tutorial: how to add a peplum to a blouse

Want to add a little flare (literally) to a standard blouse pattern -- or even an existing RTW blouse? It's super simple and probably very intuitive to most of you anyway, but I thought I'd share with you how I created a small peplum on this blouse using elastic. I guess I just thought this floral print wasn't feminine enough? Seriously, sometimes I wonder what my 11-year-old Adidas-wearin' tomboy self would say if she could see me now.

A peplum is a short "skirt" of fabric attached to the waistline of a fitted dress, skirt or blouse. They've become trendy again, but they seem like a pear-shaped girl's nightmare. Let's add ruffly attention-drawing volume to our already prominent hips, why don't we?

source

But, IMO, a small and subtly-flared blouse peplum is more workable and wearable for my body type than a skirt peplum. As per usual, I cinched the garment close to the natural waist, and made the peplum short so it doesn't stop at the widest part of my hips. This vintage blouse was my inspiration: 

source (sold out)

OK let's go!

Note: Cutting and re-sewing the peplum will shorten the blouse by the length of the two added seam allowances. Be aware of this and accommodate your fabric as necessary; in my case, I cut the pattern as usual and was fine knowing it would be shorter in the end.

Step 1) Use a blouse that is already attached at the side seams. My original blouse wasn't that loose but did have a slight A-line shape, meaning it would create a little flare once the elastic was added. A very tight or straight blouse may not work as well. Start by marking where you would like the elastic to be. Cut along this line. You may decide not to cut at all, and simply fold the fabric to the inside before stitching the necessary seam allowance. I cut mine so I wouldn't have to measure the fold all the way around; it's an easier way (for me) to sew a more accurate line.

Step 2) Turn the garment inside out and re-attach the bottom by pinning right sides together. Make sure you realign any vertical seams or stripes/plaids if you have any. Of course this method will cut into and shorten the print of your fabric, so it may be best to use a print where continuity isn't that important, like busy florals or dots instead of words or a large-scale print of your favorite celebrity's face or something, you weirdo.

Step 3) Stitch using a 5/8" (16mm) seam allowance. Do not trim any of the seam allowance, but do finish the raw edge using a zig-zag stitch or serger. The seam allowance will become the elastic casing, so you can make it wider or narrower depending on the width of your elastic.

Step 4) Press the seam up toward the top of the garment. I pinned it in place to prevent the bottom layer from rolling.

Step 5) I planned to use 1/4" (~6mm) elastic, so I stitched about 3/8" (10mm) away from the seam line so the casing could accommodate the width of the elastic. This was basically down the center of my serged stitches. Leave an opening between the beginning and end of your line of stitches so you can insert the elastic in the casing you just made.

Step 6) To measure the length of my elastic, I wrapped it around my waist where it would sit (without stretching it at all), then shortened that measurement by two inches. Be sure to check it again to make sure the elastic stretches comfortably at that length so it's not too tight or loose. Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and weave it through the casing, making sure the other end doesn't pull through where you won't be able to reach it. You can always pin the other end to the garment so it doesn't get pulled in... (or just hold it in your teeth like I do, ha).

Step 7) Once it's weaved all the way through, overlap the two ends of the elastic, pin in place, then secure them with a zig-zag stitch. I use a short zig-zag back and forth several times so the thread is very dense.

Step 8) Make sure the elastic lays flat inside the casing, then stitch the gap closed along the same line as in Step 5. This completely encloses the elastic.

Step 9) Hem the garment as usual and that's it! You're adorable.

You can certainly make a more dramatic (ruffly) peplum by initially cutting a bottom piece that's wider than the garment, basting some gathering stitches, then gathering the fabric before making the elastic casing. You could gather the fabric and omit the elastic completely, as long as there's a zipper or buttons of some sort to let you get the whole thing on and off.

Curious about this blouse? Details about the original pattern will come later, just you wait. Hint: OWOP!

the hello yellow top

They call me not-so-mellow yellow.

This yellow is brighter in person. It's like a sun beam. It's like corn on the cob. It's like a Wheat Thins box. It's like a Louisiana State University school color. These analogies make me both happy and annoyed. I really only bought this color because it was the sole apparel fabric (besides pink camo fleece or whatever) on the remnant shelf at the store, and I'm a sucker for cotton interlock knit so I couldn't resist. It's very possible this yellow looks awful against my skin tone. According to my mom I'm "autumn"-toned so I should probably be wearing more of a mustard color if I wear yellow at all. But sometimes a girl just wants to look like a miniature school bus, yaknow?

I only had .77 yards, but since it was 60 inches wide I could squeeze enough out of it to make a decent top with sleeves. (By decent I mean not scandalous; I don't necessarily mean decently constructed.) It's really short, though, and can barely be tucked into a skirt like this. I shouldn't have hemmed it at all because I was an irresponsible knit-stitcher and I didn't adjust the differential feed (or whatever) on my serger and now the hem is all stretched out and wavy. Who cares? Not me. Okay, well, I care a little bit. Okay, well, I audibly gag every time I look at the hem. How much gagging does it take before I decide I need to seam rip it all, though? Shall I set a hem-gag threshold for myself?

I used Vogue 8790 (beautifully illustrated above) as the base pattern. Obviously I didn't have enough fabric to use much of the original design with the uber-fancy faux wrap and waist gathers. It's my first Vogue pattern, and I only bought it because it was on sale for $3.99 -- normally it would be TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS according to my receipt. C'mon, Vogue, take it down a notch.

Changes I made:
- Eliminated the "wrap" and made seams down the center front and center back. I kept as much of the gathered back neck part as I could, because I liked the look of the draped neckline in front. Mine's a little more folded-looking than draped-looking, though.

- It looked boring and kinda sloppy with just the V-neck, so I created front ties from some remaining scraps. They're sewn together into the front center seam. Now I have a bow blouse. A bright yellow bow blouse. Is this even a blouse, or just a top? What's the difference?

- I made the sleeves as long as I could with what fabric I had. This is my preferred sleeve length anyway, since they cover my (ahem, untoned) upper arms but can still be worn in warmer weather.

Total cost: $3.99 pattern + $7.69 fabric = $11.68. Worth it? Maybe. It's the perfect style for the schoolteaching job I never knew I wanted.

(source)

I've presented myself (and you) with many questions in this post. Let me wrap up:
1) How yellow is too yellow? Is it okay to walk around looking like a banana Laffy Taffy wrapper with a bow stuck on front?
2) How ugly is too ugly for a shirt hem that won't be seen by anyone else but me?
3) Why do Vogue patterns cost a million dollars?
4) What's the difference between a top and a blouse? If it's just about buttons, then the Pendrell Blouse must be a misnomer. Maybe there is no difference, but the Butterick website separates them into two categories (see here). This issue is obviously well worth a deep analysis and possibly a heated debate.

farmer's daughter banksia dress

Guys and gals, I took your advice on my last post and decided to move on from winter sewing to the fun stuff for spring. Therefore, I blame you for how cold I was taking these pictures in my open doorway. Just kidding... your encouragement helped this little dress come to fruition and I think it's wonderful. It's not denim, by the way; it's a $3 blue cotton bedsheet!

Hey, wrinkly bum, this serves as a reminder to not sit down & play around on Pinterest before a photo shoot. 

The pattern is (mostly) Megan Nielsen's newest release - the Banksia Top, which she describes as a: "Semi-fitted [top] with button-up placket front and large peter pan collar... elbow-length sleeves and shaping darts at the bust line." In the back of the instruction booklet, Megan suggests some possible modifications to the top, such as lengthening the hem to make a dress. Well, that sounded brilliant, so I did it.

I added about 15 inches to the pattern piece to begin with, I think, and sewed a fairly deep hem. It was quite loose-fitting as it was, and the bunched-up fabric looked sloppy when I belted it. I decided to add elastic to the waist so it'd have a better fit and the gathers would be more even. It also gave me a way to line the skirt without having to cut the dress at the waist to create two pieces. Here's the beauuutiful inside:

Yes, that's black thread for the serged edges, tan thread for machine stitching, and white lining. Some of the seams have light blue thread, too, since that's what I started with before I switched to tan. Don't judge me for ugly mismatched garment interiors, please.

Don't tell anyone but I left off the buttonholes; I just sewed the buttons through both layers of the placket because the neckline's low enough to pull the dress on over my head without having to unbutton it. So, why bother, amirite? I added a box with an X (an X-box?) to the bottom of the placket, mostly because I had messy placket sewing skills and I wanted to distract from the unevenness along the bottom seam. I highly recommend, if you make this pattern, to very carefully and evenly mark, cut and sew the placket lines. It makes a big difference in how neatly everything will fold and fit together at the bottom. Oh and another "design" element I added was narrowly tucked sleeve hems with double stitching.

I lowered the bust darts and had them slant upward at a diagonal to the bust point. The original pattern has high horizontal darts, just like the Darling Ranges Dress, which I learned don't quite work for my shape. So I used my Lisette Traveler's Dress pattern as a guide, since those bust darts had better positioning.

I was in the middle of sewing this dress and didn't know what color buttons I wanted. I just happened to see Mary of Idle Fancy pin this on her Pinterest that same day I was thinking about it:

Hey! Looks familiar. I then knew mine would have to have brown buttons, too. By the way, Mary has a lovely "Sew Much Inspiration" pin board chock full of beautiful dresses to ogle - I recommend you follow her if you have a Pinterest account.

This dress is pretty cutesy with the collar, buttons and elastic. I won't lie, I feel kind of farmer's daughterish in it. "Well hi there folks!"

Nothing wrong with that, though, and you never know when some hay-pitchin' opportunities will arise, so I best be dressed right.

project linked to sew country chick

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Is the Banksia Top (or dress!) in your sewing queue?

plaid about you

Reminder: Tomorrow, Friday the 10th, is the last day to enter my fabric giveaway for Sew Grateful Week. You have until 11:59pm EST. That's 25 hours from now. Go go go!

Patterns are still my sewing crutch, so whenever I successfully create something without one I can't help but FLIP OUT WITH JOY. Mostly because it means I don't have to re-fold and cram any tissue back into the envelope after the project is complete, sulking about how the envelope that used to be nice and flat now looks pregnant and awkward stacked against the unused patterns on my pattern shelf. #firstworldsewingproblems

Offending preggo pattern: fourth from right

So yeah, it's not like this pattern-less project was complicated or anything. I just made another half-circle skirt (like my navy knit one made only two weeks ago), though this time I used wool so it required a lining and zipper. I'm proud to say I figured out (all by myself! Kind of!) how to machine-stitch the lining to the invisible zipper and attach a lapped waistband. I couldn't find a tutorial online for doing all those things together, so I combined some resources and did a lil' sewin' improv in between.

Here are a couple relevant but not exact resources for some of these techniques, because I'm sew grateful for them, and you should be, too: 

• Slapdash Sewist's post on machine-stitching lining to an invisible zipper on a skirt with no waistband
• Casey's post on making and attaching a lapped waistband on a skirt with a lapped zipper and no lining

This skirt is quite the A-line. I kinda feel like this chick:

Except I have a neck and she doesn't, apparently. She has arms and I don't, apparently.

This skirt was cut out awhile ago, but I got sidetracked into making baby stuff for some babies (that post to come once I can snap pics of le bébé  - oh boy, get ready). Meanwhile, Lauren's own plaid wool circle skirt popped onto my blogroll and I was all like, "Okay, my turn." 

So, do you all normally stick to patterns or do you prefer experimenting and figuring out construction on your own? What do you like and/or dislike about using commercial patterns?

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linked to sew country chick

half-circle skirt: best thing i've ever sewn

"Best thing I've ever sewn" could mean many things, and certainly this wouldn't meet everyone's criteria, but my navy blue knit half-circle skirt is definitely the most versatile thing I've sewn, not to mention economical, comfortable, easy. All those things combined, for me, make it the best. It took me maybe an hour from start to finish. That's crazy. An HOUR. I spend more time each day reading Damn You Autocorrect. Why don't I make more half-circle skirts? Ooh, that gives me an idea for how to celebrate Pi Day this year (3/14).

A couple weekends ago I took an inventory of my entire wardrobe, or at least the things that can be worn in public and weren't in the laundry hamper at the time. I even took pictures of most everything (just on hangers, not on me, geez), which was tedious but helped me get a birds-eye visual of what I have and what goes together and what I need. Some good did come of it; TWENTY-FOUR of the items previously hanging in my closet have since been designated to the "consign or donate" pile. Yikes. 

But perhaps most importantly, I realized how many tops I have that weren't worn very often because they were missing a common denominator. So once I figured out what that was, I made it. This navy blue knit skirt is that one piece that brings it all together, and here's a small sampling of how far this bad boy can extend into my wardrobe.

handmade top: blogged below	handmade top: blogged here
handmade top: blogged here	urban outfitters infinity scarf
target ribbed top	thrifted top
f21 top	thrifted cardigan

I'm sure you're aware by now that when it comes to my apparel I don't pay much attention to these things you people like to call "seasons." I do own some sweaters, actually, but they're monochromatic neutrals and not as fun to photograph. I'm actually surprised by how many floral prints I own. When'd I get so girly?

This knit fabric was the only thing not on sale at Hancock Fabrics the other week, but I bought it anyway because it was exactly what I was looking for: drapey, comfy, stretchy, navy, stable(y). It was 60" wide so I only bought one yard - $12.99, still not bad for the total cost of a skirt. I used Patty the Snug Bug's circle skirt calculator to help determine the radius and skirt length, then kinda followed this Online Fashion Courses video tutorial for making the pattern. I interfaced the waistband with self-fabric, and just serged it all right on up. 

My sewing-with-stretch-knits confidence is way up. I hope you're proud. The red/orange knit top in the first photo above is another recent creation. I made it by tracing a RTW shirt that's my go-to for casual wear. I think I found the original top in the juniors' section of Target; it's supposed to be a dress for a 13-year-old or something, but of course I wear it with legitimate pants. I did make my own version a smidge shorter than that so there's no confusion.

I hate wearing jeans, but sometimes I have to because this is the American Midwest (or South, depending on who you’re asking) and it's pretty casual around here. I mean, I went to college in rural Ohio and I felt overdressed wearing a cardigan instead of a hooded sweatshirt to class. 


When I am forced to wear jeans (for what? I dunno, tree climbing?), I feel more comfortable pairing them with a long sweater or top that covers the derrière. This fits the bill! The derrière bill, if you will. It has a wide scoop neckline in the front, a lower scoop in the back and elbow-length sleeves that (hopefully) draw attention to the shoulders instead of dem hipz. 

The fabric is a vintage polyester knit from Etsy (shop: EstateByRobin). Virtually unwrinkleable. Thanks, '70s! The shop owner described it as a "warm summer tomato red" though it does look quite orange, especially in photos. As long as it's not considered tangerine tango I'm cool with it.

Have you tackled knits yet, or are you still wary of them? Knowing this crew, you've been fearlessly zig-zagging 'em up for years now. I'm glad I finally learned how to properly sew with them because they've already made some great garments. I'm also grateful for my serger (and the lovely parents who gifted it) for helping me take the leap.