The Train To Crazy

Easy Valentine's Day Heart Headband Tutorial

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Are you ready for an adorable, simple heart headband tutorial? This cute headband will be perfect for your daughter, or YOU if you want! Thanks to Anshu from Blooms and Blossoms for sharing this tutorial!

Hello, Train to Crazy readers. There's just so much sewing crafting goodness here that I couldn't resist asking Andrea for an opportunity to guest post. To my amazement she said yes! So I brought you this So Sweet headband tutorial. I'm Anshu from Blooms And Bugs. I'm an engineer by the day and a crafter/seamstress during the wee hours of the morning. I write about my sewing adventures at Blooms And Bugs and also have an etsy shop with the same name. Drop by my blog for more sewing tutorials for little girls clothes and accessories.

I made this So Sweet Headband for my daughter for the Valentines Day. Here's what you need to make one for your sweetie:

Supplies:

• 1/4 inch wide red elastic - 12.5 inches
• Hot pink felt - 3 inch square ( cut a heart shape from this, the heart I cut was about 2 inches)
• White Felt - 4 inch square ( cut a heart shape bigger than the pink one from this, the heart I cut was about 2.5 inches )
• Small white button - 1
• Threads - Red and White

Sew both the ends of elastic together by overlapping them half an inch. Reinforce his seam by sewing multiple times. I used a very narrow and small zigzag for extra strength. Don't worry if it looks shabby at this point, it will be concealed later on.

Place the bigger white heart beneath the joint in the headband.

Place the smaller pink heart over the headband such that the joint gets sandwiched between the two hearts.

Place a small white button on top of all the layers such that it sits on the headband. Hand-sew the button in place by inserting the thread through all the layers and going from one hole to the other multiple times.

Sew running stitches with white thread along the boundary of smaller heart.

Sew running stitches with Red/Pink thread along the boundary of bigger heart.

And you're done! Now go put it on the cutest kid around.

Project Run & Play Week Three

I have survived Project Run & Play another week! Did you see all the boy outfits last week? So impressive! This week's challenge is to make something from another decade. What do you think when you hear that? Flapper dresses? 60's dresses? I turned to google images for a little inspiration. Every time I found a dress I loved I realized it wouldn't look good on a little girl (or be inappropriate) or it would probably be a popular choice. Then I realized the obvious choice for me was the right one. So I did a little google image research on dresses from the 1910's. That's right. I was totally inspired by Downton Abbey. Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about because it is only the best show on TV right now!

The Edwardian Era of dress fascinates me. That transition from corsets to modern dress that happened during WWI was amazing. Shorter skirts over long skirts, sheer fabrics, straight skirts, oh my! And, of course, there was a huge difference in dress from 1910 to 1919. 

These are a few of the dresses I drew inspiration from. Yes, those are the sisters of Downton Abbey. Oh Edith and Mary, you vicious girls. Though I must admit I have a lot more grace for Mary. And Cybil, dear Cybil is the best. Love her character! Who is your favorite?

Enough about my inspiration, let's get to the dresses!

Two dresses because I can hardly make one for one girl and not the other. And, of course, their little sister is wondering why she didn't get a fancy dress.

This pink fabric is a taffeta from JoAnn Fabrics. I love the gathers. She picked it out so it probably isn't a traditional Edwardian Era color but who can deny this girl her pink dress? The floor length skirt is layered with a knee length over skirt of the same fabric, as was traditional at that time. The waistband is black satin and the shoulder straps are a gray silk. The top is fully lined, of course. The back is closed with an invisible zipper. It turns out invisible zippers are difficult when you have so many layers and pleats, etc. I've never had so much trouble getting a zipper to work right!

The second dress is made from a gorgeous satin from JoAnn Fabrics. The satin looks like it has a lace overlay and is very feminine without being too girly. The bodice is fully lined and the skirt is floor length. The top is overlayed with a black chiffon. If you have ever worked with chiffon you know its difficulties. I hemmed the neckline and the sleeves with a gorgeious trim that I think adds the perfect touch to the top. The dress is finished with a velvet wasitband. The back is closed with a zipper again.

What do you think? Did I hit the mark on the Downton Abbey style? We will just ignore the fact that during this era children stopped being dressed like adults. I love the adult style way too much to deny a little girl just a beautiful dress!

Now go on over and VOTE for me in Project Run & Play. Voting is in the top left sidebar on their website. I'd love your vote if you like my dresses! I'm hoping to stay in at least one more week!

A doll for Blessing

After sewing the Eddie doll from Wee WonderfulsWee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love I knew I wanted to make a doll for my niece for Christmas. The Storybook Doll was the perfect fit. Except I changed it. Because I didn't want a white doll with yellow hair. I wanted this doll.

She's a cutie, right? I hope you enjoy her Blessing! 

Project Run & Play Week One!!

Project Run & Play is here!! Have you seen this week's challenge? Will you be playing along for the reader prize?? You should!

This week's challenge was to do a pattern remix of the Junebug Dress by Craftiness is Not Optional. 

Cute, right?

Now do you want to see how I remixed this pattern? Let me present:

MOD RECESS WEAR

Using a directional satin print I lengthened the sleeves and added a band at the elbows. Shortened the button placket and made the skirt a bubble style. Oh, and it is SHORT so we call it a tunic. It's cute. I like it. She likes it.

You'll need leggings or jeans for this one though! Which is why this is perfect for the playground! 

Here's the problem. I didn't LOVE the dress. I just wasn't excited about it. So I made another. But it is quite a diversion from the original pattern.

Yep, shortalls. I absolutely love it. These are made with linen. Beatiful gray linen. No sleeves, rolled cuff, exposed zipper. Yes, two exposed zippers. I love that recent trend and had to include it here. It just fits this style well. Plus when a girl's got to go she's got to go and fussing with 10 buttons isn't going to work!

Great alone with sandals or with leggings and boots. I imagine a long sleeve shirt would be fabulous too but it was 87 degrees Wednesday when we shot these photos. I wasn't that mean.

Though I do have to appologize for all the blurry photography. I'm not sure what was up with me that day. But apparently it wasn't just me. We were all a little off...

And I can't even describe how ridiculous they were here when I said, "PLEASE be serious for a second so we can get a good photo of you together!"

But there were some smiles.

See the zipper?

I cannot wait until those two top teeth finally fall out. They have both been crooked and dangling forever!

So go vote for ME the best remixed outfit at Project Run & Play! Voting opens Friday!

Circle Pocket Dress or Shirt Tutorial

I found a top on Pinterest a while back that caught my eye. A large circle pocket on the front of a shirt. So easy and fun. I made these tops for my girls months ago and they always get compliments. Here's the tutorial for you!

I love sewing simple, quick dresses. And I especially love to sew with knit fabrics. They are comfortable and cute and I find my girls prefer them to other dresses. If you've never sewn with knits, take a deep breath. It isn't as scary as it seems. And no, you don't need a serger. It is completely possible to sew knit with your regular sewing machine. If you have a zig zag stitch, or better yet, a "knit stitch" then you'll be able to sew this project just fine. Of course, you don't have to do this in knit but I like the way it looks.

For this dress, find an existing dress and create your own pattern, use my free Go To Dress pattern, a peasant shirt pattern, or any favorite pattern of yours. This is a simple, easy way to switch up a favorite pattern and create something new and unique.

You can crop it and make a cute shirt as well.
This tutorial is very simple. First find a round bowl just slightly larger than you would like the pocket.

• Trace a circle onto freezer paper.
• Iron the circle onto your fabric and cut 2 circles.
• Sew circles, right sides together, leaving a 2" opening. 
• Turn circle right side out. Iron flat.
• Pin your circle to the front panel of your dress BEFORE you sew your dress together.
• Sew the circle on the dress as the diagram below shows sewing as close to the edge as possible. Ensure your 2" opening is now sewn closed.

**When working with knits you may find it helpful to use a stabilizer. I used a tear away stabilizer when I sewed the two circles together. Before turning the circle right side out I carefully cut out the center of the stabilizer leaving 1/4" of stabilizer along the inner edge. This will help when stitching the circle pocket to the dress by preventing odd puckering and gathering.**
Now sew your dress together! There you have it! A simple way to reuse a pattern you love and make it unique.
Thanks for having me Shanna! I'm loving this series and can't wait to see the rest of the projects!

 

Oliver + S bucket hats with a chin strap

We are going on vacation. A real vacation. With sun. And sand. And most importantly, grandparents. See, a real vacation. For me. I'm giddy!

Due to the whole sun issue it was obvious we'd need a bucket hat from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. Of course. And once I made one hat, others were requested. This is what I've got so far.

The hats are easy to make. Budget yourself 2-3 hours, depending on how comfortable you are with sewing and how late at night it is (i.e. how much you'll need your seam ripper). 

The hats are fully reversible. Though I added a chin strap to this one making it not so reversible. But with a 13 month old a chin strap is essential. Just sew it in when sewing the inside hat portion to the rest of the hat (final step). 

The pattern says the rows of stitching on the brim are optional but don't skip that part. It isn't that difficult if you go very slow and it adds so much strength to the hat. No floppiness here. Plus the cute factor raises by at least 5 points.

I omitted the hand stitching on the last step of the pattern and just machine sewed in on. You'll know what I mean when you have the pattern. It worked well and saved me a bit of time. I just pinned carefully and had no issues (oh except that one but then it was good)! Like I said, add a little time if you are working late at night.

Total stars for this pattern?

Have you made one yet?

Messenger Bag Sew Along Part 4

This is the final installment of the messenger bag sew along tutorial. When you have completed the next few steps your bag will look like this.

Are you ready to sew your own now? I think this Robert Kaufman print would make a great messenger bag!

Click here for Part 4 of the sew along.

Have you completed a Keyka Lou messenger bag? Add it to the Flickr group. Don't forget that all the Keyka Lou patterns. are on sale right now! Only $5!

Ottobre velour vest, Burda 9678 pants, 3rd birthday shirt

My youngest daughter turned 3 a couple weeks ago. Her birthday outfit was adorable, if I do say so myself.

Pants: Burda 9678 pattern. Made a couple other pairs a few years ago. Corduroy fabric from JoAnns.

Vest: Ottobre "Selleri" pattern from issue 1/2010. Fabric: Soft velour outer, jersey knit lining, rib knit trim. I graded the pattern up a size and it works perfectly.

I adore this vest. It was easy to make. If you're intimidated by Ottobre patterns check out this post that shows you how to use Ottobre patterns.

Have you used an Ottobre pattern yet?

I link

My ladybug costume

I only made one full costume this year. Another ladybug. That seems to be a popular costume around here.

This is no traditional ladybug costume. It's a fancy ladybug. Of course.

New wings using this tutorial. I used felt this time and really liked the result.

The dress is from Simplicity 1991. It is a very easy pattern though there are a bunch of skirt pieces so it takes a bit of time to come together. The red fabric is costume satin. The black sequin fabric is also costume fabric.

The costume is so fabulous that she told her sister (who gathered items from around the house to make her fairy costume) that "people will think you're just a regular person going around town." Sigh. I guess next year I'll have to make everyone a costume so nobody looks just like a "regular person".

I did make another costume. Well, part of a costume but you'll have to wait to see that one. Those of you on facebook have a clue about what it is. Pictures of that one to come!

Did you make any costumes this year?

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Word Girl Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Hi all you awesome Train to Crazy readers!

My name is Dacia & I blog with my sister over at Creative Mommas.
I love to create and I share all things I create on our blog.  I receive so much creative inspiration from the blogosphere, so why not share the love!  On our blog we have tutorials, recipes, parties, sewing, crafting, home decor, photography & so much more.  We also have an Etsy shop where we share some of our sewing talents.  Come browse our blog and see if something inspires you.

Today I'd like to share my Word Girl costume tutorial.
It's pretty simple and you, too, can whip these out in an afternoon!

I bought long sleeve red shirts & pants at Walmart for like $3 or $4 a piece.

The first thing I did was find the word girl design on the Internet and I printed it out in the size I wanted.

Then I ironed on HeatnBond to the back of my yellow fabric.

Next, I traced my design on the back of the fabric, (on the Heatnbond paper) & cut it out.

After, I took the paper off the back of the design...

and ironed it on the shirt with the shiny side down.

For an extra hold, I stitched all along the outside and inside of my design. And there you have it, one Word Girl shirt!
But of course I couldn't stop there, Word Girl has a cape too. For the cape, I cut out a large rectangular piece of fabric. (I just held it up to my girls and made sure I liked the length.) I hemmed the sides and bottom of the cape to finish the edges. Then I folded down the top, making sure there was enough room for my elastic.
Next I stitched along the top and bottom of my fold. For the elastic, I measured it around my girls' necks, cut it and threaded it through the top of the cape. Once I got the elastic threaded far enough through, I made sure to zig zag stitch the elastic at one end. After threading it all the way through, I zig zag stitched the other end to keep the elastic secured. The last thing I added to the cape were snaps, two to be exact. And that's it, all done! Two word girl outfits in one afternoon & two very happy girls!

Here are a few other things from our blog:

My family is BIG into Halloween & we usually do themed costumes and all dress the part.

Last Halloween Harry Potter was the theme & I made robes so the kids could be Harry Potter characters.

And here is a Halloween wreath I made for my door last year.

But wait, there's more than just Halloween on our blog.

My sister and I stenciled this wall together.

And this is my awesome Craigslist find that I refinished.

Here's a teacher appreciation gift idea that I shared on our blog.

And here's a party I planned this year for my daughter.

Thanks so much to Andrea for allowing me to visit her awesome blog & share my tutorial!

Come visit me over at Creative Mommas.  I love connecting with creative people!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Mary Poppins Dress Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! You'll find a new tutorial for sewing, glueing or crafting a dress up costume every day. Please subscribe so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Support these guests by pinning their projects or stumbling the posts!

Welcome Jess! Thanks for teaching us how to sew this darling Mary Poppins Jolly Holiday dress!

Hey, all you crafty costumers! I'm Jess, from Craftiness is not Optional (insert picture, hehe)...

...and I love sewing costumes for my kiddos! This year my oldest daughter had a Mary Poppins birthday party, so of course she needed a Jolly Holiday dress to wear!

She looks pretty darn cute in it, I've gotta say.

Of course, the circle skirt is very spin-worthy!

I love the trims-on the sleeves, and cummerbund.

With bows on the skirt. :)

So, I used this tutorial for the basic dress construction. 

I used sheer fabric for the sleeves and lengthened them. (and added trim) 

Left off the waistband, but made a cummerbund. (instructions below)

I made a simple "bib" by sewing two rectangular pieces of my sheer material right sides together, on 3 sides. Turned right side out, and sewed closed the bottom, turning raw edges in. Then I gathered it down the middle, sewed it to the dress, and then tacked it down at each corner with a few stitches, and added the ribbon bow.

Now for a few pics and notes about how I made the cummerbund.

First I cut out two pieces shaped like this, that came to a point in the middle, and were wide enough to fit around her waist. I ended up cutting some off in the end, but that's easy to do later.

On one piece, I laid out 5 pieces of ric rac like so, and then sewed them down, sewing straight down the middle.

Then I took some pre-made piping, and pinned it along each edge, with the piping towards the middle.

I clipped the piping at the bottom there a little bit, to fit better around the little point.

Then, using a zipper foot, I sewed AS CLOSE as I could to the piping. Like, really close.

Then I pinned the other red piece right sides together, and sewed (with my zipper foot still) close to the piping again. It wasn't hard to tell where it was, I just manipulated the fabric a bit so it would stand out better. Leave the ends open.

No pics of the rest, but I turned it right side out, checked my piping to see if I needed to restitch anything, and then pressed it. Then I figured out where I needed to place my velcro to fit the Sadester. I cut it where I needed, serged the ends, turned them under and stitched over the ends, then sewed on my velcro. All done!

Hope you like it! Happy Trick or Treating!

Here are a couple more dress up projects I've done!

Thanks for having me, Andrea!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Princess Costume Set Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! You'll find a new tutorial for sewing, glueing or crafting a dress up costume every day. Please subscribe so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Support these guests by pinning their projects or stumbling the posts!

Do you have a little princess in your life? Bev is here to show us how to sew the adorable princess costume set she made her lucky neice. Thanks for the princess tutorial!

It's been a while since my kiddos were into dress up clothes - but when they were little it was pretty much a daily activity! I made a bunch of fun things for my daughter - and picked up some great things on Halloween clearance (you can get great things for 90% off after Halloween!!). I have two sweet nieces that I love to sew for - so I thought it would be fun to make an outfit similar to one I made my daughter when she was little. It's easy to put on and fun to wear! It's a little Princess set - with skirt, capelet, and headband - all with fun pink sequins to dress it up. (If you're going to be a princess - you need some bling right??) My nieces live in Arizona - so you'll have to just imagine how cute this will look on. ;) This is a super simple set - it comes together really quickly!! You can make it with any fabric - but I love using the inexpensive satin that is in the fabric store now for Halloween. To make the whole set, you'll need a little less than a yard of satin, a roll of sequined elastic, a roll of sequin trim, and coordinating ribbon. (All came from Joann's) To make the capelet, cut out 2 large half circles. This is easiest to draw out by tying a string to a pencil, then holding the string in the top center and drawing with the pencil in a half circle. The radius of mine is 4" for the top, 12" for the bottom, you can easily adjust this for your little ones. I'm making this for a 3 year old. Sew the pieces right sides together, leaving a small opening for turning. Clip the corners and curves before turning right side out. (I must apologize for the background on this tutorial - I thought this gray polkadot would be a cute contrast to all the white satin, but after scrolling through all these, I am slightly dizzy. Nice.) Turn the capelet right side out and press. Topstitch around all the sides and curves. Trim all but the top inside curve with the sequin trim. I used a heavy duty needle and had no problem sewing right down the center of the trim. Trim the inside half circle with your pretty ribbon, leaving the ends long enough for tying. For the skirt, I cut a long piece of satin 15" x 30". Place the two short sides right sides together and sew. Make a small hem along the bottom by turning under twice and sewing. Zigzag around the top of the skirt to cut down on the fraying. Cut a length of sequined elastic the same length as your little one's waist measurement. Sew the two ends together. Pin the elastic to the skirt, stretching it to the satin as you go. Sew on the elastic, lining it up with the top of the skirt. Stretch the elastic as you go, when you release it, it will gather up the skirt. Sew the ribbon from the capelet along the hem of the skirt for a little more trim. Super easy right?? I love that it's easy for them to pull on or take off themselves. You can easily whip up a matching headband too - just measure out with the sequined elastic how much you'd need for an elastic headband. Sew the ends together and add a sweet satin rosette! That's it!! A super cute, easy outfit that is perfect for a princess, a bride, or even a fancy nurse in a pinch. ;) I hope you like it! Andrea thank you Soooo much for having me! I am loving this series - so many cute ideas!!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Mini Mouse Dress Up Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! You'll find a new tutorial for sewing, glueing or crafting a dress up costume every day. Please subscribe so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Support these guests by pinning their projects or stumbling the posts!

Welcome Mandy! Thanks for the Mini Mouse Costume Tutorial! 

Hi everyone!! I'm Mandy, from over at Sugar Bee Crafts:

  

Here's the whole gang on our recent vacation:

I enjoy all things crafty and have lots of DIY and tutorials on my blog.  I even have a link party on Tuesdays so I can see your craftiness - then I show off a bunch of you on Wednesdays.  You might know me from a couple of my posts (click picture to check them out!):

Handmade Dress-Up Series - - what a fun idea!  Do you have kids that want to wear their dress-ups ALL.DAY.LONG.  Don't we all?!?  So with my quick tutorial today, I wanted to show you how to make a "dress-up" outfit that's comfy too - more like an everyday outfit.  So here we go - Minnie Mouse outfit, gone casual - -

You know how cheap - er, "frugal" - I am, so souvenir shirts aren't even an option.  But we need something Disney, right?  I made the girls SUPER cute Minnie Mouse outfits.  I didn't take many tutorial pictures, because it's pretty basic.   First I made the pants - I couldn't decide if it would be hot or cold, so I went mid-way with capris.  I just used whatever pattern I had bought on sale for $1 at Joann's and used the red dot fabric..  Then I slightly gathered the black dot fabric and attached ruffles to the ends of the pants.
Then I got to thinking how I hope the girls even know who Minnie Mouse is (we're cable deprived so if it's not on PBS...) so I googled Minnie Mouse Images - - guess which one they zeroed in on??

That's right, the risque Minnie adult outfit, 2nd one in on the top row.  Of course.  I had thought about doing a shirt with a big appliqued head on it, but they saw that picture and vetoed the applique.  They wanted a belt and shirt like that outfit.  I wasn't sewing a shirt (are you with me - pants are so easy to whip up, but a shirt - intimidating!) but I thought we could do a belt.
So I made a belt by attaching two ruffles of black dot onto the sides of a strip of red dot, then sewed the strip all the way around the shirt to make a casing.  To make it look more fitted, like a belt, I threaded elastic through the opening, just like you would when you make an elastic waistband in pants.

The elastic gave it a little gather and some body - I think it turned out cute.

Then they needed a bow, like Minnie.  I covered headbands in black dot then made a big bow (like here, but 2 loops instead of 4) out of red dot and glued it on top.  It held on great!

The whole Minnie Mouse Outfit is really cute!  I wish I could have gotten a picture with both girls wearing theirs but one is at school and it's blog crunch time so I couldn't wait.

So, maybe $6-8 on fabric and then 2 shirts at $3.50 each.  Great deal - way better than a Disney Gift Shop.  And cuter, if you ask me.  Outfits in action:

Oh, and more recently I made these cute Minnie Mouse hairclips that I show off on my blog, if you want to check those out...

And other dress-up ideas on my blog (click the titles to take you to the posts):

The Upside-Down Man:

Ghost Pillowcase Dress:

Dress like a cow:

Hope to see you in my corner of the blog world, www.SugarBeeCrafts.com!!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Modern Madeline Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Please subscribe so you don't miss the other five weeks of tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Are you ready for this adorable Madeline costume tutorial??!

Hi. I am Elizabeth from the blog Simple Simon & Company where I blog with my sister-in-law, who happens to have the same name. We both love to sew, all things vintage--especially patterns, and love to see what we can make for $5 every Friday. We are currently busy sewing like crazy moms for Project Run & Play which has been a fun (but super busy) challenge! Come and see us sometime!

For my handmade dress-up, I decided to share one of my favorite projects. Every year, my kids' school does a "Dress-As-Your-Favorite-Storybook-Character" Day, which I love. I am a former teacher, so anything that gets kids more interested in great books is a good thing in my mind. My kids love this day. It is just as fun around here as Halloween, and as much planning goes into these outfits as our Halloween costumes! We have been Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, and Harry Potter multiple times (we have a real fan in our house). Here is my little Madeline from that day.

To make this handmade dress-up, I used a simple A-line dress pattern from Simplicity (that you have to look past the 80's fabric on the cover). It really is a great pattern and super versatile for many looks.

I added a simple peter pan collar. HERE is a pattern for one that I made and love. I did gather the sleeves to make them Madeline-puffy, and added a red knot sash under the collar.

For her headband I used felt circles that were layered and layered like THIS great tutorial.   

The Madeline series was one of my favorites as a child, and I love that my little girl loves Madeline as much as I do. It's fun to share childhood memories for another generation.

Thanks Andrea for having me! I have LOVED seeing all of the great dress-ups. They have all been amazing! And my to-do lists gets longer and longer and longer.....:) ~Elizabeth

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Fairy Wand Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Welcome Chris! Thank you for the Fairy Wand Tutorial!

Hi there!

My name is Chris, and I am the lady behind Pickup Some Creativity. I write about my love for creating, and try to spend a little time each day making something.  I believe creating is a divinely instilled quality we're born with, we just have to find the medium that works best for us!  Today I'm sharing a tutorial for making a fairy wand...the perfect accessory for the little fairy princess in your life.

 
Inspired by a fun pretend play fairy princess kit my daughter received several years ago, I made a matching wand for my baby.  Here's the inspiration wand:

Ready to make your own?  Here's the how-to.

You'll need:

• Template, download it HERE.  
• Fabric scraps, two 5"x5" squares
• Sparkly fabric paint and spray paint of your color choice
• 1/2" ribbon, grosgrain or satin
• Matching thread
• 1/2" diameter dowel
• Cluster fluff type stuffing
• Fabric glue or hot glue gun
• Sewing tools; including scissors, seam ripper, pins or pattern weight, and sewing machine, and helpful to have...pinking shears, my new favorite tool.

Step one.  Paint.  My inspiration wand's star was shiny satin, but I needed to use materials on hand.  So, I painted gold colored fabric with sparkly fabric paint.  I think the result was almost better than the original.

I used a sponge to make sure the paint was very thin.

I spray painted the dowel my chosen color.  It took three coats to get the best coverage.  Let everything dry well.

Step two.  Cut out your star and streamers. 
Using the template provided and right sides of the fabric together, cut out your star.

You'll need six streamer ribbons, each about 14" long.  Make sure the ends are cut on a diagonal.

Step three.  Sew and stuff your star.  With right sides together, pin your star together, leaving an opening in the bottom for turning, your dowel, and the streamers.  (I almost forgot the streamers...and had to unturn, pick out, and add them!)

 

After you sew your star, you'll want to trim and grade your seams.  Easy peasy version, just pink the edges!

 

Boy, did I feel sheepish when I realized I'd forgotten the all-important streamers!  I had to pick out the seam, and then carefully pin the ribbons in place.  When you make yours, pin the streamers in the seam before you sew.  I'd pin the ribbons into the center of the star to keep them out of the rest of the seams. 

 

 

 

 The more you stuff, the better the star will look.

Step four.  Insert and glue the dowel into the star.  I used fabric glue for my star, but hot melt glue would work well too.

 

 

Project complete!  I'm so happy with how the wand turned out, and so is my daughter.

My blog includes several free tutorials,  free patterns, and I also have a small etsy shop.  I am tickled to be included in Andrea's Handmade Halloween series, and love her emphasis on wearable designs.

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Tinkerbell Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Please subscribe or follow on Twitter or Facebook so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Next up, a Tinkerbell Costume tutorial!

Hi!  I'm April and I blog over at Wildflowers & Whimsy!  I am a SAHM, homeschooling mommy to three awesome kiddos.  I talk too much and too loud, drink too much coffee, forget things almost always.  I'm crazy about Audrey Hepburn, shoes...the higher the better, and anything with ruffles!  My blog is about everything from sewing to fashion to homeschooling to...well, pretty much whatever strikes my fancy at any given moment!  I love all wonderful friends I have made since starting my blog and would love for you to stop by and say hi!

I was super excited when Andrea contacted me about this event!  Dress up is something that is a part of daily life in our home.  I love seeing what my kids put together!  There's just something about seeing their creativity come out!  And I love all the characters they come up with!

An obvious favorite with my daughter is Tinkerbell!  I made her a Tink costume for Halloween last year, and it still gets quite a bit of use...sometimes even as pjs!  lol

BTW:  I hope you'll excuse my pics!  They were taken when I had just gotten a new camera and had no clue how to use it! 

What you need:

Jersey Knit Fabric

Tulle

Elastic Thread

Fabric Marker

2 - 1/2" pieces of velcro (one hook, one loop)

First, cut out the bodice & short pieces:

Bodice

(cut 2 from tulle and 2 from jersey)

12m/18m ~ 2- 10" x 20"

2t/3t ~ 2- 11" x 21"

4t/5t ~ 2- 12" x 22"

 Straps

 

12m/18m ~ 2- 4" x 6 "

2t/3t ~ 2- 4.5" x 7"

4t/5t ~ 2- 4.5" x 8 "

Shorts

 

12m/18m ~ 2- 8.5" x 20"

2t/3t ~ 2- 9.5" x 21"

4t/5t ~ 2- 10.5" x 22"

Start with the shorts...Do a double turned hem by turning up the bottom edge 1/2"; press.  Turn it up another 1/2"; press; stitch.  With RS together, pin & stitch side seams together with 1/2" seam allowance; finish raw edges.  Fold the shorts in half with side seams together and mark the center.  Open them up and measure about 2-3" up from the bottom along the center mark and mark with your fabric marker.  Repeat to the left and right of center crease.  Then, connect the three marks to form an arch.   Cut the arch out and stitch with 1/2" seam allowace; trim, then finish raw edges with prefered method (serge, overcast, or zig zag).

Now, cut out the tulle skirt. You will need about 30-40 tulle strips 6" wide x

12m/18m ~ 22" long

2t/3t ~ 24" long

4t/5t ~ 26" long

Fold them in half long sides together, then, short sides together and cut the bottoms at a 45 degree angle to make it "pixie" cut.  The longer side should be the folded side.  (I do all my strips at once and if I come across any that look funny as I sew them together,  I just clean up the point)  

Now, make the skirt by putting two together, and again folding them in half with long sides together first.  Then, fold them in half again, short sides together.

Stitch across the fold (the one opposite the pointed end) 1/4" from the top.  Only stitch about half way across, then, overlay your next two strips onto the first and continue stitching until you come to the middle of those two strips (which should also be the end of the first strip) and add two more...

Also, the skirt looks best if you stitch the strips: 2 with the longer side further away from you (going under the presser foot first), then two with the longer side closer to you (going under the presser foot last).  Just continue to flip back and forth...2 one way, then 2 the other...

(You'll see the difference in the pics below...I'll point them out)

Continue this until your skirt is the same width as your shorts...

12m/18m ~ about 38"

2t/3t ~ about 40"

4t/5t ~about 42"

Then, overlap the first and last strips, so that it forms a tube.

This one I would stitch 2, flip, stitch 2, flip...

This one I stitched flipping them every time...see the difference in the way the points look in the two skirts???

Line up the raw edges of the skirt and shorts and baste together.

Now for the top!  Pin the tulle and jersey for the front RS together and stitch using a 1/2" seam allowance.  Repeat for the back.

Open it up and press the seam toward the jersey and stitch the seam down 1/8" from the original seam.

Trim excess fabric.

With RS facing and matching seams pin front and back together and stitch side seams. Press seams open, then pull the tulle down over the outside of the bodice so that the raw edges match up; baste together.

Now, matching side seams and with RS facing pin bodice to skirt/shorts and stitch using a 1/2" seam allowance.  Press the seam up toward the bodice and then top stitch the seam in place.

Then, trim off all the excess fabric inside.

Now, start shirring 1/2" from the top of the bodice, and continue every 1/2" until you reach the skirt.

Then, shirr one row, just above the hem of each of the pant legs.  Steam and add your straps...

Fold them in half, long sides together; pin.  Starting at one of the short sides stitch using 1/2" seam allowance, and leave one of the short sides open so that you can turn them.  Clip corners, turn, and sew velcro onto the ends.

Stitch the open ends to each side of the front bodice and you are done!

Hope you enjoy this tutorial!  And be sure to check out my tutorial for the matching tinkerbell shoes!

And here are a few of my other tutorials you might like!

Bustled Twirl Dress

Feather Skirt {Tutu} Tutorial

Petti Tutu Tutorial

Thanks so much for having me Andrea!  

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Potato Head Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Like what you see? Support the guests by pinning their project or stumbling it!

 

Welcome Alison! Thank you for the Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head Costume Tutorial!

Hello friends!

 

 My name is Alison.  My blogging home is Oopsey Daisy.

I am thrilled to be here!  You see, I've been riding on the Train to Crazy for quite a while... Because I am the queen of oopsey daisies!  :) I like to sew, modpodge, craft,

decorate, photograph, hammer, paint, teach, and create.  Most of all, I love to

create things for the people I love. 

Fall is my favorite time of year, and I've been itching for Halloween for months!  In our house, we only watch one movie:  Toy Story.  So naturally, this year we are all dressing up as Toy Story characters!

 

And guess what?  

We're actually re-using the costumes we wore in February!  When my Little Man turned two, I threw him a Toy Story birthday party.  He dressed like Buzz Lightyear, and we asked all of our guests to dress like Toy Story characters, too!  

Mr. Oopsey Daisy and I dressed up like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!

 

 I sewed our costumes in 1 afternoon, and they were a piece of cake.  Are you ready to learn how to make your own?

Let's get started!

I did a few measurements on my husband including:

*Distance from shoulder to shoulder

* Waist circumference

*Distance from neck to knee

 

I purchased 2 1/3 yards of tan felt--that's 84 inches!  

Once I folded it in half lengthwise, I had my Mr. Potato Head!  He just needed a little trimming!  So I followed the measurements above to cut out an A-line shape. 

At the top of the fold, I found the center, and I cut out a 6-inch semi-circle to create the hole for the head. 

 

Next, I cut out Mr. Potato Head's eyes, nose, mustache, mouth, and ears from felt.  (I studied pictures of Mr. Potato Head while I did this.)  I pinned these on to the front of Mr. Potato Head.

 

Next, I sewed the facial features right on to the front. (Be sure to unfold the felt at this point.)

 

Then I pinned the right sides together.  But before sewing the sides together, I folded up the bottom edge by 1/2 inch.

 

I pressed the fold to create the casing for the elastic.  Here is a quick run-down...  

Once I had the elastic sewed in, I sewed up the sides.

I left the top 13 inches unsewn for the arm holes.  Just underneath the arm holes, I sewed in ears on each side.

In the back, I cut a 4-inch slit and sewed on Velcro to close it up.  This gives a little breathing room for slipping it on and off.

 

I think this Mr. Potato Head is pretty handsome!  :)

 

And here is my Mrs. Potato Head version!

So our family is all set for Halloween, and I can't wait!

 Andrea, this has been so much fun.  Thank you for having me!  I hope you'll come stop by Oopsey Daisy and say hello!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Woodland Creature Masks Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

 Welcome Kin! Thank you for the Woodland Creature (bear, duck, rabbit, blue bird) Masks Tutorials!

Hi Train to Crazy Readers!  My name is Kim and I blog over at seven thirty three - - - a creative blog.  You'll find all sorts of crafty projects going on over there.  Currently I am working on my daughters 11th "Rock Star Glam" birthday party and will be sharing lots of party ideas and favors in the next coming weeks, so stop on by and sign up to follow so you don't miss out on the fun!.  

I would also love for you to check out some of my popular projects, such as my Sock Cupcakes Tutorial:

or my Weekly Menu Planner with Grocery List Free Printable:

Maybe you are planning a birthday party and need some great birthday ideas.  One of my recent parties was for my daughters 2nd birthday:

What 2 year old girl doesn't like Pinkalicious?!?  I have tons of free printables for this theme.

I also offer blog design for the Blogger platform, so if you are thinking of spiffying (that is a word you know... at least in my vocabulary!) up your blog, check out my portfolio!  I would love to work with you.

Today I am going to share with you how to make woodland creature masks!

Last year I hosted a  camping themed baby shower for my SIL and what camping trip isn't complete without an animal or two?  The little kids at the party filled these out perfectly!

This tutorial is showing you how to make a Bear Mask, but see the other pictures above for other creatures!  All were created with the same template with tweaks here and there.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

2 sheets of Felt (2 coordinating colors)

Elastic

Wonder Under or similar Fusible Web (optional)

First you will want to make a template on paper.  I just freehanded one, cut it out and measured it against my sons face to make sure it fit.  I also marked the eyes at the same time and cut those out.

Next you will want to iron your fusible web onto one of the pieces of felt (the interfacing will create a sturdier mask, but I only used it on two of my masks and didn't have a problem with the others)  Trace your mask template onto the paper of the fusible web, remove the paper backing and cut it out.  Now trace your mask again and cut out the second piece.

Iron the two pieces together. On the back of the mask (the part that will touch your childs face, trace the eyes - I did this BEFORE I ironed the pieces together and ended up having the marks transfer to my ironing board cover - OOPS!).

Cut out the inner ear pieces.  Sew them onto the mask with a zigzag stitch (you can do this BEFORE you iron the two pieces together if you don't want to see the stitch on the back of the mask).

Zigzap stitch the entire edge of your mask.  Cut out the eyes and zigzag stitch around them.  Measure the elastic against your childs head and sew it onto your mask (make sure it is nice and secure), and now you are done! 

FYI: I also attemped to add the elastic before sewing the edges, which is doable, but I didn't mind seeing the elastic on the back of the mask since it doesn't show when the child is wearing it.

I managed to break my bobbin holder half way through the masks so switched to handsewing... although it took longer it was still just as easy - so no machine required!

 For the duck and blue bird masks, I cut out a triangle for the beak and inserted it between the two pieces of the mask at the nose curve and just sewed around the edge of the mask as normal.

(Yes, that is me in the top right picture... Although I'm having second thoughts now that I see it up here!)

Happy Sewing!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Belle Princess Dress Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Dress up is such a fun, creative outlet for children (and adults!). Perhaps you're ready to try your hand at sewing a costume from a costume pattern or tutorial? You'll find a new tutorial for a dress up costume every day right here! Whether your an avid DIY'er or just looking for something fun to try please subscribe or follow on Twitter or Facebook so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Make sure to stop by their blogs to check out all the fabulous work they are publishing! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Thanks Adrianna & Susan! What a wonderful Belle Princess Dress Tutorial! It is just gorgeous!

Hello and Happy Handmade Dress Up month, Train to Crazy readers!  We're Adrianna and Susan and we blog over at Crafterhours. 

 

We have 4 girls between the two of us and most of our sewing is for them, but we throw in a project for ourselves, our houses, and even our spouses from time to time too.  Come over and say hi sometime!  Just so we don't sound like we have multiple personality disorder, Adrianna will be writing this post.  Let's continue in first person prose, shall we?

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for our version of those oh so popular princess dresses.  My girls pretty much live in them all day, whether they're prancing about the house, eating, sleeping, or jumping in the mud puddle that always forms after our daily 4 pm rain.  After the first few stains, rips, and complaints of itchy polyester and sweaty stretch velvet, I figured enough money had been thrown down the drain and decided to make my own.  In the interest of making them as comfy and wearable as possible, I used soft and breathable cotton knit.

This tutorial is for the Belle dress, with the assumption that if you can make this one, you can make any of 'em.

 

 

Let's get started already!

You will need:

- Your trusty peasant dress pattern and directions (we reference this free peasant top tutorial a ton on our blog, but really any peasant dress pattern will do, and we know there are about a million of them.  I think the Sweet Dress pattern from Leila and Ben is a popular one if you don't want to do the guess work.)

- 2 yards of yellow lightweight knit fabric (jersey is a good option)

- 1 yard of a sheer yellow or white fabric with lots of drape (nothing stiff like tulle)

- lots of 1/4 inch elastic.  lots.

Step 1: Cut out your peasant dress pieces.  The pieces below are still folded in half, and obviously you will need 2 sleeves.  As you can see, I cropped the sleeve so it would just be a slight cap sleeve.  The bodice pieces should be cut just past the natural waist.  For the front bodice piece (pictured on the left), be sure to cut a lower neckline and a pointed center.

Step 2:  For the skirt, you'll need to cut a lot of rectangles.  Use at least 8.  The more you use, the fuller your skirt will be.  The length of the rectangle will be the length from the natural waist to the ankle plus 6 inches.  I used a width of 7 inches and I thought it worked pretty well.

 

Step 3: Cut all of your rectangles so they are tapered on the sides by about 2 inches and round out the bigger end, which will become your hem.

Step 4:  Estimate on your skirt panels where you want the swags to sit.  Mine are about 11 inches down. Measure across the skirt panel at that point.  Cut rectangles from your sheer fabric with a width of your skirt panel width plus 1 inch.  The length of the rectangle should be about 12 inches.  Fold your rectangle down (so your 12 inch side is now 6 inches).  Cut the bottom edges so they make a crescent.  That was painful.  Just look at the picture:

Step 5: With right sides together, sew the crescent closed and flip it right side out.  Press.

Step 6:  Pin each crescent to each skirt panel at the same height, making sure to scrunch up the swag on the sides.  Since your swag is slightly wider than the panel, it should gape a little bit in the middle as well.

Step 7: Sew all the panels together, catching the edges of the swags as you go.

Step 8: Sew your bodice and sleeves together using normal peasant top construction directions.

Step 9: Gather the top of the skirt to match the bottom of the bodice and sew them together.

Step 10: Finish the sleeves and neckline with elastic per peasant top directions.

Step 11: Cut 1/4 inch elastic to the length of the skirt panels minus 6 inches.  Pin the elastic to the waist seam on top of one of the skirt panel seams.

Step 12: Pin the other end of the elastic to the hem, again right over the skirt panel seam.

Step 13: Stretching the elastic taut, sew down the elastic, directly over the seam.  Once you've done that for each of the skirt panel seams, it'll bunch up and start really looking Belle-ish.

Step 14: Using the same sheer fabric as you did for the swags, form a circular tube of fabric.  First take a rectangle that is 5 inches x the measurement around the upper shoulders plus a couple inches.  Sew the rectangle right sides together down the long side so you have a long tube. Flip the tube right side out.  Fold the edges of one end to the wrong side and press.  Put the edges of the other side into that side and topstitch down, forming a circular tube.

Step 15: Tack one side of that tube down at the neckline of your dress, centered on the shoulder.  Find the opposite side of your tube and do the same thing on the other side.

Step 16: At the front and back, scrunch the tube up and sew down directly at the center of the bodice.

Step 17 (optional): I made a little rose by rolling up a tube of knit fabric and hand sewing it to the center front bodice.

And you're done!  That was pretty easy, and this is pretty much the hardest one, due to the skirt. 

Just change up the colors and a few of the embellishments and you've got Sleeping Beauty:

Or Snow White:

And don't forget that princes like to be comfy too.  (Tomboys dressed as Prince Phillip, that is)

Thanks so much for having us today, Andrea!  We can't wait to see the handmade dress ups that everyone else has in store!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

A great big THANK YOU! to all my fabulous guests for Dress Your (School) Girl! Here they all are in case you missed them!

   

Guests:

Fiberosity, Brassy Apple, A Sewing Journal, At Second Street, Kojo Designs

Please stop by their blogs and subscribe if you don't already!

Other DY(S)G posts

  

And don't forget all those great Guest Posts for Dress Your (School) Boy!

I'm always looking for guest posts so if you've got something you think I'd be interested in please let me know! Please contact me!

Please welcome Megan from Brassy Apple! Megan is a very creative mama! You'll love her work so don't forget to stop on by and check out her blogs and store!

Get your "refashion" on with me today! Hi, I'm Megan from Brassy Apple and the I AM photo blog. I am also helping my 10 year old daugther develop her talents and passions with her new business - Brassy Blossom - Just a little "bud" creatively blossoming.

 

I love to Re-Fashion! It's simple, quick and you are re-using a piece you already have and/or already love! You can whip up this "TEE"zer skirt in no time! It's comfortable, original and eye catching! She will love it and so will her friends!  

Supplies:

1 t-shirt

scissors

measuring tape

sewing machine

elastic

nylon chiffon or tulle 

Step 1: Cut the t-shirt just under the sleeves. Determine the length you want the knit part of the skirt to be (from waist to just below bum) and add 1 inch for the casing. Measure and cut the t-shirt to that measurement. (My measurement was 10.5 inches) 

Step 2:  Cut your chiffon or tulle in long strips so you can gather it a bit. I like create this skirt with 2 layers of chiffon or tulle. (I cut mine to be 8" high by whatever length I had on hand). The great thing about chiffon and tulle is you can slightly overlap the materials or "snug" them up close together when 1 strip runs out to create a continuous look. 

Step 3: Gather the fabric but running a basting stitch along the top of the strip. Do NOT back stitch at either end. Pull the thread from the underside of the fabric to gather or ruffle it. You can gather it a bit or a lot depending on the look you want how much material you are working with.

Step 4: Place the fabric 1" up from the bottom of the skirt piece. Pin into place all the way around. Using a straight or zig zag stitch sew the ruffled fabric to the skirt piece sewing over the stitching line creating from ruffling it.

Step 5: Fold the top edge of the skirt piece over 1" and pin to create a casing for the elastic to go through. Sew the casing leaving about a 2 - 3" opening. Thread your elastic through, sew the ends of the elastic together and then sew the opening closed. 

The skirt is done! It is meant to be worn with leggings underneath it. Just a fun pop of color in a lightweight, flouncy, girlie skirt!

If you sew one up, share a photo in the Brassy Apple flickr group! I'd love to see it! Stop by and say hello sometime or see all the other tutorials on have on my site or pick up one of my ready made designs or pattern in my shop!

Thanks Megan! What a fun skirt! 

Don't forget to add your photos to the Dress Your (School) Boy & Girl Flickr group. Any clothes you've made for school aged boys and girls!

Other Dress Your School Girl Posts

 

Continuting the Teen Outfit series. Don't forget to check out Outfit #1 and Outfit #2

Outfit #3: The western shirt

Forever 21 shirt, Fabric, Pattern

Outfit #4
Forever 21, pattern, fabric

Outfit #5

Hollister, lace, pattern

With all these options, sewing for teens looks fun!

Please welcome Heather from Fiberosity! She is here to help you teach your girls to sew their own headband. How fun!

Hi! My name is Heather. I’ll warn you now, I love to laugh and have a sarcastic sense of humor, so if you read anything below that you find odd just laugh and nod. My sewing obsession began when I was about 4 and would happily grasp at scraps from my mother’s sewing. I’ve been collecting fabric (also called “sewing”) ever since. My first priority as a mother of three girls (Ellie, age 14, Izzy, age 12 and Alex, age 9) is to corrupt them with a love of making crafty messes. I’ve convinced my husband that they each need their own “power tool” (aka sewing machine… I talk in his language sometimes).

In the picture below, Alex is wearing another headband that she made at her sewing birthday party. It’s the same pattern as below, without the bow.  

I am a glutton for punishment.  Having taught to both small classes and large seminars since my youngest was born, I decided to quit my “day job” and teach sewing in the evenings so I could be home with my kids as they were growing up. I've hosted school holiday sewing parties at my house as well as taught 4-H sewing. This last summer I hosted small sewing camps in my home sewing studio. In short, I don’t mind having herds of children in my sewing space.

Children are so proud of their creations. Minor problems, imperfections, mistakes, questionable construction do not deter children. Children also listen and follow directions so much better than adults. They have no concept of what they cannot do. It's a wonderful experience to teach children how to sew. <insert sparkly hearts and unicorns>

But, I've learned a few things.

1. The projects need to be simple and quick. Children want the finished product. For first projects, chose one that is simple, with room for errors. Now is not the time to teach perfect sewing skills.  Sewing with me includes complimentary seam ripping, bobbin winding and machine threading. But only if you are under 5 ft. Everyone else *might* get a sad look from me as I hand them a seam ripper.

2. Safety is important. The biggest dangers in the sewing room are the iron and the rotary cutter. Lower the ironing table, if you can, and use a spray bottle with water instead of the steam setting on the iron. The steam setting scares children and then they jump and then the accidentally touch the iron, then they freak out and touch it more….not that I have seen this scenario. I avoid the rotary cutter until they are older, usually about 10, and then invest in a protective glove. There are also many different finger guards for machines. I do own the Pfaff system, which appealed to me the most. After having hundreds of children sewing with me, I have yet to have an issue with the needle. The iron, however, is a danger zone.

3. No matter if it is the ugliest fabric you have ever laid eyes on, they should chose their own fabric. This is my personal challenge. “Really? You want to use that?” (just keep smiling) Also, children love decorative stitches on the sewing machine and will use them whenever possible. Seriously. Whenever. Possible.

4. Younger children have a really hard time with seam allowances. I've found that around the age of 8 or 9, the dexterity is there to actually have a fairly accurate seam allowance. With younger children I will sit beside them and help them guide the fabric to avoid the 1” seam allowances.

5. They are short. Unless you have shorter tables, put the "gas pedal" on a stack of phone books or risers. If it's slipping, put a piece of no-slip sink liner under the pedal. I use the term of a "gas pedal" when teaching kids. I also tell them that they are in the driver's seat and they are in charge of how fast everything is going. If they get scared pull their feet and hands up and everything will stop. I also tell them that putting the presser foot down is like starting the car and you have to do that to step on the gas. This is mainly for my sanity because I have removed so many “bird nests” from the bobbin area. I still try and smile when I do it.   

Headbands are one of my favorite first projects. There are lots of options out there for patterns, but I prefer to base mine upon a pattern that an internet friend in the Seattle area, Snugbug, showed to me. I’ve made some changes to it over the years, but it’s a great basic pattern.   

Supply List:
1 fat quarter of fabric (more if doing another color in the bow as in the example below)
1/2" or 5/8" elastic 
Matching thread
Button for the center of the bow (optional)
Large safety pin
Sewing pins
Scissors (both sewing and paper)
Piece of paper
Marking pen (sharpie will even work)

 Cutting

1 - 4"x16" strip

1 - 2.5"x10" strip

2 - trapezoids (4" top, 9" bottom, 7" height)

1 - 6" elastic

I made a paper template for the trapezoid and let the child help me with the math. I mark all the pieces on the fabric with sharpie and let the child cut the pieces out with scissors.

All seam allowances are 1/4”. I like to use the edge of the presser foot as a guide for most kid projects. Fold each strip in half, matching long edges, right sides together (or, as I call it when sewing with children, “pretty side kissing pretty side”). Sew along the one long side of both strips.

Notice the hand placement here: away from the needle and in control, achieved after many hours of practice (and lots of grey hair for me). I’m so proud, and ready to reward her with a small treat. There is room for uneven seam allowances in this pattern, so if the 1/4” turns into 3/8”, it’s okay.

As a side note, I love to use the larger head pins with kids. They are easier to handle and if they happen to drop on the floor (okay, not if, when they drop) I can spot them easier. A word of wisdom…if you happen to have only 5 butterfly head pins, hide them before hosting a bunch of elementary school girls for a sewing afternoon. Just saying... it avoids drama.   

Using the safety pin method,  turn each tube right side out. I call this the “wiggly worm” technique.  If you have another favorite way to turn a tube, please feel free to free style during this step.

Press each tube flat with the seam in the center of the tube. Perfection is not required.

 

Put the two trapezoids pretty side kissing pretty side. Sew around the edge, leaving 3” unsewn at the bottom of the trapezoid for turning. Mark this with a pen so that a child knows when to start and stop. In this example we are using two different fabrics so that the headband is reversible.

Sewing along a whole side and then turning and doing the next side is easier than pivoting for most children.

Clip the corners, turn right side out and press. No need to close the opening or topstitch unless you really want to.

Using the safety pin, thread the elastic through the small tube, pinning at both ends to secure the elastic.

Place the elastic tube on top of the larger tube, matching edges and centering. The non-seam sides should be together.  Wrap the larger tube around the smaller tube and pin. Zig zag through all layers and the elastic. Zig zag again (and again if you wish). Clip threads before photographing. Repeat for the other end. Pull the headband tube out so that the zig zag is hidden in the seam allowance.

 

Lay the trapezoid down and accordion fold it; I used about 1” as the starting size. Matching the center of the folded trapezoid to the center of the headband without the elastic in it, pin. Sew through all layers, down the center. Sew a button on, if the child desires it (she didn’t).

 

Comb hair. Put in headband. Smile!

If your child has a smaller head, change the dimensions of the headband as follows:

Med:

4”x14” strip, 2.5”x9” strip, 5” elastic, 3.75”x8.5”x7”h trapezoid (18.5” headband unstretched)

Small:

4”x12” strip, 2.5”x8” strip, 4” elastic, 3.5”x8”x7”h trapezoid (15.5” headband unstretched)

Thanks Heather! What a great way to introduce sewing to girls!

Don't forget to check out the Flickr group and add your photos of things you've sewn for your school aged boys and girls!

Other Dress Your (School) Girl posts:

   

A series of knock off inspired outfits for teens (or yourself!)

Outfit #2

Source: Delia's Dress, Dress Pattern, Voile

What do you think?

Did you see Outfit #1?

Please welcome Melanie from A Sewing Journal! Melanie has a wonderful blog and is always sewing beautiful things for her girls. She's here to take the mystery out of Ottobre patterns!

Hi there, I'm Melanie and I blog over at A Sewing Journal. I have three girls (this year all attending school) ranging in age from 4 years to 10. I like making clothes for them for fun, as a creative outlet. I love that they all still want mom to make them clothes, so I will enjoy it while I can. (Though, I have to admit, it's getting a little challenging to make clothes for my oldest.) 

I love Ottobre Design sewing patterns. They are stylish and offer a large variety of styles and sizes in each issue. Each issue includes clothing patterns for babies to tweens so there is a lot of information packed in there. While you could say that Ottobre Design doesn't have a lot of instructions, I would argue that all of the important and necessary information is there for you. I think the patterns are great for advanced beginners and up, but also for what I'd call adventurous beginners. If you're not afraid to look something up in a book or online when you come across something that you are unfamiliar with, well, go for it! Also, there are patterns in each magazines that are more difficult and some that are easier. Start by choosing a pattern that uses techniques you are familiar with, or maybe that introduce you to one new thing instead of multiple new techniques. Follow along as I show you how to decipher (it's pretty easy, really) an Ottobre Design sewing pattern. 

This is the information page. So they don't have to repeat everything 40 times, most basic information is here. There are no cutting layouts, so this is where you read up on that and more. As with most European patterns, seam allowances are not included, but hem allowances are. Read this page before you get started.

1. Measure your child's height in centimeters.
2. I like this part that reminds me how to determine the right size. I struggle with this all the time as my kids' measurements never seem to correlate nicely with the sizes listed on patterns and in books.
3. When choosing your pattern, look for the little diagrams on the page, usually in the corner or along the side of the photos. These tell you the sizes for those clothing pieces.
4. The diagram also gives you the pattern number.

1. This is the pattern instructions. That's it, it's all there. Short, clear and concise. Along the top, from left to right, you see a drawing of the clothing; drawings of the pattern pieces (see #2, too), instructions for the pattern pieces including how many to cut; which pattern sheet to use and the color of your numbers and lines (more on this in a bit); and your materials (listed in centimeters). There is a conversion chart in the magazine, but I prefer just to measure everything in centimeters when using Ottobre patterns otherwise I keep forgetting whether a number I wrote down was in inches or centimeters. Below that are the instructions for cutting and constructing.
2. This is not the pattern I'm using, but I wanted to show you how a more complicated pattern has more information. For example, the parts shaded in grey are to be interfaced.
3. Here are the instructions for the pattern pieces. We need pattern sheet C and our markings are in red.

1. Look, there's C, right on top! Take note that the reverse side of the sheets have different letters.
2. This is pattern sheet C unfolded. Don't freak out! There's a system here, really. (I think this is when Ottobre loses a few people). Don't feel lost, this makes sense. Can you imagine how much paper they would have to use for each issue if they didn't overlap the pattern pieces? This really makes a lot of sense.
3. Remember how we need pattern sheet C and the color red? When we look along the bottom of the pattern sheet we see a series of multicolored numbers. We need numbers 1, 2, 3 (the numbers of our pattern) in red. There are 1 and 2.
4. We trace our finger straight up from the numbers on the bottom and find the corresponding numbers and lines on the sheet. 

1. I like to use low tack tape to secure my pattern and tracing paper. I usually use Swedish tracing paper or Kwik Trace paper to trace patterns. I just use a pencil and ruler for the straight lines. 
2. With a bit of concentration the lines are easy to follow. I do not add seam allowances at this point as I feel with all those lines it's just too distracting for me. I add them on the fabric.
3. Don't forget to check the key to see what the different lines mean. Ottobre does not use dashed lines and dots to indicate different sizes as you sometimes see on American patterns. All sizes use a solid line and the dashed lines indicate something else, like fold lines or grainlines.
4. Be sure to label your pattern pieces with the piece number, size and pattern name and number.

1. The nice thing about Swedish tracing paper (and Kwik Trace paper) is you don't need pins or pattern weights. They make a friction (so to speak) with the fabric and don't move around on you.
2. I add a half inch seam allowance (oops, I guess I don't do everything in centimeters!), just because I think it's easier than 3/8ths. You are free to make your seam allowance whatever works best for you. I usually use tailors chalk, but again, there are many different types of marking devices. Use what works best for you. (And remember, seam allowances are not included, but hem allowances are. It's always best to remind yourself of this).
3. I like to cut my pieces out of the fabric with a rotary cutter. I'm just not very good with scissors.

This is as far as I'm taking you here. Putting together the garment just requires following the instructions, which are very clear. Let me know if you have any questions about Ottobre Design sewing patterns, I'd be happy to help!

If you'd like to see a review of the specific pattern I used, head over to my blog: A Sewing Journal. Here's a picture of the final product.

Find Ottobre Design Magazines here.

Thanks so much Melanie! I think we're all ready to dive into Ottobre now!

Don't forget to check out the Flickr group for Dress Your School Girl & Boy! 

Other DY(S)G posts

 

Sewing for teen girls could be fun. Very fun. I've put together a series of outfits that may work for your girl. Here is the first.

Outfit #1

Source: Tank Pattern, Skirt Pattern, Chiffon (doesn't fray), Lace

I think I'd like this outfit myself please! What do you think?

Please welcome Kirstin from Kojo Designs! You are probably familiar with Kirstin's blog she shares with her sister but if not, go take a look! It is full of great ideas!   

Hey friends! I'm Kirstin, half of the sister team that blogs over at kojodesigns, and I'm so excited to be here today! I love (love love love) everything about Back to School. As a once-teacher, I love seeing racks of school supplies- what an exciting time of year! And even though my kiddos are still too little to be heading off to classrooms this fall, that doesn't mean that we can't get in on the Back to School fun, right?  

This fabric flower corsage was inspired by the gorgeousness at EmersonMade, but scaled down to little girl size. I love it that it can add a little visual interest to a dress or lovely up a cardigan without having to permanently alter the garment. Ready to make one for the little girl in your life? You'll need: -long thin strips of fabric (monochromatic, or in a few different colors/patterns) -a circle of felt (this will be the backing) -a button (or a cluster of little pearls) for the center -a pin  

Cut your strips of fabric into 5" or 6" segments.  

Fold each small strip in half and stitch to the felt.  

Continue until you have a circle of fabric strips.  

Move in toward the center of the circle and repeat.  

Sew a button in the center.  

Hot glue an extra piece of felt (to cover all of your stitching) and a pin to the back of your corsage...

...and pin on a your little Back to Schooler (though, mine isn't quite old enough for school just yet)! Thanks again for having us, Andrea... and happy back to school friends! Come say hi anytime at kojodesigns!

Thanks for the cute tutorial Kirstin! It will look great on a girl of any age!

Don't forget to check out the DY(S)G & B Flickr group! It already has some great outfits added. It has me excited to sew for older kids!

Check out the other Dress Your School Girl posts!

 

At some point kids don't want to look homemade. They'd rather look fashionable or cool or maybe just not stand out. Here are some patterns for your girl that just might please even a picky dresser.

from top right:

Burda 9542, Jalie 2908, Figgy's Tee for Two

Kwik Sew 3832, Burda 9545, New Look 6977 

Kwik Sew 3674, Molly Peasant, Burda 9516  

Do you have any patterns for girls you recommend? Leave them in the comments!

You're in for a real treat! Kalleen from At Second Street is here to kick off Dress Your (School) Girl Week! She's one talented mama and I know you are going to adore the tutorial she has for you today! Take some time to stop by her blog as well. It is packed with inspiration!

Hi I'm Kalleen from At Second Street and I am so excited to be part of the Dress Your School Girl Series.   

I can't think of much I enjoy more than sewing and creating new outfits for my three darling girls. They love to be dressed up and treasure almost everything I make for them.   

I've been a little obsessed with all things nautical lately, so I made this little number to help my oldest sail through her school year. 

I'll be showing you how I refashioned a men's shirt into this adorable neck tie top.   

I also have a tutorial for the gabardine flat front skirt. It can be recreated in any size with a variety of fabrics. 

Let's start with the shirt.   

You'll need:

-a men's shirt with no front pockets and wide enough to cut smaller shirt and strips for neck tie. 

- a shirt to use as a pattern, pick one without a separate sleeve. 

- biased tape

-matching thread

Step 1: cut out shirt  

I turned my shirt inside out centered it over the buttons. Because the final shirt won't stretch like the t-shirt I added a couple inches to the sides as I cut it out.

Step 2: cut neck line

After cutting, I separated my front piece from the back, folded it in half and cut a lower neck line. 

Step 3: sew shoulders   

Pin front and back right sides together at the shoulders. Sew and finish edges. 

Step 4: pin and sew biased tape around arm holes  

Because my fabric had some good stretch to it I was able to make my own biased tape with scraps of the shirt. If you use a traditional cotton shirt you will want to buy or make matching biased tape with another piece of fabric. 

Step 5: sew up the sides  

Pin, sew and finish the edges. 

Step 6: make neck tie  

Going back to my shirt, I cut 4 strips of fabric 1-3/4" wide. I cut them as long as the shirt would allow.  I sewed ends of the strips together to make two really long strips. Then I sewed the two long strips right sides together all the way around leaving a small gap, which I used to turn the tube right side out. Once turned, I ironed and topstitch the tie. 

Step 7: finish and fold under neck edges. 

I serged my neck edges and ironed them under. If you don't have a serger you may want to do a double fold. 

Step 8: pin a sew on tie.   

Lining up the center of the tie and the center of the back, I pinned the tie around the neck.  Leave an opening in the front about 2" from the edge, so you'll have room to tie a knot. Stitch around the neck, overlapping the top stitch on tie.  

Step 9: top stitch opening in front.   

Secure the folded neckline in the front by topstitching as close to the tie as possible. 

Step 10: Hem bottom and you are done.

Easy Flat Front Skirt  

You'll need:

- 1-2 yards fabric depending on size

- 1" elastic band

- matching thread

- four buttons

Step 1: cut skirt pieces  

The length and width of these pieces will depend on the size of your child. I will tell you how I did it based on the size of my child who has a 24" waist.

Here is what I cut for a 24" waist:

2 - 4"x 12" strips (12" is half of 24")

2 - 4" x 15" strips ( 12"+3" for room to stretch)

2- 13" x 24" (13" was how long I wanted the main skirt and 24" will give me a good gather)

1- 10" piece of elastic (12"-2")

Step 2: sew 4"X 12" and 4" x 15" strips together   

 Match up the same sized strips and sew right sides together across the top. After sewing a seam across the  4"X 15" strips, you'll sew the elastic band onto one of the stripes just below the seam.

It will look like this.  

Sew it to only one of the pieces do not sew through both or you won't be able to turn it right side out.

Step 3: Press seams open.   

These will be the front and back of your skirts waist band. The elastic piece will go in the back. Step 4: sew front and back panels together  

With panels still open pin front to back right sides together and sew up the sides. You will have a tube when you are done. Step 5: Topstitch waistband   

Fold the waistband in half right sides out and topstitch the top and then over the waistband securing it in place. Step 6: Sew skirt sides and gather.  
grab your larger skirt pieces and sew the ends right sides together. Gather the top to the size of your waist band. Step 7: attach the skirt to the waistband.   

pin and sew skirt to waistband matching up sides. Step 8: finishing details  

Topstitch gather to waistband and add buttons. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I left anything out. 

This is amazing Kalleen! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful tutorial!

Don't forget to stop by the Flickr group for Dress Your (School) Boy & Girl! Add your photos and check out the other inspiring mamas!

Other Dress Your (School) Girl Posts:

 

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

Hi everyone! I'm over at Celebrate The Madness today sharing my Circle Pocket Dress. Cute right?

It's a simple way to jazz up a favorite shirt or dress pattern. Or maybe the Go To Dress?

Make a few.

Go check out the Circle Pocket Dress tutorial!

Inspired by this shirt on etsy

I know I've mentioned before how much I love Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys' and Girls' Outfits. The Amazon reviews are quite amazing for a sewing book and I tend to agree with the glowing reviews. The patterns are have enough details and character to make them really stand out. I've posted a couple of the things I've made from the book. You might remember the Brooklyn Tank Top and Dortje Trousers. Each item I've made from this book has quickly become a favorite for it's owner. 

And this is the Insa Skirt

It's a double layered, elastic waist skirt with many suggested variations. I chose to do this one up "fancy" for my little fancy girl. The extra details take time but I think they really make the skirt special in a six year old's eyes.

The top layer has elastic to help create a fuller "pick up" look.

I think I'll make my elastic a bit longer next time so the gathering isn't quite as dramatic. Especially in light of how heavy that layer of fabric happens to be.

Pattern: Found in Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys' and Girls' Outfits

Fabric: Bottom layer and top band are gingham from JoAnn Fabric. The top skirt layer is a bottom weight from JoAnn.

You might remember the skirt from our lemon picking day. We juiced all those lemons by the way. Wow that took forever. A special thanks to my husband who did most of the work!

She proved that day that even though the skirt is fancy it is still great to play in!

The skirt is paired with the Brooklyn Tank.

Pattern troubles: I found the top layer of the skirt ended up being bigger than the bottom layer when I sewed them together. I'm not sure if that is because of me or a pattern issue. I made the skirt intentionally long for growth but it ended up being fairly narrow through the hips. Next time I'll make it a bit wider at the top.

Overall pattern rating?

 linking to Skip to my Lou

Well, I finally completed these Lily Bird shorts! Lily Bird gave me the pattern well over a month ago and I've been so excited to make them. Life is making me slow, friends!

How cute are these?? The Cuffed Shorts have a very girly fit. The fabric is fine corduroy from JoAnn Fabric. 

This pattern uses less than a yard of fabric and a 4" zipper. Budget yourself at least 4 hours to cut out and sew. They took me two weeks. Hopefully it won't take you so long!

I made a few changes to the pattern:

• I omitted the button tabs on the leg cuff because I got impatient
• Extended the waistband to make a button tab
• I didn't do all the top stitching suggested, for time sake
• I'm just realizing I also omitted the belt loops!

The pros:

I really love the styling of these pants. The zipper, the button tab on the legs (that I omitted!), the pockets. All very, very cute. I think they're be super cute with a contrasting band like these from Mama Gwen. Now THOSE are darling.

The Cons:

This pattern isn't for beginners, that's for sure. My poor seam ripper got a work out! I also had difficulty hiding the zipper pull. That's annoying but not the end of the world.

Things I'd do differently:

Make the leg band longer (making the finished band roomier). My girls don't have chubby legs but the band was tight and makes for a bit of a strange bunching.

 

The next Lily Bird pattern I'll be trying will be the Katrina dress. Such a cute summer dress.

And, because I couldn't help myself...

Yes, he turned six months yesterday. Poor fourth child doesn't have many photos of himself so I made a point of taking a good one. Scrumptious, if I do say so myself!

Have you found any cute summer shorts patterns?

Linking: Creative Itch, Sugar Bee Crafts, Making the World Cuter, Fireflies & Jelly Beans

(Make It Wear It is HERE)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My oldest daughter wears uniforms to school but today is one of those special days where they don't have to wear uniforms. As long as they wear green. So today she is wearing green. Girly style.

I used an existing shirt and sewed a ruffled skirt on the bottom. I know the trend is to have a high elastic waist but I made it low. You know, so she can still wear it next year.

 It's a hit. 

My 4 year old got a classic monster shirt. More her style.

Are you wearing green?

Linking here 

We're enjoying more of our "laundry miracle" pants.

Pattern: Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby

Fabric: main fabric is unknown from a discount fabric store. Anyone recognize this pattern? The upper octagonal print is from JoAnn Fabric.

Do you know how hard it is to photograph 4 kids when nobody can hold the baby and you want their clothes in the pic?

Yes, every item in the picture is me made, save the little red skirt in the middle.

On left:

Shirt & skirt designed by me. There is a lot of detail missing in the photo above. Shirt is a cotton interlock, skirt a cotton shirting. If you like this you can vote for it for Project Toddler Runway!

I'll get a better shirt detail soon...

Middle:

Shirt pattern from this Japanese pattern book. The fabric is linen. 

Right:

Shirt is, of course, the Somerset Hoodie. Check back tomorrow for a SUPER ONE DAY sale from Mama Stellato. Fabric is a cotton interlock. The fit is fabulous, highly recommend the pattern. Very quick and no serger required.

The skirt is corduroy with inset plaid pleats. Adorable. Pattern is mine. You can see it a little better here.

Baby:

I'm sure you recognize a 90 Minute shirt. It was the first time I've made one and, while I constructed it differently than the tutorial suggests, it was easy and took much less than 90 minutes. I like the contrast stitching so I did a little of my own on the bottom.

The pants are made from a cotton plaid shirting. My favorite part is the faux fly. He doesn't NEED it but it sure does add a little something to a pair of pants. There are pockets and cute cord knee patches as well. The pattern is mine.

So THERE! I completed Christmas outfits with weeks to spare! Now I'll let them take them off because long sleeves in nearly 90 degrees is uncomfortable.

I've been sewing during stolen moments...

Just a bit of what I'm working on. Aren't they cute? Details to come.

Warning: do not attempt this dress if you are a perfectionist OR are uncomfortable "winging it"

If you do dare, this is what you'll get

(shirt version)

(dress version)

(very unflattering adult version)

I have some tips on how to make your adult version much cuter (hopefully).

Measure your subject:

Cut rectangle of fabric by the width and length you measured.

Fold in half one way, then fold in half the other way so the very middle of the fabric is folded at a point.

Cut head hole by dividing head circumference by 4, then cut head hole as pictured. Smaller is better. You can always cut it larger if necessary.

Your fabric will now look like this:

Now here is the "winging it" part.

Start at edge and sew arm hole the turn a 90 degree angle and sew down to bottom. 

Can you believe it will now look like this?

Hints:

• make arm hole big enough
• the "armpit" of the shirt should be 1"-3" away from the body so the dress is a big without the belt. 
• slightly angle side seam back away from body. The more you angle the seam back toward side edge, the fuller the dress will be.
• The heavier the knit, the less "flowy" it will be. On an adult I'd recommend a lightweight knit!! Mine was too heavy. It also doesn't flatter my 5 week post baby body. 
• Try it on, fix if necessary! Too wide? take 3 minutes and make it less wide!

Finish neck, sleeve and bottom of shirt with rolled hem or however you want. Knit doesn't even "need" to be finished.

Finish the dress with a belt. I used a piece of knit a couple inches smaller than the waist. Sewed the ends together and finished edges with a rolled hem.

What do you think? Easy, but do you dare try? I'd love to see pictures if you make one!

A dress in 60 minutes?? Can it be?? Why, yes, it can. 

The ultimate in comfort and pretty cute to boot.

So simple. I want one myself.

A couple months ago Heidi & Finn sent me the Urban Unisex Hoodie pattern to review. Well, I finally had the chance to whip one up and I love it! 

This is size 6 mo. and was made from a pair of maternity sweats I never wanted to wear again in my life. It is fully lined with some green knit fabric. You might recognize it from this popular dress. The pattern is for knit fabric and has instructions for how to sew this with just a regular sewing machine. No need for a serger. I believe this took me about 2 hours to sew. Maybe a bit more or less. I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

I do have a confession: I haven't sewn on the buttons yet. I'm seriously considering sewing the buttons on the outside and doing velcro underneath instead of button holes. It is for a 6 month old, after all. Quicker is better.

Confession two: I didn't change a thing about the pattern. Not one thing. That's unusual for me, really. So, Now I'm trying to decide if I should go rouge and change up the buttons. What do you think?

UPDATE: Now that I've put this on my baby I believe the pattern runs a bit small so make a size up for your little guy or girl! The sleves are long enough (a bit too long?) but they are snug. Some people complain the body is too short as well (compared to the arms, definitely).

I intended (or hoped) to make another cap last night because some of my pictures are sorely lacking for the sew along. I didn't do it though. I've declared this vacation week around here. We'll be swimming and reading and doing a bit of math and spelling but that's about it! 

This is the lovely (non) recipient of the hat I didn't make:

She is my adorable, hilarious niece. You know how some kids are just exploding with personality, even at a very young age? That's her! Here she is modeling a cap that clearly doesn't fit. That's okay because it only stayed on for about 3 seconds. Just long enough for me to snap one picture. 

She is modeling the altered size 0-6 month hat. Stop by tomorrow to find out how to alter your pattern for that size.

You might notice the hat matches the booties I showed off earlier.

 

You'll also want to stop by to see how to make sure your hat looks like this on top:  

Ready to finish up your cap? Day 2 instructions are HERE. 

I'm linking these finishes to a few other blogs this week. Go check them out. There are also more pictures of finished hats in the Day 2 instructions!

The Little Cap Sew Along is finally here! This is such an easy project, it hardly needs a sew along, but it's fun to make things with others, isn't it? I'll also be showing you some pattern variations including size variations. So, are you ready to join in?

If you haven't bought your pattern yet, go to the Leila & Ben etsy shop and buy the pattern. Mention The Train To Crazy to get $2 refund until the end of September. It is a PDF pattern so it will be emailed to you and you can join us right away!

Now, head on over to Day 1 Instructions!

I've made 5 Little Caps to date. This is the one that started it all.

I made it just like the example on the pattern. I love the little argyle.

She calls it "Maggie's hat" and she's been sad to be separated from it for the last month.

Our boxes are being delivered to our new house next week so I figure sometime in the next month or two we'll find it. And once again she'll have her Maggie's hat.

Want to make a Little Cap? Join the Sew Along coming up! Find the details by clicking the picture below!

Linking here 

I recently bought a copy of Sewing Clothes Kids Love. When I opened the book I was overwhelmed by great color and design. I'm pretty sure the title is spot on as well.

These are my first projects.

The Dortje pants & the Brooklyn tank. 

Clearly the pants are long. I washed them and they shrunk up just enough that now they fit perfectly.

I followed the instructions pretty closely and the fit works well. I did eliminate the side seem allowances on the pants to accommodate my thin girl. The only thing I would do differently next time is make the tank longer. I added the ruffle on it because it was short. As a size 110-116 I assumed it would fit my 106 cm little girl. Guess not. The tank is great, just needs a bit of length. I'll definitely be making more. I really love the pants. They are a bit labor intensive when you add so many details but I think it is worth it in the end.

The book really encourages you to embellish and use ruffles, gathers, ribbons and appliques. These pants don't look much like any of the examples in the book, which is part of the beauty of the book. So many possibilities in each garment. 

I give the book two thumbs up. I especially love that the patterns go up to a size 11/12 and includes some unisex patterns. So, if you love sewing kid's clothes, grab yourself a copy of Sewing Clothes Kids Love.

Linked  

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

After my obsession with this pattern passed, I set my sights on a another "go to" knit dress for my girls. When Kathy suggested I make a dress with long sleeves, I knew she was right. So, without further ado, I present, the Go To Dress.

The perfect dress for cool evenings and long winters. With long sleeves, a shoulder ruffle and an empire waist, how could you go wrong? What little girl wouldn't like a closet full of these? Comfortable and cute!

Perfect for adventures...

 
The possibilities are endless. 

Pair with some cute leggings or tights if you want, or not.

Make them subdued. Or wild.

Or just use what you have lying around. Mix up the fabrics with polka dots and stripes, add an applique or fun pockets, use an old t-shirt or sweater. Be creative.

Mostly just have fun with this Go To Dress!  Whip up a few for all the little girls in your life.

This pattern comes in sizes 12 months - 5. Please note that I have only tested sizes 18 mo, 4 and 5. After you make a Go To Dress, please post it in the flickr group so we can all see!

Download the Go To Dress Pattern and the Go To Dress Instructions. Now subscribe to my blog, please! Make sure your printer is not scaling the pattern to ensure you are printing it the right size. 

*** This pattern is generously offered FREE by TheTrainToCrazy.com and if you'd like to share it with others please link back here so they can grab it from this post. Do not put these downloads to your own website or sell these. Please do not repost this entire post. You may use the top picture as a graphic if you'd like to link a photo. Thank you very much. ***

UPDATE: I've had a number of questions from readers about this pattern. I've tried to address them all on the Go To Dress Q & A page.

 

I was inspired by Realynn last week to make something with this little stained pink t-shirt that my girls had. I didn't follow her instructions because this fabric I used is too heavy for elastic thread. I sewed 1/4" elastic on instead. I love how it turned out.

I used the excess knit from the shirt to create some interest on top. You know, to cover the stains.

I love how the high waisted narrowness of it all looks. She complained slightly about not being able to run up the stairs but really, I'd rather she didn't run up them anyway.

I'm now thinking some gathered pockets might be cute. Oh well.

I've been sewing up a few other things as well. No real pictures yet except this. Blue seems to be the theme. 

Have you been using up your stash?

Don't forget to check out the upcoming Sew Along!

I'll be linking to some of these sites this week.

This is the last one I'll share, promise. (And don't forget to check out the sew along that is coming up!! I'm very excited about it!) I have a lot of other things I've made this week to share with you but it has been so humid that my camera fogs up outside so I just have this to show you.

Another one of my favorite dresses.

The fabric is interlock that I found on clearance a while back for $1.50/yard. Not bad. I added two pockets, like the pattern suggests. The only deviation from the pattern is that I added elastic at the top of the pockets to make them stand out a bit from the dress. 

The leggings are from the LBB pattern I used before. I added the ruffle to the bottom. Not so sure about that. If I ever do it again I'll make the ruffles smaller. Also, I'll notice that the "matching" leggings are white and the dress is off white. Nice.

And, just in case you need the visual...

You can read about dress 1 and 2 to get more details. Which is your favorite?  

Linking HERE

 

UPDATE: You can now find the Daphne Dress pattern here

Is this not one of the cutest dresses you've ever seen?

This is "The Daphne Dress" and we'll be making it together in August because it is time for another sew along!!

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/2010/07/daphne-dress-sew-along.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/daphnebutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This is the EASIEST sew along ever! The Daphne Dress comes precut with all you need (except your machine, thread and pins). 

This sew along is for you if:

• You own a sewing machine and really wish you could learn to sew for your little girl.
• You've been tempted to make a little girl's dress but are a bit scared of patterns.
• You'd love to sew but just don't have the time.
• You just plain love this dress (as I do).
• You would like someone to walk you through the steps and answer your questions along the way.
• You have a cute daughter/niece/granddaughter/neighbor that would look adorable in this dress.
• Want to make an all-season dress.
• You want to support mom run businesses.

Is that you??? If you order your Daphne Dress Kit by August 1st you'll get 10% off! Just mention The Train To Crazy at checkout and you'll get a 10% refund. What's more, if you order BEFORE July 21st you'll get free shipping plus the 10% off!! That's a great deal!

 

Kits Contains:

Precut designer fabric 

Simple instructions

Elastic

Safety pin

Everything you need to make a dress no one will believe is homemade.

Children's kits come in two sizes: 1-4 and 5-8 with instructions how to adjust for the different sizes within the kit.

Join me August 9-13th and you can get all your questions answered along the way!! Are you excited? I am!! Order your kit now! Grab the button for your blog if you'd like and get ready to make a dress together! Make sure you check out all of Oh So Sassy's dress kits. Maybe you'll find a dress even cuter than the Daphne Dress! She even has a skirt kit for you! The 10% discount applies to the entire site!!

So, are you going to join along??

****Join us for the Daphne Dress Sew Along August 9th-13th!*****

Have you found a basic pattern that you just love and want to make one in every color? That's how I feel about the pattern I used for the popular green striped dress. (By the way, thanks for all the great comments!)

The problem is, how boring would it be to make the same pattern over and over. Your wardrobe wouldn't be very fun. Here's my tip of the day: Go ahead and use that same great fitting pattern but just make some small variations. Embellish it or change a feature.

To change up this pattern I added this fun pocket and put on a heart. The girl adores hearts. I also omitted the elastic empire waist. 

Oh, and did I mention I am using up my stash? This pink piece of fabric wasn't quite large enough for the dress. No worries. I think this works just fine.

And with leggings to match, what more could a girl want?

These were super easy leggings. I used the LBB pattern. I finished the bottom with a rolled hem and added some elastic up the side on the bottom. Quick, easy, cute, comfy. 

And, in case you forgot what the green dress looked like...

Can you tell those are from the same pattern? What is your favorite way to embellish a pattern?

Linked HERE

After seeing so many inspiring swimsuits being made I decided to try my hand at making some myself. I didn't have a pattern, just used an old swimsuit as a basic size guide. 

I had two goals:

1. Make a swimsuit that fits

2. Make a swimsuit that is tug free. Are my girls the only ones that are constantly tugging on their swimsuits? We have this issue with underwear too so maybe underwear are next.

My first attempt was a failure. Well, it was too short so the baby got it. It fits her well. Did you know little girls don't really get much wider with age? The top part was a bit too big so I used a little elastic at the top. It turned out pretty good though I made the straps a bit too small. This one is fully lined. It gives the suit a bit of a sturdier, heftier feel.

The second attempt went well. I made little ruffles at the legs and added elastic to the straps to make ruffly straps. I'm not loving the way the front works though. It gaps a bit too much. It is fully lined, which I like.

The third attempt was from the same pattern but I cut the top of the front a bit differently and used the same swimsuit material to make a binding and straps. This one is not fully lined. This is my favorite swimsuit.

I succeeded at goal #1. I haven't seen any picking or tugging. I finally succeeded at goal #2 by my third attempt. Numbers 1 and 2 aren't bad but number 3 is pretty perfect. 

I love that they are all a bit different. Even though they are basically the same pattern they all have their own look.

The best part is that I bought this fabric at a local discount fabric store and I made all of these suits for $2 (for the fabric) + probably $1 for the little bit of elastic and thread I used. I'm not sure how much the lining fabric was but it probably adds another $3 because it was more expensive than the outer fabric, even though I used less. So, for about $2 each I have 3 pretty cute swimmers. Er, sand players.

 
Aahhh, look at that mess. 

UPDATE: I've answered your questions about how to make a swimsuit!

Unrelated: Do you have too much fabric? Are you ready to take the De-Stash Challenge?

Linking HERE

When it comes to little girls and skirts, there is an 85% chance that their skirt isn't going to stay where it should. When climbing up slides and swinging on the monkey bars or doing somersaults in the yard, it's a guarantee that whatever is underneath will be making an appearance.

So, for those of us with little girls who beg for skirts and long to flip upside down, the answer is simple. It's a skort. There are a couple ways to go about making a skort. I was in the middle of creating a tutorial when I discovered one here. It is very similar to how I made mine so there is no point in rehashing all the details.

First you'll need to make a skirt. If you are starting out, I'd recommend a simple elastic waist skirt tutorial, but this will work with any skirt. Then you'll need to make a pair of shorts to go under. You can use a pattern or use a pair of existing shorts as a pattern. This pants tutorial will show you how.

The only changes in the skirt and shorts are that you don't have to account for an elastic casing so you'll actually use about an inch less fabric on top for both.

Perfect for blowing bubbles or doing cartwheels. Whatever. 

You can use knit or a cotton woven fabric for the shorts. 

 

I've used both but I prefer cotton knit for ease of wear.

Though, the little bloomer look of the woven cotton with a bit of shirring at the bottom is pretty cute.

Linking here

Thank You!

A great big THANK YOU! to all my fabulous guests for Dress Your (School) Girl! Here they all are in case you missed them!

   

Guests:

Fiberosity, Brassy Apple, A Sewing Journal, At Second Street, Kojo Designs

Please stop by their blogs and subscribe if you don't already!

Other DY(S)G posts

  

And don't forget all those great Guest Posts for Dress Your (School) Boy!

I'm always looking for guest posts so if you've got something you think I'd be interested in please let me know! Please contact me!

DY(S)G: Guest Tutorial- Tee to Skirt Refashion

Please welcome Megan from Brassy Apple! Megan is a very creative mama! You'll love her work so don't forget to stop on by and check out her blogs and store!

Get your "refashion" on with me today! Hi, I'm Megan from Brassy Apple and the I AM photo blog. I am also helping my 10 year old daugther develop her talents and passions with her new business - Brassy Blossom - Just a little "bud" creatively blossoming.

 

I love to Re-Fashion! It's simple, quick and you are re-using a piece you already have and/or already love! You can whip up this "TEE"zer skirt in no time! It's comfortable, original and eye catching! She will love it and so will her friends!  

Supplies:

1 t-shirt

scissors

measuring tape

sewing machine

elastic

nylon chiffon or tulle 

Step 1: Cut the t-shirt just under the sleeves. Determine the length you want the knit part of the skirt to be (from waist to just below bum) and add 1 inch for the casing. Measure and cut the t-shirt to that measurement. (My measurement was 10.5 inches) 

Step 2:  Cut your chiffon or tulle in long strips so you can gather it a bit. I like create this skirt with 2 layers of chiffon or tulle. (I cut mine to be 8" high by whatever length I had on hand). The great thing about chiffon and tulle is you can slightly overlap the materials or "snug" them up close together when 1 strip runs out to create a continuous look. 

Step 3: Gather the fabric but running a basting stitch along the top of the strip. Do NOT back stitch at either end. Pull the thread from the underside of the fabric to gather or ruffle it. You can gather it a bit or a lot depending on the look you want how much material you are working with.

Step 4: Place the fabric 1" up from the bottom of the skirt piece. Pin into place all the way around. Using a straight or zig zag stitch sew the ruffled fabric to the skirt piece sewing over the stitching line creating from ruffling it.

Step 5: Fold the top edge of the skirt piece over 1" and pin to create a casing for the elastic to go through. Sew the casing leaving about a 2 - 3" opening. Thread your elastic through, sew the ends of the elastic together and then sew the opening closed. 

The skirt is done! It is meant to be worn with leggings underneath it. Just a fun pop of color in a lightweight, flouncy, girlie skirt!

If you sew one up, share a photo in the Brassy Apple flickr group! I'd love to see it! Stop by and say hello sometime or see all the other tutorials on have on my site or pick up one of my ready made designs or pattern in my shop!

Thanks Megan! What a fun skirt! 

Don't forget to add your photos to the Dress Your (School) Boy & Girl Flickr group. Any clothes you've made for school aged boys and girls!

Other Dress Your School Girl Posts

 

DY(S)G: Sewing for teen girls- Outfit #3, 4, 5

Continuting the Teen Outfit series. Don't forget to check out Outfit #1 and Outfit #2

Outfit #3: The western shirt

Forever 21 shirt, Fabric, Pattern

Outfit #4
Forever 21, pattern, fabric

Outfit #5

Hollister, lace, pattern

With all these options, sewing for teens looks fun!

DY(S)G: Guest Tutorial- Teach Your Girl to Sew a Headband

Please welcome Heather from Fiberosity! She is here to help you teach your girls to sew their own headband. How fun!

Hi! My name is Heather. I’ll warn you now, I love to laugh and have a sarcastic sense of humor, so if you read anything below that you find odd just laugh and nod. My sewing obsession began when I was about 4 and would happily grasp at scraps from my mother’s sewing. I’ve been collecting fabric (also called “sewing”) ever since. My first priority as a mother of three girls (Ellie, age 14, Izzy, age 12 and Alex, age 9) is to corrupt them with a love of making crafty messes. I’ve convinced my husband that they each need their own “power tool” (aka sewing machine… I talk in his language sometimes).

In the picture below, Alex is wearing another headband that she made at her sewing birthday party. It’s the same pattern as below, without the bow.  

I am a glutton for punishment.  Having taught to both small classes and large seminars since my youngest was born, I decided to quit my “day job” and teach sewing in the evenings so I could be home with my kids as they were growing up. I've hosted school holiday sewing parties at my house as well as taught 4-H sewing. This last summer I hosted small sewing camps in my home sewing studio. In short, I don’t mind having herds of children in my sewing space.

Children are so proud of their creations. Minor problems, imperfections, mistakes, questionable construction do not deter children. Children also listen and follow directions so much better than adults. They have no concept of what they cannot do. It's a wonderful experience to teach children how to sew. <insert sparkly hearts and unicorns>

But, I've learned a few things.

1. The projects need to be simple and quick. Children want the finished product. For first projects, chose one that is simple, with room for errors. Now is not the time to teach perfect sewing skills.  Sewing with me includes complimentary seam ripping, bobbin winding and machine threading. But only if you are under 5 ft. Everyone else *might* get a sad look from me as I hand them a seam ripper.

2. Safety is important. The biggest dangers in the sewing room are the iron and the rotary cutter. Lower the ironing table, if you can, and use a spray bottle with water instead of the steam setting on the iron. The steam setting scares children and then they jump and then the accidentally touch the iron, then they freak out and touch it more….not that I have seen this scenario. I avoid the rotary cutter until they are older, usually about 10, and then invest in a protective glove. There are also many different finger guards for machines. I do own the Pfaff system, which appealed to me the most. After having hundreds of children sewing with me, I have yet to have an issue with the needle. The iron, however, is a danger zone.

3. No matter if it is the ugliest fabric you have ever laid eyes on, they should chose their own fabric. This is my personal challenge. “Really? You want to use that?” (just keep smiling) Also, children love decorative stitches on the sewing machine and will use them whenever possible. Seriously. Whenever. Possible.

4. Younger children have a really hard time with seam allowances. I've found that around the age of 8 or 9, the dexterity is there to actually have a fairly accurate seam allowance. With younger children I will sit beside them and help them guide the fabric to avoid the 1” seam allowances.

5. They are short. Unless you have shorter tables, put the "gas pedal" on a stack of phone books or risers. If it's slipping, put a piece of no-slip sink liner under the pedal. I use the term of a "gas pedal" when teaching kids. I also tell them that they are in the driver's seat and they are in charge of how fast everything is going. If they get scared pull their feet and hands up and everything will stop. I also tell them that putting the presser foot down is like starting the car and you have to do that to step on the gas. This is mainly for my sanity because I have removed so many “bird nests” from the bobbin area. I still try and smile when I do it.   

Headbands are one of my favorite first projects. There are lots of options out there for patterns, but I prefer to base mine upon a pattern that an internet friend in the Seattle area, Snugbug, showed to me. I’ve made some changes to it over the years, but it’s a great basic pattern.   

Supply List:
1 fat quarter of fabric (more if doing another color in the bow as in the example below)
1/2" or 5/8" elastic 
Matching thread
Button for the center of the bow (optional)
Large safety pin
Sewing pins
Scissors (both sewing and paper)
Piece of paper
Marking pen (sharpie will even work)

 Cutting

1 - 4"x16" strip

1 - 2.5"x10" strip

2 - trapezoids (4" top, 9" bottom, 7" height)

1 - 6" elastic

I made a paper template for the trapezoid and let the child help me with the math. I mark all the pieces on the fabric with sharpie and let the child cut the pieces out with scissors.

All seam allowances are 1/4”. I like to use the edge of the presser foot as a guide for most kid projects. Fold each strip in half, matching long edges, right sides together (or, as I call it when sewing with children, “pretty side kissing pretty side”). Sew along the one long side of both strips.

Notice the hand placement here: away from the needle and in control, achieved after many hours of practice (and lots of grey hair for me). I’m so proud, and ready to reward her with a small treat. There is room for uneven seam allowances in this pattern, so if the 1/4” turns into 3/8”, it’s okay.

As a side note, I love to use the larger head pins with kids. They are easier to handle and if they happen to drop on the floor (okay, not if, when they drop) I can spot them easier. A word of wisdom…if you happen to have only 5 butterfly head pins, hide them before hosting a bunch of elementary school girls for a sewing afternoon. Just saying... it avoids drama.   

Using the safety pin method,  turn each tube right side out. I call this the “wiggly worm” technique.  If you have another favorite way to turn a tube, please feel free to free style during this step.

Press each tube flat with the seam in the center of the tube. Perfection is not required.

 

Put the two trapezoids pretty side kissing pretty side. Sew around the edge, leaving 3” unsewn at the bottom of the trapezoid for turning. Mark this with a pen so that a child knows when to start and stop. In this example we are using two different fabrics so that the headband is reversible.

Sewing along a whole side and then turning and doing the next side is easier than pivoting for most children.

Clip the corners, turn right side out and press. No need to close the opening or topstitch unless you really want to.

Using the safety pin, thread the elastic through the small tube, pinning at both ends to secure the elastic.

Place the elastic tube on top of the larger tube, matching edges and centering. The non-seam sides should be together.  Wrap the larger tube around the smaller tube and pin. Zig zag through all layers and the elastic. Zig zag again (and again if you wish). Clip threads before photographing. Repeat for the other end. Pull the headband tube out so that the zig zag is hidden in the seam allowance.

 

Lay the trapezoid down and accordion fold it; I used about 1” as the starting size. Matching the center of the folded trapezoid to the center of the headband without the elastic in it, pin. Sew through all layers, down the center. Sew a button on, if the child desires it (she didn’t).

 

Comb hair. Put in headband. Smile!

If your child has a smaller head, change the dimensions of the headband as follows:

Med:

4”x14” strip, 2.5”x9” strip, 5” elastic, 3.75”x8.5”x7”h trapezoid (18.5” headband unstretched)

Small:

4”x12” strip, 2.5”x8” strip, 4” elastic, 3.5”x8”x7”h trapezoid (15.5” headband unstretched)

Thanks Heather! What a great way to introduce sewing to girls!

Don't forget to check out the Flickr group and add your photos of things you've sewn for your school aged boys and girls!

Other Dress Your (School) Girl posts:

   

DY(S)G: Sewing for teen girls- Outfit #2

A series of knock off inspired outfits for teens (or yourself!)

Outfit #2

Source: Delia's Dress, Dress Pattern, Voile

What do you think?

Did you see Outfit #1?

DY(S)G: Guest Tutorial- How to Sew Ottobre Patterns

Please welcome Melanie from A Sewing Journal! Melanie has a wonderful blog and is always sewing beautiful things for her girls. She's here to take the mystery out of Ottobre patterns!

Hi there, I'm Melanie and I blog over at A Sewing Journal. I have three girls (this year all attending school) ranging in age from 4 years to 10. I like making clothes for them for fun, as a creative outlet. I love that they all still want mom to make them clothes, so I will enjoy it while I can. (Though, I have to admit, it's getting a little challenging to make clothes for my oldest.) 

I love Ottobre Design sewing patterns. They are stylish and offer a large variety of styles and sizes in each issue. Each issue includes clothing patterns for babies to tweens so there is a lot of information packed in there. While you could say that Ottobre Design doesn't have a lot of instructions, I would argue that all of the important and necessary information is there for you. I think the patterns are great for advanced beginners and up, but also for what I'd call adventurous beginners. If you're not afraid to look something up in a book or online when you come across something that you are unfamiliar with, well, go for it! Also, there are patterns in each magazines that are more difficult and some that are easier. Start by choosing a pattern that uses techniques you are familiar with, or maybe that introduce you to one new thing instead of multiple new techniques. Follow along as I show you how to decipher (it's pretty easy, really) an Ottobre Design sewing pattern. 

This is the information page. So they don't have to repeat everything 40 times, most basic information is here. There are no cutting layouts, so this is where you read up on that and more. As with most European patterns, seam allowances are not included, but hem allowances are. Read this page before you get started.

1. Measure your child's height in centimeters.
2. I like this part that reminds me how to determine the right size. I struggle with this all the time as my kids' measurements never seem to correlate nicely with the sizes listed on patterns and in books.
3. When choosing your pattern, look for the little diagrams on the page, usually in the corner or along the side of the photos. These tell you the sizes for those clothing pieces.
4. The diagram also gives you the pattern number.

1. This is the pattern instructions. That's it, it's all there. Short, clear and concise. Along the top, from left to right, you see a drawing of the clothing; drawings of the pattern pieces (see #2, too), instructions for the pattern pieces including how many to cut; which pattern sheet to use and the color of your numbers and lines (more on this in a bit); and your materials (listed in centimeters). There is a conversion chart in the magazine, but I prefer just to measure everything in centimeters when using Ottobre patterns otherwise I keep forgetting whether a number I wrote down was in inches or centimeters. Below that are the instructions for cutting and constructing.
2. This is not the pattern I'm using, but I wanted to show you how a more complicated pattern has more information. For example, the parts shaded in grey are to be interfaced.
3. Here are the instructions for the pattern pieces. We need pattern sheet C and our markings are in red.

1. Look, there's C, right on top! Take note that the reverse side of the sheets have different letters.
2. This is pattern sheet C unfolded. Don't freak out! There's a system here, really. (I think this is when Ottobre loses a few people). Don't feel lost, this makes sense. Can you imagine how much paper they would have to use for each issue if they didn't overlap the pattern pieces? This really makes a lot of sense.
3. Remember how we need pattern sheet C and the color red? When we look along the bottom of the pattern sheet we see a series of multicolored numbers. We need numbers 1, 2, 3 (the numbers of our pattern) in red. There are 1 and 2.
4. We trace our finger straight up from the numbers on the bottom and find the corresponding numbers and lines on the sheet. 

1. I like to use low tack tape to secure my pattern and tracing paper. I usually use Swedish tracing paper or Kwik Trace paper to trace patterns. I just use a pencil and ruler for the straight lines. 
2. With a bit of concentration the lines are easy to follow. I do not add seam allowances at this point as I feel with all those lines it's just too distracting for me. I add them on the fabric.
3. Don't forget to check the key to see what the different lines mean. Ottobre does not use dashed lines and dots to indicate different sizes as you sometimes see on American patterns. All sizes use a solid line and the dashed lines indicate something else, like fold lines or grainlines.
4. Be sure to label your pattern pieces with the piece number, size and pattern name and number.

1. The nice thing about Swedish tracing paper (and Kwik Trace paper) is you don't need pins or pattern weights. They make a friction (so to speak) with the fabric and don't move around on you.
2. I add a half inch seam allowance (oops, I guess I don't do everything in centimeters!), just because I think it's easier than 3/8ths. You are free to make your seam allowance whatever works best for you. I usually use tailors chalk, but again, there are many different types of marking devices. Use what works best for you. (And remember, seam allowances are not included, but hem allowances are. It's always best to remind yourself of this).
3. I like to cut my pieces out of the fabric with a rotary cutter. I'm just not very good with scissors.

This is as far as I'm taking you here. Putting together the garment just requires following the instructions, which are very clear. Let me know if you have any questions about Ottobre Design sewing patterns, I'd be happy to help!

If you'd like to see a review of the specific pattern I used, head over to my blog: A Sewing Journal. Here's a picture of the final product.

Find Ottobre Design Magazines here.

Thanks so much Melanie! I think we're all ready to dive into Ottobre now!

Don't forget to check out the Flickr group for Dress Your School Girl & Boy! 

Other DY(S)G posts

 

DY(S)G: Sewing for teen girls- Outfit #1

Sewing for teen girls could be fun. Very fun. I've put together a series of outfits that may work for your girl. Here is the first.

Outfit #1

Source: Tank Pattern, Skirt Pattern, Chiffon (doesn't fray), Lace

I think I'd like this outfit myself please! What do you think?

DY(S)G: Guest Tutorial- Girls' Fabric Corsage

Please welcome Kirstin from Kojo Designs! You are probably familiar with Kirstin's blog she shares with her sister but if not, go take a look! It is full of great ideas!   

Hey friends! I'm Kirstin, half of the sister team that blogs over at kojodesigns, and I'm so excited to be here today! I love (love love love) everything about Back to School. As a once-teacher, I love seeing racks of school supplies- what an exciting time of year! And even though my kiddos are still too little to be heading off to classrooms this fall, that doesn't mean that we can't get in on the Back to School fun, right?  

This fabric flower corsage was inspired by the gorgeousness at EmersonMade, but scaled down to little girl size. I love it that it can add a little visual interest to a dress or lovely up a cardigan without having to permanently alter the garment. Ready to make one for the little girl in your life? You'll need: -long thin strips of fabric (monochromatic, or in a few different colors/patterns) -a circle of felt (this will be the backing) -a button (or a cluster of little pearls) for the center -a pin  

Cut your strips of fabric into 5" or 6" segments.  

Fold each small strip in half and stitch to the felt.  

Continue until you have a circle of fabric strips.  

Move in toward the center of the circle and repeat.  

Sew a button in the center.  

Hot glue an extra piece of felt (to cover all of your stitching) and a pin to the back of your corsage...

...and pin on a your little Back to Schooler (though, mine isn't quite old enough for school just yet)! Thanks again for having us, Andrea... and happy back to school friends! Come say hi anytime at kojodesigns!

Thanks for the cute tutorial Kirstin! It will look great on a girl of any age!

Don't forget to check out the DY(S)G & B Flickr group! It already has some great outfits added. It has me excited to sew for older kids!

Check out the other Dress Your School Girl posts!

 

DY(S)G: Sewing Patterns for Girls and Tweens

At some point kids don't want to look homemade. They'd rather look fashionable or cool or maybe just not stand out. Here are some patterns for your girl that just might please even a picky dresser.

from top right:

Burda 9542, Jalie 2908, Figgy's Tee for Two

Kwik Sew 3832, Burda 9545, New Look 6977 

Kwik Sew 3674, Molly Peasant, Burda 9516  

Do you have any patterns for girls you recommend? Leave them in the comments!

DY(S)G: Guest Tutorial- Nautical Dress

You're in for a real treat! Kalleen from At Second Street is here to kick off Dress Your (School) Girl Week! She's one talented mama and I know you are going to adore the tutorial she has for you today! Take some time to stop by her blog as well. It is packed with inspiration!

Hi I'm Kalleen from At Second Street and I am so excited to be part of the Dress Your School Girl Series.   

I can't think of much I enjoy more than sewing and creating new outfits for my three darling girls. They love to be dressed up and treasure almost everything I make for them.   

I've been a little obsessed with all things nautical lately, so I made this little number to help my oldest sail through her school year. 

I'll be showing you how I refashioned a men's shirt into this adorable neck tie top.   

I also have a tutorial for the gabardine flat front skirt. It can be recreated in any size with a variety of fabrics. 

Let's start with the shirt.   

You'll need:

-a men's shirt with no front pockets and wide enough to cut smaller shirt and strips for neck tie. 

- a shirt to use as a pattern, pick one without a separate sleeve. 

- biased tape

-matching thread

Step 1: cut out shirt  

I turned my shirt inside out centered it over the buttons. Because the final shirt won't stretch like the t-shirt I added a couple inches to the sides as I cut it out.

Step 2: cut neck line

After cutting, I separated my front piece from the back, folded it in half and cut a lower neck line. 

Step 3: sew shoulders   

Pin front and back right sides together at the shoulders. Sew and finish edges. 

Step 4: pin and sew biased tape around arm holes  

Because my fabric had some good stretch to it I was able to make my own biased tape with scraps of the shirt. If you use a traditional cotton shirt you will want to buy or make matching biased tape with another piece of fabric. 

Step 5: sew up the sides  

Pin, sew and finish the edges. 

Step 6: make neck tie  

Going back to my shirt, I cut 4 strips of fabric 1-3/4" wide. I cut them as long as the shirt would allow.  I sewed ends of the strips together to make two really long strips. Then I sewed the two long strips right sides together all the way around leaving a small gap, which I used to turn the tube right side out. Once turned, I ironed and topstitch the tie. 

Step 7: finish and fold under neck edges. 

I serged my neck edges and ironed them under. If you don't have a serger you may want to do a double fold. 

Step 8: pin a sew on tie.   

Lining up the center of the tie and the center of the back, I pinned the tie around the neck.  Leave an opening in the front about 2" from the edge, so you'll have room to tie a knot. Stitch around the neck, overlapping the top stitch on tie.  

Step 9: top stitch opening in front.   

Secure the folded neckline in the front by topstitching as close to the tie as possible. 

Step 10: Hem bottom and you are done.

Easy Flat Front Skirt  

You'll need:

- 1-2 yards fabric depending on size

- 1" elastic band

- matching thread

- four buttons

Step 1: cut skirt pieces  

The length and width of these pieces will depend on the size of your child. I will tell you how I did it based on the size of my child who has a 24" waist.

Here is what I cut for a 24" waist:

2 - 4"x 12" strips (12" is half of 24")

2 - 4" x 15" strips ( 12"+3" for room to stretch)

2- 13" x 24" (13" was how long I wanted the main skirt and 24" will give me a good gather)

1- 10" piece of elastic (12"-2")

Step 2: sew 4"X 12" and 4" x 15" strips together   

 Match up the same sized strips and sew right sides together across the top. After sewing a seam across the  4"X 15" strips, you'll sew the elastic band onto one of the stripes just below the seam.

It will look like this.  

Sew it to only one of the pieces do not sew through both or you won't be able to turn it right side out.

Step 3: Press seams open.   

These will be the front and back of your skirts waist band. The elastic piece will go in the back. Step 4: sew front and back panels together  

With panels still open pin front to back right sides together and sew up the sides. You will have a tube when you are done. Step 5: Topstitch waistband   

Fold the waistband in half right sides out and topstitch the top and then over the waistband securing it in place. Step 6: Sew skirt sides and gather.  
grab your larger skirt pieces and sew the ends right sides together. Gather the top to the size of your waist band. Step 7: attach the skirt to the waistband.   

pin and sew skirt to waistband matching up sides. Step 8: finishing details  

Topstitch gather to waistband and add buttons. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I left anything out. 

This is amazing Kalleen! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful tutorial!

Don't forget to stop by the Flickr group for Dress Your (School) Boy & Girl! Add your photos and check out the other inspiring mamas!

Other Dress Your (School) Girl Posts:

 

Circle Pocket Dress or Shirt

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

Hi everyone! I'm over at Celebrate The Madness today sharing my Circle Pocket Dress. Cute right?

It's a simple way to jazz up a favorite shirt or dress pattern. Or maybe the Go To Dress?

Make a few.

Go check out the Circle Pocket Dress tutorial!

Inspired by this shirt on etsy

Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Insa Skirt

I know I've mentioned before how much I love Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys' and Girls' Outfits. The Amazon reviews are quite amazing for a sewing book and I tend to agree with the glowing reviews. The patterns are have enough details and character to make them really stand out. I've posted a couple of the things I've made from the book. You might remember the Brooklyn Tank Top and Dortje Trousers. Each item I've made from this book has quickly become a favorite for it's owner. 

And this is the Insa Skirt

It's a double layered, elastic waist skirt with many suggested variations. I chose to do this one up "fancy" for my little fancy girl. The extra details take time but I think they really make the skirt special in a six year old's eyes.

The top layer has elastic to help create a fuller "pick up" look.

I think I'll make my elastic a bit longer next time so the gathering isn't quite as dramatic. Especially in light of how heavy that layer of fabric happens to be.

Pattern: Found in Sewing Clothes Kids Love: Sewing Patterns and Instructions for Boys' and Girls' Outfits

Fabric: Bottom layer and top band are gingham from JoAnn Fabric. The top skirt layer is a bottom weight from JoAnn.

You might remember the skirt from our lemon picking day. We juiced all those lemons by the way. Wow that took forever. A special thanks to my husband who did most of the work!

She proved that day that even though the skirt is fancy it is still great to play in!

The skirt is paired with the Brooklyn Tank.

Pattern troubles: I found the top layer of the skirt ended up being bigger than the bottom layer when I sewed them together. I'm not sure if that is because of me or a pattern issue. I made the skirt intentionally long for growth but it ended up being fairly narrow through the hips. Next time I'll make it a bit wider at the top.

Overall pattern rating?

 linking to Skip to my Lou

Reviewed: Lily Bird Cuffed Shorts

Well, I finally completed these Lily Bird shorts! Lily Bird gave me the pattern well over a month ago and I've been so excited to make them. Life is making me slow, friends!

How cute are these?? The Cuffed Shorts have a very girly fit. The fabric is fine corduroy from JoAnn Fabric. 

This pattern uses less than a yard of fabric and a 4" zipper. Budget yourself at least 4 hours to cut out and sew. They took me two weeks. Hopefully it won't take you so long!

I made a few changes to the pattern:

• I omitted the button tabs on the leg cuff because I got impatient
• Extended the waistband to make a button tab
• I didn't do all the top stitching suggested, for time sake
• I'm just realizing I also omitted the belt loops!

The pros:

I really love the styling of these pants. The zipper, the button tab on the legs (that I omitted!), the pockets. All very, very cute. I think they're be super cute with a contrasting band like these from Mama Gwen. Now THOSE are darling.

The Cons:

This pattern isn't for beginners, that's for sure. My poor seam ripper got a work out! I also had difficulty hiding the zipper pull. That's annoying but not the end of the world.

Things I'd do differently:

Make the leg band longer (making the finished band roomier). My girls don't have chubby legs but the band was tight and makes for a bit of a strange bunching.

 

The next Lily Bird pattern I'll be trying will be the Katrina dress. Such a cute summer dress.

And, because I couldn't help myself...

Yes, he turned six months yesterday. Poor fourth child doesn't have many photos of himself so I made a point of taking a good one. Scrumptious, if I do say so myself!

Have you found any cute summer shorts patterns?

Linking: Creative Itch, Sugar Bee Crafts, Making the World Cuter, Fireflies & Jelly Beans

Green!

(Make It Wear It is HERE)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My oldest daughter wears uniforms to school but today is one of those special days where they don't have to wear uniforms. As long as they wear green. So today she is wearing green. Girly style.

I used an existing shirt and sewed a ruffled skirt on the bottom. I know the trend is to have a high elastic waist but I made it low. You know, so she can still wear it next year.

 It's a hit. 

My 4 year old got a classic monster shirt. More her style.

Are you wearing green?

Linking here 

More pants

We're enjoying more of our "laundry miracle" pants.

Pattern: Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby

Fabric: main fabric is unknown from a discount fabric store. Anyone recognize this pattern? The upper octagonal print is from JoAnn Fabric.

Merry Christmas from me

Do you know how hard it is to photograph 4 kids when nobody can hold the baby and you want their clothes in the pic?

Yes, every item in the picture is me made, save the little red skirt in the middle.

On left:

Shirt & skirt designed by me. There is a lot of detail missing in the photo above. Shirt is a cotton interlock, skirt a cotton shirting. If you like this you can vote for it for Project Toddler Runway!

I'll get a better shirt detail soon...

Middle:

Shirt pattern from this Japanese pattern book. The fabric is linen. 

Right:

Shirt is, of course, the Somerset Hoodie. Check back tomorrow for a SUPER ONE DAY sale from Mama Stellato. Fabric is a cotton interlock. The fit is fabulous, highly recommend the pattern. Very quick and no serger required.

The skirt is corduroy with inset plaid pleats. Adorable. Pattern is mine. You can see it a little better here.

Baby:

I'm sure you recognize a 90 Minute shirt. It was the first time I've made one and, while I constructed it differently than the tutorial suggests, it was easy and took much less than 90 minutes. I like the contrast stitching so I did a little of my own on the bottom.

The pants are made from a cotton plaid shirting. My favorite part is the faux fly. He doesn't NEED it but it sure does add a little something to a pair of pants. There are pockets and cute cord knee patches as well. The pattern is mine.

So THERE! I completed Christmas outfits with weeks to spare! Now I'll let them take them off because long sleeves in nearly 90 degrees is uncomfortable.

A sneak peek

I've been sewing during stolen moments...

Just a bit of what I'm working on. Aren't they cute? Details to come.

Tutorial: The 60 Minute Dress

Warning: do not attempt this dress if you are a perfectionist OR are uncomfortable "winging it"

If you do dare, this is what you'll get

(shirt version)

(dress version)

(very unflattering adult version)

I have some tips on how to make your adult version much cuter (hopefully).

Measure your subject:

Cut rectangle of fabric by the width and length you measured.

Fold in half one way, then fold in half the other way so the very middle of the fabric is folded at a point.

Cut head hole by dividing head circumference by 4, then cut head hole as pictured. Smaller is better. You can always cut it larger if necessary.

Your fabric will now look like this:

Now here is the "winging it" part.

Start at edge and sew arm hole the turn a 90 degree angle and sew down to bottom. 

Can you believe it will now look like this?

Hints:

• make arm hole big enough
• the "armpit" of the shirt should be 1"-3" away from the body so the dress is a big without the belt. 
• slightly angle side seam back away from body. The more you angle the seam back toward side edge, the fuller the dress will be.
• The heavier the knit, the less "flowy" it will be. On an adult I'd recommend a lightweight knit!! Mine was too heavy. It also doesn't flatter my 5 week post baby body. 
• Try it on, fix if necessary! Too wide? take 3 minutes and make it less wide!

Finish neck, sleeve and bottom of shirt with rolled hem or however you want. Knit doesn't even "need" to be finished.

Finish the dress with a belt. I used a piece of knit a couple inches smaller than the waist. Sewed the ends together and finished edges with a rolled hem.

What do you think? Easy, but do you dare try? I'd love to see pictures if you make one!

The 60 Minute Dress

A dress in 60 minutes?? Can it be?? Why, yes, it can. 

The ultimate in comfort and pretty cute to boot.

So simple. I want one myself.

Urban Hoodie

A couple months ago Heidi & Finn sent me the Urban Unisex Hoodie pattern to review. Well, I finally had the chance to whip one up and I love it! 

This is size 6 mo. and was made from a pair of maternity sweats I never wanted to wear again in my life. It is fully lined with some green knit fabric. You might recognize it from this popular dress. The pattern is for knit fabric and has instructions for how to sew this with just a regular sewing machine. No need for a serger. I believe this took me about 2 hours to sew. Maybe a bit more or less. I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

I do have a confession: I haven't sewn on the buttons yet. I'm seriously considering sewing the buttons on the outside and doing velcro underneath instead of button holes. It is for a 6 month old, after all. Quicker is better.

Confession two: I didn't change a thing about the pattern. Not one thing. That's unusual for me, really. So, Now I'm trying to decide if I should go rouge and change up the buttons. What do you think?

UPDATE: Now that I've put this on my baby I believe the pattern runs a bit small so make a size up for your little guy or girl! The sleves are long enough (a bit too long?) but they are snug. Some people complain the body is too short as well (compared to the arms, definitely).

Little Cap Sew Along Day 2

I intended (or hoped) to make another cap last night because some of my pictures are sorely lacking for the sew along. I didn't do it though. I've declared this vacation week around here. We'll be swimming and reading and doing a bit of math and spelling but that's about it! 

This is the lovely (non) recipient of the hat I didn't make:

She is my adorable, hilarious niece. You know how some kids are just exploding with personality, even at a very young age? That's her! Here she is modeling a cap that clearly doesn't fit. That's okay because it only stayed on for about 3 seconds. Just long enough for me to snap one picture. 

She is modeling the altered size 0-6 month hat. Stop by tomorrow to find out how to alter your pattern for that size.

You might notice the hat matches the booties I showed off earlier.

 

You'll also want to stop by to see how to make sure your hat looks like this on top:  

Ready to finish up your cap? Day 2 instructions are HERE. 

I'm linking these finishes to a few other blogs this week. Go check them out. There are also more pictures of finished hats in the Day 2 instructions!

Little Cap Sew Along Day 1

The Little Cap Sew Along is finally here! This is such an easy project, it hardly needs a sew along, but it's fun to make things with others, isn't it? I'll also be showing you some pattern variations including size variations. So, are you ready to join in?

If you haven't bought your pattern yet, go to the Leila & Ben etsy shop and buy the pattern. Mention The Train To Crazy to get $2 refund until the end of September. It is a PDF pattern so it will be emailed to you and you can join us right away!

Now, head on over to Day 1 Instructions!

The little cap that started it all

I've made 5 Little Caps to date. This is the one that started it all.

I made it just like the example on the pattern. I love the little argyle.

She calls it "Maggie's hat" and she's been sad to be separated from it for the last month.

Our boxes are being delivered to our new house next week so I figure sometime in the next month or two we'll find it. And once again she'll have her Maggie's hat.

Want to make a Little Cap? Join the Sew Along coming up! Find the details by clicking the picture below!

Linking here 

School Clothes {pants & tank}

I recently bought a copy of Sewing Clothes Kids Love. When I opened the book I was overwhelmed by great color and design. I'm pretty sure the title is spot on as well.

These are my first projects.

The Dortje pants & the Brooklyn tank. 

Clearly the pants are long. I washed them and they shrunk up just enough that now they fit perfectly.

I followed the instructions pretty closely and the fit works well. I did eliminate the side seem allowances on the pants to accommodate my thin girl. The only thing I would do differently next time is make the tank longer. I added the ruffle on it because it was short. As a size 110-116 I assumed it would fit my 106 cm little girl. Guess not. The tank is great, just needs a bit of length. I'll definitely be making more. I really love the pants. They are a bit labor intensive when you add so many details but I think it is worth it in the end.

The book really encourages you to embellish and use ruffles, gathers, ribbons and appliques. These pants don't look much like any of the examples in the book, which is part of the beauty of the book. So many possibilities in each garment. 

I give the book two thumbs up. I especially love that the patterns go up to a size 11/12 and includes some unisex patterns. So, if you love sewing kid's clothes, grab yourself a copy of Sewing Clothes Kids Love.

Linked  

Go To Dress Pattern

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

After my obsession with this pattern passed, I set my sights on a another "go to" knit dress for my girls. When Kathy suggested I make a dress with long sleeves, I knew she was right. So, without further ado, I present, the Go To Dress.

The perfect dress for cool evenings and long winters. With long sleeves, a shoulder ruffle and an empire waist, how could you go wrong? What little girl wouldn't like a closet full of these? Comfortable and cute!

Perfect for adventures...

 
The possibilities are endless. 

Pair with some cute leggings or tights if you want, or not.

Make them subdued. Or wild.

Or just use what you have lying around. Mix up the fabrics with polka dots and stripes, add an applique or fun pockets, use an old t-shirt or sweater. Be creative.

Mostly just have fun with this Go To Dress!  Whip up a few for all the little girls in your life.

This pattern comes in sizes 12 months - 5. Please note that I have only tested sizes 18 mo, 4 and 5. After you make a Go To Dress, please post it in the flickr group so we can all see!

Download the Go To Dress Pattern and the Go To Dress Instructions. Now subscribe to my blog, please! Make sure your printer is not scaling the pattern to ensure you are printing it the right size. 

*** This pattern is generously offered FREE by TheTrainToCrazy.com and if you'd like to share it with others please link back here so they can grab it from this post. Do not put these downloads to your own website or sell these. Please do not repost this entire post. You may use the top picture as a graphic if you'd like to link a photo. Thank you very much. ***

UPDATE: I've had a number of questions from readers about this pattern. I've tried to address them all on the Go To Dress Q & A page.

 

Upcycling & Stash Busting

I was inspired by Realynn last week to make something with this little stained pink t-shirt that my girls had. I didn't follow her instructions because this fabric I used is too heavy for elastic thread. I sewed 1/4" elastic on instead. I love how it turned out.

I used the excess knit from the shirt to create some interest on top. You know, to cover the stains.

I love how the high waisted narrowness of it all looks. She complained slightly about not being able to run up the stairs but really, I'd rather she didn't run up them anyway.

I'm now thinking some gathered pockets might be cute. Oh well.

I've been sewing up a few other things as well. No real pictures yet except this. Blue seems to be the theme. 

Have you been using up your stash?

Don't forget to check out the upcoming Sew Along!

I'll be linking to some of these sites this week.

I did it again

This is the last one I'll share, promise. (And don't forget to check out the sew along that is coming up!! I'm very excited about it!) I have a lot of other things I've made this week to share with you but it has been so humid that my camera fogs up outside so I just have this to show you.

Another one of my favorite dresses.

The fabric is interlock that I found on clearance a while back for $1.50/yard. Not bad. I added two pockets, like the pattern suggests. The only deviation from the pattern is that I added elastic at the top of the pockets to make them stand out a bit from the dress. 

The leggings are from the LBB pattern I used before. I added the ruffle to the bottom. Not so sure about that. If I ever do it again I'll make the ruffles smaller. Also, I'll notice that the "matching" leggings are white and the dress is off white. Nice.

And, just in case you need the visual...

You can read about dress 1 and 2 to get more details. Which is your favorite?  

Linking HERE

 

Daphne Dress Sew Along

UPDATE: You can now find the Daphne Dress pattern here

Is this not one of the cutest dresses you've ever seen?

This is "The Daphne Dress" and we'll be making it together in August because it is time for another sew along!!

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/2010/07/daphne-dress-sew-along.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/daphnebutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This is the EASIEST sew along ever! The Daphne Dress comes precut with all you need (except your machine, thread and pins). 

This sew along is for you if:

• You own a sewing machine and really wish you could learn to sew for your little girl.
• You've been tempted to make a little girl's dress but are a bit scared of patterns.
• You'd love to sew but just don't have the time.
• You just plain love this dress (as I do).
• You would like someone to walk you through the steps and answer your questions along the way.
• You have a cute daughter/niece/granddaughter/neighbor that would look adorable in this dress.
• Want to make an all-season dress.
• You want to support mom run businesses.

Is that you??? If you order your Daphne Dress Kit by August 1st you'll get 10% off! Just mention The Train To Crazy at checkout and you'll get a 10% refund. What's more, if you order BEFORE July 21st you'll get free shipping plus the 10% off!! That's a great deal!

 

Kits Contains:

Precut designer fabric 

Simple instructions

Elastic

Safety pin

Everything you need to make a dress no one will believe is homemade.

Children's kits come in two sizes: 1-4 and 5-8 with instructions how to adjust for the different sizes within the kit.

Join me August 9-13th and you can get all your questions answered along the way!! Are you excited? I am!! Order your kit now! Grab the button for your blog if you'd like and get ready to make a dress together! Make sure you check out all of Oh So Sassy's dress kits. Maybe you'll find a dress even cuter than the Daphne Dress! She even has a skirt kit for you! The 10% discount applies to the entire site!!

So, are you going to join along??

Pattern Tip

****Join us for the Daphne Dress Sew Along August 9th-13th!*****

Have you found a basic pattern that you just love and want to make one in every color? That's how I feel about the pattern I used for the popular green striped dress. (By the way, thanks for all the great comments!)

The problem is, how boring would it be to make the same pattern over and over. Your wardrobe wouldn't be very fun. Here's my tip of the day: Go ahead and use that same great fitting pattern but just make some small variations. Embellish it or change a feature.

To change up this pattern I added this fun pocket and put on a heart. The girl adores hearts. I also omitted the elastic empire waist. 

Oh, and did I mention I am using up my stash? This pink piece of fabric wasn't quite large enough for the dress. No worries. I think this works just fine.

And with leggings to match, what more could a girl want?

These were super easy leggings. I used the LBB pattern. I finished the bottom with a rolled hem and added some elastic up the side on the bottom. Quick, easy, cute, comfy. 

And, in case you forgot what the green dress looked like...

Can you tell those are from the same pattern? What is your favorite way to embellish a pattern?

Linked HERE

Swimsuits: Trial & Error

After seeing so many inspiring swimsuits being made I decided to try my hand at making some myself. I didn't have a pattern, just used an old swimsuit as a basic size guide. 

I had two goals:

1. Make a swimsuit that fits

2. Make a swimsuit that is tug free. Are my girls the only ones that are constantly tugging on their swimsuits? We have this issue with underwear too so maybe underwear are next.

My first attempt was a failure. Well, it was too short so the baby got it. It fits her well. Did you know little girls don't really get much wider with age? The top part was a bit too big so I used a little elastic at the top. It turned out pretty good though I made the straps a bit too small. This one is fully lined. It gives the suit a bit of a sturdier, heftier feel.

The second attempt went well. I made little ruffles at the legs and added elastic to the straps to make ruffly straps. I'm not loving the way the front works though. It gaps a bit too much. It is fully lined, which I like.

The third attempt was from the same pattern but I cut the top of the front a bit differently and used the same swimsuit material to make a binding and straps. This one is not fully lined. This is my favorite swimsuit.

I succeeded at goal #1. I haven't seen any picking or tugging. I finally succeeded at goal #2 by my third attempt. Numbers 1 and 2 aren't bad but number 3 is pretty perfect. 

I love that they are all a bit different. Even though they are basically the same pattern they all have their own look.

The best part is that I bought this fabric at a local discount fabric store and I made all of these suits for $2 (for the fabric) + probably $1 for the little bit of elastic and thread I used. I'm not sure how much the lining fabric was but it probably adds another $3 because it was more expensive than the outer fabric, even though I used less. So, for about $2 each I have 3 pretty cute swimmers. Er, sand players.

 
Aahhh, look at that mess. 

UPDATE: I've answered your questions about how to make a swimsuit!

Unrelated: Do you have too much fabric? Are you ready to take the De-Stash Challenge?

Linking HERE

Clothing active girls {skorts}

When it comes to little girls and skirts, there is an 85% chance that their skirt isn't going to stay where it should. When climbing up slides and swinging on the monkey bars or doing somersaults in the yard, it's a guarantee that whatever is underneath will be making an appearance.

So, for those of us with little girls who beg for skirts and long to flip upside down, the answer is simple. It's a skort. There are a couple ways to go about making a skort. I was in the middle of creating a tutorial when I discovered one here. It is very similar to how I made mine so there is no point in rehashing all the details.

First you'll need to make a skirt. If you are starting out, I'd recommend a simple elastic waist skirt tutorial, but this will work with any skirt. Then you'll need to make a pair of shorts to go under. You can use a pattern or use a pair of existing shorts as a pattern. This pants tutorial will show you how.

The only changes in the skirt and shorts are that you don't have to account for an elastic casing so you'll actually use about an inch less fabric on top for both.

Perfect for blowing bubbles or doing cartwheels. Whatever. 

You can use knit or a cotton woven fabric for the shorts. 

 

I've used both but I prefer cotton knit for ease of wear.

Though, the little bloomer look of the woven cotton with a bit of shirring at the bottom is pretty cute.

Linking here