Color Wheel Dress Tutorial

 A dress with a pieced circle skirt inspired by the 6 main colors of the color wheel (free pattern and tutorial)

 Supplies needed:

• Purple Rose Party Dress pattern size 4
• 1.5 yards white cotton fabric
• 13 inches by 13 inches of 6 different solid colored cotton fabrics: pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple
• 7-9 inch invisible zipper
• bias binding
• hook and eye closure

 Step-by-step instructions:
First make a pattern for the 6 wedges. On a large piece of paper draw a circle with 3.5 inch radius and draw another circle around that 10 inches away.

 With a protractor make a 60 degree angle and draw lines from the center point of the circle out to the edge of the largest circle.

  On the 2 sides of the wedge add .25 inches for the seam allowances.

 Cut off the inner 3.5 inches.

 Now you have your pattern which will be used to cut out the 6 different colored pieces of the color wheel.

 Sew together the 6 skirt pieces using .25 inch seam allowance, then press seams open.

 Cut out the circle skirt lining, by placing the color wheel circle skirt on top of white fabric, right sides together.
Sew lining and color wheel circle skirt together using .25 inch seam allowance.
Using pinking shear/zigzag rotary cutter, trim seam allowance all around the circle.

 Turn right side out and press.

 Cut out 2 bodices (the 2nd one is for the lining). Assemble bodices using .5 inch seam allowance (for more help refer to the Striped Dress). Attach bodice to the color wheel circle skirt using .5 inch seam allowance. Sew on bias binding to the bodice/skirt seam. Install invisible zipper. Add bias binding to the armholes and neckline. Attach a hook and eye closure above the invisible zipper.

 Put it on the girl and let her twirl!

Tricolor Chevron Tutorial

 So here's the scoop on how I created the Tricolor Chevron...

The pattern: Oliver+S Rollerskate Dress with these alterations: I went one size down (I would normally sew a size 5, so for this I sewed a size 4 and I do have to admit that it is a little snug when putting it on and taking it off, so my advise would be to make the back opening just a little bit deeper), eliminated the elastic waistband, added on seam side pockets, and added .5 inch in length
The fabrics: solid cotton fabrics in turquoise, white, and gray, lining is 100% cotton voile in white

 First up I started with an idea and made a sketch. I actually traced the View A front drawing from the sewing pattern (because I am so bad at drawing), then added my details. I then sat down and figured out how I was going to execute my vision. My number one priority was that I wanted that top turquoise stripe of the chevron to be thick enough to cover the whole shoulder.

 Second I created my own textile by cutting out strips of fabric:

• Turquoise was cut 6.5 inches wide
• White was cut 4 inches wide
• Gray was cut 4 inches wide

 I took these strips of fabric and I sewed them together (using .5 inch seam allowances, then pressed the seams open) to make striped fabric.

 Lastly I cut out the pattern pieces at a 45 degree angle, adding .5 inch seam allowance for the center seam for the front 2 pieces. The first front piece I cut out using the paper pattern.

 For the second front piece I placed the first front piece on top (right sides together) to match up the stripes and get a perfect mirror image. I used the same method for the 2 back pieces.

 Then I sewed everything together, when sewing up the side seams that is when I added the on seam side pockets using Freshly Picked's pocket pattern.

 In the end the actual dress turned out to be a little different from the original sketch and that is because I decided to make a tricolor textile with varying thicknesses for the chevron, this was after seeing the inspiring photos from the Christian Siriano (Project Runway Season 4 winner) Resort 2014 collection.

PS I created this dress for the FLIP This Pattern Series and now through Sunday July 21 11 PM CST voting is going on, 3 different designers shared their FLIP, go here to vote for YOUR favorite.

PPS Would you like to learn another way to do color blocking? Check out color blocking 101 on the Oliver+S blog.

Pleated Blue Floral Dress

 

Kids Clothes Week Summer 2013 is going on July 15-21.

 Today I am sharing this pleated blue floral dress I sewed.

The pattern: Oliver+S Fairy Tale Dress, size 5
The fabrics: blue floral cotton voile, lining is 100% cotton voile in white
The mods: Collarless. Sleeveless, I added bias trim around the armholes. I made the back a v-neck back. I used a lot more fabric for the skirt and placed many pleats. I added a grosgrain ribbon belt (and added sewn belt loops). I also added on seam sides pockets using Freshly Picked's free pocket pattern.

 This dress is a knock off of a $1500 floral print woman's dress by Antonio Marras. There are pleats on the woman's bodice, but after studying it, I realized that the pleats are to accommodate for the woman's curves. Since the girl's bodice didn't require pleats, I didn't add them.

 To make the ribbon belt I used 26 inches of grosgain ribbons and 3.5 inches for the bow. The white ribbon is 1 inch wide, the bright blue ribbon is 3/8 inch wide. I simply topstitched the blue ribbon onto the white ribbon. The ends of the belt are folded over .25 inch and sewed down. I added 1.5 inches of velcro on the 2 ends of the belt. That white and blue bow reminds me of the Finnish flag.

 There are 16 pleats in front and 12 pleats in back. The pleats are about 1 to 1.25 inches deep. I used about 110 inches of fabric for the skirt which is more than double what the pattern calls for which is 52.5 inches so the skirt is a super full and twirly.

 My daughter's request is that her dresses have pockets and have twirly skirts. I usually can accommodate one of those requests, but this one has both! She is super pleased!

Balloon Cork People

{Kid Summer Creativity}

Another cork project... last time we painted champagne corks to look like mushrooms. This time we made balloon cork people. Super simple and easy, slide balloons over wine corks, then add eyes and mouth with a permanent marker. Got the idea here. They turn out having funny noses!

Buttercup Bag

 I desperately needed a new purse, so one afternoon this past week I whipped up a Buttercup Bag (free sewing pattern). The outer fabric is dark blue chambray and the lining is gray polka dot. The one small change I did make was I made the inside pocket a little bigger. After using my new purse for the first time later that same day, I realized that I sewed the shoulder strap wrong! You are suppose to fold the shoulder strap in half lengthwise. So my strap turned out super short, but in the end I really like it because I'm petite and I really like things small and nice and snug. The Buttercup Bag is my favorite size and shape for a purse. And what a bonus that all you need is a fat quarter for the outer fabric and less than that for the lining!

FLIP This Pattern

Today I'm over at Frances Suzanne to share my "FLIP" of the Oliver+S Rollerskate Dress, click here to check it out.

Belgian Style Dress

 A couple of weeks ago I shared my Belgian style dress over at StraightGrain for the Kids' Clothes Belgian Style series. 

 My inspiration was a dress designed by Inge van den Broeck. I was so drawn to the rich colors and unique color combination.

 Just in case you'd like to create a similar dress I thought I'd share the details about it:
Pattern: Oliver + S Fairytale Dress
Fabrics: bodice (and bodice lining) in copper satin, skirt in navy blue Kona cotton, bow tied belt in tomato red 100% organic cotton sateen.
Modifications: sleeveless, collarless, the width of the skirt is 44 inches (which is the entire width of the fabric) and not the 52.5 inches that is called for in the pattern (so the skirt is not as full), instead of gathering the skirt I inserted 4 pleats in the front and 4 in the back (each pleat was about 1-1.25 inches deep). I also added the details of topstitching around the neckline and armholes. I added thread belt loops following this tutorial, these belt loops really help in keeping the belt in place. To make the .5 inch width belt, start by cutting 2 inches by 56 inches of fabric. Fold in half lengthwise and press. Open folded fabric, then fold the fabric's edges in toward the center crease and press. Fold in half and press again. At the 2 ends tuck in .5 inch and topstitch all around.

Happy sewing!