Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Sewing Friends: Gina from Party of 8

Hi! I am Gina and I blog at Party of Eight Our Story. Together with my husband and 6 kids we are pretty much an instant party. I am very honored to be here! Project Run and Play is such a fun place providing so much inspiration from both the contestants and sew along group. I am at a place in life where there is more" momming" than sewing going on but sewing is something I love. Sewing is a stress reducer (most days...some days not!) and it helps me maintain a little sanity. Thank you Liz and Elizabeth for having me here today!!
My favorite things to sew are girls dresses using vintage patterns. I love the details in vintage patterns like pleats and darts. My signature style is a simple silhouette with a special detail. I also love to mix vintage with modern. Simple does not have to mean boring! Today I am going to show you how I added texture to a simple silhouette to make it special. For this technique you will need a cutting mat, a quilting ruler with angles marked, pencil, sewing machine, and scissors.
 
My ruler has 30, 45, and 60 degree angles marked. For today's dress I will be adding texture to the front and back dress band as well as 2 pockets. I chose the 30 degree angle as it gave me the look I wanted for the pattern pieces I was working with. This technique is flexible and you can choose what works for you. First cut rectangular pieces of fabric approximately 1 inch larger on each side than is needed for the pattern piece ( I used McCall's MP386). Lay the piece of fabric on the cutting mat and line up the 30 degree angle with a line on the mat off to the side of the fabric. Hold the ruler in place  while marking a line along the edge of the ruler with a pencil or erasable marking pen. The line pressed down the center of the fabric provided a guide for placement of the pattern piece to be cut.
 
Once the first line is drawn use it as a guide to mark another line 1 inch away so "pairs" are created. Measure 2" from the inside line to draw the next line going the opposite direction to create a "X". Continue drawing lines in this manner until you create the pattern you desire.
 
Starting in the middle of the fabric fold the fabric back along the marked line then press it flat. 
 
Stitch along the edge as close as you can without going off the fabric. 
 
Then press each side of the fabric to set the stitches.  Next, open the fabric and press
 
Continue doing this until you have stitched all of the lines you have drawn. A couple of tips that seemed to make the process go smooth was to stitch then press all the lines going in the same direction then stitch the lines going in the opposite direction. After all of the lines are stitched run the iron alongside the stitches to press them "up". Once you have finished your textured piece, pin the pattern piece on, cut out, and you are ready to make your garment.
 
I am calling this my Japanese Meets Vintage Gone Modern look.
 
I chose to make this dress with linen which was influenced by the Japanese sewing book looks I have been seeing. I also thought this would be a light, cool piece to wear through our hot summer here in California.
 

The vintage detail is found in the pin tucks.  
The modern influence is found in the simple sundress silhouette and the bright, happy fabric although the small floral print gives a nod to vintage. The wood buttons may fit into all 3 categories. This is the second time I have tried this technique and I think I may try to see if I can create triangles next time.

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6 comments :

  1. love the pintuck detail, nice job!

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  2. So cute! What a neat detail to add some oomph!

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  3. Gorgeous Gina! I adore pintucks, and you do them so well!

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  4. This is really great. Children's always need a extra poct even they wear shirts or frock.

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  5. Ooh, pretty, pretty, Gina! Those pockets are so cute!

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