Sew-Along #3 – Bella Skirt - Lesson 2

The Bella Skirt

Please note that I am not following the exact order and directions on the pattern. I do however encourage you to read the directions all the way through before starting to familiarize yourself with the steps.  I also want to remind everyone that if you would like to enlarge any of the images posted in this blog, just click on them.  Finally; if you have any questions, suggestions, or tips to share; please make sure to post them on our Facebook group.


1. Seaming and Preparing the Ruffles.

Please note that all seam allowances are 1/4" for this pattern.

A. Grab your top ruffle piece.  This should be a single strip of fabric cut out of Fabric D.

With right sides together, stitch down the short end forming a circular band.

Set aside.

B. Grab the Lower Ruffle fabric pieces.  You should have cut 2 for size 1-2 and 3 for all other sizes out of fabric A.

Stitch two of the ruffle pieces together by placing the right sides together and stitching down the short ends.

Size 1-2: With right sides together, stitch the two free ends of this strip of ruffle fabrics together, forming a circular band.  Make sure you have no twists and turns in your band before stitching it closed.

Set aside. 

Size 3-4 and Size 5-6: Add the third ruffle piece to the long strip by placing the right side together with the right side of the long strip.  Stitch the short ends.

Finally, with right sides together, stitch the two free ends of this long strip of ruffle fabrics together, forming a circular band.  Make sure you have no twists and turns in your band before stitching it closed.

Set aside.

C. Press open all of the seams on the two ruffle bands.

Then, with wrong sides together, fold each of the ruffle bands in half lengthwise and press well with an iron, using a few good shots of steam to make nice, sharp creases. 

You should now have two ruffle bands that have both of their raw edges together.

D. Next, you will be gathering your ruffles along the raw edges.  Their are many ways to do this.  You can gather using basting stitches like we did in steps E/F #9-10 here and then pulling the bobbin thread to gather like we did in step H #5 here.

You could also use a ruffler foot.  I have done that for this pattern in the past and it works well.  Here is a link to a great tutorial on using a ruffler foot.  

I decided to use my serger to gather my ruffles for this project.  If you want to use your serger, simply set your differential feed to 2 and overlock the raw edge of your fabric down the length of the ruffle.  Your fabric will softly gather under the presser foot.  If it doesn't look very gathered, don't worry, we can just pull on the needle threads and gather it up some more when we are attaching it to our skirt pieces.

Set aside your ruffles.


2. Finishing Seams

A. Grab all four of the skirt pieces; waistband, tier #1, tier #2, and petticoat. Finish all seams on all four skirt pieces by either zigzag stitching over them or using a serger to overlock stitch them.

3. Waistband

A. Press the waistband seam to one side.

B. Mark the two sides and the center front at the bottom of the waistband.  This is going to help later as you put the pieces together.

C. Form the casing for the waistband by folding over and pressing 1/4".

Fold over and press another 1".  Use some shots of steam if you have it to make crisp, sharp folds.

Stitch the casing down by stitching 1/8" from the edge of the fabric.  Make sure to leave an opening in the back for inserting the elastic.  The instructions do not tell you to do this and it is totally optional, but I also stitched very close to the top edge of the waistband to create a more finished look.

If you want, you can insert the elastic now.  I am going to wait until I am finished with the skirt as I find it easier.

D. Grab your top ruffle piece and mark the two sides and center front.  We will be matching these up with the marks we made on the waistband piece.

With right sides and raw edges together, pin the ruffle to your waistband.  Pull up either, your bobbin threads if you did gathering stitches or your needle threads if you used your serger, to ruffle your ruffle fabric as you pin into place.  Make sure you are matching up the back seam on the ruffle and the back seam on the waistband.  Also make sure you are matching up all of the marks you made on both.

Sew your ruffle onto your waistband.  Set aside.

4. Tier #1

Grab your Tier #1 piece.

A. To reduce bulk, press all seams away from the skinny fabric pieces and towards the larger fabric pieces.

B. Mark the center front, center back, and the sides according the the instructions.

Using the method you prefer, sew gather stitches on the top edge of tier #1.  Make sure that your seams stay pressed to the sides and that they do not get bunched up in your gathering stitches.  It helps to stop as you get to a seam, make sure the needle stays in the fabric, raise the presser foot, and smooth the seam down flat.

C. With right sides together and sandwiching the ruffle in between, pin tier #1 to the waistband.  Make sure to match up your center back, center front, and side marks.  Pull up either your bobbin threads if you did gathering stitches or your needle threads if you used your serger, to gather your tier #1. Pin well all the way around.

Sew Tier #1 to the waistband.  Overlock or zigzag stitch over the seam.
Press the seam up towards the waistband.

Topstitch 1/8" from the seam.  Don't forget to catch any thread tails under the seam and to lengthen your topstitches.

You have finished lesson #2.  Congratulations.  We only have one more lesson left to finish the skirt.  

Thanks for sewing with me,

Danielle Storm

www.whimsicalfabric.com

Sew-Along #3 – Bella Skirt - Lesson 1

The Bella Skirt

Please note that I am not following the exact order and directions on the pattern. I do however encourage you to read the directions all the way through before starting to familiarize yourself with the steps.  I also want to remind everyone that if you would like to enlarge any of the images posted in this blog, just click on them.  Finally; if you have any questions, suggestions, or tips to share; please make sure to post them on our Facebook group.


1. Drawing Out Your Pattern Pieces.

All of the pieces for this skirt are rectangles.  You can skip this part if you wish, but I find it helpful to draw out all of my pattern pieces onto freezer paper.  The freezer paper patterns make it super easy to cut out your fabric and can be reused over and over.  It will also help you visualize placement of the pattern pieces on your fabric so that you don't cut anything incorrectly and end up not having enough fabric.  You will need freezer paper, a straight edge, and a sharpie marker.

A. Carefully create your pattern pieces according to the specified sizes listed in your pattern.  You will be making the following.

• Waistband
• Piece #1 for Tier #1
• Piece #2 for Tier #1
• Tier #2
• Upper Ruffle
• Lower Ruffle
• Petticoat 

Make sure to transfer all information onto your pattern pieces for quick reference.

B. Cut out your pattern pieces.

2. Cutting Out Your Fabrics.

A. Before you start cutting out your fabric it might be a good idea to either print out from our website the picture that has each fabric labeled A, B, C, and D or if you didn't buy a kit from us, make sure you note what each of your fabrics are.  This will help you keep it all straight when you go to cut out your fabric pieces.

B. Make sure all of your fabrics are ironed well.  Once you have finished pressing, it is time to iron on your freezer paper pattern pieces.  Following the cutting directions on your pattern, iron each pattern piece onto your fabrics.

Beware: If you are using a print with a direction, such as the Fly A Kite line, you want to make sure you line up the pattern piece along the print, so it is straight and not upside down.

Beware: The amount of Fabric A needed for the size 5/6 skirt is just enough. If you are making a size 5/6, please be careful when cutting your pattern pieces.  Make sure you have enough fabric to get ALL of the pieces that you need.

Beware: Please make sure when you iron the freezer paper onto the fabric that the glossy side is down, ie. the glossy side should be touching your fabric.

DO NOT touch the iron to the glossy side of your freezer paper! It will melt and make a mess of your iron.

Run the iron along the freezer paper until it is stuck to the fabric.  Once you are done use scissors or a rotary cutter to cut out your fabric pieces.

3. Sewing Together the Pieces

Please note that all seam allowances are 1/4" for this pattern.

A. Grab your waistband piece.  This will be a single piece of fabric and should have been cut from fabric A.

With right sides together, sew up the short sides of the fabric forming a circular band.  Set the waistband aside.

B. Next, grab your two piles of Tier #1 pieces.  You should have 6 small pieces from Fabric B and 6 larger pieces from fabric C.

With right sides together, sew a smaller piece to a larger piece.

Keep adding pieces to the strip, making sure right sides are together, and that your fabrics are going in the direction you want.

When you get to the last strip, sew it on and then sew the whole strip together forming a circular band like you did with the waistband.  

Set Tier #1 aside.

C.  Grab your Tier #2 pieces.  This will be two long, thin pieces cut from fabric B.

With right sides together, sew up the two side seams forming a circular band.

Set aside Tier #2.

D. Finally, grab the 4 petticoat pieces.  You should have 2 cut from Fabric A, 1 cut from fabric C, and 1 from fabric D.

Sew together the four pieces forming a long, circular band.  Sew the seams on the short ends of the rectangles.  Make sure you sew the two Fabric A pieces so they are not right next to each other.

That's it.  We are all done!  Congratulations on finishing lesson one.

Thanks for sewing with me,

Danielle Storm

www.whimsicalfabric.com

Sew-Along #2 – Bella Pants - Lesson 3

The Bella Pants

The I just want to remind everyone that I am not following the exact order and directions in the pattern booklet. I do however encourage you to read the directions in your booklet all the way through before starting.  I also want to remind everyone that if you would like to enlarge any of the images posted in this blog, just click on them.  Finally; if you have any questions, suggestions, or tips to share; please make sure to post them on our Facebook group.


1. Sewing and Attaching the Ruffles - Double Ruffle Pants Only

Note: The way I construct and attach my ruffles is different from the pattern instructions.  I find it much easier to gather and attach a strip of fabric than a loop of fabric.  This is why I have left my inseam open.  


a. Rolled Hem

Use your serger to create a rolled hem along one of the long edges of each of the bottom ruffle pieces.  Make sure that you keep the width of your ruffle consistent, and that as you create the rolled hem you consistently trim of the same amount of fabric along the whole length. You DO NOT want the ruffle more narrow at one edge than the other or your pants will not line up and will look funny.

b. Traditional Hem

If you are not using a serger to create a rolled hem, but instead will be constructing a traditional hem, we will be doing that at the end of this lesson.


Next, with right sides together, pin the two ruffle pieces (top and bottom ruffles) together.  Stitch together using a 3/8" seam allowance.

Do the same with the second set of ruffle pieces.

Finish edges by either overlocking or zig-zag stitching.

 

Open up the ruffles and press the seam on each towards the top (towards the wider, contrasting fabric).

Topstitch about 1/8 inch from the seam and catching the seam underneath.  Don't forget to lengthen you stitches a bit.

Next, you will be gathering your ruffle.  Their are many ways to do this.  You can gather using basting stitches like we did in steps E/F #9-10 here and then pulling the bobbin thread to gather like we did in step H #5 here.

I used my serger to gather my ruffles for this project.  If you want to use your serger, simply set your differential feed to 2 and overlock the raw edge of your fabric down the length of the ruffle.  Your fabric will softly gather under the presser foot.

Make sure that you are gathering the top edge of your ruffle, which should be your widest fabric on each ruffle.

Serger gathering a single ruffle.

Your finished ruffles should look something like this.

You will next want to attach your ruffles to your pant legs.  Lay out one of your pant legs like so, with the right side up.

Note:  If you used your serger to ruffle your fabric, you will most likely need to pull on the needle thread(s) to pull up your ruffle tighter, making it fit the pant leg.  Do this carefully so you don't break any threads and work slowly ensuring that your ruffles are evenly distributed.

With right sides together, carefully pin the gathered edge of your ruffle to the raw edge of your pant leg. 

Using a basting stitch, stitch the ruffle onto the pant leg. 

Overlock or zig-zag stitch the seam to finish it, being careful to not catch up any of the gathers and cause puckers.

Once ruffles have been attached to both legs and the seams have been finished, press the seams upward toward the pants using some good shots of steam.  The crisper you get this crease the more professional your sewing will look.  Topstitch 1/8" from the seam.  Again, don't forget to lengthen your stitches when you topstitch.

2. Sewing Up The Inseam


Starting at the crotch, pin the inseam together being very careful to make sure that ALL seams line up.  Pay very special attention to the seams as you want them all perfectly aligned.

Carefully stitch up the inseam using a 3/8" seam allowance.  I usually start at the crotch and stitch down to the hem on one side, then flip and do the other side.  This just helps to ensure that those seams all stay evenly aligned.

Once you have stitched the inseam go ahead and either overlock it or zig-zag stitch it to finish the seam.

On pants, I also always stitch an extra row or two of stitching to strengthen the crotch.  Shorten your stitch length.  I take mine from 2.5 down to 1.6.  Then, starting about an inch or two away from the crotch, I stitch up through the crotch, and then back down the other side for another inch or two.

3. Creating The Waistband

The instructions tell you to fold over the waistband 1/4" and then 1.5" and to use 1" wide elastic.  If you purchased a kit from us, we included 3/4" wide elastic instead of 1" wide.  We also used the 3/4" wide on our pants.  

To compensate for the narrower elastic we first folded our waistband edge 1/2", pressed well, and then 1.25" and pressed well.  This created a more narrow casing to accommodate our narrower elastic, but placed the waistband at the same position on the pants as if we used 1" elastic.

I felt that the waistband was too low on my little girl and that she needed a higher rise that what the pattern was giving her.  So, on the second pair of pants I folded the waistband over 1/4" and pressed, then 1.25" and pressed.  This was better, but when I make the pants in the future, I am going to add some length to the rise.  You may find that they are just perfect for your little one though, so experiment and see.

Fold over and press your fabric well to form your waistband casing.

Stitch 1/8" from the bottom edge of your casing leaving an opening in the back of the pants so you can insert your elastic.

 

Then stitch 1/8" from the edge at the top of your casing.  Start at the center back seam and stitch all around the whole waistband.

Using a safety pin, insert your elastic into your waistband.  Try your pants on your little model and decide how tight to pull your elastic.  Secure your elastic together making sure it is not twisted anywhere in the casing.  We use a zigzag stitch and stitch up and down on the elastic a few times to secure.

Pulling your elastic flat, stitch up the opening in the back of your pants being careful to not stitch through the elastic.

To keep the waistband elastic from twisting in the casing I always stitch in the ditch along the side seams to tack down the elastic.  You could also do it in the front if you really wanted to make sure it didn't move.

 

If adding a label and size tag to your pants, now is the time to do it.  I just center mine on the back waistband and stitch into place.  This creates another spot that keeps the elastic from twisting in the casing.

4. Hemming The Pants 

a. Rolled Hem

If you created a rolled hem for the bottom ruffle of you pants and you have thread tails hanging off your inseam, you will need to take care of those now.  I like to use a large upholstery needle and pull my thread tails up through my overlock stitches.  Then, starting at the rolled hem, I topstitched for about 1/4" while making sure all threads were secured under the seam and did not show.

b. Traditional Hem

If you did not create a rolled hem from the bottom ruffle of your pants you will need to hem your pants now.

Fold under and press well 1/4" on each pant leg.  Then fold under and press well another 1/4".

Starting at the inside seams, topstitch 1/8" from the top edge of the fold.  I find it easiest to stitch on the inside of the pants so I make sure I am catching the edge.

Congratulations on your new Bella pants.  Some little girl is going to love them.

Thanks for sewing with me,

Danielle Storm

www.whimsicalfabric.com