Announcing the Shirt Dress Sewalong on It’s Sew Easy TV

Announcing the Shirt Dress Sewalong on It’s Sew Easy TV

It’s Sew Easy TV’s Shirt Dress Sewalong 

Announcing the shirt dress sewalong!  This season of It’s Sew Easy I will be sewing a shirt dress from beginning to end and you can follow along each week watching each episode of It’s Sew Easy!

To get started you will need to gather the supplies. You will find quick links to many of these items on my Amazon shopping list.

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Patternsangela wolf shirtdress

Check your pattern stash 🙂  Any button down shirt or shirtdress will work 🙂    Here are a few ideas:

Fabric

A cotton or cotton blend is the most common fabric used for a shirt dress, but the dress can take on a completely different look with different weight fabrics. Consider a rayon, linen, silk charmeuse, silk chiffon, or crepe.

TIPS:

  • If you choose a fabric with a print be sure to buy more fabric than the pattern recommends so you can line up the design while cutting out
  • Pre-shrink the fabric by washing and drying the fabric before cutting

 SuppliesSEWALONG SALE

  • Interfacing
  • Buttons
  • Thread
    • Universal polyester thread
    • Silk or cotton thread adds a nice finish for the topstitching)
  • Pressing Tools
  • Basic Sewing Supplies
    • Seam Ripper, Measuring Tape, Tailors Chalk, Pins,

 

Sewalong Schedule

Here is the blog schedule for the season long sew-along with links to the tutorials and live Q&A on my blog (each link will open on the date listed).  Season 14 of It’s Sew Easy had begun airing on PBS and Create TV; you will be able to watch each episode there first (depending on when your specific station begins airing the show).

Part 1: Announcing the Shirt Dress Sewalong with Angela Wolf on It’s Sew Easy

Episode 1401: Choosing and prepping fabrics, patterns, and sizing

Part 2: Sewing the Front Placket

Episode 1402: Sewing the front placket

Part 3: Attaching the Collar

Episode 1404: Attaching the collar

Part 4: Sewing the Placket on the Sleeve

Part 5: Sewing the Sleeves and Side Seam

Part 6: Sewing the Cuffs

Part 7: Sewing the Buttons and Buttonholes

Part 8: Finishing the Hem

Join us!  A new video will launch every Saturday on YouTube. Sign up here and never miss a blog post and join the fun on facebook, instagram, twitter, and pinterest . We will share photos on the social side using hashtags #angleawolf #itsseweasy

Can’t wait to see what you sew up!  Leave your comments & questions below …

Cheers,

 

Behind the Scenes LIVE with Angela Wolf

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Facebook LIVE every Wednesday at 1:30pm EST

Let’s Talk …

Watch each episode live on facebook or catch the replay here!

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Do-it-Yourself Custom Bowl Cover

This is such a fun easy DIY  project to dress up a bowl, I could definitely see using different fabrics for each season!  To get started, choose a bowl that you want to cover.  The bowl can be glass, metal, plastic, you name and it can be any size. (Note: I am using a blue bowl so you can see it, try to choose a color that will coordinate with your fabric or theme).

Supplies: 

  • 2 pieces of cotton fabric cut the dimensions of your bowl (see below)
  • 2 packages of 1 inch double fold bias tape
  • 2 packages of grommets
  • measuring tape
  • pins
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1.       Let’s get started by measuring the bowl so we can cut our fabric (remember you can use ANY size bowl :)).  Turn the bowl over and measure from one side to the other as shown.

2.       Cut a circle out of each fabric the same size as the measurement were recorded on the bowl.  

3.       Starting with one of the circle pieces of fabric, wrap the bias tape around the edge of the fabric and pin all the way around the circle.  Stitch along the edge of the bias tape, securing it to the edge of the fabric. 

 

To read the full blog and learn how to design your own bowl cover, head over to my post as a Brother Expert Consultant on the Brother Stitching Sewcial.  This is such a quick way to customize any bowl, I can’t wait to try different fabrics for the holiday season!

Cheers,

 

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GET STARTED
Episode 36 Behind the Scenes LIVE

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Episode 36: Behind the Scenes LIVE

This week’s Behind the Scenes LIVE show includes:

SALES!

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Friday 7/28 (12:01 am MT) – Sunday 7/30 (11:59 pm MT) #affiliate

Giveaway!

Enter to win a set of ELOFLEX strechable thread in 10 colors! Sponsored by Coats & Clark!  PLUS there are two ways to receive additional entries:

  • Enter daily!
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Next Week …

Join me next week live behind the scenes at the Brother convention previewing all the new products coming out!  In the meantime I am working on my jeans, embroidering some knit fabrics, and dyeing the lace fabric I showed on this episode.  I will keep you posted …

Don’t forget to update your email preferences for notifications you want to receive, join our private facebook group to show off your outfits, and enjoy the behind the scene photo on Instagram!

Cheers,

Upcoming Events!

Sportswear: Embellishing a T-Shirt with Coverstitch

Sportswear: Embellishing a T-Shirt with Coverstitch

One of my favorite items to make is a simple t-shirt.  It’s fast and easy when sewn with a serger. Then I use the Brother Coverstitch machine for hemming.  But what about embellishing the tee with coverstitching!  If you have used the Coverstitch before you will notice the back side of the coverstitch has a sporty look, similar to what we see in sportswear.  For this tutorial, I am going to show you how to utilize the 3-thread Coverstitch to create this fashionable look!  Let’s get started:

Materials:

 

DESIGNING THE LOCATION FOR THE STITCHES:

Cut out the pattern. My T-shirt pattern pieces consist of 1 Front, 1 Back, 2 Sleeves, and 1 Collar. There are not princess seams, but I want to add the illusion there are princess seams.  Starting with the front pattern, on the wrong side of the fabric, draw a line from the armscye to the hem.  Use a curved ruler if you need help drawing the curve .

Fold the fabric in half and use your hand to brush the fabric.  This will trace the chalk mark to the other side of the fabric.

Open the fabric back up and you should see a faint line from the first chalk marking.  Use the chalk to trace over this line, making it darker and easier to see. Do the same thing for the BACK pattern piece.  For the collar and sleeve, draw randomly placed chalked lines.

SET UP THE COVERSTITCH MACHINE

Choose the color of thread for the decorative stitch.  Ideally the color should be in the same color family as the right side of the fabric, but enough of a contrast that you can see the stitches.

Decide which stitch looks the best on your fabric:

  • Stitch a swatch of fabric with a wide coverstitch (using the left and right needle)
  • Stitch a sample with the triple coverstitch.

Keep in mind you will be stitching with the wrong side of the fabric facing up.  Check the look of the stitch on both sides.

I prefer the triple coverstitch on my fabric, so I will set up the coverstitch machine with all three needles using 4 spools of thread.  It’s a little faster to stitch from piece to piece, so start stitching on a scrap of fabric and then add another piece of fabric.  This allows me to check my stitch quality and I won’t have to worry about threads falling off at the beginning or end of my garment pieces.  (All of these stitches rows will be sealed in a seam, so no worries on threads unraveling).

For the full tutorial, check out my post on the Brother Stitching Sewcial blog.  I always love to see what your are working on, be sure to share photos of your sporty tops using #angelawolf #brothersews

Cheers,

Brother Expert Sewing Consultant. This blog post may contain affiliate links.

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Fringe Skirt Sewalong Part 5: Quilting the Lining

Fringe Skirt Sewalong Part 5: Quilting the Lining

Quilting the Lining

Why not add a touch of couture to your tweed fringed skirt and quilt the lining. Similar to a Chanel style jacket, the quilted lining is stylish and luxurious. There is a lot of hand-sewing involved in this process, but it’s worth every stitch ? As you know, I sew many of my skirts and jackets this way and once you wear a quilted garment you will be hooked!

Lining

I mentioned in a previous lesson in the Fringe Skirt Sewalong that is is best to use a natural fiber for the lining.  Here are some of my favorite options:

  • china silk
  • silk charmeuse
  • lightweight cotton
  • sueded silk
  • cotton knit

Cutting the Lining

When quilting the lining you will need to cut your lining fabric a little bit wider than your fashion fabric.  I usually lay my muslin or garment fabric on top of the lining as shown:

  • cut the sides of the lining at least 1″ wider than the skirt
  • fold up the fringe hem allowance and cut the lining 1″ longer than the top of the fringe marking

Preparing the Lining and Fashion Fabrics

  • Sew the darts on the lining, the same way you did on the fashion fabric.  Press the darts toward the side seams or the opposite direction the dart are pressed on the fashion fabric.
  • Prepare the zipper area on the skirt by pressing the fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric
  • If the fashion fabric fabric or lining frays easily, serge the edges of the fabric with a 3-thread wide overlock stitch (DO NOT serge the hem on the fashion fabric!)

Baste the Lining

With wrong sides together, lay the tweed fabric on top of the lining. Starting at the waistline, line up the darts on both fabrics.  Pin or hand-baste the fabrics together, starting at the center and moving out toward the side seams.  (see my blue pins in the photo below)

Mark the area that you will not be stitching:

  • Depending on the waistband: 1/2″ from the top edge
  • 2″ from each side seam
  • 2″ from the top of the fringe hemline

 

 

Quilting the Lining

Starting at the top of the waistline in the center of the skirt, line up the needle with the grainline and stitch from the top of the skirt down.  I am using a stitch length of 2.5.

Stop the stitching 1″ to 2″ higher than the top of the fringe placement

Continue to stitch parallel rows 1/2″ to 1″ apart, depending on the fabric design.

Stitch around the darts; stopping or starting the stitches around the dart, not through the dart.

Do not quilt rows within 2″ of the side seam.  This leaves room to sew the seams together and press the seam allowances open.

Quilt the front and both side back pieces

 

So what do you think – are you going to try this touch of couture on your next tweed skirt?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to join the Angela Wolf Patterns Private Facebook Group to share photos, ask questions, and share ideas with your fellow sewer’s!

Cheers,

The Sewalong Schedule:

  1. Fabric & Sourcing (February 10. 2017)
  2. Fitting & Patternhacking  (February 16. 2017)
  3. Cutting & Prep  (February 21. 2017)
  4. All About Darts  (February 23. 2017)
  5. Quilting the Lining  (February 28. 2017)
  6. Invisible Zipper’s  (March 2. 2017)
  7. Waistbands  (March 7. 2017)
  8. Hemming & Fringe  (March 9. 2017)
  9. Show off in the Angela Wolf Facebook Group! 
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