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How To Attach A Rib Knit Waist Band

How To Attach A Rib Knit Waist Band

by | Dec 16, 2013 | My Makes, Tutorials

We recently took delivery of some cotton elastane rib knit at Plush Towers and I’m a little bit in love with it. It’s such a great alternative to elastic and I think it looks much more professional. It can be used for waistbands, cuffs, t-shirt necklines etc.

I decided to make another skirt following this tutorial from Danamadeit.com and customised the waistband to use the rib knit. It took under an hour (it was actually closer to 30 mins!) I thought I’d share how I pimped the waistband:

1) Work out the amount of fabric you need to make the skirt by following the instructions on this tutorial.

I used these fabrics

Peeping Owls Corduroy from Springs CreativePeeping Owls Corduroy from Springs Creative

Peeping Owls Corduroy from Springs Creative
RIB - Cotton Elastane - Cerise

RIB – Cotton Elastane – Cerise

2) Decide how high you would like the rib knit waist band to be and deduct this amount from the length of the main skirt fabric.

3) Measure your child’s waist and cut a length of rib knit according to this measurement plus one inch and twice the height you’d like the waistband to be. I cut mine 3″ high, then fold in half giving me a 1.5″ wasitband. Press the waistband whilst folded along the length.

4) Sew the 2 short ends together to make a circular waist band. Use an overlocker, or an equivalent stitch on your sewing machine if you don’t have an overlocker.

5) Fold in half along the pressed fold. This is your finished waistband.

6) Make the skirt by sewing the 2 short ends of your fabric together to make a tube.

7) Prepare the hem by folding up about half an inch of the hem, and them half an inch again so as to hide the raw edge. You can adjust the exact hem length later.

8) Gather the waistband by basting 2 lines of stitching along the top of the skirt, leave long threads at either end.

9) Pull the threads tight and gather the skirt.

10) Put the skirt inside the waistband with right sides together and ease out the gathering on the skirt fabric so it matches the waistband and the gathers are evenly spread. Pin, or make it easier with  Wonder Clips

11) Sew the waistband in place with your normal machine very close the the fabric edge. Once secured and you are happy the gathers are even secure with an overlocker, or overlock type stitch. Stitching in place first makes it easier to correct any gathers, should you need to.

12) Check the length of your skirt on your child and hem accordingly by pressing half an inch, then folding over again to hide the raw edge

13) You’re done! Easy peasy rib knit waistband is attached.

My next project with rib knit is this jacket. I’m going to use red double sided cuddle fleece and use Scarlet rib knit at the cuffs and waistband (instead of the ruffle). That’s the plan anyway! I might need to finish some UFOs first 🙂

Crayon Roll Tutorial

Crayon Roll Tutorial

by | Oct 2, 2013 | Tutorials

Baby Plush has recently got into drawing in a big way, apart from being irresistibly cute toddling around insisting she put crayon to paper it’s amazing how it can keep her occupied, quiet and still for such a long time and she’s not yet even 2. Always one to jump on any opportunity for 5 minutes of peace and quiet I figured it’d be silly not to make her a crayon roll which I can just pop in my bag when we are out and about and so far it’s a huge hit. 

Crayon rolls are super easy to make and you can knock one up in about half an hour (have you gathered I quite like these super speedy makes yet?!), here’s how I did mine. 

What you need: 

3 co-ordinating pieces of fabric 13 x 5 inches (I used fabrics from the Hello Tokyo Collection from Robert Kaufman)

1 piece of medium weight iron on interfacing 13 x 5 inches

1 piece of matching ribbon about 24 inches long

Matching sewing thread. I always use Guttermann Sew All Thread 

Step 1

Take the interfacing and iron in on to the wrong side of fabric C which will make the inside lining of your pencil roll

Step 2

Fold Fabric B in half length ways and iron

Step 3

Take your folded fabric B and place it on to the lining fabric C matching the bottom edges of the fabrics together.  Next draw lines in tailors chalk starting 1 1/4 inch from one short end and then at 3/4 inch intervals until you reach the other side.  Starting in the middle (in case your fabric shifts) sew down each line in a co-ordinating thread, these will make the pockets for your crayons.

Step 4 

Fold your ribbon in half and sew it in to one side of the crayon roll. I used a triple stitch to ensure it’s secure

Step 5

Place the outer fabric (fabric A) onto the other pieces of fabric so that the right sides are together and sew around the edges ensuring you leave an opening of a couple of inches so you can turn the right way. Snip the corners.

Step 6

Nearly there! Turn your fabric out through the hole you left and press, ensuring the opening is pressed flush and even to the rest of your sewn crayon roll. Top stitch all the way around ensuring your opening is sewn closed and fill with your crayons!

Tutorial: How To Machine Applique

Tutorial: How To Machine Applique

by | Aug 8, 2013 | Tutorials

I’ve got a new addiction making these skirts following the fab tutorial over at Dana Made It . They really are the simplest skirt ever and take about 20-30 mins to knock up. My daughter’s wardrobe is being over taken by them.

 

So my latest *need* was to use up some dark indigo chambray I’ve had for ages and I figured it’d need a bit of prettying up to save it from being b.o.r.i.n.g. so I thought I’d pop a little machine appliqué on it as I couldn’t be bothered to set my machine up for embroidery I thought it would be nice so I figured I might as well pop a little tutorial up as it’s so easy to do and will spice up any make!

You will need

Some Bondaweb which is available here

Fabric scraps

A pencil

Scissors

An iron

STEP ONE: Decide what it is that you’d like to appliqué and find a picture you can trace around. Simple is the the key here and will give you the best results. Bear in mind that you are going to have to sew around the outline of whatever you choose. I decided I wanted a birdie so I typed in “bird appliqué templates” in to Google images and I found this one which seemed to fit the bill.

Watch the birdie!

STEP TWO : Trace around your template on to the Bondaweb. Trace on to the smooth side of the Bondaweb and trace each part of your design separately – see here I’ve traded the bird body, the wing and the beak. Make sure you cut out about 1/4 inch around your outline.

STEP THREE: Iron on to your fabric, textured side down

STEP FOUR: Cut out your applique along your pencil line and you will have come nice crisp fabric shapes

STEP FIVE: Iron on to your fabric. I’m not gonna lie to you ….This is the fiddliest bit of the process, I’d even go as far as to says it’s a PITA. Bondaweb has a paper side which needs to be removed before it will bond to your fabric so you need to peel off the paper from the back of your shapes. I find the best way to get it off is to run  finger nail down an edge of your shape, or sometimes I fold it in half and tear in the middle of the paper. (If anybody has any tips for removing the paper I’m all ears!) Somebody helpfully has suggested to score with a pin – sounds genius and thank you!

Once you’ve removed the paper then you can iron your appliqué pieces on to your fabric. Don’t forget to do them in the right order from the bottom layer up if some parts of your appliqué are underneath others.

STEP SIX: Stitch your appliqué to your fabric. Start at one corner and slowly follow the outline of your appliqué piece. You can get creative with the stitch you use, I chose this one on my machine, it’s like a blanket stitch, I like that effect, but you could use a zig zag or a straight stitch. Play around with the finishes and see what works for you. If you choose a contrasting thread colour your stitching will be more visible. I added legs and an eye by using a tight zig zag stitch. Voila! You have a machine appliqué on your garment, isn’t it pretty?

A Waterproof Fabric Guide

A Waterproof Fabric Guide

by | Jul 31, 2013 | Fabric Guides, PUL Projects, Sustainable Sewing, Tutorials

Following on from my popular post about the fabric possibilities for dribble bibs I thought it would be a good idea to run a  series of these posts to talk about the other more specialist fabrics we stock in the Plush Addict Shop. We get lots of questions about which is the best waterproof fabric to use for a particular type of garment or handmade item so I figured this would be the next one in line for a bit of (hopefully!) helpful blurb.

We presently stock 5 main types of waterproof fabric and I’ll take each one in turn

PUL, or polyurethane laminate

PUL is a bit of a special kind of waterproof fabric as it has the marvellous magic properties of being waterproof, but breathable. So why is this important? Well it’s very special because it means you can make waterproof items of clothing and cloth nappies and your body heat has a better chance of escaping into the atmosphere through fabric so you sweat less! Brilliant.

Composition: PUL has 2 sides to it, one side is made from a polyester knit which means it has a slight stretch which is great for clothing as you get a bit of “give”, important when you’re moving around as there’s less chance of a seam giving way under stress. One side of the polyester knit has a laminate coating applied so it’s slippery and shiny; this is the waterproof layer. PUL is a soft flexible fabric which doesn’t really crease and it air dries in super quick time and  it doesn’t fray when cut. The PULs we stock contain no lead, phlalates or BPAs so are suitable for products intended for children under 12.

Right or wrong side? : I often get asked if there’s a right or wrong side to PUL and as far as the “waterproof-ness” goes there isn’t really, you can have either side as the right side and it will work just the same. That said, for aesthetic and comfort reasons the knit side is often used as the “right” side as it usually has a pretty pattern or colour and as the laminate side is shiny it’s probably more comfortable to have this away from the skin or it’d be a bit sticky. You can line your garment of course which will overcome this, and cloth nappies usually have an inner fabric which is closest to the skin, or PUL is often used as a shaped wrap which goes around a fitted nappy which has no waterproof layer of its own. In pocket cloth nappies the shiny side is often used as the “right” side simply because it makes stuffing the nappy easier.

Sealing sewing holes: When you sew your needle will leave tiny holes behind in the laminate layer which may affect the waterproof effectiveness of your garment. These holes are easily resealed by either popping your garment in the tumble dryer on low for 20 minutes, or if you are using our own brand Plush Addict White PUL this particular fabric also has “weldable” properties which means it will weld to itself when high heat is applied. You can do this with an impulse sealer but I have many customers who seal their seams using an iron (use a protective layer of fabric or pressing cloth to ensure you don’t end up with a sticky mess on your iron!)

What is Sandwich PUL?  As well as single layer PUL we also stock sandwich PUL which works in the same way but instead of being composed of 2 layers of fabric there are 3 layers. The layer of laminate is sandwiched in between 2 layers knit fabric. This is especially helpful if you don’t want to have the shiny laminate side against the skin as it’s hidden away between the knit layers. It’s also stronger so if you are applying a kind of fastener such as KAM snaps, extra reinforcement isn’t required around the fastenings.

Uses: Cloth nappies and wraps, anoraks, waterproof trousers, wet bags, swim bags, changing mats, changing bags, mattress protectors, pillow protectors, baby bibs, picnic blankets, incontinence products, anywhere you need a waterproof, breathable layer.

A special note regarding our own brand of white PUL … we get this manufactured ourselves here in the UK and it has some very special properties:

  1. It is double laminated which means it lasts longer and is less likely to delaminate over time, especially helpful for high laundry items
  2. It is weldable which means it welds to itself when very high heat (like an iron) is  applied (use a pressing cloth). This seals the seams making them completely waterproof
  3. It’s fungistatic which (apart from being a brilliant word) means it inhibits the growth of fungi, very helpful when used in a  nappy, to line a wet bag  or on items such as bibs which may be left wet or damp for some time

Laminated Cotton

Laminated cotton isn’t  completely waterproof, but more water resistant so it’s probably not the best choice for a cloth nappy or for something like a wet bag. People lean towards laminated cotton when they’d like to have a natural fibre on one side of the laminated fabric, it’s also thinner and more pliable than PUL. Because it’s a natural fibre that’s BPA free it’s also considered safe to use for foody makes such as lunch bags and sandwich pouches.

Composition: Laminated cotton is another 2 layer fabric where a high quality 100% cotton sheeting has a film of laminate applied to the right side of the fabric. This fabric has much less of a stretch than PUL and is favoured when you’d like  a natural fibre as part of your garment rather than polyester. It doesn’t fray when cut. It’s PVC-free, and BPA-free and as such is often a fabric of choice when making items for under 12s or food related. It’s pretty and pliable with a nice hand and drapes well, making it ideal for garments and a plethora of other fabulous items.

Right or wrong side? : The laminate is applied to the right side of the fabric, this means that the wrong side is 100% cotton and so can be comfortably worn against the skin.

Uses: Laminated cotton has a lovely hand and is perfect for use in children’s wear, rain coats, bags, baby bibs, play mats, changing bags, place mats, table cloths, sandwich bags, lunch bags, craft aprons, purses, pencil cases.

Ripstop

Ripstop is the real rufty-tufty of waterproof fabrics that we stock. It’s a nylon threaded material that is pretty resistant to tearing or ripping. It’s so tough and strong it’s used a lot in camping equipment such as tents but it’s also used in things like hang glider wings and hot air balloons… not that I imagine you’ll be making your own hang glider any time soon but it shouldn’t be disregarded as it’s also useful for smaller scale applications around the home and is especially good for the garden and it’s much more economical to buy than some of the other waterproof fabrics. I use it as an under high chair cover to save my floor from toddler food accidents and I didn’t even hem it <gasp!>. Because it’s so durable it’s great for outdoor applications and would make great  covers for outdoor furniture or perhaps a BBQ. Bear in mind ripstop isn’t completely waterproof, it’s better than laminated cotton but if wet items are left sitting on it for a long period the wet will seep through. It’s for this reason  I think PUL or ProCare are a better choice for wet bags, but for short term wet applications like a swimming bag that just houses soggy togs for a few hours I think it’d be fine. It can be used in clothing but bear in mind it isn’t breathable.

You can see the distinct raised box pattern present in Ripstop

Composition : Ripstop is made by weaving nylon threads together through a base material. It has an interlocking weave which gives it a distinct raised box pattern on the fabric and it’s because of this  weave that it’s difficult to tear. It’s not a breathable fabric and it doesn’t have any stretch. It doesn’t really fray when cut. It’s a bit noisier than some of the other fabrics in this genre and has that familiar rustle sound!

Right or wrong side? : the patterned side is the right side, this is for aesthetic rather than performance reasons.

Uses: Boot bags, wet bags (although I believe PUL or ProCare perform much better for this application), rain coats, waterproof trousers, ruck sacks, wash bags, pencil cases, kites, wind breaks, shower curtains, splash mats, table cloths, peg bags, tote bags, changing bags, outdoor bunting, outdoor furniture covering, nappy wallets.

Once upon a time oil cloth was actually a closely woven cotton cloth covered in boiled linseed oil to give it waterproof properties,  times have changed and things are a little less messy with today’s oil cloth.

Composition: Oil Cloth is a PVC product and is 100% vinyl and is completely waterproof. It’s very shiny, durable and quite thick so isn’t as pliable and easy to work with as some of the other fabrics in the category. It doesn’t fray when cut. As oil cloth contains phthalates it isn’t intended for projects for children under 12.

Right or wrong side? : the patterned side is the right side, this is for aesthetic rather than performance reasons.

Uses: Table cloths and protectors, bags, pencil cases, book covers, aprons, coin purses, place mats, floor mats, totes, drawer liners, place mats, garden caddies.

ProCare

ProCare  is a very durable totally waterproof barrier fabric. It’s more of a functional fabric than one that will add some pretty cheer to your makes but it does have a few special properties. It has a really high laundry tolerance, over 300+ washes the manufacturers claim. It’s also food safe making a great choice for lining a lunch bag or sandwich wrap. ProCare also meets duty, laundering and material safety standards for use in medical and institutional products. ProCare is not breathable.

Composition: ProCare is 25% polyester and 75% vinyl. It has no real stretch and does not shrink. It can be seam welded with an impulse sealer. It’s free of lead,  phthalates, BPS or brominates and is FDA GRAS compliant for contact with foods.

Right or wrong side? : One side has more texture than the other but both are quite similar. There is no functional difference when using either side of the fabric.

Uses: Wet bag linings, snack and lunch bags, mattress protection, baby bibs, furniture protection, pet and veterinary pads, changing mats

Odicoat

Alternatively you could make any fabric into a waterproof fabric using Odicoat! We posted a guide all about what it is and how to use it here.

(Grab a cheeky 10% off your next Odicoat order with WATERPROOFME10)

Phew! That is rather a lot to digest but I hope you found it helpful. I’m planning on writing a sewing tips series at some point soon so watch out for some tips on handling these more specialist fabrics too.

Beginners Guide To Reading a Dressmaking Pattern

Beginners Guide To Reading a Dressmaking Pattern

by | Jul 17, 2013 | Tutorials

Please note: there is an updated and improved version of this post here

If and when you decide to venture into the world of creating a garment to wear for yourself or a Santa suit for your pampered pooch this guide will hopefully answer some basic questions.  Many of us have learned how to use patterns and sew from a family member or a close friend, and there are many different techniques and shortcuts that people use to make it easier.  If however this is not the case for you, pulling out a pattern to create something special can seem very overwhelming. We hope this will help see you through your first simple steps and will make life a little  easier.

Fabric choice is important

When you choose the fabric you are going to use, pay close attention to the fabric repeat. This is the way the pattern or print on the fabric is laid out, for instance whether the pattern is large or small scale and also the direction the pattern is running. For instance if you choose a stripe that runs from selvedge to selvedge you may end up with a long skirt with horizontal strips, this may not be the look you’re going for so you may want to choose a stripe that runs the length of the fabric giving you a vertical stripe on your skirt.

Cutting out the pattern pieces

Many patterns will come with multiple sizes printed on them and you will need to cut along the same size line for all of your pieces or the result could be quite interesting.  Often you will also be instructed to place the pattern along the “grain line of the fabric“, this is to insure the stretch of the fabric is correct for your project.  The placement of the grain line on the pattern is indicated with an arrow along the pattern piece like this 

and this will need to be placed on the fabric running parallel to the selvedge.

When using a manufactures pattern it will also give you information on how to lay your fabric out in order to be cut dependent on the size of your fabric.  This is generally the best method to follow as it usually makes the most efficient use of the fabric.

Some key information  to watch out for when placing pattern pieces before you cut :

1) How the fabric is folded (it’s usually right sides in)

2) Where the selvedge edge lies

3) Whether the right side side of the pattern faces up or down

4) Whether and the right side of fabric faces up or down

To determine these points look for a diagram that looks something like this in your pattern instructions

Looking more closely at the diagram above you will see that pattern piece (2) needs to be cut twice as it appears twice on the cutting diagram, once on the right side of the pattern and again on the wrong side (turning the pattern piece face down). Can you see where this pattern piece is shaded by the dots? This indicates the pattern piece should be laid face down on your fabric. This also shows us its on a folded piece of fabric, but not on a fold, so we will end up with four cut fabric pieces.  Pattern piece (1) is placed on the fabric fold so we will end up with only one piece of fabric that’s double the size and mirrored of pattern piece (1). Looking at the second diagram  pattern piece (4) shows us to cut it only on one thickness of fabric, once on the right side and once on the wrong side giving us two cut fabric pieces. Your pattern will also contain a guide and a key as to what all of these mean.

Some common pattern marking symbols  

Notches

Notches look like this

and often appear on the cut line as single or double triangles (they can be filled or unfilled triangles) and need to be marked on your fabric. Notches will be used to line up two or more separate pattern pieces when constructing your garment. If you have just 1 notch it will line up with another single notch on a separate piece of the pattern and 2 notches with 2. Notches ensure you are sewing 2 separate pattern pieces together at the right point so the garment has the right shape. The best way to mark pattern notches are to cut a reverse notch out of the fabric edge like this:

Fold Line

A fold line  marking looks something like this 

You will need to place the pattern on the fold line of the fabric so when the fabric piece is cut it will be one piece when un-folded a mirror image of itself. Do not cut along the fold!

Markings for construction details, such as placements or gathering

Often there are small circles marked on the pattern these can be open or filled circles like this

and can indicate a dart position, button placement, bust lines, waist lines or where to lengthen of shorten a pattern. These need to be marked somehow on your fabric pieces and the quickest and easiest way is to use some dress making carbon paper, or you can mark by hand stitching some loose threads through the fabric that can just be pulled out after you have finished.

When we completed the cutting and transferring of the markings from this pattern piece we end up with a result below.  You can see we have our notches cut out  around the edge and have used thread markings for all our matching points and because we used the fold line you can see how we now have one piece of fabric.

We hope this will give you a basic foundation when it comes to using ready-made patterns, and take some of the fright out of it.  There are many different “tricks of the trade” out there but with trial and error you will find your own.