This is the second part of a two part blog series. Before you begin, check out my post describing my quest to create a specific pair of overalls, you can find it here. To get the look of overalls, I used the Creative Needle Sunsuit Pattern. I altered it by moving the straps. Instead of having them attach by button in the back as seen in the pattern. I cut them off, and sewed them to the back. Then placed the button on the front of the strap and the button hole on the front of the pattern. I made sure to add a half inch of length to the…
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Creations by Michie 123 Hack: My Favorite Sunsuit
The Sunsuit…. it is one of my favorite garments on a baby. As y’all are well aware from previous posts, bubbles (more specifically sunsuits) are a personal weakness. Prior to learning to sew them, I swooned over The Beaufort Bonnet’s many sunsuit options. Some of my favorites for boy (or girl) can be see below. These can be found and purchased on their website here or at any boutiques that carry Beaufort Bonnet. Side note: Beaufort Bonnet is opening their first flagship store in Lexington, KY soon and you can bet this mama will be there. Not crazy about the colors they have to offer? Or the price? Here’s how…
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Children’s Corner Taylor Modification for Color Blocking
If you’ve been following along for any period of time, you know that one of my favorite things to do is to find a ready-to-wear outfit and replicate it in my own way. This project was no exception. This sweet little bubble ran across my Instagram feed and I knew it had to be mine. Upon initial viewing, its pretty clear that this is a Children’s Corner Pattern’s Taylor. It just required some small alterations. If you’re at a point in your sewing journey in which you feel pretty confident following a pattern and would like to try changing a pattern up for the first time, this is the perfect…
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Add a Pleat to a Yoke Dress or Bubble
When I sat down to make my plan for Spring sewing, I had a hard time ignoring this adorable little dress from The Proper Peony. Its’ new twist on classic lines are so visually appealing. The yoke dress is a favorite of mine, throw in a pleat and I’m basically drooling at the possibilities. I had to figure out how to make this happen. I consulted with several, far more experienced sewists and walked away with a couple of different options. I will be describing the option that I felt allowed for the least bulk at seams while adding the fewest steps. ***One disclaimer***When I was taking the example pictures,…
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Children’s Corner Katina Modification:Spring Flowers
Heirloom Children’s Corner Katina
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Deer Costumes
If you’ve been following along for some time you probably know my husband is hunter. A serious hunter. We have a giant elk hanging in my “sewing room” (basement) as proof. Because of this, my daughter is quite convinced that deer are the greatest animals on earth. She’s also convinced that she’ll be “getting a big buck” every time her dad goes hunting. This little lady is going on year two of being a deer for Halloween. Last year I made her a Children’s Corner Lee in brown velvet, picked up deer antlers and a tail from Target’s Dollar bins, est voila, we had a deer. I was able to…
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Collar Tips and Tricks
My mom started sewing before I was born. She continued to sew throughout much of my childhood. Watching her sew was most likely the impetus for my interest and desire to learn about sewing when I had my own child. She ended up having four girls (enough work in-and -of-itself, let alone while sewing!) and put up her sewing machine for about a decade. When I began sewing for my own little girl, my mom helped me whip up a bonnet, Bishop, Jamie, and learn the basics. Her re-entry into sewing has been incredibly eye-opening for me, as we’ve both improved our skills through dramatically different ways of learning and…
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Smock ’em Straight: Smocking A Bishop Straight
When I first learned to smock I remember being taught about blocking, having no understanding of what I was doing and then assuming that smocking was too hard for me. This prevented me from smocking for quite some time. When I finally regained the courage to do it, I purchased a million pre-pleated inserts and just practiced. After that, I was hooked, and I was already smocking straight. I stuck to inserts (give me all the Michie Playsuits and Alan’s bubbles!) and did not venture out. When I finally attempted a Bishop, I did so with help. My friend Margy and I pleated the Bishop below using the methods I…
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Smocking A Bishop Straight-Pleat First.
Recently my good friend and mentor Margy Hood posted the picture above on her Instagram. She immediately received tons of messages and comments asking her how she smocked her bishops. Apparently there are quite a few ways to smock a bishop! So here’s how we do it. First things first: Some definitions written by yours truly. Pleating is the act of putting the bishop through the pleater and scrunching up your fabric. Smocking is the act of using decorative thread to create a design on the pleats. It will actually act to hold the pleats up when completed. When I first began smocking I used the two terms interchangeably, not…
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Part Three of Sewing Curriculum-Hand Embroidery and Smocking
This is the third post in my most recent series of posts. Click here to find parts one and two. My goal for these posts is to create a list of patterns to sew that gradually build sewing skills while increasing confidence through repetition. A sewing curriculum of sorts. In this list you will find patterns that I find particularly challenging, introduce a skill that has not been previously covered, or continues to reinforce previous learning objectives. I’ll be including learning objectives for each pattern beneath the options. I’m a former teacher. I’m all about some learning objectives. I’ll also be linking up all the patterns to various shops. Hopefully…
