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.

 

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!

Uniform Alterations

For the past two weeks we've been working on a large amount of alterations, most of them being WA State Patrol uniforms.  It required hemming the pants and sleeves and taking in the side seams of most of the shirts. Altogether we altered about 50 different pieces of clothing. It was a big task but we found out that uniform alterations is definitely something we want to get more into doing.

There was lots of hemming to be done

And a nice big pile of scraps from the many trimmings!

Eloise really liked helping us too!

A Fall Dress, Cozy hats, new furniture!

Lately at Bella Jean we have been working on some fun fall items. We are making a custom dress for a customer. The unique thing about this dress is, it looks like a skirt and blouse, but it is really a dress! Corduroy is a great fabric for these fall days. It's soft and has great texture with the lines.

Knitting is also a nice hobby for these dark chilly evenings. The other night we made a hat for a friend. We used organic cotton yarn, which is super soft and has a wavy texture. It also is more eye catching to use different colors on one hat, so we used cream and pink, as well as a variegated yarn to spice it up. To top it off we added a large flower for the side. I think Maddie likes her hat!

We also acquired a new piece of furniture...It is another great little work station!

A recycled shirt...into a pillow

Do you have any shirts that you've had for a while, but you don't want to throw them away? Or a shirt you might be grown out of that has some sort of design or unique embellishment? Well don't throw it away, because today we are going to show you how to turn rags to riches. 


First off, measure your shirt across the shoulder area. With a straight edge draw a square using the dimension you just measured. Then cut the square out one layer at a time. This way you make sure that you are using the best part of the shirt. 

 Once you have both your squares cut, sew them with right sides together, leaving an opening on the bottom of the pillow to put a form in. 
Fill the pillow, and hand sew the opening.

As you see on our pillow, a button up shirt is perfect to use the buttons in the front, they make great added detail!

Custom Wedding Dress Alterations

We at Bella Jean specialize in custom alterations. In this case, we had a customer come to us needing their wedding dress made 2 sizes smaller, as well as hemmed and a bustle added. During this process we had fittings to ensure exact size. We also took pictures of the wedding dress before we did anything so we could have them for references along the way. For the bustle we looked at a few other wedding dresses for ideas on how to put it up.

The customer also wanted her mothers veil customized for herself. Because her dress had lace, as well as her mothers veil, we just replace the original lace with lace from her dress. In the end the customer was very pleased and we enjoyed sewing this for her!

Making a Perfect Fit with Custom Clothing Alterations

One of the foremost parts of our business is alterations. Recently we have been altering a wedding dress. First we take pictures of every detail needing altered so we can have a reference to continually go back to. This is one of the most important things I've learned in performing alterations. Please feel free to email me for more tips on the best process for altering clothing.

 We do hemming for all styles of pants.

We can replace zippers in coats, vests, dresses, cushions and more. Replacing zippers is very enjoyable for me.

Thank you, Veronica