THE BONNIE SEW-ALONG #3 - START SEWING!

Welcome  back to the Bonnie sew-along!

Today we start sewing up our Bonnie's so hopefully you've got your sizes sorted, traced your pattern, picked, prepped and cut out your fabrics and are ready to go!

If you need a refresher or are just joining in, you can find the last sew-along posts here.

ATTACH STABILIZER TO SHOULDER SEAMS - ALL VIEWS

In the first sew-along post, 'Sewing with knits' i mentioned clear plastic tape as being an important supply to have when it comes to sewing with knit fabrics. On the Bonnie pattern we need to stablize the shoulder seams on the back bodice (only) so when you pull your Bonnie over your head these seams don't stretch out and warp.

Cut x2 pieces of the clear plastic tape slightly longer than the back bodice shoulder seams. Pin the tape to the wrong side of each back bodice shoulder seam, within the 1/4'' seam allowance. Zigzag stitch each piece of tape in place, being careful not to stretch the tape out as you stitch. You may need to practice a little bit with attaching clear plastic tape, it can be a tad finicky but after a few practice runs you should be fine. Trim the excess tape.

Grab your front bodice piece. Right sides together stitch the front bodice to the back bodice at the shoulder seams. Press the seams open.

 

VIEW A & B NECKLINE BAND

If you're sewing up View A& B Bonnie versions then read on to attach the neckline band. 

Fold the neckline band in half lengthwise with right sides together. Stitch the two short ends together.

Now fold the  neckline band lengthwise with the wrong sides together.

Divide the neckline band and the bodice neckline edge into fourths with pins.

Right sides together pin the neckline band raw to the bodice neckline raw edge, matching the pins. Place the neckline band seam at the center back of the bodice.

Stitch the neckline band in place, stretching the neckline band to fit the bodice neckline. Be careful not to stretch the bodice neckline as you stitch, stretch only the neckline band.

 

On the right side finish the neckline band off by top-stitching with a twin/double needle or a long straight stitch.

Give the neckline a good press on the right side.

VIEW C NECKLINE

The View C version of Bonnie has the easiest neckline to do. Simply turn the raw edge of the bodice neckline 3/8'' to the wrong side and press. On the right side finish the neckline with top-stitching by using a twin/double needle or zigzag stitch 1/4'' in the edge. Give the finished neckline a good press.

Next up we will tackle attaching our sleeves, bodice side seams and all that jazz.

Abby

x

THE BONNIE SEW-ALONG #2

Welcome back to the Bonnie  sew-along.

If you are joining in don't forget to join the Facebook sew-along group where you'll find all the sew along posts, feel free to post your Bonnie progress shots, ask any questions you may have as well as take a peek at what others are sewing. You can also follow along on Instagram and Twitter  just use hashtag #bonniesewalong.

Choosing your fabric

Recommended fabrics for Bonnie are stable light-medium weight jersey/knit fabrics such as merino wool, sweater knits, jerseys, cotton blends etc. As usual you can find this list on the back of the pattern envelope. You just need to keep in mind the stretch 40%-50% that the pattern is recommended for. Yesterday's sew-along post i briefly touched on the topic of sewing with good quality knit fabrics for Bonnie or any other knit pattern you plan on sewing up so keep this mind too when out fabric shopping.

Some of the fabric i used i  sourced locally at some of  the below places:

 

 The Remnant warehouse

Darn Cheap Fabrics

The Cloth Shop

Rathdowne Fabrics

These all have a great selection of knit fabrics.

If you're already a knit fabric hoarder then you probably already have your favorite places to buy awesome knit fabric, if you do and would like to share them feel free to leave a comment below so we build a resource list together... 

That's if you want to share your gems :)

Supplies & Tools you'll need

Back to yesterday's post again, i listed a few of the tools and supplies you need to have to sew up knit fabrics, these also apply to sewing up the Bonnie pattern.

* Main fabric

* Matching Thread*2 1/2 yards of 1/4'' (6mm) clear plastic tape
* Ball point needles
*Optional: Twin needle for hemming
*Optional: Ribbing fabric for neckband & waistband

* Pins

* Pattern weights
*Rotary cutter and Self healing mat ( optional)

* Tracing paper & Pencil

* Sharpie/Marker

And obviously your copy of the Bonnie pattern ( Paper or PDF) ready to go. 
You can pick up a copy here.

CHOOSE YOUR SIZE  

Choosing you size for Bonnie is just the same as if you would pick your size for a woven pattern. Simply measure your Bust, waist and hips.

Bust measurement: Measure around the fullest point of your bust, wearing whatever type of bra or undergarment you plan on wearing under your Bonnie sweater. 
Waist measurement: Is at your natural waist. On many people this is the smallest point of your torso.

 Hip measurement: The fullest part of your hips and butt. Typically this is approximately 7″ below your natural waist, but this differs on everyone. This measurement isn't too important on the Odette dress due to the skirt being flared and skimming over the hips and butt, make measure it anyway just to be on the safe side.

You may need a hand and  have someone help you take your measurements, especially the bust,  as having your arms up and holding the tape can affect the measurement slightly.

 I ran through choosing your sizing, dealing with being in between sizes, tracing your pattern and whole heap of other tips in the previous Odette sew-along i ran here on the blog. To save this post being super long and wordy you can check out this post and read up on all this info in more detail, if you need to. Read up on prepping and cutting out your fabric here as well if you need to.

If you need some inspiration for your Bonnie then check out the Pinterest Board I've set up with some lovely stuff in it.  Feel free to add your own Bonnie inspiration too.

Abby

x

Gather up all your fabric, tools and supplies, choose your size, trace your pattern, prep and  cut out your fabric cause we will be start to sew up our Bonnie's tomorrow!

SEWING TUTORIAL: SOME TIPS FOR SEWING WITH KNITS ( BONNIE SEW-ALONG #1)

Welcome to the Bonnie sew-along! To start it off and get us in the in the mood for sewing Bonnie up and using knits fabric I've collated a little list of handy tips for sewing especially with knit fabrics.  This is a handy little guide may help those of you who are a little hesitant
 ( or scared) of sewing with knits fabrics or those who may need a refresher.

SEWING KNITS WITH A REGULAR SEWING MACHINE

When sewing up knits overlockers tend to be the machine that comes to mind. They're fast, neat and handle stretch fabrics with ease. But what if you don't have one? 
Then simply ask yourself this question..

 Does your sewing machine have a zigzag stitch? 

If you answered yes then you can easily sew up knit fabrics using your sewing machine. For those of you who answered No, most sewing machines do have some sort of zigzag stitch on them. You  may need to take a closer look and have a bit of tinker.

The  Bonnie sewing pattern is also written assuming you are using a regular machine.

 

STITCHES TO USE ON YOUR SEWING MACHINE

You've found your zigzag stitch on your machine...Make friends with it. If you're having trouble finding it, it basically looks like a lighting bolt diagram on your machine. 
Test out your machine's zigzag stitch on some scrap fabric, 
as i said above make friends with it.

TOOLS YOU'LL NEED

Getting the right tools is another handy tip to get you on the right track with sewing with knits on your sewing machine. 

Use ball point needles when sewing up knit fabric. Their tips are slightly rounded, which means they push between the loops of the fabric, rather than pierce little holes, which isn't what you want for knit fabrics.

Grab yourself a twin needle as well. They can be used for top stitching, hems and pockets etc 

If your fabric is super stretchy then grab some stretch needles for this type of fabric.

 You can also dip your toes into the world of presser feet for your machine when sewing with knits. You don't have to of course, you can sew with a regular machine foot just change the needles. But if you do decide that presser feet tickle your fancy then take a look at walking foot or dual feed foot which are useful for helping to prevent one layer of fabric from stretching out while sewing. They basically grip the fabric and feed both layers of fabric through the machine at the same speed. 

Last but not least. Pins. If you can get your hands on ball point pins then do so, if not your everyday pins are fine just take care when using them that you don't leave holes in your fabric. 

 

 Knit fabrics are slippery suckers and cutting them out can be a task in itself. So if you can pick yourself up a rotary cutter and self healing mat. You'll be cutting out knit fabrics faster than lightening and more accurately. Mind you, sharp scissors and a steady hand work just as well. Pattern weights are also a handy thing to use when cutting out the fabric either with the rotary cutter and mat or scissors. Using pins can be a bit of a handful as you can easily pull and distort the fabric as you pin the pattern down.

OTHER NECESSITIES

One more little supply you need is clear plastic tape. This awesome supply will help you to stabilize those shoulder and waistline seams ( or anywhere you need it) preventing stretching out of the fabric in these areas. You can also use it make gathers or simply hold them in place, such as on the Violet pattern at the bust gathers. 

FABRIC QUALITY

When sewing with knit fabrics couple of important points are to pick out good quality knits to work with. Nothing will dampen your knit fabric love affair then when you use a cheap quality fabric and the end garment looks like s***. This may take practice to work out though, i have in my time worked with a whole heap of poor quality knit fabric eventually you'll be able to tell the good from the bad. A good tip to keep in mind when shopping for fabrics is to shop with your hands. Feeling the fabric will help you learn about its texture, weight, transparency etc 
So touch that fabric!

GRAINLINES

Its imperative to take note of the grainlines on knit fabrics and thankfully its an easy thing to find.  You want your stretch to run horizontally across the body, not vertical. For neck/sleeve bands, the stretch needs to run the length of the band.

 

STRETCH PERCENTAGE AND HOW TO TEST

 The Bonnie pattern is intended for knit fabrics that have at least 40% - 50% across the grain, plus good stretch recovery. To test your chosen fabrics stretch percentage and stretch recovery simply cut a 2'' strip of your fabric and roughly to 1'' high. Stretch it lengthwise making sure it approaches 3'' ( stretch capacity); when you let it go it should fling back to its original size ( stretch recovery); measure the piece to check. Doing this will also help you become more familiar with different types of knits fabrics, how they behave, what to use and what to steer clear of. 

FINISHING TECHNIQUES

Knits rarely fray so ultimately you don’t have to finish the seams, unlike on woven fabrics.  As usual pressing your finished seams on knit fabrics will, just the same as on a woven garment make it a whole lot neater and professional looking when done. 

WHAT NOT TO DO

When sewing with knit fabrics be very mindful of not stretching out the fabric while you sew. This can take some practice but you'll know you've done it when you've finished stitching and check your work and its pulled and stretch out in the areas where you've pulled too hard while feeding it through the machine. This being said though,when stitching on your neckline bands, cuffs and hem bands you will actually stretch them to fit the neckline, sleeve, bodice waistband etc

Also when cutting out your fabric don't let it hang over the edge if the table or wherever you're cutting it out. This again will easily stretch it out of shape.

There's a slew of information out there in the inter webs about sewing with knit fabrics, this post has really just the tip of the knit fabric iceberg and to kick off the Bonnie sew-along.  If you are new to the knit fabric game, like anything it just takes practice to help you get familiar with the nature of this type of fabric. Hopefully the above tips will help you on your way to having a great love affair with it.

If you plan to join in or simply want to lurk then you can follow the sew-along on the Bluegingerdoll Facebook sew-along page where you can pop up your progress photos, ask questions or find answers to your questions and find all the sew-along post as they get posted. You can also check out the sew-along happenings on the usual places such as Instagram, Twitter  or the Flickr group. 
Simply use the hashtag #Bonniesewalong to join in all the sew-along fun. 


If you need a refresher on why you need to sew-along then check out the post here on all the fab prizes you could win.

Do you have any sewing with knits tip you'd like to share? Then drop us a comment below!

Abby
x

BONNIE SEW-ALONG PRIZES! WIN STUFF!

I mentioned in the Bonnie sew-along announcement post the other day i may possibly have some rad prizes and i think i've come up with the goods for y'all.

If you're planning on joining in  then check out the below prizes that are up for grabs.


First up, if you're the lucky first prize winner there's an awesome pack from the lovely Sunni from A fashionable stitch. This pack is all you need to sew up another special Bonnie for yourself, all handpicked by Sunni from her fabulous shop.

• 2 yards Art Gallery Winged Jersey Knit

• 1 matching spool of thread

• 1 pack of fusible stay tape for the shoulders

• 1 pack jersey needles

Second prize is a super generous one from SewBox UK. 

Your choice of either:

•  £20 voucher to spend on the website or 
• 1m of fabric of  your choice from the website

Third prize is a very generous gift voucher for you to spend at Girl Charlee. 

$35 Gift voucher to Girl Charlee

Fourth place is a rad prize from the  Indie Stitches shop.

Your choice of:

Any x 2 downloadable PDF digital patterns
 from Indie Stitches

Hope all these very generous prizes wet your appetite to join in?!
 

The Bonnie sew-along will start on 26th of November and finish up on the 3rd of December. Once we're all done then simply upload your finished Bonnie's either to the Flickr group, Bluegingerdoll Facebook sew-along page or however you wish to get a pic of your final make so i can round them post them here on the blog so the voting can begin! I'll release final details about all of this closer to the end  of the sew-along, so just think about picking your fabric for your prize winning Bonnie.

If you plan to join in or simply want to lurk then you can follow the sew-along on the Bluegingerdoll Facebook sew-along page where you can pop up your progress photos, ask questions or find answers to your questions and find all the sew-along post as they get posted. 
You can also check out the sew-along happenings on the usual places such as Instagram, Twitter  or the Flickr group. Simply use the hashtag #Bonnie to join in all the sew-along fun.

Hope you can join in.

Abby

x

INTRODUCING THE VIOLET DRESS!

Here she is, the gorgeous Violet dress!

'Violet is your essential little knit dress. Its comfortable and stylish as well as quick and easy to sew. Featuring a bodice with multiple yoke detailing on the front and back bodices and a set of subtle and alluring gathers at the bust line. View A features a pencil skirt with 3/4 sleeves, View B features a mini skirt with cap sleeves and View C features a flared, knee length skirt that skims perfectly over the hips.

Mix and match the skirt and sleeve variations to create your very own individual and unique Violet dress, that will match any season and occasion.'

VIEW A
  Hug and flatter those curves with View A.
Featuring a comfortable but fitted pencil skirt with 3/4 sleeves.

VIEW B

Show off those pins with View B. 
Featuring a mini skirt and cap sleeves.

VIEW C 

Feel effortlessly pretty and glamorous  in View C. 
 Featuring a flared, knee length circle skirt that skims perfectly over the hips and long sleeves ( please note: image below depicts 3/4 sleeves).

Not only can you put your individual stamp on Violet by mixing and matching the sleeve and skirt options but you can also get creative with the yoke detailing on the front and back bodices by using contrasting fabrics to highlight them and make Violet your very own.

 View C with contrasting fabric on the front and back yokes.

Its such a comfortable dress to wear and so versatile. Layer it up in the cooler months with tights, boots and cute cardigan or a lighter breathable jersey fabric for the warmer days. 

Designed for a beginner sewer and available in the size range of: 4-24.

Violet is available now as a PDF download only .
Pre-order your paper version of the pattern now, the ship date for these will be 
late November/Early December.

To celebrate the release of Violet please enjoy a 10% discount off 

until the 26/11/2014 midnight (AEST).

 Simply use the the coupon code: VIOLET at the checkout.

Abby

xxx

P.S  A jam packed sew-along will happen in the new year.

ANNOUNCING THE BONNIE SEW-ALONG

Announcing the official Bonnie sew-along! 

The Bonnie sew-along will start on 26th of November and finish up on the 3rd of December. 

It  will be jam packed with tips on sewing with knits, a whole heap of  really awesome pattern hacks as well as a heaps of other tutorials so you can  sew up an army of Bonnie's for yourself.

If you plan to join in then you can follow the sew-along on the Bluegingerdoll Facebook sew-along page where you can feel free to pop up your progress photos, ask questions or find answers to your questions. 
You can also check out the sew-along happenings on the usual places such as Instagram, Twitter  or the Flickr group. Simply use the hashtag #Bonnie to join in all the sew-along fun.

There may also possibly be some really rad prizes to giveaway, so keep stay tuned for that announcement in the coming days.

Good times ahead, hope you can join in.

 Abby x 

Bonnie paper pattern has arrived! (+10% OFF)

Yay, the Bonnie paper pattern has finally arrived and is now available in the shop!

In case you missed out on the sale when it was first released please enjoy 10% off
 until the 19th of November 2014 (aest). 

Simply use the coupon code: BONNIEPAPER to take advantage!
Discount applies to both the PDF & PAPER versions of the pattern.

Thanks for your patience folks!

Abby

x