Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you my dear friends!

May this day be filled with lots of fun, happiness, togetherness, and sharing.

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog. You can download and use them to create your own clothes.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

pattern drafting tutorials 

sewing tutorials 

Tutorial---How To Make A Simple Reversible Bag

I made a small reversible bag two weeks ago and would like to share the tutorial with you all.

Here is the pattern for it.

A to B = C to D = A to D = B to C = 6 inches. Leave 0.5 inch hem allowance at the top and 0.25 inch seam allowance at the bottom and the sides.




Step 1:

Cut four pieces of fabric using this pattern. Fabric type and color are your choice. I used a dark green silk cotton fabric and a blue-green polycotton fabric. I did a little embroidery on one side of the dark green fabric and I stitched a pink ribbon bow on one side of the blue-green fabric. (Sorry, you won't find it in this picture. I stitched it at a later stage. However, you need it to sew any embellishment or embroidery at this stage.) 

Step 2:

Match the first set of fabric with right sides facing each other, and sew the seams on the sides and the bottom. Leave the top side open.

Step 3:

Cut the corners at the bottom to get that curvy shape when you turn it inside out.

Step 4:

Turn it inside out and you have the first bag.

Step 5:

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other set of fabric. The second bag is also ready. Do not turn it inside out.

Step 6:

Fold 0.5 inch for hem at the top of both the bags and pin.

Step 7:

Press the folds with your thumb, remove the pins, and iron the folds into place. Insert the second bag into the first bag with wrong sides facing each other.

Step 7:

Cut three straight pieces measuring 11.5 inches (length) by 1 inch (width) from a matching fabric (I used the blue-green fabric) for straps.

Fold each piece into half and join the raw edges together as shown in the picture below.

Turn them inside out using a safety pin. Sorry. I didn't take a picture of this step.

Now you will have three fabric tubes.

Pin them all together at one end and start braiding them. Once the braid is done secure the other end with another pin.

Step 8:

Repeat step 7 to make the other strap.

Step 9:

Remove each pin from the braided straps and secure the corners of the braid with strong stitches.





Step 10:

Place the straps 1.5 inches from the side seams and sandwich the strap corners between the hemlines at the top of the two bags and sew them in place.

Step 11:

You are done! And here is (are) the finished bag (bags).

Turn it inside out and you have another bag with a completely different style. (You will see the ribbon bow here which I attached before step 7.)

You can make this reversible bag and use it for two different occasions.

I would like to read your valuable comments for this tutorial. Please let me know if any of the step is not clear to you.

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

pattern drafting tutorials 

sewing tutorials 

Empire Waist Surplice Or Wrap-Over Dress

This is a new dress I sewed for my little girl. It is a surplice dress with empire waist.

A close-up of the dress:

Back of the dress:

If you want a tutorial on how to sew a surplice dress let me know by leaving a comment under this post.

I have linked this up to the link party here.

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

pattern drafting tutorials 

sewing tutorials  

A-Line Dress with Peter Pan Collar---How to Attach a Pocket

We have almost finished making the A-line dress. The only thing left is to attach a pocket on the left front. However, this step is optional.


Now on to how to draft and sew a pocket.

Take a 8-inch long and 3.5-inch wide rectangular fabric (preferably of the same color as the collar). These measurements are for kids' sizes 2 and 3. For kids over these sizes, you may have to increase the length and width.

Fold it in half upward and mark 0.25-inch seam allowance on the sides and the bottom. Shape the bottom of the pocket as shown in the image.

Sew along the seam line.

Turn the pocket inside out, fold inside 0.25 inch at the top, and top stitch or whip stitch by hand (if you prefer).

Now pin it in place and sew over the sides and the bottom. Sew as close to the edges as possible.

Sew buttons and buttonholes on the center back of the dress and you are done!

Note: I preferred to have double layers of fabric for the pocket. If you prefer a single layer, take a 5-inch long and 3.5-inch wide fabric, leave 0.25-inch on the sides and the bottom, and 0.75 inch hem allowance at the top, shape the bottom of the pocket, hem the top, turn under the 0.25-inch allowances on the sides and the bottom, and pin the pocket to the dress and sew. The pocket measurements are for 2- to 3-year-old kids.





Follow these links to read the other parts of this tutorial:

How to Draft the Pattern for an A-Line Dress?

How To Sew An A-Line Dress

How To Draft A Peter Pan Collar

How To Attach A Peter Pan Collar

How To Attach A Pocket

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

pattern drafting tutorials 

sewing tutorials 

 

Tutorial---A-Line Dress with Peter Pan Collar---How to Attach a Peter Pan Collar

Using the Peter Pan collar pattern (see this link) cut out four collar shapes (two collars and two facings).

Draw 1/4 inch seam line from the outer edge of each collar.

Join each color and its facing with right sides facing together.

Clip the curvy corners (as we did when we attached piping to the armhole), and then turn the collar inside out.

Pin the collars to the neckline from center front to back of the dress.

Sew the collars to the neckline once you have positioned them well.

The last step is to sew a bias tape to hide the raw inner edge of the collar. Cut 1.5-inch wide bias strip from the same fabric you used for the collars. The length of the bias strip can be a few inches more than the neck. Fold the bias strip in half, place it above the collar on the right side of the dress, and pin it around the neckline. See the images below.

Sew the bias strip leaving 0.5 inch of the strip (hem allowance) on both the corners of the neckline and cut the excess.

Turn the neckline to the wrong side. Clip from the top up to (but not into) the seam line to stretch the neckline to give your collar a nice shape.

Fold inside the 0.5 inch hem allowance you left on both the corners of the neckline and pin them.

Press the folds using your thumb. Remove the pins, fold down the bias strip, and pin it around the neckline.

To avoid the bias strip showing up on the right side, you need to pull it down and pin on the top as well as on the bottom of the strip. I didn't pin on the top before I hemmed it. Therefore you could see the strip peeping out a little (in the image second from last).

Hem the bias strip.

Your Peter Pan collar is ready now.

Tomorrow we will see how to attach a pocket to this dress.

Follow these links to read the other parts of this tutorial:

How to Draft the Pattern for an A-Line Dress?

How To Sew An A-Line Dress

How To Draft A Peter Pan Collar

How to Attach A Peter Pan Collar

How To Attach A Pocket

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

pattern drafting tutorials 

sewing tutorials 

How to Draft a Peter Pan Collar?

Step 6:

Today we will learn how to draft a Peter Pan collar. Peter pan collar is a nonconvertible collar, that is it stays in place when unbuttoned and it closely follows the shape of the neckline of the dress. There are many types of Peter Pan collar. The one I show here is a flat collar without a roll which is detached at the back also.

First, spread out the front and back patterns. Cut and divide the back pattern piece at the center. Make 1 1/2-inch button and buttonhole folds on the left and right back pieces, respectively.

Now, this is how the front and back patterns with seam allowances look.

Take the front piece and one of the back pieces (either right piece or left piece). With the right sides facing together, match their shoulder seams. Stick the shoulder seams using glue, so that the pattern pieces won't slip away when you draft the pattern. You can also pin them together.

Turn it right side. Now you got the neck shape.

You need to decide the width of your Peter Pan collar in this step. Add 1/2 inch (1/4 inch + 1/4 inch) to the width for seam allowances on both sides. For example, if you want to have a collar width of 2 inches, then the total width is 2 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 2 1/2 inches. Mark 2 1/2 inches on the center front from the neckline. Draw a line.

The back side has button and buttonhole folds that will overlap each other. Therefore, I left 1/2 inch from the center back and marked the back collar edge. See the image below.

Mark 2 1/2 inches from the neckline in at least 10 to 12 spots between the front and back collar corner points as in the image below.

Join the dots. You could now see the collar getting shape.

All you need to do now is to give a rounded shape to the front and back corners of the collar. To do this, you need to mark 3/4 inch from the front and back outer edge corner points of the collar. Join the points to make the curvy shape. You can also draw this shape freehand without marking the points, or you can use a French curve.

Place a tracing paper on the draft and trace the collar pattern. Trace the neckline including the 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Cut it out from the tracing paper. Voila! Your Peter Pan collar pattern is ready.

Follow these links to read the other parts of this tutorial:

How to Draft the Pattern for an A-Line Dress?

How to Sew an A-Line Dress

How To Attach A Peter Pan Collar

How To Attach A Pocket

You can find lots of free PDF printable sewing patterns on this page on my blog.

You can also click the Free Sewing Patterns Page at the top of this blog page (under the blog title) to find more free sewing patterns.

Click the below links to browse through all the pattern drafting and sewing tutorials on my blog.

pattern drafting tutorials 

sewing tutorials