The warmer weather was just the push I needed to complete my second Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic. Last time, I went with a patterned quilting cotton for the fabric. Now that I know that I love the pattern, I picked a dark teal linen blend. The best part about this pattern is the time it takes to complete. An hour to cut the pieces, two or three for sewing.

I made the same pattern adjustments this time as last, and I added a few. First, I cuffed the sleeves. Then, in the front, I only used one large box pleat instead of two. I’m still really interested in added buttons to the top, but I was pretty committed to finishing in one evening, so the buttons will have to wait until next time. Also, I think I’ve decided to cut this pattern down one size next time. I ended up with about six free inches in the seam above the skirt. Thank goodness for darts.

I added two darts. Each is 12″ long, 3/4″ of an inch wide when folded. It ended up taking three inches out of the waist, just the right amount. So it’s hanging in my closet right now, waiting for the perfect spring/summer day. Even if that means I have to wait until July.

The whole pattern, start to finish, took maybe two or three hours. The construction and instructions are extremely straightforward and you end up with a nicely finished piece. The sizing was exactly as measured, which I hardly ever encounter. I usually cut patterns several sizes larger than my normal size based on the measurements on the pattern and end up swimming in the result, but this fit great. It’s a little too short to wear without tights, so I think I might add a few inches for some summer versions.

I did make a few adjustments to the pattern. They call to have a little gather at the shoulder. I rarely wear tops with a gathered shoulder so I cut the sleeve out as they said, set it in without the gather, and I think it still turned out pretty well. Also, the pattern called for two smaller pleats in the front. I made one pleat that covered the same amount of fabric. I’ve seen photos where the two pleats looked lovely, but who wants two box pleats on either side of their torso? Not this girl.

And one more shot because I so rarely succeed at sewing clothing:

Now that I’ve gotten a hang of the pattern, I have some plans in the works for different versions. I’d really like one in a black and white or navy and white gingham like this one at mmmcrafts.com. I’m also day dreaming about a white linen version with some retro thick lace or crochet trim along the bottom. This will obviously be a disaster because two dogs are part of this home. Brown dogs. And who am I kidding? I spill stuff on myself all the time. Maybe it will be gray linen. Or navy. I’m also pretty sure I would not regret a voile version for summer time either. I just need a few more hours in the day. Is that so much to ask?

Hemming pants is something I am good at purely out of necessity. I’m tall enough so that “short” sizes are highwaters, but short enough so “regular” lengths are dragging on the ground *sigh*. First I learned to hem jeans. As long as you have a straight stitch and the right color thread, you’re good to go.

Dress pants are a different matter. Since I don’t have a personal seamstress, and my Mom can only hem my pants for so long, I learned how to do this as well. It’s not perfect, but it is pretty much free, quick, and frankly, the hem is a long way away from the eye.

So here’s how I do it. I put the pants in question on inside out with the shoes I would like to wear them with generally. This is an adorable look. Then I pin the hem up loosely until I get a length I like. Test it out a few times. Sit down, cross your legs, walk around. You don’t want them to drag but too short is also not good, so it’s best to take your time here. I usually put in a few pins to mark the spot and then take them off. From there, I measure the length from the originally hem and iron in a new hem line. At this point, if you’re sure that’s the hem you like, I cut off the excess fabric. Be careful here, you can’t uncut dress pants. I have learned this the hard way.

Leave enough for a fairly large fold on the hem and to fold the raw edge under. Two inches is reasonable. This also leaves some leeway for error. Then iron the raw edge under and pin all the way around. It should look like this:

Now pick a thin needle and a matching thread. I double the thread, but if the pants are lightweight or you really don’t want to see thread, you may want to use a single thread. To sew, put the needle through the edge of the hem and then through the pants. You only want to catch two or three threads here before bring the needle back to the side you’re sewing on (the inside of the pants). The more you catch, the more visible the thread on the other side. From there, I usually catch the loop from the last stitch with the needle. This isn’t necessary but it keeps it looking neat. The key to hemming dress pants is leaving the stitches evenly loose. This will make the stitches even less visible on the other side because it isn’t pulling on the fabric.

And the finished product:

So with a Patriots win and two newly hemmed pairs of pants, I think I’m ready to start another work week.

I used to think that the clothes had a strap problem, but I’m beginning to think I may have abnormally short shoulders because I shorten straps like it’s my job. Short shoulders is probably not a real thing, huh? Besides the war on straps, I’ve been working on this skirt for a week or so:

This skirt project has a fair amount of self-imposed pressure involved because I love the floral voile by Anna Maria Horner and I only bought a yard. Why? I have no idea. I will not make that mistake again. Anyhow, I’ve already cut it down a few times, and now I’m frozen, unable to keep working on it because there’s probably only room for one or two more mistakes before it becomes a pillow case. I think the new plan is an invisible zipper in the back, a little gather in the front and maybe in the back and sewing it to the sash and then call it good. Next time I will use a pattern or some kind. Hopefully I’ll have a lovely finished skirt to show you all soon!

Before I get started on this dress, I have a new project in the works. I’m making a bag designed to hold a camera and lenses for a high school classmate that is now a professional photographer. I’m so excited to get started and see how it turns out. More to come on this project later…

Anyhow, I’m not heartbroken about it. I really enjoyed the process of making it, and my graduation day was still full of sunshine, friends, family, and happiness. But now I’m faced with a new challenge. Do I fix the dress or not? I would definitely wear it again, but without a specific event in mind, I’m not sure I can handle the frustration and time involved in taking out the zipper and putting in a new one. I guess we’ll see how it goes : )

So a few lessons were learned in all other:
1. Really test out any garment made for a special day. Notable, pull on the zipper
2. Always keep a back up at hand.
3. Make sure you have enough time to change into your backup dress after you realize that your first dress isn’t working and still get coffee. A good cup of coffee on the porch can cure a lot of things.

I got the ideas for the felt from this pillow. But as it turns out, I’m not so good at translating a picture into the same shape free hand. All things considered it turned out pretty well.

Graduation is sneaking up in the next few days. I’m VERY excited, but I’m definitely going to miss my roommates and our little house. Onwards and upwards.

I decided to go with a leaf design, like I did on my laptop sleeve, because they are easy to sew and cut. Are you sensing a pattern here? I like things to be easy. The flower/leaves on the front turned out to be a little bit too small to put through the machine, so I broke out my bright pink embroidery hoop and went to work. Hand sewing can be pretty soothing. As long as there isn’t much of it. Again, I like easy.

On the back, I went back to the machine and bingo bango they were done. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out, hopefully it’ll make it through the wash alright!

I have time to write this post because I passed my Coast Guard Exams today! Five tests later and I can finally relax and start getting ready for my last few exams. Woohoo!

While my roommate has been busy in our makeshift greenhouse, my never ending graduation dress saga is slowly dragging to a close. In truth, I’m really enjoying keeping a project going this long. There’s no rush, so when I get frustrated I can put it aside and tackle it again the next day. Anyhow, one of the final pieces of the puzzle is installing an invisible zipper. You know the type, they live on your suit skirts and cocktail dresses. Who knew they could be such a trick to get just right? After several attempts, I got it right and I didn’t even use a fancy invisible zipper foot. So here’s a little bit on how I did it.

The first step is ironing the zipper out on a low iron setting. I had read to do this, but I didn’t really get the point until I sewed it in without ironing it enough and it was far from “invisible”. You have to take the zipper teeth and actually unroll them away from the tape, more than you would expect. You’ll know you’ve got it right when the zipper is upside down and you can clearly see the two little rows of stitching on the back of the zipper teeth. In the image of below, the bottom side of the zipper is ironed and the top side is not.

I didn’t have an invisible zipper foot, but they look pretty cool and I think it definitely would have made this job easier. But still, it’s completely doable without the specific foot. You just have to make sure that you use your fingers to keep the zipper flat so that you can sew as close to the zipper teeth as humanly possible.

I had plenty of chances to get the picture above because I sewed on and ripped off this zipper quite a few times. Below is how it looks with both sides sewn on but before the lining is attached. I’ll iron in the seam so the zipper teeth are on the edge and hand sew the lining to opposite side of the zipper.

And there it is zipped up. I still can’t completely believe it worked. Sewing is magic.

Keep an eye out for a more detailed tutorial on Hubpages soon!