Pinafores come in all manner of styles from simple utilitarian smock types to fancy (as in not meant to ever get dirty) pinny’s with lace, tucks, ruffles and flutters. Over the decades pattern companies have churned out 100’s of variations. The pinafore is just as popular today and often the featured piece of an outfit. Duchess and Hare has the Pretty Pinnie pattern […]
There have been many inquiries about adding sleeves to Duchess and Hare’s popular vintage style Runaround Romper and Dress pattern. The Runaround has a vintage fit through the shoulders and plenty of ease to facilitate dressing and attaching to the waist which is elasticized (no placket needed). It is possible to add sleeves to the […]
UPDATED Why change a dress bodice or a top into one that buttons up in front instead of the back? A few reasons come to mind such as ease of dressing for independent toddler/child, show off some awesome buttons, avoid hair getting tangled around buttons (my reason to use zippers for back closures!) and my […]
Measuring may seem basic and it is, if you know where you’re supposed to measure. My patterns are drafted using the ASTM standards for a child’s age/size and measure accordingly. When measuring, it’s best to do so over snug clothing like a camisole and underpants or a tank top and leggings. If you measure […]
I released a free scalloped apron in my shop here and realized it would be so simple to make it button on instead of tie. My daughter doesn’t like ties in the back because they’re uncomfortable, so she requested that her apron button like this one and this one. In fact, I used the same fabric […]
Tutorial for adding tucks or pleats to any pattern.
This was originally posted over at The Sewing Rabbit last month but I’m sharing it here now. It’s a tutorial for how to adjust a sleeve pattern. It’s really very simple, I promise! How to Adjust a Sleeve Pattern: Adding Length and Fullness Have you ever pulled out a pattern and decided not to […]
My daughter has about 1 million cardigans in her closet. Around here, it never gets terribly cold, so they are worn a lot (sometimes as outerwear). Unfortunately, they’re a bit boring day in and day out. So, I made some bling for them. For a girl who loves to accessorize, the first order of business […]
Wood Block Makeover Originally, this was posted at the Sewing Rabbit. Today, I’m going a different direction than I usually do. No sewing today! Nope, not a stitch. Instead, you and your little one get to makeover that bin of wood blocks that never get played with. You know you have them. I know […]
Previously, I’d posted this tutorial over at The Sewing Rabbit. I will show you how to draft your own tulip sleeved jacket from any existing bodice pattern you already have. You can use the info on making a tulip sleeve for anything you’d like from dresses to jackets. I’ll show you how to make the rest […]
