Gingercake

Sew Fabulous Norah Dress from the Sew Fab Bundle Sale!

I sewed up the Norah Dress by Welcome to the Mouse House for Miss Marion and she looks so so sweet!  This pattern is another great one in the Sew Fab Bundle.  I loved how easily it came together and how nice it looks on my girl.

Since the Norah Dress is a simple A line, the assembly was very straight forward.  The collar and sleeves came together beautifully!  I was pretty relieved not to have to do any skirt gathering!  

The dress is lined only on the top which was really nice for the finish but kept it from being too heavy as fully lined dresses can sometime become.  Also, the back closure is a simple button and loop which looked great!  I can finally do a decent button hole but appreciate avoiding the process if possible!

I added 2 little white buttons under the collar fo some extra interest since my dress fabric was so simple.  I love how sweet and nostalgic this turned out!  The norah dress is a wonderful staple to have in your patterncollection.  It doesn't use too much fabric, it's easy to assemble, and it produces a lovely dress.  Hurrah!

Only 2 days left to get your Sew fab Bundle!  Visit my original blog post about the Sew Fab Sale to get all the details and enter for your chance to win the Sew Fab Giveaway!

 

The Sew Fab sale is an affiliate program.  I recieve a portion of all sale made through my website.  Thank you so much for your support!

TooSweets Tulip Pinafore for the Sew Fab Pattern Sale

This simple and sweet pattern is part of the Sew fab pattern bundle that I am promoting this week.  Read all about the bundle details here.  I really loved making this fun (I learned some new tricks too!) and easy pattern.  I made it during a naptime with extra time to spare...

TooSweets did a great job designing this pattern.  It is simple and straightforward and I love Miss Marion's new top!

This is just one of the several things I sewed from the bundle that I will be sharing this week!  I used Leah Duncan's Tule line from Art Gallery fabrics.  Art Gallery fabrics are wonderful for garmet clothing since they are lighter and softer than many of the quilting cottons out there.

It was really fun to make this fully lined garmet that involved not one bit of hand sewing!  Well, with the exception of the button, but you could do a snap and completely avoid getting out your needle and thread.  That is one problem with lined garmets for me- having to handsew in that lining to get a nice finish is always a drag, right?

And, she's running out the door!  Obviously the end of our photo shoot :) Get your sew fab bundles while they last!

AND- don't miss out on those amazing giveaways! 

Aster Cardigan Testing: A new pattern from Willow & CO. from LBG studio

I was honored to test one of Vanessa's pattern contirbutions to the new Willow & Co. pattern collection to be released next week.  This is the Aster Cardigan and it is adorable!  I was asked to do the Size 10 for my big girl.  She will be 10 next month!  It is really cute and stylish...

 

These were taken before school yesterday.  It was dark and rainy outside so we took our photos in my new basement studio!  I can't wait to finally have it organized enough to share some good photos.  

Vanessa writes a beautiful and organzied pattern.  The pieces all fit together perfectly and even though I am not a big sewer of knits, this came together very nicely!  The bands at the sleeve and the nice way the placket and collar are designed make it a project that sewers of many skill levels can handle.  

I always struggle with button holes but that is not the fault of the pattern.  The fit is nice.  In these photos, she was wearing a shirt that was a little bulky, but the cardigan is meant to be fitted so next time we will put it on with a more fitted tee shirt underneath.  Next week will be the launch of Willow & Co. so be sure to be ready!

Thanks for letting me test your pattern, Vanessa!

KCW- Front Buttoned Smock

It's a sewing miracle that I participated in KCW!  I think KCW is a great idea and I love seeing all the clothes people make for their kids.  For some silly reason, I always have something else happening and I can't join in the fun.  But this year I am back...

I did another shirt from the Happy Homemade Sew Chic Kids book.  This one is called the Front-buttoned Smock.  Like the pull over parka, instructions are vague in the book, but the pattern pieces fit together beautifully and I love the finished shirt.

My middle daughter is really fun to sew for.  She loves everything and then she will always ham it up in our photo shoot.  

Actually sometimes it is hard to get her to just take regular shots so we often start taking about math class or how she did on the monkey bars during recess at school.  

Or, I have to make her sweep off the front walk!  She is a good sport though and always complies.  This is another reason that sewing for 8 year olds is awesome!  Did you read Monica's post today about a trying to get photos of her toddler?  So perfect!

I sewed this in size 8 (the largest size for this book).  I used a shirting fabric from the apparel section of Joann Fabrics.  It took a little less than a yard, which is always awesome although this fabric was 60'' wide.   When sewing for older kids, quilting cotton is just too bulky and stiff for their clothing and you really need to make the switch.  I can still get away with quilting weight for the baby though!

My buttons and placket are not perfect and I fretted a little about it.  But, in the end, I just finished the shirt even though it is flawed and it still looks great.  I love the sleeves and the pretty gathered neckline.  It is a little frilly but not too much- perfect for my easy going girl.  Thanks for getting me motivated KCW!

Happy Homemade Pull-over Parka

A few months ago I purchase Happy Homemade Sew Chic Kids by Ruriko Yamada since I heard that it had been released in English.  I love the simple style and classic look of the kids clothes in this book.  Bonus- the sizing is 2 through 8 which covers most of my children.

I first made a pair of flared shorts in flannel for my 9 year old (the sizes are not hard to adjust) and they are nice but not really worth sharing on the blog since they are plain and already in the laundry bin.  But, over the weekend I made this cute pull-over parka for Anne (8 year old) and it is a big hit.  

I used a cotton lawn from the Little Lisette line at JoAnns.  It was a little slippery but really pretty.  I have more left over so you may see it again soon!  The drape is really nice and the feel of the cotton is great.

I made the bottom hem a casing for 1/4'' elastic and made faux ties on either sides.  It was a nice touch to make it a little more grown up.  

here are the versions from the book which ties in the front...

The hood is really cute and although it is small for Anne to use functionally, she says "that's ok-  it's really just for looks anyway Mom."   8 years old and she already knows that clothes are not always totally functional!

I admit that I struggled a bit to figure out how to make the neckline.  I am not a big maker of clothes so the lack of instructions in the book made it a little challenging for me.  I didn't mind figuring it out though and I really liked the result!  I wouldn't recommend the book to beginners because of the bare bones style of instructions but I really liked that since it made the project seem quicker to me.

A success!  Hopefully I will be able to sew more fun projects now that my big commitment tasks of the last several months are finished.  Have you tried this book?  What other patterns are worth making?

A Little Bit of Sally for KCW

Well..  I actually made this when I promoting the Sew Fab Sale but never got around to posting it here on the blog. Doesn't really count as being part of Kids Clothing Week if I made it 2 weeks ago, huh?   Miraculously I have found myself with a few minutes when the baby is taking a nap and the big kids are out of the house AND I feel like doing a blog post about this cute dress...

My big girl is getting so so big.  Ouch.  It hurts a little to tell the truth.  She was feeling pretty serious at first during this photo shoot, but she had to admit that the dress is really cute.  Also, she is pretty much over me sewing clothes for her.  This one has her own opinions about what she is wearing and my influence is becoming pretty weak (except for the fabric that I hold the purse strings!  HAHA!).  

I used some vintage fabric I found at this old fabric store that has a $.50 table in the back.  You can score some cute fabric back there and have no fear about messing up when you only invest $3 total in your purchase!

The pockets are wonderful!  The construction was a little complicated for me to be honest- mostly because this fabric that had a very faint difference between the right and wrong side and also because I used the same fabric for the lining and the exterior of the dress.  My brain had to bend a little to get it all togther!  Also, this is a size 7 on my 9 year old.  It was originally meant for my 7 year old but it swims on her.  I should have taken measurement as recommended, huh?   Thank goodness I have an easy back up plan...

Aren't those snails the cutest?  Navy is a new favorite on my big girls!

Pattern:  The Sally Dress

Fabric: Vintage

 

Night Gowns from the Sew Fab Bundle

I wish I had more time to sew up all these beautiful patterns!  I did manage to make these adorable nightgowns for my 2 big girls.  And just so you know, I made these about 3 weeks ago and they have worn them a bunch!  

They are working on their rainbow loom bracelets.  Obsession!  Are your kids doing those things?  Anne has like fifty on her wrist.  

The nightgowns sewed up so fast and the the pattern was really nice and well written!  The pattern is called the Sadie Grace Nightgown by Seamingly Smitten.  I would totally recommend it!

The photos were taken after sleeping all night so Elsie, who asked for a soft flannel nightgown, is looking a little wrinkled!

If you are following me on instagram, you will already have seen these baby shoes that I made with left over fabric from the nightgowns.  So cute!  My instagram name is gingercakesews.  They are from the Petit Blue pattern that I used when the baby was smaller.  

The pattern sale last until Monday!  Be sure to get your bundle before it's too late!  

 I also want to make the Sally Dress, the Amamnda Pants, The Infinity Cardigan, and the Pajama Eaters!  I also love Vanessa's Clutch that I made when it first came out.  You can see that bag here.

The sew fab sale is an affiliate program.  Thanks for your support!

Flower Girls & Photos

Both of my sister in laws are doing photos every day over on Flickr.  Jenny has been doing photography for a long time and her captures are truly inspirational.  My younger sister in law Maureen is just starting out and she is showing lots of talent too!  She took the photo above and the one of Marion below.  These are both with my camera but my photos never turn out this good!

In other news, we are leaving for a family wedding in near San Francisco later today.  My stomach is in knots thinking about how I am going to deal with my very cute but extremely wiggly 9 month old on the plane for so long.  If you are flying to San Francisco from Pittsburgh today, I appologize in advance for the crying baby.  I am excited to see San Francisco though!  I have been working on the flower girl dresses...

The wedding is in a garden and the bride wanted to keep it natural.  She chose the orange linen and we worked on this style with some photos for inspiration.  I think they turned out really sweet and the girls feel so excited to be part of the wedding.

I made 8 of them and a matching bow tie and belt for Calvin since he is the ring bearer.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be~  especially with my new machine!  Wish me luck on that airplane!

Banyan Tee from the Sew Fab e-pattern bundle

Anne has decided she wants to be a fashion model.  And a veternarian.  And a scientist.  For now, she is just silly.  This is the Banyan Tee from Patterns by Figgy that is part of the Sew Fab e Pattern Sale.  Have you bought your bundle yet?

Newborn Baby Gowns Sewing Tutorial

I have been searching stores for baby gowns and not loving the selection.  I may be old fashioned (maybe it's because I am OLDER than other women having a new baby!) but I like for babies to look like babies and not mini adults.  I also want plain soft fabrics and pretty little details.

It turns out that there are baby clothes out there that I like but they are very expensive!   So I chose my favorite gown from when the big girls were babies as a guide and created my own simple pattern.  

The biggest challenge to figure out was the tiny collar.  I could not figure out how to get my machine to make a pretty little collar without it looking lumpy or unfinished.  I finally decided to embrace the nature of knits by making these easy lettuce edge collars.  I love how sweet they turned out and so EASY!

I bought 2 different knits from Joanns for this project.  The solids are the sew classic knits which were 60% cotton and 40% polyester.  The prints are 100% cotton knit and also from Joanns.  I actually liked working with the solids better.  They were softer and less stretchy.  Also- when I prewashed the 100% cottons, they shrunk more than 2 inches!  That made my gowns a little shorter than I originally wanted but still workable.  

This is not a tutorial for true beginners.  You will need to have some experience with sewing and be familiar with terms and basic concepts.  I don't go into great detail since I am assuming you have made basic sewing projects before.  An experienced sewer could just follow the photos!

Let's get our materials together.  You will need ...

1 yard of interlock knit fabric- go for mostly cotton blend or 100% cotton.  (1 yard makes 2 gowns).

a package of pearl snaps or regular snaps- the kind you hammer on!

coordinating thread 

sewing machine with zig zag foot 

Ball point needle

scissors (sewing and regular)

self healing cutting mat and roatry cutter

Long ruler/ yard stick

1.  Begin by printing out the pattern pieces.  There are 2 pieces- the gown/ body piece and the arm piece.

Download Gingercake Newborn Gown Pattern Pieces

Cut out your pieces.  The gown width is 14" so you need to have a folded piece that is 7" wide to cut with the pattern piece.  You will notice that this is wider than the paper pattern piece but you are going to extend the piece to be a total of 24" long with a long ruler (like in the photo below) or a yard stick.  The pattern piece is angled to be a-lined and you will need to just follow that line to the bottom of your fabric.  See the photo below.

2.  Cut a second body piece to match the first.  On this one, trim the neckline to match the BLUE line on your pattern piece.  My photos are of my original rough draft pattern so pay attention to your nice printed pattern pieces instead!  This piece is the front of your gown. 

3.  Next, still working with the front piece, cut a 6" slit down the center of your neckline.  See photos below.  This will become your placket where the snaps will go.

4.  Cut a 13.5" x 1.5" strip of matching knit that goes against the stretch.  This means when you give it a pull long ways it does not strech out.  Fold it in half (iron if you would like) longways and pin this strip to the right side of your front gown piece along both edges of that 6" slit.  The strip should be a little longer than the 6" slit.  See photos below.

5.  Now using the ball point needle on your sewing machine, sew the strip and the front body together to create your placket with a 1/4 seam allowance.  Then trim seam down to 1/8".   See photos below.

Pin the placket closed and trim off the excess so your neckline is back looking like it's original shape.  The top side of the placket should fold under and the bottom should extend.  Imagine a button down/ polo shirt to give you and idea of how it is configured.  See photo below.

 

6.  Pin the shoulder seams together of your front and back body pieces.  Sew together with a 1/4" seam allowance and trim down to 1/8".  See photo below.


7.  Now cut out your 2 sleeve pieces from the paper patterns.  Pay attention to the direction of the stretch.  Mark the top center of your sleeves with a pin.  See the photo below.

Open up your body pieces and lay them open, right sides up.  Pin the sleeve to the seam you sewed in the last step.  See the photo below.

8.  Now you can either pin the sleeve to the body pieces or just starting in the middle, sew a little, adjust, sew a little and adjust to attach your sleeves to the body piece.  Then starting in the middle again, do the other side of the sleeves.  I like this method since pinning with knits is kinda a pain!  But either way works fine.  Now repeat on the other sleeve.  Trim your seams down to 1/8".  See the photos below.

9.  Next is the collar.  Cut a strip of knit fabric that is 12" x 1.25" - this time the length is with the stretch.  Switch your machine over to zig zag stitch and while gently pulling your strip of fabric, zig zag along the edge.  This should give you a cute lettuce edge.  See left picture below.  Now attach to wrong side of gown neckline by with pins. Switch back to straight stitch and sew the collar on with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Trim seam down to 1/8".  If you have extra length on the collar, just trim it off to match up with the neckline- don't worry about fraying.  See photo on right below.

10.  Now turn the collar over the neckline and pin again.  Stitch the collar down on the right side of the gown with a 1/8" seam allowance.  TIP- I don't usually back stitch here- instead, i leave longer threads and double knot them together.  This elimates messy backstitching in such a visual spot if you have an older and less precise machine like I do!  See photo below.

11.  Now that the collar is finished, you can sew up the sides of your gown!  Lay your gown sides right sides together and line up the seams at the arm pit first.  Pin there first and then down the sides to the bottom.  Then pin down the sleeves.  I start at the bottom and sew up the side to the arm, then lift up my foot to turn and go down the sleeve.  This usually means the seam at the arm folds out toward the sleeve.  It doesn't matter that much since it is trimmed down to 1/8" but it's a good habit!  Repeat on the other side.  See photo below.  Trim seams down to 1/8".

12.  Turn your gown right sides out.  Doesn't it look cute?  Turn under your little sleeve opening about 3/8".  Iron flat if you would like.  Sew down with a 1/4" seam allowance.  I do this from the inside and just slowly make my way around.  See photo below on the left.  Another option is to lettuce edge the sleeve which would be cute too.  

13.  Follow the directions on the snaps- you get to use a hammer!  Use your ruler to lightly mark where you will install the snaps.  The first should be 1/2" (or a little more if needed) from the top of the neckline, the next down 3" and the final snap 5.5" down from neckline.  That first snap goes under your collar.  See photo on left below.  Next, make the same marks on the inside of the placket.  See photo below on right.  Attach snaps again according to directions on snap packet.  Snaps in place!

14.  The bottom can be finished in several different ways.  Like I mentioned in the beginning, the 100% cotton print that I pictured for the tutorial shrunk 2 inches in the prewashing so it is only 22" instead of the 24" I would have preferred.  I should have bought the full yard!  Instead of losing more length by making an elastic casing, I just did another pretty lettuce edge on the bottom.  See photo below.

For me, with my other babies, I found an gown with an elastic casing on the bottom to be a little more practical.  I was able to do this with the pink and white solid gowns I made.  Do this by folding uder your bottom hem about 1/2" and sew closed around the hem, but leave an openning of about 1".  Then cut a 14" length of 1/4" elastic and attach a safety pin to the end.  Insert into the 1" opening and using the safety pin work your elastic around the hem.  When you have it all the way around, sew the elastic ends together with your machine and then sew the hem opening closed.  

Finished!  I hope you were able to follow this tutorial successfully and will have a pretty gown for the newborn in your life.  I can't wait to try the gowns on our baby coming in just a few weeks (or days?  hopefully not!)  Although this tutorial seemed like a bear for me to write (mostly becasue sitting in front of my computer at 38 and 1/2 weeks PG is getting uncomfortable!), making the gowns is pretty easy so I hope you will try it out.  Using nice soft interlock knits is key!  I tried making some with thrifted "mystery" knit and it didn't work out so well.  Make sure you read the label for the cotton count if you try out thrifted shirts!

As always, you are welcome to make as many of these for gifts and for yourself as you would like.  Please do not make for sale or claim this tutorial as your own.  Thank you!  I would love to see your gowns in my gingercake tutorial flickr group!  

Check out my pattern shop and free tutorials for more fun sewing ideas!