Thursday 27 February 2014

Tutorial: How to make Rosette Brooches

Hey there Gingerdolls, it's time to have a little fun with fabric scraps.  If you're anything like me there's a giant bag of fabric scraps in your house that just can't be parted with.  Making fabric rosettes is a fun way to use up the long/skinny scraps you have laying around. Today I'll be showing you how to make a rosette brooch. 

Warning - Once you get the hang of folding rosettes you might not be able to stop.



You'll need, fabric, rotary cutter, ruler, and a hot glue gun. It's best to start with a non-slippery fabric with a little body to learn the folding.  Save the silk chiffon for when you go pro.


1. Cut a fabric strip twice as wide as you'd like the rosette to be. I've cut a 2" wide strip here with a rotary cutter and a clear ruler. The length will determine how big the rosette is.  You'll want a decent sized piece, but no particular length is required.


 2. Fold the fabric strip in half length wise and tightly roll the end a little bit.  Secure this roll with a little hot glue.


3. Fold the fabric strip at a 45 degree angle.


4. Roll the end up to the fold and tack it with a little hot glue.


5. Fold the fabric to the 45 degree angle again, in the same direction as the first time, and roll the center up to it again. The folded points become your petal points.

6. Continue folding and rolling the fabric, securing it with hot glue as you need. I like to glue every time I've rolled up to a fold.  Stop when the rosette is a size you like or when you run out of fabric. Tuck the end under and glue it in place.  You can use the rosette as is for give it a little extra embellishment.


7. Cut a strip of contrasting fabric.  The width I used was 1 1/4".


8. Run a gather stitch along one edge and start gathering it into a circle.


9. Glue the fabric in a circle shape and trim the gathering stitches.


10. Glue the rosette on top of the ruffle.


11. For a nice clean finish on the back, cut a round of felt and glue it over the gathering stitches.


Glue a pin back over the felt and you've got a fun little brooch to dress up your me-made creations.




Happy Crafting - Heather 

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Monday 24 February 2014

NEW PATTERN RELEASE - COMING SOON!




























Get excited lovely people and pencil this in your diaries, the brand spanking new Bluegingerdoll pattern and the first for 2014  will be released on the 3rd of March 2014




Abby
xx
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Friday 21 February 2014

Peggy Pegged

Hello there Gingerdolls, Heather here. Today I have a fun little pattern variation for you, it's Peggy Pegged.


So what exactly do I mean by that?  Well instead of using the A-line shape Peggy is drafted with, I changed the side seam shape to that of a pencil skirt.  The waistband and pocket details remain the same, but the skirt gets a more figure hugging shape. My version was sewn in a light weight stretch denim which allowed me to skip any need for a vent in the back.


To do this hack I used the Billie Jean pencil skirt pattern as a guide.  Other pencil skirt patterns can be used, you'll just have to eyeball how to line up the pieces more.  Now on to the nitty, gitty of cutting up your pattern. Grab those scissors, a pencil and your Peggy and Billie Jean patterns and we'll get cooking.

How to convert Peggy to a pencil skirt shape.
1. We'll start with the Back Skirt since the change is rather simple. First line the Billie Jean skirt on top of Peggy so that the top side seam points are touching and so that the CB lines are parallel.

2. Trace the side seam line of Billie Jean onto Peggy.


 3. Cut off the excess paper and your back skirt alteration is finished.


4. Now we will alter the Front Skirt.  First you will want to fold the pleat closed, as if you were sewing it, and pin it there.


5. Just like on the back, you'll want to line the Billie Jean skirt up with Peggy so that the top side seam points are touching and so that the CF lines are parallel. With the pleat there might be a little fudging with the CF's matching Just do your best.


6. Trace the Billie Jean Side seam onto Peggy and cut the excess paper off. Now that both side seams have been adjusted, place the front and back skirt patterns on top of each other and check that both side seams are the same length. Add or subtract to the side seams to make them match if they don't.


7. You'll need to adjust the pocket facings and bags for the new side seam shape. Let's start with the Pocket Facing Piece.  Lay it on top of the Front Skirt, matching it up with the straight edge of the pocket.


8. Trace the new side seam off the Front Skirt and trim the Pocket Facing.


9.  Now you'll use the Pocket facing to alter the pocket bag.  Since the pocket bag is smaller to create the gapping pocket feature you'll need to use the notch on the bottom of the bag to line them up.  Also match the top side seam point.


10. Again trace the new side seam onto the pocket bag and cut it off.  When the two pieces are adjusted they should still have a size difference to keep the gapping pocket feature. It should look something like this.


*Optional Alteration*  To exactly copy my Peggy you'll need to shorten the skirt by 4 inches.  Use the CF/CB as your guide to square a line across the pattern and cut off the extra length. My skirt has a 1 1/4" hem making the final length 22".


To sew up just follow the regular directions.  Your pocket sides will be a bit fiddly to seam at this width, but the finished skirt will look great.


P.S. I just have to crow a bit because this is my first lapped zipper!  I used the tutorial on the blog and am pretty pleased with the end result. Hooray for learning new sewing techniques!


Enjoy!
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Thursday 20 February 2014

Learn to sew the Mae blouse with me @ the Handmaker's Factory next weekend!



























Don't Melbourne sewing peeps  i'm teaching  The Handmakers Factory next weekend! 

There are still places available for the Mae blouse sewing class  so hurry on up and book your spot! 

We will be stitching up the Mae blouse together over two days from 10am-4pm on  1st March  and  2nd March 2014Two glorious days filled with sewing  and hanging out with me ( I promise I'm fun!) in The Handmakers Factory fancy studio.Not only that, you will leave the class with your  sewn by you Mae blouse that you will be  proud of, fits perfectly and will totally  make all your friends jealous, ha!  You will also have all the sewing, fitting/pattern alterations understanding and  skills to keep on sewing Mae blouse's till your sewing machine explodes once you get home! 

Below is a little look at what will be covered over the 2 days in the class: 

-How to trace your pattern from the pattern sheet
-How to take your own measurements and choose the appropriate size ( And complete a FBA/SBA if needed)
-How to make a muslin
-How to lay out your pattern and cut your fabric
-How to sew your garment together
-How to create and sew the perfect scalloped neckline
-How to insert buttonholes on your machine
-How to hand stitch buttons onto your blouse
-Hem the blouse

Below is the list of all you'll need for the class: 

-The Mae blouse sewing pattern*
-Sewing machine 
-You can bring an overlocker if you like although we do have a couple in the studio
-Sewing tools (i.e. pins, scissors, thread, chalk, quick-un-pick etc)
-Fabric and matching thread for the project, as per the pattern instructions
-Calico or a cheaper fabric similar to the actual main fabric you'll be using. This is for your muslin.
-Tracing paper, pencil and ruler
-Lunch
**A cutting out table, space for sewing machines and an ironing board plus iron are all provided in the studio.

You can pick up a copy of the Mae pattern  either PAPER or PDF version on the website or you can purchase a copy of the paper pattern at the class on the day

 This Mae sewing class  is going to be the place to be on the 1st and 2nd of  March 2014You can find out all the finer details, HERE as well book in your spot. 


 So quick sticks, places are limited so book your spot ASAP people.


***Just a quick FYI about sewing skill level for the class. You must be somewhat confident and have some  recent experience using a sewing machine to attend this class.
I am so excited to be teaching this pattern in a real person class and hopefully meeting a few of you face to face, so i hope you can join me!

Abby

x

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Wednesday 19 February 2014

The Peggy skirt - The beginners pattern



I spied this Peggy skirt sewn up by Malin from her blog Oh my green darling!  and i  fell in love with straight away i mean its a navy corduroy fabric, i love me some cordouroy! Who doesn't? And whats even better is that Malin has only been sewing for a couple of months! I'm like your kidding right? I read her email  again just to make sure i read it right, Yep... a couple of months,  a complete, total beginner tackled  the Peggy skirt and won big time! Mind you, the Peggy skirt is a  beginner pattern, but my god it nearly brought a tear to my eye to see basically a complete total sewing newbie  sewing up the pattern. It made me think of myself and my sewing skills  a couple of months into taking up a sewing  and i can tell you now,  if i had sewn up a Peggy skirt after a couple of months of sewing it wouldn't have looked like Malin's Peggy skirt hahhahahaha hilarious stuff!

For me this is what pattern designing  is all about,  all the proofing, testing reading and re-reading the instructions, going insane, testers testing to make sure everything is super clear and that sewing up a Bluegingerdoll pattern puts smiles on faces and doesn't give 'throw your sewing machine out the window' tanties  ( We've all had them right haha!?). I'm so proud of Malin and her Peggy skirt and i hope this gives beginners out there a kick up the bum that they can tackle the pattern too, yeah! 

So before i get all emotional over here, here is  Malin with her take on sewing up the Peggy skirt.


What type of fabric did you use? What inspired your choice of fabric?

I choose navy blue Corduroy, with really thin stripes, almost baby cord. In September -13 i went to Scotland on a job trip and fell in love all over again in the typical brittish fabrics. So when i came home i wanted to sew i wool and Corduroy. I thought The Peggy skirt would be perfect in corduroy since i wanted some "stiffness" in the skirt. It also fits the cold Swedish winter weather as a hand in the glove.












































 Did your  Peggy skirt   live up to the image you had in your mind?




Yes it did! I love the retro look and this one looks retro but still has an contemporary look.
So i works perfect at the office and perfect at home.











































 How did you decide to reflect your personal style in the pattern?


By using the anchor buttons. I guess i wanted the sailor look in a winter way ( it always easier to make summer clothing with that feeling).  






























Tell us a bit about your making process, any tweaks you made? 

At first i made a size twelve, but it was to big at the waist so i took the waist band of and managed to make a hole in the fabric (close to the left pocket). I took some inch of by making wider darts in the back and wider front pleats, so the side seams still would be on the side of the hips.  When i sew it all together it worked out fine. It wasn´t until when i took these photos of the skirt that i realised that the waist band isn't straight due to covering up for the hole near the pocket. I also shortened it a bit.












































What thoughts do you have about the project? 

I thought it would be more advanced than it actually was. When i made this one in October i had  only been sewing for a few months but wanted something really nice. And since i love the retro look the  Peggy skirt was the one. I was to lazy to do a muslin, so i traced the pattern and cut the fabric. At first i was a bit nervous for the pocket part, but it was so easy. I think the pocket detail is one of the best things. Now after i´v been sewing some more skirts i must say that the way you put together the waistband is so smart and good looking. Well it got together easy and quicker than i thought. I guess hand sewing the buttons took the longest time :)













































Are you planning any future Peggy skirts?

Yes!  I've  already bought some chambray to make a summer Peggy. I also think i´ll try to put a lining in that one. 


Thanks Malin! And if you have sewn up a Bluegingerdoll pattern and want to show it off here on the blog then give me a yell at abby@bluegingerdoll.com, or upload them to the Flickr group  i would love to see it!


Abby
x
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Tuesday 11 February 2014

Valentine's Day Styling for the Northern Hemisphere

Valentine's Day is almost upon us!  Did it sneak up on you like it did for me?  Well we don't have all the time in the world to sew up Valentine's Day outfits, but thanks to polyvore a girl can have a fun time making collages of them. I've taken the liberty of designing 4 ensembles around the Bluegingerdoll patterns for those of us in the middle of winter.  


Ensemble #1 - Flower Garden Billie Jean.  


Billie Jean is a classic design and would look smashing sewn up as the quintessential little black dress.  For Valentines day pair it with a fun floral cardigan and hair band.  Finish off with a little pink lippy and you're ready for that special dinner date.







Valentine's Day Billie Jean



Ensemble #2 - Sweetly Tough Mae.

Just because Mae is ladylike doesn't mean that she doesn't have a little edge.  Sewn up in a bold print this blouse would go great with bright jeans and a moto jacket.  Pair with some cute flats and red lips for a cool cruising the town outfit.






Valentine's Day Mae


Peggy knows how to get things done without losing her feminine side.  She especially looks fantastic sew in a bright solid...say hot pink. (I might have done this already.)  Pair the "lips" waistband with bow accessories and a tweedy blazer. You'll be ready for those cocktails after work.





Valentine's Day Peggy



Ensemble #4 - Flirty Fun Stella.

Stella is a great garment to wear either by it's self or with layers.  Sewn in a solid or print it would pair well with a short flirty skirt and a cardigan. Finish off the look with patterned tights and some bright accessories.  A super cute outfit for your movie date.




Valentine's Day Stella


Remember you can check out some of Abby's outfit collages on the pinterest board.  

Happy dreaming and maybe frenzied sewing. ;)

Heather
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Sunday 9 February 2014

Sew Blue with Bluegingerdoll!

Hello fellow Gingerdolls, have you got any sewing plans for February?  

Well you might not know, but the twitter #sewcialist group is hosting a 
Blue February/March sew-a-long.  The idea is to sew up anything in your stash that is/has the color blue.  We at Bluegingerdoll can get behind that and we've love it if you did to! 


So go rifle through your stash for some beautiful blue fabric and pair it with one of the Bluegingerdoll patterns , which you can find here.  

Be sure to upload any finished project to the Bluegingerdoll flickr group so we can all admire it.

For my Blue Bluegingerdoll project I'm going to be using the Stella blouse to make a shift dress with some in seam pockets.


 If you'd like to check out my progress than follow me on instagram, my profile is @knitnbee. I'll be using the tag #BlueBlueFeb for this project.  

At the end of the month I'll be writing up a how to post with the pattern changes for all of you!

Happy Sewing
Heather
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Thursday 6 February 2014

What's new with Bluegingerdoll...






























A quick post, lovely folks to let you know whats new with Bluegingerdoll:

Product reviews of each pattern are NOW AVAILABLE in the shop!

This is exciting stuff peoples, not only will this be super helpful for those of you who are pondering whether or not to buy a pattern, you will be able to read reviews from other sewists  who have had the actual experience of  sewing up the patterns. In my opinion, this will be more of a valuable gem of knowledge to you,  than if it was coming from me. 
I also miss a lot of the blog posts on the patterns, comments here and there on twitter etc  so in setting up the product reviews in the shop i hope to be able to collate/catch a few of these lovely comments that are floating around out there.

If you've  brought a Bluegingerdoll pattern past or present, and have loved sewing it up then please take the time to leave a review in the shop. I would totally appreciate it and even a quick few words would be awesome and helpful! You will find the review option at the bottom of each product. You can also check out the shop now and have a read of the reviews  that are already on there on some of the patterns.


PINTEREST PATTERN STYLING INSPIRATION 
Peggy skirt styling inspiration




I have also being playing around with some styling inspiration with each pattern, using Polyvore.  I have had styling ideas floating around my head all the time and more so when a new pattern is released. Its so hard to try and share with you these ideas for example  how i imagined it to be styled/worn, what would look good with the pattern etc.   So i guess you could say this is a little glimpse into my way of thinking  when it comes to what i had in mind with the patterns and a little bit of fun too. Just a little FYI ...Polyvore is totally addictive, BUT  an excellent platform for you to use to  set up some styling collages, mood boards of ideas you may  have.

To share with you these little styling inspiration ideas, I have set up  some  new pin boards on Pinterest for each pattern. Each little style board is roughly based  around different seasons, different events etc  Mind you this is still very much a work in progress,  its a little bit thin at the moment I kind of tend to window shop on Polyvore instead of doing what i am meant to be doing , so its taking a little bit longer , ha!  Also  you will have to use you imagination a little, the exact patterns aren't used in the collages, but you will get the generally gist of the styling idea.

I hope you enjoy these 2 new features, and they make your experience with Bluegingerdoll a lot more awesome!

Also the blog has had a little big of fancy added to it, hope you like?!

Coming up very soon on the blog some very special posts from Heather! So stay tuned for those :)

Abby
x

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Monday 3 February 2014

A Wool Peggy skirt...

Image































The lovely Melanie from her blog, Theseedsof3  has kindly taken the time out to answer a few questions about her wool Peggy skirt.  I am totally drooling over Melanie' Peggy skirt, I can't wait to sew myself  a similar one  when winter comes around again. The heatwave here lately  has me day dreaming ( Or i may be possibly delirious from the heat)  about the  cooler days, woolen coziness, scarfs, comfort food  and all the sewing projects i hope to sew up for myself . I love summer but at this point in time,  43 degree days is cause for crazy town and totally  don't lead to any productivity at all with anything, especially with sewing! 


So take it away Melanie, i'm off to dream deliriously about wool fabric :)


What type of fabric did you use? What inspired your choice of fabric?

I used a foresty emeraldy muted green wool blend. It was a fantastic choice, a nice neutral color to go with any top I want, but warm and snuggly with tights for the colder months. 
I really wanted some green Harris tweed, but, that's hard to come by in my neck of the woods. I wanted a classy fabric that was neutral (for my wardrobe) so I can mix and match it with all my tops. Sewing Peggy was my first step toward building a ensemble wardrobe.


Image



Did your  Peggy skirt   live up to the image you had in your mind?

Yes, yes, and YES! She is super fab! Those pockets, that waistband, oh, oooooh, tab buttons on the sides, squeeeee! I had been wanting to 1) make a high waisted skirt, 2) try a lapped zipper, 3) make something with waistband tabs, and 4) make more neutral separates for my wardrobe. Peggy checked ALL of them off with a smile!


Image

How did you decide to reflect your personal style in the pattern?

Well, she already reflected my personal style pretty well, so I didn't do any hacking or major alterations. I decided to go with the straight waistband this run through, but I will probably go with the curved one next. 
I played it safe with buttons on this one since the wool was hard to coordinate with buttons that didn't get lost. Next time, I will add a POP of color for buttons, and maybe pocket linings, especially since they gape a little and you can see inside them a teeny bit.

Image 

Tell us a bit about your making process, any tweaks you made?
  • I chose view A, the straight waistband with the cute button tabs
  • I cut a 16 waist and graded to an 18 hips.
  • I cut size 18 button tabs to give them the most visual impact possible
  • I added 2″ of length to the center back and graded to 0 at the side seams to help cover my ample backside

  • Image


 What thoughts do you have about the project?

I totally love this skirt. It is the skirt I was dreaming about in my mind and now I have it.

 I have some khaki poplin that I WAS going to make a different skirt with, but now it is in my Peggy Box :-) I will probably end up with a black/navy/gray one too (whatever I decide for "basic neutral"), but ALL with have button tabs and fantastic buttons.



Image



Are you planning any future Peggy skirts?
Oh , yes, see above :-)


Thanks Melanie! 

If you have the time definitely go and check out Melanie's blog Theseedsof3  and get all inspired up over there!

Oh yeah, you may or may not have noticed a slight change on the blog here, i took the time to schmancy the old place a bit, make it easier to navigate and find stuff  and just make it  heaps better! 

I hope you like it  and if you have any thoughts on things you would like to see on the blog, tutorials etc then just let me know!

Abby
x


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