Free Pattern: Classic Color-Block Tote for Janome

Everyone needs a basic tote pattern in their stash - and I have the perfect one for you! I created this pattern and tutorial for Janome and based it on a vintage pattern I had as well as several popular models sold today in iconic catalogs.

Sewn with canvas or thick twill fused to a decorator-weight interfacting and lined with your favorite quilting cotton, this will quickly become your go-to bag for lugging around your everyday essentials. It's also the perfect beach bag, pool bag or all-around-kid-stuff bag!

To get the free pattern and tutorial, visit the project page on Janome.com. Enjoy!

Free Sewing Pattern: Cupcake Dress and Gleeful Blog Hop

When Caroline of the popular sewing blog/pattern company Sew Caroline contacted me about participating in the tour for her new fabric line, Gleeful, I was ecstatic! Caroline has become a great friend over the past few months, and pretty much anything she creates is fun, colorful and beautiful (just like her!). I asked for a yard of "After the Rain" in voile. Oh girls. Let me tell you - this stuff is heavenly! It has beautiful drape and is SO, so soft. And you know, some really soft fabrics get kind of fuzzy and lose their saturation after washing...but not this one! It is still the most heavenly blue color even after LOTS of wear by this little girl.

Free Sewing Pattern: Cupcake Dress

I whipped up this little number for Harper  using the fabric Caroline sent, and I just adore her in it. The color is perfect with her skintone and blue eyes, and it was super easy to sew up.

Free Sewing Pattern: Cupcake Dress

We did our little impromptu photo shoot in the parking lot at So Cupcake in Salt Lake City. I took her there to get a cupcake to (hopefully) bribe her to go somewhere outdoors and take photos, but then, we spotted this ice cream/cupcake truck and KNEW it was the perfect location! So, I present to you the Cupcake Dress!

Free Sewing Pattern: Cupcake Dress

It's a simple silhouette with elastic in the back for a comfortable fit, ties around the neck and a gathered skirt. It can be fully lined or just lined in the bodice depending on how sheer your main fabric is. For this version, I fully lined the dress with sheermist batiste from Hancock Fabrics. They had a royal blue that almost perfectly matched the main!

Free Sewing Pattern: Cupcake Dress

And hey, the best part? You guys get a free pattern! The bodice prints on just two pages and is available in sizes 12M-8. For the skirt and straps, you just have to cut some rectangles.

THANKS SO MUCH to Caroline for inviting me to participate in her tour!

Ready to sew a Cupcake Dress?! 

Download Pattern Here

NOTE: THE PRINTED PATTERN SAYS TO CUT A BACK BODICE PIECE OUT OF LINING IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN. THIS IS UNNECESSARY. YOU ONLY NEED TO CUT ONE FROM MAIN. :)

Sizing (sorry I forgot to put this in the original post!): 

18" chest - 12M 19" chest - 18M 20" chest - 2 21" chest - 3 22" chest - 4 23" chest - 5 24 " chest - 6 25" chest - 7 26" chest - 8

Cut skirt/lining/strap/elastic pieces as follows (click on the image for a larger version):

Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 3.32.53 PM

Free Sewing Pattern: Cupcake Dress

Sewing Instructions: 

(Before I get lots of hate comments/email about my lack of illustrations, let me apologize. I started on these and just didn't have time to finish with everything going on right now! Trust me though, this dress is super easy-to-put-together. Just follow the instructions step-by-step, and you'll have no problems! xoxo)

1. Fold straps in half lengthwise with RIGHT sides together and press. Stitch around all but one short end with a 3/8" seam allowance. Trim seam allowance 1/8" from stitching - OR - if using a very lightweight fabric like I am, you may leave the seam allowance to give the straps a little heft. Turn straps right-side-out; press.

2. Pin straps to the RIGHT side of the front bodice piece as indicated on the pattern. Match up the raw edge of the straps with the raw edge of the top of the bodice front. Baste in place.

3. With RIGHT sides together, sew bodice front to bodice lining along top edge only. The straps will be sandwiched in-between the two layers. If desired, you may reinforce the straps with a second line of stitching on the seam allowance and close to the first line of stitching. 

4. Fold back bodice piece in half lengthwise with WRONG sides together and press.

5. Stitch a line 1/4" away from the folded edge. Stitch another line 5/8" away from the raw edge. Finally, baste (use a wide stitch that will be removed later) another a line 3/8" away from the raw edge.

6. Insert one piece of elastic in the casing you just created along the top of the back bodice piece using a small safety pin or bodkin. Carefully tug on the elastic until the end of the elastic meets with the edge of the casing. Stitch that end in place. Remove safety pin/bodkin, and repeat for the other side.

7. Insert second piece of elastic into the casing at the bottom of the back bodice piece. Stitch the ends in place as you did for the first piece of elastic.

8. Open up the front bodice, and insert the back bodice into it. The back bodice piece will be sandwiched between the main and lining of the front bodice and touching the right sides of the front bodice pieces. Line up the side edges of the front bodice pieces with the back bodice piece. Make sure the back bodice piece is jammed all the way up there so the side seams will be even when everything is turned right-side-out. Using a 3/8" seam allowance, sew bodice pieces together at the side seams.

9. Turn bodice pieces right-side-out and press. You may clip curves along the front bodice if needed to make it lie nice and straight.

10. With RIGHT sides together, sew skirt pieces together at side seams. Serge, zigzag or pink seam allowances, and press toward back. Repeat for lining if you have chosen to include one.

11. Baste a wide stitch along the top edge of the skirt using a 3/8" seam allowance for gathering. Baste a second line of wide stitches using a 1/4" seam allowance. Grabbing only the two top threads at the beginning of the stitches you just made, pull to gather the skirt. Repeat for lining if you have chosen to include one.

12. With main side of bodice touching RIGHT side of skirt, pin skirt to bodice, matching side seams and center notches. Adjust skirt gathers evenly to fit.

13. If including a lining, you will now pin the right side of the lining to the lining side of the bodice, sandwiching the bodice between the skirt main and skirt lining. Adjust gathers evenly to fit.

14. With a 3/8" seam allowance, sew skirt and optional skirt lining to bodice. Try to keep a very accurate seam allowance on the back side so you don't catch the elastic in the stitching. Don't stress too much if you do, though. :) Serge, zigzag or pink seam allowance.

15. Flip the skirt and optional skirt lining down, and press seam allowance up toward bodice. Almost done!

16. Turn bottom hem under toward wrong side 1/4" and press. Then turn it under another 1/4" and press again. Sew hem in place. Repeat for lining if you chose to do one.

17. Give everything one last press, and put that dress on a little girl! Adorable, right?!

FREE Sewing Pattern: Summer Shorties

Okaaaaaaay, folks! I'm not gonna lie; I have an ulterior motive with posting free sewing patterns: I want to grow my blog! I would l-u-r-v-e for you to help me by following my blog on Bloglovin', pinning this post on Pinterest, sharing on Facebook, clicking through my social media icons above (and following) etc. So please, if you want to keep seeing free sewing patterns (and I have quite a few in the works!), PLEASE help me out! Mmmmmmkay?! xoxoxo I am super excited to release a free sewing pattern today - Summer Shorties! These shorts were originally designed to go under little girls' skirts and dresses for added modesty on the playground when climbing jungle gyms and doing cartwheels, but I've found them to be a super versatile garment for playtime, dancewear and more! One of my testers (yes, I fully tested this pattern even though it's free!) even suggested that they would make great boxer briefs for little boys. Perfect! You could even make them a size or two bigger than suggested by the size chart (while still using the correct length of elastic) to create a more relaxed-fit pair of shorts. Shall we?

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

Made with plush-back or fold-over elastic at the waist, these are easy to whip up in just a few minutes (yes, you read that right) and only require four pieces of paper to print. They come in sizes 12 months through 8, and you can choose to print just a size or two if you want! Like I mentioned before, this pattern has been fully tested and was created with the same attention to detail as my paid patterns.

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

So, I know you're drooling over these fabulous knit fabrics, right? I KNOW. They were all provided by Wanderlust Fabrics - probably the hippest online fabric store I've found...um...EVER. So be sure to hop over there to check out their amazing selection when you're done here. Or, you know, do it NOW because you are going to need some fabric for your million pairs of SUMMER SHORTIES!

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

We had a ball with this photo shoot...as you can see. Harper just loves all the fun prints! They are super soft and comfy, too.

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

So are you ready to make some Summer Shorties for your little girl (or boy)? Let's get started!

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

First things first...here's what you need to make a pair (or seven):

• 1/2 yard of stretchy knit fabric - 4-way stretch is preferred but not required. Just think about the fabrics leggings are made of. That's what you want. Oh, and you can actually make two pair from a half yard of fabric...but you can't usually get fabric cut with the selvage, so you need a half yard if you are buying some for these. Otherwise, you can probably get by with some small scraps from your stash.
• 3/4" plush-back elastic OR 1" fold-over elastic. You'll need the length of your child's waist measurement.
• Sewing machine, thread, scissors, pins, iron, yadda yadda yadda. You know, the usual stuff.

Summer Shorties - Selvage Designs for Baste + Gather

And the pattern...duh! Here you go:

Download Pattern

If you've ever sewn from a PDF pattern before, you shouldn't have any problems. Just make sure you don't scale your printout (set it to 100%), and check your scale square before you cut your fabric. There are four pattern pieces that go 1-2 across the top and 3-4 across the bottom. Cut along the outer border of the pages, and match up the little triangles to get everything just right. You can select only certain sizes to print by accessing the layers panel in Adobe Acrobat:

Screen Shot 2014-06-22 at 10.57.37 PM

Next...let's pick a size! CHOOSE YOUR SIZE BASED ON SEAT/HIP MEASUREMENT. These sizes are much like what you would find in RTW clothing at popular children's clothing stores like Old Navy or Carter's. If your child has a particularly rotund bottom, I recommend sizing up as the shorts are cut with negative ease and can be drawn in at the waist with the elastic. You might also size up if your fabric isn't particularly stretchy (or down if it is). Please also note that these shorts do NOT include a diaper allowance. So if you're sewing these for a kiddo still in nappies, you might want to increase the rise slightly. Harper (shown in the photos) is 35" tall/28 pounds and has a 21" waist/21" seat. She is wearing the size 2 with the fold-over elastic cut to 18" (17.5" after sewing in a loop).

Summer Shorties Size Chart

And now, let's get sewing!

1. Press bottom hem up 5/8" toward the wrong side. We won't be sewing this just yet, but it will make it a lot easier to do so in a bit. You just want to make a crease there so we can see where to fold up the hem once the legs are loops instead of flat pieces. This step is not shown in the illustrations below. 

2. With right sides together and using a stretch stitch or serger, sew front and back crotch together with a 3/8" (1cm) seam allowance. Press seams open or to the back if serged. 

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

3. With right sides together and using a stretch stitch or serger, sew the inseam together with a 3/8" (1cm) seam allowance. You may sew a second line of stitching if desired to prevent blowouts! Press seams open or to the back if serged or sewn a second time. 

4. Determine how long to cut your elastic by simply putting it around your child's waist just below the belly button. Make sure it's relatively snug (but not too tight) and overlapping by 1/2". Cut the piece, and measure it so you can cut more for future Summer Shorties without having to keep bugging your kiddo! I also melted the ends of the elastic with a lighter to prevent them from raveling. Overlap the ends by 1/2" (1.5cm) and sew them together as shown. 

If using plush-back elastic, you might end up with a longer piece than if using fold-over elastic since it's a little more dense and doesn't stretch as much. 

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

4. With right sides together (plush side of elastic facing away from fabric and toward you) and using a wide zigzag stitch or serger, sew the elastic loop to the top of the shorts with a 1/4" (.5cm) seam allowance. Match the spot where you joined the elastic ends with the back seam of the shorts. You may also fold the elastic and shorts into fourths to mark the centers/sides for perfect matching, but it's pretty easy to get them matched up properly without doing so. You may also pin the elastic to the shorts if desired, but I am lazy and skip this step!

5. Flip the elastic up. So pretty and comfortable-looking, right?! Turn the bottom hems up by 5/8" (1.5cm) and sew in place. Remember how we creased those hems in the first steps? Ahhh, makes this part so easy. I recommend using a double needle or coverstitch machine if available. Otherwise, you may use a stretch or zigzag stitch.

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

6. If desired, you may choose to topstitch your elastic to the top of the shorts so it doesn't flip out annoyingly. (Some of my testers did this.) Totally up to you.

So super easy and awesome, right? Now go put those Summer Shorties on a kid near you and cartwheel all summer long!

Special thanks to all my testers: Tonya, Alison, Shelly, Tammie, Stephanie, Alicia, DeNae, Lisa Marie, Karly, Laura, Emily, Jami, Kimberly, Rebecca, Angela and Ashley! I love you guys! xoxo

And of course, thanks to Harper for being a good sport, always!

Summer Shorties | Free Sewing Pattern by Selvage Designs for BASTE + GATHER

Free Sewing Pattern: Baby Got Back Leggings for Cloth-Diapered Babies

A few years ago, when Harper was just a wee little baby, I created my first sewing pattern while I was blogging as Ruthie Pearl. It was called "Baby Got Back Leggings" and was designed for tiny babies through two-year-olds wearing cloth diapers. At that time, I had an extremely hard time finding pants to fit over Harper's prefolds, and I couldn't find a pattern for knits (you know how I love knits!) that was designed specifically for this purpose. I guess you could say this pattern is what got me started on the pattern design route. I had this pattern for sale for a while on Craftsy and through my own site, but I took it down when I started learning more about pattern design and digital grading. I'm not really sure why because it's actually a really good pattern - especially for a first shot! But I am a perfectionist...what can I say.

So today, I popped it open to take a look after about 2 years of not seeing it. And you know, it really IS a great pattern! But because my live files are long lost on an old and broken down computer, I can't update the original with my new blog title, branding, etc. So, I've decided to simply re-release it as a free download.

It's done a little different than I do my patterns now (specifically, the tiling), but like I said, it's still a GREAT pattern that I used a million times when Harper was a baby. I'm sure you will get a ton of use out of it too! You can even use this pattern for non-cloth-diapered babies to create the super trendy drop-crotch look that's all over Pinterest these days.

Download Here

_DSC1151

SO, here you have it! The Baby Got Back sewing pattern. The pants are designed to be a legging style, but the 27-page e-book pattern includes instructions for altering the pattern to widen the leg or make other changes. As leggings, they are most appropriate for girls. BUT, they would work equally well for a boy who likes a trim fit! (Or, you can simply make the legs a little wider or go up one size for a baggier fit.)

_DSC1157

Here's how the Baby Got Back sewing pattern is specifically tailored for cloth-diapered babies:

• Scoop front to avoid pants digging into little tummies (and unsightly extra bulk)
• Higher rise front and back to prevent the diaper from sticking out over the top
• Back panel to accommodate the fluffiest of diapers
• Extra space between the legs so your baby is comfortable sitting up, crawling or playing (no more straight-jacket look!)
• Super soft elastic waistband to avoid extra pressure around the tummy

_DSC1227

In addition to the basic legging pattern, I've included the following in the e-book:

• Instructions for making various alterations to the pattern for a custom fit
• Faux fly template and instructions for making "jeggings"
• Applique templates (star and heart) and instructions
• Ruffle bum/cuff tutorial
• Ruching tutorial (for the leg cuffs - soooo cute!)
• Capri instructions

Are you just a beginning sewist? Have you never sewn with knits? Have no fear! I fully illustrate exactly how to make the Baby Got Back pants with photos for every step along the way. You don't need any special equipment other than a sewing machine, and a serger is totally optional.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 - 3/4 yard of stretch knit fabric like interlock, jersey, fleece, velour, etc.
• OR, you can upcycle a t-shirt or turtleneck!! Just imagine the possibilities...
• 3/4" knit elastic (just a tiny bit more than your baby's waist measurement)
• Thread, straight pins, scissors, marking pen/chalk - the usual sewing stuff!

Sizing Information

I have included the following sizes in the pattern:

• 0-3mos
• 3-6mos
• 6-12mos
• 12-18mos
• 18-24mos
• 2T

I didn't do a newborn size because I never really had much problem getting newborn or size 0-3mos size pants on Harper when she was tiny - even with her cloth diaper (she was average size - 7.5lbs and 20 inches). Remember, if you're used to buying pants two sizes too big for your baby to accommodate her cloth diaper, you don't have to do that with the Baby Got Back sewing pattern. In fact, the pattern is sized pretty generously so babies at the top percentile range can still wear these pants (or babies at the top end of each age range - in other words, the 6-12mos size is designed to actually fit a 12-month-old). If in doubt when selecting your baby's size, go down a size! Or, if you want a nice-and-fitted legging look, go down a size. You can always grab an old t-shirt and whip up a sample pair to be sure about the fit before cutting into a more valuable fabric.

_DSC1223

Harper is shown in all these photos wearing the 6-12mos size. In the photos, she is 9-months-old, 19 pounds and 28 inches tall. She is in the 40th percentile for weight and the 70th for height. She could actually wear the 3-6mos size if I wanted a really fitted look. I like making her clothing a little big though so she has plenty of room to grow!

Download Here

I hope you enjoy this free pattern! xoxo

Free Knitting Pattern: Baby Frog Legs

Baby legwarmers are genius. They're cute, too, of course...but seriously...brilliant. I call these "Baby Frog Legs" because the first thing my mom texted me after seeing a photo of newborn Harper was, "Awwwwww, baby frog legs!" You know, little babies always have their legs drawn up in a frog-like fashion. It's extra-cute.

You can put them with pants and socks while on a walk so baby's ankles don't get cold. You can put them on their arms for a funky (and functional) look. You can put them on with a diaper and a onesie to make changes really easy. You can put them on baby to protect her knees when she's learning to crawl. Seriously...awesome!

BUT, the commercially produced ones are kind of expensive (especially for what they are - basically adult socks, made in China with the feet left off - they should be about $2 at the most). And honestly, I don't want to just cut off the feet of cheap socks. I don't know why I'm so against it - I guess I just don't like the raw edges (even if they are serged).

Enter my free knitting pattern for baby legwarmers!

These are seriously easy-to-make, and there are dozens of amazing sock yarns out there to ensure your baby will be looking her (or his) styliest (did I just make up that word?). You can make them as long or short as you like, and if your baby is particularly thin or chubby, you can alter the pattern down or up.

So here you go!

• Yarn: I used Shibui Sock in Spectrum - but any fingering/sock yarn will do.
• Needle: 40" Size 2 circular (for Magic Loop) or set of 4-5 Size 2 DPNs
• Gauge: 7-8 stitches/1"
• Skills required: Knit stitch, purl stitch, long-tail cast-on, sewn bind-off

Pattern:

1. CO 42 stitches using long-tail cast-on method.
2. Join to work in the round using whatever method you prefer. I used Magic Loop as shown in the video below.

1. Work K1/P1 ribbing for 5 rounds. For the legwarmers pictured in this post, I double-stranded the yarn for the ribbed portions because I like them a little thicker. However, this effectively increased my gauge and caused the ribbing to not gather in like it normally does. If you want your ribbing to be a little thicker like mine, note that you might have to thread some elastic thread through the ribbing after you're done to get the gathered-in effect that ribbing normally produces. (In fact, the elastic in the ribbing is a good idea either way.) See this tutorial to learn more about adding elastic to your baby legwarmers.
2. Work in stockinette stitch (knit every round) until work measures approximately 25cm. Commercially produced baby legwarmers are 20-25cm for newborns and 30-35cm for infants, but I like mine on the short side even for my six-month-old. You can make yours as long or short as you like.
3. Switch back to K1/P1 ribbing, and work 5 rounds.
4. BO using Elizabeth Zimmerman's Sewn Bind-off (see video below). This is very important because you want the edge to be very stretchy! Don't ruin your baby legwarmer with a basic bind-off! But don't worry, the sewn bind-off is simple.

A few notes to make your baby legwarmers awesome:

• If you use Magic Loop, don't worry about getting an even number of stitches on each needle. Instead, put 20 on one and 22 on the other. This way, when you switch needles, you will always be starting with a knit stitch while you are working the ribbing. Otherwise, you might get confused and throw off the K1/P1 pattern.
• I highly recommend you put the elastic in the ribbing as shown here and in my photos at the end of this post. Otherwise, your baby's legwarmers will inevitably fall down. This is a common problem with all baby legwarmers - both hand-knitted ones and commercially produced ones. They are probably going to eventually come off anyway (babies love pulling at them), but this will up your odds of success.
• The baby shown in these photos is six-months-old, 26" long and 18 pounds. I would say her legs are average - not too thin, not too chubby.
• My finished baby legwarmers as shown are 3" (7cm) wide and 9" (23cm) long.
• The Shibui Sock yarn is incredible - it feels slightly stiff while knitting, but after a good Eucalan soak, they are soft and squishy...just like my baby! :)
• I recommend using a superwash wool so you can throw these in with the rest of the baby's clothes in case...you know...an accident happens!

Here's how the legwarmers look after the application of thread elastic through the ribbing:

Much better! And they actually stay up. I made the elastic a little tighter on the ankle cuff than the thigh cuff for obvious reasons. Here's what it looks like on the inside of the legwarmer:

Happy knitting!