August is for Aprons, Skill level= Beginner

We have been busy in our absence. After a canoe trip through Yellow Stone Kelli is now in Utah visiting me. I, on the other hand, have been held up indoors custom fitting my jeans, redecorating my kids' room, and renovating a bathroom. All this is to say we have slacked in blogging, but are combining forces to start a new and improved presserfoot.com. Just this morning we brainstormed with the fabulous and famous Kelly King Anderson, founder and fairy godmother of Start Up Princess. Over the next few days, weeks, and months there will be some great changes to this site. We are so excited to share them with you...but you'll just have to keep checking in.

Now, on to the project of the month! It's aprons in August. The pattern is Butterick 4945 and Kelli and I will be walking you through the process with all of our tips and tricks. Happy pattern purchasing!

Second shirt dress

I finally finished a shirt dress for my other niece. I still made plenty of mistakes on this one, but overall it was much easier to make the dress the second time around. And I think my niece is as cute as can be wearing it:)

fit as a fiddle, post two reconstruction

Step 5 (one through 4 are found in the post below)
pin sides together starting at the crotch and working up to the waist)

Step 6
baste stitch sides together with dark matching tread (be sure to use a denim or jean needle). I find I often need little adjustments to this seam so it fits just right. once you find the perfect fit seam sides together over your baste line.

Step 7
serge off excess. if you don't have a serger I recommend you run a second stitch line 1 to 2 mm from the raw edge and then zigzag over the raw edge.
Step 8
pin serged edge to one side from the right side (or outside) of the jeans. you will be top stitching next. here are views from the right and wrong (inside and outside).

Step 9
using your top stitching tread run two stitch lines 2 to 3mm apart over the folded raw edge. don't forget that you can loosen the presserfoot tension if the layers become too bulky. If you are unable to find top stitching tread in the right color you can buy regular tread and stitch over the same line 2 or 3 times to bulk it up. I ended up having to do that one these jeans.
Step 10
reattach the belt loop over the waist band seam line. you may have to do this by hand as there are so many layers of fabric here.

Step 11
marvel at your before and after. total time = 1.5 hours...so worth it.

Getting rid of the gap in back, post one demolition

one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing down the back of almost every girl in America's jeans. my next biggest pet peeve is constantly adjusting my own pants as they slide up and down my backside. There must be jeans some where that are made to perfectly fit even after 2 hours of wear, but I'm sure I can't afford them. In stead I buy $2 rummage sale jeans and build a new butt for a custom fit. I have done alterations for a while and taking in the back of jeans was my most requested. This can be a little scary the first time, so I do suggest you learn on a thrift store pair of jeans before you tackle your name branders. A saggy butt isn't flattering on anyone...including me...

Materials:
seam ripper
scissors
denim needle
thread to match your jeans (just regular old thread)
thread to match the top stitching of your jeans (most often gold, it is a much heavier thread and is sold as a top stitching thread)

Step 1
Mark your new seam line. I suggest you wear the jeans for a day first so they are nice and loose and have a friend help you. This is as simple as grabbing the back of your jeans and pinching out the slack. I then use two straight pins to mark one each side where the new seam will be.
Step 2
remove the belt loop. this will cover up the seam line that will extend through the waist line. If there are two belt loops on either side I take them both out and in the end replace it with just one in the middle.

Step 3
cut through the waist bandStep 4
seam rip thought the bum line and all layers of top stitching until you are one inch from the crotch seam (wear the inseam, front seam and back seam all come together between your legs).

Your should now be left with a huge hole and totally commitment to this project. Tomorrow we will put them back together.

Unfinished Project #1 : another pleated skirt

I bought this super light weight denim at Vogue fabrics last month with plans to make a second, more casual pleated summer skirt. Since I didn't finish it last month, it became number one on my pile of unfinished projects.

I was able to whip it up last night in a few hours as my husband watched the recaps of the Wimbledon match.

I made couple of changes this time :

A. I cut 3 inches off of the top of the skirt because I knew that I wanted it to sit much lower on the hips than the last one.

B. Because this was going to be much more casual, I omitted the facing and used some yellow double fold bias tape to finish off the top instead.

Conclusion - I love it. It makes me want to go to the farmers market.

This month : catchup and tutorials

If you are like Rian and I this has been a busy month. The summer comes with family reunions, kids out of school, and visitors from out of town. So instead of adding another project to the unfinished pile, we thought we would give everyone a chance to finish the projects currently in the pile. So I am hoping to see some pleated or flared skirts, dresshirt dresses, peasant shirts, and tote bags. I know I have a few that need to be finished up.

Also, Rian and I each have chosen a few tutorials that we are putting together of how to help diminish the "to mend" pile with stuff such as altering jeans, to how to sew on a button the right way.

I can't wait to see all of your projects finished!