This post demonstrates the technique used to set in boy's sleeves using a French seam.
-
-
Children’s Corner Bishop-Sleeveless
In this blog post I explain how to use a Bishop Pattern to create a sleeveless bishop. This dress ties at the shoulders and would be considered expert to intermediate level sewing. Knowledge of smocking and pleating it required to understand this post.
-
Children’s Corner Taylor and Katina Bubble Mash-Up
Recently, one of my favorite facebook groups issued a “mash-up challenge.” The challenge was to take two Children’s Corner Patterns and mash them together to create a new one. I love a good mash-up and was quite excited to do this one. I absolutely love the Children’s Corner Katina and the Children’s Corner Taylor so these two patterns seemed like a great pair for a mash-up. To create clean lines and corners (for some reason they’re more “boy-ish” to me) I redrafted the Katina bodice to look more like the one seen below. The pattern pieces I used are in the image below. The front and back of the Taylor,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Knit Nightie with a Smocked Insert
I am all about super soft and warm fabrics right now. Something about having a winter baby makes me want to sew with nothing but flannel, corduroy, brushed twill and knit. Probably some evolutionary need to keep the new baby as warm as humanly possible. Isn’t it crazy how hard-wired we are sometimes? Anyway, I LOVE the Children’s Corner Knit Nightie. You can find it here https://goo.gl/8SWfPR. Its available as a digital download! It is a quick sew, and in the newborn size you can usually get two of the actual gowns out of one yard of fabric (it takes some inventive fabric folding while cutting but it can be done!) I have…
