Blog

Friends, we are almost done.  Although, there still seems like quite a bit needs to be done!  We should probably get to work, because these last 2 days are going to be action packed!  Let's get started!

Grab you sleeves and your sleeve ties, if you have decided on this version.  You are going to place your ties 1/2in from the raw bottom edge, similar to what you did on the bodice.  Baste your ties in place on both sleeves

Take you sleeve lining pieces and finish the straight edge with either a serger or zig zag stitch.  Then place your lining on top of your sleeve and pin in place.  And just like with the bodice, you can mark your 1/2in SA around the "v" to make sure you keep the correct SA while sewing.  

Sew your lining to your sleeve, trim the SA, clip corners and notch the "v".  Turn your sleeves right side out and give it a good steam.  Now you can topstitch if desired.  

Tie your pretty knots!!  For those who are creating the cap sleeve,  hem the bottom raw edge of your sleeve, folding up 1/4in and then another 1/4in and sewing.

Regardless of your sleeve your chose, you can follow these directions.  I am NOT doing the burrito method since I chose the tie knot sleeve.  If you chose the cap sleeve and would like to do this, follow the directions in your pattern!

Find the center of your sleeve and mark with a pin, then measure out 2in from the pin on both sides and mark.  This is where you will place your gathering stitches.  Do this for both sleeves.

Place your bodice flat, right side up, and place your sleeve wrong side up, on top of the bodice.  You are going to pin the ends of the sleeve in place, and work your way towards the middle where your gathering stitches are.  Pull your threads to gather the sleeve to the appropriate length and pin.

Sew along the edge and finish this seam with your method of choice.  Now turn your bodice with the sleeve wrong side out and pin together, starting at the sleeve edges and working your way down towards the armpit and hem.

Sew along your pinned edge and finish your SA.  Repeat these steps to attach your other sleeve and sew the side of the bodice closed.

Yay!  You now have a bodice with sleeves!!!  Stand back and admire all your hard work!  We are done for today, make sure to add your photo into the day 4 album!!

Tomorrow is our last day and we will be finishing up or lovely Charlies!  Check back here tomorrow!

Sew-a-Long weeks often feel like a blur to me!  They go by so fast and at the end of the week, I am asking myself where the time went!  Today is already Wednesday, and that means it is Day 3 of our Charlie Sew-a-Long.  If you are just joining us, WELCOME!!  If you have been with us all week, welcome back!  It's tie to get sewing, ladies!

Today is the first day we actually are going to sit down and sew, so grab you bodice pieces and head on over to your machine.  Make sure you have your main and lining fabrics, because these next few steps you will need both!

First, grab you front and back bodice pieces in your main fabrics.  You are going to sew your shoulder seams together.  Once sewn, iron you SA open.  Do the same for you lining fabrics.  When done, your pieces will look like the photos above.

Set your bodice pieces to the side and grab your bodice ties.  Place them RST and sew, leaving the straight bottom edge open.  Do this for your sleeve ties also, if you chose that option!  Trim the SA for all your ties and turn right side out.  give them a good steam and topstitch if you'd like!  

Go ahead and grab your main bodice fabric and your bodice ties.  Set everything else to the side.  We are going to be focusing on attaching our ties.  Your ties should be about 1/2" from the top of the bodice where the "v" starts, and flush with the bottom of the "v".  Baste these in place.

Now set your lining on top of your bodice, RST and pin.  You may want to mark your 1/2" SA around the "v" to make it easier to sew.  You will be pinning and sewing along the back sides and around the neckline.

Once sewn, trim off half of your SA, clipping corners and curves.  I use my pinking shears here!  Turn right side out and iron!  You should topstitch around the back middle, around the neckline, and back down the other side.  You should notice that your bodice ties are flush with the top of the bodice now.  

Tie your knot and you are done!  There are AWESOME directions on pg.27-29 of your pattern!  The tie knot comes out {perfectly} if you follow these directions!

You have completed day 3!  YAY!  Add in you photo into today's album.  Tomorrow we will be working on sleeves!  See you all back here tomorrow!

It's day 2!!!  Today is another easy day, so if you haven't had a chance to join us and are just starting, don't fret!  You are not behind!  Plus, the weekend is always time to catch up!  We know life can get crazy a hectic!

Let's get our patterns printed out.  This is one of our newest patterns, which means you get to use [LAYERS}!!!!  Isn't that so awesome?!?  I adore layers, especially since I am often mashing sizes, since she is a petite little lady.  If you've never used layers before, it is really simple to use!  First, make sure to open your pattern in Adobe.  Once you have it open, take a look at the left side of your screen.  Along the side you will see a few different icons, but the one you want looks like 3 sheets on top of each other.  Click that icon.

Now click the plus sign.  You will see all the sizes listed.  Click each size you {DON'T} want to print, and leave the bottom option checked!  Now you are ready to print just the sizes you need!  YAY!  Assemble you pattern pieces together.  I am using a glue stick this time since I still haven't bought any tape since last month....LOL

Once you are done, start pinning your pieces to your fabric and cut out.  Make sure to take note of where the folds are for the Charlie pattern pieces.  Cut your fabrics out.

Easy Peasy!  We are done!  Take a photo and upload into the Day and you will  2 Album!  Tomorrow we start sewing.  Are you as excited as me??  Make sure to go swoon over all the fabrics in the Day 1 album!  I {may have} spent a little too much time yesterday writing a new {to buy} list! ;)  

Hop back over here tomorrow for Day 3!  And I realized too late yesterday that we did not talk about prizes!!!  As always, upload 1 daily photo into each album to be qualified for our SAL prize!!  A VFT 5 pattern prize pack and $50 Hawthorne Threads Gift Certificate!!!!  See you all back here tomorrow!

It's the first week of April, so you know what that means!!!  It's Sew-a-Long time!  Who else gets excited when the month comes to an end?  For me, I know it's time to start voting on next months pattern, and that means a new SAL is right around the corner!  Last week was voting week, and our winner won by a landslide!  Charlie is our official SAL winner for April, and I couldn't be more excited because I did not get a chance to test this pattern and I have been dying to sew this one up!  

If you haven't purchased Charlie yet, well, what are you waiting for!  Use code: charliesal and get this pattern 20% off!  This is our first step for Day 1!

Once you have your pattern purchased, it's time to think about fabrics and trims, so head over to your favorite fabric shop, online shop, or your own stash and get to shopping!  Remember that for this pattern your will need a lining fabric as well as your main fabric, and you will also need a few buttons!  And don't forget about embellishments!

I am going very simple on this one!  Still not positive if I will be sewing a dress or top, but I just could not pass up this gorgeous Bari J fabric!  Anyone else just adore every single fabric she designs???  Goodness, she can do no wrong!!

So we've got our patterns purchased and our fabrics chosen.  Day 1 is complete, so lay those gorgeous fabrics out and snap a photo!  We can't wait to see what you've chosen!  Head over to SAL Central and out your day 1 photo in the album!

Pop back here tomorrow for Day 2.  We will be working printing our patterns and cutting out our fabrics.  A super easy day!  See you tomorrow!

Have you been following our mini blog series showcasing each of the new Spring Dress Collection patterns? If not, be sure to hop back and check out the previous posts! 

We're wrapping up the series with a lovely photo spread of all three patterns together, maxi style, featuring the *new and coming soon* rayon substrate from Hawthorne Threads. 

From left to right: 

{Elodie} in Parapluie Sailor Stripe in Gold (Rayon) and white gauze, single layer maxi length 

{Evelyn} in Parapluie Sailor Stripe in Ink (Rayon) and Au Printemps in Indigo (Rayon) for the ruffle, maxi length

{Cairo} in Parapluie Sailor Stripe in Tulip (Rayon)

The girls area also wearing headbands and hair wraps made with Bicyclette in Paris. 

The Rayon substrate is coming soon to Hawthorne Threads for their gorgeous in-house collections and is a must have for this spring and summer! The drape is perfect for sewing apparel fabrics, isn't too slippery to cause difficulty when trying to line up finicky prints like these sailor stripes, and is so soft and cool in warmer temps! 

The back of the new Cairo pattern is sooo dreamy with crocheted lace and the sweet Sailor Stripe. The Cairo pattern is available in girls (2-10), baby (0-3 mos through 24 mos), tween (10-16) and 18" doll sizes!

The Evelyn pattern features gorgeous bodice ruffles and the super on-trend cold shoulder sleeve ruffle. I love how Alexis played with the direction of the stripes to really make this dress pop! 

The Elodie pattern is so sweet in an everyday version with the Sailor Stripe in Gold and opaque white gauze. Perfect for the beach! 

For this shoot, we set out to the La Tour (aka The Tower) at Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach, CA. La Tour is French for "The Tower" and was a nice ode to the French influence of the fabrics. The sailor stripe from the Parapluie fabric collection fit with the beach setting. The trio of stripe colors complimented our sun-drenched ocean view perfectly. 

And, because we know many of you have scooped up the patterns during the sale (wait, you didn't??? Hurry because the sale ends Monday, April 3rd! Use coupon code "SPRINGDRESS") and now need some great fabric to sew with...

We've teamed up with our wonderful friends at Hawthorne Threads and Art Gallery Fabrics to give you a chance to win some new fabric!!!! Simply enter the rafflecopter giveaway below and one lucky winner will enjoy a $25 shopping spree to Hawthorne Threads *and* 2 yard bundles of voile from the Inblue, Bountiful and Indie Boheme fabric collections! 

Hello VFT Family!

We are so excited to introduce 3 new patterns with you; Cairo, Elodie and Evelyn for our Spring Collection. 

I am so thrilled to be able to introduce you to Evelyn...

Cold shoulder dresses and tops are a HUGE trend right now and have been for the last year or so. The funny thing is I think it was huge when I was in high school. What was old is new again, right?!!  But the cold shoulder sleeve is only one of the amazing features on this new Evelyn pattern. 

Along with the double layered ruffle sleeves, it also features front and back bodice ruffles making it look like one continuous line.  The faux princess seam is beginner friendly and presents a clean finish with bias tape. 

(Sewn with Liberty of London Lawn Fabric)

Another added feature are the front bodice pintucks. These are actually sewn prior to cutting out the front which cleverly makes it a simpler process with great results. 

(Sewn using Sharon Holland, Art Gallery Fabrics, Bountiful Collection in Voile)

Are you afraid of zippers? Well not any more! The Evelyn tutorial has tons of photos and we walk you through every step! You will be throwing out that button foot and replacing it with a zipper foot before you know it!!

One of my favorite designer details is the use of trim for the bodice ruffles and/or sleeves. It added a very special unique touch to the dress.  Love it!!!

Evelyn comes in Kid sizes 2-10 and Tween sizes 10-16.

She works best with fabrics that drape well like voile, lawn, rayon, silk but can also work with seersucker, lightweight chambray, swiss dot and lightweight cottons.

One of my FAVORITE features of Evelyn (I am a bit obsessed with) is the vintage 2"-2 1/2" (depending on size range sewn) deep hem! OH MY heart! Swoon!! The skirt also has the option for a lining that enclosed the skirt/bodice seam line.  All seams will then be neatly enclosed, NICE!!!! 

Here is the exciting part for you....

Be on the lookout very soon for details on an exciting giveaway! Hint... there maybe some fabric involved. ;)

 Also, 

Make sure you check out the website while the Spring Collection is on sale!!! Use code: SPRINGDRESS for 15% off. 

Until next time VFT Family...

xoxo,

Alexis

Hey all!!! I'm sure you've caught wind of the incredible new Spring Dress Collection set to release March 30th, but just in case you missed any of the sneak peeks- we'll be blogging about each new pattern for the next several days! We'll be sharing our inspiration for the design, detailing all the great features and options included in each pattern and of course sharing some gorgeous modeled photos to showcase the beautiful new styles coming soon to VFT!

First up in this mini blog series is the Elodie dress pattern! Elodie was, again, inspired by my sweet girlies! They have a million and two night gowns that all have illusion necklines and sweetheart bodice overlays. Seriously, I counted yesterday. I think that style just tucked itself somewhere in my subconscious and then started knocking back in January when we started planning a collaborative effort for spring looks. Because we know you sew these beautiful garments for little girls that love to play and be adventurous, we included an "everyday" option for non-sheer fabrics. The everyday option is great for showcasing your favorite quilting cottons or apparel fabrics!

Another great feature included in the Elodie dress pattern is the sweet puff sleeves. Every princess needs a good poofy sleeve! The pattern uses french seam construction to keep a sturdy seam and clean finish inside and out. 

To step up the sweetness, we've included detailed instructions for sewing *and* tying this beautiful, big bow sash. There's a special design to this sash that will have you smiling ear to ear when sewing. 

If sheer fabrics are a new substrate for you, or make you feel slightly intimidated, we've included a long list of helpful tips to set you up for success. We also suggest using 1/4" Wash Away Wonder Tape to help set the fabric in place and prevent any shifting while sewing. You'll want to use that same tape when setting the zipper in place for a super fast and easy zipper installation! 

Now that you've got a closer look at the great features and design elements included in the Elodie, check out these incredible tester images for the new Elodie dress in girl's, baby and 18" doll sizes!

Be sure to tune back in tomorrow to see a closer look at another great pattern from the Spring Dress Collection. Follow the entire mini blog series and you may see a giveaway at the final post!

XOXO,

Cassie

Day 4 means we are almost finished with our Sew-a-Long.  And while it's sad to think our fun is coming to an end, we've got quite a bit of work to do still.  So let's get started!

Set your bodices aside and grab your skirt pieces.  For both the reversible and no reversible versions,  take your back skirt piece and but it down the middle so you have 2 pieces.  Place the back pieces on top of the front piece, RST and sew along the short side seams.

Trim your SA and finish the edge with either your serger or a zi-zag stitch.  Now take the middle back edges and finish those as well!  Repeat all of these steps for the reverse side of the skirt, if doing the reversible version.

If you are doing the reversible version, follow along with me!  You will be folding the back middle edges you finished 1/4in with wrong sides touching and iron.  Repeat this for both the main and lining skirts.  If you are doing the non-reversible version, fold your back middle pieces in 1in and iron flat.

For all options, it is time to hem your skirts.  Fold the bottom raw edge up 1/4in and iron, and then another 1in and sew to secure.  Do this for all of your skirt pieces.

If you are making your Pearl reversible, I like to clip both skirt pieces together at the bottom and trim any difference I have at the top of the skirts, that way they are both the exact same length.

Now take your skirt pieces and sew your gathering stitches at the top.  I prefer 2 rows of stitches, but you do what you like!  Make sure you leave 1in on either end of the skirt ungathered if you are going to be using buttons, and 1/2in ungathered if you are doing the tie back version!  

That is it for today!  Tomorrow we will be attaching our skirts and finishing up our lovely Pearls!  Like always, please add in your daily photo into the Day 4 album!  If you need to catch up, you can find the previous posts all linked here.  See you all back here tomorrow!

It's Wednesday, and that means Day 3 of our Pearl {Sew-a-Long}.  We are halfway through!  I swear, SAL weeks go by crazy fast!  Today is an easy day, promise!  It's exactly what a Wednesday should be!  

Ladies, there are literally like 3 steps today.  THAT IS IT!  I did my normal breakdown when I planned this one, not really thinking about the fact that we don't have sleeves to add in, which would normally be done on day 3!  So, it's pretty much a break today, you're welcome!!  LOL

We should get started, because you will want to get to the last step ASAP!  Yesterday we started working on our bodices.  Grab your bodice and place the sides RST.  You want the main fabrics to touch and the lining fabrics to touch.  You are going to sew both sides with a 1/2in SA.  

Once you have both sides sewn, you will want to iron the seam open.  I know normally we trim our seams, but not here!  Your underarm seam will be less bulky ironed open!  Believe me!

Take your bodice and fold the main fabric down, covering the seam you ironed.  Do this for both sides.  Iron the seam, and viola!  You now have a bodice!  YAY!!!

Ladies, that is seriously it today, HAHA  So grab a cup of coffee(or tea, or whatever your drink of choice is) sit back, and RELAX!  This is the most important step of the day!  It's been a crazy week here and I am going to bet some of you are also dealing with craziness, so I want you all to take a big deep breath and know that your sewing friends are with you in spirit!

Tomorrow we will tackle the skirts!!  If you missed any of the previous days, you can find them here and here!  And don't forget to upload your Day 3 photo into the album!  See you lovely ladies tomorrow!

Hello Lovelies!  It's Day 2 of our Pearl Sew-a-Long!  Today we are going to actually get a little bit of sewing done!  Woo Hoo!  Who's ready to dust off those machines and get to work?

First things first (I'm the realest!  I can't help but sing that song every time I say that!  Sorry guys) get your pattern printed and put together!  How you do that is up to you.  I used a glue stick, because one of my fabulous children used every smidge of tape I had left.  I may have scoured every room in my home searching for tape for 30min and finally gave up.  So, glue it is!  Regardless, get that pattern pieced together and then cut your fabrics out.  

Anyone else love a freshly cut stack of pattern pieces?!?!  No???  Just me?!?!?!  Obviously it doesn't take much to make me happy these days!  hahaha My freshly cut pattern stack is ready to be cut, so let's head over to our machines!

If you are doing the sweet flutter sleeve, it's time for you to get to work!  It's super simple to get these put together.  Take one main and one lining fabric and pin together.  Sew along the top curved edge, trim the seam allowance (SA), turn right sides out, iron and topstitch!  Do this for both flutters!

Now add 1-2 rows of gathering stitches along the non-sewn edge and gather your flutters to 1/2 of the original length!

Let's get started on our bodices now.  You are going to place your main bodice fabrics right sides together(RST) and sew at the shoulders, using a 1/2in SA.  Do this for your main and lining fabrics.

Iron your SA open on both bodices.  This helps your seams not bulk up and lay properly!  If you are looking to embellish your bodice, do this now!  Just remember, if you are making this reversible, one side will be touching the skin, so just be mindful of buttons etc!

If you are using the tie back, it's time to add those in now.  I am using the button back option this time around, so I am skipping this step on mine!  For those tie back Pearls, lay your ties out on the back bodice pieces and use a basting stitch to secure.

My Pearl is sleeveless, and if you are doing a sleeveless version, follow along with me!  You are going to pin up the back, around the neck, and back down the other side.  On both back pieces, keep 1/2in OPEN at the bottom!!  Sew along where you have pinned.  You will also pin and sew along the armholes.

Trim all your SA, but do not trim the 1/2in at the bottom of each back bodice piece!  Then turn right side out and head over to your iron to  get those seams looking nice!!

If you chose the flutters, you will pin your flutters to your bodice and baste them on.  Then sandwich your flutters between your bodices, laying the reverse bodice on top, right sides together.  Sew along both armholes but do not trim the SA.  

Lift the main bodice away from the flutter and roll the flutter sleeve back and secure with a pin.  This is so it does not get caught while you sew the neckline.  Pin along the back middle, around the neck, and back down the other side, just as I stated in the above directions!  Trim your SA, turn your bodice and iron!

Day 2 is complete and we have an almost complete bodice!  YAY!!!  Tomorrow we will finish our bodices!  Make sure to take your photo for today and add it to the Day 2 album.    If you missed Day 1, you can find it here.  See you all back here tomorrow!