Tie Dye Diva Perfect Party Dress Blog Hop - Day 3

It's day three of the Tie Dye Diva Perfect Party Dress Blog Hop! The variations are amazing!

Today's awesome hoppers are  (counterclockwise from yellow ribbon cutie) 

Sara Beth, Shelly, and Shawnta

Don't forget the party dresses, baby size and girl size, are on sale at the Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns site. The sale price is $6 each, just thru us hoppers!  If you click on the affiliate link, in my side bar, you will get to Jen's store directly. 

And visit the rest of the hoppers all this week!

May 1 Jenny, Meriel, Victoria, Nichole
May 2 Deanna, Zura, Kim

And revisit  past posts.

April 28 Kathy, Amy, Michelle

April 29 Ren, Tasha, and Alyssa 

Tie Dye Diva Perfect Party Dress Blog Hop - Day 2

It's day two of the Tie Dye Diva Perfect Party Dress Blog Hop!  Check out these lovely variations!

 Today's blog hoppers Ren, Tasha, and Alyssa (clockwise). 

Don't forget the party dresses, baby size and girl size, are on sale at the Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns site. The sale price is $6 each, just thru us hoppers!  If you click on the affiliate link, in my side bar, you will get to Jen's store directly. 

And visit the rest of the hoppers all this week!

 

April 30 Sara Beth, Shelly, and Shawnta
May 1 Jenny, Meriel, Victoria, Nichole
May 2 Deanna, Zura, Kim

 

And revisit  yesterday's posts.

 

 

April 28 Kathy, Amy, Michelle

Tie Dye Diva Perfect Party Dress Blog Hop - Day 1

Today is day one of the Tie Dye Diva/ Handmade Dress Haven Perfect Party Dress Blog Hop! We have some great bloggers helping show off different ways to use the Perfect Party Dress pattern to make a stylish and classic little girl's dress. 

First, let me tell you about this pattern. It comes it two sizes, baby sizes 0-24 months and girl sizes 2 to 10 years.  The patterns are extremely well written and the sizing is very accurate to the size charts.  The directions are perfect. Jen, the Tie Dye Diva, is an excellent pattern writer.  And, for this week only, you can get these patterns for $6 each, instead of the usual $7.95.  You will see the discount once you put the patterns in your cart.  What a great deal!!

 I have made numerous versions of the girl size dress and love it!  You may recall my pleated-front version, which was featured on the SisBoom blog.  Today, I am going to show you how to do another variation of the bodice piece, this time with pintucks! I will also show you how to made a ruched sash instead of a flat one.  I showed this to you a few weeks ago, for Project Run and Play, but today I will actually tell you you can also get this great look. 

Here is the finished dress

And here is a closeup of the bodice and sash.  

 

Step 1 - Pin Tucks

1.  Cut out your bodice front pattern piece and then cut a piece of fabric out that is several inches larger on both sides.   This takes eye-balling but for my size 6X bodice I cut it 2 inches wider. Better to be too wide than too narrow.  I also cut the fabric about an inch higher on top and bottom.

2. Next,  in that extra inch on top and bottom, mark (with washable marker) dots every one inch.  I used my rule to make sure my dots line up on top and bottom.  Pin tucks are basically tiny pleats so you need them to line up perfectly.

3. For step three, use your fingers to squeeze the fabric together, making a small fold from one dot to the next (vertically). 

4. Place a pin horizontally to the tiny pleat to make a tuck.  Do this up and down your pleat. This is why they are called "pin tucks." You tuck fabric and pin it! Do one pleat/tuck at a time.

 

5.  One pleat/tuck at a time, use your top stitch foot or stitch in the ditch foot to sew a seam very close to the fold. If you do not have a special foot, just sew very close to the edge. 

6.  Repeat steps 3-5 for every inch. 

7.  You can pleat/tuck all the way across or, as I did, you can stop in the middle to show off the pretty flower.  Either way, when you are done, lay it all out and see how it looks. You now have pin tucks.

 

8. With your iron, use heat to angle the tucks towards the side seams.  Iron from middle to side. This just makes them lay nicely.

9. Use your bodice front pattern piece to cut out your bodice front!  Isn't it pretty!

Hint: If you want the entire bodice to have pin tucks, you might think about doing your first tuck in the exact middle and working out from there! Wouldn't that be sweet. 

 

Step 2  Ruched Sash

1.  Make a new pattern piece that is double the height of the one that comes with the pattern. 

2. Iron it such that you can see a line down the middle. 

 3.  Sew gathering stitches at either side of sash and in the middle (over the line you ironed). Use the gathering stitches to gather the sides and middle of the sash so they match the original sash pattern height. 

 4.  Don't worry if it makes the shape of a ladies swim top. It will look fine later!!

5.  Take it to the ironing table, use your hands to gather the rest, and iron it flat.  This will help it keep it's shape as we sew it to the bodice. 

 

6. Sew it to the bodice as Jen instructs in her Perfect Party Dress Pattern.

 

7. Sew the rest of the bodice parts together as Jen instructs in the Perfect Party Dress Pattern.  Stop when you get to adding the sash ties.  To add the sash ties, you will eye ball the sash side gathering and sew as much of it as you can into the sash ties. This will hold the gathers in place. Be sure to leave a bit at bottom so that the sash front lines up with bottom of lining.  The three photos below show you how I did this step.

This might seem complicated. Contact me if you have any questions!  

 

8. Follow Jen's directions to complete the Perfect Party Dress pattern! 

 

Voila!

Please visit Amy and Michelle's blogs for their versions of the Perfect Party Dress! 

April 28 Kathy, Amy, Michelle

And visit the rest of the hoppers all this week!

 

 
April 29 Tasha, Ren and Alyssa
April 30 Sara Beth, Shelly, and Shawnta
May 1 Jenny, Meriel, Victoria, Nichole
May 2 Deanna, Zura, Kim

Pattern Designer Interview - Kate of Monkeysbug Patterns

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Monkeysbug Blog

1. When did you start designing patterns and how did it come about?

I started designing patterns in 2007. Where has the time gone?!? The pdf pattern industry was still very new, so the sky was the limit on fresh ideas.

2. What training do you have or how did you learn?

My mom is an amazing seamstress. My childhood was filled with coordinating dresses for my sisters and myself. Even though she was happy to teach me, I was completely uninterested in sewing…..then I had kids…..and I had to go begging for lessons. Between my mom’s teaching, loads of research, and boatloads of sacrificial fabric, I developed enough experience to feel confident teaching others.

3. What is the process of designing a new pattern like?

Funny question, because I think every pattern goes through the same process in my house. I start by telling my beloved that I have a great, new idea that is “going to be so fast and easy to design”. When it’s finally finished, I tell him that I’ll never say that again. Somewhere in between, there is a lot of drafting, re-drafting, photographing, tutorial writing and (most importantly) testing.

4. What is the hardest part about designing a pattern in pdf form?

The hardest part for me is finishing! I rarely finish one pattern before I’m ready to start the next. It’s difficult to get excited by the little details, like fabric requirements and picture cropping, once a new idea has started to grow.

5. What is your favorite of your patterns and why?

Does it sound too vain to say that I still have a crush on my girls’ undies pattern? After all of these years, I still make them for my girl (who is nearly 13!). There’s something very satisfying about finishing a stack. They even make folding laundry more appealing ;)

6. Do you sew for your own family or for sale? What do you prefer more, sewing or pattern design, and why?

Aside from occasional stacks of undies, I don’t sew much for my family. They’ve outgrown my style. I love working with beautiful fabrics, but my heart belongs to pattern drafting. It’s like a crazy and wonderful jigsaw puzzle.

7. Have you learned anything from feedback from customers that you would like to share with other designers or wanna-be designers?

I’ve learned so much from customers. Simple, clear instructions and detailed photos are invaluable. For any designers starting out, I would add that I would be lost without my amazing team of testers. 

8. Best time and place to design?

I am most productive at night or first thing in the morning before my people wake up. I’m highly distractible once my house is hopping. My sewing room is a sunroom that is desirable to everyone in the house, so I’m rarely lonely.

 9. Favorite fabric of all time?

I could never narrow it down to just one fabric, but anything that makes me weepy to cut is a contender. My most recent sacrifice was some Victoria & Albert Museum – Garthwaite Collection

10. Favorite thing to do for fun?

I love reading, hiking, photography, and any board game my family can agree on. 

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What a fun interview. 

Interesting factoid here: Kate's Tiered Twirly Skirt was my first pdf pattern purchase, back in February 2010.  I have made it many times since. 

Signature Sewing Style

 

 Last week, I missed participating in week four of Project Run and Play because I was sick. I had a very bad ear infection. And, when your ear and jaw hurt and your eustachian tube is so congested you are a tad dizzy, sewing is not a good idea!  So, I put off sewing my signature style until this week.

And here it is!  My signature style is floral, ruffly, very feminine, basically a dress that looks like a walking flower garden.  Since I was a little girl, this has always been my favorite clothing to wear.  My mother, bless her heart, preferred for me to buy simple clothing that I would not tire of wearing. But, as soon as I was old enough to buy my own clothing, beautiful floral dresses started entering my wardrobe. And, I still have two suitcases of the ones I first bought, waiting for my girls to get big enough to enjoy. 

Currently, as a stay at home mom, I live in yoga pants or Levis and brightly colored t-shirts, but I do occasionally pop on a nice floral skirt if I want to be fancy.

I had originally planned to sew a very feminine Handmaiden's Cottage Petticoat dress out of the same swiss dot fabric Lynn used in her pattern listing. I found some lovely Shabby Chic white and lavender floral and my vision was something Elizabeth Bennett would have worn. However, I learned the hard way during design your own fabric week, white and lavender are very hard for an amateur to photograph correctly! 

So, I switched to a jewel tone garden dress and used up a bunch of my Jennifer Paganelli fabric stash. The main body of the dress is Natasha in green from Crazy Love.   The yellow floral ruffle is Victoria in mustard, also from Crazy Love. The navy floral at the bottom is Emma in navy from Lucky Girl. The turquoise ruffle is Rosetta in blue from Honey Child.  The other three ruffles are miscellaneous fabrics from my stash.  The lovely ribbon is from Les Bon Ribbons. You will not find lovelier ribbon anywhere else!   The pattern is the amazing Tea Party dress from Handmaiden's Cottage Patterns.

So that, my dear reader friends, is my signature style. My little one LOVES it and it makes me very happy to look at, which means it is a great success.  I may not win any awards for originality and I don't design my own patterns, but I love this dress and so does E and that is what makes a style your signature. That you love it and it brings you joy.

Blog Hop - Tie Dye Diva Patterns Perfect Party Dress - Hosted by Handmade Dress Haven

Starting Monday April 28, 16 bloggers, including myself, will be showing you a different way EACH to use the fabulous Perfect Party Dress Pattern by Tie Dye Diva. This fabulous pattern should be a staple in the sewing wardrobe of everyone who sews for girls.  It comes in girl's size 2-10 and baby sizes 0-24 months. For the sake of disclosure, I will let you know that I was a pattern tester for this pattern and I received the girl's size for free.  But, I have since made it many times, which I would not do if it was not an amazingly well-done and useful pattern. I am an affiliate for TDD patterns, which means I might get a few cents if you click on the link in the ride side bar and buy something. But, I created this blog hop because I love the pattern, not because I hope to get anything out of it. And, I want to help people learn to use patterns in creative ways, not just the one or two ways the designer shows you.  We all can't be pattern designers, but we can all think outside the box now and then and get creative!



This fabulous pattern is the one I used a few weeks ago for my entry in the Project Run and Play weed #3 design your own fabric sewalong.    Monday, April 28, I will be sharing with you a tutorial on how to make pintucks on the front of this pattern, instead of a bib, as well as how to do a ruched sash instead of flat. 

    

Here is the schedule for the week. Each blogger is going to give you a tutorial on how to customize the wonderful pattern.  Come back to Handmade Dress Haven each day next week for links to the other hoppers!  And enjoy!!

April 28 Kathy, Amy, Michelle
April 29 Tasha, Ren and Alyssa
April 30 Sara Beth, Shelly, and Shawnta
May 1 Jenny, Meriel, Victoria, Nichole
May 2 Deanna, Zura, Kim

Pattern Designer Interview - Lindsay of The Cottage Mama

Lindsay's website: blog, store, and more!

1. When did you start designing patterns and how did it come about?

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, Savannah Rose, I got this urge to create things for her nursery. I really wanted to sew some things such as curtains, pillows, etc.  but I didn’t know where to start. I had grown up with my mom sewing, but never took the time to learn from her. Since my mom lives in Texas and I live in Chicago, I didn’t have her there to teach me. Luckily my grandmother lives close by so I took a lesson from her and off I went. I consider myself self-taught for the most part, but she taught me some very important skills during our one sewing lesson.

After Savannah was born, I started creating clothing for her and I fell in love with designer quilting cotton fabric. As she would wear the clothes around town people would ask me if I sold clothing or baby goods. Shortly thereafter I started my blog (www.thecottagemama.com/blog) where I shared my love of sewing, cooking and crafting and shared mostly the different sewing creations I made for Savannah (and our second daughter, Matilda). About a month later I started an Etsy shop selling handmade clothing. While it was fun at first, I slowly realized that I didn’t like creating the same piece of clothing more than once and what I truly enjoyed was sewing for my own children. As the demand got stronger, I began to lose some of the joy in sewing. And once I came to that realization, I knew I needed to make a change. I decided I would offer my clothing designs as printed sewing patterns that mothers and grandmothers could then sew themselves at home.

I offer all of my patterns in printed paper and PDF form now. The printed patterns are sold retail as well as through shops around the country and are mostly sold through my wholesale distributors. The PDF patterns are sold directly through The Cottage Mama website or through The Cottage Mama Etsy Shop and are available for immediate download.

I released my first book in October 2013 called ‘Sew Classic Clothes for Girls: 20 Girls’ Dresses, Outfits and Accessories from The Cottage Mama’. The patterns in the book are in PDF form on a disk in the back of the book and you can use the patterns to create an entire handmade wardrobe for a little girl in size 12 month – 10 years.

Buy the book here!

And finally, I have two sewing DVD’s out  too. One is a companion DVD to the book where I show you many of the techniques found in the book (it’s great for visual learners). The other DVD is about pairing fabrics and trims and I walk you through an adaptation of my Charlotte Apron Dress pattern.

2. What training do you have or how did you learn?

I didn’t go to school for fashion design……I actually went to college for musical theatre (yes, I sing and dance) and got my degree in Finance. If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I ever saw myself doing what I do now, I would have called you crazy. I learned pretty much everything from books and online and A LOT of trial and error.

3. What is the process of designing a new pattern like?

I flat draft all my patterns, so I generally draft it in a size 4 and then it is graded down to a size 6 month and up to size 10.  I use basic blocks that I’ve created and the patterns are created off of those. The pattern usually undergoes 3 – 4 modifications before I’m happy enough for it to go into grading. Once the pattern is graded from 6 months – 10 years, then the pattern goes into testing with my online Facebook group that has 55 of my beloved pattern testers that make sure that each and ever size and variation are up to The Cottage Mama standards.

4. What is the hardest part about designing a pattern in pdf form?

Interesting question. I guess it’s making sure that everyone understands how to print it properly. If the 2” test square is off when someone goes to print, the pattern won’t line up properly and the fit will be off. Even if it’s 1/16^th of an inch off, the fit will still be off. So educating people about PDF patterns and how to use them is the hardest part.

She doesn't just design for girls!

5. What is your favorite of your patterns and why?

This one is easy…….The Georgia Vintage Dress. It’s my favorite dress I’ve designed or sewn EVER. It’s everything a little girl could hope for in a dress. It’s  sweet, feminine, a little vintage, has a tad bit of whimsy and the fit is spot on (if I do say so myself). It also has a lot of wow factor and looks like an incredibly difficult dress, when in fact, it’s one of my easiest patterns to sew. Plus the fabrics can make the dress look completely different and it’s a fun pattern to use with embellishments.

6. Do you sew for your own family or for sale? What do you prefer more, sewing or pattern design, and why? 

At this point, I only sew for my family. I love sewing. That’s where my heart is, but what I love even more is inspiring others to sew and creating patterns is what helps me to do so. My favorite part of my job is traveling around the country and teaching classes because I get to meet all these amazingly talented women who share the same passion as I do………the love of sewing. I feel so blessed.

7. Have you learned anything from feedback from customers that you would like to share with other designers or wanna-be designers? 

I have learned that designing great patterns is wonderful, but not only do you want people to love your patterns, you want them to know about you and who you are as a designer. It’s not just the pattern that creates a loyal following, it’s the love for the designer that creates customers for life. And the feeling is mutual……..I absolutely love and adore my customers and many of them I can now call my sewing friends.

8. Best time and place to design?

Saturday morning with a cup of coffee………when my husband takes the kids out of the house. Listening to my Caro Emerald station on Pandora. That’s a very happy place for me.

9. Favorite fabric of all time? 

Seaside by October Afternoon for Riley Blake Designs. LOVE, love, love it!!

10. Favorite thing to do for fun? 

I’m a big foodie, so I love going out to eat! 

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Note from Kathy: Lindsay is one of the most genuinely nice people I have come across in the online sewing world.   I hope you enjoyed my interview with her!