Sew Spoiled

Sewing Skills needed Shirring Materials: t-shirt (prewash your t-shirts) or light weight knit fabric 1/4" Elastic  Ribbon Elastic Thread sewing machine and sewing notions Print the Baby Doll pattern piece out. Print The Little Girl Sizes 2T-6 Step 1: Cutting Layout- cut the night gown shape using the template. Step 2: Finish the edges of the collar and armholes with a serger or a zig zag stitch on your sewing  machine. Choose a thread the same color as your ribbon. If you pull the edge slightly under the foot  as you satin stitch, zig zag or finish the edges it will give you a lettuce hem or edge. Try this technique with a scrap piece of fabric first. Step 3: Pin, right sides together the front and back shoulder pieces. Sew only  one shoulder together. Finish the seam with a serger or a zig zag stitch on your sewing machine. If you are making the Baby doll version you don't have to finish all of the seams. Shirri

Happy Sewing Monday! Every Monday we will run a $5 ePattern sale for 24 hours!! The Sew Spoiled Smart Pocket Pattern! Use the coupon code  THIRTYONE  and receive free shipping on your own personalized skirt cover . I will be only making a few of these for a limited time. So don't miss out. These also make great Mother's day gifts. 

If you are like me, you look at how much fabric you have in your stash and then you try to figure out how much you can make with it. I like to get the most out of my fabric, so I have created a list of my favorite projects and how much fabric they need. Maybe this list will help you too calculate what to make with your fabric stash! This collection has women's clothes, kids clothes, accessories and everything in between. Some of these are free tutorials and some are bought patterns but all of them are great! More than a Yard: Marianne Dress , by Christine Haynes Reviewed Sutton Blouse , by True Bias Reviewed Magic Pattern Book , 2 Yards  Blythe Skirt Two zipper hipster , 1.66 Yards Reviewed Plantain T-shirt , 1.5 Yards Reviewed Chevron Scarf , 2 Yards Free Tutorial Sally Dress , 2-3 yards Reviewed Washi Dress , 3 Yards Reviewed Coffee Date Dress , 3 Yards Reviewed Spring Wrap Dress , 3 Yards Reviewed Heather Ross's ,  Weeken

I love shopping at the Loft . It is one of my favorite stores. I love looking through the store soaking up the fashion ideas and colors for the season. I recently bought 4 tops for $7 each on sell at the outlet store.  When I got them home I realized that the shape of the shirts were simple. I drafted a shirt template using the loft shirts ( Adding a .5" seam allowance around the shirt and 1.5" at the bottom to fold up.)  and remade the shirt below. Sometimes the best patterns come straight from your closet. If you have a piece of clothing that fits you really well, drafting a template from it is a good idea.  It also justifies buying a new top. Now you've bought a top and a pattern all in one. Happy Sewing!

Here is a new piece for my spring wardrobe, an A-line skirt in warm colors.  This simple skirt only needs 2 yards of fabric and an invisible zipper. I used my skirt tutorial to create it. I love that it matches my Sew Spoiled Braid Bag ! My necklace is even handmade by my talented mother. Only the t-shirt is store bought from Target.  My stripes did not match up but that is ok I still love it!

1. School Picture Day , 2. Amy Butler Jumper , 3. Cupcake dress! , 4. Girls 4th Dress/ shirt , 5. Boardwalk Ruffle Dress by Monkey's Bug , 6. Yoga Skirts with Patty Young's Knits , 7. Yoga Skirts , 8. Kids Tulip Blouse , 9. The Treasure Skirt from Little Girls, Big Style , 10. The Treasury Skirt from Little Girls, Big Style , 11. Sweet Girls 2011 , 12. Matching Girls , 13. Sweet Summer Dresses , 14. Village Frock , 15. Girls-1 , 16. Dear My Kids Stylish Coat , 17. Dear My Kids Stylish Coat pattern , 18. Ladybug half apron for kids , 19. Swim suite done , 20. Easter dress , 21. Edith Skirt , 22. Edith Skirt , 23. Petal Knot Jumpers dresses , 24. gumdrop cushions in Amy Butler , 25. Flower Girl dresses 1 , 26. My Lazy Day Skirt , 27. Sweet Little Dress , 28. Kinsey in her round neck top2 , 29. My Girls in Afternoon Tea Jackets , 30. Sitting together Can't wait to make more beautiful kids clothes. However my oldest has jumped to a size 12 and I am not sure where to find b

When I find a great pattern, I get hooked. I want to recreate it in every color and print imaginable. I love the way the " coffee date dress " fits. Well I just wanted to share with you the super All in One Facing Tip.  First you sew the facing to the bodice like the picture above. Leaving the shoulders open at the tops. Then you flip the front of the bodice right facing and keep the back of the bodice wrong side facing. Place the front of the bodice through the hole of the back bodice.  Sew the shoulder pieces together; facing to facing and bodice to bodice, just at the top of the shoulders. Iron and topstitch around the armholes and neckline. It is so easy and it turns out every time. I think this would also work with the Washi Dress by Made by Rae.   Might have to try that out. Back to sewing!

This little black dress was given to me a few years ago but it was so old fashion, conservative and yucky that I have never worn it. The ruffles on the sleeves and neckline were appalling. Added with the weight of the knit sweater fabric made the dress unbearable to wear.  I decided today either I fix it or it goes! I had to first see the potential and look for the things I liked about it.  I like the skirt length.  I liked the bodice.  So I had an idea, take the sleeves off and make it sleeveless!!! First I took my seam ripper and took the sleeves off. Then I ironed the old seam allowance wrong side together. This fabric is knit so I only folded it over once. However if I had fabric that would fray, I would have folded it over twice or use binding.   Finally, I topstitched the sleeveless armholes. This is my fun little black dress. It looks great with my black boots or sandals and this cute hot pink belt. I am so glad I saved it after all this time. I onl

This is a collection of clothes I have made for myself over the years but there is no rhyme or reason. This spring I would like to challenge myself and make a spring collection. With dresses, tops and bottoms all coordinating so they all can be mixed and matched together. What fabric collection would you choose if you where going to make your own spring wardrobe collection? I like different blues but I would also like to try new things. What patterns would you use? I complied this mosaic together to see what patterns I have used over the years.  This is good because I can see that I don't have a good pants/ capris pattern yet and I am in need of finding one. 1. Coffee Date Dress , 2. Easter Dress , 3. Washi Front , 4. Washi Tunic with Tova Sleeves , 5. Denim Washi Dress , 6. Skirt (5) , 7. Close up, New Skirt Simplicity 2211 , 8. Skirt (2) , 9. A Wrap Dress for me! , 10. Charlie Bag , 11. Colette Iris Shorts; http://sewspoiled.blogspot.com/2012/

I love my new dress! I can't believe how nice it came out. I also made it for under $10!! The fabric was on sale for $2.47 a yard! The free pattern is, Coffee Date Dress by the Selfish Seamstress , only calls for 2.5 yards. I am going to try to wear more dresses this spring season. If I can make my clothes for less, maybe I can spend more on shoes. LOL! Here is a closer view of the ruffle. I am planning to wear a cardigan with it and the ruffle is the perfect accent.  Back to sewing!

A wonderful friend gave me this fab fabric!! I know a whole bolt!!! I love it because I can use it to try new dress patterns! Can you tell how excited I am.  As I was wondering around in Pinterest , I found a sewing mecca of information at the Selfish Seamstress . She loves to sew fashionable wardrobe pieces for herself. She also happens to be petite!! Which I love, I am too on the short side. She uploads free sewing projects and that is where I found the Coffee Date Dress. She has it available in different sizes however there is no seam allowance. New concept for me. I ended up redrawing the seam allowance before cutting out my templates.  This is the dress inside out, the pattern instructions calls for you to use another Burda Style tutorial called the All In One Facing . What is that you ask? It is awesomeness! The all in one tutorial shows you how to sew the raw edges of the neck line and armholes on a dress with an all in one facing. I will use this again and again with

I often get this question, "How did you learn to sew?" and well, most of the time I tell people that my family taught me. Which is partly true, they inspired me. When I was younger I was surrounded by beautifully handmade things. We couldn't always afford the finer things and so my family would make them. My Great Grandmother made for me a Cabbage Patch doll from a sewing kit. My father built my first bicycle, mostly out of a Spiderman bike parts. :) I loved it! My mother would reupholster our couch when it needed a facelift. She also made my first concert black dress when I began to play the clarinet. I was enriched by the people around me. I loved the handmade treasures they made for me. Each handmade piece had a colorful story of how it was created. It wasn't until I got older and had my first child that I realized I wanted to give my little ones handmade treasures. Gifts that were made by me and they could keep forever. Gifts that would have stories to share.