Ellie Inspired

Did you know that I have a free necktie pattern posted on my site?  I've made these the last couple of years for my boys.  They are soooooo quick and easy and take so little material.

The first year I made them in a nice suiting material.  Sorry for the blurry picture.

Then, last year, I used a shimmery silver/green satin.

The nice thing about these is that a strap goes through the knot and you actually velcro them in the back, under the collar.  So, no messing with ties, and no annoying little clips to bother their skin.

It is sometimes hard to sew for boys as they get older for Easter.  My boys always feel special when I make them these and with three of them, it still takes no time at all.  If you try them let me know! 

P.S.  Do you like the vest in the first picture?  It's reversible.  I was thinking of writing a pattern for it if there's enough interest.  What do you think?

I recently wrote a pattern for Riley Blake Designs called the Sweet Apple Frock.  It is a fun little jumper with an elastic back that makes good use of scraps of fabric.  It has a cross-over bodice and a sash that ties in front.

I was so excited when they chose me to be their course instructor for October for the Cutting Corners College!! Skip on over there and download the free pattern and while you're there, fill your cart with some of their super adorable fabric! 

I kind of had fun with the pattern layout on this pattern, using graphics from their "Lovebirds" line of fabric.  This fabric is so gorgeous in real life, I couldn't help myself!

We had a fabulous day visiting with relatives from Norway.  It was the first time the cousins had met face to face and they had so much fun together.  When we left, Nathan, my oldest said he wished his new cousins could come live with us.  I wish so too!

So, I have nothing new to show you yet.  Since I didn't sew this weekend, I thought I would show you some new pictures that were added to the Ellie Inspired Flickr group.  Did you know that you can add your finished project pictures to the group?  I love to see what you're working on.

This is my Ruffle Halter dress from the sewalong we did a couple of months ago.  Sew42mom made this super cute size 1 dress. 

This is a tester picture from the new pattern coming out, Sweet Daisy Girl.  LOVE her mylar embroidery designs on the dress!!!  Thanks Kathy!

One final little thing...

I have had lots of people ask me where I got my wood dress form.  I didn't realize they were so hard to find until I started looking for one.  So, since I couldn't find anything affordable, I drew out a sketch and asked my smart carpenter husband to make one for me instead!  I have used it hundreds of times and love it!  It is so useful when you are trying to get a hem even, photographing completed garments, and hanging up half-finished Works in Progress so they don't get wrinkled.

I asked my husband and he said he would make more of them.  So, for right now, they are just for sale in my Etsy shop.  There are two sizes and they are custom-made.  You can choose your paint color or if you would like it stained.  There is some light assembly required when it is shipped to you.  Although, all the holes are pre-drilled so it is super simple to put together.

If you would like one, please visit my Etsy shop and order it through there.  Thanks!

I got all these different combo of fabrics at our Walmart and wanted to make up a quick 4th of July outfit for this weekend.  I used my Ruffle Halter tutorial but wanted to get rid of the bulk and heaviness of the ruffles since my dd is only a size 2.  So, I used half-circle flounces instead that were 5" wide.  This was SUPER fast to do!  Probably less than an hour even with cutting out time.  And, the best part of using the half-circle flounces was NO GATHERING AT ALL!  That's why it went so quick.  This variation and actual pattern pieces will be published somewhere (it's a secret!  ) in August but if you want to see how I did it and do the math for yourself in the meantime, I'm going to post the dimensions needed below:

• Cut out your bodice piece and measure the width across the bottom.  Multiply this number by 2. 

(ex. My bodice piece was 12.5" inches across so my total is 25").

• Now subtract ONE seam allowance (subtract 1/2").

(ex. My total now is 24.5").

• This is the length you need your inner arc of your first ruffle to be.  This is what you do.  Take the length divided by pi (3.14).  This gives you the radius of your circle.

(ex. 24.5" divided by 3.14 = 7.80)

• Now take this number times 2 to get the diameter of your circle.

(ex. 7.80 x 2 = 15.6)

• Now you need to draw a circle that is that diameter (in my case 15.6" across). 

• Now you need the OUTER ARC.  I wanted my flounces to be 5" wide.  If you want them longer you can do that no problem.  So I drew a circle that was 10" wider in diameter than my first circle.  (When my first circle was centered in the middle of my larger circle, that gives me 5" extra all the way around.)

• Tape the circles together and cut in half since we are only doing half-flounces.  (You can, of course, do all this on the computer if you have a drawing program which is what I did.)

• This is your first flounce.  The math takes longer than cutting it out and sewing it!  Now that inner circle is going to be 24.5" long which gives you just enough to put right sides together and sew a 1/4" seam allowance and it will match up exactly with your bodice.

• To do each remaining flounce, you will add a panel behind the previous flounce (mine was 4" wide so that the ruffles overlapped a little bit) that is a little longer.  I made each subsequent flounce 2" longer.  You will need to start over with the math to draw new circles and your starting number will be the length of your panel that you are attaching to (ADDING in one seam allowance of 1/2").  So, if my new panel is 27" long, my starting number is going to be 27.5" that I will divide by pi.

Get it?  I took you back to high school geometry, didn't I?  I am a hands-on learner so I would probably never read the above directions and try to work the math out.  If you are like me, don't worry, I am going to have actual pattern pieces ready for you in another month.

Happy 4th of July!!

EDITED TO ADD:  Oh, and the hat is the one from my new Daisy Bell pattern!  Forgot to mention that!

Daisy Bell is at the testers this week and while I wait to hear of any changes they may find, I promised to give you guys my free pattern for the beret and the sailor collar that I added to the pattern for Elisabeth's Memorial Day dress.

So, as promised...here you go!  This collar would work with my Pocket o' Posies dress, Lucy Locket, or this new one, Daisy Bell.

One of my sewing friends sent me these gorgeous pictures of her kids in the sailor outfits she made them.  Isn't this great inspiration for sewing these beautiful classic sailor outfits??

And here's my baby last year in the one I made for her.  I used Katina's Smocked Sailor Dress, which sadly is out of print.  But, sometimes one will pop up for sale on the internet if you're watching for it.  It is a great pattern.

Daisy Bell should be available for sale next Monday so, if you have your material ready, and you download the pattern from my site, you could still make one in time for the 4th of July!  Of course, it looks just as cute without the sailor collar and can be worn all summer long.  Ellie always gets lots of compliments on her red linen dress without the collar, too.

Whew!  For a few days there, I turned this into the Food Network instead of a sewing blog!!

Last step!  And it's a short one!  You just need to line your bodice. Before you do that, though, you may want to try the dress on your little model.  The weight of all those ruffles may pull the back bodice down too low and you might have to tighten up the elastic.  I know some of you decided to do a much longer piece of elastic, which is fine depending on the stretchiness of the elastic, but it might dip down too low now.

1.  Finish the bottom edge of your bodice lining piece.  (Serge, overcast stitch, or narrow hem).

2.  Place it on your bodice, right sides together.  (Make sure the straps are pointing down!)

3.  Stitch all around the top edge, starting at one armhole and ending at the other.

4.  Flip right side out and press the seams well.

5.  Fold under 1/4" of the side seams and hand or machine-stitch to the bodice, covering the seam where the back bodice meets the front.

6.  Leave the bottom edge as it is or whip stitch to the bodice by hand.

(I hurried with this last step because I know that some are trying to get this done for tomorrow.  So, the pictures are seriously lacking!  If you want more pictures, I'll work on them tonight and add them for you who aren't on a time crunch.)

Please send me your pictures so I can see!!!  Include in your email whether you give permission for me to share your picture on my blog or flickr account.  Thanks for joining in the Sewalong!  It was fun!

Almost done with this!  Time to start stitching the ruffles to the underskirt.

On your table, you should have:

• your underskirt lying there and, if you cut it, all the pieces in order.
• your many circles of ruffles, also layed out in order.
• your bodice

1. First thing you need to do, if you don't have a ruffler, is gather the tops of the ruffles.  I'm not going to give you instructions on using your ruffler for this because, honestly, I don't have one!!  I know, everyone thinks I'm nuts that I do all my gathering by hand.  It's just not one of those things I have taken the time to get but I can see they're worth their weight in gold, especially in this project!

• To gather the tops of your ruffles, set your stitch length on the longest length (a stitch length of 4 is good), leave a nice long tail of thread to start with and stitch 1/4" away from the edge, all the way around the circle.

• Repeat this 1/2" from the edge.

2. Now, you have two rows of gathering threads.  Pull those tails and try to gather them evenly.

3. Tuck the underskirt, that you stitched to the bodice previously, inside the bodice with the wrong sides together.

4. Pin your first ruffle to the bodice, right sides together.  Distribute the gathers evenly.

5. Stitch on the same seamline used previously.

6. Pull the underskirt back out, fold the ruffle back down and press or steam so that it lies flat.  Take it back to your sewing machine and topstitch the ruffle down to hide the raw seams underneath and keep the ruffle from flying up.

****************************************************

For the next few steps, there will be different instructions for those who cut the underskirt to attach the ruffles on the inside and for those who drew the lines to attach the ruffles on the outside. 

If you cut the underskirt:

1. Take the next section of the ruffles and pin it to the bottom edge of the underskirt, right sides together.  Distribute the gathers evenly.  Stitch in place.

2. Take the next section of the overskirt and pin it to the seam you just made.  The right side of the underskirt will go against the right side of the previous section of underskirt with the ruffle sandwiched between.  Stitch on the previous seam line with a finished seam edge.

3. Fold everything back down the way it should lie and press or steam so that it lies flat.  Topstitch the ruffle down to keep it laying nicely down.

4. Repeat the above steps for the rest of the skirt.

If you chose to do a doubled ruffle at the hem to cut off some length, the only that you will change is to press that in half first, wrong sides together, before you stitch the gathering threads and attach it to the final section of underskirt.

If you did not cut the underskirt:

1. Take the next section of ruffles and pin it to the first drawn line on the underskirt.  The wrong side of the ruffle will be against the right side of the underskirt.  Distribute the gathers evenly.  Stitch in place, as close to the gathered edge as possible to eliminate some of the bulk.

2. Remove the gathering threads.

3. Repeat  the above steps for the rest of the skirt.

If you chose to do a doubled ruffle at the hem to cut off some length, the only thing that you will change is to press that in half first, wrong sides together, before you stitch the gathering threads and attach it to the bottom of the underskirt.

**I used the term ruffles throughout these instructions but the instructions are exactly the same if you chose to do the larger flounces.  Technically, a flounce should have a semi-circular shape, and because of the small diameter of the inner circle as opposed to the larger diameter of the outer circle, it generally does not need to be gathered at the top.  In order to make the most of our fabric, however, I did not instruct you to cut out the flounces in a semi-circular shape.**

**Also, if you are doing a "half-flounce" at the hem of the dress, you will still follow these instructions.  Your last tier will just be half the length of your others.**

I know you all are more than ready for me to post this next step!  Sorry!  Writing a tutorial takes lots longer than sewing the garment  and end of school year stuff has gotten in the way.

Time to cut out your ruffles/flounces:

• Each ruffle is 4 1/2" wide so you will be able to get four widths out of a fat quarter.  (Remember, a fat quarter is 18" x 22" so you will use half of a fat quarter for the first ruffle).  Here are the lengths you need for each tier.  (Refer back to your skirt pattern piece so you know how many tiers you need):

1st ruffle:  44"

2nd ruffle: 55"

3rd ruffle: 66"

4th ruffle:  77"

5th ruffle: 88"

6th ruffle: 99"

7th ruffle: 110"

I'm going to stop there but you get the idea - each ruffle is 11" longer than the one before it.  A size 8 is going to need 10 tiers of ruffles.  I honestly don't think you're going to want more than 7 ruffles but it's a matter of personal preference.  If you are making a size 6,7,8 and choose to do flounces instead, see below.

• If you need to shorten the skirt at all, you can take that last tier of ruffles and fold it in half, wrong sides together, press well and gather it that way.  You will not need to finish any edge on that last ruffle and your dress will be shortened by 2 1/4".

• Also, when I got to the last couple of tiers of ruffles, I started mixing different fabrics together to get the correct length.  I really liked the look it gave it - it kind of tied in all the fabrics together - and it helped me make the most of my fabric!

For sizes 5-8 only:

• Each flounce is 9" wide so you will be able to get two widths out of a fat quarter.  (The first flounce will take the whole fat quarter).  Here are the lengths you need for each flounce (Again, refer to your skirt pattern piece so you know how many tiers you need):

1st flounce:  44"

2nd flounce: 55"

3rd flounce: 66"

4th flounce: 77"

5th flounce: 88"

You may wonder from the skirt pattern why some sizes have a half a flounce for the last tier!  Basically, that just means to cut it a ruffle width instead but use the flounce length.  That may sound really confusing!  I thought that last flounce was going to make the dress too long so, for some of the sizes (size 5 and 7), the last flounce will only be 4 1/2" wide instead of 9" wide.  That is how I originally showed it on my diagram.  See the last tier is a little shorter width?

You certainly don't have to do it that way.  Measure your child and see what length she is going to need.

Next, you need to join the lengths of ruffles:

Each tier of ruffles or flounces will need to be joined to make a circle.  This is easy as can be!  Put the short ends of the lengths right sides together and stitch with a finished seam edge (i.e. serging, zig-zag or overcast stitch on machine).                                                    

The final seam will join it in a circle.*

*Depending on how you choose to finish the edges, you may want leave it flat and stitch the final seam to form a circle after you finish the edges.

There are three ways to finish your ruffles:

1.  Serge both sides or finish with a zig zag or overlock stitch on your sewing machine.  That is the way that I did it originally so the pictures will show that.  However, I originally stitched the ruffles to the outside of the skirt, remember?  If you are cutting your skirt lining and attaching them so the seams are on the inside, you only need to finish the bottom edge of the ruffles.

2.  Narrow hem your ruffles.  This looks so beautiful and finished.  Janet Gilbert has an awesome tutorial on her blog on how to do perfect narrow hems that would work great for this.

3.  The last option is if you have lots of fabric.  Instead of using fat quarters, you can cut your fabric at a 45 degree angle to the selvage to cut the strips out on the bias grain.  Then, you do not need to finish the edges off at all!  The edges will soften as they are washed but they won't shred or fray like something cut on the straight grain does.  It will also have a nice hang to the ruffles too.  But, this does take lots more fabric.  

It will take a little time to measure, cut, stitch, and finish the edges of the ruffles so I'm going to stop there for now.  I'll post the rest of the steps tomorrow.