Black Friday Cyber Monday Sale

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Paper, my first love...

Before fabric and its array of wonder, I worked with paper. My first job, many years ago, was at Flax Art and Design in San Francisco, California. I knew nothing about art nor did I care that I did, I just needed a job and I needed it fast. My first position was as a cashier, but within a few months I moved into the paper room and was soon thrown into a world of constant inspiration in the form of paper.

Just imagine a warehouse filled with rows upon rows of steal metal flat-files all containing two, sometimes three different designs or patterns of large sheets of paper. Raw materials waiting to be made into something, yet occasionally able to stand alone as an art piece. The ideas were endless and I would spent my time at work thinking of the next project. I kept a journal in my pocket and inspired by customers (clients as we called them) or the object itself, I would sketch out designs into it. I've gone from constructing lamp shades to burning paper (made from a sort of plastic material, I was trying to obtain an artistic sculpture-like look by manipulating the plastic as it heated up and eventually burned), but the most fun was in bookbinding.

The first books I made were pitiful. The glue I used seeped through the cover and I didn't put enough pressure on the book while it was drying so, the book buckled and the folds were loose. My technique was messy and as precise as I thought I was when I scored and punched holes through the pages of the book, I was usually 1/8"off every single time.

After purchasing and reading several books on bookbinding, upgrading my tools (I bought a drill and heavy duty clamps to make uniform holes though the binder's board and pages), trial and error, I improved my bookbinding skills and was finally happy with the results I could produce. One book from start to finish could take a full day to complete, but the masterpiece at the end was always worth the laborious steps.


Pictured are a few of what remains of my bookbinding/paper days. I promise myself that one day, when space allows, I will set up a bookbinding studio along side my sewing studio and enjoy my two favorite hobbies.

Sewing Magazines

Just picked up the latest issue of Stitch Magazine by Quilting Arts. Perusing through the pages gets me inspired and wondering "what I'm doing with a magazine in my hand? I should be in my studio right now sewing!" It is one of my favorite magazines for sewing and inspiration because it features patterns for hip new items, websites to visit, tips and techniques, and an array of yummy pictures that triggers all kinds of ideas. The only downfall to Stitch is there is no option to subscribe, thus no opportunity to save on some mula. At $14.99 (some issues are less, for example summer was a mere $7.99 in comparison) an issue it seems logical to want to pay the yearly fee if they'd offer it.

Sew News is another great magazine. A bimonthly snippet to keep your focus of sewing in check. This one you can subscribe to and I highly recommend you do. They feature some basic patterns geared mainly towards beginners and intermediate sewers. The articles, tips and technique contents of the magazine are pretty handy especially for someone like me who lack formal sewing training.

Another great magazine I enjoy is Sew Hip which is based in the UK. Similar to Stitch but with a European flare, all of the measurements for the patterns threw me off because they were in SI units. I had to pull out some conversions in order to make the cute shoulder bag it featured in their summer issue. Overall the magazine had some pretty cool articles and loads of patterns. It even featured a DIY knickers pattern, just in case you were ever curious on how to make undies.

I'm not a quilter and I found there to be a slew of quilting magazines in print. Occasionally the quilters magazine may have a purse pattern or something of interest, but I rather not spend the $5 to $7 on a magazine for one pattern. I wish there were more magazines geared towards the new generations of sewing enthusiasts that contains useful information spanning all sewing crafts (not just quilting or dress making) and an abundance of eye candy.

Apron Skirt Tutorial Size: 3 years old

I love the way the apron gives another dimension to this skirt. It is such an adorable look and it is so easy to make you’ll want to make one for every little girl you know!

Please note that this was an experiment. I took an existing skirt pattern and adjusted the size of the skirt pieces to lessen the bulk of the skirt, increase the size of the hem, and to include the addition of the apron. The size I chose was for a 3 year old girl. I haven’t created a list of measurements for all sizes, so for now, you can use these measurements as a guide in creating smaller or larger pieces. In the future I’ll post the new measurements as soon as I have tested that they do indeed match up accordingly.

Enjoy!

All seams are 1/4". Measurements are in inches.

First, cut out your pattern pieces:

Cut 2 for Main skirt: 18” X 7.5”        (contrast 1)

Cut 1 for Yolk: 12.5” X 5.5”               (contrast 1)

Cut 2 for Hem: 18” X 7.5”                 (contrast 2)

Cut 1 for Apron piece: 14” X 9.5” (overall size) (contrast 3)

Cut overall size of apron if you do NOT want a contrasting band on the apron

Cut the following pieces if you want a contrasting band on apron:

14” X 7”          (contrast 3)

14” X 1.5”       (contrast 2)

14” X 2”          (contrast 3)

For the elastic, I used 3/4" X 18". You can also measure the waist of the child and add 1". 

With right sides together, sew the 2 Main Skirt pieces together at the short end of the cut. Do this for both short ends. At this point you can either serge or finish the ends however you want.

Next, sew 2 Hem pieces together at the short end of the cut (same as the Main Skirt). You do not have to finish the edges on the Hem because we will be folding them in.  

With right sides together, sew the short ends of the Yolk together. 
Just like the Main Skirt, you can serge the end or finish it however you please.

Next, match the unfinished ends of the Hem, wrong sides together, and press. Be sure to match your seams. Do this around the entire Hem.

 When finished, it should look like a giant headband that would fit Godzilla if Godzilla had hair…and was real.

 

Now for the Apron. If you do not want a contrasting band on the Apron, then go ahead and hem one of the 14” edges and the two adjacent sides.

If you chose a contrasting band then with right sides together, attach the14” X 1.5” (contrast 2) band to the 14” X 7” (contrast 3) piece. Finish the edges (the part you just sewed) however you prefer and iron seam down. With right sides together attach the remaining 14” X 2” (contrast 3) Apron piece to the existing piece you just sewed together. Finish the edges however you prefer (again, the edges you just sewed) and be sure to iron your seams down. Top stitch both sides. Now hem the 14” side of the apron and the 2 adjacent sides. 

With right sides together and matching seams, match the unfinished edge of your Hem with the unfinished edge of your Main Skirt. You can serge the two pieces together or finish it off however you prefer.

Once attached, top stitch the Main Skirt and Hem portion. Top stitching makes your piece look professional and finished. 

Now for the fun part: ruffling. You can ruffle the skirt however you please. I actually have a ruffler foot. Have I used it? Don't be silly, I've had it for 4 months and still have no clue as to its uses, so I ruffle the way I’ve always known to: gather stitch the top portion of the Main Skirt piece and pull the thread to gather. I usually gather stitch each side separately. This enables me to evenly distribute one side instead of an entire skirt at a time.

With right sides together, attach the Apron to the Yolk of the skirt, 1" from the the Yolk seams. You will need to lightly pleat it.

Now with right sides together, attach the ruffled skirt to the Yolk making sure that the ruffles are evenly distributed (you wouldn't want a left-heavy skirt, would you?) and stitch, finishing off the edges in what ever manner you fancy.

 

Once the skirt is attached to the yolk, do I really need to tell you to top stitch? Nah, you know.

 
Fold in a 1/4" on the top, unfinished side of the yolk. Press, then fold over again to accommodate  whichever size of elastic you are using. I used a 3/4" elastic so I folded the fabric over just at 1". Stitch all around leaving a 1" opening to insert the elastic. The easiest way I found was to attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and pull it through.

 

 Once through, zigzag stitch the elastic ends together and 
close off the entry.

 

Now sit back and marvel at the pretty skirt you just made!