Several months ago, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and ran across a stunning image of a social media influencer on her front porch. She was surrounded by beautiful flowers and with her gorgeous two young daughters. While the scene was absolutely gorgeous, I was fascinated by her dress…It. Was. Smocked!!! If you want to take a peek at her gorgeous pictures, I’ll link them, here. Immediately after seeing the dress, I started down the rabbit hole of discovering who made it, where it was purchased, etc. etc. It should not shock you, that much like some of my previous favorite garments, it is crazy expensive. So I hatched…
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“Smocked” Adult Blouse Alert…This is a Good One :)
Here with a quick Inspiration post! I ran across this pattern at Joann’s a month or so ago and knew I needed it. I bought not one, not two, but three dresses this past summer that were a nearly identical shape to this blouse. It was time to commit to a pattern for this dress style, I clearly like it. The pattern is the McCall R11554 aka McCall 8325. It has a puff and flutter sleeve option, as well as a faux honeycomb smocked bodice or tuck bodice variation. It reminds me of a grown up version of the Collar’s Etc. Tuck Dress. I used a fun Liberty of London…
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Smocked Tunic Hack: How to Sew a Designer Dress Using the Smocked Tunic Pattern
A Smocked Tunic Hack
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Smocked Tunic Pattern Now Available!
Some time ago, I was gifted a vintage pattern called “BJ’s Gown and Blouse” by Albe’s Creations. I made one up in a beautiful Liberty of London and posted it to Instagram and Facebook. I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback and questions about the pattern. On a whim, I started searching for the pattern designer, Brenda Raker. I was hoping she may have more patterns in her basement somewhere as it was impossible to find any for sale online or anywhere else. I reached out to my followers with her name, did some googling, and asked around in an attempt to find her. You all came through (as usual!)…
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The Elusive Caftan-How I made a $750 dress for less than $100
Y’all my taste. It’s out of control. Sewing has spoiled me rotten. I like real fabric. I like dresses that fit. I like unique pieces. I like French seams. I like hand embroidery. I like trim, lots and lots of trim. I’ve been looking to purchase a caftan for about a year now and this is what I found people…this… So when I stumbled upon the Vintage Vogue 7295 pattern on Etsy…I jumped on it. I found another one here, if you’re interested. The used pattern I received was SO good. The previous owner had made some solid alterations and clearly loved the pattern. It was neat to see the…
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Blue Gingham with Love.
So, let me start at the beginning with these outfits. The first outfit that I made was my own dress. I used it as the inspiration for the rest of the garments. I had a friend reach out to me (@becsewsthings on Instagram) with an image of a ready-to-wear garment that she loved. We dreamed and schemed about how to make it and finally hatched a plan. I’ll list all the parts of this plan below. This is the ready-to-wear garment we wanted to recreate. I’m no stranger to blue gingham. I love it with all my heart. So I’ve fully embraced its recent resurgence in popularity. In my experience…
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Trouble Shooting While Shirring. What to Try, When.
As I’ve gone down this shirring road, it has become obvious that each machine has a happy place. No one machine’s perfect settings seem to apply to all. In fact, it seems quite the opposite, one machine’s perfect settings will not even come close to working for another. The stitch length and bobbin tension seem to be the most important variables. Below I will include a chart of the most common issues I’ve seen and how to use these variables to overcome them. In general, the thinner the fabric, the more it “gathers up.” This is normal! To accommodate, you may want to shorten stitch length, place shirring lines further…
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Spring Sewing Inspiration for Baby, Toddler, Boys, Girls, and Moms!
I’m a little bit all over the place these days. I’m currently in the middle of several Easter Heirloom garments but am itching to get started on Spring and Summer play clothes. This year I’ll be doing a combination of buying and sewing. In this post, you’ll find the ready to wear (RTW) inspiring me, what I think I’ll make, and what I think I’ll buy this Spring and Summer. In the images below, you can see some of the RTW that I’m loving this Spring and Summer, I will link it all under the images. I will also link patterns that could be used to make these items. None…
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Shirring-big take aways.
Shirring Tutorial and links to other blogs/videos on shirring.
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The Nap Dress Hack
This post describes the processes used to create an angel sleeve for an adult garment using shirring.
