Not Safe For Church Dress Tutorial

I have lost over 40 pounds in the past 7 months as you may know if you follow my blog or journey elsewhere on the Internet (like Facebook). While exciting, it has brought up the issue of what to wear, as everything is waaaaaay too big to wear. I am a gifted seamstress, I'd like to think, but I can't really make "big people" clothes yet. I am taking baby steps right now with upcycling already made clothes. Still, these clothes are so ginormous I couldn't upcycle them to usable status for myself!

I was a bit over-confident one day and did leap into a dress from scratch using a blouse (that fits) as a template. It actually turned out alright. It actually didn't have 5 sleeves and make my cutie patooty husband barf (of course, he thinks everything I make is so awesome....too adorable).
This will be a picture-rich post, but I like sewing tutorials with lots of pictures and I would assume many novice sewers like me would agree.

I started off with some math. I didn't know when I was cursing my math teacher under my breath in jr high/high school that someday I would actually be using math to make myself some clothes! Oh well. That's why one has kids....to do the math for you (either that, get a calculator....hahaha).

My chest measurement is 36 inches (without "bra augmentation"). I knew this dress would require me to wear one of those flimsy bras that are a staple item for summer dresses, so I didn't take measurements with a fancy push up bra! Because this dress would be gathered around the neckline like a peasant dress, I added 10 inches to that measurement. I chose to do a front bodice/chest panel (rectangle shape) and a back one and join them on the sides. For some reason, this makes clothes fit better or be able to be altered later on if you screw up. Anyway, divide 46 inches by 2 (for the two rectangle bodice pieces) and you get 23 inches. I measured myself from my clavicle or shoulder bone to where my bra band ends. It is 7 inches (I didn't measure across my boobs but the flat part on the side).

If you are still following me, this means I need TWO rectangle pieces of 23 inches by 7 inches. I am using jersey knit. It's a medium weight....close to interlock weight, but still kinda see-thru, so I chose to line it. This meant I actually m ade FOUR panels of the aforementioned measurement. You don't have to line it. This was just my paranoid side coming out! Haha.

I also measured my width around my rib cage as this will be an empire waist dress. That measurement is 29 inches. I wanted the dress to hit my knee. The length from the bottom of my bra band to my knee is 27 inches. My hip measurement is 38 inches but I want this dress to be Aline and be flowy and drape loosely. Therefore, I added 3 inches....for a total of 41 inches in the hip. I am going to be cutting on the bias too for the entire dress. It eats up more fabric that way, but you want stretch so you can actually move and sit in the dress and not look like uncooked biscuit dough wrapped in Saran wrap! haha.

As you see in the above and below pictures, I whipped out my freezer paper (it makes very cheap pattern paper and lasts longer than tissue or flimsy paper!) and drew a line 29 inches across, measured 27 inches down, drew a second line 41 inches across, and then joined the two lines to make a Aline shape bottom skirt that will join with my bodice later on.

Clear as mud? Good.

Lace and sheer is all the rage right now. I am all for fashion but if you have had 6 children over the spans of 16 years, and you are almost 40, chances are you will bring mass mobs to vomit violently if you show too much skin (at least that's my experience). Thus, I am going to add a white lace panel of 3 inches long all the way around the bottom of my bodice in-between the bodice and skirt. This will show the area I actually don't have stretch marks, scars, and other undesirable signatures of unsavory life experiences! I think the rib area is like showing your arm....totally innocent and uncontroversial.
By adding the lace panel, I didn't need 3 inches of the length of my skirt, so I chopped off that part.

These are my two bodice panels (above). To make things easier for me, I just folded over the fabric that had the rectangle measurements so it would be lined. Again, you don't have to do that. :)

I scored a ton of baby lace that's stretchy/elastic-like from an online sale and even though it was meant for my shop, I decided it would look completely awesome on this dress.....and I have loads of it left so that's okay. I am highly allergic to everything so baby lace is a good choice since it's soft! By adding the baby lace along the top hem of my two bodice pieces, I was able to make a casing at the same time for the elastic I would eventually thread through to gather up the neckline. I love two in one sewing steps! My casing is only 1/2 inch....I didn't want a fat, bulky elastic band around my chest. Again, that would irritate my skin, even if enclosed in soft knit! I think that would terrible with lightweight fabric anyway.

 One thing I forgot to mention....ALWAYS use a ballpoint needle on knits and fabrics like silk, rayon, chiffon, etc. Otherwise your regular needle will tear up your pretty fabric. Also, don't be a forgetful dork and return the regular needle to your sewing machine after your project with the ballpoint needle. Other fabrics don't play nice with ballpoint needles. :(

Here are two bodice panels BEFORE elastic is thread through the casing. No, they are not sewn together, i just placed them on top of each other for the picture.

As I said before, my bodice panels are 46 inches wide. And, my empire waist (around my rib cage) is only 29 inches. Thus, I would need to gather my bodice panels at the bottom so they would be that 29 inches measurement (of course, give yourself a seam allowance!). That's what you see above....my gathering foot on my sewing machine is STELLAR. It made this step so fast and simple.

Above, you will see those "peek-a-boo" lace panels I am going to attach to my bodice pieces at the bottom. They measure 29 inches by 3 inches, as I said before.

 Right sides together, I attached the lace panels to the bodice pieces. I DIDN'T top stitch them yet. I will tell you why later. You are welcome to do it now if you like. By the way, the lace I am using isn't as soft as the baby lace, but it doesn't rash me out either. That's always good because no one wants to look like they have a contagious disease all over their trunk!

 This (blurry) picture is showing me threading the 1/2 inch elastic through the top hem of the bodice pieces. I chose to do it later so as to make sure the bodice pieces fit me like I wanted before troubling myself with elastic. I must have tried on this dress a million times before finishing it!

All done with the bodice! I even attached both pieces at the side seams (right sides together).

 Here's another shot of the bodice.....

...and a picture of my 4 1/2 year old who was disappointed I wasn't making something for him. Sorry buddy!

 ....maybe I will get around to making you some shorts.....you do need some in the worst way! (can you tell he has been riding his bike? Poor kid with his German genes gets so ruddy!)

 Here's the bodice attached the skirt panels....from the wrong side.

It's okay for the knit to roll up like that on the edges.....that means you have cut the fabric on the bias and it has lots of stretch and you did everything right!

In fact, many people leave their knit unhemmed because it rolling up is en vogue for many. This was intended or slated for church, so I made a more polished look with lettuce hemming....as you see above. Lettuce hemming looks so complicated but it's so easy! All you do is jack up the tension on your sewing machine (mine goes from -3 which is very loose tension, to auto which is normal tension, to +3 hyper-steroidal tension. I used +2) and put the stitch length a little higher or longer....however you see it. As you sew, which you do as usual..... back-stitching the first and last stitches too, pull on the knit fabric and it will look like lettuce.....and you don't want it to be like ruffles or gathers, just a flared edge.
I love contrast stitch color....but you may think it's ugly. Do as you wish on your dress. This is a simple dress for even novice seamstresses like me. In fact, this was my FIRST dress and I didn't even have a pattern. I just winged it!

UPDATE: After making the dress, I decided I didn't like the fit of the skirt portion. It fit and it was okay. But it was a little snug despite the stretch. If I were single, it would be hot. But I'm married. So it's not. :P
I chopped off half of the skirt portion where the dress (now more of a tunic!) would go to the bottom of my rear or would hit the bottom of my hips. I then added a generous lace panel that I ruffled and it looks more like a peplum top now. I then added a small lace bow from the same soft baby lace I used around the neckline.
Here's what that ended up looking like....thank you cute, adorable hubby for taking the pics!

As you can see, I also added split, draped sleeves for added modesty....it was simple really.....two rectangles of 16 inches  by 9 inches, attach them to the bodice (where my bra straps would be) with a three inch seam on both back and front bodice panels so I would have a lot of support....and then after that 3 inches, I cut the rectangles in half for the split. It allowed for an interesting drape effect!

I was informed by a few church members that this dress/top, even with the leggings, wasn't deemed appropriate for church. Oh well. Here's another shirt I made out of silk. I cut circles of the same fabric, burned the edges with a candle to seal the edges so it wouldn't unravel, layered the circles, and viola!  fluffy, lush flowers along the neckline!

I have a feeling that this blouse isn't safe for church either ;P

In unrelated news, I found an AWESOME website for some graphics one can put in their blog and online store. Chances are that you want to update your blog heading graphic...or your online store....but you are having trouble finding the right size one. Maybe you tried to make one on your own and darn! The picture/graphic looks wonky after being shrunk. Ugh. Well, this site has tons of cute stuff and graphics FOR FREE for your shop, website, whatever.
Check it out.....Sweetly Scrapped Art.....this is her store and she has a blog too!

Printer Vomit And How To Look Classy In Today's Slutty Fashion

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I am launching my new store on Etsy, Knot What She Seams, this Saturday and I am super busy. Saturday happens to be the second to the last day of the month....I would have done March 31st, but it's Easter. I would have done April 1st, but I didn't want my store to be associated with the idle cares of April Fools day. (For those abroad, this another stupid United States holiday that has no merit or meaning....kindly disregard!). I also couldn't open on April 2nd or 3rd, as my older (minor) child has state exams in school. Ugh. I see many psychotic episodes in my near future (stress worsens his Bipolar II disorder).
Thus, March 31st is the holy grail of a day to commence my store opening.....and now you are none the wiser in my nonsensical ramblings and can further understand why my family hardly ever contacts me. ;P

In the midst of becoming a new grandmother for the very first time (is that a double positive or improper English?!).....UGH!....I am finding myself also busy with selling the remaining stock of my last Etsy shop, Far Out Sprouts (who knew closing a store would make sales jump through the roof?!). If any of this matters to you, by the way, you can kindly become a new fan of my Facebook page. Warning: I have a weird family too....and even though I hardly ever use Facebook for personal means, that's the only way my family cares to communicate with each other. Maybe this is why I am hardly ever on Facebook! (all of my store updates, blog stuff,etc is automatically updated to Facebook so I don't have to mess with any of it....or see the new tattoo my ex boyfriend has, or see the new body piercing my 14 yr old has, or the guy my 15 yr old beat up and was suspended from school from....or the uber marijuana joint one of my kids smoked last night...or the new horse and buggy my Mennonite sister got yesterday from a religious-dorks-flea-market bonanza......you get the picture!

I am uber-stoked about my new store and hope it is as successful as my last. I think it will be because I am now selling FAMILY apparel, not just kiddie stuff. I am also selling my home decor my baby sister (who has a Mercedes model horse and buggy from  the Yuppie-Mennonite-Are-Us store) strongly encouraged me to sell. Ok, let's see if this works. The last time I took my yuppie Mennonite sister's advice, I married a guy I met online who used me as a baby machine AND turned out to be a cross dressing homosexual....so I am always leery now to take anyone's advice!

I also have been buying and/or downloading fabulous sewing patterns like a mad woman lately in hopes I can further my sewing techniques coupled with this sewing machine that does everything except clean my house and make coffee. What a tragedy it would be if I didn't use all of it's bells and whistles!!!

That leads me to my primary reason for writing today....hope you haven't gone into a coma yet or clicked off this page yet..... :/

My printer is awesome. It's almost as awesome as some of the clothes I have made for myself lately. But it has a plug...and that means I can ruin it or break it or it can self implode. I get a lot of printer vomit here and there. My husband isn't so happy about it either....after all, the real kind of vomit sends him to his car so he won't instantly vomit himself (I'm glad he didn't use me as a baby machine because that's all babies do....vomit and poop!).

Enjoy, for your viewing pleasure, what I'm talking about below. This is printer vomit. It's of this FANTASTIC pattern I bought from ikatbag.....here's the link of her patterns. Not only does she have the best patterns ever, and quite worth the price, but she answers her email at stupid times of the night and doesn't laugh at you for your outrageous mistakes (my computer decided to have early onset dementia and "ate" the pattern link for the PDF file I purchased from her). At least I don't think she laughed at me.....

Here is the pattern I got (OMG, I can't wait to get the fabric for it!!!!!!!)....

...and here is what my printer did to her pattern...... :O

look closely....closer, yes, that's like 5 copies of EACH PAGE PATTERN!

....and more on the floor because not all FIVE COPIES of each page fit on the queen size bed!
BTW, the floor is gray, not poop brown....I swear!

As Dana Carvey would say, "Ain't That Special?". (OMG. Dana Carvey is like a funny version of my my middle sister, the Mennonite OG--Original Gansta--,and my mom!!!).

I am still trying to figure out (beyond the obvious) why I have printer vomit a lot.....my printer needs an excoriation?????

Onto my second reason for posting today....if you are still with me and able to follow my train of thoughts....which regularly derail and stop to refuel......:P

Today's fashion. WOW. I'm not going to harp on it like the Wednesday night Bible study lady at my church does with everything on this planet. Let's just say that lady is like an abstinent version of my sisters and mom.  This lady really, REALLY needs to get laid and take a chill pill......but I digress. I love sexy clothes, looking hot, and fortunately because of my mom, I still possess these fine traits even as a grandmother who is almost 40 years old. But come on people.....I am not going to expose myself even if my new hubby does like me wearing revealing clothes....even outside the house. So what does one do if they are a novice sewer like me, or worse, doesn't sew at all, and don't belong to a nudist camp?! You buy the slutty clothes on the retail rack, go home, chop up the outfit, and hope it actually looks good and fits. That's what I did to the number below.....

the shirt is hanging well below the table because it was rather long

Meet Ms. Swimsuit Coverup. As a coverup, she posses more fabric than the average slutty ensemble on the market today. I love the fabric too. You can't get enough polka dotted knit and if I were to buy it from the fabric store, I wouldn't get this much of it for $9. Polka dots are so hot right now, the fabric stores are having a hard time keeping it in stock and it's pricey too....at least in my secluded corner of the earth!

But Ms. Coverup has a downside....she has NO chest covering. I mean, it's as if this coverup only covers you lower torso and your butt. Hmmmmmm, I need some chest coverage here no matter what look I am going for and for whatever reason i am using the outfit!!!! And folks, I must be the milkman's daughter because unlike everyone in my family on BOTH sides, I am flat chested. So if your slutty outfits you are selling doesn't cover my speed bumps, you need to seriously reconsider the clothing you're selling!!!!

I took the coverup and tried it on...without children present so they wouldn't vomit (here we are talking about vomit again!). I discerned where the shirt will end at my hips and chopped off the bottom. This gave me PLENTY of fabric to play with....like half a yard!

the slutty mu-mu is now shopped in half nearly with the bottom  half gone....

I recreated or copied the top band that had pretty ruffles...the main reason why I loved this shirt. I just took my chest measurement, compared the shirt's measurement in the chest, and made more of that ruffled band to cover up my chest. The ruffled band, by the way, fit in the width, but NOT the length. So, I had to ADD fabric to the top of the shirt so what little I have doesn't fall out and greet people. Seriously, it was waaaay more than just cleavage!

Again, I am just copying the ruffled band and adding the copied panel to the top of the shirt so it appears as if the shirt was made with a longer bodice/breast panel/chest part. It was simple because it is knit. I got ballpoint needles for my sewing machine, threw on that gathering presser foot (or ruffler foot if you are fortunate to have one), and gathered along the fabric. I placed the gather fabric onto a flat, non-gathered panel in horizontal rows...I think I had like 3 or 4 rows. Above you see the original chest/bodice band with black elastic thread running horizontally. I didn't have that color elastic thread (where do you buy it??) so I used my white elastic thread...as you see it towards the top. From the front you will not notice. It all looks the same. You can't see where my added panel starts and ends!

I tried on the less slutty mu-mu that is not really a mu-mu now that it hits my hips. It now kinda reminds me of  maternity sleep shirt the Kardashians would wear. :( I have their bodacious ass size, but not the money or the breasts. Time to go back to the sewing machine and shirr that waistline. Mr. Little HATES me wear anything maternity looking!

This was very simple. Again, hand winding the bobbin (keep the top thread normal thread!!!) with elastic thread, and marking the two or three rows of shirring I wanted right under my chest (empire waist), I just sewed right along those lines. With shirring, you must sew with the front (right side) of the fabric facing up, or looking at you while sewing. That way the elastic thread is under the fabric on the wrong side. This will be quite an unsightly project if you don't do this! My top thread was black so you can't see the thread....just the shirring effect. I also had my tension on 2 (I don't even know what it goes up to, but auto is normal sewing and 2 does the trick--and then some!) and the stitch length at 4.5. Normal stitch length for a straight stitch on my machine is 2.5. Again, with knits, you just don't have to work hard on getting it to ruffle. Often it likes to ruffle even when you don't want it to!

I tried on the shirt and admired my work. Sorry, the 10 yr old was NOT interested in taking pictures that day. I promise you it looks stinkin' FABULOUS! I'm so impressed with myself....I had gotten a disappearing fabric marker and marked where my tiny cleavage "crack" was and decided that was where the shirt would come up to. It actually worked! The shirt met the top of my cleavage PERFECTLY! And yet, I don't look like i am joining a convent either because the shirt is still rather low for many people's tastes.

The 10 yr old did help me pin my ruffled straps. I had leftover fabric and didn't like this shirt sleeveless. This is NOT a good idea if you are flat chested and have children young enough that they tug on your clothing and OOPS! Your cute little speed bumps fall out as the shirt is pulled down by your little one. :( (big sad face!).

These straps are more decorative than functional so I didn't mind them loose enough to fall down on my shoulders.

8 inch by 4 inch fabric strips that didn't need to be hemmed as it is knit.....here they are after ruffled with elastic thread (four rows of shirring short end to short end)....

what they looked like before shirring

The ten year old didn't have an issue pinning the straps to the shirt where my bra straps were. (of course, I will be wear a strapless bra with this shirt, but I wore the strapped one to help the kiddo know where to pin). The 10 yr old very much likes girls and has begun to show interest in all things females wear/use like bras. UGH. We are starting puberty early!

Anyways, that's how you make a slutty shirt classy and fabulous. You will see much better items in my new store. I promise I am carrying clothing for women that have real boobs, not speed bumps. I know I am a freak of nature and most women need clothing that fits curves. :D

Thanks for not passing out with the long post! 

Following Trends Are Important In Business

As promised in my previous post, Easy Success Tips In Starting A Craft Business, I want to share with you where the best places on trends can be found...both on the Internet and in person. It is crucial to have an intimate knowledge of fashion and where to look for knowledgeable resources in this area no matter what craft you are making for your business. I can't reiterate this enough!

1. Fashion Fame: This is a site encompassing the who's who of clothing fashion. If you love celebrities, you'll love this site. I find the site a bit overstimulating on the wealth of information, IMO. But perhaps that's just me.
2. Fashion Trendsetter: I found this site much more "user friendly" and cohesive. It was more organized and easier to navigate too. No surprise, the trending color for 2013 is emerald green. My little sister will love that!
3. E-fashion trends:  I didn't gain a whole lot of information from this site....that interested me anyway. But, if you wish to know what hairstyle or wedding dress is in style, this may be the site for you! Don't count on me cutting off all of my hair though!
4. House Beautiful: If you make handmade home decor like I sometimes do, this site may help some. While not completely informative, I found the information spot on with accuracy. I have seen many local and online shops featuring these posted trends.
5. MSN Living: MSN has 10 designer picks for 2013....and brass seems to be one of them. While I may be "stuck" in the 80's with my fashion, I'm not sure I want to incorporate brass in my home! It seems so.....70's?
6. Houzz: I liked this site so much that I highlighted it! It was very informative and easy to navigate through the site. It had great pictures to illustrate what they were talking about. After all, without the pictures, I would never ever know what the heck "Suzani prints" and "Hollywood 40s Noir style" were!
7. Top 5 Home Decorating Trends:   According to this list, rustic, wood furnishings will be very popular in 2013. I'm glad because this is how I like to decorate my house! As a "tree hugger", I enjoy rummaging through antique stores in search of a great find and then bringing it home for some TLC and sprucing up.
8. Good Housekeeping:This well trusted site shares with us 11 savory trends for 2013. Not surprisingly, emerald green again takes the #1 spot!
9. Marie Claire: If you don't follow fashion trends in Europe, you're shooting yourself and the success of your business. Europe is where all great fashion (home, clothing,etc) starts! This slideshow is very informative of what is predicted to be the best, most fresh 2013 trends.
10. Vogue: I couldn't leave this heavy hitter out of the list. I saw many of these designs at the Oscar Awards recently. A definite site to check out!

I've also seen a lot of cut out sleeves that seem to be so popular that it's even meandering around to my hillbilly neck of the woods! I plan to "upfashion" some of old, tired, too big blouses into creative cut outs as soon as I get my new sewing machine.

Happy creating!

Easy Success Tips To Starting A Craft Business

There are soooo many articles out there on how to make crafts, what is trending, and the enticing lures to make easy cash on your handmade wares. But, if you are like me, you are likely overwhelmed and overloaded by this wealth of information.

I have owned an online business for almost 2 years and have done many craft shows. I have also rubbed elbows with those who have been in this line of business for a lot longer than I have. Here are some of the things I have done and those more experienced than me suggest to do to have a successful craft business.

• Join Craft and Hobby Association. It has a sliding scale of fees in relation to how much income your business brings in. It has a wealth of resources and inside trade secrets not accessible to anyone else on the web. You can access insurance, discounts on rental cars, craft supplies, and shipping discounts. Check them out!
• Give to charity. As they say, you can't get what you don't give. By being a part of your community, you learn a lot about your community and those who live in it, but you learn about it's economy. You see what is needed, what others have, and be more appreciative to what you have been blessed with.Maybe a business in town or other business owners will take notice of your work and business opportunities open up!
• Take a detailed inventory of everything you have in starting your business. Do you have office machinery? (I do!) Do you have a lot of fabric (I have too much)? What about a business degree (wish I had gotten one)? Assess exactly how much money and inventory and value of your supplies that you have. This will help you know what you can make now and need to save money for later when profit allows you to spend more on your business.
• Go to craft shows and make a detailed list of who will be making contact with...get to know all about that craft fair and who exactly will be there. Plan how you will execute your public relations, marketing, and walk that floor at least twice!
• Never, ever, ever miss a deadline. Build trust with your customers. Without trust in any relationship, there can't be success.
• This leads to asking for help. If you are suddenly having a lot of business (congrats!), ask for help to fill those orders and rebuild inventory. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness. Not meeting deadlines is a sign of imminent failure and loss of future business.
• Always be professional and treat your craft business like any other job, even if it is from your home and you wear pajamas behind that computer screen (you know who you are). If you don't see this is a serious business, your customers won't see you as a serious business owner either.
• Constantly read up on trends, color, fabric, fashion, etc. Watch the Oscars. Watch fashion shows. Read everything you can about your craft. Glean info from like businesses and see what they are doing. Don't copy others work.Be original! But, inspiration can come from anywhere. I get a lot of inspiration from my very preppy, yuppie sister-in-law who has a lot of class and fashionable style. Would I wear the stuff she wears? No. But I can see myself making a lot of her outfits and home decor and making good money from it!

I will be sharing more information on following trendsand knowing where to find them before it's too late to capitalize on them in my next blog post.

Happy creating!