How To Make A Little Girl's Dress

Sewing Bee Fabrics Tutorial

 

How To Make A Little Girl's Dress

 

This little dress made for a lovely 1st birthday present. Here is how I made it.

What you will need:


1/2 - 1 meter cotton depending on the pattern size you make for your dress (available HERE)
Elastic Ribbon (also known as fold over elastic, from HERE) - enough to fit around the waist twice without stretching, and the length of 2 straps.


How to make it:


Firstly comes drafting your pattern. The fit on it doesn't have to be perfect, as it can be quite forgiving so err on the side of caution and make it a little bigger if you like. You will need to measure the waist, the waist to where you want the dress to come up to on the top at the front, and waist to where you want the dress to go down to on the legs.


There are 3 sections to this dress.

For the skirt section, you want the top measurement to be half the waist, plus 10cm. For the bottom, make it 1 1/2 - 2 times that measurement depending on how full you want the skirt to be. Simply draw a line diagonally from top to bottom, spacing them apart as long as you want your skirt part to be (plus 2cm for seam / hem allowance).


The top front should be a rectangle approximately half the waist plus 6cm, with the depth being how far up from the waist you want it to sit near the neck line (plus 1cm for seam allowance). At each end, curve off from 8cm near the edge to reach a depth of 5cm at the edge. This is to curve under the arms. You can adjust your neckline to make a shape if you want. I like a gentle curve inwards in the centre, but straight across looks great too.


The final piece is the back body part. This is simply half the waist plus 6cm by the same depth as the underarm edge of the front piece.


If you have a fabric like mine with obvious patterns or stripes, just be aware of it when you are cutting your pieces. If you can match the patterns up along the seams it will make any dress look far more professional.


 

How to put it together:


First, hem your 2 skirt pieces, so turn up the bottom edge to fold , then fold again so the raw edge is completely enclosed then sew it down in place. I like to use my quarter inch quilting foot on my sewing machine to guarantee a nice straight line of stitching along the edge (see our sewing machine feet HERE).

Next you want to attach the top pieces to a skirt piece each. They are deliberately different widths. This is so you can pin a few little pleats in to give the skirt a bit more shape and movement. The easiest way is to fold the top piece downwards over the top of the skirt with right sides together and the top underneath. Pin the 2 sides together at the top, then make little bunches of gathered fabric evenly along the top as you pin them down together. Sew in place with a quarter inch seam then stitch over the edge (or a zigzag near the edge to stop the edge from fraying.).

Next you will need to attach the front to back sections. You will only be sewing down one side for now. So place them right sides together, pin then again sew a quarter inch seam then an overlock stitch or zigzag at the edge.

Next comes your elastic ribbon. Fold it over the top edge of your dress at the open edge. Sew a few stitches of a straight stitch with backstitching to anchor the elastic in place, then with a gentle stretch and ideally a 3 step zigzag stitch (which allows the most movement of elastic without stitches breaking). I find that a sewing machine binding foot helps me feed this on really quickly. You can do it by hand too, just go slowly to make sure you keep your edge in the centre of the fold over elastic. Keep going until the whole top edge is covered, then again a few straight stitches at the end to help secure it.

Next you want to put elastic ribbon in the centre to cover your seam between the body and dress pieces, only this time use your elastic ribbon laid flat instead of folded over the edge and on full stretch as you sew. You may want to sew along the top and bottom edges of the ribbon to secure in place otherwise the edges can curl in with use. I used my over edge stitch as a guide and used a long stitch length on zigzag.

Now you have your ribbon attached to the dress, you can sew up the other side. This way, the ribbon ends will be hidden in your seam. Repeat this side exactly as you did the other with quarter inch seam allowance and an over edge stitch to finish.
Lastly you just need you straps. I find the easiest way is to try the dress on and using a few safety pins, just pin your 2 elastic ribbon straps where you want them. Fold up the bottom of the elastic so the raw edge is hidden between the elastic and dress and sew on just inside the dress. If you attach these by machine it is more obvious than a hand stitch, so weigh up speed versus appearance!

And as simple as that, your dress is ready!

We hope you enjoy our tutorials and love hearing what you think so please leave us a comment or send me an email to linda@sewingbeefabrics.co.uk
Happy Sewing!

 

How To Convert Any Bra To A Nursing Bra

Sewing Bee Fabrics Tutorial

How To Convert Any Bra To A Nursing Bra

 

 

  

Nursing bras are often pricey and unflattering so I thought I would show you just how quick and easy it is to convert a standard bra in to a gorgeous nursing bra. Be careful though. Underwire and nursing is controversial because especially in the early stages of establishing feeding, if the bra doesn't fit correctly then the underwire can press in to the breast tissue which can increase the risk of blocked ducts and therefore mastitis, which anyone who has had wouldn't wish on anyone else!


What you will need:


2 nursing clips - Available HERE
approx half a meter of elastic ribbon - Available HERE


How to make it:
On most bras you can simply unpick the front bra strap attachment but every bra is slightly different so you may have to snip instead - just leave yourself a little loose bit of strap fabric attached to the bra.

Next, cut off any strap trimmings that were attaching the strap

Attach the completely flat part of the clip by folding down the part you unpicked (or curling the bit of strap that is left around the fastening)

Then fold the free end of the strap around the other half of the clip with the hooked part facing forwards and upwards towards the strap.

Attach enough elastic ribbon to comfortably sit between the nursing bra clip and the base of the bra. This is so that once you unclip the nursing clip that the other part of your strap wont ping off somewhere irretrievable in public! Simply curl one end around the hooked clip part, and the other to the base of the bra and sew in place. Hint here - Look at where the elastic lines up. You will probably need to take it diagonally inwards so it doesn't show when the cup is done up.

And your done! How easy was that!

And compared to the other side, there is hardly any difference in how the bra looks

 

Lastly, just do the same thing to the other side and your maternity bra collection is suddenly looking far more fabulous!

We hope you enjoy our tutorials and love hearing what you think so please leave us a comment or send me an email to linda@sewingbeefabrics.co.uk
Happy Sewing!

Remember you can access our index of sewing tutorials easily at http://www.sewingbeefabrics.co.uk/free-tutorials

How to make your own bunting

Sewing Bee Fabrics Tutorial

How To Make Your Own Bunting

 

In need of a christening present, I thought what better way to celebrate
the official naming of a baby than with personalised bunting. This is a
lovely project that can be made as quick or as complicated as you like.

What you will need for bunting with 6 flags (increase quantities for
more):
Enough fabric for 12 triangles 20cmx20cm (I used 3 different fat
quarters for pattern variety)
2 meters bias binding
Optional - fabric scraps for appliqued letters or shapes, anything else
to decorate e.g. buttons, ric rac, ribbons etc.

How to make it:
First cut a square 20cmx20cm then fold in half. Cut diagonally from the
centre to the bottom corner, then unfold and you have your triangle
shape.

To save time, I folded my fabric and cut 2 at once, as well as a third
triangle by extending the cut to the folded fabric edge (you can only do
this if you fabric can be used upside down). You will need 2 triangles
per flag.

Keeping in mind that you will loose 1/4 inch all around the triangle,
you will want to design any decorations or embellishments and attach
them before making up the bunting.

There are 2 easy ways of getting lettering all the same size. Either cut
squares of paper out then draw your letters to touch the edges, or just
type it on the computer in a large bold font and print it out.

To attach your letters or shapes, simply select a close stitch length
and zig zag around to seal in the edges and fix down. You may wish to
use temporary fabric glue to help keep it in place, and if it's a
particularly complex shape, you might want to use greaseproof paper or a 
temporary stabiliser to get a more professional finish.

When going around shapes, you will get a better finish if you frequently stop in the 'outer' position of the zig zag, with needle still in the fabric, lift the presser foot and rotate the fabric before lowering the foot to resume.

Add buttons or ric rac or ribbons to decorate if you like to add a little more individual flare.

Line up 1 decorated with one plain triangle (unless you are making double sided bunting!) right sides together. Sew down the 2 diagonal edges leaving the top free with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

 

  

Snip the corner of the triangle so it lays flatter and creates a sharper point once turned right side out.

Turn right side out and press flat. You will have little bits that stick out the top from the seams. Trim these down to the same level as the top.

I prefer to attach bias binding to bunting by hand rather than using a bias attachment to my sewing machine simply because I find it easier to get the spacing right by pinning it all first. I used an over-edge foot with the needle in a left position to avoid the centre bar, as a 1/8th inch guide then top stitched all along the bias to fix the bunting. I then turned it around to use the guide on the opposite side and used a zigzag stitch to secure it firmly just in case the child managed to get a hold of it, I wanted it to be sturdy.

To finish the edges of the binding, I simply folded the corners in to make a point before folding over to sew.

Then your bunting is ready to be hung up!

We hope you enjoy our tutorials and love hearing what you think so please leave us a comment or send me an email to linda@sewingbeefabrics.co.uk
Happy Sewing!

Don't forget to check out our webpage www.sewingbeefabrics.co.uk for lots more free tutorials, guides, tips and tricks.

Make your own ruffled skirt

Sewing Bee Fabrics Tutorial

How To Make A Ruffled Skirt From Old Shirts

When my husband decided he had finished with 2 matching shirts, I thought it would be wrong not to keep them together, so with a little bit of patterned  fabric, this skirt was created.

What you will need
2 long sleeve shirts ( the body of the shirt needs to easily fit over
your hips)
Contrasting fabric (mine was approx. 110cm x 50cm)
Enough wide elastic to comfortably fit around your waist.
A lot of matching thread

How to make it:
First, make the under skirt by cutting straight across one shirt just underneath the armpits. Then, remove the thickened fabric with the buttons and buttonholes, being sure to stash the buttons for another project! If the shirt is giant compared to your hips, you will probably want to trim the edge more so it fits over your hips with a couple of inches to spare.

Hem the top and bottom.

Now for the ruffles! You want 4 pieces that are approximately 10cm wide, and the length 1 1/2 times the width of your under skirt from the remaining shirt fabric. You will also want one the same size from your patterned fabric. You will also want one other piece from the patterned material the same width but the length only needs be as long as your under skirt is wide.

Hem top and bottom of each long side on the 5 long strips, but only the bottom needs hemming on the shorter patterned piece.

Pass each through the ruffler  foot on the sewing machine. I used the deepest pleat setting on every 12th stitch with an average stitch length. To make this skirt without a ruffler foot, you can sew a long stitch length then gently pull the tread ends to gather the fabric to the desired amount. Be careful though as pulling too hard can make the thread snap.

Now here comes the fun part - piecing it all together. Start with the shorter piece. Place it right side facing your main section and sew a seam right along the top.

Flip the patterned piece over and top stitch along the top edge. I used an over-edge sewing machine foot as my guide to sew the top stitch at 1/8th inch distance.

Now using a temporary fabric marker, draw yourself lines about every 7-8cm. There needs to be a slight overlap of ruffles.

Line each ruffled strip up with a line and sew in place.

Now take a piece of elastic and try it around your waist. Cut to the desired length and line up centrally underneath the top patterned piece.

Pin in place centrally, then gently stretch and pin in place on each side so the ends of the elastic reach the ends of the fabric.

Sew the elastic in place top and bottom using a 3 step zig zag stitch while keeping the stretch on the elastic (standard zig zag is less able to move with the elastic).

Fold the patterned piece back over and sew a running stitch under the elastic line to form a casing for the elastic. In retrospect, I should also have sewn another line of running stitch to hold the top piece covering the top ruffle seam as this has a tendency of getting folded up on wearing.


Fold the skirt in half with ruffles facing inwards and pin the side seam.

Trim away any excess down the side then sew your side seam and overstitch the edge to prevent fraying.

Turn it the other way around and look pleased with yourself!

We hope you enjoy our tutorials and love hearing what you think so please leave us a comment or send me an email to linda@sewingbeefabrics.co.uk