Hi Friends! Today was my chance to kick off #SewUpcycle22 over on Youtube! I ran through all the rules and guidelines. I then shared my plans for possible refashions, rambled a bit, and got really excited about starting my project!
If you follow me on social media, you have seen lots of refashions from me so this will be another fun one! I hope you stop by my video and share some love.
Here are the rules-
Here are the prizes –
Here is my video –
Let’s recap everything –
You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
Stop by Sly Fox Fabrics and take advantage of the 20% off sale on all T-shirt fabrics.
Hi Friends, Welcome back! Two days in a row on my blog is sorta crazy, isn’t it? Make sure you hit subscribe and stop back daily because I am about to hit you with 7 days of fun!
The Deets
I want to start by giving you a quick intro into what will be happening over the next few days. Sly Fox Fabrics is having a huge sale on all their “T-shirt” fabrics. This 40% off sale includes DTY, Modal, Double Brushed Poly, Triblend, French Terry and Knub Jersey. This sale will happen now through next Friday. You have an entire week to pick all your favorites. My blog posts will reflect the DTY fabrics as this was the base I was given to sew. All of these fabrics are perfect for T shirts and can help you achieve whatever look you are going for. DTY fabric, to me, feels and looks a little more dressier than a Triblend and French Terry feels more snuggly than DBP. The best part of sewing is being able to create whatever look you want through pattern and fabric selections. Even though I am sharing these fabrics as T-shirts, please realize you can use them for so much more. You can make everything from skirts, pants, and dresses to cardigans and so much more. My favorite joggers are made from French Terry and my DBP leggings are so perfect for “pajama day” in public.
Today I am going to show you each of my fabrics and hook you up with the links to get those fabrics. One of my fabrics (The Zebra print) has already sold out, but there are a total of 9 different prints on the website in DTY alone! Over the next few days I will focus on each pattern with the specific fabric. After our 4th day pattern review, I have a bonus refashion for you using a SFF DTY dress I made a few years ago! I am really excited about sharing my new garment. I really do love it, even more than my original maxi. I have already worn it at least 4 times.
What is DTY?
Glad you asked. 🙂 DTY is a polyester knit fabric that has been drawn and twisted with heat. It is brushed on both sides to give it the smooth silky texture that feels and wears so nicely. I personally love that it doesn’t wrinkle much and I can leave it in the dryer for days and not need to fluff it. I also love that it feels cool to the touch when I am wearing it.
The Rules
For the fabric comparisons, each sewist was asked to select one each Fitted, Classic, and Relaxed style t shirt patterns. Then we were given the option to sew anything else we wanted. 🙂 Each of my tops turned out great and I wear them often. They are easy to dress up or down depending on my days activities. I have paired all three of my tops with basic jeans so as to not distract from the lovely fabrics.
Floral Glen PlaidVibrant in NavyDaisy DotAzalea in Navy
I will be back here tomorrow on the blog sharing my first T-shirt pattern. I hope you stick around to see all the pattern info! Be sure to subscribe to SequoiaLynn Sews on my social medias so you don’t miss out!
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I am kicking off a new series on my Youtube channel today. My goal for 2021 is to upcycle more and to use more scraps! This month I am refashioning a pair of Lola Bottoms from 5 out of 4. While these pants were exactly as expected, turns out that they really just weren’t my style. I tripped over the wide legs because I am not cool enough to walk in them! So time to drag them out of the closet and give them a make over!
The Original Pant – Lola
I am slimming these pants wayyyy down and making them into Candy pants! I have made several pair of the 5oo4 Candy Pants at this point. They are really comfy and I want them in all the prints! As an added bonus I can walk in them!
These pant patterns are both included in the 30% off sale at 5oo4. This sale is RARE so take advantage!!! Afflinks below
Dress forms are expensive and honestly, a little difficult to find especially in plus sizes. However, sometimes you cross paths with one at a flea market or an antique shop or under your Christmas tree! Mine was under the tree this year!
My sister in law found this beauty on Facebook Market and thought of me. It had a little damage and was missing a stand so my brother and SIL worked on cleaning her up and here she is! It is easy to see she is much smaller than me and that is ok. I have a larger bodice at home for me, but this one is closer to Momma Mia’s size.
This one isn’t quite the right size, which is very common when you find one second hand, but we are going to fill her out and make her work. I typically only sew for myself and Momma Mia so this tutorial will work perfectly for her body. My brother did note that I had asked him to make me a stand for my other mannequin and I reminded him I have a Birthday next month! Cross your fingers!
So the first thing we need to do is take a lot of measurements. I measure her frequently anyhow for garments so this wasn’t an issue. The difference in working on padding a dress form and taking measurements for fit, is you want to try to be accurate as far as front curves compared to back curves. If you look at your body you are most likely more curvy in the front than the back. In this case, she was 20 inches from side seam to side seam across her back and 24.5 inches across the front. Keep this in mind when doing your own mannequin. Also keep in mind, I sew 99% knits. They are slightly more forgiving than wovens, so this doesn’t have to be 100% spot on, but it will be very close.
Supplies Needs:
**Dress Form **Measuring tape
**Batting Scraps or PolyFil **Current measurements
**Cling Wrap **A helping hand is well… helpful 🙂
**Bra that fits your body properly
Step 1: Compare your bodice measurements to your dress form. I began filling out from the middle since this is where I needed to build up the most. I needed to gain about 14.5 inches total. I used quilt batting scraps here. These pieces were between 6-9 inches wide and I wrapped them around the mid section of the bodice. This has eliminated the hour glass appearance which was my goal. I used small flat head pins to hold the layers in place as I wrapped.
Step 2: Measure your dress form and compare to your measurements. Next, I covered the entire bodice with a layer of batting. I used small pins to contour around the shoulders and underarm areas. I only needed to add an inch to hip area of the bodice. This quilt batting, in an all over, layer gave me an almost perfect measurement in the hip area. I then used cling wrap over the entire bodice. This helps hold everything in place since it sticks to itself. You can also use it to tighten areas you may have padded slightly too much. Measure Again!
Step 3: Building up the bust. Make sure you have the under bust area close to where it needs to be and put on the bra. Adjust the straps as needed so that it sits at the proper height. I used ziplock baggies filled with quilting scraps to fill out the bra cups. You can use whatever you have. Again, measure often and make sure the cups are smooth. They should look similar to the model you are basing your bodice off of.
Step 4: Round out the midsection as needed. If you don’t need to increase the back measurement anymore just wrap your batting scraps back and forth across the front section. I used the small pins to attach the batting down at the side seams before folding it across the midsection again. When I got within about an inch of my final number I cut the batting into round shapes in graduating sizes to round the belly a bit. I pinned these down and then did another round of cling wrap to hold everything in place. I also used the cling wrap to wrap the loose bottom edges tightly to the dress form. 🙂 Congrats! You now have a body double and I have Dixie! Momma Mia’s new twin!
I hope this tutorial will help you pad out those dress forms you see at yard sales and flea markets and help you realize you don’t have to spend $300.00 to have a usable dress form!
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r under your Christmas tree! Mine was under the tree this year!
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