The kiddos school uniform guidelines call for black shorts or skort, so we have mashed the Zero Waste Pleated Skirt Pattern with the On The Court Skort pattern to create the perfect thing. This Short has been on solid rotation since I made it, so it must be a winner!
Starting with the shorts, take your pattern piece, and add a little length in the rise (up to 2cm or so) as shown. This will stop the shorts from dragging the waistband of the finished skort down. Then construct the shorts as per the instructions in the On The Court Skort pattern.
Such a simple alteration, it was not included in the original pattern as the change makes the layout low waste, instead of zero waste, but it is absolutely hack-worthy!
To make yourself a pair of these, you will just make a few changes to the pattern pieces and then sew them up exactly as the pattern describes. You can even include the pockets and the waist tie, although I have omitted them as these will be pajama shorts.
How to do it:
After a grueling pattern collection launch and blog tour my little models are all modeled out so I only got a few pics of these, but they are adorable and will definitely be in the rotation when summer comes around again for us this year.
If you have a go at changing up your ZW Joggers, I would love to see, so be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #threadfaction
And check out the rest of the tour:
I am dropping in each day of the tour with hacks for the patterns in the collection, and todays hack is adding elastic cuffs to the Zero Waste Joggers.
This is a quick and easy little one that will give you another look you can create with your ZW Joggers Pattern. I added a bit of striped tape just behind the side seam too to get that full retro feel :)
How to get this look:
If you have a go at changing up your ZW Joggers, I would love to see, so be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #threadfaction
And check out the rest of the tour:
I am dropping in each day of the tour with hacks for the patterns in the collection, and todays hack is adding a gathered skirt to The Zero Waste Basic Blouse.
This is a super simple one, but gives you one more option for your pattern, more bang for your buck so to speak, so lets get to it.
How to get this look:
Cut the pattern pieces for the blouse as per the The Zero Waste Basic Blouse pattern. In addition, cut 2 skirt pieces half the height of the blouse (shoulder to hem) and 1.5 times the width.
Construct the blouse as directed in the pattern, but do not sew the bottom hem.
Take the 2 skirt pieces and sew them together at the side seams creating a loop.
With the blouse right side out, and the skirt inside out, put the blouse inside the skirt and line up the gathered edge of the skirt with the bottom hem of the blouse. Pin the two together well, lining up the side seams and distributing the gathers evenly.
Sew the blouse and skirt together, and finish the seam allowance with a serger or zigzag stitch.
Flip everything right side out, give it a good press and there you have it.
If you have a go at changing up your ZW Basic Blouse, I would love to see, so be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #threadfaction
And check out the rest of the tour:
As I said yesterday though, I can't help but get in on the action and will be dropping in each day of the tour with hacks for the patterns in the collection.
Todays hack is taking yesterdays hack one step further and using the Zero Waste Henley Tee pattern to make a super cute lightweight zip jacket.
This is not quite as simple as yesterdays hack, but by far the simplest jacket/coat I have ever made, and the kids just love them. The pink one is a heavy weight denim, turns out a pink denim jacket is The. Best. Thing. Ever.
So lets get started.
What you will need:
Cutting your pieces
Construction
Sew the center front zip
Sew the collar
Sew the sleeves
Sew the sleeve zips
Sew the side seams
Sew the hems
And now you are finished and have yourself a fab looking little jacket.
If you have a go at changing up your ZW Henley Tee, I would love to see, so be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #threadfaction
And check out the rest of the tour:
The tour starts today, and goes through till the 6th of July, we have a fantastic line up for the tour with a range of gorgeous makes and giveaways. Check out the lineup:
The entire site is on sale for 30% OFF for the duration of the tour, so if you see something you like make sure you grab it before the sale ends on Tuesday.
As per usual though, I can't help but get in on the action and will be dropping in each day of the tour with hacks for the patterns in the collection.
Todays hack is adding a collar to the ZW Henley Tee (making it a polo I guess).
This is a super simple hack and give a whole different look to the pattern.
This is how to get this look:
Cut all your pieces as per the Zero Waste Henley Tee pattern except the neckline binding piece. Cut a collar piece the same length as the pattern piece given for the neckline binding but cut it 12cm (4 3/4") wide.
Cut a piece of lightweight fusible interfacing the same size as the collar piece and fuse it to the wrong side of the collar piece.
Sew up the pattern in exactly the same way as written in the pattern until you get to the section sewing the neckline binding, in place of this section, sew the collar as shown below:
Today being one of those days, I altered the pattern just a tiny bit to make these fab shorts, that depending on what you made them out of could be anything from pj shorts to some gorgeous casual shorts to take you right through the weekend.
]]>Today being one of those days, I altered the pattern just a tiny bit to make these fab shorts, that depending on what you made them out of could be anything from pj shorts to some gorgeous casual shorts to take you right through the weekend.
If you too can't get enough of super comfy and cute shorts with huge pockets, here is how to change up your roller shorts pattern.
First thing to do is to get out your roller shorts pattern pieces and make a few small changes. You could trace them off and make these changes on the new copy, but I was lazy and just made the adjustments straight onto the fabric.
Basically what you want to do is square off the bottom of the shorts and then add some length for a hem. I wanted my shorts a little longer so I added 1 inch for a hem and another inch for extra length. Do the same thing to both the front and back pattern pieces.
If you are having pockets you will need to square those off too, but if you are not adding length to your shorts you will not need to add length to those, if you are adding extra length you will need to add that but not the extra inch for the hem.
So here are my pieces: 1 inch added to the pocket pieces and 2 inches to the front and back pieces.
Then we are going to get to sewing the pockets. The procedure here is different to the pattern as we are avoiding the binding, but it is super easy.
1. Place your front pocket piece right sides together with your front shorts piece and serge the pocket opening.
2. Flip your pocket piece to the inside and press the seam.
3. Place your back pocket piece right side facing the front pocket piece and serge the 2 pocket pieces together along the straight edge.
4. Baste both pocket pieces to the edge of the shorts inside the seam allowance (I was super lazy and did this with my serger since it is going to be inside the seam anyway).
5. Place one front and one back piece together with right sides facing and sew the side and inside leg seams. Repeat with the other leg.
I serged around the bottom hems here as well just to neaten them up for later.
6. Turn one leg in the right way and put it inside the other leg. Line up and serge the crotch seam. (this is the same technique as in the pattern).
7. Insert the waistband elastic as per the pattern instructions. I added a few more lines of topstitching around the elastic just for something different.
8. Press up 1 inch around each of the bottom hems. The hem will fold over the bottom of the pocket.
9. Topstitch your hems in place and add a faux tie (if you want to) and you have some cute shorts.
These are going to get a lot of wear come summer time, and I might make some PJ shorts too.
If you have a go at changing up your Roller Shorts, I would love to see, so be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #threadfaction
]]>Although sewing with knits is certainly a bit different, it doesn't have to be hard, and you don't need any special machinery (nope not even an overlocker/serger). You just need a few different settings on your sewing machine and a bit of practice!
But if you are new to sewing with knits, let me walk you through the basics of knit sewing, from setting your machine up to sew knit seams, through hems, bands, bindings and elastics. A whole world of knit sewing patterns will be opened up to you after you master these basics.
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So, first up, check out the graphic below for a quick run down on the basic construction methods and how to identify them.
The fiber content of the fabric affects the look and feel of each of these types of fabric dramatically, and each type comes in an endless variety of fiber content variations.
What you choose here is largely down to personal preference. The main thing that will affect the success of your project, however, is the stretch and recovery of the fabric you are using. This can be estimated from the fiber content and construction method, but the easiest way is to do a simple stretch and recovery test on the fabric itself.
Knit fabrics can be either 2-way stretch (which means that they stretch from selvage to selvage but not along the length of the fabric), or 4-way stretch (stretches from selvage to selvage as well as down the length of the fabric). It is easy enough to tell if your fabric has 2 or 4-way stretch by stretching it in each direction. But how stretchy is stretchy? Fabric stretch and recovery, which means how well it bounces back after you stretch it, is measured as a percentage. You can find a full tutorial on how to measure the stretch and recovery percentages of your fabric here:
Stretch Factor - How to work out a fabrics stretch percentage
Shoot over and check it out and then you should be all ready to go with knits.
If you are ordering online it can be hard because stretch percentage and recovery are often not mentioned and can make or break a project, but you can get around that by ordering a swatch. Most online fabric companies will send you a swatch for a small fee and then you can test the fabric out for yourself. Once you have ordered from a particular store you will come to know the weight, stretch and drape of the fabrics they stock and you will be able to order next time with confidence.
Now, I consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to shortcuts, work arounds and generally identifying the things I can get away without doing, but take it from someone who has created some seriously ugly and ill-fitting monstrosities over the years, stretch percentage is important!
Fortunately, stretch percentage is both super easy, and quick to measure. Here is how you do it:
In this example that looks like this:
(14-10)/10 x 100 = 40
BUT…
There is a reason I said to grab a 10cm length, and it makes the whole thing a lot less complicated.
Grab your 10cm piece and give it a stretch. If it stretches an extra 4cm (so to 14cm in total) then it has a stretch percentage of 40%. If it stretches an extra 8cm (18cm in total), then it has a stretch percentage of 80%.
Get your stretch percentage right and the garment will fit like it should. Use a fabric with a lower stretch percentage and the garment will be a little snug or you will need to size up. Use a fabric with a higher stretch percentage and the garment will be baggier or you will need to size down.
And it is as easy as that.
A quick note on recovery (the other end of the equation)
Recovery is how well your fabric bounces back after you have stretched it, and is more a measure of the quality of the fabric than anything else. I try to go for fabrics with good recovery because after the effort of making something, it can be demoralising if my top gets wider or my trouser knees baggier as the day goes on, am I right?
As always, thanks for reading
The Spring 2019 Sew Fab Bundle features 9 different designers, with 9 brand new patterns exclusive to the bundle. And you get to mix and match and make your own bundle! Thank you so much for supporting the Sew Fab Sale! We all appreciate your business! This bundle supports small businesses.
Can you believe it’s been a few years since the last bundle? I can’t.
We’re so excited with the relaunch of the Sew Fab Patterns Sale! Before you know it, we’ll be celebrating the anniversary of it all over again. So many of you have been following along with the sales updates through our newsletter, facebook page and instagram account. We’ve loved getting your feedback to bring you bundles with patterns you want and need. Thanks for being a part of the conversation!
This time around things are a bit different.
In the past the Sew Fab bundles have covered a wide range of patterns, from beautiful girls' dresses to unisex children's pants. We've seen women's patterns, stuffed animals, and messenger bags. Each bundle has been amazing, but what we found is that some of you already had several of the patterns in the bundle. A lot of you said that you would only use a few of the patterns, because the range of patterns was so broad, which didn't make buying it worth it for you. The Sew Fab Team had to think long and hard about how to give you all a bundle that you could really use, so they decided to go back to the drawing board and create brand new designs for this sale!
Did you hear that???
The Sew Fab Spring Bundle includes nine brand new patterns from indie pattern designers that you already know and love! They have been working tirelessly, comparing ideas and notes and creating an amazing bundle of patterns that will help you create a fun wardrobe with pieces that can transition from spring to summer. This bundle is so versatile. It will enable you to create endless combinations.
From Top Left, clockwise: The Bucket Bag from Gingercake Patterns, #204 Spring Dress from Thread Faction Studio, Hyacinth Moto Leggings from Cucicucicoo, Clara Wrap Top from Greenstyle Creations, Maldives Swimsuit from Golden Rippy, Girl’s Layla Dress from 5 Out Of 4, Sophia Faux Wrap Dress from Frocks & Frolics, The Bloesem Dress from The Eli Monster, and the Girl’s Magnolia Blossom Dress from Jennuine Design (center).
Because they are new, these patterns are not listed anywhere on the internet right now, so for your reference, we have listed all of the pattern descriptions and size charts for you on this page. Hop on over and take a look. You'll see that there are so many options for you!
As you can see, this is a really amazing bundle!
Each pattern was designed for this sale (FOR YOU!) and the bundle is available only through the Sew Fab Spring Sale.
You will not find these patterns sold together anywhere else, and certainly not for these prices!
It’s also a new format. You can build your own bundle!
or
The smallest bundle starts at $27, this is the perfect budget friendly gift for a BFF, family member, or yourself, because 6 brand new patterns at less than $4.50 each cannot be beat! (Bundles cannot be shared. Please purchase additional bundles if gifting them.)
If you have purchased a Sew Fab Pattern Bundle in the past you know how it works, but just in case you are new to Sew Fab here's what you need to know… The Sew Fab Pattern Bundle is a bundle of PDF sewing patterns.
If you’ve never sewn with a PDF pattern before, let me explain briefly how they work. Upon purchasing the bundle you will be sent links to the individual pattern files. After downloading each pattern, you will print out the pattern itself, creating pattern tiles. Simply tape the tiles together to create the full pattern! At that point you can cut out the size that you need and pin the paper pattern that you have pieced together directly to your fabric, or you can trace the pattern size that you need onto sewing paper or tracing paper and cut it out, saving the paper pattern for later when you need to sew another size. PDF patterns are so convenient because you can print them out as many times as you need and they're stored on your laptop!
This Sew Fab Pattern Bundle is only available for a very limited time and will never be available again! You can purchase the bundle from April 5th at 1 a.m. PST through April 15th at 11:59 p.m. PST. There will be no late sales offered. Due to the nature of the sale there are no refunds. The pattern bundle expires four months from the end of the sale, so please download and save your patterns upon receiving them.
As always we have a great Sew Fab Giveaway for you to enter! One lucky winner is going to win a whole bunch of gift certificate goodness, plus an extra little gift from Rachel (the admin of the Sew Fab Sale)! Here's what the winner will receive…
Three gift certificates totaling $100 from Girl Charlee, PeekabooFabricShop, and Fabric Worm!!! And the winner will also get a Strawberry measuring tape, strawberry buttons and two yards of twill tape for handmade fabric tags!
To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below, and be sure to leave the required information when asked. Facebook will not allow us to require you to "like" a page in exchange for an entry, but if you visit the page and feel led to "like" it I know the designers and sponsors would greatly appreciate it.
The giveaway is open to all!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28210b092/?
Sign up for the Sew Fab Newsletter to get the latest Sew Fab News! Winners will be announced in the newsletter as well as upcoming sales and other news pertaining to the Sew Fab Sale and the world of PDF patterns. **For answers concerning sale terms and customer service questions, please see the FAQ page.
]]>I started playing around with stencil designs when I was designing the #121 Ringer Raglan pattern for One Thimble Issue 20 (which is currently in the digital stands over at One Thimble. The theme for the photoshoot was a retro summer vibe and I couldn't help but have visions of 1970's and 80's ringer style t-shirts printed on the front with sunsets and palm trees, throw in a matching binding and your there.
But you can use freezer paper stencils to customise pretty much anything.
For this post I have a quick tutorial on how to do it, the products I use, and some free stencils for you to download so read on for way to many pictures of ideas and inspiration :)
How to do it
Freezer paper stencilling, If you haven't tried it before, be prepared as it can be addictive. Here's how it works:
1. Print out your stencils (email me at liz@threadfaction.com and I will send them over) and then trace them on to your freezer paper.
If you are in US, I believe that freezer paper is something that is available in the supermarket; in Australia it is only used for crafting (not actually freezing things) so you need to grab yourself some at a craft store, or online.
Freezer paper has a shiny side and a matt side. Trace your design onto the matt side, and then cut out the areas that you want to print with a craft knife.
2. Next, position your design onto your fabric with the shiny side down and use your iron (with no steam) to press your freezer paper onto your fabric. Pay particular attention to the edges of your design. The freezer paper will stick firmly but you will be able to peel it off later.
Use a fabric paint to paint in the cut out areas of your design. If you are painting on a t-shirt make sure you put a piece of paper or card between the layers to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the back of the t-shirt.
My favourite fabric paint is the DecoArt SoSoft fabric paints because they are inexpensive, you don't have to heat set them and they wash really well. But I have also used regular acrylic paints mixed with a fabric medium, and fabric markers with this technique with great success. You just need to follow the instructions that go with your chosen paint.
3. When your paint is dry (I hurry mine up with a hair dryer), you can peel off your stencil to reveal your design. For this one I have used the palm trees stencil over the top of the sun stencil. To do this use the same technique as before; after the sun is dry and the stencil removed, just press the palm tree stencil over the top of the dry paint, then paint in the stencil and allow to dry.
4. After you remove your palm tree stencil your design will be finished.
For the example below, I have used a slightly different technique. Since the different colours in the design touch each other, I traced the design 3 times and then cut one colour out of each copy.
Using the same technique for painting as the first example I just applied and painted each stencil one at a time, waiting for the paint to dry and then removing the stencil before applying the next one.
I love how this one turned out.
I couldn't help myself but work up a couple of different colour options for the stencils...
I have also included a mini version of each of the designs so that you can use them for different applications (apart from a t-shirt that is). The example below is the #122 Retro Romper pattern, but I think this size would also be great on a polo shirt.
Lastly, this is what my husband has requested :)
Thanks for reading all the way to the end, if you have a go at freezer paper stencilling, I would love to see, so be sure to grab some pics and hashtag them #threadfaction
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It never ceases to amaze me how scared seamstresses can be of sewing with knit fabrics, even those that have been sewing for years and years avoid them like the plague.
Although sewing with knits is certainly a bit different, it doesn't have to be hard, and you don't need any special machinery (nope not even an overlocker/serger). You just need a few different settings on your sewing machine and a bit of practice!
and...
As it happens I have a brand new pattern for you to practice on. I developed the #123 Girls Tank and Pants pattern to include 5 basic beginner techniques to get you up and sewing with knits.
If you want to see how the pattern goes together, with quippy commentary and a backing track, check out the first episode of my new YouTube show Thread Faction Sewn.
But if you are new to sewing with knits, let me walk you through each of the techniques featured in the pattern, from setting your machine up to sew knit seams, through hems, bands, bindings and elastics. A whole world of knit sewing patterns will be opened up to you after you baster these basics.
Click here for a free 5 part learn to sew knits mini course
Here are all the details and a few pics of the pattern, but I am not the only one sewing it up. I have teed up some awesome sewing bloggers to check out the pattern and the new mini course and to let you know what they think. Scroll down for the full blog tour line up.
#123 is a knit sewing pattern for a girls tank and pants set in sizes 2 to 10. The set makes a lovely matching underwear set, or as separates, the tank makes a great summer top and the pants are perfect modesty shorties for under skirts and dresses. The tank is finished with double fold bindings and a simple hem. The pants are mid-rise and have an optional gusset; the legs are finished with bands and the waist with elastic.
Here is the blog tour line up. I am really looking forward to see what they have put together, and what these experienced seamstresses' think of the course. You can check out their versions and thoughts by clicking on the links below:
I had a conversation recently about why a pair of knickers was called a pair of knickers rather than just a knicker, and some (admittedly shoddy) internet research turned up the answer. In the early 1900's knickers were actually 2 separate legs joined only at the waist, they were indeed a pair...saucy!
As much as I am a fan of period costumes, I have kept it modern with my new pattern, and I am excited to say it is now live and you can get it for yourself here.
If you are chasing some fabrics and notions to get you started, we have some Knicker sewing kits available here.
Here are all the details:
Thread Faction #202 is a medium rise ladies hipster underpants pattern with 4 finishing options: lingerie elastic, 2 different options with fold over elastic (FOE), and knit fabric bands.
Suitable for beginners, #202 features front, instead of side seams to allow for using contrast fabrics and for easy placement of decorative trims. The crotch is on the wider side, and with full coverage on the bottom, things stay in place. The entire garment can be made on your sewing machine - overlocker optional.
I have sewn up a couple of pairs for you to see how they go together (see pics), but knickers fit everyone a little differently and there are a lot of different options in the pattern so I have gathered together some fine seamstresses to give the pattern a go and let you know what they think. These lovely ladies will be sewing up a pair or two (is that a pair of pairs??) and letting us know what they think over the next week.
I am really looking forward to see what they have put together, you can check out their versions and thoughts by clicking on the links below:
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