So Jess Sew - Rebecca Page Toronto Tee (free pattern)

The Rebecca Page Toronto Tee is a loose fitting boxy shirt made for knit fabrics. Oversized tops are definitely in right now. I usually choose more fitted shirts as a pear shape, but this one is really cute tucked in just in front. It would also be cute untucked with some skinny jeans or jeggings. 

This is a free pattern, so there aren't a ton of options, but there is an optional pocket that can be attached in the classic placement on the left or right side of the chest. The sleeves are cut on the fold, but since it's a loose fitting tee, it works just fine! The neckband length was pretty spot on and the seams were all trued.

If you wanted a slimmer fitting basic tee, you could size down or bring in the sides a bit. Another cute option, would be to cut it shorter to have a loose crop top, those are really popular right now. Something like this:

Photo by Anıl Görkem Özşan from Pexels

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I used french terry for the main part of the shirt and DBP for the neckline (both from knitpop.com).

You can find the pattern HERE on the Rebecca Page website. It's a PDF pattern, so you an download it instantly and print it out! For more free patterns, check out my blog post HERE.

Leave your comments and questions below.

Happy Sewing!

Free PDF Sewing Patterns

There are a ton of free patterns out there for everything from napkins to stuffed animals to dresses and shirts. Here I've compiled a list of some of the free patterns I've tried. Some of them are free just by going to the website. Others are free only if you join their Facebook Group or sign up for a newsletter for example. Some designers will have a free pattern each year, and then that pattern goes back to full price and a new free pattern will be available. It's nice that some of the designers offer a free pattern or two so that you can try it out and see if you like the way the patterns are formatted and how well the drafting is. I'll add more patterns to this post as I try them out. Enjoy!

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Patterns for Pirates, Pirate Pencil Skirt

This is a classic pencil skirt drafted for use with knit fabrics. In the picture below, I made this skirt from a sweater knit. You can see the full post on it HERE. The pattern is available on the website for free.

Patterns for Pirates Pegs (Leggings)

This is a basic pair of leggings, but it does have some fun options like a side panel with pocket and a contoured waistband. Make sure to download the add-on pack if you want the extras. I've made 4 or 5 pairs including a wide-legged version (you go straight down from the inseam points and add a few inches) and the shorties version to wear under skirts. On the pair pictured, I added a bit of length so that they scrunch at the bottom. Free on the website.

Made for Mermaids Mama Paige Piko Top

A dolman top with some fun options including a hi-lo curved hem. You can see my post on it HERE. Also available in girls and doll sizes.

George and Ginger Lounge Gown

Lounge gown is the name, swim cover up is its game! A fun sew for the summer. Free through the Facebook Group. See my post on it HERE.

Rebecca Page Toronto Tee

This is a loose fitting boxy shirt. Oversize tops are definitely in right now. I usually choose more fitted shirts as a pear shape, but this one is really cute just tucked in at the top. It would also be cute untucked with some skinny jeans or jeggings. You can see my post on it HERE.

Rebecca Page Dragon or Dinosaur Stuffed Animal/Pillow

This is a cute pattern. There are pattern pieces for both a dinosaur and a dragon. I love the details with the fiery tongue for the dragon and the different shaped spikes for the dinosaur. You can see the full post I made HERE.

Spruce Crafts Christmas Stockings

I used the same shape as the free pattern for these, except I just made them bigger as I wanted larger stockings for Christmas. I think I drew a line out 2 inches on each side of the existing pattern. Then cut the cuff the same width as the new stocking size. The two stockings pictured below are Mrs. and Mr. as the one on the left has a fun lace overlay on it. I just put a basting spray on the back of the lace and stuck it on top of the fleece cuff then top stitched it on top and bottom. Instead a loop, I sewed a wired ribbon into the seam of the cuff so that I could tie it to our banister as we don't have a fireplace. These are really simple and affordable, and you can find some fun fluffy fabrics for these if you wanted.

So Jess Sew- George and Ginger Lounge Gown (free pattern)

Lounge Gown is the name, swim cover up is its game! Or a nightie if in the right fabric perhaps? This pattern is free through the George and Ginger Facebook group (join! there are other free patterns in the files). This is not an "options pattern" since it's free, but it's so cute as is. There are two lengths - babydoll or dress. I made mine a dress length. The top is lined and the bottom is a half circle skirt. It's not meant to be a true dress with coverage, so the v-neck part is low as well as the sides. You can overlap the notches instead of bringing the edge of the fabric to the notches to make the v come up a bit higher.

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Here is the side, see how it comes down low? So cute for a swim cover up so that your suit peeks out.

The back is smart, you connect the two straps through a casing so that it scrunches up. So cute.

Gotta love a free pattern! You can find it HERE.

Happy Sewing!

So Jess Sew - Made for Mermaids Mama Paige Piko Top (free pattern)

It's always fun to find free patterns right? This one comes to you from Made for Mermaids, the Paige Piko. There are also a girls and dolls version of the top (free too!). It's a simple dolman top with a few different hem, neckline, and sleeve options. I chose to do the a hi-lo curved hem, regular short sleeves, and the lower scoop neck. The neckline is closed using a binding instead of a band as many knit patterns call for.

I wasn't sure what I thought of the shirt when I first put it on, but the more I wear it, the more I like it.  The shirt is casual, but cute and pairs great with leggings. It's nice to have a top that shows my legs in the front, but covers my behind in leggings. So comfortable!

I used DBP for this one, which made the curved hem a bit of a bummer to hem, but the print was so cute (clearance at knitpop.com!), I just had to use it for this.

Get your free pattern on the Made for Mermaids website HERE. Sew it up and let me know what you think!

Happy Sewing!

So Jess Sew - George and Ginger Edgy Top

The Edgy Top is so fun. One side of the top has the option for long sleeves all the way to no sleeves with a band. And the other side? No sleeve! The Edgy Top is aptly named. I made mine sleeveless for a summer tank top with a twist. There is also a flounce option at the top band.

The striped fabric I used came in a sweater knit pack from Knitpop. It just feels like a cotton jersey blend with 2-way stretch. The bands are mustard colored DBP.

I think the best part about this shirt is that it uses less than a yard of fabric and you can easily sew it up in less than an hour. Just two side seams, two bands (or one sleeve and a band), and a simple straight hem!

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Here's a fun GIF to show the shirt in action. I love how all the George and Ginger patterns come together so nicely and always fit. That's a sign of great drafting.

You can see the listing for the GG Edgy Top HERE. It's on sale for super cheap for the month of May (5/2019) as the pattern of the month.

Leave your comments and questions below!

Happy Sewing!

How to Sew a Neckband on a Knit Garment

Attaching a neckband onto a garment is not difficult per se, but it does take some practice. Follow these steps, take it slow, and you'll get it down in no time. I have outlined the process for quartering and pinning/clipping the neckband in pictures, and then a video for how to sew/serge the neckband on. If using a sewing machine instead of a serger, it's the same process, just use a stretch stitch and you may just need to trim the seam allowance as a sewing machine won't do that for you. 

1.  First sew the short ends of the neckband right sides together. You should now have a large loop. Then fold wrong sides together along the whole length of the band. 

2. Quarter both the neck hole and the neck band. This is easily done by pulling opposing sides of the neckband taut, pinning or clipping, then pulling the opposite sides taut with the two previous clips/pins in the center. You should now have 4 clips/pins evenly spaced apart. The same method applies to the garment neck hole. Start by pulling the back and front of the neck band taut away from each other aligning the shoulder seams. Clip/pin the front and back points. Then pull the neckband by the sides with the previously clipped/pins touching eachother in the middle. Clip/pin the sides. 

3. Starting at the back of the garment, attach the seam of the neckband right sides together with the garment. Match up each of the 4 pins/clips all the way around the neckline. The band will sit on the outside of the neck hole and all 3 layers of fabric on the raw edges will be aligned.

4. Although this step isn't necessary, I highly recommend it for beginners or if your neckline is especially long. Pull the fabric between each clip/pin taut and pin in between the two clips/pins.

Once you have pinned/clipped all the way around, your neckband should look like the picture below.

5. You will now sew the neckband to the garment's neck hole. Start at the back of the garment with the neckband underneath the garment fabric, and sew or serge all the way around the neck hole stretching the band so that the garment fabric lays flat. Remove each clip as you go. See the video below for detailed instructions. 

How to Lower a Neckline

Lowering a neckline on a knit garment is actually really simple. It's easier with a French curve, but not necessary. I've made necklines lower in the past for preference purposes, as well as for nursing access after I had my last baby. It's actually easier than it sounds. You can lower a neckline as you are cutting out a garment, or lower one after you have the shoulder seams sewn.

1. Decide how much lower you want your neckline. Maybe you just want it dropped an inch, or maybe you need three inches. I would suggest trying on the garment or holding up to your body and using a tape measurer to check where you want the neckline to be. 

2.  For this, it's best to use a rotary cutter and a healing mat. You could technically use scissors, but I would trace on the fabric with a fabric pen first so that its as straight as possible. To use a french curve: Lay a French curve on top of your folded bodice (folded the same way it was cut out. In half like a hot dog bun). The bottom of the french curve should be down the amount you want the neckline lowered. Then angle the french curve up so it aligns with the the edge neckline already cut (you don't want to cut anymore into the top shoulder area unless you want more of a boat neck). You can weight the french curve down with pattern weights so that it won't move. Then trace the line for scissors or use a rotary cutter to cut along the french curve.

Alternatively, without a French curve, you can eyeball this curve. I did this many times without a French curve. Start cutting below the bottom of the existing neckline by the amount you want the neckline lowered. Then, just follow the existing neckline curve but begin to shave off less toward the shoulder until you are not cutting anything at the shoulder seam point.  

3. After you have made the cut, fold it out and check to make sure you like the look of the neck. If you want it lower, cut a bit more out. If it's scary to just cut it, feel free to use a fabric marker first. 

4. Sew shoulder seams if you haven't already. Next you need to measure the new hole you made to find the length of the neckband. So, measure all the way around with a flexible tape measurer (or fold it in half, measure that, and double it). 

5. Take that measurement and times it by .8 to .85 to get 80% to 85% of the full measurement. This is your neckband length.

(Neck-hole measurement) x .(80 or .85) = Neckband length

Neckband widths are usually 1.5" - 2".  The variation in percentage is there due to neckband width and stretch of the fabric you're using. A wider neckline needs a shorter length. A greater stretch percentage in your fabric needs a shorter neckband. For example, if you're using DBP, I would use 80% of the length. For hard to stretch cotton spandex, you might use 85%. 

6. Attach your new neckband by first sewing the short ends of the neckband right sides together, then folding wrong sides together. Quarter the neck hole and neckband then pin or clip the neckband onto the neck hole right sides together aligning the seam in the neckband with the back of the garment. Sew with a stretch stitch or sew the neckband onto the garment. See Graphic below for help with this part or see my post HERE on how to attach a neckband to a garment.

Here'a a neckline that was supposed to be a turtleneck (the George and Ginger Posh Top (afflink)). You can see that blog post HERE. I lowered the neckline with the exact technique I outlined above. 

Leave your comments and questions below.

Happy Sewing!

Barley Breakfast Bars

Want to make something new and unique? Maybe you have a box of barley laying around that you used for a soup once upon a time. These bars are perfect for a fast and nutritious breakfast or snack. You can take them on the go or even freeze a few to take out for an outing with the kids. 

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Barley Breakfast Bars

Ingredients

1 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)

1 cup cooked barley

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup unsalted sliced almonds

1 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp oil
3/4 cup applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla

11/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg lightly beaten 

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with lightly greased parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the sides of the pan. (No parchment paper? You can lightly grease the pan instead). 

2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, barley, coconut, cranberries, and almonds. Set aside.

3.  In a microwavable container, combine peanut butter, honey, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and cinnamon and microwave 30 seconds, stir, microwave another 15 seconds, then stir until melted and combined (add more microwave time if necessary). Pour melted mixture over dry mixture and stir together. Add egg to mixture then spread the contents into the pan. Press down firmly and evenly. 

4. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is lightly golden. Cool for 30 minutes, then cut into square bars. 

Click HERE to Print.

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Enjoy!

Leave your comments and questions below.

Happy Baking!

How to Sew Buttons and Make Button Holes

Attaching buttons to garments used to be basic knowledge, but now days, it's a lost skill to many. It's actually quite simple, but there is a technique involved.

If you are sewing a garment, and then attaching buttons, you will of course need to make the button hole as well. Most sewing machines have an automatic button hole function.  The garment I will be showing pictures of today is the Rebecca Page Madison Blouse (Blog Post HERE).

How To Make an Automatic Button Hole

1. You will start by choosing your buttons and marking where you will place them. The Madison Blouse has 5 buttons and the placement is marked out on the pattern. I used tailors chalk to mark the placement on the plackets. Before you actually sew the button holes, I highly recommend testing on the same type of fabric (and with interfacing in between if using it). My sewing machine button holer starts at the bottom and goes up, so I drew a line at the bottom so I could align the button hole foot with the bottom.

Mark for Placement

2. Set your button hole foot to the correct size. I have a Brother PC420PRW which has a button hole attachment that you actually place the button into so that it makes the proper sized hole for the button to slide into. If your button hole foot only measures the button, be sure to do that before sewing.

Many machines also have a a small arm that comes down and sits behind the button hole foot, the best thing to do is of course read the manual for your specific machine, but if you have a newer Brother machine, yours may look like this. See the plastic L shaped piece coming down on the left side? This has too be down for it to work.

3. Now line up the button hole foot with the lines you drew in step 1. Make sure you have the proper button hole setting selected on your machine. Here's what mine looks like.

And nobody tells you this, but here is the scary part! I don't know why, but every time I make a button hole, I get butterflies! Sew the button hole.

4. After the sewing machine does its job, you will need to make a hole in the middle of the rectangle of stitches. You can use a small pair of scissors or a seam ripper to do this, you will cut or snip right up to the edge of the stitches, being careful not to cut any threads.

That's it! Repeat for every button hole needed.

How to Sew on a Button

To sew a button on, all you need is a needle, a pin, thread, scissors, and of course, the button! Make sure to match your needle type with the fabric type. Meaning, if you are sewing through basic woven fabric, use a universal needle. For knits, choose a ball point needle. If you have a delicate fabric that easily shows holes, be sure to use a small needle. You'll notice on most rtw clothing, that the thread color is matched to the button color, but when you sew for yourself, you can choose any color you want! The buttons can have 2 or 4 holes, it doesn't matter. So without further ado, here are your step-by-step instructions:

1. Pull out a generous amount of thread, then thread your needle and pull both sides of the thread even with each other so that that needle is in the center of the thread length. Now tie a knot at the end of the two strands of thread. If you are sewing on loose knit, you may need to tie a few knots to ensure the knot will not pop through the fabric.

2. If you haven't already marked where the buttons need to go, do that now. If you sewed button holes on your project first, be sure that they align with where your buttons will be. On the Madison Blouse, I lined up the plackets and marked through each button hole with tailors chalk. Then made a horizontal line across to ensure I had the correct button placement.

Using tailors chalk to mark button placement.

3. Starting from the wrong side of the fabric, poke your needle up through the center of the place you want your button to be. Then thread the needle through one hole of the button. Be sure to pull the thread all the way through so that there are no loose loops underneath. At this point you can place another needle or a pin either on top of the button or just underneath it (between the button and right side of fabric). The purpose of the the needle or pin here is to allow space to wrap the thread around the bottom of the button to create a shank. A shank is made to allow the button to have some movement and more easily be slid into the button hole. If the button were to be sewed with no give flush to the fabric, it would be difficult to do up the button.

Needle for shank not pictured

4. After you have added your pin or needle across or under the button, take your threaded needle down through the diagonal hole in the button and then back down through the fabric. If you are using a 2 holed button, you will come back up through the same hole and back down about 6 times. For a 4 holed button, poke your needle back up through the same hole in the fabric, but this time thread the needle through an empty hole in the button. Take your threaded needle back down through the diagonal hole. Repeat approximately 6 times.

Needle for shank not pictured

5. Now to create the shank. You should have your needle on the wrong side of the fabric. Push the needle up through the fabric but, come out to the side of the button. Remove the sideways needle or pin that you placed in step 3. Pull up on the button, then loop your threaded needle around the underside of the button 6 times. Push the needle back through the fabric to the wrong side.

6. You're almost done! Still on the wrong side of the fabric, take your threaded needle underneath the sewed thread and out so that you have a loop. Put the needle through the loop to make a knot. Repeat this once then trim your threads. Finished!

Practice this a few times and you'll have it down. Check out those buttons!

Comments or Questions? Leave them below.

Happy Sewing!