Author: Sew Happy by Sarah

Ottobre 3/2015

Ottobre – 3-2015 #15 Lionella Jersey Dress

Sew Happy by Sarah

Things I Learned

  • Sleeves – It took me awhile to figure out what the instructions for the sleeves were describing.  From what I read I thought it was going to have some exposed seams which I didn’t think was correct!  Finally I pinned the pieces to replicate where I thought they would be sewn and understood what I needed to do.  Sometimes it’s just easier to play around with it than try to imagine the next steps!  Unfortunately the length of elastic tape I used was too small for my daughter’s arms — the sleeves were a little too tight.  Next time I will measure her arms first to confirm the elastic length!
  • Back strap – I was worried about how the strap across the back would turn out and I was actually pleased with the result.  I was afraid it wouldn’t be tight enough and would hang loose, but it was nice and tight.
  • Ruffles – Attaching the bottom ruffle to the bottom of the skirt panel went fine, but I had a big battle with the upper ruffle.  I’m still not sure if it was due to a mistake on my part, the type of fabric I used, or what…  For some reason my skirt panel was about 7 inches bigger than the top ruffle and I’m pretty sure stretching the ruffle wasn’t going to make up enough of that difference.  I ended up having to gather the top of the skirt panel.  It worked out ok, can’t be seen from the outside of the dress, but I know it isn’t perfect.  😦
  • Bodice size and length of dress – The bodice ended up being too small for my daughter even though the 110 size was actually supposed to be a little big for her.  You can see in the pictures the bodice is pulling in strange areas.  The length of the dress is too short too.

I ended up giving this dress to a friend’s daughter who normally wears a size 3T…  The bodice is a little roomy for her, but actually looked ok loose-fitting like that.  The length was perfect for her.  I’m still not sure if I made a mistake somewhere or this size was not right for my daughter.  If I try this dress again I’d probably go up a size or do some custom pattern changes to the bodice.  Perhaps make it longer and wider.

I really wanted this dress to work!  It’s such a cute design.

Ottobre 2/2015

Ottobre – 2-2015 #17 Faded Stripes Jersey Top

Sew Happy by Sarah

Things I Learned

  • Easy! – Nice, easy sew!
  • Stripes – Carefully line up stripes when cutting out front and back shirt pieces!  After I was finished with the shirt I realized it would have been nice to have the stripes lined up perfectly from front to back.
  • Binding – Use a solid color for binding!  For this shirt I used the same fabric as the shirt and it coincidentally looks like a solid color but it just happened to work out that the binding is the width of one stripe…  After it ended up like this for the neck and I had to make it look the same for the sleeves.
  • Fabric type – After the initial wash of this shirt I was worried I wouldn’t be able to wear it.  The fabric was super static-y and I couldn’t stand it!  Luckily I haven’t had a problem since.  I believe the fabric is more of a polyester blend, where I’m used to 100% cotton.  It also has started to pill after 2 months of washes.  😦

Even with the imperfect stripes I have been wearing this in public and have gotten a lot of use out of it.  🙂  I love the style!  Something a little more interesting than a plain t-shirt, but comfortable too.  I will definitely be making this again.

Ottobre 1/2015

Ottobre – 1-2015 #9 Crocodile Hoodie

Sew Happy by Sarah

Things I Learned

  • There are different ways to do binding.  I had to try out a new way this time so raw edges wouldn’t be shown inside the hood.
  • If a stretchy knit isn’t cut carefully, it could end up misshapen.  One piece of the hood lining was too large and I had to cut it to match after I had sewn one of the seams.  Next time for the hood I will cut one piece at a time instead of doubling up and I will make sure all pieces are the same size before sewing!