Wednesday, November 25, 2015

A Mermaid Tail

My little princess requested a mermaid tail about a year ago.  I was scrolling  through Facebook and she saw it and begged for weeks.  We finally  went shopping for the material back then and I was so busy with work that never got around to do it.  I have been living with the guilt ever since.  Every time I go in the office and saw it there it made me feel bad.  Recently there was a pattern test call for a mermaid tail and I wasn't picked but figured out a way to do it.  So tonight the inspiration came to me and I did it.  There is room for improvement but she loves her pink mermaid tail.
It makes me happy to see her happy.
Now here is my tutorial in case you want to make your little one happy.

First start by tracing your little one's body shape and don't forget to give it a a little extra room to wiggle. I also made the tail shape out of paper and then cut it out of fleece.  I had a blanket kit that we got at either Walmart or Joanns for really cheap.
You need two of each piece to have your front and back. Once you cut the fins, with right sides together you need to sew around the fin but leave an opening of about 6 inches to turn it inside out later.

I always pin because fabric shifts around.
Then I just proceeded to sew about an inch away from the edge. Once you are done sewing the fin clip all curves so you get a nice shape.
When you are done  just turn it inside out and you should be able to push the corners with a pencil. Then top stitch around the fin and you should have something that looks like the picture below.
For the next step I simply decided to space out about an inch or so in between each row.  It doesn't have to be perfect at all, I think it looks pretty good.
Now for the main body of the mermaid tail we place our paper pattern piece on top of the fabric and cut it out.  My picture is upside down I know but you get the idea.  I didn't cut it the way I had planned, the stretch of the fabric ended up  going from top to bottom instead of side to side. It makes it easier for the little ones to get in and out.
You can see in the picture that I cut extra material for seam allowance.
Once we cut the pieces I pin them with right sides together and make sure I sandwich the tail in between the two pieces. This part is a little tricky because of the thickness that I ended up with, it is doable tough and although I chose to sew it with the V shape I recommend sewing a straight line or a little curved because it bunched up a little for me where the tail meets the fin.
Once you sew the entire tail together you are going to want to add a tube to it, it can be as tall or as short as you want it, it helps keep the tail in place and extra coziness (if that's a word). I have to admit that for this tube I did cut it the right way so it stretches the right way for my little one. I simply used the zizag stitch on my machine, the elastic stitch is better to help it be more flexible and avoid the thread from breaking with use.
Just insert the tube with right sides together.

Once you are done sewing it together it should look like this.
And you are done, I didn't finish the top of the tube at all since it's just for playing around the house but you could finish it anyway you want.
A better look of the tail, you can see how much it bunches up at the tail but it's OK. My mistake helps you get a better finish look.
 
And here she is, super happy with her mermaid tail, not too shabby right?
Now go on and enjoy making one for your little mermaid in your life.  You could also make one for boys but instead of a mermaid tail you could do a shark or fish with teeth at the waist to make it look like it ate your kid.

A perfect gift for Christmas if you ask me.
PS, excuse the cellphone pics, I am having to go without Photoshop for now and can't edit my nice pics at all.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Pattern test for Jilly Atlanta

Hello today I am sharing a wonderful pattern test I did last week.  I was so excited to be part of this test as the top/dress is darling.  The pattern is called Jilly Cali Top/Dress which you can find here.
The pattern is for sizes 2T to 6 and based on the measurements my little one got away with wearing a size 3T.  She is tiny and it feels weird to have my almost 5 year old wear a size 3 but the fit is perfect.
We are so happy with the end result that we have fabric picked out for the next one.
I worked on a dress length and 3/4 sleeves.  The construction of the garment was easy if you don't make mistakes like I did but it happens.  The best thing for me about this pattern was how easy it was to put it together and the option of doing a French Seam, that's awesome if you have kids with sensory issues. It doesn't require a lot of fabric and you can add trim or lace to it to make a more sophisticated look.  A lot of the pattern testers came up with awesome versions of it and of course they leave me wishing I had come up with their ideas but I can always follow their example.
Please check out the rest of her patterns they are so cute and unique.  It was an honor to work with this designer and looking forward to many more.


 A close look at the awesome top front of the dress.  The construction of this part was one of my favorites, it came together perfectly.


 Some times you get a real smile.
Doesn't the dress look perfect?
If you want to see another version from another tester head over to this blog.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Candy Top

Here is another pattern I tested for Joanne Anderson Studio. It was my first time testing for her and I chose to try it because the top seemed so nice the flowy ( is that a word)....
I was right of course, the top is very comfy and love the fact that I can wear it in the summer time and winter time with leggings (thick ones of course).  The top was easy to sew, fast and the instructions were super clear.
I used a nice light weight silky material and follow her instructions every step of the way, specially buying the right type of needles.  Simply wonderful and well written pattern. The designer is from Australia so the measurements were a little different for me but it made me feel good to be in the O option lol.  With PDF patterns of course you have to go by your measurements so you can get the best outcome.  Check out her page.


Pattern Testing/Review

I have been missing in action for a while and hated it.  I am back now and have been doing some testing for some awesome designers.  I just love pattern testing. I'm also planning on working on some patterns that I have had stored in my computer for a while and are begging to come out and play.  So stay tuned for lots of posts to come.

Let's start with the first pattern test from Whimsy Couture, this test was done back in March but I was working full time then and didn't get a chance to blog about it. The pattern was super easy to follow, it was the Ladies Shirred Skirt.  I am looking at her website right now and it seems she has dropped the prices really low right now so if you want to go and check out her website just click on the link above.

I made the short version of the skirt and it was officially my first time shirring which made me really scared but this is why I love testing patterns, I learn new techniques and it makes me fee like a pro.  It did take some trial and error before I was able to get the hang of it but the pictures and instructions help a lot.

Here are the pictures of the skirt all done.  My trusty 15 year old is always there to save the day for pictures of me.


 I really love the length of this skirt and how comfy it feels when I wear it.  I will definetly be making more once summer gets here again next year!