Puget Sound Sewing & Craft

Bundle Up Your Sewing Projects

Bundled projects waiting patiently

No, I'm not talking about the weather, although I must say that its mildly frustrating to be still wearing sweaters when it's nearly the middle of June!

Bundling is adapted from the garment industry.  In factory terms, it traditionally refers to the practice of processing bundles of related garment components (such as shirt fronts with prepared pockets) to specialized workers who perform each task. 

While we don't normally need to use industrial techniques to do home sewing, we can still borrow a few tricks to streamline our own production process.  One of these is to utilize a version of bundling by preparing multiple garments for construction at once.

Most of us have a part of the sewing process we don't enjoy as much as the others.  For me, it would have to be cutting and marking.  Partly this is from sentiment - for me, an uncut piece of fabric is an entire world of possibilities.  With each circuit of the rotary cutter those possibilities become more limited.  But also, it takes a lot of space, intense concentration (I'm often cutting it close on yardage - literally) and attention to detail.

So I bundle - I cut several projects at once.  When I'm 'in the groove', so to speak, I try to stay in it.  Each garment is cut and packaged up in a large resealable bag (Top Foods has Jumbo bags - 2 Gallon size - that work really well) along with its pattern, interfacing, notions, etc.  I may not get to them right away (we won't talk about the 'bundle backlog') but when I'm ready to tackle the project I know that they are waiting for me, ready to go!

--Katrina

For Lillianna - An Easy Child's Dress Pattern Variation

My husband's cousin, Christy, has a new baby girl named Lillianna and I decided to make her a dress. For children's clothing, I firmly believe in doing whatever it takes to "get 'er done" before they grow out of it. I spent six years doing at-home production and prototype sewing for a children's wear designer and I developed lots of easy short cuts. so while you're actually sewing, you can try the way I did it. I want it to be quick and it's no fun to just follow the pattern, so here's what I did:

1. To make the dress and hat, I used two coordinating fabrics from Kaffe Fassett's collection for Westminster. The two I used are gone now, but there are tons more modern prints you can choose from. I suggest Carla Miller or Amy Butler fabrics and Ginger Blossom or Flower Show would be really cool, too. This design looks great in a large or bold print. Depending on the size you're making, for the main fabric you'll need 1-3/8 to 1-1/2 yd. (just get a yard and a half, it's pretty stuff!) if it's 45" wide or 1-1/8 to 1-1/4 yd. if it's 60" wide. For the contrast fabric, you'll need 1 yd of any width. You'll also want enough lightweight fusible interfacing for one layer of the hat (brim and crown). About 1 yd if it's 27" wide.

2. Using Simplicity 5936, I took the front bodice piece and added 1" in width at the center front so that I could have a button front instead of a zipper up the back. When I cut out this piece (2 of them), rather than placing the center front on the fold, I cut all around. The front and back bodice were cut from my main fabric and then I cut these same pieces from my contrast fabric for the bodice lining.

3. After cutting both the back and front skirt pieces on the fold, I cut my skirt band pieces from the contrast fabric I used for the bodice lining, but I placed the long edge against the fold so that it was twice as wide as the pattern piece. (We'll get to that!)

Don't follow the pattern instructions to put the bodice together, we're going to have a lot more fun!

4. Sew the outer bodice pieces together at the shoulder seams and then do the same with the lining pieces. Now lay them down flat with right sides together. Stitch the two bodices together around the armholes, the neckline and the center fronts.

5. Now hold the bodice so that the lower back edge is facing you and the front pieces are pointed away from you. Reach through the right back bodice, into the shoulder and pull the front bodice piece through. This should turn the right half of the bodice right side out. Repeat this for the left side, too.

6. Head to your ironing board and press the armholes, neck edge and center fronts wrong sides together so that they lie smoothly.

7. Back to the machine and unfold the underarms so that you have the front and back underarm pieces laying right sides together on each side of the bodice. That means that the right side of the lining is against the right side of the outer bodice.

8. Stitch your right bodice side seam right sides together, then repeat for the left bodice side seam. Now turn these right side out and press. You should have a cute little lined bodice that just needs a skirt and buttons.

9. Stitch the skirt side seams together and press the seams flat. Stitch the contrast skirt band side seams together and press the seams flat. Now fold the band in half lengthwise and stitch it to the bottom of your skirt. This "hems" the skirt and gives a nice weight to the bottom that makes a very nice look when worn and no hemming!

10. Pin or baste the center front bodice pieces at the bottom of the bodice overlapping the right over the left about 1". I like to do my buttons and buttonholes now. It's easier before you have the bulk of the skirt on the bottom of the bodice.

11. Let's do "magic gathers" now. Measure the circumference of the bodice bottom and cut a piece of 1/4" clear elastic this length plus 1/2". Divide the top of your skirt in quarters and mark it with pins, then do the same to your elastic. Starting at one side seam, match up the elastic to the top of your skirt markings and pin them together. Overlap the elastic 1/4" at the side seam.

12. Over to the machine and stitch the elastic to the top of the skirt, stretching it between quarter markings to fit the top of the skirt. Yes, it really will stretch that much! This magically gathers your skirt evenly and you are ready to stitch your skirt to your bodice.

13. NO, I did not laboriously stitch the outer bodice to the skirt and then hand whip stitch the lining over the seam. I just sewed the two layers onto the skirt at once and Lillianna won't mind at all. Much, much quicker!

14. The hat was done just like the pattern, no tricks there, except that I turned up the brim in front and added a matching button. Stitched through with no buttonhole. If you want the hat to be reversibe, you could make a button hole and sew a button on the inside, too, but that may not be too comfy on a little head.

Okay, that's it! Now you're an official throw out the instructions and get it done stitcher, but if you have questions, I'm here for you. You can reach me at annette@pacificfabrics.com and when you get your dress done, I'd love to see!

- Annette