Mad Men Sew-Along : Sewing the Bodice Muslin

I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving. I know that I did. Now that it is over, I am excited to get going on our dresses again. Today we will put together out bodice pieces for our muslin.

The first thing that we need to do is sew the darts for our bodice pieces.

With right sides together, fold your darts along the lines that you transfered to your muslin piece. You should be able to see the lines faintly through the fabric.


Use your iron to press the crease in the middle of the dart.


Starting at the bottom edge of your bodice, stitch on top of the lines. You can backstitch at the bottom edge if you want but do not backstitch at the point of the dart. Instead, leave a long tail and tie a knot. This prevents a pucker at the tip of your dart.



Press the darts to the center.

Repeat with all darts for front and back bodice pieces.


Next we will sew together the bodice pieces:

With right sides together, pin the shoulder seams together of the front and back bodice pieces.


Change your sewing machine settings to a basting stitch (the longest stitch length on your machine). On my machine it means changing the stitch length from 2.5 to 5.


Without backstitching (since this is a muslin there is no reason to backstitch, plus this makes it easier to unpick to alter if necessary) sew the shoulder seams together.


Repeat for the sideseams.



Your bodice should look like this:

Tomorrow we will make alterations to the bodice and add the sleeves!

Mad Men Sew-Along : Buying Your Fabric

A few of you have asked about buying your actual dress fabric. Since there are a ton of crazy sales this week and many of you might actually have dad's home to babysit, this might be the best time to go ahead and buy the rest of the stuff that you need for this dress.

Main fabric - I would suggest something with structure. When you wear something that is fitted like this dress is it tends to show everything, so something with structure would be more forgiving and flattering. That being said I think that a light weight wool would be gorgeous, a thick cotton blend like a cotton sateen, corduroy, twill, or a linen for something more summery. I would avoid satin's unless blended with cotton or such, or anything with alot of stretch (a little in a cotton is good).

Here are few options that I found online that I think would look great , all of which would make drastically different looking dresses. (click on them to see their sources):




Lining - You can buy plain polyester or satin lining or a cotton if you prefer. The pattern only lines the bodice. Rian and I will both be showing you how to line the entire dress. So if you want to line the entire dress make sure to get the same amount of lining fabric as you did dress fabric. Does that make sense?

Mad Men Sew-Along : Adjusting the Neckline & Sleeve

As mentioned before I am going for a dress that looks something like this:

As a result I decided to lower the neckline to more of a scoop neck and lengthening the sleeves to right above the elbow. Here is how I did it.

To lower the neckline I first used a pin to mark the lowest point that I wanted the scoop to hit on the bodice front. I used a favorite shirt to compare the neckline to.

I then folded the bodice front in half and then I used the original pattern to trace the bottom part of the scoop.
Then I connected the bottom part of the scoop with the dot on the top. This will be the actual stitch line and actual neckline once seam allowances are folded in. Now draw another line 5/8" outside of this line as seam allowance to be your cut line.
Cut the outside line.

Now to lengthen the sleeves.
Leave about 5 extra inches to the bottom of the sleeve piece.

Using a pen, draw a slightly curved line to the bottom of the fabric. You want it to almost be straight at the end since you will be folding it up to hem the sleeves.

Now cut on the line. Remember that this is still the muslin so don't be worried if it isn't perfect. Chances are it is too wide and too long, but we will take care of that later.


And here you go. Ready to start sewing.

My fabric

I knew I wanted a floral print and I knew I only had 30 minutes to pick it, get it cut, and buy it. With a trach child getting out has become much more of a trial. Only those who have been specifically trained to take care of traches can babysit. I had to take a 5 day course before they would release Maaike from the hospital to me. This leaves me with my mother-in-law (who graciously took the class at the hospital with me as my husband was still back in China), my husband (who I have now trained), and my sister-in-law Melissa (who is an ER nurse). We were advised not to take Maaike out during cold and flu season, so you can see how this is going, but really, any mom with a new baby, or any kids at all, knows what I am talking about. So when you finally get the opportunity to get out it becomes an all or nothing kind of a trip.I can just hear Tim Gunn saying that this print is too safe, but I lets face it, I'm not hitting the runway any time soon. I did find a light blue vintage floral print that I loved, but the fabric weight was much too light for this structured of a pattern. Next time. All in all a successful trip. Now to cut out my muslin.

Mad Men Sew-Along : Cutting Your Muslin

Today we are going to cut out and prepare out muslin pieces for sewing. You should have about 2 yards or cheap fabric. I ended up buying some yellow broadcloth because it was cheaper than the muslin. Thought it might make things a little more exciting.

I am going to be making the basic dress without the tie and with sleeves. My goal is something simple and flattering and a silhouette much like Joan's and Mrs. Draper's dresses here. As a result I will be lowering the neckline into a scoop and lengthening the sleeves to above the elbows. I will show you how to make these adjustments tomorrow in case you would also like to make these or similar alterations to your muslin.

You only need to cut out the main pieces including the skirt front and back, bodice front and back, and sleeves (if you are doing them) and tie (if you are doing them). You do not need to cut out any lining or facing pieces. You also do not need to be too worried about grain as you will not be washing this fabric. Just try to get fabric pieces all to fit and basically parallel or perpindicular to the selvage.

Once you cut out all of your pieces it is important that you transfer all markings to your muslin pieces. If you make a lot of changes your muslin may be your actual pattern pieces so it is important that they have all of the markings to make sure that those pieces are accurate.

Bodice Front
Bodice Back
Skirt Front
Skirt Back
Sleeves (mine have been lengthened - I will show you how tomorrow)

Mad Men Sew-Along Button and Participants

As per request here is the Mad Men Sew-Along button for you to put on your blogs if you like (but no pressure).


<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjajfXVQberx-vuB8q6jVgBkragyrI335RdBrSGVzJfeVLEBI1Lg_H9-O2UgtAc_6QNfxfDdfDflAZ5IdYkjroowYdS8_9AarnvfCL09nVaUsuWhRbCVPqyhyphenhyphenyU3k8eIRkK6SUELM_G50/s1600/madmenbutton.jpg" />

Also, here are all of the participants. If you would like to be added or taken off of the list please let me know. I think it will be really fun to be able to follow along with one another as we sew.

Kelli Ward www.presserfoot.com
Rian Krommenhoek www.presserfoot.com
Kat http://citizensofnewsalem.blogspot.com/
Sarah www.emmyloubeedoo.blogspot.com
Wendy http://w38th.blogspot.com/
Cher www.snelldogs.blogspot.com
Brenda www.brendassewingnook.blogspot.com
Jill
Sewing Princess http://bombardone.com/sewingprincess/
Darsana
Susan http://mudinheaven.blogspot.com
Bonnie www.mycoldlittlefeet.com
Kelli http://www.whimsikel.blogspot.com
Kelli www.smalltownstitcher.blogspot.com
Bagfashionista http://bagfashionista.blogspot.com/
Kira Rae http://www.itsinthebagmadebykira.blogspot.com/
Kayla http://frecklesinapril.blogspot.com/
Sarah Jean http://haslemstuff.blogspot.com/
Emily http://afewthingsemilymade.blogspot.com/
Fullerton Regan http://stitchinmyside.blogspot.com/
Erin http://chocolatetatertotscheerios.blogspot.com/
Cami http://acandiedapple.blogspot.com/
Katharine http://sewdamnfine.blogspot.com/
Jessica
mbb. http://briebarton.blogspot.com/


First post on cutting out and preparing your muslin to come later today!

Personalizing a Gift

I am a big fan of the one of a kind, totally you, made it myself kind of a gift. First, because it shows that you really thought about the person. Second, because spending time working on a project for someone shows love. And third, it's usually cheaper as long as you are ignoring the "time is money" rule. So when a friend of mine had a baby boy and named him Griffin I knew instantly what I would be making him.My first tip for bib making is backing them with chenille. I always back my bibs in chenille because it's soft on their skin and so absorbing. My other tip for a great bib is to double top stitch the edges. This gives it a more professional look. I always use a double needle so that the distance stays perfect as well. It takes a minute to change out the needle and get everything set up, but I think it is well worth the effort.

I hope baby Griffin likes drooling on them!

The Nate Berkus Show

If you haven't seen it yet its time! The Nate Berkus Show is my dessert at the end of the day. It comes on at 3pm MST, just as the kids are getting home from school, so I record it to watch after the two older ones are in bed and I can plop down on the couch with the baby. I love it because the advice is practical and the budgets are reasonable but they achieve stellar results. Kelli and I discovered the other day, via Nate Berkus, that we are both "easily distracted clutterers" and our mother is without a doubt a "perfectionist clutterer." Want to know more? Check it out onThe Nate Show.

And, if you weren't one of the two lucky guests on last Wednesday's show who got a Mad Men makeover... never fear...the Presserfoot Mad Men sew along is here!

Materials and Winner!

First of all, the winner of the 300th post giveaway vintage clutch is...

koritsimou who said...

I would LOVE to see something in 3-d, like a toy! And congratulations!

Send us an email to dearpresserfoot (at) gmail (dot) com with your address and we will
send your clutch on it's way.


Now, if you are joining us for the Mad Men Sewalong starting on Monday here are the materials that you will need to start the muslin:

-about 2 yards of muslin or other cheap fabric (I sometimes use an old sheet)
-your pattern (New Look 6968)
-any color thread
-22 inch invisible zipper

New Series : I Could Make That

A new series that we are starting here on presserfoot is called I Could Make That. If you are like me, when I shop I am always looking at items, especially expensive ones, and trying to figure out how I could recreate it myself for much less. The pattern companies are getting better and better at creating stylish patterns and so I am going to help bring the two together. With I Could Make That we will show you the ready to wear version and then what pattern, and fabric you could use to recreate it yourself.

So, here it is, our first I Could Make That post:

Milly metallic lace shift dress ($400)

Burda Pattern Wedding Dress $5.40

Solid Gold Lace Fabric from Fashion Fabrics $5.75 / yd

What do you guys think? A steal when you compare it to the $400 version. Would you wear it? Would you make it? Just wondering. If you know of any other I Could Make That ideas please send them along.

Mad Men Dress Sew Along Starts Monday

We have definitely had enough interest. So, we will be starting the Mad Men dress sewalong on Monday. We have decided to use New Look 6968 as the pattern for the dress. It is a nice basic pattern with a lot of room for individuality. To get you excited here are a bunch of ready to wear dresses made with the same basic pattern.

Hopefully this will show you all of the possibilities. And once you are excited then go get your pattern and some muslin for a trial run (yep, that's right, we are going to make a muslin for this one to make sure that the fit is perfect).

If you would like to sign up for the Mad Men sew along please comment on this post along with a link to your blog if you have one.

Mad Men Sew Along Anyone?

It's that time again - Christmas party time. And what better excuse to make a stunning dress than a Christmas party?

I love Mad Men and all of the great style that comes along with it, which is why I was thinking that it would be fun to do a Mad Men inspired sew along. We could make a simple sheath dress - one of the easiest things to make as well as one of the most flattering.

Rian and I decided that we are only going to do a few sew along's a year now to make sure they are really well done, and to hopefully get lots of you joining in. That being said, we only want to do it if you are excited so please let us know if you are.

Sewing for The Choir

Kelli and I were raised as God fearing, church going girls. With few exceptions I have attended church every Sunday my entire life, until lately. Since October we have started a hermit experiment, aka see how long we can stay inside with little to no contact with the real world. I expect insanity to hit any time soon. In the last 6 weeks I have only left the house 4 or 5 times, so I'm sure warts are going to spring up on my face at any moment. But it will be absolutely worth it if we can beat the odds and keep Maaike out of the hospital this winter.

Today however I was able to make a prodigal return to church as my husband was home and able to stay with the baby. As I was struggling to stay away, bask in my "out of the houseness", and listen to the lesson on the Book of Jeremiah, I noticed an interesting note on the bottom of an announcement flyer. It read, "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is looking for a volunteer seamstress to help in the women's wardrobe department of the choir." Humm. Very interesting. I am not a singer, but I can say that I do appreciate music. I cannot say that I am a big follower of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but for sure they are legendary. So, I decided to find out a little more. I could do a little extra sewing if it was from my home.

As it turns out they need a little bit more than a hermit seamstress who can do a few alterations and hem lines from her toadstool. They are looking for someone who can draft patterns and be on hand two days a week for last minute alterations and then follow the choir for several weeks a year as they tour and perform. Oh well, not for now, but at least it helped be get through the rest of church with my eyes open and I sang the closing hymn with a little extra vigor.

300th Post Giveaway!

I cannot believe that this is our 300th post. What started out as a simple idea to stay connected as sisters has really evolved into must more than that. It has become a place for us both to make friends and explore our talents. Since starting the blog I know that we have both grown a lot and refined out skills. We have also made some great cyber friends along the way.

To help celebrate we would like to host a little giveaway. This is a vintage style clutch that I made awhile back intending to give it as a gift, but it never happened. Instead I hope to gift it to one of our wonderful followers.

In order to enter just leave a comment on this post and let us know one thing you would like to see us make on this blog in the future. The giveaway will end this Wednesday at midnight central time. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Thursday.

Good luck!

Sewing up the butt

While my kids and I are firmly planted back in the States for now, my husband is only half here. His last trip to China was for 16 days! Really, I'm not one for exclamation marks, but come on! Thankfully he is aware of the added stress in my life and arranged to fly my mom out to be with me. I would never trade my husband out, but in some ways having my mom here is so much more helpful than having him around. For starters, my mom didn't have to go to work all day so I had an extra set of hands at my disposal 24-7. And thanks to the stomach virus I used her for some of those later 24 hours.
My mom has always been very petite. I out grew her in the sixth grade (my dad in the seventh). But after birthing 8 kids she had a couple extra pounds to shed (I'm number three and Kelli is number four in the line up). With a little money and friendly competition on the line she recently got her game on and dropped a size 10 for a size 6! Hence the sad saggy jeans.
She brought two pairs of pants out from Alabama for me to take in. The above pair is the before of one and the below is the after of the other. Sorry, no brain cells left. And as you can see, if she drops any more more weight she's just going to have to buy new pants because those pockets can't get any closer.
I asked my mom if she want me to teach her how to take in her jeans through the back seam for the perfect fit, but she wasn't interested. She figured that since she funded my sewing lessons as a child it was about time for her to cash in on the investment. For a fully pictured tutorial on how to take in your jeans and get rid of the gap in the back click here for steps 1-4 and then click here for steps 5-11. Thanks Mom!