sewing saturday.. a little girl's floral jumper

Sewing Saturday! It's time again for regular sewing updates every weekend.. and man alive, finally. This past week mostly served as a break from sewing, but I honestly missed it. Funny how you create habits and addictions where you least expect them.

This week, I started working on a floral jumper for my good friend back in Illinois.. she recently had a baby, a little girl named Jocelyn, and I thought sewing a floral dress for her would be a good way to welcome her into the world.

The sewing pattern I'm using comes from the 1970s and offers four size options (I went with extra small - Jocelyn's just a couple of months old). What you need for this project.. about 3/4 of a yard of fabric, a small amount of matching double fold bias tape and fusible interfacing - interfacing for the collar and bias tape for arm hole reinforcing, and two 3/4 inch buttons. Using a serger is completely optional. Don't forget, you can always use pinking shears or a zigzag stitch in place of a serger.

I recently bought a fabric covered button kit from a craft store in town, so I decided to use it for the jumper.. more below!

To begin, I ironed out the fabric and pattern pieces, laid them out, pinned, and cut. I then serged the ends of the pockets and pressed them inwards by their seam allowance (5/8 inch). I pinned them to their designated spots on the front ends of the jumper and sewed them in place, keeping the tops open. I followed this by sewing the two jumper pieces together at the front center seam, then reinforcing the stitch using a serger.

Once I had made progress with the jumper, I decided to cover the buttons with fabric. The two buttons will be used at the collar to attach the straps to the front of the jumper. I followed the instructions on the back of button package.. super simple! The entire process took just a couple of minutes, if that.

First, I cut out the circle guide that matched the button measurement (30). I then used the circle as a tracing wheel, cutting two matching circles of fabric. I pressed the fabric circle face down into the white rubber cap, layering the face of the button on top of it. I pressed them into the cap. Once the fabric was in, I gathered it into the back of the button face and put the back of the button on top, hook facing upwards. I made sure the fabric was tucked away into the button, then I used the small blue cap to press the button back to the button front. The button pieces clicked into place, I snapped the button out of the rubber cap, and done! I'll definitely be buying more button kits.. they're inexpensive and adorable.

That's all for this week! I've got to finish the jumper soon because Neil and I are taking a trip to Illinois on Thursday, where we'll be meeting little Jocelyn for the first time! We'll be visiting friends and family and I can't wait.

Shop update in the morning!

sewing saturday.. white drop waist dress with lace trim

Sewing Saturday! This week, I made an improvised pullover dress with a stiff, sheer cotton fabric (thrifted). I knew I wanted a sleeveless drop waist dress that was simple, no buttons or zippers, that I could wear as a cover up for swimming. Since I didn't have any stretch fabric, I needed to make it large enough to be a pullover. I decided to use the bodice of a jumper pattern I owned and make my own skirt, which would allow me to control how gathered it was as well as its length.

I found this late 1980's jumper pattern at a church-run thrift store in Nashville. The dorky photo with the kittens and teased bangs definitely sold it to me.

What you'll need for this project - fabric (I used less than 2 yards), thread, pinking shears, scissors, pins, a pattern (although I only used it for the bodice), measuring tape, a flat working surface, and a sewing machine. Lace trim is optional.

First, I cut out the pattern pieces, pinned it to the fabric, marked 6 inches lower at the bottom edges to allow for a longer bodice (for a more drop waisted look), and cut the pieces out.

I used a 5/8 inch seam allowance at the top of the straps and sewed them together. I did the same at the sides, stopping at the underarm area. I then cut the seam excess with pinking shears and pressed them flat.

Once the bodice was mostly done, I focused on the skirt. I knew the height it was supposed to be - shorter than the bodice by several inches, so I cut a long rectangle of fabric shorter than the bodice length and over twice the width of the bodice. Once the rectangle was cut, I sewed it together then sewed two lines of stitching on the top of the skirt, being careful not to backstitch over the ends. I then pulled the strands and pushed them along, gathering the skirt until the waist fit the bottom of the bodice.

Once I sewed the gathered skirt to the bottom of the bodice, I finished the neckline and arm holes by folding them in, wrong sides together, by 1/4 inch. I stitched them shut, then folded them over another 1/4 inch and stitched again.

When I stitched the neckline, I was impatient and did a shoddy job. To cover it up a bit, I decided to add lace trim to the neckline.

All finished!

When I started this pullover jumper, I had intentions of using it only as a swim cover up. Now I want to layer it with a slip, put on a skinny brown macrame belt at the waist, and wear it out. Maybe a later post?

Last night, I dreamt that Alexa Chung's Madewell collection was finally for sale. This is getting pretty bad. I think I might just have to recreate the brown velvet dress with black peter pan collar myself, because I can't wait til September.

Today was a wonderful first day of work at the vintage shop! I had a lovely visit from a fellow blogger, Cayce Layne of Madame Joy. She and her friend were in the middle of a Nashville vacation when they decided to make a stop to search for some vintage and say hello. We took a quick picture (thanks, Quincy!) and talked a bit while they shopped.

Happy Monday! Etsy update coming soon.