Sewn With Love Tutorial turned Pattern Review

I have been promising to post my Sewn With Love/Vintage Style for Kids post for some time but between making hundreds of items for stock, setting up my Etsy shop and all other fun things it's taken just a while!

I had intended for this post to be a tutorial on how I merged together two elements from different patterns but in my final session I got all excited and ended up forgetting to take enough photos so it will therefore be a combination of pattern review and tutorial.  I figured you would need to have the book to obtain the patterns so all in all it should be easy enough to follow.

I have been making this dress as part of my sewing classes so it's fair to say I also have an expert on hand to help!

So I made the bodice from the dress on the front of the book and the skirt from the tulip dress - I wanted a dress for summer without sleeves but with a full skirt and wasn't keen on the tiered efefct.

I happened to have the fabric that I needed but the handy pattern inside the book suggests the supplies that you would need to buy.   My supplies were:

• Printed pattern from the CD which comes with the book
• 2m of outer fabric (lilac cotton which has a shot silk appearance)
• 2m of lining (book doesn't suggest lining but I found it easy enough to add)
• 1m of co-ordinating net
• 4 beautiful buttons

Step 1 - Cut out the pattern and then the pattern pieces 1 from fabric and 1 from lining plus an extra skirt layer from the net.

It is worth adding here that the pattern I used for the bodice had neck and arm bindings to be cut out of your fabric, a step which I did but as I had decided to line the dress we managed to put it together without the need for these.

Step 2 - With right sides together, pin the lining and main fabric together and sew at along the top neckline, then around the armhole and down the side of the bodice.  Do not sew across the shoulder seam or the bottom of the bodice pieces.  Repeat for the other back bodice piece and also for the front bodice.  Turn the bodice pieces right side out and on the two back bodice pieces fold and press the back button placet as per the instructions.  The back should now look like this.

Step 3 - Now for the complex part - with the fabric right sides together meet the shoulder seams and pin together just 3 pieces -1 lining and 2 front fabric.  Pin the other lining piece back and sew accross these three pieces which will leave you with 1 lining piece free. 

 

Step 4 - Now turn the bodice inside out (via the bottom of the bodice opening) and sew the final lining layer to the other 3 layers.  Once turned right side out you will now have a clean seam with raw edges hidden on both the lining and outer layers.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 to join the other shoulder seam and your bodice should now look like this:

Step 6 - Make up the tie belt and attach to the waistband pieces following the books instructions .  You will now have 2 long waistband pieces. 

Step 7 - Align the side seams and pin these 2 long waistband pieces to your bodice, ensuring that the ties are in the correct place at the side.  You should now have your bodice captured between 2 waistband pieces.  Sew along the wasitband section and your garmet should now look like this

When you turn your bodice the right side out it will look like this hopefully.

 

So that completes my bodice - coming soon the pattern review post for the skirt (because I got too excited and didn't get enough pictures).  Please feel free to comment or e:mail me if you have any queries, it is all quite complex and I appreciate it's sometimes hard to work out just what should happen at each step.

Keri