Classic Vintage Sailor Dress...

Ever since we have been on our new venture to make clothing that is classic and beautiful, I have been looking for a vintage pattern to make a sailor dress. I have always loved them, and done the right way I knew this could be a hit! After endlessly searching, I found a pattern for the style I wanted. Unfortunately that pattern was not for sale anywhere! Finally I decided it was time to make up a pattern. I found three patterns that I already had that were to make up this dress...

The dress I was copying

From this pattern I used the sailor style collar.

I used the bodice of this one...since it crossed in front I was able to make modifications, This way it gave me the double breasted look I wanted! 

I took the sleeves and skirt from this pattern...

As you see, a little creativity, some adjustments and details made this dress have the look I wanted! O and did I mention...Those buttons unbutton and the whole front of the dress opens up to make it easy to get on and off your little one!

Same & Next Day Alterations...

Often times we get customers who need something altered for their work uniform the same or next day.  If you are one of those people who have a suit, pants, shirt, skirt, Military or law enforcement uniform that needs altered quickly, we are your solution! Not only are we same or next day alterations for work uniforms, but if you have to drive for 20 min or more to get to us, you can relax in our beautiful shop while we alter your clothing on the spot. 

To contact us for a same or next day alteration, please visit our website.

 

Classic-Style Clothing...Is there a need?

There seems to be a large need in our society to dress girls like young girls and not adults. Shopping for girls these days especially ages 7-14yrs. you mostly find trendy shirts, short, short dresses and skirts, tight jeans and dark colored clothing. It can be a challenge to find that simple, beautiful dress with a little collar, smocked bodice, and soft print that keeps your children looking like children. Our goal is to create a line of classic-style clothing using patterns and styles from the 30's-50's. All the dresses seem to be simple solid colors with accents of embroidery or a coordinating color. 

Let me know your thoughts on this or feel free to show me styles that you would like to see your daughters in!

 

I especially love this dress below. The pattern seems to be sold out everywhere I have found it so if you know of one similar please let me know!

Tuesday Tips...Turning a fabric tube right side out

Have you ever sewn a strap or tie right sides together with one end closed and then had a hard time turning it right side out? Here is an easy way to do it. All you need for this is a large crochet hook or knitting needle! 

First, flip over the opened end of the tie/ strap and then place the tool that you are using, (in this case I am using a crochet hook) in between the flipped fabric and the non-flipped fabric. 

While gently pushing up on the tool, pull down on the flipped fabric. 

When you are finished, if you are using a tool with a pointed end you can lightly poke the corners to make them nice and square. 

If neither side of the strap/ tie is sewn shut than you can simply attach a safety pin to one side and flip it inside the strap. 

Then push the safety pin towards the opposite end of the strap. (This is similar to putting elastic through a waistband.) 

When you get to the end take out the safety pin and you are done. Voila!

Spring Easter Dresses...

Spring is around the corner, and it’s bringing many new things. For Easter, we have a cheerful and sweet selection of dresses for little girls. If you find a pattern or other dress that you would like to copy, we can make it for you to a perfect fit and with your personal touches. Here are a few Easter dresses that we have made.

We love old fashioned Shirley Temple style dresses...these Easter dresses are classic, and will make every girl love to twirl round and round!

Tuesday Tips...Understitching Your Lining

One very useful tip for sewing is to under-stitch when sewing a garment with lining. Under-stitching is used to hold down your lining so that it does not show and also to make the seam less bulky. This technique is often used on necklines. After connecting the lining to the main fabric, iron the seam and then turn the seam allowance so that it lies under the lining piece.

Next, sew the lining to the seam allowance an 1/8 inch away from your seam. Make sure that you only sew the lining and the seam allowance together, not the main fabric. (I used white thread so you could see it easily but a matching thread would be best)

When you are finished sewing press your lining.

When this is done you will have a beautiful neckline with no lining showing on the outside.

Repaint...Redecorate...Reorganize

Yes, we were at it again. Something about me loves to redecorate and organize our shop. This time we went a little further and repainted the shop too. Our goal was to change it from being "girly" looking to very classy. After a couple weekends of working on the painting we finally finished it. I love how it turned out and if you like it too I provided the paint colors below. 

Paint Colors:
Martha Stewart: Wild Turkey (brown)
Martha Stewart: Driftwood Gray (blue)

We also did some redecorating. I changed the dresser to Spring decor (since we are definitely ready to be done with winter ;-)

 

Then we made a chalkboard out of a picture we had sitting around. You can get chalkboard paint from Home Depot or Lowes. I just painted right over the glass of the picture and it worked perfectly! It makes a great centerpiece for this new work area.

For our fitting room we made vintage looking hooks. We bought some wood plaques from Joann Fabrics and painted them white. We found these vintage looking door knobs at Anthropologie and attached them to the plaques. Now we have some great hooks for the dressing room!

We moved our trims shelf to the wall opposite the fitting room wall so you don't see it immediately when you walk in the sewing studio room. With the new paint color the colors pop off the wall so nicely!

Custom Crib Bedding...

Recently, we sewed crib bedding for a friend who was preparing to have her first child.  She was looking for a classy design using the neutral colors of taupe and cream.

The materials we used were from Ty Pennington...  
Home Decor Impressions Tudor Taupe
Home Decor Impressions Lace Taupe

For the design we took a basic crib bumper look, added a solid taupe ruffle around the whole top edge. We then made the ties about 1 1/2" wide so they would tie a classy bow. For the crib sheet and one side of the blanket we used a cream minky material. Minky is super soft so it is very nice for babies. The crib skirt we made a three tiered ruffle all the way around, using the three coordinating materials. 

As in most designs you never want to stick with just one material, it is always nice to have three materials that coordinate nicely. This creates a pleasing yet balanced look!

Heirloom Christmas Party Dresses...

The last couple of weeks we have been sewing up some Christmas party dresses. The thing I loved about both the styles we made, was that they were heirloom dresses. What I mean by that is, they have unique details that you would see on a lot of dresses in the olden days.

Pintucks on the bodice, with hand embroidery over top, dupioni silk, flat piping on the collar, sleeves and bodice, and buttons down the back instead of a zipper.

On the second dress, we made it of a chiffon bodice, with elegant long sleeves, and a cuff with lace and buttons. The collar is edged in the same lace as a the cuff, and the buttons down the center front complete the look. The skirt is made of a suiting material that has a rose velvet print over top.

All the details on these dresses display a vintage look, that is appealing to the modern eye.