Sew Along for Project Run and Play: Pattern Remix Challenge

Inspirations for Dress

I decided to do a sew along for Project Run and Play.  The first challenge is to use the Cottage Home's pattern for the Party Dress (Here) and remix it into something else.   I decided to keep the theme of the "party" dress but change a few elements.  My inspirations were these cotton organic baby tights I found on clearance at a local shop.  They have a black background with purple cables and purple diamonds in a vertical pattern up the tights.  I also found this beautiful satin which is not a perfect match but close enough for me! 

 I will say this has been one of my most challenging dresses.  Not because of the actual sewing but the time to sew.  My family came down with the stomach flu on monday....Perfect timing! LOL.  So I have been sewing between my kids sicknesses and myself.  Anyhow, back to the dress details.  

Here is a picture of my original design drawing. I altered a few things along the way, which you will notice in the pictures later..

The Final Product

 

And here is the finished dress.  (Sorry no modeling yet....she's still sick.) 

Back view

For the front of the dress, I cut out the Center of the Bodice front and did what I call fabric oragami.  It's a process of folding and pressing the fabric into a shape.  I wanted triangles to go along with the diamonds in the tights. These triangles are stacked until they appear to be weaving in and out.  

Front Bodice of Dress.

For the skirt, I decided to use two skirts.  The underskirt is black and the purple material was on top of that. I decided to use ribbon and do a "pull up" technique on the sides of the dress to let the black satin show a little more. 

For the back of the dress, I used some antique buttons I had bought at an estate sale.  These just seemed to look elegant and go with the overall theme of the dress.

And so there you have it.  One sew along completed and I look forward to completing the next challenge.  So stay tuned...and be Sew Hungry for More..

AKH

Update:  Here are some photos we snapped this morning.  I didn't use the tights because here in lovely Florida tradition, the weather decided to be like 80 degrees out!!!

Back of the dress

Too Cute and Rotten!!

Should I buy new, used or sew to save money on kids clothing?

With this new year brings even newer taxes! YUK = need a "dislike" button on facebook..haha.   Anyhow, our family is a one income family for the most part and it makes it more challenging now that I know our healthcare as well as taxes will take out a significant part of our paycheck.  (I get to see "how much" this friday. fun, fun)   As I go through and re-adjust the budget, some of the categories like entertainment and clothing costs get hit the most.  So I thought I would do a posting about saving money on kids clothing and weighing in on the question: "Should I buy new or used clothing or is it best to sew what I need?

Buying New Clothing

Oldest daughter in Gymboree Horse top with Grandma's handmade cowgirl vest
 and Mamma's handmade twirly skirt.

For me as a seamstress, it is hard for me to brake down and buy new clothing especially when it is not on sale.  For one I don't have the money to buy an $80 dress for my five year old or even a $40 pair of shoes.   My kids (hopefully like everyones) also grow out of clothing so fast that it is hard to justify spending a lot on newer clothing.  So here are my "rules" on buying new:

- buy it only if it's on sale AND my child is in a growth spurt to where I couldn't possibly sew THAT much.

- buy things that I cannot sew - tights/hosery, shoes, underware, socks and sweaters for example.

- buy it if I really need it and cannot sew it in time - backpacks, winter coats, last minute special occasion outfit.

I usually shop stores and malls when they have their best sales - more than 50% off, coupon time or bonus shopping bucks to come back and get great deals again.  I browse sales ads before hand and find exactly what I need.   Most of the browsing I do is window shopping...I will look for needs but also look to see what I can duplicate by sewing it and saving money.  I rarely buy online or catalog.  I like to see and feel the quality of the garmet before purchasing.  There are some name brands I trust quality, but others it is hard to say if the garmet will look like the picture online.  I do window shop Zillily and Totsy sites but still haven't seen a clothing deal I HAD to buy at that price.

Buying Used Clothing

Two sayings come to mind "Buy used and pocket the difference" and "Recycle/Reduce/Reuse".   Buying used has it's ups and downs.   I sometimes buy used for a project to re-use it as something else.  This is mainly to save cost because let's face it, when Joann Fabrics has knits for $12.99 a yard and you don't have a coupon. Spending that amount is more than a child's t-shirt at full price!  So sometimes in order to find a color match, I go find a "newer" looking unstained t-shirt to cut down to my child's size.  Even $4 at Goodwill is better than the fabric at full price and sometimes sale price!  

I do re-use some of my clothes, my husbands and "hand-me-downs" also to make garmets.  It is easy to cut down t-shirts and even men's dress shirts to make a skirt, a dress or another shirt.  There are several tutorials online showing how to re-use garmets or "upcycle" hand-me downs for another use.  Here are a few of my favorites:

- Using a men's dress shirt into a girls dress here
- This tutuorial here a great way to use up a few t-shirts or cotton skirts by making each tier a different fabric.

I have bought other things at consignment sales and thrift stores such as sweaters, hoodies, and general clothing to help fill their closets with a wide variety.  Sometimes it's nice to find a sweater dress (for example) and then make leggings to go underneath or a pair of jeans with embroidery on the legs which I will match up with a t-shirt.   This method does help the budget but most of the time I try to sew what they need.  Which brings me to my next and last opinion.

Sewing To Save on Clothing

"When to sew and when not to sew?" is the question.   I will say there are some expensive fabrics out there.  Nice name brands like Moda, Amy Butler and Robert Kaufmann (just to name a few) also have a price tag.  In my neck of the woods the prices start at $9.99 a yard to $16.99 a yard for these types of materials.  Yes, there are places online, and I have bought some after going to my local quilt shop to look at the actual print.  But still after shipping it is hard not to spend a lot of money buying fabric.  

So what do I do to make the price cheaper? Here is a listing of tips.

I mix (oops..dirty word..haha) fabrics.  I will buy one or two pieces of the expensive and then match with cheaper materials like solids or fat quarters.   I know they are not all matched for you and so this presents a challenge.  Usually though, I am able to find what I need and the match ups are sometimes better than the original material collection.  

I find "used" fabrics at thrift stores, yard sales...you name it, I'm on it.  I sometimes find fabric that is perfect and sometimes I buy "lots" where only a few pieces are what I really want to use.   I have found Moda, Robert Kaufmann, and other name brands at these places.  I probably pay half or more off the original retail price.  This helps my budget and helps someone get rid of Grandma's fabric stash after she can no longer use it.  

I also play the sales game at fabric stores and walmart centers.  I gather coupons, do ad compares and try my best not to pay full price for anything.   

I will say that for my family, it saves me more right now to sew for my daughters.  I do from time to time, sew for myself, but lately that is not often because everytime I turn around, we are going through another growth spurt.  

So here is what I do each season to help with cost and fill the closets for the girls.   

- Take inventory of what they have and what fits.  Go through hand-me-downs and look over to ensure there are no stains, rips, or tears.   

- Repair (if possible) or alter some things to make them more useful.  My youngest isn't quite as tall as her sister, so I end up heming pants and dresses.

- Make a list of what is needed for the season.  Skirts, Dresses, Pants, Jackets, etc.  

- Divide and conquer.  Is there something you can sew easily such as leggings or skirts to boost their wardrobe?  Or does something take you a lot longer where you would feel more comfortable buying it to give time to sew the rest?  Answer these questions and make a plan.   

- Plan what you sew!  Give yourself time, ask family members to help with watching kids and schedule some sewing sessions.  Also look ahead at seasons and holidays...sew ahead!!

- Do some activities while kids are awake.  I usually cut out outfits during the day as the kids play.  This doesn't take long and I can watch kids while I cut.   

- Do somethings during nap time or early bed time.  For me this means a "quiet" activity so I don't wake little ones.  I usually iron, pin or gather during this time.   I will sew a few seams from time to time, but since my machine is near the crib, I cannot sew a lot when she sleeps.

Wrap Up

 In review, it helps to understand where your sewing helps and hurts your clothing budget.  I think most of us are trying to save and make do with our current resources.  I encourage everyone to sew as much and as often as you can.   Review your stash, make changes and plan your sewing schedule.  Find out what you know you need and see if your budget allows sewing, buying new or buying used.  

Anyhow, I hope this blog has helped someone become more organized about their sewing.  I hope to follow up with some great projects this year and a monthly theme.  So please visit frequently...and always come back Sew Hungry for More.

Sew...in conclusion, I have a question for you....

What do you do to help with your clothing budget??  What do you decide to sew and not to sew??

AKH

Quilted Dress Tutorial Part Two

Ok, Ladies and Gents, here is the second part of the tutorial for my quilted dress.   Sorry for the wait.  The baby got sick, had Christmas presents to finish (which I will share on another posting) and well life just got in the way.   But here it is....

In Part one you have the strips of the skirt sewn together.....except the last piece.   It's time now to assemble the bodice for the dress.   Now I like to make mine out of a knit so the child can easily slip it on and off.  No buttons, zippers or linings to use.   I do add ribbing to the t-shirt BUT in this case I could not find a knit color I liked at the fabric store.  So, I thrifted a top at the Goodwill that matched perfectly AND I decided I would re-use the ribbing on the shirt so I could skip that step.  (I will probably do I t-shirt from scratch with ribbing on another tutorial much later.)

Materials List: 

- knit (or thrifted t-shirt)
- rotary mat
- a marking pen or sharpie
- the current t-shirt that fits to trace for a pattern
- scissors.

Time to Trace and Cut

First lets lay out the t-shirt....

Next, fold the t-shirt you are going to cut out with sides seams together and place the t-shirt you want to trace on top.  Align the ribbing at the neck together if you want to re-use the ribbing.

Take your scissors and trace the bottom where you want a bodice piece to end...I usually fold up the t-shirt to a desired length.  Take your finger and trace the side seams..mark with marker and cut.  Take your fingers and flatten seam for shoulder, trace with marker and cut. 

Now repeat these steps for the back bodice piece.  Lay on back fold, trace and cut.  This will give you both your bodice pieces as shown below.

For the sleeves, I reuse the old sleeves and trim them down.  This is done by taking the thrifted t=shirt and cutting out the sleeves.  

From this point I find it easier to lay the thrifted t-shirt on top of the child's t-shirt and trace (with a seam allowance of 1/2" allowed) with a sharpie marker.  Then lay this sleeve on top the other one to cut both the same as shown in the picture below.

So now you have your bodice front, bodice back and sleeves ready to assemble.

Shown above are all the pieces.  If you noticed I also re-used the bottom of the old pink t-shirt for some more strips.  This is to be used for a ruffle or band at the bottom of the skirt.   I have also added a reverse applique to the bodice front. (not sure if I will do that tutorial later or not.)   

Time to Sew!!!

Now place the bodice front to back, right sides together and sew the shoulder sleeves together.  Then serge if you have a serger or finish the raw edges in your desired manner.  Take the sleeves and run a gathering stitch along the shoulder seam.   Again with right sides together attach the sleeves to the bodice piece...gathering as needed and pinning to keep in place.  A picture is below for reference.  (One sleeve is already sewn, the other is pinned.

Here is a picture of the bodice after sleeves have been set in on both shoulders.  Now flip this allowing bodice front (right side) to meet bodice back (right side)...align the side seams and under arm seams..pin, sew and serge.  This will allow you to finish your bodice.

Attaching the skirt!

Next, gather the skirt with two rows of gathering stitches leaving room for the last seam.   Sew the skirt together.  Place bodice right sides to right sides of skirt.  Pin side seams and then gather the skirt as needed to fit the bodice.  Pin as you go.  Check to ensure the gathers are even and look right.  Stitch.  (Pictured below is the gathering shown after stitching.)  Then serge or finish the raw edges so they will not fray.

Lastly, I took the three pink t-shirt rows shown in a picture above, cut them apart on one side and sewed them back to back.  I pleated them (you could also gather them) and then pinned it right sides together to the bottom of the skirt.  Also for finishing touches I decided to pleat and add a ruffle to the bottom of the sleeves in the same manner as the bottom of the skirt.   You could also just fold up the sleeves and hem or fold up and add elastic in a casing to give a different look.   Below is a picture of the finished dress.

So now you have it.  The quilted dress.  I will have my little one in it soon to add some modeling pictures.  This is a spring dress and right now it's 50 degrees in Florida!  I think I'll wait for a warmer day to do the modeling.   

Happy Sewing and get ready for some more tutorials...stay sew hungry for more!!!

AKH.