Patch Pocket with Bow

With some stitching and folding, this oddly shaped pattern piece becomes a cute patch pocket with a tied bow.  The grid underlying the pattern piece is 1" square.  You can use that as a guide to draft your own pattern piece, or you can copy and print this picture, scaling so it prints out at full scale.  You can also scale the size down if you'd like to use it on small children's clothing.  The example in the following pictures was made at 80%; remember that your seam allowance will be smaller if you scale it down.  At 80% the seam allowance ends up being 0.5 inches. 

You will need two pieces of cut fabric for each pocket you wish to make.

Mark each pocket piece with the circles and squares noted on the pattern.  The far right marking, above, is the square, the other two are circles.

Close up of markings.

Place two pocket pieces right sides together and sew from the edge to the square, back-tacking at the beginning and end of the stitching.

On the opposite side of the pocket, sew to the circle.

Fold the pocket along the fold lines marked on the pattern piece, folding the tie pieces in half and matching raw edges.

Beginning at folded edge, stitch tie area and continue stitching to the circle.  Repeat on other side.  You will need to fold the rounded edge of the pocket out of the way to keep it clear from stitching.

Close up of stitched area.

Trim the seam and clip the curves.

Press open the seams.  Match the two seams that were sewn in the first step (sewing to the square and circle) right sides together, matching the remaining raw edges.  The piece should look like a pocket shape on the bottom with two ties on the top.

Beginning at the upper fold, stitch around the perimeter of the pocket, ending at the other folded edge.

Turn the pocket through the opening above the square.  Push out the tie ends (a knitting needle or chop stick works well) and press the pocket flat.  If you wish, whip stitch the opening above the square (or position the pocket so this opening is on the inside of the pocket.)

Place your pocket onto the item you wish to sew it to.  Stitch from the top edge of the pocket around the perimeter, ending at the other top edge.  Be sure to backstitch to reinforce the top of the pocket.

Tie the two loose ends into a bow.

Repeat as needed and enjoy your bow pockets!

Princess Seam Pockets

This is my favorite pocket, and when I am making a princess line garment, I almost always add these pockets to it. The process requires a bit of pattern work but it is very straightforward and easy.  These pockets can be added to any type of garment with princess lines, a top, jacket or dress.  You may need to adjust the measurements given to suit your own proportions.  If drafting a jacket, make the bottom of the pocket end just above the hem allowance.  These instructions are for a pocket with a slalnted opening which I find the most visually pleasing but feel free to make the pocket opening straight across if desired.

• The only changes are made to the side front piece.  On this pattern piece mark the waist (if no mark is given it is the narrowest part of the pattern piece).
• Draw a point 2 inches down from the waist along the edge with the bust curve
• Draw a point 4.5 inches down from the waist along the other vertical seam
• Connect these two points with a line. Label this line “Line A”.
• Draw points 10.5 inches down from waist along both seam lines.  Connect these two points.  Label this line “Line B”.

• Lay a piece of tracing paper over the pattern piece. Trace Line B and all of the lines of the side front piece above this line [pink] (do not include Line A). Make sure you draw a grainline on the new pattern piece.  Add a seam allowance below line B.  Label this new piece “Upper Side Front”.

• Lay another piece of tracing paper over the pattern piece. Trace Line A and all of the outside pattern lines below this line [blue] (do not include line B). Make sure you draw a grainline on the new pattern piece.  Add a seam allowance above line A.  Label this new piece “Lower Side Front”.

• Lay another piece of tracing paper over the original pattern piece.  Trace Line A and Line B and the outside pattern lines between these two lines [green].  Add a grainline.  Add a seam allowance to both Line A and Line B.  Label this new piece “Pocket Facing”.

• You will not use the original pattern piece.  You should now have three separate pieces (upper side front, lower side front, and pocket facing). This is approximately what your three pieces will look like:

CONSTRUCTION

The accompanying pictures are examples that I hand sewed.  The same procedure is used for machine stitching.

• If desired, pin piping or ruffle to the top, slanted edge of the lower side front, matching raw edges, right sides together. Baste in place.

• With right sides together, pin slanted edge of pocket facing to upper edge of lower side front, sandwiching ruffle in between layers.  Stitch.  Press seam open then press facing to inside. Topstitch below ruffle if desired.

• Open out pocket facing and with right sides together, pin lower (unstitched) edge of pocket facing to lower edge of upper side front.  Be certain to align so that the highest point of the upward slant on the pocket edge will be along the bust curve side of the upper side front.  Stitch.  Do not press this seam open.

• Fold lower side front down over pocket facing to form pocket, having raw side edges even.  Baste along the two vertical sides through all layers.

• Attach the front to the side front section.  The pocket will lie best and be less bulky if this seam is pressed towards the center front.  Clip the seam allowance just above the pocket; press the lower portion toward the center front and the upper portion open.

• Construct remainder of garment as usual.

French Bias Piping Tutorial

This is an easy and attractive way to finish a neckline or armhole with piping while providing a seam finish that can replace a facing.  These instructions assume the use of a 5/8” seam allowance.  Adjust accordingly if you are using a different width.

Begin by cutting a bias strip of fabric 3 inches wide and the length needed for the edge you wish to apply the piping to.  Piece the strips together if necessary.

Fold the strip in half lengthwise, matching long cut edges, and press.

Cut a piece of cording a little longer than the strip of fabric.  I like to use #1 rayon satin cord (also called mouse tail) for my piping.

Place the cording down the center of the folded strip and make a second lengthwise fold, encasing the cording.  You will be bringing the folded edge over to match the two raw edges.  I use a 5-groove pintuck foot to make piping (a 3-groove foot works just as well).  Place the cording in the center groove and move the needle over just enough to clear the cording.  Stitch closely to the cording making sure to not catch it with your stitches.  Feel free to use whatever method you prefer for making the piping.

You now have a length of piping with a 5/8” seam allowance (did you know the end of your 6” seam gauge is 5/8”?). 

Place the wrong side of the piping (the seam allowances with the raw edges) along the right side of the fashion fabric, matching the raw edges.  In the picture above I am holding back the folded edge of the piping so you can see the raw edges matching up with the underlying fabric.

Sewing through all layers, stitch directly on top of the previous row of stitching, attaching the piping to the fashion fabric.

Taking care not to cut the folded edge of the piping, trim the piping and fashion fabric seam allowances.  The picture above shows a portion of the seam allowance trimmed.

Fold the piping seam allowance to the wrong side, allowing the piping to roll to the edge. Press.

The inside of the garment shows the folded edge of the piping while the cut edges are sandwiched in between.  If necessary you can tack the piping to crossed seam allowances inside the garment.

T-shirt Fabric Rose Tutorial

I made this little rose from scraps left over from another project.  The fabric is knit jersey but you can use any fabric you wish for these flowers.  In fact, jersey is not the easiest fabric to work with so you might try your first flower using quilting cotton or a crisp silk such as dupioni like I used for this flower.  These instructions are from several vintage flower making books written around the turn of the 20^th century; this is the method milliners used to make silk flowers long before they were commercially available.

Begin by cutting out a variety of squares sized from 2” to 7”.  For this project I used three 2” squares, three 3” squares, three 4” squares and two 5” squares.  For a larger flower continue to add larger squares as needed.  Also, for your first flower you might want to start with 3” squares as your smallest as they are easier to handle.

Fold each square diagonally in half and press.

Fold the folded edge of the triangle over about ¼”.  The size of this fold is not critical and variety makes for a more realistic looking flower.

Thread a needle with heavy thread (I used buttonhole thread) and knot the end.  Stitch around the cut edges of the triangle using a running stitch.  Make sure your first and last stitches go through the folded-over bit to secure it.

Pull up the stitches to gather the petal.  For the first layer you want to gather it up tightly. When you gather the petal it will form a cup. 

You can place a flower stamen in the middle if you wish.

Make sure the folded lip is facing away from the concave part of the petal (the hollowed out side).  Knot your thread securely and cut off.

Make another petal in the same manner but don’t pull the gathering stitches up quite as tight.  Place the second petal on top of the first, overlapping the edges a little bit and stitch the two petals together using hand stitches.  You will continue adding petals in a circular manner.  You can add them in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, just pick one and be consistent throughout the project.

Continue adding petals one at a time, increasing the size of the square used as each layer is complete and stitching down the gathered edges as needed to hold the flower together. 

As the flower gets bigger you will need to gather each petal less and less to allow them to fit around the larger circumference. 

I try to make my last layer from the two largest squares so each goes about half way around the flower, overlapping each other just a bit.

Depending on how you plan to use your flower you might want to finish the back just a bit.  Cut a circle of fabric large enough to cover the exposed stitching and glue or stitch it into place.

You can make a leaf for your flower in several ways.  On the pink flower pictured above, I used a free-standing machine embroidery design by A Bit of Stitch.  I stabilized the jersey with some fusible interfacing before stitching.  I recommend doing this regardless of the method you choose to make your leaf to give it some stability.  For this leaf I drew a simple leaf shape on my scrap of fabric and cut it out using pinking shears.  I sketched some veins on the leaf and used a straight stitch on my machine to outline them.  You could also draw a leaf shape and satin stitch around the edge before cutting close to the stitching.  Or you could use a rubber stamp and rayon velvet to emboss a leaf design before cutting out with pinking shears (this is pretty when you are using a fabric like silk for the flower).  Glue or stitch the flower on top of the leaf.

You can add a pin back to the flower or simply use two safety pins to attach it to the garment.  Enjoy wearing your new flower!

Factory Technique, Ready-to-Wear Style Elastic Waistband Tutorial

I first learned this technique from my friend Patricia, the woman I count as my sewing mentor.  I’m grateful that she taught this to me as I use it frequently and find the result much nicer than elastic through a casing.  This waistband cannot be altered once it is complete so check your fit carefully before embarking on this project.  My instructions show the use of a serger but you can substitute an overlock stitch on your sewing machine if necessary.

When cutting out your garment, allow a fold over, cut-on waistband allowance equal to the width of your chosen elastic.  For instance, if you are using 1.25” elastic you would leave 1.25” at the top waist edge above the finished waist line.

Make sure you use sew-through elastic for this project.  To determine the cut length of elastic, measure the garment wearer’s waist and subtract from 2- to 4-inches, depending on how tight you like to wear your waistband.   Making sure you don’t twist the elastic, butt the cut ends together and use a wide zigzag to stitch across the cut edges, joining the two ends together.  You can also reinforce this seam by placing a piece of tricot or Seams Great beneath the seam (or wrap a piece entirely around the cut ends).  Try on the elastic and make sure it is a comfortable fit before proceeding.

Mark the elastic in quarters, using the just sewn seam as one mark.   To do this, fold in half along the seam and mark the resulting fold using a marking pen.  Next, match that mark to the sewn seam and mark the two resulting folds.  Set the elastic aside.

Prepare your garment in a similar fashion.  To quarter the waist line mark the center front and center back then bring these two marks together.  Mark the resulting two folds (these marks may or may not fall at the side seams).

Pin the elastic to the wrong side of the garment, aligning the top edge of the garment with one edge of the elastic.  Match and pin the center back of the garment to the sewn seam on the elastic.  Match and pin the remaining three marks.  Allow the fabric between the pins to drape naturally.

For the next step you may feel more comfortable basting the elastic in using your sewing machine the first few times you attempt this technique.  With practice you will be able to skip that step and go straight to serging the elastic onto the garment.

Serge with the elastic on top of the garment fabric.  Begin at the center back seam and sink your needle into the elastic/fabric, placing the edge of the elastic next to but not over the knife’s edge (you could also disengage your knife if you wish). 

Place your left hand behind the needle and hold the elastic and fabric together near the center back pin.  Place your right hand on the next pin in front of the needle.  Stretch the elastic until the fabric is flat and flush with the elastic.  Holding this area taut, serge the edge.  Make sure you do not cut the elastic while you are serging and remove pins as you come to them. 

When you reach the next pin, stop with the needle down through all layers and reposition your hands, placing your left hand close to and behind the needle and your right hand at the next pin in front of the needle.  Stretch the elastic until the fabric is taught and continue serging.  Repeat this step until you reach where you started and serge off the edge.

If you have difficulty managing the fabric, you can mark the elastic and garment waistline in eights instead of fourths.  This makes the amount of fabric you need to stretch at one time much smaller.

Fold the elastic to the wrong side of the garment so the fabric covers the elastic.  Pin the elastic in place, placing four pins roughly where your quarter marks were previously.

Move to your sewing machine.  Stretch the elastic between two pins and, using a lengthened straight stitch, edge stitch along the serged edge through all layers.  As before you will move your hands between the pins as you progress.  Leave your needle down in the elastic/fabric when repositioning your hands.  Continue until you reach where you started .

Heavily steam the waistband/elastic and watch it (literally) shrink back to its original size and shape.  Admire your completed waistband.