I Did One

I'm kind of embarrassed to even post these pictures, our camera is dying, our apartment is dark (and messy as you can see) and my child won't hold still, but I did the project in the right month, so I'm posting it! The neckline help post was a huge help for me, I didn't shed any tears or say any bad words. I think I'm going to take the hem up a few inches, but she was so excited to wear it I decided to wait, and now it has strawberry ice cream down the front. :) My daughter is quite slight through the shoulders, so I think next time I'll make the neck area a little bit smaller, I also should have put less elastic in the sleeves because they are pretty big. I thought this was really fun and I'm very happy I know how to make this dress now, my daughter only wants to wear dresses, so this will be helpful.

Shirt Dress neckline help!

I thought I might try and get this post up before we start the new project! This is my first post on Presserfoot-- I was one of Kelli's roommates in college and I love the idea of this sewing group. Thanks for inviting me, Kelli. I missed the first project--the tote--but I have been sewing along ever since.

I have actually made similar dresses as the shirt dress for my girls a lot--the pattern is very easy and the dress comes together very quickly. I have never made it out of a man's shirt, though. I thought that was very creative--thanks for sharing that great tutorial, Dana. And since my husband decided he didn't want to wear any more long sleeved button-down shirts, it was the perfect opportunity to make some dresses.

I noticed a few people said that they have had problems with the neck. Here is something that has helped me:
When I am sewing the neck, I stop at each corner. (Can you tell in the picture--sorry if you can't, but I have stopped and not sewn across the seam and then I have started again on the next side.)

Then I thread the elastic through before I sew the corner seams. As you can see in the picture, there are some gaps in the fabric where it is not sewed down.

Then I straighten the corner (where the sleeve meets the dress) and I sew it down then. It is so much easier than trying to sew it all down and leave one opening and then trying to thread that elastic through the whole thing!

Here's the finished dress on my 4 1/2 year old:



She loves it now, but when I first gave her the choice of four shirts, she said, "I don't usually like to pick fabric like this" (meaning she likes purple and pink). But when I added the belt and ruffle, she decided that it was pretty now.

By the way, thanks to Leslie that added posted about the ruffle on her daughters dress--I think it adds a lot to the dress, so I did it to mine.

skirt inspiration

I thought I would post a few ideas for your skirts. I always look at Ready to Wear Inspiration before I buy my own fabric. Hopefully these will inspire you as well. Happy fabric finding!

Express

Neiman Marcus

JCrew

anthropologie

THE VOTES ARE IN : B4686

By only three votes on the last day the flared skirt B won our poll for the pattern to make next month. Pleated skirts are everywhere so I am really excited to get started.

Remember Butterick patterns are on sale through tomorrow at Joanne Fabrics for $1.99 so go get this months pattern right away.

p.s. If your skirt didn't win then go get the other pattern as well. In my opinion you can never have enough breezy summer skirts.

GIVEAWAY : Shirtdress

As part of SewMamaSew's Giveaway Day I am giving away the shirtdress I just made using Dana's great tutorial. Here is how it works:

-enter a comment on this post below by May 31st to enter
-you must have an address within the continental US that I can ship it too (sorry)

I will choose the winner randomly and will ship the dress by June 3rd.

Just so you know I think the dress would fit a child between 3 and 5 years old. I left some room on the straps so that they can be adjusted if necessary.

Remember to Vote!

Just a reminder that there is only one day left to vote on the skirt we are going to do for our next month's sewing project.

Place your vote in the sidebar to the right.

Better late than never? The pattern

Okay, so after many of you said you had problems with the Shirt Dress pattern in the sleeve area......
I updated the pattern measurements. SORRY to all for the headache. My daughter is a skin-and-bones girl, so the original measurements are what I used. Hopefully the updated measurements will work a little better. If you're still plugging away at this month's project, REVISIT the pattern pictures.

I'm loving all your creations btw!

My Shirt Dress

My husband has had this shirt for years, but never wears it because the fit is weird. This made it perfect for the Shirt Dress. Because the print was so masculine I paired it with a femmy aqua polka dot fabric.

I also had major problems with the neck/sleeves. I started this for my 4 year old and we could not get it over her head. So I ended up re-cutting it and making it for my 2 year old, Evangeline (seen below).

I will definitely try this again, but might take a cue from Kelli and cut the top straight across and then add straps. I am also going to raise the belt a bit more so it creates an empire waist.

I still LOVE the outcome of this one. I'm giving you two photo options....


Shirt Dress: Happy

and Shirt Dress: Cranky

Those red-heads are a feisty group.
Thanks for the fun pattern!
I can't wait to experiment more!
.

Another dress.

I finally finished this little dress this morning in time for my daughter to wear it to church. She was very excited. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I think its a little snug in the sleeve area but that's something I could easily adjust next time around. I think this is one of those projects that you just have to get through the first one and work out all the kinks. The next one will most likely be a bit easier. I love the tip about double-stitching the hem. It makes such a big difference and I will be adding that to all my clothing projects!

I used an old shirt of my husband's that he got a thrift store in New Zealand. It took a little convincing to get him to let me use it. He hadn't worn it in a while and the sleeve and a large tear in it, so I thought I would put it to better use. It looks like it has blue in it but it is actually just a faded black so that is why I did a black waistband. I think she looks like a little country girl on the farm. This was my first project with the blog and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Shopping Online: Finding Your Fabric Mecca

Blog-hopping. Not sock hopping, and not bar hopping...Blog Hopping.


When Kelli asked me to put together a post about online fabric shopping, I was flattered and a little surprised. The amount of information out there can be daunting, and it can seem difficult to know where to begin! I am no expert; I don't have a secret list of fine fabric distributors or designers memorized. What I do have is a mind that likes to jump around, a good internet connection, and a small obsession with finding something new. Which brings me back to blog hopping, because that's how I stumbled onto all my favorite fabric sites.

And yes...my list of bookmarked web sites is out of control. Just ask my husband.

Blogs are a wonderful resource because someone else has already done the work for you. It's like being in middle school again and going straight to the encyclopedias for your "primary research". Many times people will tell you the designer and sometimes they will also tell you where they purchased it. Made By Rae (where Kelli entered her Spring Top), for example, always notes what fabric she uses - I might not have great taste, but I can sure mooch off those who do!

Kelli and Rian have also shared two great fabric sites through posts on this blog: Z&S Fabrics and Bee Square Fabrics. Once you visit these sites, take note of which designers you like. Most of the time they will have their own website where you can get a larger selection of their designs. They might also have links to vendors that sell their products, which would include web site addresses. You can also visit local stores and check out designer names (don't underestimate places like Joanne's - you can often score something great for very little - but if I'm looking for something unique I always look up "Quilting" stores versus fabric or craft stores). Sewing books are also a good diving board. They always credit their vendors at the end of the book and usually list web sites as well.

There are web sites like Purl Bee and SewMamaSew who run their own shops. These are excellent places to start as they will feature a smattering of designers, ranging from small and independent to large and established. There are often also advertising sponsors somewhere on the site so don't forget to check out their sidebars! As with any purchasing experience, it is best to shop around, watch for sales and be smart. We are in a recession, right? Sometimes there is a quota you must purchase to received free shipping. Tip: Try teaming up with friends in your area; purchase together and save on shipping!

Blogging is all about networking and sharing. Sharing photos, accomplishments, life events, and INFORMATION! Remember, people want to share! Blog hopping really gives a sense of how the world wide web really does connect us all and satisfies my need for always finding something new. Here are some more links to get you started, almost all of which were discovered through blog hopping:

Art Gallery Fabrics
Lotta Jansdotter
Moda Fabrics
Crafting a Greener World
Michael Miller Fabric
Nani Iro (it's Japanese, but the magic of google = translated web sites)
The Fabric Shopper

I hope these prove helpful to you. It was difficult to pick only those few, but I don't want to spoil ALL of your fun! Let blogrolls be explored, blog archives be searched, shops be browsed, your imagination be sparked, and your blog hopping adventures begin!

Well..I learned a lot...

I finished my dress a few days ago.  I had a ton of trouble with the neck and I almost gave up.  But after a few days of rest from the project, I calmed down a bit a got through it.  There are a lot of little catches that you can't really see because the elastic helps to cover it up, so I was much happier with the finished product than I expected to be when I started. 

Also, I don't know why I thought that doing the waist band with the stretch fabric I had wouldn't be that hard, but it was a nightmare for me.  I've had the fabric lying around for a long time because I loved the color but then tried one project with stretch fabric and haven't touched this fabric since. In the end, I think putting the elastic in helped to salvage it.  Overall it's pretty sloppy work, but if I had a daughter, I think I would put her in it anyway:)  Now I've learned a lot and I would love to try again.  Does anyone know if there are any instructions on doing the ruffle sleeve with the cuff?  I love that sleeve and would like to try it.   I should probably stick with the standard for now until I get a little better at sewing, but I can dream.

Shirt Dress Finished

I finally finished my first shirtdress. I had some trouble with the neckline and sleeves (I think because I didn't have a serger or a model to try it on) so I finally just chopped the top off and made it a spaghetti strap dress. I added some ruffles to the bodice front and the pocket to the skirt.

I have no idea if it will actually fit a real child, but I am happy with the way it looks on a hanger.

Spring Clean your Sewing Machine

I got out one of my husband's shirt to make my shirt-dress tonight and realized my bobbin was looping badly. Don't worry, it was a test piece of fabric. Anyway, whilst I was changing the tensions, etc., I decided to give my machine a little cleaning. I have had this machine for 3 years without ever having it serviced or cleaning it. Oops!

Because we don't have the $85 it takes to get my particular machine serviced by a professional, I followed this video tutorial by Bethany Mann. I cannot believe how much gunk I brushed out of my machine and it is now working like brand new. Woo Hoo! I'm ready to get my sew on! If you haven't cleaned your machine recently I highly recommend it.

Spring Clean your Sewing Machine from bethany mann on Vimeo.

Next Month : Summer Skirt VOTE

As soon as it gets warm I love to trade in the jeans for a nice and breezy skirt. Pair it with a t shirt and some flip flops and you are ready for anything.

We decided to let you guys vote on which skirt pattern you would like to make so here are the three (which will all be on sale at the end of the month) that we are thinking about:

(and remember to look beyond the envelope - your choice in fabrics will do wonders)

Choice A:

Choice B:

Choice C:


So make your way to the sidebar where you can vote on your favorite skirt pattern.

Two Shirts

In the end, I did not make a shirt dress for a little girl; however, I used the principles for making a couple of button down shirts for me. I made the first shirt within a week of the project post, and the second one just yesterday with my sister-in-law.

I tried a mandarin collar for the grey pinstripe on the top, which didn't turn out so well. Fact: A man's neck is larger than a woman's neck. The second shirt has a simple bias tape for the collar. When buttoned up all the way it looks smock-like to me, but I prefer to leave it open. The sleeves I found a bit tricky and I am still not very confident when it comes to proper sleeve construction, but they work.

I had a great time making these and feel good about the "green" aspect!

Father's Day : Tie Making

I have always wanted to make a tie, and I think I might try to do some for Father's day. I've avoided them in the past because I am scared that they will look like the obviously home sewn versions that you see at so many weddings made in a cheap polyester satin in hot pink or ice blue. You know what I'm talking about.

Well, The Purl Bee has THIS great tutorial for making ties and some suggestions on fabrics. I think I will go for it. It will be a great side project for the month. Anyone else want to try? Anyone have any links for "tie like" fabric sources?

blue pinstripe dress

Hi PresserFoot fans! I joined the PF circle last month and this is my first completed sew-along project. I loved the tutorial (so many great photos and good instructions) and had fun turning my hubby's shirt into this little dress.

I had intended to make a dress for my 5 year old daughter Anna, but there wasn't enough fabric width wise to do that (but she's that girly in the shirt's before pic not the actual recipient of the dress). It ended up being for my 3 1/y year old daughter, Emily. She generally wears size 4T and that's about what I think this dress size is. I enlarged the suggested pattern measurements by adding 1 1/2 inches all around. I think next time I need to add more space to the underarm area though because that spot is snug on her.

I also added a little ruffle to the bottom of the dress with some additional scraps I had after making the wasteband. If I had some of those cool fabric button cover thingys I would have made buttons with the dark blue scraps, too. Next time maybe.

I love the whole recycle/upcycle idea of turning unused shirts into darling dresses. I definitely see more of these in my girls' futures. Happy sewing! - Leslie

Miss 4th of July

I finished my first shirt dress!!! This one was a real struggle for me. Lots of seam ripping. Not because the idea or tutorial aren't great, but I had to re-figure everything for an 80% four year old. There are only a few scraps left of the original shirt. I also cut the sleeves wrong, but didn't have any fabric left to re-cut them. I should have gone sleeveless, but sewed, seam ripped, sewed, seam ripped and sewed again. I did however make all of the necessary adjustments to my freezer paper pattern, so I expect dress #2 will be a snap. I'll let you know. In the end I am pleased with the result and am feeling a little Betsy Ross coming on.

Making It Official: Clothing Labels

Lately I have really been wanting to get labels made for my clothing. Something to sew into the neck or side seam of my clothing to distinguish it as my own - something that I labored over for hours - something that makes it uniquely my creation and somehow a more professional one.

Here are some links to sites that will make these labels for you. If you have other suggestions please let me know.

www.clothinglabels4u.com
www.customcouturelabelcompany.com
www.namemaker.com

Now the hard part is deciding on a name/logo.

Sewing Machine Crisis

So sorry that I have been missing in action the last couple weeks. I have been having some sewing dilemas. About a month ago I bought the Brother CS6000i to replace my mother's 1980's no name machine that I have been using for years. The Brother has gotten tons of positive reviews and it's cheap so I thought it would be perfect. It has not gone as well for me. It has been a constant struggle with tension and now it won't even sew quilting fabric together without missing stitches.
So I am sending it back for a refund and am going to get a more sturdy machine. I am willing to pay somewhere between $400-$600. I was thinking about a Janome or a Bernina. Any suggestions?

white summer linen

My dress is finished! And it was the perfect wardrobe for our afternoon outing.
I started with a men's white linen shirt, mixed up the original dress pattern a bit, and added new buttons.For more info and details, please hop over to MADE. Can't wait to see what you all come up with! We still have 1/2 a month left. Maybe I have one more up my sleeve....?

Dear Baby Quilt

thank you to Mrs. Doodle for finding the below mentioned baby quilt using Spoon Flower. it is from The Small Object. i just love this idea.
my goal for today: cut out my shirt dress. i am so excited!

Not a spoon full of flour

if you haven't heard yet, you will now. Spoonflower.com allows you to upload your designs to be printed on fabric! Who's a textile artist now? For $18 a yard you too can have your own custom fabric. I was shocked that Kelli hadn't found this site first. I've actually known about it for sometime. I first heard about it on someone's blog (sorry I couldn't remember who and wasn't able to find it) who suggested writing a letter to a new baby, having Spoonflower print it on fabric, and then making it a baby blanket. I haven't tried it yet, but am itching to. If any one else has tried it please let us know. I'd love to see it.

pocket thoughts

Kind of a silly post but it was on my mind this morning. Just a note about removing the pockets on your shirt:

* VERY carefully remove with a seam ripper. Go slowly. I got anxious the other day and yep, ripped a nice big hole in the shirt. Guess that one will become a small shirt or skirt. The "nice" part was that the entire time I thought, I really should be careful, I'm going to rip a hole in this. grrrr.

*If you're worried about the exposed holes left behind once the pocket is removed, wash the shirt once and it should bounce back and look like new. I just washed mine and I can't even see where the pocket used to be:
* hold on to the removed pockets! Use them on another project (I'm thinking of linen cargo pants for my little guy with the pockets off this one). Or add them back on to your Shirt Dress. Many ideas on the flickr group we recently started.

Okay, have a great weekend everyone. Time for me to get cutting and sewing on this. Just can't decide: buttons in front or back? Hmm.....

Top ten!

So I made it to the top ten in the spring top week over at made by rae. Thank you for anyone who voted for my spring top. One more round to go!

Click here to cast your vote for your favorite top in the final round.

Grey Stripes and Brighter Squares

I haven't been to a thrift store in a while and it made me feel old because I kept saying, "I remember when shirts at a thrift store cost...x dollars". In the end I settled on a light Grey pinstripe and a green and navy blue check. Thank goodness for stripes; they really help a girl make straight cuts.

red, purple, & blue

if you live anywhere near Utah county I hope you knew about the annual Wasatch Rummage Sale. its held the first Saturday in May at Wasatch Elementary. I picked up these three shirts to make dresses from as well as 2 pairs of Lucky brand jeans for $2 and a new bed for our daughter for $10. reuse, reuse. welcome garage sale season.

Rock the Vote!

I entered my shirt in the spring top week over at Made by Rae. There is currently a vote for the best spring top. Mine is Group 10 shirt J.

Click here to vote for your favorite top!

I bought two shirts from the thrift store this weekend. Can't wait to get started!

The Shirt Dress: the Pattern

I'm glad to see that many of you have jumped on board, to sew-along. Great fun!

In the last post's comments, it was mentioned that this could be made in a woman's size. Absolutely! Though, it would be more of a shirt rather than a dress. For some great tips and ideas on how to do that, check out clevergirl.org. She offers some very creative takes on men's-shirt to women's-shirt transformations.
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Okay, now that you've found a men's dress shirt to work with, let's get down to business. I won't go over all the steps here, as they are detailed in the tutorial HERE. But I will highlight a few things.

The Pattern
I don't sew with store-bought patterns. I can and have, but I often find that you can recreate many ideas by using an item of clothing you already have. This is how I came up with the pattern here. I took one of my daughter's dresses and mimicked the idea by pulling each dress piece straight (since there was elastic inside) and tracing it onto fabric, to create my own new pattern. This is how I sew most things: pants for my little guy, shirts, etc. You can do this too. It's not hard, just takes some practice and fiddling with. If you have a pattern or dress you love, go with that! Or you can follow this pattern here.
(click on the picture to see in better detail)

PLEASE NOTE: These measurements are for a skinny 2-3 year old. If your child is average size or a little larger, you must extend the areas mentioned below. If you're stuck or not sure how large to make it, measure your child and use those measurements as a guideline. If you're really unsure....make it larger, rather than smaller. You can then try it on and take in the side seams and shoulders if needed.
Or you can always cut out a mock version on junk fabric, sew a few steps, and try it on to see if you're on the right track.

Here are the two pattern pieces you'll need. You will cut out two of each, following the instructions on the tutorial. I hope these images make sense. None of the measurements are set in stone and should be adjusted to fit your child. But these should serve as a guideline.
If you have questions, please leave them here in the comments. Good luck!
- dana

The Shirt Dress: Picking the right shirt

Hello fellow Presser Footers. I'm thrilled to be with you this week! And a huge thank you to Kelli and Rian for inviting me.

As Kelli mentioned, this month we will be making The Shirt Dress, which is a girl's summer dress made from a man's dress shirt. The goal is something like this (with your own twist, of course):
And you can find the very step-by-step tutorial HERE.

The Shirt Dress project is one of my favorites because:
* it's simple to make
* the possibilities are endless
* it fits in the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle category (and that's something we can all appreciate)

So if you're ready to dive-in, here are some tips for picking the right shirt to use....

1. There's never a right or wrong shirt. You can use almost any shirt and make it work by adding your own twist and cute coordinating fabric as the waistband. What I'm trying to say is: think outside of the box. A manly looking print can end up looking real cute on this girlish-styled dress.

2. Raid your husband's closet first, sifting through shirts that don't fit him well or shirts you're just sick of. Ask his permission of course to use any of them.
For my first shirt dress I went with this shirt that was super baggy on my man. I never let him wear it because I hated how it looked. He, of course, was thrilled with the transformation:
3. Run to your local Thrift Store and check out their selection. I often find myself at Goodwill because it's closest to me. But I find their prices a little high: $5.50 for a long-sleeve men's shirt. I was hoping for 2 bucks! But hey, $5.50 is still a great price for an adorable little dress that you, yourself have created.
I often sift through all the shirts, grabbing any that I find immediately appealing. I also search the women's shirt rack (though these don't always have enough fabric) and the children's rack (if you want to make an Infant sized dress, you can use boy's dress shirt). Any size men's shirt will work, but the larger the better because then you have more fabric to work with.
After scouring all the racks I end up with a stack of shirts and from there, I narrow it down to the few shirts I love the most. It's easy to get carried away and overby at a thrift store. So I try to stick what I really think I will use and sew with.

4. Don't worry about pockets. These can easily be removed with a seam ripper (do this carefully though! I've torn holes in my shirt by going too quickly). Save the pockets for a future project or add them to the bottom of your dress!

5. Decide how you want your sleeves to look. You can make them traditional (capped, as in the tutorial), puffed like these:
Or leave them sleeveless. If you choose to do puffed sleeves you will need a long-sleeve shirt since you will be using the cuff of the sleeve. For other styles, you can use a short-sleeve shirt since there's enough fabric there.

6. Choose fabric for your waistband. You need very little fabric for this portion, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 of a yard. Find something that makes your dress pop! (or tones it down if you have a loud print). I often use scraps that are in my fabric stash. But when I have a specific color scheme in mind, I run to the store (prewash your fabric before sewing). Of course the waist band is totally optional too. Or you can make a removable one as shown here.
The waistband fabric is a great way to give it a girly twist. Your shirt may be black or brown with stripes (very manish) but mixing it with a hot pink or polka dot print waistband can make it feminine. Like I said, the possibilities are endless!

And just to give you give you more inspiration, you'll find a fashion show of what others have done here.

I'll be posting more tips as the week goes on. If anyone has questions or if you get stuck, post questions here, leave it in the comments, or send me an email (danawillard@gmail.com) and I'll incorporate that in the next blog post.

I can't wait to get started with you all! Here's what I'll be working on. Purchased at Goodwill; Beautiful white linen: