Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns - Storybook Pinafore Sewalong

It is week two for the TDD sewalong and now it is time to make the pinafores. 

Don't forget that the pinafore pattern is on sale in the Tie Dye Diva Store for $6.50.  The Peasant patterns are already at a very low price, $5.95, and you can use the code BUNDLE when you buy three or more patterns, so this is an awesome deal!!  You can buy baby or girl sizes for this sewalong.  Or all four!

In case you missed it, here are the posts for last week.

Monday, June 16 - Introduction

Tuesday, June 19 - Giveaway info!

Wednesday, June 18 - Put patterns together and cut them out. Begin sewing Peasant dress.

And here is this week's schedule:

Monday, June 23

• Begin Pinafore

Wednesday, June 25

• Finish Pinafore
• Start sharing!

Friday, June 27

• Share your finished dresses! You can share on my blog's linky party and/or TDD sewing group on Facebook. Both sites will make you eligible for the prizes 

Saturday, June 28

• Keep sharing!

Monday,  June 30

• Giveaway day!  Two winners will be announced.

 ****************************************************

 Before we get started on the pinafores, I need to let you know that I originally made my pinafore in two fabrics. Some photos will show strap and sash in a navy print. I ended up ripping out seams and removing that print because it was just too busy and the print placement did not look good. I redid the pinafore in the raindrop fabric.  

I highly recommend you use one fabric for your pinafore, to avoid such problems. 

 ****************************************************

-->

Pinafore Sewing tips - the pattern is great but here are a few tips to help you.

1.      Tip: Cut a ruffle pattern piece as a guide to iron the first ¼ inch down. Cut out a new one so you don’t iron the ink or tape on your first one. Turn off steam as it will dampen the paper. 

2.      The secret to turning little pockets easily is ric rac! You will need 12 inches of ric rac, medium size is best.  Sew ric rac to one half of each pocket pair, the side that will be your inside. Sew so the bumps are mostly inside and sew just the humps, as shown in this picture. Pin each pair together and sew along the same seam you just made.  Turn right side out. Use ric rac to pull pockets into shape. Iron and proceed.

3.      Tip: If you are using a print, fussy cut your pockets so they show something fun.  My print is whales. One whale fit perfectly into one pocket but I had to make it a tad wider than Jen’s pattern.  For another pocket, I used the same size but I appliqued on the tail.  I didn’t want to have two of the same whale as pockets!

4.      Here is how I center pockets. Iron the skirt in half side to side.  Fold in half again, side to side.  Fold top to bottom. Iron really well. Open it up flat and now have a grid ironed onto your skirt. Center the pockets either just below the middle line or right smack in the middle.  You can also iron the pockets in half one-way and then half the other way to make a grid on them. Helps in lining things up!  You can see the marks in the photo above. 

5.  Pay attention to fussing cutting so your print isn't going sideways, like I did here.  

 6.  Bodice tip: for straps, after you sew all four strap pieces on, but before you attach ruffle, fold all four outer edges ½ inch and iron. This will give you a mark for where to sew your ruffle and then where to sew inner strap.  Use your iron in between each step to make sure the strap is flat before you sew. And don’t worry about visible gathering stitches because they are easy to remove. Just gently rip them out and steam iron and your bodice will look great. It will look beautiful inside and out. 

7.  When you attach the skirt, use lots of pins. Don't worry so much about the gathering stitches showing. It is more important to get it all pinned and sewn down neatly.  Go slowly and use a lot of pins.  Remove gathering stitches with your stitch rippers when you are all done. 

 

And now you should be done! I will be on Facebook a lot this week, so let me know if you have any questions. You can post them in the Tie Dye Diva sewing patterns facebook group or here on the blog.