Super Cape Tutorial

Things I needed to do yesterday:

1. Laundry-drawers are getting empty and hamper is full 

2. Shopping for food, birthday and shower gifts for this weekend
3. Organize fabric in my office so I can finish 4 new patterns I've been working on. 

4. Deadhead the roses so I can get the cuttings in the trash tomorrow. 

5. Clean the floors...kinda sticky. 

6. Work on training the new puppy
7. Clean out the inside of my car. 

But what do I do instead?  Well of course I make a Super hero cape for my 3 year old grandson, Asher! And a pink one for his sister, 2 year old Harper.

Glad I have my priorities straight!

I decided to make a quick tutorial to share with you, but beware- with a cape on little boys suddenly have the urge to jump off whatever they can climb onto!

Cut out two rectangles- one 36 inches wide x 23 inches long,

another 18 inches long x 3 inches for the tie. 

Fold up raw edges of both short sides and one long side (now the bottom) 1/8 of an inch and then 1/4 of an inch and hem, hiding raw edge.  Across the unhemmed top make a basting or gathering stitch.

Pull gathering stitch until the top is gathered, evenly spaced to be 8 inches across.

Pin top gathered edge to small rectangle(neck piece) right sides together so the raw, gathered edge is even with the top edge of the neck piece, with 4 inches on one side and  6 inches on the other side.

 Fold up neck piece lengthwise so that the right sides are together and sew-stopping when you get to the gathered cape piece. 

 This is what it should look like now.

Trim seam allowance on neck piece.

Turn neck piece ends right side out.

 

Fold neck piece center down to cover seam  allowance made when attaching neck piece to cape.  Pin and sew it down, either by hand or by machine. 

 

Sew  velcro pieces onto neck piece ends with the soft side on the inside of the longer end  of neck piece and the roughside of the velcro on the outside of the shorter end. Don’t use the super firm grip velcro because you want it to release if pulled rather than choke them!

Add logo if you like, or an initial.

We haven’t decided if he is going to be:

Superman

the "Itsy Bitsy" Spiderman

or just Super Asher.

Winner & In the Works!

Hello!

First of all...we have a winner!

Congratulations to Jenn!  Random.org has selected you as the winner of the three-pack of patterns!   Send us an email just to confirm the three patterns you would like!

We also though we would let you know what we have in the works!  

We are almost done with a super fun, completely reversible wrap dress with little capped sleeves that we have called Iris and a sweet, pleated front dress we named Elizabeth.  Also a new adorable, ruffled Apron set for mom, daughter and doll!  We are seriously excited about this pattern and think it will make a fun holiday project and gift set!  

 

So in between finishing our bathroom remodel and "play fighting" with Asher and his new light saber, that is what we are working on!

Who wants some patterns?

Alright then!  We will give some away!

We just hit 4,000 sales in our Etsy Shop and 200 followers here on the blog!!!

So we wanted to say "thank you" with a THREE PACK pattern giveaway!

As usual, you must be a public follower of the blog to enter and leave a comment telling us what patterns you would choose if you win!

Giveaway will end Wednesday, August 17th at midnight PST.

Placket Tutorial

Hello!  Remember us?

It has been a busy summer!  We have been away on multiple vacations and in between those we have been working hard on four new dress patterns!

So we are long over due for a new post and thought we would start back today with a tutorial! 

Lately, we have been getting a few questions about how exactly to complete the placket that is found in the Kylie, Goldie, Raven and Isla Dress patterns.  

The word “placket” comes from the Old French plaquer, which means “to lay on,” 
During stressful sewing occasions it has been called other things, not  appropriate to put into print!  

I will simplify plackets for you so they won’t be so intimidating!

A placket is a made on a slit in a dress or shirt is intended to facilitate putting on and removing clothing, giving a nice, clean appearance to the slit made.  We are used to seeing plackets in shirts,  especially men's shirts,  above the cuff, or on skirts that have a button closure at the waistband.

1.  Cut a slit down the center back of the skirt  (some patterns have a back seam- if so then the top few inches of the back is left unsewn.  Fold down the slit so the sides form a straight line.  The placket should be double the size of slit.

2.  Put the placket face down over the turned down area and pin.

3.  This is what it will look like from the skirt side.  Sew across the top.  The seam allowance of the skirt  should be 1/2 inch at the beginning and the end, but in the middle it should be 1/8 inch.

4.  Trim the seam allowance and clip the center  of the “V” down to the seam allowance.

5.  Fold the placket over twice, hiding raw edge of placket and covering seam allowance.  Pin.

6.  Topstitch placket.  To hide stitches “stitch in the ditch” or sew right at the point where the two fabrics are attached.  Just make sure that you are catching the inside (see next photo).

7.  This is what it should look like from the inside.

8.  Fold the right side of the placket under and stitch across the top, reinforcing by going back and forth.

9.  This is what it should look like from the inside.

10.  Finished!  Now you are ready to add the waistband or bodice.

So hopefully that will help clarify the plackets section! 

Have you seen the new "Flutter Skirt" pattern? 

Thanks to Melinda from My2SugarPlums for providing the name!

Ok, back to work on our new patterns!  Hoping to have them ready to go very soon!