April 2013 / Sew Urbane

April 2013 Sewing Challenge: Another Peplum Top (Vogue 8815)

4.24.2013

Had some extra denim fabric left from my Level Five Pants Project, so I decided to make a sleeveless peplum top out of it. It came out beautifully I'd say.. ;)

This is really not a sewing challenge because I have actually made this peplum top before for my March 2013 Sewing Challenge. But since I used a different fabric and invisible zipper this time, I'm calling it my April 2013 Sewing Challenge. In the 2nd pic below, I matched the peplum top with my Level Five denim pants I made in sewing class. Enjoy...

Pattern Used: Vogue 8815

Happy DIY Sewing!

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Level Five Sewing Project via YCMI/Sassy Sewer

4.23.2013

In the "You Can Make It" (YCMI) sewing program (at the Sassy Sewer), you'll learn all about making PANTS when you get to Level Five. You'll also learn how to make the pants fit, invisible zippers, pockets, buttonholes, belt loops, and so on.

I chose to make denim/jeans pants instead of regular work pants because I knew it was going to be more challenging. I chose McCall Pattern 6610 (view A) for my project. Before making the pants, I had to make a sample pants using muslin, for fitting purposes. After fitting the muslin pants perfectly, I reconstruct my pattern based on the muslin and then cut out my correct pattern size on the denim fabric. For the pockets, I used an Ankara Fabric (Wax Print) as the lining.

Challenges:

The only challenge I came across was making the "fly". It was not as easy as I thought it'd be. In my first attempt to make the fly, I sewed the fly to the front of the pants and couldn't open the zipper. Lol. But thank God I did the muslin first before actually sewing the actual fabric. I quickly realized my mistake and corrected it.

Can't wait to make another pair of pants/jeans.. But not doing that anytime soon. Lol

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My Very First Buttonhole

4.12.2013

In my previous post, I mentioned that I didn't know how to make buttonholes before taking on the task of sewing a dress for my niece. This was a Level 5 skill from Sewing Class, but I hadn't learned it yet.

So, I decided to google how to make buttonholes and came across a few YouTube videos and blogs... And I also read my sewing machine manual (which was very helpful). After learning it I practiced a few times (a must in sewing) before making the buttonholes on my nieces dress.. Final product was perfect, I must say... ;) Check out the 6 seconds video I shot using the Vine app on my iPhone.

Happy DIY Sewing!

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Sarah's First Dress by Aunty

4.03.2013

For some weird unknown reason I was a little nervous about making kids clothes. I was a bit intimidated by them. Since I have a 3 year old niece, I figure she could be my kids clothes model and I'd practice on her. Lol Trust me, she doesn't mind because she's a little Miss Fashionista that loves to wear dresses.

While I was in Sewing Class (Sassy Sewer), I saw and purchased a pattern for girls dresses. It was a Kwik Sew Pattern, K3767. After purchasing I went straight to my brother's house to measure my niece. She's so adorable and smart because she knew exactly what I was doing and why I was doing it. She said, "Aunty Yetunde's going to make me a dress." Lol

After about a week the dress was finally finished and I took it to her so she can try it on. I hid the dress and asked her, "Guess what I have for you." And her response was, "A Dress!!!" As soon as she saw the dress, she start screaming and laughing with excitement. I put the dress on her, then the twirling and dancing began. She said, "Aunty Yetunde, it's so pretty and it has Polka Dots and Flowers." I paused for a minute thinking, "what does a 3 year old girl know about Polka Dots." She didn't want to take it off. I had to trick her.

Challenges:

The dress was pretty easy to make, but I had I do a lot of gathering. I always get nervous while doing gathering because I'm always afraid the thread will break and I'd have to start over. Smh.

Before making this dress I also did not know how to make buttonholes. So thanks to some YouTube videos and blogs, I was able to learn, practice, and make buttonholes. :)

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Think Pink + Black Dress

4.02.2013

I'm an usher at my church, God's Remnant Assembly (GRA). As ushers, we try to be unified in everything we do, which includes the color(s) we wear on Sundays. Two weeks ago, I received a text saying that the colors for the following Sunday is Pink and Black. Immediately, I got an idea to make a Pink and Black dress. :)

I used the Simplicity Pattern 1650, which I already had in my Pattern stash. Lol. I love this pattern because of the fit and peplum. You can make this dress in so many different styles, mixing different fabrics, colors and prints. It came with two different necklines options, three different sleeves options, two different peplum styles, and two different length options. I decided to go with the V-Neck neckline, pleated peplum, and knee length skirt. I also made only the front bodice, sleeves, peplum in the pink fabric. It came out great. I can't wait to make it again and again. Lol.

Challenges:

I cut out the pattern one size too small, didn't figure it out until it was time for fitting. But thank God there was a solution... Instead of a 5/8 of an inch seam allowance, I had to reduce it to a 1/4 inch seam allowance on the sides. The final result was a perfect fit. Whew...