Disboutiquers Part 28 Kids Disney Boutique / Customs Clothes psst..we sew ;-)

[GlassSlippers]

Hi all! I'm almost ready to go ahead and order my embroidery machine. I decided on the PE770 instead of the Singer. The Singer only had the huge 6x10 hoop and a 4x4. I'm pretty sure that I'd use a 5x7 the most. If I want to do kids shirts, wouldn't the 6x10 be way too big? Seems like if I was able to hoop a shirt that size, I'd wind up with the design really low on it.

I'm going to order my supplies from Amazon at the same time and I was hoping for a little advice. Should I order bobbin thread in black and white or will just white do? Do I need cut-away stabilizer in addition to tear away? I've used tear-away for the small amount of hand embroidery that I've done and I liked it just fine. The rest of my list involves a bag of bobbins, a set of 63 1000 yd spools of thread in Disney colors with a rack included, a roll of Heat and Bond Lite, the PE770 (no, really?) , a 4x4 hoop, the tear-away and the white bobbin thread. I already have a good assortment of needles and other basics. Can you think of anything else I should have from the get-go? Spray adhesive, maybe, or does that gum up the machine? I made sure to check the reviews on everything I'm planning on buying, so I'm confident that I'll have decent quality on all of it. The stabilizer is a 100 yd roll for $20, so I'm pretty pleased with that, but I'd love some opinions if anyone here has used it.

I rarely spend money on myself, so I'm freaking out a little over dropping over $700. Here's hoping I can actually make myself do it!

Thanks in advance!

Lori in East Podunk

 

[PrincessMickey]

I was so inspired by seeing all your great creations that I HAD to try something! Today is Tori's birthday, so I made her this:

I am really happy with how it turned out. The shorts were SO easy to make. I'm going to make a bunch for her now, because it is hard to find clothes that fit her now with all the weight she has lost from chemo.

I also started a mickey head outfit and finished the shirt. I LOVE applique! I had no idea it would be that easy!! So much fun.

I can't wait to sew some more!!

Happy Birthday Tori!! The outfit looks great and looks like she loves it!

Two more questions for you fabulous people!!

First, I have been making my way through this thread (been taking days) and somewhere there was a bowling shirt type pattern? Or does anyone know where I could find a pajama shirt pattern that has SHORT sleeves? Tori likes to wear pajamas to chemotherapy and the button down ones work best so they can access her port. But I've had no luck finding them!

Second, can someone walk me through how to do this applique? I've never done one with multiple colors.

It looks to me like I will use two colors for her dress and then one color for her face? Where do I get that "flesh" colored fabric? Do her gloves look like they are filled in or applique? I guess I could do it on a white shirt too. I really think Tori would like this for one of her Disney outfits!

Here's the bowling shirt. I normally do not do the lining, saves a few steps and is cooler in the summer.

https://www.youcanmakethis.com/products/author/MTAzOTI5MjQ5OA==/bowling-shirt-boys-girls.htm

Can't help with the embroidery design, someday soon I would love to get an embroidery machine though.

 

[Teamtori]

Thanks for the link! I've never tried buttonholes before..I'm scared!!

Does anyone have any fabric suggestions? Are there better places to buy than Joann's? Are there any really good etsy or ebay sellers I should know about??

 

[thebeesknees]

Or does anyone know where I could find a pajama shirt pattern that has SHORT sleeves? Tori likes to wear pajamas to chemotherapy and the button down ones work best so they can access her port. But I've had no luck finding them!

I have used Butterick 4647 with good success for pajamas with a button top. I don't think it has short sleeves, but it is not hard to shorten a sleeve at all. Just figure out how long you want it, add a hem allowance, flare it out (like they do at the bottom of the pants) to allow for the taper and cut it off there. Clear as mud? I'm sure there are other people here who could explain it better for you. Your little girl is adorable, BTW. Oh, and good luck with the AG doll - we acquired two this year between Christmas and DD's birthday, and sewing for them gets addictive, especially when DD wants me to sew matching stuff for her dolls EVERY time I make her something!

 

[dianemom2]

I was so inspired by seeing all your great creations that I HAD to try something! Today is Tori's birthday, so I made her this:

I am really happy with how it turned out. The shorts were SO easy to make. I'm going to make a bunch for her now, because it is hard to find clothes that fit her now with all the weight she has lost from chemo.

I also started a mickey head outfit and finished the shirt. I LOVE applique! I had no idea it would be that easy!! So much fun.

I can't wait to sew some more!!

Cute! And the outfit is great too! It is great that you can make her some shorts that fit right.

Two more questions for you fabulous people!!

First, I have been making my way through this thread (been taking days) and somewhere there was a bowling shirt type pattern?
Second, can someone walk me through how to do this applique? I've never done one with multiple colors.

It looks to me like I will use two colors for her dress and then one color for her face? Where do I get that "flesh" colored fabric? Do her gloves look like they are filled in or applique? I guess I could do it on a white shirt too. I really think Tori would like this for one of her Disney outfits!

First, the bowling shirt pattern is one of CarlaC's patterns on Youcanmakethis.com. It is a good pattern. But I think it only goes up to a size 8. I don't know how big she is but hopefully that will still fit her. I love LynniePinnie's bald princess. She is adorable! On that applique the head, arms, dress and gloves are applique. So are the peplums on the dress. It is super easy to do. The machine will stitch out a placement guide. You lay a piece of fabric over that placement guide and hold it in place (some people like to spray some adhesive but I don't bother). Then the machine runs a tack down stitch. After the tack down stitch, take the embroidery frame off the machine but do not unhoop your project. Trim the excess fabric away from the design as close to the tack down stitches as possible. Most designers have you do all your fabric placement and tack down stitches first and then start on the satin stitching but sometimes it will vary. Here is a link to a good video on how to do the applique:

http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/holder.aspx?page=video_applique

Hi all! I'm almost ready to go ahead and order my embroidery machine. I decided on the PE770 instead of the Singer. The Singer only had the huge 6x10 hoop and a 4x4. I'm pretty sure that I'd use a 5x7 the most.

I'm going to order my supplies from Amazon at the same time and I was hoping for a little advice. Should I order bobbin thread in black and white or will just white do? Do I need cut-away stabilizer in addition to tear away? I've used tear-away for the small amount of hand embroidery that I've done and I liked it just fine. The rest of my list involves a bag of bobbins, a set of 63 1000 yd spools of thread in Disney colors with a rack included, a roll of Heat and Bond Lite, the PE770 (no, really?) , a 4x4 hoop, the tear-away and the white bobbin thread. I already have a good assortment of needles and other basics. Can you think of anything else I should have from the get-go? Spray adhesive, maybe, or does that gum up the machine? I made sure to check the reviews on everything I'm planning on buying, so I'm confident that I'll have decent quality on all of it. The stabilizer is a 100 yd roll for $20, so I'm pretty pleased with that, but I'd love some opinions if anyone here has used it.



Lori in East Podunk

Hi Lori- So excited for you to be getting your embroidery machine! The 5x7 will be perfect for kids' shirts. You will probably find that you will want to cut open the side seams on the shirts in order to hoop the shirt where you want the design to be. Here are my recommendations for what you will need for your machine:
bobbin thread (I always use white and it works great)
spray adhesive
extra bobbins
cut away stabilizer for t-shirts
embroidery thread


I don't think you need the heat and bond lite. I've never used it for machine embroidery. The tack down stitches keep your fabric in place while the design is being stitched out. Check prices around on your thread before you order from Amazon. It might be the same as ordering from other places but I am not sure. If I am ordering a large quantity of thread, I get it from Threadart.com. Their spools run around $1.65 or $1.70 per spool which is much cheaper than going into Joanns. I am not sure how that compares to Amazon's prices. Are you ordering the 4x4 hoop so that you have an extra one or does the machine not come with that size?


Here is what I've worked on so far this week:

Can you guess what holiday I have been getting ready for????

 

[Teamtori]

I have used Butterick 4647 with good success for pajamas with a button top. I don't think it has short sleeves, but it is not hard to shorten a sleeve at all. Just figure out how long you want it, add a hem allowance, flare it out (like they do at the bottom of the pants) to allow for the taper and cut it off there. Clear as mud? I'm sure there are other people here who could explain it better for you. Your little girl is adorable, BTW. Oh, and good luck with the AG doll - we acquired two this year between Christmas and DD's birthday, and sewing for them gets addictive, especially when DD wants me to sew matching stuff for her dolls EVERY time I make her something!

Thank you!!! I will check that out. And thanks about my daughter! She was very lucky to get three gift cards to American Girl. My husband did not want to spend the money on a doll! I might try to make something for her (the doll) this weekend. We'll see!

 

[Teamtori]

First, the bowling shirt pattern is one of CarlaC's patterns on Youcanmakethis.com. It is a good pattern. But I think it only goes up to a size 8. I don't know how big she is but hopefully that will still fit her. I love LynniePinnie's bald princess. She is adorable! On that applique the head, arms, dress and gloves are applique. So are the peplums on the dress. It is super easy to do. Here is what I've worked on so far this week:

Can you guess what holiday I have been getting ready for????

I get the concept, but I guess what I am confused about...do I lay down each different fabric at the same time or at different times? I only used one fabric last night so I just put it over the whole design and that worked. I'm scared to do more than one fabric!!

And I love these outfits! The plaid fabric is great and I love the first outfit too!

 

[nannye]

Welcome to the addiction. Most everyone here will recommend CarlaC patterns on you can make this dot com. It's like a sewing pattern and lesson all in one. I started with the easy fit pants. They are easy and you will learn so much reading her patterns. The epatterns are pricier than buying a pattern in a store but they usually have a wide size range and you just print out what size you need. You can print them as often as you want. I usually print on card stock to make them more sturdy so they last longer. I have two boys and have never made a dress so I can't give advise on an easy dress pattern but others will chime in with their opinions.

Thanks! I will check out the shorts!

Love the tote bags!

I remember you from your TR. There are alot of free tutorials out there. If you are on Pinterst you could start there.

Oh yes the TR that sort of was forgotten. I did update it the other day and I plan to do another today!

I also agree with the idea of starting out with CarlaC's Easy Fit pants. They are easy to sew and turn out great. Some moms with little girls start out with pillowcase dresses. They are pretty simple too but I'd stick with the Easy Fit pants as your first project.
.

Thanks, I'll check them out. I really want to try a pillowcase dress too, and alter a jean skirt for a hoop dee doo outfit, but don't know if I'll have time before our trip. So many things on the go.

What a great gift!


Sew cute!

Hi Erin, welcome to the thread! As others have said Carla C makes wonderful patterns that really are like a sewing lesson. If you are looking for dresses I would start with the simply sweet, it's really versatile, you can get a lot of different dresses and outfits from the one pattern
http://youcanmakethis.com/products/featured-products/simply-sweet-tops-and-dresses.htm
It's not free but worth every penny.
.

Thanks!
I have been on You can make this over the past few weeks and bought some patterns, but then I just wasn't sure what would be good for starting out with lol.

Welcome Erin! I'm new to the boards, and sort of new to sewing. Pillowcase dresses are easy to start with, and I recommend Youcanmakethis too! I just made shorts for the first time and it was way easier than I thought! Best of luck! I can't wait to see what you make!

Was there a specific pillowcase dress pattern you used? I know there are a bunch on you can make this, but I just want to make sure I pick a good one.

I was so inspired by seeing all your great creations that I HAD to try something! Today is Tori's birthday, so I made her this:

I am really happy with how it turned out. The shorts were SO easy to make. I'm going to make a bunch for her now, because it is hard to find clothes that fit her now with all the weight she has lost from chemo.

I also started a mickey head outfit and finished the shirt. I LOVE applique! I had no idea it would be that easy!! So much fun.

I can't wait to sew some more!!

Looks awesome! wow! and isn't this a great day for a B-day!!! my V turns 5 today!

Thank you!! I can't believe I made it. I'm going to look at your American Girl stuff...Tori just got one yesterday! I would love to make some outfits for it!

American girl dolls are what started this for me I think, I'll blame D! lol
V's doll was ordered this morning.

 

[miprender]

I was so inspired by seeing all your great creations that I HAD to try something! Today is Tori's birthday, so I made her this:

I am really happy with how it turned out. The shorts were SO easy to make. I'm going to make a bunch for her now, because it is hard to find clothes that fit her now with all the weight she has lost from chemo.

I also started a mickey head outfit and finished the shirt. I LOVE applique! I had no idea it would be that easy!! So much fun.

I can't wait to sew some more!!

Happy birthday TORI.... great outfit

AHHHHHHHH! My embroidery machine is giving me HIVES! It wasn't working right so I took it apart and cleaned it and then finished up the skirt I was doing for Bryna today (pop up give for family who ordered clothes from an etsy shop and she went back and it was closed) and it worked fine. Got most of the Wish Kid's shirt done and now all of a sudden my bobbin is ALL outta whack. Here's what took me TWO hours to clean up last night. All that thread shredding had done a number on the inside of my machine..(they are cellphone pics so not the best)

And this is mostly everything I pulled out....

They feel a lot like fibers that come off of felt.. maybe it's all those clippies I've made. Argh! I just don't have time for all this!

Where's the unlike button

Two more questions for you fabulous people!!

First, I have been making my way through this thread (been taking days) and somewhere there was a bowling shirt type pattern? Or does anyone know where I could find a pajama shirt pattern that has SHORT sleeves? Tori likes to wear pajamas to chemotherapy and the button down ones work best so they can access her port. But I've had no luck finding them!

Second, can someone walk me through how to do this applique? I've never done one with multiple colors.

It looks to me like I will use two colors for her dress and then one color for her face? Where do I get that "flesh" colored fabric? Do her gloves look like they are filled in or applique? I guess I could do it on a white shirt too. I really think Tori would like this for one of her Disney outfits!

There should be some sort of stitch guide, but on your machine it will show somewhat (sometimes you have to guess) what part you are doing. Usually after each tack down stitch I take the hoop off the machine, cut around the fabric and then do the next step. I keep repeating until I am all done with my tack down stitches and all the fabric is neatly cut. Then the last steps will be all the satin stitches.

HTH

Hi all! I'm almost ready to go ahead and order my embroidery machine. I decided on the PE770 instead of the Singer. The Singer only had the huge 6x10 hoop and a 4x4. I'm pretty sure that I'd use a 5x7 the most. If I want to do kids shirts, wouldn't the 6x10 be way too big? Seems like if I was able to hoop a shirt that size, I'd wind up with the design really low on it.

I'm going to order my supplies from Amazon at the same time and I was hoping for a little advice. Should I order bobbin thread in black and white or will just white do? Do I need cut-away stabilizer in addition to tear away? I've used tear-away for the small amount of hand embroidery that I've done and I liked it just fine. The rest of my list involves a bag of bobbins, a set of 63 1000 yd spools of thread in Disney colors with a rack included, a roll of Heat and Bond Lite, the PE770 (no, really?) , a 4x4 hoop, the tear-away and the white bobbin thread. I already have a good assortment of needles and other basics. Can you think of anything else I should have from the get-go? Spray adhesive, maybe, or does that gum up the machine? I made sure to check the reviews on everything I'm planning on buying, so I'm confident that I'll have decent quality on all of it. The stabilizer is a 100 yd roll for $20, so I'm pretty pleased with that, but I'd love some opinions if anyone here has used it.

I rarely spend money on myself, so I'm freaking out a little over dropping over $700. Here's hoping I can actually make myself do it!

Thanks in advance!

Lori in East Podunk

Congrats on getting your machine. I don't use the H&B lite either. I tried and didn't notice a difference. I use spray adhesive, either 505 or Dritz. It should say on the can that it won't gunk up the machine. I also just use white bobbin thread...not sure if it makes a difference

For Tshirts I use cut away. It is stronger than tearaway and use Jersey/Ball point needles.

Lastly, don't forget you will need some curved embroidery scissors for cutting the excess fabric.

Here is what I've worked on so far this week:

Can you guess what holiday I have been getting ready for????

Those are all great. Did you do all those Applique Designs yourself too? They are so cute.

 

[dianemom2]

I get the concept, but I guess what I am confused about...do I lay down each different fabric at the same time or at different times? I only used one fabric last night so I just put it over the whole design and that worked. I'm scared to do more than one fabric!!

And I love these outfits! The plaid fabric is great and I love the first outfit too!

You do the different fabrics at different times. The program will stitch out the placement for one fabric color at a time. So on the bald princess you will probaby start out with the fabric for the flesh (arms and head). The machine will do the placement stitch and then you put down the fabric and let the machine run the tack down stitch. Trim that fabric and then let the machine do the next placement stitch which on the bald princess will probably be the lighter pink for the dress. Once you've run the tack down stitch and then trim it, you will do the next fabric until you have finished all the fabric colors.

I loved the plaid fabric too. I had planned to do the shorts outfit and then to make an a-line, reversible jumper with the rest of the fabric but I ran short. I am ok with how the dress and matching shorts turned out but it wasn't what I had created in my mind so it feels less satisfying.

 

[thebeesknees]

Thank you!!! I will check that out. And thanks about my daughter! She was very lucky to get three gift cards to American Girl. My husband did not want to spend the money on a doll! I might try to make something for her (the doll) this weekend. We'll see!

I just checked the pattern and it DOES have a short sleeve version. The girls' pj's on it don't button down the front, but the boys' do, and if you make it in girly fabrics, I don't see why they wouldn't be feminine. Good luck!

 

[aboveH20]

Hi everyone!

I am not new to the DIS but new to sewing I just bought myself a basic sewing machine, to try to make some things for my DD4 to wear. She has sensory issues, and right now will only wear dresses with no seams. I figured a pillowcase dress might be worth a try and made this:

Looks good, and welcome to the Pillowcase Dress Club (very unofficial and very unexclusive).

So cute! Your DD might like the tiered flouncy sundress

I have made a variation of it just as an A-line without the tiers:

Great job. I love the fabric and it looks very comfy.

Cheryl - I'm so sorry to hear that you are still not feeling well (sorry, I did not take notes in your class and can only post the pre-made smilies). It will be a bummer if you have to miss your cruise but I'm sure it will be better to go when you are feeling 100% and can really enjoy yourselves. Sept sounds like a nice time to go too.

Thanks for the good thoughts. In today's mail we got an invitation to my husband's grand nephew's HS graduation in VA on June 10, so maybe we'll do that instead.

Oh, Andrea. Looks like we might be headed your way.

Here's my latest project. The kids last day of school is tomorrow so I made both their teacher's a tote bag. I used the idea of the crayon rolls and made slots for pens or pencils on each side. Both teachers had babies this year too so if they don't use them for school they can use them as activity bags with crayons or colored pencils in the pockets. Both zippers are a little wonky but oh well.

Very practical and they turned out great.

I know the feeling of being the youngest on a cruise. We did a Mediterranean cruise while school was still in session. My husband said the average age was somewhere between 80 and 130, lol.

Cheryl - I lost your quote, but are you trying to tell me that I am OLD because I am going on an Alaskan cruise?!

Nooooooooo. They need youngsters like you to counter balance all of the 130 year olds when they figure out the average age so they can get it down to 80!!!

Finally finished my second Kindle project..

I bought the applique on Etsy and just sewed it on. I bought the solid red fabric already quilted. I didn't think it was gonna get finished because I could barely get my machine to sew through the thickness at the top zipper I definately need more practice on zippers!!

I love it. Love red, love polka dots, how could you go wrong? Nice work.

Hello everyone!, I am going to start sewing again, Home Ec in Grade 8 was a long time ago! I have my mom for some help and You Tube videos saved.
But I was wondering if I could get some advice from you experts on some small projects to start out with. Any links to some good free starter patterns etc... I'd love to start right off with a dress or something, but I might go crazy with something too complicated starting out.

TIA
Erin

Check out the bookmarks Teresa has listed on page one. There is a boat load of links to many, many things.

I was so inspired by seeing all your great creations that I HAD to try something! Today is Tori's birthday, so I made her this:

I am really happy with how it turned out. The shorts were SO easy to make. I'm going to make a bunch for her now, because it is hard to find clothes that fit her now with all the weight she has lost from chemo.

I also started a mickey head outfit and finished the shirt. I LOVE applique! I had no idea it would be that easy!! So much fun.

I can't wait to sew some more!!

You've caught the sewing bug! The outfit looks great. I've never made shorts but I bet they don't take a lot of fabric so you can have fun trying all different colors and patterns. Enjoy, and happy birthday to Tori.

AHHHHHHHH! My embroidery machine is giving me HIVES! It wasn't working right so I took it apart and cleaned it and then finished up the skirt I was doing for Bryna today (pop up give for family who ordered clothes from an etsy shop and she went back and it was closed) and it worked fine. Got most of the Wish Kid's shirt done and now all of a sudden my bobbin is ALL outta whack. Here's what took me TWO hours to clean up last night. All that thread shredding had done a number on the inside of my machine..(they are cellphone pics so not the best)

And this is mostly everything I pulled out....

They feel a lot like fibers that come off of felt.. maybe it's all those clippies I've made. Argh! I just don't have time for all this!

My embroidery machine takes such a beating sometimes, I'd love to be able to take it for an annual checkup -- if they didn't charge $100 just to bring it through their door.

Bummer it's acting up at such an inconvenient time.

Here is what I've worked on so far this week:

Can you guess what holiday I have been getting ready for????

Well, I don't remember that you've mentioned French ancestry, so it's probably not Bastille Day, so I phoned a friend and we're going to go with Memorial Day. I love how all the outfits coordinate.

 

[GlassSlippers]

Two more questions for you fabulous people!!

First, I have been making my way through this thread (been taking days) and somewhere there was a bowling shirt type pattern? Or does anyone know where I could find a pajama shirt pattern that has SHORT sleeves? Tori likes to wear pajamas to chemotherapy and the button down ones work best so they can access her port. But I've had no luck finding them!

Second, can someone walk me through how to do this applique? I've never done one with multiple colors.

It looks to me like I will use two colors for her dress and then one color for her face? Where do I get that "flesh" colored fabric? Do her gloves look like they are filled in or applique? I guess I could do it on a white shirt too. I really think Tori would like this for one of her Disney outfits!

I'm no help with applique advice since I don't even have my machine yet, but that design is about the sweetest thing I've ever seen! I have a feeling it's going to become very popular around here among wish trippers! The fabric question I can help with. It's just solid peach, beige or ivory cotton or poly-cotton, whichever you prefer. The birthday outfit you made is darling, as is the little princess wearing it!


Hope this helped!

Lori in East Podunk

 

[Dustykins]

Girls, I need your design brilliance. DD latched onto some Perry the Platypus fabric yesterday (we were shopping for some cartoon strip fabric - ended up with Marvel comics - to case that Buzz Lightyear dress that was posted yesterday). I grabbed a yard (and a half yard of a brown solid to coordinate), but now I can't decide what to make for her. She's a girly girl, so I want to girl it up a bit (it's this one, from JoAnn's http://www.joann.com/licensed-cotton-fabric-where-s-perry/zprd_11366234a/ ). Any brilliant plans? My first thought is a dress of some sort, but the girl has a bunch of dresses (either in her closet or in the pile for me to make) and I just don't think she needs any more dresses! Oh, she's a size 4.

 

[GlassSlippers]

First, thanks for the advice on what I'll need to get started with the PE770! You all saved me from some unnecessary purchases.

Second, I have some more exciting news. I took my Grandma's old Elna Superlite (ha! that thing weighs a ton!) in to the repair shop to see if it was still workable. I was sure it was going to be a Huge Deal and it was going to cost a mint because it's older than I am. All it needs is a cleaning, tune up and one $20 part! I'm so excited! I used that machine back when I was in highschool, which was *gasp!* ~choke!~ #wheeze!# 34 years ago. No other machine I've had has been as good and I can hardly wait until it's done! The Nice Man said it would only take a couple of days.

Well, I'm off to JoAnn and Hobby Lobby to look for spray adhesive and curved embroidery scissors on the sage advice of my fellow Boutiquers!



Thanks again!

Lori in East Podunk, who thinks we need a sewing machine smiley!

 

[SallyfromDE]

As for the seams... I probably wouldn't pull the quilting apart to get some of the batting out, like someone else said - that could really mess with the structural integrity of the bag - I would only do that as a very last resort, but it is an option if nothing else works.

D~

Cutting away the batting won't effect the "structural integrity". It wouldn't go beyond the seam, so it wouldn't hurt anything. When I made my bags, the directions tell you to cut away the excess batting and fabrics.

You can see here that the batting is smaller then the fabric. It's a cut pattern if anyone needs one for thier iPhone:

http://erinerickson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Easy-iPhone-Sleeve-Tutorial-Updated.pdf

She tells you to trim the batting from the seams.

from: http://www.craftpassion.com/2011/06/triangle-coin-purse-with-zipper.html

Pin batting on the wrong side of the fabrics. Trim the batting to follow the fabric sewing lines if necessary.

"See how I trim the excess batting out of the seams?"

 

[VBAndrea]

I missed quoting a bunch of stuff -- I have been working a lot this week (yay -- need the $$$) so I've been doing more skimming than posting.

SANDI: Love your Bolt

TinkNH: The pillow case dress is awesome. I have fabric to make my dd one but never have tried it yet -- I think I will do her ties in the back too.

I also missed two great teacher gift tote bags with very nice zippers -- I so need to have Amy show me how to put a zipper in. We may get together Monday so perhaps on Sunday I can start a bag up to the point of the zipper and have her help me from there.

And I am really sorry for whatever else I missed -- I have a busy week next week with junk other than work (mostly stuff with the kids).

Finally finished my second Kindle project..

I bought the applique on Etsy and just sewed it on. I bought the solid red fabric already quilted. I didn't think it was gonna get finished because I could barely get my machine to sew through the thickness at the top zipper I definately need more practice on zippers!!

That looks sooo good! Sorry the layers gave you fits -- you'd never know, it turned out great.

I was so inspired by seeing all your great creations that I HAD to try something! Today is Tori's birthday, so I made her this:

I am really happy with how it turned out. The shorts were SO easy to make. I'm going to make a bunch for her now, because it is hard to find clothes that fit her now with all the weight she has lost from chemo.

I also started a mickey head outfit and finished the shirt. I LOVE applique! I had no idea it would be that easy!! So much fun.

I can't wait to sew some more!!

Adorable! I also use the shorts pattern to make pj's for my kids. And you can add ruffles and cuffs and trims, etc. to vary them a bit.

Thank you!! I can't believe I made it. I'm going to look at your American Girl stuff...Tori just got one yesterday! I would love to make some outfits for it!

There are tons of tuts for making AG -- do you do pinterest? I have quite a few bookmarked on there and if you buy Carla C patterns many have tuts/patterns for the dolls too.

Hi all! I'm almost ready to go ahead and order my embroidery machine. I decided on the PE770 instead of the Singer. The Singer only had the huge 6x10 hoop and a 4x4. I'm pretty sure that I'd use a 5x7 the most. If I want to do kids shirts, wouldn't the 6x10 be way too big? Seems like if I was able to hoop a shirt that size, I'd wind up with the design really low on it.

I'm going to order my supplies from Amazon at the same time and I was hoping for a little advice. Should I order bobbin thread in black and white or will just white do? Do I need cut-away stabilizer in addition to tear away? I've used tear-away for the small amount of hand embroidery that I've done and I liked it just fine. The rest of my list involves a bag of bobbins, a set of 63 1000 yd spools of thread in Disney colors with a rack included, a roll of Heat and Bond Lite, the PE770 (no, really?) , a 4x4 hoop, the tear-away and the white bobbin thread. I already have a good assortment of needles and other basics. Can you think of anything else I should have from the get-go? Spray adhesive, maybe, or does that gum up the machine? I made sure to check the reviews on everything I'm planning on buying, so I'm confident that I'll have decent quality on all of it. The stabilizer is a 100 yd roll for $20, so I'm pretty pleased with that, but I'd love some opinions if anyone here has used it.

I rarely spend money on myself, so I'm freaking out a little over dropping over $700. Here's hoping I can actually make myself do it!

Thanks in advance!

Lori in East Podunk

I definitely recommend cut away -- I use med weight Floriani because it softens nicely after washing so my dd doesn't complain about itching and so many wish kids are sensitive too so that it is all I use -- not sure if Amazon has it - -I get mine at the sew-vac shop.

I see no need for heat and bond lite but I use a spray for large swatches of fabric.

I also have a good pair of scissors (I have the Gingher embroidery ones which I love but many people here say they find them uncomfortable to use) and I have a manicure scissors as well.

You will love your new toy! I'm really excited for you.

Here is what I've worked on so far this week:

Can you guess what holiday I have been getting ready for????

All sorts of cute!!!! Though I'm scratching my head trying ot figure out if these are for Halloween or for Christmas.

Girls, I need your design brilliance. DD latched onto some Perry the Platypus fabric yesterday (we were shopping for some cartoon strip fabric - ended up with Marvel comics - to case that Buzz Lightyear dress that was posted yesterday). I grabbed a yard (and a half yard of a brown solid to coordinate), but now I can't decide what to make for her. She's a girly girl, so I want to girl it up a bit (it's this one, from JoAnn's http://www.joann.com/licensed-cotton-fabric-where-s-perry/zprd_11366234a/ ). Any brilliant plans? My first thought is a dress of some sort, but the girl has a bunch of dresses (either in her closet or in the pile for me to make) and I just don't think she needs any more dresses! Oh, she's a size 4.

If you don't want a dress you could do shorts or capris with a ruffle.

Two more questions for you fabulous people!!

First, I have been making my way through this thread (been taking days) and somewhere there was a bowling shirt type pattern? Or does anyone know where I could find a pajama shirt pattern that has SHORT sleeves? Tori likes to wear pajamas to chemotherapy and the button down ones work best so they can access her port. But I've had no luck finding them!

Second, can someone walk me through how to do this applique? I've never done one with multiple colors.

It looks to me like I will use two colors for her dress and then one color for her face? Where do I get that "flesh" colored fabric? Do her gloves look like they are filled in or applique? I guess I could do it on a white shirt too. I really think Tori would like this for one of her Disney outfits!

The Bowling Shirt is Carla's from YouCanMakeThis.com (I don't line mine either).

There is a Kona cotton that is a flesh tone available from Joanne's.

That applique design is adorable!!!! Agree with everything Diane told you about stitches. Sometimes it's a little confusing so have a pic of the design nearby -- some designers have a jpeg file to help you out with the order of things, some it's just stitch and see what happens. I haven't used her designs before so I don't know if she has a jpeg or not.

 

[4monkeys]

Here's my latest project. The kids last day of school is tomorrow so I made both their teacher's a tote bag. I used the idea of the crayon rolls and made slots for pens or pencils on each side. Both teachers had babies this year too so if they don't use them for school they can use them as activity bags with crayons or colored pencils in the pockets. Both zippers are a little wonky but oh well.

Great Idea!! I think I may make my little ones teachers bags. He "graduates" from Pre-k this coming week!!! Thanks for the inspiration.
What pattern did you use for the bag?? The one I did uses snaps or zippers and I have issues with the interior and exterir being different sizes when it's time to do the zippers... just seeing if it's the same pattern and I am not reading something right?!!?

I have been skimming around without much posting... Been busy with my kitchen, check out my PTR don't want to bore you with anymore details here

QUESTION

My brought her Husqvarna Huskylock Serger down for us to "play" with. Allison was making her blankets for Haiti, and the seam kept messing up.It started off very pretty, and would go a few inches, then it stopped connecting all the loops (sorry don't know what else to call them) Does anyone know why it's doing it?? Mom didn't have her book and it's not online. She thought maybe it was the settings she had it on, and we were doing fleece....

Needless to say, Alli is frustrated! She wanted to get them in the mail way before now. Should we rip it out and just use the sewing machine.....

Thanks in advance!

 

[nowellsl]

Cutting away the batting won't effect the "structural integrity". It wouldn't go beyond the seam, so it wouldn't hurt anything. When I made my bags, the directions tell you to cut away the excess batting and fabrics.

I don't know if I could have done that with the pre-quilted fabric I got without ripping out a lot of stitches and the fleece I used to line the pocket lining (that sounds funny) was iron on. I didn't even use it on the two inner pieces of lining because it was so thick already. Anyway, I think I'll wait for D to make a pattern for her bag and make it that way next

Thanks for all the nice comments! You are all so encouraging!! Thank you!

 

[dianemom2]

Those are all great. Did you do all those Applique Designs yourself too? They are so cute.

Yes I did the applique designs last week and stitched everything out this week. I changed Minnie's bow because my kids said it looked like a dog bone on her head. Now it is more like Minnie's regular bow. I'm glad you like the designs.

Well, I don't remember that you've mentioned French ancestry, so it's probably not Bastille Day, so I phoned a friend and we're going to go with Memorial Day. I love how all the outfits coordinate.

Well my sister in law's mother is French so Bastille Day is a possibility. But you are Smarter Than a 5th Grader because they ARE for Memorial Day! Probably for 4th of July too.

How have you been feeling? Have you improved at all yet?

Girls, I need your design brilliance. DD latched onto some Perry the Platypus fabric yesterday (we were shopping for some cartoon strip fabric - ended up with Marvel comics - to case that Buzz Lightyear dress that was posted yesterday). I grabbed a yard (and a half yard of a brown solid to coordinate), but now I can't decide what to make for her. She's a girly girl, so I want to girl it up a bit (it's this one, from JoAnn's http://www.joann.com/licensed-cotton-fabric-where-s-perry/zprd_11366234a/ ). Any brilliant plans? My first thought is a dress of some sort, but the girl has a bunch of dresses (either in her closet or in the pile for me to make) and I just don't think she needs any more dresses! Oh, she's a size 4.

How about a longish top and a pair of shorts? Or one of those open back tops like this:
http://www.youcanmakethis.com/produ...ew-a-reversible-open-back-summer-top-2t-6.htm

with a pair of matching shorts? I just made one these as a baby dress and it is soooo cute!

Second, I have some more exciting news. I took my Grandma's old Elna Superlite (ha! that thing weighs a ton!) in to the repair shop to see if it was still workable. I was sure it was going to be a Huge Deal and it was going to cost a mint because it's older than I am. All it needs is a cleaning, tune up and one $20 part! I'm so excited! I used that machine back when I was in highschool, which was *gasp!* ~choke!~ #wheeze!# 34 years ago. No other machine I've had has been as good and I can hardly wait until it's done! The Nice Man said it would only take a couple of days.


Lori in East Podunk, who thinks we need a sewing machine smiley!

What happy sewing machine news! Hooray! I agree that we need a sewing machine smiley. I wonder what that would look like????

That applique design is adorable!!!! Agree with everything Diane told you about stitches. Sometimes it's a little confusing so have a pic of the design nearby -- some designers have a jpeg file to help you out with the order of things, some it's just stitch and see what happens. I haven't used her designs before so I don't know if she has a jpeg or not.

I just one back and checked one of my downloads from Lynnie Pinnie's site. She sent it with a very nice jpeg file that tells the colors and the sewing order.

QUESTION

My brought her Husqvarna Huskylock Serger down for us to "play" with. Allison was making her blankets for Haiti, and the seam kept messing up.It started off very pretty, and would go a few inches, then it stopped connecting all the loops (sorry don't know what else to call them) Does anyone know why it's doing it?? Mom didn't have her book and it's not online. She thought maybe it was the settings she had it on, and we were doing fleece....

I've never sewn on fleece before but it looks to me like you need to adjust the tension of the two loopers. If you can't find the book online try looking on Youtube. A lot of the manufacturers put short videos about their machines on there. I learned a ton about my serger on there.