Summer sew-along week 7

Quick, easy and versatile are some of the best words to look for when choosing a pattern! The more versatile a pattern is, the more money you will ultimately save, because you can make many different things from the same pattern, and the easier it is the more likely you will be to make things from that pattern again. This pattern is free, which definitely meets the above criteria, and you can vary it to make it even more special.  In general, a-line dresses and skirts are excellent blank canvases for your creativity. Experiment with embroidery, appliqué  or novelty trims, make a belt out of self fabric or a ribbon, make each of the ruffles out of different fabric, etc.
Check out the differences in these two dresses, which were both made from the same pattern.  (yes, that bag pattern is coming soon…)

(Did you notice my spring flowers are finally coming up?)

CLICK HERE FOR PATTERN

At first glance you may not think that this pattern could be a mix and match one to fit the theme of our sew-along, but consider these possibilities for coordinating it:
Shorten it a little and wear it over capris or shorts

Layer it over a T-shirt like a jumper (widen the armholes a little if necessary)
Layer it under the denim jacket

Ok, kinda off-topic and enabling here, but…an awesome deal I had to share:  Tuesday Morning has some of the totally adorable Jun Planning Ai BJDs for $30 right now.  Yes, seriously, $30! (they go for $100 and up elsewhere!)  They are just 5″ tall, (same body as the very expensive “Pocket Fairy” BJDs) so they could easily be dolls for your 18″ dolls or a treat for yourself.  You can justify it to your significant other by saying “I NEED them because I’m sure Jen’s going to post some fairy patterns for them soon!”  (soon = sometime after the sew-along finishes)

https://www.tuesdaymorning.com/toys.jsp?page=6

Free bag pattern

My apologies for the lack of a summer sew-along post this week!
As of now there are officially two weeks left of the school year, and I am drowning in paperwork and unfinished business! While all my projects for the sew along are finally finished and ready, it takes a lot of work to get the patterns ready, take pictures, etc.
In the middle of all the end of the school year stress, my favorite bag that I have had for three years finally died, and I was forced to make a choice whether to buy or make a new one. I made two of them this week, but neither was one that I could see myself carrying for the next three years. So, after finding this lovely Japanese fabric at the Fancy Tiger in Denver, and consultation with my husband, who is both opinionated about/obsessed with technical bags, I came up with this one. I think it is absolutely perfect! It is a crossbody bag, which is comfortable to carry and secure. It’s just big enough to hold the essentials, like a wallet, phone, etc. but not too big that things will get lost in it. On the outside it also has two pockets, a regular one, and a more secure zippered one.

You can download the pattern here.

There are a few things I would like to point out to make your bag look professional, instead of homemade. The first one is fusible fleece. It will give lovely shape and body to thin, quilting weight fabrics, and enable you to use them as you would a thicker fabric.

The second is topstitching. It helps to add some structure to your bag, and adds a beautiful, professional touch.
The last one is hardware. And guess what? You don’t need to spend a lot or go to a specialty store to get it! The fabric on your old bag may be beyond repair, but it’s very easy to cut off the hardware and reuse it on a new bag! If you don’t have an old bag you’re willing to part with, check your local thrift store. People often get rid of their bags because the fabric gets worn out, but the hardware is still usable. I found a few bags last week for two dollars each and all of them had hardware that was in excellent condition.
Take a break from doll sewing, and make something for yourself for a change! (Ok…if you NEED this for a doll, copy the pieces at 33% and hand-sew it out of felt or something non-fray so you don’t need to line it)

Summer sew-along will be back next week.
In the meantime, check out what others have done on the Flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/groups/summersewalong/ and please feel free to add your own photos to it! I know I have said this before, but I really enjoy seeing new interpretations of my patterns.  There are some really nice color/fabric combos to inspire you and a few re-sized for Hearts for Hearts (I dare you to look at those photos and not “need” that doll!)

Summer sew-along week 5: embroidered top/tunic/dress

There are some lovely things being posted on the flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/summersewalong/ including the outfits on a variety of different dolls, some creative ideas and cute coordinates!

Here is a versatile new pattern that is one of my favorites in the summer collection!  Make it

• Short for a top

• Tunic length for a beach cover up

• Tunic length to blouse over capris/shorts

• A  longer dress

I had been hoping by now to be able to take these pix outside but just as the last snow was melting and my crocuses felt brave enough to come up, once again a snow storm came through.  While we high-altitude-desert dwellers are always grateful for precipitation, it would be nice if it could fall as rain  (it’s May for crying out loud!).  This morning there were 10″ of snow on the ground and it was 10 degrees F.  It can be challenging to take good pictures in snow, especially when the doll has medium to dark skin like the AG above.  You are liable to either lose detail of your snowy scene or have your doll not show up well enough to see her clearly with all the extra reflected light from the snow.  The morning pictures came out awful.  This pic below was taken in the afternoon.  The sun was shining on her back, so her face was in the shadows and then I used a fill-in flash.

In other news, as I write this, this blog is almost up to 200 followers! If we can exceed that by the end of the sew-along, I’m planning another contest – it won’t be sewing related, but it’s something fun, easy and do-able by anyone and you may even have what you need in your recycle bin!  Stay tuned…

Summer sew-along week 4 – halter top or dress

If you’re an AG fan, you probably saw (and maybe wanted!) this in their most recent catalog:

Yeah, me too.  But $28?  Well, now you can make the top (and a pattern for similar bottoms is here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/130007763/versatility-pants-and-denim-jacket)

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP PATTERN!

Remember a few weeks ago I said your wardrobe would look more authentic if you mix in something besides quilting fabrics?  I used the A-line skirt pattern from last week for this denim skirt:

But your dolls may also want some twill/denim shorts?  A jacket?  If you sew for the smaller dolls, you may already have this pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/110681487/jeans-and-denim-jacket-sewing-pattern?ref=shop_home_active and probably (like me) considered it for autumn.  Well, what about making the jacket in a lightweight white or khaki twill to throw on during a chilly summer evening?  

And the pants can easily be turned into shorts like this:

 

by sewing a tiny tuck before cutting them out and using the pocket lining as the outside pocket.  I made the belt from grosgrain ribbon and the buckle is from my Army-Navy surplus (they are sold there for making bracelets out of parachute cord)

If you are sewing for bigger (AG) dolls a new pattern is available in my etsy shop that includes the jacket in their size as well as a pants pattern I call “versatility”  It includes shorts, capris, pants and jeans with variations like real pockets, cuffs, belt loops and two styles of waistband.  It’s NOT elastic waist, so it provides a nice smooth fit under Ts, etc.

The happiest news ever!  Just in time to coordinate with the launch of my newest pattern, Etsy now supports instant downloads!  What does that mean for you?  No more waiting for me to email it to you!  If you need to sew something at 2am, now you can!  Also, no more annoying emails back and forth about a file being too big or your firewall blocking multiple files!  How exciting is that?  Check out all the patterns available instantly here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/jenwrenne

Happy sewing!

Summer sew-along week 3 – A-line Skirt

There are some lovely pictures pouring in from people who are taking part in the summer sew along.  You can see them here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/summersewalong/

I have to say, I am very jealous of the pictures of the dolls with greenery behind them.  As I write this we are in the middle of yet another winter storm and there are about 18 inches of snow blowing around outside my window.

Our project for this week is a simple A-line skirt. <–click there to get it.  If you’ve already made the other projects, you should now have four separate pieces to mix-and-match, resulting in four separate outfits.

Just a reminder, you can copy/print the slim 16″-18″ size of this at 77% to fit Hearts for Hearts dolls!

This skirt is the perfect blank canvas for your creativity!  It’s so fast and easy you can make several and spend extra time giving it decorative touches:  Use contrast bias and turn to the outside for a waistband.  Add ruffles or trim at the bottom or all over, piece the front from different fabrics, add cargo pockets, sew a fake seam and zipper in the front for a denim skirt, embroider/appliqué/iron-on/silkscreen matching motifs onto a plain skirt to match the top, etc.

jenwrenne’s photostream

jenwrenne’s photostream on Flickr.

Summer wardrobe part 2…and what about the boys?

Part 2 of our sew-along is a wardrobe necessity:  Pajamas!  You can also use it to make a T-shirt and capris/shorts.  Get the pattern here

What about the boys?  Glad you asked!  There’s not as much variation in boys’ clothing as there is with girls.  So  you can easily make a cute boy’s summer wardrobe using just a few patterns starting with the ones from this week.  Make the pants as baggy skater/Hawaiian shorts with a T (iron or silkscreen on logos/graphics, etc.)

 The Hogwarts shirt here: http://jenwrenne.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/hogwarts-shirt-and-tie.pdf can be enlarged to be a loose Hawaiian shirt or make it in a cute little-boy print to layer over a t-shirt.  Copy it at 110-115% (less for Sashas-more for KnC) then shorten the sleeves and hem.  Consider making a more casual  straight (instead of curved) hem at the bottom.  If you have the jeans and jacket pattern, shorten the pants to make twill/denim shorts and think about additions like cargo pockets.  Some ideas to modify that pattern are coming in a week or two.

Unrelated to the sew along, but… I’ve gotten a couple emails that etsy is annoying to use and one from someone who preferred not to purchase stuff online.  My answer to all of them is YES, you can always contact me directly to order patterns and I can send you a paypal invoice, or I am happy to take personal checks.

You can see pix of this week’s outfits in the pattern or here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/summersewalong/