Sewing Bee #5: Resources

Things have been so busy lately with the wedding project but it is beginning to wind down now. I’ll be delivering most of the dresses this week and my life should get back somewhat to normal.

Today’s post will be short, but I didn’t want to let another week go by without a Sewing Bee post.

One of my favorite things to do is look at sewing patterns online. There are so many! And there are so many new lovely feminine ones that have just been released. Many of them are very easy to make modest. Below are several pattern websites that I enjoy.

Simplicity Patterns

Simplicity patterns may be my favorite. They are easy to make and the instructions are easy to understand and follow. Their pattern sizes/body measurements are usually spot-on and very little adjusting is needed.

McCall’s Patterns

Butterick Patterns

One thing that I love about Butterick patterns is that they offer so many great vintage/retro  patterns.  The only drawback to their patterns is that they run a little small. I usually have to add a size or two to make them fit right, regardless of what size my measurements say I am.

Vogue Patterns

Also Vogue has an entire section devoted to vintage pattern reprints: Vintage Vogue

Sense and Sensibility Patterns

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Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from the sidebar to the right and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

Submit your link below:

Sewing Bee #4: Busy Busy Busy

Well, what happened yesterday? There was no Sewing Bee post! The truth is that I have been too busy actually sewing to write a post about sewing. (Imagine that!)

I am working on a five bridesmaids’ dress order for a wedding in one month, so I’ve been very busy and haven’t really had slow or quiet moment since we moved home. I’m having to combine/create a pattern for the look the bride wants, and it has been challenging, but very fun and I’m excited about the results.

Here is the dress the bride loved, but wanted to make it modest without having to buy jackets or shrug. I knew that making the bodice and adding sleeves would be very simple, but the skirt would be another story. I have done flounces/ruffles like that before, but never that large or to that scale. On the right is the sketch I made based on what she told me she wanted.

The dresses are made from black satin, with pink sashes for four of the girls, and an ivory sash for the Matron of Honor.

I ended up combining and modifying two patterns: Simplicity 2648 and Burda 7370.

I used the bodice from the Simplicity pattern—making the neck square instead of round or sweetheart—and I’m using the skirt from the Burda pattern, view A. I’m having to lengthen the skirt and increase the number of flounces to seven instead of three. I’ll also be adding a 3/4 length sleeve from a pattern I already have.

Here are some photos of the practice skirt :

And here is one of the dress linings, all ready for the first fitting. I couldn’t wait to see how the ruffles would look so I pinned one on for a sneak peak. I can’t wait til they are finished!

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Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from the sidebar to the right and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

Submit your Link Below:

Sewing Bee #3: Hostess Apron pattern & tutorial

One of the most useful accessories a homemaker can own is a good apron.  I like mine to have good deep pockets—they come in so handy while cleaning house.  Below is the pattern for a hostess or half-apron I drafted for a sewing class I taught. (Thanks to Lulu for modeling it and a dress I made from a vintage pattern)

Cut out the pieces to the measurements as shown. (The seam allowances are included – 5/8 in allowed)

For the skirt piece, cut it out as shown, then round the outside (selvage edges) edges. You can do this by taking a dinner plate and tracing the edge with a pencil then cutting on the line.

Sew a rolled hem all the way around the sides and bottom of the apron.  Set aside.

Pocket Preparation and Placement:

Fold top of pocket over (to the inside) 1 inch and press. Cut a piece of bias tape the width of the pocket and pin an inch below the folded top edge. Stitch in place. Fold under and press remaining sides 1/4 inch.

Place pocket 5 1/2 inches down from top edge and 8 1/2 inches in from side edge. Back stitch at the top sides of the pocket for reinforcement and sew around sides and bottom.

Gather top edge of skirt to 16 inches wide and set aside.

For the waistband:

Sew the two waistband pieces together—matching the 4 1/2 inch ends together. (You should have a piece close to the 30” long) Fold it in half lengthwise RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. The wrong sides of the fabric will be to the outside. Stitch as shown below, leaving 16” in the middle open. Turn the piece inside out and press.

Next, pin the gathered edge (right sides together!) to one side of the opening and sew in place. Sew the remaining side by hand, using a blind stitch or whatever suits you.

Press and Enjoy!

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Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from the sidebar to the right and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

Enter your Link Below:

Sewing Bee #2: The Easiest Way to Gather Fabric

  I have a love/hate relationship with gathering fabric. I have to do almost all the time—whether it is for ruffles, skirts, sleeves, you name it. I didn’t  like struggling with the thread, afraid it was about to break and undo all my work—especially on a big project like a very full skirt on a dress. And I wasn’t pleased with how it looked when I used a needle and thread by hand to place the gathering stitches in.
   A few years ago a dear old neighbor lady of mine showed me the easiest and most reliable way to gather fabric. There is no fear of the thread breaking, and you can gather monumental amounts of fabric at once and it won’t go anywhere. I used this technique when I made the skirt of my wedding dress. My wedding dress used nearly 30 yards of material, mostly in the skirt!  It turned out lovely, though about half-way through the process of making it, I began to wonder what I was thinking when I designed it.
I hope this helps you as much as it helped me and makes your fabric gathering a more pleasant experience :)

A) Tie a long piece of embroidery thread or crochet thread around a long straight pin and pin a little ahead of where you want to begin gathering. This is your gathering thread.
B) Place the fabric with the gathering thread centered under the presser foot of your machine.
C & D) Set your machine on the zigzag setting. I set my stitch length to about 1.4, but use whatever works best for you. Zigzag over the gathering thread, making sure to keep it in the center of the stitches. In other words, make sure you do not sew through the gathering thread.
E & F) When you have zigzagged the entire length of what needs to be gathered, simply pull the gathering thread and proceed as usual for gathering. (Make sure that the gathering thread knot doesn’t slip off the straight pin.) Once you have your fabric pinned in place (for example, a skirt gathered to a waistband) you can take out the original straight pin with the knot on it.
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Thanks to all of the new followers that joined us last week! I'm thrilled to have you!

Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from the sidebar to the right and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

Enter your Link Here:

Sewing Bee

Welcome to Country Mouse Musings’ Sewing Bee!
    Many years ago our great and great-great grandmothers would get together with the ladies in their communities for quilting and sewing bees. Many times they would help a soon-to-be bride finish filling her hopechest with pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains or whatever else she needed to set up housekeeping in her new home.
   Sewing bees allowed older women to pass on knowledge and skills to younger women and girls and presented an opportunity for them to develop friendships and bonds that would last for years.
Sewing—whether for the home or clothing—is quickly becoming a lost art and skill. Sewing to me is an essential part of homemaking. There was a time when a homemaker very literally made everything in her home—from the quilts on the beds to curtains at the windows to the clothing the family wore. It was a given that a woman could sew and make what her family needed. Sadly, that is not the case these days. It still amazes me that there are some women that do not know how to do something as simple as sewing on a button! Thankfully with today’s technology and resources, learning to sew or adding to one’s knowledge is fairly easy. It is my hope that the Sewing Bee link-up will be a place for us to share what we know and learn from each other.
   
Here are six reasons to learn to sew:

 1. You can create beautiful, unique clothing tailored especially for you, exactly how you want them.

2. You can "modestify" clothing you buy, or alter something from the store and make it work for you.

3. It can be a money saver. (Especially if you can do all of your own mending and not have to send your clothing out. It amazes me how many women can't sew a button on and have to send things to the dry cleaners to be mended.)

4. It can be a money maker and a good industry from your home.

5. It is a way to express yourself and personality everywhere--your clothing, your home, etc.

6. It's FUN! 
 
 Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from below and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

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