Apr
7
Before we begin….a little ‘history’ to note: When the themes for Sew-vivor were announced, the first two challenges immediately drew us in! Combining Sew-vivor’s theme of “Buttons” and Project Run and Play’s “All About the Details” seemed too good to be true! We took the bait….and came up with a little number that incorporates both challenges….all while pushing us to take them both a bit further in thought and processes.
This was a fun challenge for us from beginning to end! We LOVE details….and have our standard, go-to ones that you can always bank on {cough, cough: piping and French knots}. And, while the challenge “All in the Details” was a fine name…we opted to change the name mid-way through to….drum roll please….
The online slang dictionary defines PIMP (adjective) as: very good, excellent; cool, awesome, or stylish. Very fitting, huh? And since we heavily depend on patterns while sewing…what better way to make them your own?? A future “series in the making” perhaps?? Especially for you pattern-dependent followers?? Might we get a second to this motion??
But, what’s a challenge by only sticking with “Old Faithful,” right? So, while we did incorporate both French knots and piping….we lived life on the edge, and combined a little sewing “old school” with “new school” to get a final creation. Here goes….from the top….
We began with the Cottage Mama’s Janey Jumper {we had sewn it once before here}- shortening it by one scallop to make a tunic. Then, the details began. Since piping was so {*yaaawwwwn*} standard for us, we decided to challenge ourselves with adding peach piping on scallops.
It was….interesting, but we were tickled with the results. We also incorporated peach piping on the armholes and around the neck / back button closure.
A peach bias binding was added around the edge of the tunic, further incorporating the peach piping used previously. We turned the skinny bias band using the Dritz Quick Turn tool – the best tool we’ve been introduced to in quite some time!! It really works….and, believe us….we’ve tried several similar devices claiming to work {all with lackluster results}.
We patterned, spaced, and sewed peach and gray buttons around the base of the tunic, sewing each with white thread. Two slightly different peach buttons were added {back button closure and base button tab, both fastened by another ‘detail’ of a braided DMC thread} that used gray thread to draw the attention in both directions.
And while we’re on the subject of buttons….why not add more?!?!? More is better, right?? Only this time, we didn’t use your ‘standard buttons.’ Are you feeling tech savvy? And, while we’re at it….how about a little fabric paint? Anyone?? We’d like to preface this by stating, “Fabric paint is not something we feel comfortable doing…” We added a technology button, one per scallop area – including: pinterest, twitter, email, google+, rss feed, instagram, facebook, and flickr. We mixed three different paint colors together to match the peach piping and bias band seen throughout the outfit.
To detail each a bit more, we handstitched around each painted button using white thread as a finishing touch. We also added a camera lens to our new favorite piece of technology …. the instagram button, using one of the gray buttons from the base of the tunic. And, how about that center ‘white camera lens’??
As the grand finale to the tunic {and button theme}, we added a piped button tab, attached by a button…held by braided DMC thread on the base – one that had a QR code on it….for all our tech savvy followers we’ve got out there. This idea was born about a month ago when we were designing our business cards for GNO: Charlotte. We added a QR code to the cards, and wondered: Could we pull something like this off on an outfit?!?! This leads us to another preface: this detail about did us in – but we knew it was imperative to get ‘THE LOOK’ {and details} we were aiming to achieve!
What we learned from this experience: QR codes are picky, picky, picky! And while online tutorials are fabulous, not all are made for a picky QR code transfer. Transfers using nail polish remover, paint remover, and even an embroidered attempt failed miserably.
As a final, last ditch effort, we ironed our tunic fabric to sheets of freezer paper….cutting them into 8.5 x 11 sheets….and then ran the pages through a copier to transfer the QR code. Before doing so, we matched the gray DMC thread number we were using to the RGB color used in printing. SCORE! And, did it work you ask??? Let’s just say, you have to see it to believe it {our first blog video can be viewed below}!
While we’d love to stay in the moment and relish in the fact that it did indeed work…. we must continue on our ‘garment detail explanation.’ On the pants….we began with the Children’s Corner Charlotte capris. And, although Children’s Corner patterns fit EA spot-on, sometimes the creativity on the pattern cover is lacking. So, let the details begin…shall we?
We began the capri pattern by tackling a sewing reSEWlution of our own: using various pockets within attempted patterns. This time around it was the addition of welt pockets. This was our first attempt at adding welt pockets, and Melissa did an excellent job leading us through the process {following her directions as outlined in the Coastal Cargo pattern}.
We adjusted the length of the main fabric, cutting it shorter in order to add a detailed cuff.
The cuff incorporated several details to get the finished appearance we wanted. First, we piped between the main capri and cuff using the light gray fabric from the middle area of the tunic. Then, we sewed French knots in three lines along the width of the cuff. Next, we made a peach bias band for the base of the cuff. Finally, we used another technique new to us {old terminology = fagoting; new terminology = bridging}. Oooooohhhhh, we’re in love! This might be a standard, go-to detail in the making for us!
Elisabeth Rose helped us identify this detail {with her plethora of heirloom sewing knowledge, we assumed if anyone knew what it was called – it would be her}, and we used this tutorial to guide us through the sewing process. Now, if any of you haven’t done fagoting / bridging – get ready – you must sew on paper to prepare your piece for sewing! And, when you’re done….the finished product looks like this….{SWOON}!
When we took EA out for pictures, we decided to test her tech-savviness
with various pieces of technology. First up: the ipad…
Yep, no question about it: she’s a pro at that piece!
Next up? The point-and-shoot camera.
While her ‘handling’ of this piece was a bit ‘hairy’ at times,
she managed to capture a very artistic shot – for lack of a better term – of Ashley {frances}.
And finally, the iphone. She was in heaven!!
She made some important phone calls.
Ashley {frances} returned her call, and she proceeded to “show” her sandals to the screen…
in an attempt to do “facetime” {although she wasn’t on facetime}.
Before we could call it a day, EA had to check her email “one last time” before hopping in the car. We kid you not….the child said, “Let me check my email.” We about fell over! She then stated, “I’m typing all these letters…look Emmy….” Oh, that child!
There you have it….it was ALL about the details for us, and we pimped these patterns as best we could! It was an attempt to expand our “detail arsenal” a bit…all while hanging on to our tried-and-true details. Hopefully, we were able to pull off fagoting, fabric paint, French knots, and a QR code in one fatal swoop…an oxymoron of sorts, combining sewing ‘old school’ with ‘new school’ in a classily, acceptable manner! Maybe??
59 Comments
Welcome to the Mouse House