Dover Jacket Sew-Along #2 - 8 Things Every Sewer Should Know

We are on to day #2 of the Dover Jacket Sew-Along and today we are prepping to sew.  By now we have gathered together our pattern, fabric and notions and we are ready to go. Today we will print the pattern, tape it together, pin, cut and mark our pattern and apply the interfacing.

Start by printing out the test square page of the Dover pattern package, page 29, to verify your printer settings are correct.  Be sure the printer is set to print at "actual size" and not "fit to page".  When your printer settings are verified, print pages 11-40 for just the pattern pieces or all pages if you want a hard copy of the instructions.

Taping together a PDF pattern can be daunting but really it's a whole lot faster than finding time to get to the fabric store and pick up a pattern OR a lot less expensive than having it shipped (I'm not going to even get into the instant gratification a PDF offers.)  I have a tutorial here on the fastest way to tape together the PDF.

After everything is all together, cut or trace the pattern on the size you have chosen and pull out the instructions for View B.  Blue Dot Patterns have separate instructions for each view of the pattern. Follow the pattern layout for the width of fabric you are using and pin all pieces down making sure to keep grainlines parallel to the selvedge and "cut on fold" pieces along the fold of your fabric.  Cut all of the pieces out (but keep your pattern pieces pinned on to your fabric.)

Sewing skill #1:  Marking Pattern Pieces

This is an essential step and in my experience as a sewing teacher, the one that students most want to skip.  I can tell you, taking the time to mark your pattern now will save lots of heartache and time in the end.  There are a myriad of ways to mark and I'll show you a few here.

Notches:
The short lines along the edge of the pattern are called "notches".  On most commercial patterns, notches are triangle shaped but on Blue Dot Patterns they are simple straight line 1/4" long.  To mark, take the end of your scissors and clip just to the end of the line.  In addition, be sure to make a clip at all center fronts and center backs of any project (see photo on the right). These clips will help you line up the pieces throughout construction.

Tracing paper:
One way to mark stitching lines, darts, pocket placement, buttonhole placement or any number of markings on the body of a pattern is tracing paper.  It's a method that's been around forever and the supplies are really quite inexpensive.  You'll need tracing paper (paper with chalk on one side, sold by the package) and a tracing wheel.  The wheels come either smooth or serrated.  I find the serrated leaves a more visible line than the smooth but you definitely need the smooth wheel for delicate fabrics that could be damaged by the serrations.

To mark:  Place the tracing paper chalk side down on your fabric and under your pattern piece.  Take your tracing wheel and firmly run the wheel along the marking lines on the pattern.  For Dover, this method works well for buttonhole markings and topstitching lines.

Chalk:
Another option for marking patterns is chalk.  It comes in lots of forms including pencils and squares.  I will be showing the Chaco Liner.

To mark the topstitching lines and buttonholes, measure how far in the marks are on the pattern and using a ruler, transfer the marks to the fabric by rolling the liner along the ruler.  Often times, this gives a sharper mark than tracing paper.

Sewing Skill #2 - Interfacing

What is interfacing and why do we want to use it?  Interfacing is a stabilizer that is added to a fabric or garment to provide structure or stability.  We need it in many places including: shirt plackets, collars, facings, hems and anywhere fabric needs to be shored up.  It comes in different forms but are primarily divided into fusible (iron on) and sew in.  Both are used for different reasons but whenever I can use fusible, I do.

Cut facing pattern pieces out of interfacing and cut interfacing strips 2 1/2" wide for the hem and 1" wide for the sleeve.

Using a light iron, place the bumpy side of your interfacing pieces down on the wrong side of the facings, lining up the edges evenly.  Place a pressing cloth or thin piece of fabric over the interfacing and iron gently on the cloth.  It's best to use an up and down gentle motion with the iron (pressing) as opposed to pushing down and moving the iron back and forth (this can make your fabric stretch and your interfacing move).  The strips of interfacing for the hems will be used later.

If you have questions, leave a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

Whoo-hoo!  We are done for the day!  Day #3 of our Sew-Along will be on February 19th.  See you then!  

Summer Sewing with TNT Patterns - Fabricmart Fabricista

I'm happy to be back this month with a summer Fabricista project and some exciting news...

There's nothing more rewarding for a sewist than having a TNT (tried and true) pattern you love to make, is easy to wear and versatile enough that you can make it over and over with great results.  I decided to set out and do just that:  design a line of modern patterns with friendly fully illustrated instructions that sewers could use to build their sewing skills, fill their closets and add to their TNT pattern list.  So with that, I'm excited to announce Blue Dot Patterns, my new sewing patterns!

For my summer outfit, I used one of Blue Dot's first patterns, the Dover Jacket which comes with two views. View A is short sleeved with a single button closure and view B has a 3/4 length sleeve, gathered bodice and a three button closure.

I chose a lightweight stretch denim from Fabricmart (sadly it sold out) would be perfect for view A because it would look great with some decorative machine stitching.

The cotton/lycra fabric I used is light, has stretch and a soft brushed face but the jacket would also work in quilting cottons, like this polka dot, twills and ponte knits.

Dover is a loose fitting jacket with raglan sleeves that goes together quickly.  I bound the jacket facing with bias I made using a bias tape maker and fabric from my stash (I think it looks interesting when the jacket comes open) and added strips of interfacing to the bottom of the jacket to stabilize the hem.

My "Details" Pinterest board was the inspiration for the topstitching.  After testing several different stitches on my machine, I ended up using a "dot and stitch" design around the edge of the jacket.

I debated on adding topstitched pockets to the front but after seeking the opinions of those around the house, I opted not to this time but I will the next time around.  I used a Burberry button I had in my button tin (I have no idea where it came from) to finish everything off.  I love it with the skirt but I also like that it can dress up a simple t-shirt.

For the summer skirt I used a Colette pattern I had in my stash.  The Ginger skirt pattern became a TNT pattern for me a couple of years back but it's been a while since she's been pulled it out.  The high waist silhouette lends itself to this bold stretch shirting from Fabricmart.  This cotton/lycra fabric is crisp and bright with a slight sheen and best of all, it's easy to sew.

I lengthened the skirt about 2" and added a cotton batiste lining but didn't change anything else.  This pattern has great instructions and would be perfect for a beginning intermediate sewist.

Thank you for letting me share my Blue Dot news with you and for all my Fabricista friends, the patterns are 40% off through the end of July.

Happy Sewing,

Diane at Gatorbunnysews.

Fabricista Jacket - Boucle Baby

Happy New Year Friends!  I'm happy to get my Fabricmart Fabricista year (Thanks Fabricmart!)  off to a good start with a classic boucle jacket. It's a timeless style, classic fabric and beautiful color!

I started with New Look pattern 6028 view A and chose Fabricmart's soft green, black and white boucle suiting, similar to the type of fabric used in the pattern photo (the fabric also comes in this pretty pink, yum).  I used this Maggy London black satin for the lining.  So luxurious!

I didn't make any style changes or alterations to the pattern (don't you love when you get a pattern like that?)  but I changed the lining. The jacket shell pattern and the lining pattern are the same, meaning, when you sew the lining and jacket together, the lining fabric is right up to the outer edge of the jacket.  So if the jacket comes open or lifts up, you would see the lining right at the edge.  I wanted a more traditional lining that included a facing all the way around the neckline and a hem.  It's an easy remedy:

1) I added 1" to the hem of the jacket shell (there was only a 5/8" seam allowance).

2) I cut the jacket front facing out of the shell fabric.

3) I cut a back neck facing out of the shell fabric and attached it to lining.

This boucle is great to work with because it has some natural give which makes sewing curves and easing in sleeves a breeze.  I added a sleeve head to the sleeve to give the jacket additional structure.  Here's how I made them (it's so easy you don't need to buy them):

Trace the sleeve head onto lightweight fleece, from dot to dot.

Draw a line from dot to dot.

Fold along the line and cut out the curve.

Sew the sleeve head onto the seam allowance of the sleeve, matching raw edges of fleece and sleeve.  Stitch just inside stitching line (4/8").  Press all seams toward the sleeve.

The sleeve on the left has a sleeve head and the one on the right doesn't.  You can see what a big difference this tiny piece of fleece makes.  The one on the left looks much better, it even makes the side of the jacket hang more smoothly.  And this is all before shoulder pads!

And now for the fun part....the trim!  The outer trim on the jacket is simply bias strips of fabric gathered down the center.  I used the gathering foot on my machine, set the tension to the tightest, used the longest stitch length and stitched until everything was gathered.  I put the trim on with a straight stitch right over the gathering line.  Super easy....and pretty!

I had some leftover strips I sewed into a continuous circle, put a button on top of the raw edges and made a flower.  I'm feeling pretty tricky right now! 

I think now it's time to make this jacket in pink!

What's next for you?

Check out the blog post for this jacket and lots more at Fabricmart's blog.

Here's my Patternreview.com review.

Diane