(Basic Bodice Design Series) Me Sew Crazy

Thanks for tuning again for this latest installment of our

Today we have the fabulous Jessica from Me Sew Crazy.  

Jessica is one of my favorite bloggy friends.  

She is a prolific sewer and designer.  Her tutorial page on her blog is HUGE! 

Go check it out, seriously.

Besides her blog, Jessica has a shop where she sells her creations and her patterns. She is also the creator of the amazing SewSet website, which is a one-stop shop for sewing tutorials and patterns across the web.

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Hi everyone! I am Jessica from Me Sew Crazy & SewSet, and I am so excited to be here today participating in Jen & Autie's Basic Bodice Design Series. I absolutely love the idea behind the Series, showing just how easy it is to take a simple bodice pattern and twist it into something new. One of my favorite things to do with bodice blocks is to turn them into jackets and vests. Which is exactly what I wanted to share with you here today...

With winter just around the corner, and the need to often put a covering over all of those adorable holiday dresses, a faux fur vest was perfect!

Turning your basic bodice block pattern into this vest is pretty easy, let me show you how it can be done. First off, I used fake fur and only needed 1/2 yard of it. As well as a lining, and some satin ribbon. *Sewing Tip - when sewing with faux fur, place it in the dryer for 20 minutes. This will get rid of all the extra fluff and save a little bit of the mess. *Sewing Tip 2 - keep the vacuum nearby. Lol, once you start cutting you can prepare yourself for more fluff!

Let's get started...

When you are cutting your pattern pieces below, add an extra 1/2" to the bottom of the armhole. This will allow for extra wiggle room when placed over clothes.

And there you have it! Place the vest in the dryer for an additional 20 minutes, and all of your newly created fluff will be gone! Now vacuuming your sewing space, that is another story! HA.

My daughter likes it...but she was a little more preoccupied with her loose tooth during the photo shoot.

Thanks so much for having me Jen & Autie for this fun Series. I can't wait to see what everyone else makes!

(iCandy) Ivy's Yellow Bed

My friend found a pair (yes, I said a pair) of twin beds on the side of the road.  I love it when I find good things on the side of the road like that!

She immediately called me, and grabbed them for me.  I couldn't wait to begin painting, and get my daughters room bright and cheery!

They started out just regular, old plain wood...

It took many, many coats of this yellow paint...whew.

and although I didn't enjoy painting all the spindles on this sucker...i love all the spindles!

Can you imagine what her room looked like before with a plain-old-wood bed.  Doesn't the bright yellow just liven it up!?  I love it!

Now I have to do another one...arrrgh!

ps...I've gotten a lot of comments asking where I got the quilt on Ivy's bed...

I made it back {here} using a moda jelly roll called It's a Hoot...

I love all the bright colors in that line!

thanks guys!

(Basic Bodice Design Series) Craftiness is not Optional

I am so excited to introduce our next guest of our

The fabulous Jess, from Craftiness is not Optional.  

She has a TON of fabulous eye candy and tutorials on her blog:

The Playdate Dress

Pleated Ombre Skirt

Keyhole Tee

Those are just a few of so many!  

Go to her blog and check out all the goodies!

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Hi iCandy readers! I'm Jess, from Craftiness is not Optional, and I'm so excited to be here for the Basic Bodice Design series!

What a great idea for a series, right? Most everyone has a basic bodice pattern in their sewing arsenal, so today I'm going to show you how I cut some striped fabric and added some piping for pizazz to create a fun bias striped bodice!

It's a really simple dress, but the way the bodice is cut adds some fun interest!

Can't forget the back, can we? I (almost) got the sleeves to match up..not quite, oh well!

So here's how I made it!

You'll need:

striped fabric (for my main fabric I used 1 yard for a 12 mo size, for the lining-probably a fat quarter for this size)

button

elastic, bias tape, or ribbon for button closure

piping if desired

matching thread

First I decided where to have my stripes positioned on the pattern. It's a bit of fussy cutting, so plan on extra fabric to account for that. Make sure to add seam allowance where the fold usually is (ie left side of the pattern in this pic) when you cut out the front, so that when you sew it together it doesn't come out too small)

So after I cut out one front piece, I flipped the pattern over (in this case I actually used the piece I just cut since I could see the stripes easily), and then cut out another front piece, making sure the right sides were facing and the stripes lined up.

Then so the same but with the back neckline. Two pieces of the front bodice and back.

These are all the pieces you should have now!

Now cut out your lining: two of the back bodice, and then one piece, this time cutting it on the fold, of the front bodice.

Next match up your stripes and sew the front pieces together. Press seam open.

Then sew the bodice and linings together separately at the shoulders seams, right sides together.

Next I added piping by basting it around the neckline like so. I lined up the edge of the piping with the edge of the bodice, easy!

Next cut either a piece of matching bias tape, ribbon, elastic, etc long enough to fit around the button you've chosen for the back.

Fold the closure in half and baste to the edge of the back bodice middle like so. Lay your lining and bodice right sides together. Pin down the back bodice pieces and around the neckline.

Then sew where you pinned, as close to the piping as possible. It's good to sew it together with the lining (if it's light colored) on top because it's easier to feel and see where the piping is.

Clip corners and curves, then turn right sides out and press well!

For the sleeves, I created a simple puff sleeve, and cut a piece of piping 7.5" long. (Measure your kiddos arm for a good fit)

I gathered the bottom of the sleeve to fit the piping piece...

...then I sewed close to the piping like so, smoothing the gathers as I went so they didn't pucker up. (much)

I also serged (or you could zig zag stitch) the raw edges on the bottom like so.

Then flipping the bias edge of the piping underneath, top stitch along the bottom of the sleeve.

Gather the top of your sleeve to fit the armholes, then pin right sides together and sew!

Sew the sides of your bodice together. I stitched the very bottom inch or so of the back of the bodice together with some hand stitches, then you're done! Well, add your button and an easy gathered skirt and THEN you're done!