it will make a nice design for a little lady. :) So I made mine. Will show you how to alter the front bodice to get this design.

Inspiration Picture from Pinterest

Tutorial for making front bodice piece.

This was made for a three year old.

Front Bodice with grainline

Take your front bodice pattern, mark out the 'fold' and 'grainline' (this helps you position your pattern piece on the straight grain of the fabric for cutting)

Take a ruler and draw out a slant line.  Notice that the ruler is not at the tip of the fold line, if you do this, the centre piece will form a "v" which is not what I wanted.

The slant line is the pink line which is then cut.

Add your seam allowance to the two pattern pieces. 

Pieces all cut out.

Skirt here was for second dress.

Side front pinned to centre piece

Pin the two side front to the centre front piece, sew.

Front Bodice ready

This is your new front piece. Take a look at the picture and you will notice that the black (centre piece) extends down a bit at the bottom and up a bit at the shoulders. Trim. 

Note: this trimming did not affect the size of my top bodice but if you feel it might then add about 0.5" to the length of the pattern from the beginning.

Variation
The centre piece could be made into horizontal pleats for added texture/effect.
Simply get a piece of fabric three times the length of pattern piece and 1" wider than its width.
e.g bodice was 9.5" long and 9" at width. Fabric used will be 30" long and 10" wide.
Make the pleats (1" wide), Iron in place, then place pattern on top and cut.
Jess from craftiness is not optional has a similar tutorial on her site.

Skirt: Long rectangle pleated at the sides.

My shirt piece was just a long rectangle 76" long. ( I like me a full skirt !!) which is then pleated at the two sides. To get this, fold your long rectangle skirt into two. At the centre I measured 6" (inches) then did the pleats after that on the two sides leaving another 3" after that to have the same look at the back.

I then join the front bodice to the back bodice (back bodice not altered) at shoulder and sides.

Join the bodice to the skirt

Add the zip at the back.

Will not go into too much construction details, which can be found on-line.

She will not standstill for a picture, decided to use my dummy.

Extras

I always make the same thing for my girls. This time around however I wanted to try out a different design so came up with this second dress.

Thank you so much for having me, hope to visit again.

To all the wonderful ladies (and men) out there, keep designing and  God bless you. :)

Thank you Project run and play!!!

Sponsor Spotlight: Fishsticks Designs

Hi there, fellow sewing enthusiasts! I’m Bonnie, the owner and designer at Fishsticks Designs. I’m "Momma" to six children ranging in age from 23 to 3, and "Gi-Gi" to two little ones, too. No, I’m not a lover of frozen fishsticks, but I am a lover of sewing – sewing well and sewing efficiently and sewing practically! I believe that sewing should be fun, not hard, and you should love the end result. (If you want to know the whole story behind the funny name, you’ll have to hop over to my blog and read my “About Me”.)




I started designing patterns about 7 years ago for my own online sewing business and really jumped in with both feet when my fifth child (and third son) was born. I wanted to sew cute clothes for my little guy, and there just weren’t a lot of options available at the time, especially options for clothing that is comfortable and practical. I remember reading a quote from a well-known designer at the time who said in essence that she designed primarily for girls because no one was purchasing designs for boys. I was sure, though, that there must be a market for boys’ patterns – it just hadn’t quite been discovered yet! It’s so exciting to see today that moms (and grandmothers and aunts) are sewing for their little guys and enjoying it as much as sewing for their daughters! (I am adding little girls’ sewing patterns to my collection now, too, but I have no plans to stop creating for your little boys!)

One of the basic elements of each of my patterns is practicality. I never leave out fun and interesting options to give character to your sewing, but when you grab one of my patterns, I want you to want to go back to it again and again. Even better, though, I want your child to wear it again and again. Personally, while I do sometimes sew for special occasions, when I put the time into sewing something, I want it to get plenty of use! (Jackets and hoodies are among my favorite things to sew because they get an incredible amount of use when compared to other things.)

I happen to love sewing with knits because they’re so comfortable. (If I had to guess, I’d bet it’s pretty likely that you’re wearing a knit top right now while you’re reading this! I am . . . and knit pants, too, because I’m typing very early in the morning while sitting in my car waiting for my 13-year-old son’s track team to come back from their morning run. Multi-tasking is a way of life around here!) Many of my patterns are sewn with knit fabrics, and I know that some of you are afraid of knit fabrics. Don’t be! With the right tools and a really short learning curve, you will fall in love with sewing knits, too!

Each of my patterns is available in your choice of instant download PDF or snail mailed full-size paper pattern. All of my patterns contain step-by-step instructions with photographs and word explanations of every step. I say it’s like hanging out in my sewing studio with me, or at least the closest we can get without you actually stopping by for a visit. Really, though, if you need extra help, you can always call on me or my assistant to walk you through. We’re just an email away!

 

I hope you’ll stop by my website and check out my patterns, or even better, come visit my blog to see what I’m working on, learn something new about sewing (maybe check out my Knit Knowledge series), join in with some of the charity sewing projects that I support, or download a free tutorial and sew something fun today!

 

Sewing Friends: Michelle from Handmade Martini

Hello, Project Run and Play readers! I'm Michelle from Handmade Martini, and I am thrilled to be joining you today!

Here's a confession: I've been following PR&P since Season One. I remember eagerly subscribing to each of the contestants' blogs and being amazed and inspired by their work. (Still am.) When the lovely ladies announced there would be a sew-along a few seasons in, I did a little dance.

(Right now I'm reigning myself in so I don't become weird-fan-turns-creeper blog guest.)

Today I'd like to show you one of the first things I made for my boys. . . a layered knit applique t-shirt. These are great because they get better with each wash, they can be personalized with your child's interests, and they require very little fabric if you use a store-bought t-shirt.

So, let's get started!

I chose to mimic a Mini-Boden t-shirt. Mini-Boden is my favorite source for great appliques. This t-shirt is sold out, but it was an infants' shirt that immediately caught my pirate-loving boys' eyes.

For this version, I used store-bought t-shirts. Of course you could make your own, too!

source

1. Pick your design. Trace it or sketch it out on thin paper of your choosing.

2. Trace over your pencil markings in fine-tipped marker ink.

3. Flip the design over and trace it again in marker on the other side. (You'll be working with the mirror image of your original design.)

4. Place your double-sided fusible web product (I prefer Wonder Under) on top of your mirror image. Trace each element of the design separately onto the smooth side of the fusible web. As you're tracing, try to think about which pieces will be layered under others and include a little extra there. For example, I knew my pirate's coat would go under his beard, so I extended the coat a tad. You want to layer the pieces where they meet.

5. Be sure to include each element. It's helpful to label the colors of each piece.

6. Roughly cut around each piece of fusible web and iron it onto the wrong side of your knit fabric according to the product's directions. (I was making two shirts here, which is why you see two of each piece.)

7. Cut around your traced lines for each piece.
8. Peel off the backing of your fusible web to reveal the other sticky side.
9. Arrange the pieces on the shirt, making sure pieces are layered just how you want them.

10. Once your pieces are arranged to your liking, iron to set the fusible web according to the package directions.
11. Stitch around the pieces. I prefer to use a straight stitch on knit applique. (I use a ball point needle.) This part can be tedious, especially if you have several pieces and change out your thread for each color. Just take it slow and enjoy the process. (Ha. Or just listen to Hunger Games on audio to distract you from the tedium.)
12. For tiny pieces (like eyes), I use the manual wheel on my machine to help with accuracy.

13. To get all those threads from the front to the back, flip the shirt inside out. Pull on one of the exposed threads. A loop will appear.

14. Use the dull end of your seam ripper (or a needle or something), insert it into the loop, and pull the thread through from the front of the fabric.

15. Tie off. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. (Seriously. Audio books are the best thing to happen for my sewing life.)

17. I prefer to iron lightweight fusible interfacing onto the inside of the shirt over the tied threads. They can get scratchy.
18. Embroider details that can't be appliqued - like eyes, eyebrows, hooks, etc. It's pretty easy to find instructions for basic embroidery stitches online.

The possibilities are endless with this type of applique! It takes some time for complicated ones, but the end result is pretty awesome.

Here are some others I've unabashedly knocked off from Boden. I blogged about the hedgehog t-shirt and the train t-shirts if you're interested.
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Thank you so much for having me! Enjoy your summer, everyone!