At The Sewing Table – Notes from the Parsonage

Ask LJ: Sewing Beginners

March 23, 2016April 8, 2016Lindsey Jane6 Comments

Sewing questions! I get a lot of them. So for those too timid to ask, benefit from the asking of others.

Dear LJ,

I want to start sewing but I don’t know what kind of machine to buy.

In The Market

Dear In The Market,

Most people start off with a cheapie machine. And that is totally fine. That is where I started, too. You don’t want to throw down $600 on a machine for a craft you don’t even know you’ll like. It is perfectly reasonable to start cheap.

Now, cheap machines tend to be snobby about thread and fabric. You are not going to want to sew a bunch of fleece or gauze on a cheapie machine. You want good quality quilting fabric. And you want good quality thread. Cheap machine + cheap thread = disaster. I’m saving you some frustration up front. Just go with good thread from the start. (I use Gutterman.) And I’m not saying you have to buy designer fabric, but steer clear of anything with a loose weave for now.

I also recommend Brother over Singer. I started with Singer. So many problems. Easily overwhelmed is how I would describe that machine. People have much better luck with cheapie Brothers than cheapie Singers. Just my experience.

As far as what features you want, well, kind of up to you. Really, you NEED a straight stitch. You could USE a zig-zag and one step button hole. Anything beyond that is just fluff. 99% of my sewing is just a straight stitch.

I now sew with a Babylock sewing machine. It is dreamy. I have the now discontinued Crafter’s Choice model. I love it. I upgraded after about a year of sewing on my cheapie. When I realized this was going to be something I did on a regular basis.

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Dear LJ,

What project should I try first?

Eager To Begin

Dear Eager To Begin,

There are dozens of projects to start with! Pick something you want to make. And don’t start with a gift. Too much pressure. Here are some ideas:

Envelope Throw Pillow Cover

Apron

Personally, my first project was a throw pillow. When I revisited sewing as an adult, I started with a pillowcase dress. Just pick something you want to make. Check out Pinterest and get going!

(One of my very first projects.)

Dear LJ,

Should I use a pattern or what?

Paper?

Dear Paper?,

Some people love patterns. I am not one of those people. I prefer to follow tutorials or draft my own patterns. I do use patterns on occasion. I have friends that only sew using patterns. Really, you are just going to have to try it and see what you think.

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Dear LJ,

I’m nervous about ruining the fabric. How do I do this?

Ready To Cut

Dear Ready To Cut,

Fear of the first cut is common! I still have that feeling at times with certain fabrics or projects. You just have to dive in and go for it. Measure twice. Then go!

Dear LJ,

Do I need a serger?

Edgy

Dear Edgy,

Sergers are overrated. I might have some folks disagree with me on that. I rarely use mine. I have a Babylock Lauren serger and it just sits around for the most part. I sometimes just use it because it is there and I feel obligated to use it. So, no, in my opinion, you do not need a serger.

Leave any other sewing questions in the comments. This post contains affiliate links.

Hand Embroidered

July 3, 2014April 8, 2016Lindsey JaneLeave a comment

I hand embroidered an adorable shirt for Topher’s first birthday party. Hand embroidery is so easy. Really. No rules and counting like cross-stitch. Just draw or copy a picture and embroider on top of it. Easy. I call it drawing with thread.

I printed out a gnome from my Doodle Stitching Motif book. This was not a gnome party, so I had to transform him into a lumberjack. I rounded the hat, added legs, added a belt, added an arm with an axe. made the shirt plaid, and called him a lumberjack! Ta-da!

I printed out the Impertinent Birch free pattern from Wild Olive. Isn’t it cute? I made the face match in style to my lumberjack.

I transferred both onto the shirt, embroidered, and had an adorable shirt for an adorable baby! ( I also used backing and hooped it, both are easy.)

If you’ve considered taking up hand embroidery, do it! It is a cheap craft. It is appropriate for kids who are old enough to be trusted with pointy things. It is so much fun! You can draw anything you want and then embroider it! Fabulous! I really think hand embroidery should be way more popular than it is. Try it.

Another book or two to get you started: Doodle Stitching Transfer Pack, Little Stitches, The Original Doodle Stitching book if you can find it. **This post contains affiliate links to support my crafting.**

Easter Outfits

April 20, 2014Lindsey JaneLeave a comment

You know I go ALL out on the Easter outfits. Every year, I find myself in the fabric store searching for a fabric line that is masculine and feminine and shouts spring and, now, has at least 5 unique prints that I like. I want coordinating, not matching. Every kid unique, but blending with the group. And every year, I think, “Why am I doing this to myself again?” Every year, I tell myself that Target would have been both cheaper and easier. But that never stops me. I’m sure I’ll do it all again next year. Fancy fabric and all.

I found the Fox Field Fabric by Free Spirit (Westminster Fibers) fabrics at a local fabric shop. I mixed the Dusk and Shade color ways to get a unique blend that wasn’t too much of one color. (Composing outfits to coordinate is very much like making a quilt. You want them to stand well alone and with the group. Be unique but not too close to the others. There are a million ways to do it well. This Easter, two of the fabrics are from the Dusk color way and three are from the Shade color way.

This is my favorite romper pattern ever. I have made probably a dozen or so of these. Sometimes I do snap crotch. Sometimes I don’t. I used my snap press to add snaps to the top instead of buttons. (I love my snap press.) The pattern is Simplicity #3808. (It isn’t currently in their catalogue, or I’d link it.) I skip the front pocket when I have busy fabric. It is a super roomy romper that my baby boys have loved. And I think it is stinking adorable!

She wanted the Bloomshine by Pink Fig dress. But I didn’t have the pattern. And I’ve been holding onto the Emmaline by Violette Field Threads pattern just waiting for the right time and right fabric. I was so, so tempted to just make her a peasant dress and call it a day, but she really wanted a long maxi dress. So, I decided to go for the Emmaline, since I had that one already. (And had already paid a small fortune for the fabric.) This is without the optional extra ruffles around the bottom. The bottom ruffle ended up being 108″ around, and I just didn’t want the hem that again twice! (And honestly, I ran out of fabric and it wasn’t worth the trip and extra money for more fabric for a few more ruffles.) I might, maybe, possibly will one day make it with the full three bottom ruffles. We’ll see if I ever feel up for that. Honestly, I thought this pattern was going to take so much time. I set aside two full days to sew this dress, convinced it would take every bit of 16 sewing hours to complete. I was very surprised when it took me only 4 hours including all the cutting. 3 hours of sew time. It was so ridiculously simple. Almost makes me a little upset that I needed a pattern for it. (Like people that buy patterns for a pillowcase dress. It seemed so ridiculously stupidly easy after the fact, I was wondering why I thought it’d be so complicated.) It has two elastic casings on the back to hold the top tight. It is a halter, but doesn’t look too halter like. It looks very “little girl” to me. (Although, I will admit, she isn’t looking so “little” anymore. *sniff*sniff*) I would definitely recommend this pattern. It is easier than it looks and it is beautiful. She loves it. LOVES. IT.

The three “big” boys did not want ties this year. They wanted me to make them button up shirts. Um. Not happening this year, boys. Dream on. They needed shorts, so I made shorts. I used this tutorial by Dana Made It to make these awesome retro racer shorts. The pattern was free on her website. It was sized a 2T/3T. I found it to be pretty much a 3T. I did a little drafting and got it sized up to a 6 very easily. (I knew how wide I needed the waist and that I needed more length, so I printed a copy of the 3, then added about 1/2″ to the sides and 2″ to the top and bottom. Easy.) I have already made another pair of these and plan to make at least 2 more. I used store bought bias tape (because I thought I was going to be strapped for time) and each pair of shorts used almost a full package. There was extra, but not enough for another pair of shorts. These shorts were super easy to make. You can make them any length you want. I opted for longer shorts because my boys like long short. I bought 3 cheap-o tees from the local Megalomart. And we have Easter outfits that my boys LOVE.

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Child’s Half Gardening Apron Tutorial

May 28, 2013Lindsey JaneLeave a comment

For the little lady’s birthday, she had a gardening party. I grabbed fabric to make her an outfit and then after her outfit was made, I realized I had lots of extra fabric. The boys were asking me if they got aprons, so I decided to make all the kids a half apron as a party favor. (They also got a little pot of lavender seeds they each planted.) Really, I’m not usually so crazy when it comes to parties. I blame pregnancy for making me do these things. The aprons are super easy to make. I made 12 with 1 yard of the blue dots, 1 yard of red dots, and 1/2 yard of each green solid and yellow solid. (And I did still have fabric leftover.)

Here is what you’ll need:

fabric

ribbon (I used random scraps I had.)

clips (I had a bunch of pacifier clips that I bought on Etsy.)

Cut your rectangle for the apron front 12-15″ wide (depending on what scraps you have) and 8-10″ tall. Cut the waistband 2″ x the width of the fabric. Cut a small length of ribbon to make a loop for the clip. (It can be anywhere from 4″-8″.)

First, finish the sides and the bottom of the apron panel.

Next, attach the looped ribbon with the clip attached to the top left of the apron panel. Just sew it close to the edge so the waistband will cover it.

Now, take your 2″ strip of fabric and iron in half. Tuck the cut ends toward the center and iron. (You now have double fold tape.) Line up the center of the strip with the apron panel. Sandwich the apron panel into the waistband strip. Sew along the open edge all the way to the end. (I start at the apron panel, sew to the end, then flip and sew from where I started to the other end.) Tie a knot in the end of the strip.

Done.

Clip a paper towel or rag to the clip when gardening for hand wiping.

Make these to give away, to use, to sell- just make sure you share the free tutorial!

Easiest Necktie Ever

March 28, 2013Lindsey Jane2 Comments

My boys love neckties. They get it from their dad. We’re talking real neckties. They very much dislike clip on neckties. They seem offended by them. They get that from their dad, too. I have made quite a few neckties for my boys and finally found the absolute easiest way to make a real necktie.

Grab your supplies. You’ll need about 1/3 of a yard of two fabrics. I like contrasting ones. One will be on the inside and will only peek out a tiny bit, so it can be anything, really.

Essentially, this is what you’re doing. You’re going to use a yard stick to make a straight line across the width of your fabric. Then you’ll draw in your points, connect the dots, sew, flip, sew, flip, and you’ll have a tie. Super easy. After you make the first one, you’ll see.

Place your contrast fabric right side up on you cutting surface (ironing board, floor, whatever you use). Place your main fabric right side down, lining it up with the contrast fabric. (If you’re using a dark pen or marker on light fabric, you may want to put the main fabric on bottom and the contrast on top so you won’t see the marks through your fabric. It really doesn’t matter as long as you know what you want to be the main fabric.)

Using a yard stick (or whatever straight edge you’ve got), draw a line from one side of the fabric to the other. If you’re making this for a toddler, 36″ in long enough. For a bigger boy, you’ll want to use as much width as you can. (Also, check out the variation at the end of this tutorial for making older boy and man neckties using this same method!)

Using a quilting ruler, line up your ruler so you’ve got a right angle going on at the tip. (See the photo.) Make a line 4″ long from the center.

Using your quilting ruler, line up the other side. You want the tip of the tie to be a 90 degree angle. (See photo for help lining it up.) Mark 4″ in that direction.

At the other end of the line across your fabric (also known as the other end of your tie), do the same thing, only mark that side 3″ from the center line. Make sure the tip is a 90 degree angle.

Use your yard stick to connect the ends of your 4″ line to your 3″ line. This is the side of the tie. It should look something like the picture.

(You can tweak the measurements if you want a fatter or more narrow tie. I do 4.5″ for an adult tie. 3.5″ for a toddler tie. Just don’t make the small end smaller that 2″ or you’ll be kicking yourself when you try to turn it.)

Pin your two layers of fabric together around the drawn on pattern. (Believe me, this makes your life a little easier here in a minute.) Cut out both layers of fabric together.

You’ve already got the right sides of the fabric together. It is already pinned. You’re ready to sew! Sew the end of the tie. Just the end. (Do not sew the sides yet. It only seems weird the first time.)

Clip the edges.

Repeat for the other end of the tie. Once again, just the end! Not the sides.

Turn your tie right side out, pushing out the points. Press. The sides are still unfinished at this point. You’ve only sewn the two end points together.

Fold the tie in half, matching up the unfinished sides. (You’re sewing the center seam that will run down the back of the tie.) Whichever fabric is your main fabric should be on the inside of the fold. You should be looking at your contrast fabric as you sew. Sew the entire length of the tie, matching the unfinished sides together.

Flip your tie right side out. Press it into the tie shape. The seam should be running down the center back. You can be done here. I do a little extra step because The Pastor (who is the tie expert in my house) says it makes a big difference in how a tie feels.

See the topstitching on these ties? That is the “big difference”. Just sewing a few straight lines down the narrow 1/3 end of the tie. The Pastor says this makes a ties lay flat on your neck and makes it much more comfortable to wear. I just trust him on it. And it only takes a minute, so I go with it.

Now for the adult variation:

You’ll want the tie longer. So, it’ll have to be longer than the width of your fabric. I made mine with one 36″ piece and one 18″ piece. It was long enough. You could make it longer if your man has a thicker neck or like super elaborate knots.

You’re making it essentially the same way. So lay your fabric out the same way. I made the large end 4.5″ from the center. I made the small end 3″ from the center. Now, you’ll need to make the ends that will connect the same width. Just make sure you mark it the same on both pieces. Connect the end of the lines in the same way. (See the picture.)

Sew the ends the same way you sewed the ends for the little boy version. Once the ends are sewn, match up the straight ends in the middle and sew them together. Sew the main fabric to the main fabric right sides together. Sew the contrast fabric to the contrast fabric right sides together.

Flip it right sides out, pressing out the ends. Also, press the seams open. (It’ll make the tie lay flat. If you press them to the side, you’ll make little speed bumps in your tie.)

Now you’ll finish up the same way as the little boy tie. With the main fabric to the inside, fold tie in half and sew the unfinished sides together. Flip.

Press. Sew the lines on the narrow 1/3 of the tie if you want

And that is it! You’re done! Well, if you’re like me, you repeat over and over and over and then you’re done.

As usual, you can make these for your loved ones, give them as gifts, sell them if you want. You made them! Just share the free tutorial if asked!

Drawstring Spring Pants Tutorial

March 28, 2013Lindsey JaneLeave a comment

My boys often like to point out that I do not sew enough for them. So, for Easter, I decided to sew a little more for them than their usual tie. (Although tutorial for the tie is coming soon, too.) I made them these drawstring spring pants. You could make these for girls, too. They are not boy exclusive.

You’ll need:

– elastic

– one length of main fabric

– half a yard of contrast fabric

First, you’ll want to measure your boy. (Or your three boys.) You’ll need a waist measurement, a crotch measurement (from the front waist band between the legs to the back waistband), an inseam measurement, and an out seam measurement.

Once you have all your measurements, you’re ready to start! I like to draw everything out and write in my measurements. (All my seam allowances are 1/2″ unless I say otherwise.)

Waist- Divide the boy’s waist measurement by 4, then add an inch for seam allowance. These are loose fitting pants, so no need for perfection. (For Emery, his waist was 19.25″. I rounded that up to 20″ divided by 4 would be 5″ add an inch for a 6″ pattern line.

Crotch- Divide the crotch measurement in half. Emery’s was 14″. Half of that would be 7. Add an inch for seam allowances. Now mine is 8″.

Length- On the main fabric, you’re going to make the length 2″ shorter than what you actually want. So, Emery needed 19″ outseam. Take 2″ away and the main fabric is 17″. (You’ll be adding a 4″ strip of contrast fabric that will make up for those 2″ plus seam allowances.) I use my inseam measurement as a double check to make sure they are going to be well fitting.

If you don’t want to go through all this math, you can just grab a pair of pants that fit your boy right now and trace them, leaving enough room for seam allowances. I prefer to write out my own pattern.

Draw out your pattern onto the wrong side of your fabric. Fold fabric in half, then fold in half again so that the outer edge is double folds. You’ll be cutting both legs at once. Measure your leg width so you’ll know how wide to make your contrast cuff. (Mine was 9″.)

I use my Varyform Curve ruler to make the crotch line. The crotch of these pants is an 8″ curve. If you don’t have a ruler like this, you can freehand this curve or you can use a flexible ruler for the curve.

From your contrast fabric:

Cut 2 rectangles for the pant cuffs. 4″ long and the width of your pant leg. (Mine was 9″ on the fold- so each cuff is 4″ x 18″)

Cut 1 strip the width of the fabric and 2″ tall- this will be your drawstring.

Now you should have 2 legs, 2 cuffs, and 1 drawstring piece.

First, sew the contrast bottom cuff (though it isn’t really a cuff, it is just a band of contrast fabric) onto the bottom of each pant leg.

Go ahead and finish this seam.

Now, sew the inseam of each pant leg. Sew both legs. Finish both seams.

Tuck one leg inside the other, matching up the crotch with right sides together. (You’ll flip one leg right side out, then stuff it inside the other leg.)

Sew this seam. Finish this seam.

Fold the top of the waistband over about 1/2″. (You can see here that I serge the top of my pants. If you’re going to be folding the raw edge under, you’ll want a little more than 1/2″ in order to fit 1/4″ elastic in there.) Press it with the iron.

Now that you see where the top of your waistband will be, add a couple buttonholes. If you don’t like buttonholes, you could always add some grommets. I don’t think it is completely necessary to have 2 buttonholes. If you wanted, you could sew one larger buttonhole for both strings to come out of. I think 2 looks a little nicer and holds up better.

Sew the waistband closed. No need to leave an opening, you’ll be feeding the drawstring and elastic through your buttonholes.

Go ahead and hem the bottom of your pants. I find it easier to hem kids’ clothing before elastic goes in, so it lays as flat as possible while hemming.

Make your drawstring! Fold the 2″ strip in half and press.

Tuck the raw edges on each side in toward the fold and press. You can do this one side at a time if that makes it easier for you.

Sew down the middle of the drawstring. I use a zigzag stitch. It is just my personal preference.

Now that you’ve got a drawstring made, it is time to put it into your pants! Grab some 1/4″ elastic. (I used about 18″ for these pants.) Pin the elastic and the drawstring together, with the drawstring on the top. (See my picture.) Make sure you put a pin in the bottom of the elastic and the bottom of the drawstring so you don’t accidentally pull them all the way through!

Insert the elastic and drawstring in through on of the buttonholes with the drawstring on top. (See photo.) Feed it around the waist casing.

When you get to the second buttonhole, go ahead and pull the elastic and drawstring out. With the drawstring out on both ends, put the elastic back in and feed it out the same buttonhole it went in. (See photo.) You want the elastic to be completely hidden inside the waist casing and the drawstring needs to be out each hole.

Sew your elastic together.

Tie a knot in each end of your drawstring. Feed the drawstring through so it is even. Make sure the elastic went into the casing.

And that is it! You’re done.

As usual, make these pants for your boy (or girl). Give them away to a friend. Sell them if you wish. After all, you made them. Just remember to give credit back this way for the free tutorial should anyone ask. Share the free!

Wide Leg Ruffle Pants Tutorial

January 22, 2013Lindsey Jane1 Comment

These are my new favorite pants to make for Imogene. These are her new favorite pants to wear. She is a very girl, girl. And my little ballerina has some strong thighs. So she enjoys the roomier wide leg pants. (Plus with the ruffles and the cut, these are very difficult to outgrow pants! And I love difficult to outgrow clothing.) You can make them full length or capri length. (I suggest going full length and then letting them get capri length as they grow. Sneaky mommy move, there.) You can make this in any size. Once you get to around size 7ish, you’ll need 2 yards of fabric because you won’t be able to get a full 2 pant legs in the width. Make them in flannel, and they are pretty awesome pajama pants, perfect for camp, sleepovers, or just princesses who require cute jammies at all times. You can make them in quilting cotton for a cute, boutique look. Make them in jersey for a comfy, classic look. Make them in denim to replace everyday jeans. Make them in lightweight corduroy, canvas, or duck for heavier weight pants.

So, first you want to figure out what size pants you want. If you’ve got someone to measure, measure them! If you don’t have someone to measure, look up the size chart for your favorite kid’s clothing line and use their measurements to figure out the size.

Grab your fabric. You’ll need 1 yard of a single fabric OR 3/4 yard and 1/4 yard. (If you’re making bigger girls pants, you’ll need to adjust your fabric yardage. I make larger ruffles for bigger girls, so I need more than 1/4 yard of contract for the size 6 pants.) You’ll also need some elastic. (I use 1/4″ natural colored flat elastic in kid clothes.)

Here are my lovely notes on making these pants. (These are my 18 month size notes.)

I draw my pattern directly onto the fabric. (This fabric is folded in half, then half again. So the side with the fold is two layers of fold to cut both the front and back at the same size. I measure across 6 inches for the waist. Added an 8″ curve for the crotch (with my vary form curve ruler). Measure 9″ wide for the legs. Measure the length (outseam, so the folded edge side) to 16″. Connect all your measurements.

For size 6: 8″ waist, 11″ curved crotch, 10″ leg width, 22″ outseam. (Plus a 5″ x 36″ ruffle for each leg.)

If you don’t want to make the pattern, you can fold and trace a pair of pants. Just make sure you extend the height a little at the top for folding over the elastic and add some width to make them wide leg. Plus, don’t forget your ruffles!

Speaking of ruffles, cut some. For the 18 month pants, my ruffles were 4″ x 24″. If you want them more ruffled, add width. If you get too ruffle crazy, it can be difficult to get them to lay down.

Now you have all these pieces. 2 pant legs. 2 ruffles. (The green behind my fabric is fleece. I got tired of hauling my ironing board up and down 2 flights of stair every time I needed to sew. And The Pastor didn’t want to buy another one because who needs 2 ironing boards?! So, I put a few layers of green fleece on the dresser in my sewing room and I iron there. Not as convenient as a sewing board, but it works.)

Sew the inseams of you pant legs with the right sides of the fabric together. Finish them, too. (Serge. Pink. Zigzag. French seams. Whatever it is you do.)

Take each ruffle and with right sides together, sew the short ends together. (Not pictured.) Go ahead and hem the bottom of each ruffle. (It is so much easier to do the hem now when you have one long loop rather than trying to properly hem it when it is all gathered and flaring.)

If you were wondering, this is what the inside of my hems look like. I serge, then I fold them over and sew. I like to zigzag my hem. It makes it look more special than just a pair of pants you’d find in the store. It screams “custom” to me. (Plus, on kid clothes, it adds a little bit of whimsy.)

Turn one leg right side out and stuff it inside the other leg. Pin together around the crotch, matching the inseams. (The first time I made a pair of pants, it took me FOREVER to visualize this in my head. I spent almost an hour trying to figure out how to sew it to get the seam the way it should be.)

Sew the crotch. Finish it, too! Flip the pants right side out.

Sew a basting stitch around the top of your ruffle. (A basting stitch is just setting your straight stitch as long as the stitch length will go and sewing close to the edge.) Pull the basting stitch to gather the ruffle. Distribute the ruffles evenly around.

Pin the ruffle right side to the right side of the pants.

Sew. Make sure you’re sewing further in than the basting stitch. (The basting stitch should be closer to the edge, so it won’t show.) Always sew with the gathering on top of the flat piece of fabric. Otherwise, your flat piece will inevitably end up not so flat. Remove the pins as you sew. Don’t sew over pins. You’ll snap a sewing machine needle into your eye.

Now you should have a ruffle on your pant leg. Repeat for the other leg.

Now that both ruffles are on. (And both are hemmed, since you did that earlier.) Press the waist of the pants down to form the elastic casing. (I serge mine first, then press it down so it is finished when I sew the elastic casing down. If you DO NOT have a serger, you’ll want to press it down, then tuck the bottom up toward the fold and press again. Make sure the finished casing will hold your elastic!)

Sew the waist down, leaving a small opening to feed the elastic in. (I do not like to sew the waist of pants with a zigzag. It tend to break on a waistband being pulled on. I use a straight stitch for the waist.)

Feed your elastic into the casing.

Make sure you SAVE your elastic end. Put a big pin on it so it doesn’t accidentally slip though.

Once you get the elastic all the way through, you’ll need to sew it closed. You’ll see above what the elastic stitch on my machine looks like. It is that weird lightening bolt zigzag. If you don’t have this stitch, you can just use your zigzag stitch.

Elastic is sewn closed! Pop it into the casing, then sew the hole in the casing closed.

And you’re done!

As always, do what you want with the pants you made! Keep them, give them, sell them- you made them. However, please share the free. If someone asks how you made them, be kind and point them back here. Don’t try to sell the pattern or keep it some big industry secret. It just isn’t nice.

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