Tutorial: Transforming bloomers into functional panties

If your three-year-old is anything like mine, sooner or later, if she's wearing a dress, everybody will get to see the Care Bears panties she wore that day.  So even though she's potty trained, I tend to still make either fancy knickers to go underneath, or matching ones.  Examine the difference between the patterns and the RTW variety, and the main difference is that RTW panties have a double layer gusset between the legs. 

So if you sew in a knit gusset to keep sensitive areas away from seams, they become functional panties.  My first move was to trace the shape of the RTW gusset.  I did make it a bit wider, because, after all, these are poofy blomers!  Next, I assembled the panties in question, except for the leg elastic. 

My original thought was to sew the crotch seam first and not the side seams, but a bit of fiddling proved to me that for this pair, at least, that wouldn't work.

I cut the gusset from a scrap of knit, and it ended up
looking like this:

After a little cussing at it, I got it centered over the center seam of the panties, and pinned down.  On the right side of the panties, I took my #4 double needle and stitched down on the needle line, locking the raw edges of the knit in place.

After it's sewn down, all that's left to do is add the casings and the elastic. 

If you look closely, you can see the double line of stitching that holds the gusset in place.  Honestly,  I think this might've been easier with, say, Vogue 8060!

Sewing Terms: Continuous Lap

Continuous lap is a sewing term that isn't really seen much in modern patterns; it's seen more in heirloom sewing and vintage sewing.  Really, all it is is a way of binding off raw edges in a placket when it doesn't fall on a seam.  I hate it.  Truthfully, I've redrafted pattern pieces to include a seam in the right place just to avoid continuous lap! 

The original instructions I found last year had you pinning bias tape along the slash in the fabric in a straight line and then sewing it down.  I've since found some that take in account the fact that a slash is, essentially a "V", and avoids the slight gathering that happens with the way I've done it here.

This is the puckering that results from my original instructions.  After you've sewn the bias tape on one side, fold it over the raw edge, pin it, and sew that down.

Now your placket won't fray.  After this is sewn, foldthe placket back into position and decide which side will be the top.  Fold the bias tape under on that side, topstitch it, and then sew diagonally across the bottom like this "/".  That will secure your continuous lap as the bottom part of the placket.

The end result will look something like this--

It's now ready to attach to the bodice or cuffs of your garment.

Brilliant Basics: Darts

I've heard quite a bit about imperfect darts--how they're puckery and sometimes nippley.  But honestly, darts aren't that hard.  And I had quite a few in my 1950s toddler slip.  Part of that was my decision to line the slip instead of mess with bias tape because even with the darts, it's easier.  I had eight darts to take care of on a slip for a three year old! Darts are, essentially, a way to shape fabric so that it fits closer to the body.  In the case of my project, I really think it's more for show than anything.  Darts are also one of the few things that I insist on ironing before sewing anything else.  I find that you can skip a lot of ironing that sewing manuals say you need (my grandmother was a professional seamstress and rarely ironed anything!).

So you've transferred your marks, and pinned the darts.  The next step is to sew 'em.  I've done it from both directions, and to be absolutely truthful, the results look better if you start from the fatter side of the dart.  ;) But I had two little girls who wanted Aunt Laura to pay attention right then and none of the other four adults that were here would do!

 Be sure to leave long tails of thread on both sides, because you'll need them for the next step.

Once the darts are sewn in, the next step is to tie and clip the thread tails.  I usually go with a square knot, but a surgeons knot works exceptionally well.

After this, you have to iron it.  This will smooth out your seams, and can even help correct the tops of your darts a little if you've messed it up a bit.

 The ironing is really the last step.  I mean, you have to watch when you're sewing to keep everything where you've ironed it, but otherwise, you can move on in constructing your garment.

And after sewing up the rest of the slip, here's the result--a full skirted 1950s slip to go under Bit's dresses! (The 50s half slip, the crinoline slip, and the does-this-make-my-butt-look-big panties are under it in this picture, too.  Evie calls it her "ballerina dress".)

A "Duh" Moment

If you're like me, you have moments in sewing when you get an epiphany and smack yourself upside the head because you just discovered something so obvious that you wonder why it took you so long to see it clearly.  This one was a couple years back when working on Simplicity 2629.  See, it's a vintage reprint of a 1948 layette pattern.  And it has embroidery.  Lots of embroidery.  So I got a ink transfer pen and transferred the embroidery pattern.  And then it came time for the knife pleats.  Until then, no matter how hard I tried with tucks and pleats, out of a set of ten one would end up crooked.  It drove me nuts!  So here I am, having just heat transferred the embroidery design, staring at the transfer pen when it hit me.  Transfer the dang marks!  After all, the pleat lines are clearly marked on the pattern, and it would even give me a line to sew on.

As time has passed, I learned that transfer paper is a better way to go, and that it also works for darting and any other sort of pattern marking that ends up being essential. (Ink bleeds through light colored fabric.  And it's permanent.  These wash out and come in different colors in the same package for different color fabric)


So today, after finishing Bit's pettiskirt (more on that and the crinoline slip tomorrow)  I cut out her slip and put that old "duh" moment to use and transferred the dart markings.

Okay, so here's the cut out pieces of both the slip and panties.  I also have a piece of cardboard for extra support (and to know where to line everything up to!) the transfer sheets, a mechanical pencil, a ruler, and a chopstick.

I purposely don't iron the front bodice of things until later, because it gives me a center line to work from, and this is no exception.  I lined that line up against the straight cardboard edge, and then lined the paper up against that.  The pattern piece goes on top of that, with the cardboard giving you a nice, straight edge to keep everything in the right place and straight.

The next step is to take the chopstick and mark over the dots.  When you could take the seam gauge (aka the only ruler I could locate because the others are packed) and go over the lines, you'll get clearer, more accurate lines if you wait.

Graphite washes out, so a common, everyday mechanical pencil is my marking tool of choice.  Line up the dots with the ruler and draw in your dart line.  Now, repeat with your other side and any other markings you care to transfer.

Now you have perfect markings.  Pin along them, follow the lines on them to sew the darts, pleats, or tucks, and you get perfect results every time.

I also transfer placement lines for things like ruffles on ruffle butt panties, and sometimes button hole markings, too!

And one more, a bonus "duh" moment.  For perfectly placed collars on back button pieces, also leave in the fold mark--at least temporarily.  Sew the shoulder seams together, sew and turn the collar pieces, and then bar tack them together.  Then place the bar tacked collar pieces on the center fold line and start pinning.  Sew it and you've got a perfectly placed collar!

Brilliant Basics: transferring pattern markings

In twenty years of sewing, I'd never transferred pattern markings.  I referred to them, yes, but actually transferring?  Nope.  In part, it was because the standard pattern tracing wheel has never worked for me.  I never could figure out how it was even supposed to work, and I tried repeatedly to get it to without success.  Two years ago, I was working on Simplicity 2629.   It's a vintage 1948 rerelease, complete with embroidery motifs. Thing is, the original pattern would have included transfers for the designs.  The modern version says something to the effect of, "transfer embroidery designs using your favorite method."  Most modern patterns that include embroidery say that.  Now, there are three common methods of doing it-- embroidery heat transfer pens, embroidery heat transfer pencils, and transfer sheets.  The marker is a favorite with opaque fabric because you get lines that are easy to see and thus, embroider over.

Looking at the transferred designs, I had an epiphany--why not transfer the tuck markings in the same way?  I'd always had problems with tucks before that--no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up with one being crooked.  And later on, I found that my pens stunk for transferring to white, semi-sheer, and sheer fabric because you could see the lines on the right side.  I tried the pencil, but I could never get it to transfer dark enough to see.  So I tried the sheets.  They're now a favorite.  I use them to transfer not only embroidery designs, but tuck marks, pleat marks, darts, and anything else that benefits from having a clear mark to work with.  Joanns in my area carries them, so you should be able to find them at your local craft store.

So, here's my guide for working with the transfer sheets.  First, we need to gather supplies.  I use a piece of cardboard for backing to make lining up the pattern pieces easier.  Once the transfer paper is laid on the fabric, it's hard to see where the fold lines are, so this gives a line to use.  I also use a seam gauge, though any ruler will do, a chopstick for the actual transferring, and a mechanical pencil for darkening the lines afterwards.

This is the transfer paper.  It comes in a pack with five different colors.  I prefer the graphite.  One thing you do need to know is that the marks from the paper won't stay--they lighten with a little handling (very little) and can disappear before you're done using them.  It washes out, and doesn't show through the other side.

The first thing you need is your cut out material.  I usually pin labels on any pieces that look similar and are close in size so I don't get them mixed up.

Now, lay the fabric wrong side out with the dart is facing you and  the fold line on the edge of the cardboard.   In this case, having the other side of the fabric on the outside is a great thing, because it gives you something to line up the pattern piece with.

Next, lay the transfer paper right side down on top of the fabric, and line the pattern piece up with the other half of the fabric.  (The chopstick is in the picture to keep the fan from blowing the pattern piece away!)

Now, using the chopstick, trace over the lines of the pattern.  A regular wooden number two pencil will also work in a pinch, but the chopstick is better because the end is flat.  Remove the pattern and the transfer paper and get out the ruler and mechanical pencil.  This won't show through to the other side, but it will provide you with both lines to match up and a line to sew on.

Now, line up the ruler and trace over the lines.  They're always a little crooked from transferring, and this straightens them out for you as well as making sure that they'll stay long enough for you to use them.

This is the result--a clear mark that shows where to sew.  Don't worry, graphite pencil lead does wash out.  Now, we need to repeat it with the other side of the fabric. 

You'll need to flip the pattern piece over and use the wrong side as a guide, but it'll still work very well.

Now this is the right side of the fabric.  See?  No markings!  Now, repeat with all of the markings you need to transfer.

Darts in kids' clothes are usually just for style and aren't really completely necessary for construction.  But if they're in your pattern, the pattern has been added to so that they become necessary. 

Transferring the markings eliminates the guesswork in making pleats, darts, and tucks.  While I wouldn't recommend it for tiny tucks, it works well for larger ones.  Sometime in the next week, I'll go over double needle pintucks; I'm using them in my current project!

And just for a cuteness break--

When I wasn't looking, Bit managed to curl up in her baby sister's car seat and fall asleep there today!

Tutorial: adjusting RTW baby jammies with buttonhole elastic

Okay, buttonhole elastic is a marvelous invention.  Examine a lot of RTW toddler pants, and you'll find it installed in the back waistband.  It is, however, a bit hard to find locally.  At least where I live.  Hancock's used to sell it by the yard, but the Douglasville store closed when they closed down a lot of stores a few years back.  Joanns doesn't carry it, and neither does Hobby Lobby.  It is, however, readily available on the internet. I got mine from ebay for less than $1 a yard.

So you've got this adorable outfit for your baby that while it claims to be the correct size, is much too wide.  Since the size increments are in three-month intervals, you might need to do a fifteen-minute project to fix this so your child can get more wear out of it.  These are Alina's new jammies.  She's extremely slender, so I already know they'll be too wide. (I have two pairs I'll be adjusting here, so I may be using pictures interchangeably.

The first thing you need to do is make a casing.  I used leftover commercial quilt binding from Nikki's and Gracie's matching dresses.  The color doesn't matter, because this is on the inside, and it won't show from the outside.  You might, however, want to choose a color of thread that will blend in.

Decide how long you want it to be, cut it off, and hem the ends.  Since everything else will be topstitched, don't bother with hand hemming.

Next, place the new casing on the center back panel of the jammies.  You might want to take your seam gauge and measure to make sure that it's exactly on center.  Pin it and top stitch it down.  Be sure to go back and forth on the ends to completely lock it in place, because the ends will get a lot of wear.

On ready-to-wear garments that have the elastic, the buttons are sewn near the side seams.  There's no reason not to copy that, so you need enough elastic to reach where your buttons will be.  I measured by laying it over to top of the new casing.   Make sure that you have enough that it will be able to be buttoned on the last hole without gathering anything.  This will maximize the amount of time the baby can wear it.

The next thing to do is to cut it and heat seal the ends.  It'll stink, but heat sealing is the most efficient way to make sure that it won't ravel on you.  While you can cut and seal at the same time with a wood burner, I use a Bic lighter that I bought just for this.  I use it for ribbon, too.

Next, thread the elastic through the casing.  While there are fancy tools to do this, all you really need is a safety pin.  Make sure that the ends are even, and pin it through the middle of the casing.

Stitch through the middle to anchor the elastic.  Make sure to lock the ends in place because it'll have to withstand lots of tugging and pulling. 

Pin back the ends, and sew the buttons on in the side seams.  Smaller buttons are better, depending on the size of your buttonholes in the elastic.

Once this is done, you should be able to button the elastic to the side seams without any gathering at all.  The only thing that will show from the outside, if done properly, is the stitching!

After my next thrifting trip, I'll do another tutorial on how to make a RTW waistband adjustable!