A-Line Floral Skirt with Frills

I made this skirt yesterday using a simple A-line skirt draft. I attached the red satin ribbon and frill trim to add grace to the floral skirt. The frill trim is a store-bought one. So it made my work easier.

Does the skirt look good with the frill trim or should it have been better left plain? Please post your replies. I am eager to read your comments and feedback.

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  

A Ruched Sundress for My Little Girl

I made this empire-waist sundress for my little girl today. The pattern is self-drafted. I did some ruching at the center front. The straps cross at the back. First, I thought of attaching a red or orange satin ribbon at the empire line, but then I settled in with the lace trim to give a soft look to the dress.

Here are some action shots. I took these photos before attaching the lace trim on the bottom hemline of the dress.

I purchased some cotton fabrics from a fabric bazaar recently to make summer dresses or skirts for my daughter. As I already have loads of cotton fabrics, I purchased only a few. I made the above-mentioned sundress from one of the fabrics you see in the image below. The lavender-colored floral fabric is for my friend's daughter. This type of cotton fabric is so soft and perfect for summer.

Lots of sewing ahead! I would love to see what you are making now. Please feel free to comment and leave a link to your blog, so that I will be able to visit your blogs too.

I have linked this to the link party on Happy Hour Projects.

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 Draft and Sew a Peasant Blouse

The peasant blouse or peasant top is very easy to draft and sew. The pattern draft is based on the basic blouse pattern. A raglan style sleeve (a sleeve that begins at the neckline and has a diagonal (sloping) seam line that ends at the armhole) is used in this top.

Body measurements needed:

Length of the blouse

Bust circumference

Shoulder measurement (from one shoulder edge point to the other shoulder edge point)

Neck depth

Pattern draft:

Front:

A to B = Blouse length
A to C = Neck depth
A to D = 1/8 bust + 2.5 inches (or 1/4 bust - 1 or scye depth, i.e., armhole depth)

D to E = 1/4 bust + 0.75-inch ease (ease can be reduced when you use stretchy fabrics to sew this top)

B to F is same as D to E or plus 2 inches (4 inches for women's size) if you want flare at the hemline
A to I = Half of the shoulder measurement
H to I = 1 inch (reduce this to 0.50 inch to 0.75 inch for kids' sizes)
H to G = Blouse's shoulder width you prefer

(or A to G = bust/12 + 0.25 inch or the measurement from the center of the neck to where you want your blouse's neckline to sit on the shoulder at neck.) 

HE is the armhole curve, which is not required here.

Shape the front neckline GC.

Connect A and E. Mark point N where the line AE meets the neckline.

Draw a vertical line from I which meets the line DE at point J.
Mark point K 1 inch from J (for women's blouses) (this could be 1/2 inch for kids under 8 years and 3/4 inch for kids 9 to 12 years). Shape EKN.

C to L = B to M = 2 inches (for more fullness, you can increase this measure as per your preference.)


LM is where you keep the fold in the fabric when you cut the front piece.



Back:

Same as front except for this change: Mark point K 1.5 inch from J (for women's blouses) (this could be 3/4 inch for kids under 8 years and 1 inch for kids 9 to 12 years). Shape EKN.

LM is where you keep the fold in the fabric when you cut the back piece.






Sleeve:

A to B = 1/8 bust + 2.5 inches (or 1/4 bust - 1 or scye depth, i.e., armhole depth)
A to C = Neck depth
A to O = Half of the shoulder measurement
A to D = A to G in the front blouse draft
B to F = 1/4 bust + 0.75-inch ease (the same ease you kept for the blouse front) 
Draw a vertical line from O which meets BF at point P.
Connect A and F. Mark point Q where the line AF meets the neckline.
Mark point G where lines OP and AF cross.
G to I = 1 inch (this could be 1/2 inch for kids under 8 years and 3/4 inch for kids 9 to 12 years)
G to H = 1.5 inch (this could be 3/4 inch for kids under 8 years and 1 inch for kids 9 to 12 years)

Shape sleeve front armhole FHQ and back armhole FIQ.
D to L = Length of the sleeve from D plus 2 to 3 inches for fullness at the arm round of the puffed sleeve.

AL = BE

Connect L and E.

K to L = D to J = 2 inches for the fullness at the armhole of the puffed sleeve.
Join K and J.
L to N = Half sleeve round
Join F and N.
N to M = 0.75 inch
Join L and M with a curved line.

JK is where you keep the fold in the fabric when you cut the sleeve pieces.


Cut the front, back, and sleeve pattern pieces on fold.


Add seam and hem allowances:

For blouse front and back:

3/8 inch at the armhole.
3/4 inch for the neckline for creating casing for the elastic
1/2 inch or 1 inch on the sides.
3/4 inch at the blouse bottom hemline

For sleeves:

3/8 inch at the sleeve cap curve.
1/2 inch or 1 inch on the sides.

3/4 inch at the sleeve hemline.

3/4 inch for the neckline for creating casing for the elastic (The sleeves start from the neckline, so they make part of the neckline.)

I have posted a free PDF sewing pattern for kids' peasant blouse for sizes 1 year to 12 years at the link below:

Click this link for the free PDF sewing pattern for Kids' peasant blouse for sizes 1 year to 12 years.

How to Sew?

Step 1: Lay out the front, back, and sleeve pattern pieces.

Step 2: Attach the sleeves with the front and back bodices:

With right sides facing, attach the sleeves to the front and back bodices.


Step 3: Join the sides.

Step 4. Make casing at the hemline of the sleeves and at the neck and insert the elastic into the casing.

How to do this: Fold the allowance of one of the sleeves down the wrong side, first by 1/4 inch and then again by 1/2 inch, and sew, leaving a 2-inch gap to insert the elastic. Using a safety pin, insert a 1/4-inch-wide elastic into the casing through the gap.

The length of the elastic should be equal to the sleeve round at the hemline. I have marked the length needed (can you see the blue mark on the elastic in the photo below).

Pin a safety pin at one end of the elastic. Feed the elastic through the entire casing, while holding the safety pin tightly while moving it through the casing.

When you get to the other end, take off the safety pin and overlap the two ends of the elastic by 1/2 an inch. Sew two or three rows of stitches to hold the elastic ends in place. Then snip off the excess elastic and close the opening in the casing by folding under and then hemming. Repeat this for the other sleeve as well as the neck. 

For the neckline, measure NC on the blouse's front draft and DQ on the blouse's sleeve draft. This is one fourth of the neckline. Four times this measurement gives you the neckline circumference. Take a 1/4-inch-wide elastic with length equal to the neckline circumference you calculated now. 

Now, create a casing in the neckline by folding the neckline down the wrong side by 1/4 inch, then again by 1/2 inch. Sew along the folded edge, leaving a gap of 2 inches to place the elastic in. 

Now, insert the elastic as you did for the sleeve hemline.

Step 5. Sew the side seams.

Step 6. Hem the bottom of the blouse.

Fold down the hemline to the wrong side by 1/4 first, and again by 1/2 inch and sew along the folded edge. Attach laces or satin ribbons along the hemline and decorate the neckline with bows made of satin ribbon (if you prefer).

That's it! Done. Easy, ain't it? Please leave your comments and questions in the comments section under this post. I will be happy to answer.

Click here for the free PDF sewing pattern for Kids' peasant blouse for sizes 1 year to 12 years.

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 

I Am Back

Hi Friends! I am back after a long vacation. I will soon post a tutorial on how to draft and sew a peasant blouse.

Watch out for the tutorial.

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 Sew and Attach a Stand Collar (Mandarin Collar)

While making the stand collar for this dress (which I had mentioned in this post), I thought I could share a short tutorial on how to sew and attach a stand collar. This method is very easy and you can make the collar in a jiffy.

Here is the tutorial:

Cut out two collar pieces (one for the outer collar and one for the inner collar [or facing]) using the stand collar (Mandarin collar) pattern draft posted here. The stand collar I have made here has curved edges and opens at the center front. 

You need one more collar piece cut from fusible interfacing. You can iron this on the wrong side of either the outer fabric or facing fabric. This is optional. However, using fusible interfacing will give more firmness to the collar. I didn't use fusible interfacing for this dress. But it looked fine without using it.

 

Fold the collar pieces by 0.25 inch at the bottom on the wrong side.

With right sides facing, sew the collar pieces together with a 0.25 seam. I have indicated the seam line in red in the photo below.

Clip the curved edges of the collar and turn the collar inside out. Now, sandwich the neckline of the dress between the two collar pieces starting from the curved corners of the neckline on the front bodice.

Pin the collar to the entire neckline.

Whip stitch or hem stitch the base of the collar by hand, making sure with each stitch you catch the base of the outer collar and inner collar (or facing) and the sandwiched neckline with your needle.

 

Your collar is almost ready now.

Top stitch the base of the collar, and that's it! Your stand collar is done.

Forgive me for the woobly stitches. Perhaps my sewing machine was in a bad mood that day :-)

I have linked this tutorial to the Link Party at Shwin&Shwin.

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 

Paisley Dress with Stand Collar

I wanted to make the summer wardrobe for my little daughter and I have started with this paisley dress. I had some leftover pieces of a kameez and decided to make this dress I had already designed for her.

I just love paisley fabrics and I love this color combination too. I used the leftover border fabric of the kameez for the sleeve edges, front button and buttonhole stands, and for the bows on the sides.

The features of this dress are stand collar (also called Mandarin collar), high back neck, Kimono sleeves, bows on the sides, and hidden side pockets in the gathered skirt.

I have linked this to the link party on Creative Itch.

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  

How to Sew Empire Waist Dress with Overlapping Front Bodice

Step 1---Arranging the pattern pieces

Using the patterns for the dress's front, back, and sleeves, cut and arrange your pattern pieces.

You can see how to draft the front here.

Dress back draft is shown here.

Sleeve draft is discussed here.

Front bodice:

Two main fabric pieces and two lining fabric pieces.

Back bodice:

Two main fabric pieces, two lining fabric pieces. (The button and buttonhole extensions in the below image are of same size which I changed later. You can note the difference in the dimensions in image next to the image below.)

Button and buttonhole extensions. I kept the button extension wider than the buttonhole extension. The buttonhole extension will overlap the button extension.

Front skirt:

Back skirt:

Sleeves:

Sleeve bands:

Bow, bow center, and bow ribbons:

For bow and bow ribbons, cut two pieces of fabric. Bow center is made with a single piece of fabric.

Step 2---Making the bodice and attaching the sleeves

With right sides facing, join the front and back bodice lining fabric pieces at the shoulders. For clarity, I have labeled the joined lining fabric pieces as A and B.

Next, with right sides facing, join the front and back bodice main fabric pieces at the shoulders. For clarity, I have labeled the joined main fabric pieces as C and D.

With right sides facing, pin together (only at the neckline) each set of lining fabric and main fabric bodice pieces (that is, A with C and B with D). In the image below, the lining fabric piece is on top and the main fabric piece is underneath.

Join the main fabric and lining fabric pieces together at the neckline, removing the pins as you join.

Clip the neckline edge as shown in the photograph below.

Turn the pieces inside out and press.

(Please excuse me for the brown stain you see on the bodice piece on the right side. It was made by my little artist. I should have been careful to keep the dress out of her reach. A lesson learned!)

Attaching the button and buttonhole extensions to the back bodice pieces:

We are going to attach the button extension to the left-side piece of the back bodice, and the buttonhole extension to the right-side piece of the back bodice. (You can also do this step before joining the lining and main bodice pieces.)

First we will attach the button extension. Pin the button extension with the lining side of the back bodice left piece at the center back. Also pin the main and lining fabric pieces at the waist seam and side seam (pointed by the arrows in the photo) to prevent the two pieces slipping away from each other.

Sew the button extension in place with a 0.25 seam allowance. You can notice in the image below that the button extension's length (according to the draft) is more than the center back length. We will trim this excess off in the next step.

You can trim off  the excess at the top according to the shape of the neckline not straight as shown here. I trimmed it later.

This will look like this on the main side.

Fold the button extension first by 0.25 inch and press, and then by 1 inch to cover the seam and pin.

 

I could not keep the fold as neat as I wanted it to be, because the fabric I used was too slippery and the pins could not hold the fabric in place (After a long try, I folded it somehow.)

Sew the edge of the fold in place. Your button extension will now extend 1 inch from the center back of the left piece. (You can also attach the button extension to the main side and fold it down the lining side.)

Now, we will attach the buttonhole extension to the center back of the right back piece.

Fold 0.25 inch first and fold again fully and sew the fold in place.

This will look like this on the main side.

 

We have finished the back bodice. This is the finished look.

Next, we will attach the sleeves.

Sew long stitches (basting stitches) 0.25 inch up from the hemline of the sleeve by setting the stitch length to the longest in your sewing machine (It is 4 in my machine). Leave 3 inches of thread on both sides.

Pull the threads to gather the sleeve hemline such that the length of the hemline equals the length of the sleeve band. With right sides facing, pin the sleeve hemline to the sleeve band with a 0.25 seam and then sew them together.

Pick out the gathering stitches (i.e., the basting stitches) at this step, and then fold the sleeve band to the wrong side and hem. Repeat the same for the other sleeve.

I kept the sleeves plain at the sleeve cap (that is, I did not gather the sleeve at the top edge). The sleeves have a puffed effect only at the hemline. The sleeve cap can be usually 1 to 1.5 inches more than the armhole. This extra measure is called sleeve cap ease. I read in some books that for puffed sleeves, cap ease can be reduced to 0.5 inch. For this, you need to slightly trim the cap in the basic sleeve draft before you will use it to draft the puffed sleeve or after you have drafted the puffed sleeve. I didn't do this, but it might have been easier to fit in the sleeve to the armhole if I had done it.

To even out the sleeve cap ease, or to set the sleeve into the armhole, sew two rows of long stitches close to the edge of the sleeve cap between the front and back notches and even out the fabric at the sleeve cap by lightly pulling the loose threads on both sides. Make sure you don't create gathers. The extra fabric should be eased into the cap evenly. 

With right sides facing, pin the sleeve to the armhole of the bodice.

 

Sew the sleeve in place.

 

Repeat the same for the other sleeve.

 

Sew the darts and your bodice is ready now.

Step 3---Sewing darts in the skirts

Sew the darts in the front and back skirts.

Step 4---Joining the bodices with the skirts

Before this step, pin the back bodice pieces at the bottom such that the buttonhole extension overlaps the button extension.

With right sides facing, join the back bodice and the back skirt on the wrong side at the empire line.

This will look like this on the right side.

 

With right sides facing, join the front bodice and the front skirt on the wrong side at the empire line. Before doing this, pin the front bodice pieces together at the bottom such that the right-side piece overlaps the left-side piece. You can see this in the previous image.

This will look like this on the right side.

Step 5---Joining the sides

Join the sides and hem the bottom of the dress. Your dress is almost done.

 

Step 6---Attaching the bow and ribbons

Now, you will need to attach the bow and ribbons. If you like the plain look of the dress, you can skip out this step.

With right sides facing, join the two bow pieces with a 0.25 inch seam on all the sides leaving a little opening at the top to turn the bow inside out. I have indicated the opening in the image below.

Turn the bow inside out through the opening and whip stitch to close the opening.

With right sides facing join the two ribbon pieces with a 0.25 inch seam on all the sides leaving a little opening at the top to turn the bow inside out. I have indicated the opening in the image below.

Turn the bow inside out through the opening and whip stitch to close the opening.

Take the rectangular piece for the bow center. Make 0.25 inch folds breadthwise.

Then make 0.50 inch folds lengthwise.

Fold again and whip stitch to join the edges.

Bring the seam line to the center and press.

Arrange the bow and ribbon and wrap the bow center piece around the center as shown in the photo below.  Whip stitch to join the raw edges of the bow center piece. Do not cut the thread off, you can use it to attach the bow to the dress. I attached the bow to the dress where the front bodice overlap ends. There are also other methods to make the bow and ribbon. I will share them with you in my future projects.

Fix buttons and sew buttonholes, respectively on the button and buttonhole extensions in the back bodice, and your empire waist dress is ready to wear.

Some action shots:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Please let me know your valuable comments, ideas, and suggestions.

I have linked this to the Sunday show off link party on Twigg Studios, the Sew Tuesday link party on Creative Itch, and the link party on Shwin&Shwin.

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