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vintage may: gingham swing jacket

here comes the second week of vintage may posts; we hope you’ve been enjoying all the wonderful vintage-y inspiration so far! today, Jess and I both have projects for you, and the rest of this week we’ll have guests. keep adding photos to the flickr group, your projects are really wonderful and we’ll do a round up at the end!

i decided my second item for vintage may would be a little swing jacket for Em. i really love making her outerwear, and she was due for a new springy jacket to wear over her school uniform anyway. and hey, who doesn’t love a little gingham for spring(ham)?

i’ve also had this idea stuck in my head to make a swingy little coat with a pleated back panel for a loooong time. so here was my chance.

it was one of those projects that was pretty nerve-wracking as i made it, since it felt pretty off-the-cuff, but luckily turned out pretty well. there are a couple issues (collar overlaps a bit, lining was too narrow so it swings free rather than being attached) but all in all, i like it as a first draft and it’s totally functional for her.

well, not totally functional, i guess. the pockets are just flaps because i couldn’t remember the last time Em really cared about having front pockets in a jacket, but of course the first thing she did when she put it on was lift up the flap to find the non-existent pocket. of course. soooooo i promised her i’d add a pocket underneath (someday).

the pattern…well…it started as a size 4 oliver + s sunday brunch jacket, a long time ago. first i modified it into red riding hood, then into her suzy coat, and now into this little gingham coat, so it’s to the point where only the armhole curves are left from the original. that’s the beauty of a good basic pattern though, it’s so easily adaptable!

the purple gingham is laminated cotton (i think), sent to me by the very generous Tatia. i figure it’s probably water resistant? i put the more “waterproof” seeming side face in, and the more cottony side face out. i thought about adding a hood but drafted a peter pan collar instead, since this thrifted 1967 McCall’s pattern was my original inspiration.

(at the bottom it says “not suitable for chubby girls”!!!!!)

lining the jacket is a floral vintage sheet, sent to me by Lindsay for helping be another set of eyes during Project Run & Play – super sweet of her. she sent me a big box of fun thrifted goodies actually, and this was a fun one to cut into…so soft! i pulled from some blue in the lining to add the blue buttons (with yellow thread for fun).

Em’s dress underneath is a Roller Skate Dress, blogged here, also made from a vintage sheet. she wears it a lot!

Em was feeling a bit under the weather but still pulled off some pretty good poses, eh? It was another of those quickie photoshoots you’ve just gotta do sometimes.

OKAY! now head on over to CINO to see the capital A-DORable dress Jess made for her little gal Charlotte. the floral! the pigtails! the cheeks! the collar! it’s all just too much to handle!

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Comments 29 Comments
Categories sewing for girls, vintage

vintage may: flap pocket skirt and tutorial

13 May

today is the first day of Vintage May! i’m having fun sewing for myself lately, so i thought i’d kick the series off with a vintage-style skirt that i could make look retro or modern, depending on my mood. it’s a current-day pattern with a twist to add the type of special detail you’d expect to see in vintage clothing…a flap pocket. and i’ve included a little tutorial on how to easily modify any pant/skirt pattern to do this yourself!

first, a little about the skirt, which i sewed in Anna Maria Horner’s beautiful “coordinates in saffron” cotton from bolt. i love this print and had been saving it for a special project – this fit the bill nicely. wouldn’t it be so gorgeous in field study linen too? love that stuff.

the pattern is simplicity 2226, a basic, inexpensive, easy-to-find pattern which i bought back when Anna did a sewalong! i sewed a size 14 but should’ve taken her advice and sewed a size or two smaller to get more waist cinch. it’s comfy as is, but waaay bigger than my store-bought skirts (i’m usually a 6). the pattern instructions are really well-written though – i’d never sewed a non-indie pattern and i was pleasantly surprised at the clarity of it! i sewed view A without belt loops and added an extra 1″ in length just to be sure it hit me below the knee.

so i knew i wanted to make a skirt but didn’t know what era to go with. i googled “20s skirts” and “30s skirts” and “40s skirts” on up…aside from the more flowy, flapper-esque look of the 20s and the more structured look of the 40s, there didn’t seem to be TOO much in terms of everyday-type skirts that would make you say “that skirt is from THIS decade.” i made this skirt to have a ’30s vibe (which to me is more casual than the decades surrounding it and slightly art deco) but people i’ve shown say it has a 50s/60s look…so i don’t know.

i guess it’s kind of a “know it when you see it” type deal – styled like i typically dress, it just looks like a normal skirt. styled with red lipstick and vintage silk headscarf with a tucked-in cardigan, it’s a throwback (especially when you stand next to a beauty school door).

anyway, onto the pocket tutorial! this is the same method i used for sam’s shorts in moonrise kingdom film petit, and it’s easy but adds a pretty neat detail. the pattern comes with your typical curved front pockets, so this tutorial is to show you how to modify those.

: SUPPLIES :

pants/skirt pattern with front pockets
point turner / chopstick / knitting needle
1/4 yard (or fat quarter) of contrast pocket lining fabric
two buttons

: METHOD :

first, lay out your pattern’s skirt front. see the scooped line for the pocket on the far left? use your ruler to extend the top and side lines to meet at a 90 degree angle. this will become your flap.

fold down the corner until it looks like a good proportion to you (in my case it was 6 inches) and mark those spots. add a notch at each mark.

overlay the pocket back pattern piece and add notches to match. cut two “backs” from your contrast fabric and two from your main fabric. i ended up trimming the pocket back and lining pieces more to a slightly wider square shape versus the rectangle indicated in the pattern, since i was lining it in a contrast fabric and didn’t want to fold it back on itself as the pattern instructs.

sew contrast lining fabric to skirt front with 3/8″ seam between the notches, backstitching at both ends and pivoting at the corner. clip corner and turn flap right side out, pushing to a point with your point turner. clip into the seam allowance at the notches to release the flap so it can fold out of the way as you sew the rest of the skirt. then with the flap folded down and the skirt wrong side up, place pocket back over the lining and sew around the inner two edges (in the photo below i’m folding the fabric out of the way so you can see right/wrong sides, but you’ll want to sew it matching the edges – NOT folded up). finish the inner edges of the pocket via zigzag or serger.

then working on the right side, baste top of the skirt and side so the pocket stays put as you move on to gathering the front, sewing the side seams, and adding the waistband.

continue to sew the skirt as indicated. at the end, sew the button on to keep the flap down and add visual interest. mark 1/2″ from each edge, then sew your buttons between the flap and inside of pocket only (not all the way through the skirt – gotta get your hand in there!).

and you’re done!

now go hit the town in your new skirt, girl!

i never wear a red lip, this was actually my sister in law’s gloss and i felt pretty sassy wearing it…!

and a huge thanks to my husband who took these pics and put up with my compulsive overdirection.

alright! now you KNOW you want to see Jess’ adorable little gal in a vintage-inspired gingham “romper” over at Craftiness is Not Optional…here’s a sneak peek! she is WAY TOO CUTE.

back tomorrow with our first guests!

Comments 54 Comments
Categories sewing for women, tutorials, vintage may

grape scoop top

2 May

this is the “wearable muslin” for my scoop top, after i graduated from using my husband’s old t-shirts as muslins and cut into “real” fabric. once i saw that this top worked and i had the fit and construction down, i cut into my Britex tissue knit and took the tutorial photos. i had posted this one to Rae’s Spring Top Sewalong flickr group but didn’t have time to blog it before it was time for KCW and then time for my two guest posts to go up.

what i’m saying is, sometimes blog post timing is weird.

anyway, it’s made in a purple rayon jersey from JoAnn, which wasn’t super expensive but is super soft with a really nice drape. the fabric was just finicky enough that my machine ate it a few times until I pulled out Jess’s tissue paper trick for the hemming, which worked like a charm! first time a double needle has really worked for me too, so that was fun.

it has the pocket that i include in my pattern, and i ended up angling the placement in the final version since this seemed a bit crooked. i also played with the hemline a bit after the shirt was already sewn, so the hem has a bit of a “don’t look too close” situaish going on. probably not noticeable to anyone but me though.

it’s really comfy. probably the comfiest shirt i own. annnnnd yes i’ve definitely worn it as a pajama top. i just love it so much! it’s like something i’d actually buy in a store, you know? big accomplishment over here, i’m still waaaay too jittery about self-sewing (but trying very hard to get past that, because wearing clothes i’ve made is incredibly rewarding).

my necklace is from rare bird on etsy – husband actually spotted it on my pinterest board and got it for me! good man. thorough.

oh hey, did you see that Anna made a scoop top?! it looks so awesome! it’s crazy to me that someone else could make a wearable top from my pattern. it’s like when i sewed my first skirt for Em and had this irrational fear that it would fall apart at the seams when she wore it. i just designed this top to fit ME so well, it’s pretty cool to see it fits other gals too! guess that’s the beauty of knits though, eh? ;)

i’ve seen a couple other lovely versions popping up on instagram and in comments too, and it makes me so happy you guys are giving it a whirl. this has been a fun “dip my toe into patternmaking” experience. i also want to give a huge THANK YOU to Melissa of Melly Sews and Blank Slate Patterns, who got me going on Illustrator – she offers a full class on it which she talks about here, and the first lesson is free! if you’ve always wanted to learn Illustrator but don’t know where to start, start there. it’ll blow your mind.

Comments 17 Comments
Categories sewing for women

scoop top free pattern and tutorial

26 Apr

As a part of my guest blogging gig for Britex Fabrics, they recently sent some of their new knit fabric to try out! I was really excited to see that Britex is now offering knit fabric online, and for this project I picked out a super cool Japanese tissue knit with scribbles all over it. I thought it’d be a great fabric to turn into a simple tee using my favorite J.Crew shirt as a launch point, with plenty of my own modifications to get the perfect fit.

And because I want to share the love of my new favorite shirt all over blogland, I thought I’d offer a FREE PATTERN along with my tutorial today!

scoop top pattern & tutorial

I’m calling it the Scoop Top. It’s a scoop neck women’s t-shirt with a french/dolman sleeve. It’s fitted through the bust but then flares out a bit, giving it a really flattering and comfortable fit. I’m offering this free pattern in a size small/medium (since it’s knit, it’s pretty forgiving, size-wise).

PATTERN

Download the FREE Scoop Top Pattern

Please note: This pattern is untested (except by me) and it is offered in only one size. It’s also the first time I’ve ever digitized a pattern, so please don’t expect perfection! I’m happy to answer questions about it if you ask nicely. This pattern is for personal use only. I reserve the right to refine, grade it to different sizes, and charge for it it sometime in the future. In the meantime, Go To Patterns’ Casual Lady (affiliate link) has a similar fit in a full range of sizes and proceeds go to a great cause.

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Comments 44 Comments
Categories patterns, sewing for women, tutorials

kcw spring 2013 :: hawaiian girl dress

25 Apr

story behind this one: lately when Em comes out of her room having dressed herself, she often looks like she’s headed to dinner on Maui or something. plumeria hair clip, skirt, lei, whole deal. she also has been asking me to make her a maxi skirt like mine.

boom. made her a hawaiian girl dress.

i saw a super cute dress on groovy baby…and mama this morning and made my own version as soon as i could, because i knew it’d be fast and Em would love it.

the fabric is a lightweight voile that fru-t sent me when i won a giveaway of hers a while back. she sent me a bunch of amazing fabrics, actually, and this is the first i could bring myself to cut into! i just gathered the front and attached some fold over elastic to the top.

Em loves it, perfect for this suddenly summer weather we’ve gotten here in the past couple days. here she is doing a halfhearted hula.

alright, that wraps up KCW for me! i’m just out of time. see, i didn’t even finish this dress, the straps still need to be sewn down.

HOWEVER. it’s a good thing Rae extended the Spring Top Sewalong, because tomorrow i have a free pattern and tutorial for you! like you meaning YOU – the grown up gal! i’m pretty dang thrilled about it – i even taught myself illustrator, so it’s all digital and stuff.