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Author: Anne

Using a Projector for Sewing

Hi there! It’s my time again to bring a new blog post to you. Today I want to talk to you about something new and upcoming: using a projector for sewing! I am really happy I discovered this possibilty and today I want to show you how this would work, with the use of a Sofilantjes pattern of course!

So this is my projector pictured above.  I have one with a permanent setup, attached to the ceiling of my sewing room. But there are also all different kinds of projectors and setups. There are projectors you can put on the table, which can project on a large scale over a really short distance. There are also setups possible for if you need to be able to put the projector away (for instance when you are sewing on your kitchen table and don’t want a projector hanging on the ceiling over there ;)). Since I have my own sewing space, for me it works best to have my projector hanging on the ceiling. My husband made something to attach it to, but there are also all different kinds of mounts available to put your projector on.

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Summer Advena hack – the bodysuit-dress

When I found this super cute lemon fabric I knew I had to have it for my little girl! After some browsing through Pinterest I saw some dresses with little bows on the shoulders; I wanted to recreate that look. So the next step was finding a pattern. I already knew about the Advena bodysuit, but wanted a dress, so lucky me, there was the Advena dress!

I wanted to combine the bodysuit with the dress so she doesn’t need to wear a normal bodysuit under the dress. And I didn’t wanted to use sleeves but create little bows on her shoulders. Also I like the color block on the side of the dress, so that had to stay as well. So then the drawing began.

I started with tracing the front and back bodice of the bodysuit pattern. I then put this pattern piece on top of the dress pattern and matched the shoulder seams and center line. I traced the new side seam and marked the dress line. I also used the armscye of the dress pattern, to make sure the side panel would fit. On the side panel I also marked the dress line, as I needed a seam in this panel as well.

To create the little bows on the shoulders I extended the pattern from the shoulder seam and rounded off the edges. To be able to attach the skirt on the bodysuit, I cut all pattern pieces on the dress line I marked. Don’t forget to add seam allowance when you’re cutting!

Then I cut all of my pieces and first put together the top part of the dress. As I had extra seams I couldn’t use the written pattern. So I started with attaching the side pieces to the bodice pieces and then used that completed piece to create a lining. As I didn’t wanted to use bulky ribbing on those small bows, I opted to line the body. I sewed the main body and lining together, but not along the bottom.

After finishing the top body I constructed the skirt. Before gathering the front and back piece I sewed the side panels on. Then I gathered the skirt (only the front and back piece) to the width of the body pieces. I attached the skirt (right sides together) to the body. I nested the seams to make sure the color block is straight.

At that point I sewed the side seams of my bodysuit bottom and attached the ribbing across the leg opening. Followed by sewing this bottom piece with the right side against the wrong side of the skirt piece.

To finish it off I hemmed the edge of the skirt with a twin needle and attached snap buttons to the bottom piece. I had to use four, instead of the recommended three, as there was a little bit of bulk in the center as I made a loop before attaching the ribbing. I handtacked the body lining over all of the seams, so no raw edges are visible inside the dress.

I made size 68, so my little one has to grow a little bit more to fit it correctly (she’s size 62 now), but doesn’t she look super cute and summery! My little señorita 😊

 

See you next time!
Milou

Want to see what else I sew? Check out my blog and Instagram:
Blog: https://aemilia-madebymilou.blogspot.com/
Instagram: @aemiliamadebymilou

Hello Summer, hello Eximia!

Hello summer, hello Eximia!

Hi there! If I say I browse a lot on Pinterest, I think I’m not the only one. And that’s where I found my inspiration for this top. When the Eximia released in December 2018 I even made three versions while testing. All in winter time. So now it was time to use the Eximia pattern for a summery version and that’s what I did to get this lovely version.

I wanted to create an asymmetrical t-shirt. As I wanted to play with the color I used this floral french terry and matching coral cotton knit.

This is how I did it:

  1. I decided I wanted to have a length of 43 cm or 17” for my back and left front and measured from my armhole to the bottom and cut the rest of it.

2. I doubled my front panel on pattern paper. My side seam line is drawn at 43 cm or 17”(as the other pattern pieces).

I drew a new line (blue line) straight down from ⅓ from my shoulder to baseline and lengthened it with 11 cm or 4,3”.

Connect this line with the side seam line and you have a new pattern piece.

3. Up to my left front. I finished it at 2 cm/ ¾” with my twin needle.

4. Finish your right piece.

5. Lay your right piece (asymmetrical part) on top of it and baste it at the neckline.

6. Fuse your shoulder seams at the wrong side of back piece with fusible tape.

7. Lay your back piece, right sides together, on your new created front piece.

8. Pin your shoulder seams and side seams and sew.

9. Sew the side seams of your sleeves together and sew them in the arm opening.

10. Use your twin needle to hem your sleeves and bodice hem.

11. Sew your neckband to the neckline.

I really like this length to wear on my jeans.

This ¾ the length sleeve is perfect for this time of the year but you can shorten/lengthen it to your own preference.

I considered sewing the two front panels and sewing five buttons on the vertical seam.
I do not know if I will sew the buttons on it, but I certainly will sew the two panels together.
Imagine you would just stand somewhere and a gust of wind makes your lingerie visible. We don’t want that 😉

Thanks for reading,

@sewsewilse

The Perfect Spring Jacket

It is officially Spring and what a better choice  for a spring jacket then the Cicero Jacket? Although we live in South Florida and it’s hot a lot of the time, we do get some cold fronts and the temperature cools down.  Made out of the right knit fabric, the Cicero is perfect for our weather.

Cicero Jacket in light blue with collar option

I love a pattern that has a lot of options and this pattern has just that.  The Cicero Jacket has 2 neckline options, two sleeve options and two bodice options.  The pattern instructions as very straight forward if you want to make the color block option and comes with coloring pages that contain the pattern style lines so you can plan out your fabric choices.

Cicero Jacket

I did not go for the color block option this time around and decided on one main solid color.  I made my son’s jacket out of this beautiful Sky Blue Solid Cotton Jersey Terry Knit fabric from Girl Charlee.  I purchased it two years ago and unfortunately it’s sold out.  There are many other knit options out there.  I decided to give the jacket some contrast by making the collar, cuffs and waist band in Doodles Cotton Interlock Fabric Heather Gray from Joann Fabric.  I think that the gray compliments the sky blue terry knit perfectly.

Front view of Cicero Jacket

I decided to go with the collar option because I made him a Velocitas Hoodie that you can read all about HERE.  For this jacket, I decided to use his waist measurement for the pattern size I would cut and I made a size 12.  I didn’t have to make any alterations to the pattern at all.  It is always best to go by the body measurements to cut your pattern since my big boy is only 9. lol

Cicero Jacket

The Cicero Jacket is such a great sew and with the detailed pattern instructions, I was able to make this jacket in just one afternoon.  I love the fit of it and I just know my son will be wearing it all the time.  I think my next one will have the hood option and I will make it color blocked.

If you would like to see more of my makes you can find me here:

Blog: www.soveryjo.com

Instagram : www.instagram.com/soveryjo

Until next time!

Johanna

Solis Reversible Swimsuit Hack

Hey guys! It’s Karly from Paisley Roots and today I am sharing how to turn the Solis into an awesome reversible swimsuit top!

Grab some swim and the Solis Pattern and lets get started!

Since this pattern is already a pretty tight fit, I just use the size my kids measure into. If you would like a tighter fit, size down but make sure to lengthen the pattern to the size your kid fits into.
*Note: This is just for the swim top, you will still need to use a swimsuit or undies pattern to make the bottoms.

First cut out the front and back of Fabrics A & B. Cut out the Neckband and Back-band of a print that coordinates with both A & B fabrics.
Prepare the bands first.

1 – Fold Neckband and Back-band right sides together. Press bands using a heat suitable for the swim you are using.
2 – Sew along edge with a 3/8″ (1cm) seam. Turn both right-side out. Press both well.
Again, since this is swim, be careful with the amount of heat and time you leave the iron on the fabric. You don’t want to burn a hole in your fabric!
3 – Fold Back-band in half.
4 – Set aside.

Place Fabric A front and back right sides together. Sew along both side seams.

Place Fabric B front and back sides RST. Sew along both sides but leave a 3″ opening on one side.
Turn right side out. Press seams.

Place Fabric B bodice into Fabric A bodice, right sides together.
Line up side seams, neck and back.
Sew along top leaving openings at the shoulders and back middle.
Leave bodice inside out and grab the Neck-band.
Sandwich each side into the shoulder seam openings, right sides together.
Sew straight across each shoulder seam.
Turn right side out. Press well.
Grab Back-band and fold it over the Neckband.
Sandwich the Back-band into the back opening, right sides together.
Sew along Back-band opening.
Turn right-side out. Press well.

Turn bodice inside out and pull Fabric A and Fabric B sides away from each other. Make sure the sides aren’t twisted.

Fold one side over and match the side seam of Fabric A to Fabric B right sides together.
This will make a tube and you’ll have to consistently pull it slightly out as you go around.
Pin/clip the bottom edges together.
Sew all around the bottom. 
Pull Swimsuit right-side out through the side opening.
Press well.
Slip stitch opening closed.
You are finished!
Now go make some swim bottoms to match and you’ve got yourself an awesome and reversible swimsuit!
You can grab the Solis pattern here: Dutch, English
You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, My Blog

A romantic Nivalis with a collar

If I’m prepared for the colder days? Oh yes, I am!

In fact, I don’t mind autumn and winter at all. It’s great to put on those warm sweaters, tunics and stockings!

I chose the Nivalis to complement my winter wardrobe. It’s a perfect basic to sew and today I have no other excuse…Nivalis it is!

Beautiful Nivalis tunics and dresses are always passing by. Both the ladies and the kids. In addition to the option of color blocking, you can choose a simple neckline, hood or cowl for the ladies Nivalis. The kids’ pattern is slightly different and comes with a collar instead of a cowl.

And let that collar be EXACTLY what I wanted on my Nivalis!

With the tunic version and that beautiful collar in mind, I went looking for a perfect fabric match. The design asks for a knit or jersey with a minimum of 30% stretch. A good drape is recommended. My choice went to this soft Cherry Picking sweat. I love the color combination of black with the pink flowers.

The Sofilantjes instructions are, as always, very thorough with step by step instructions and it was no different with the Nivalis.

How did I construct the collar?

I based myself on the kids pattern and printed the neckline and cowl of the largest size (164). I measured the length of the neckline and compared it with the collar part. Indeed, the length of the neckline corresponds to twice the collar part on the fold. For my size 42 (blended to a 44 in the waist) I drew a new collar pattern part with length 28 cm/ 11” and height 25 cm/ 9.8”.

As the collar needs two pattern pieces, also a collar placket, I took the same height (25 cm/9.8”). For the width I cut a piece of 7 cm or 2.8”.

The construction of the collar was just the same as in the kids version.

Of course you can play with the size of the collar. If you want it larger, you can increase the height.


For the finishing touch I needed three buttons in my opinion. These three pink buttons are a perfect finishing touch for my collar. I didn’t made button holes so these buttons are just decorative but I like it!

I’m so happy with my Nivalis!

Did you also tried it?

Looking for more ideas and sew inspiration? Be sure to stop by on my blog and Instagram!

Instagram: @sewsewilse

Blog : https://sewsewilse.wordpress.com

See you soon,

Ilse

Foliis and Domi Jumpsuit Mashup

Hey! It’s Karly and today I’m sharing how to mash the Foliis Jacket and Domi Sweat Pants into an awesome jumpsuit! My son has been begging for another jumpsuit for ages now and I couldn’t get this hack out of my mind!

I went with super simple and didn’t add pockets, but I really should have! You have so many fun options for pockets though, so this gives you an opportunity to let your imagination run wild!

So lets get started with this!

First grab the Foliis Jacket and Domi Sweat Pants patterns (links to these patterns will be posted at the end of this post).

Measure your child and using the sizing charts, print out the size that your child is in from both patterns. Print them out and put your patterns together.

Do not cut out yet though!

Measure your child’s trunk measurement with clothes on (shoulder down to their crotch and back to the shoulder). Don’t pull the measuring tape tightly.

Add seam allowance and 1/2″ to this measurement.

Divide by 2. Trunk measurement + Seam allowance + 1.2″, divide this sum by 2.

Example: Trunk measurement is 44″, seam allowance is 3/8.

So you would have 44 + 3/8 +1/2 = 44.88″.

Now divide that number by 2, and you get 22.44″.

Cut along the very top of the Domi pants so you can line up the pattern easier.

Line the Foliis front with the Domi front.

Start measurement from the top of the shoulder and have it line up with the crotch.

Either tape or pin in place to keep from sliding.

Repeat with the back piece.

The pattern pieces don’t line up perfectly, so you will need to redraw the lines to have the pattern pieces flow together.

Make sure the side and inseam lines are the same length on both front and back pieces.

To do this you can cut out one of the pieces and use it as a guide for the other piece.

Cut pattern pieces out.

Cut out all of your pieces from your fabric.

2 Front
2 Back
2 Sleeves
2 Hood
2 Arm Cuffs
2 Leg Cuffs
Zipper
2 Interfacing (1/2″ wide by length of front)

Line up the shoulder to a front and back piece and sew shoulder seam together.

Serge seam.

Repeat with the other side.

Sew arm to shoulder, then line up the side seams, right sides together and sew side seam together.

Serge seam.

Repeat with other side.

Line up the crotch seam and sew along this.

Serge and repeat with the other side.

Pull one side right side out and place it in the other side, right sides together.

Starting from the back, sew along until you get 7″-10″ from the front crotch. Backstitch.

Using a long straight stitch sew the rest of the way up. Do NOT backstitch.

If you want to serge, start from the stop point in the crotch and go towards the back.

DO NOT serge the front!!

Pull jumpsuit wrong side out.

Press front seam open.

Iron-on interfacing under the seam on either side.

Align the zipper along the front seam, making sure the zipper is face down and that the stopper is 3/8″ from the top.

Pin in place.

Using a 3/8″ seam allowance, sew along one side of the zipper.

When you get to the bottom of the zipper (or close to the stop), pivot the needle and sew across, pivot again and sew up to the top.

Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end!

Turn the jumpsuit right side out and unpick the seam to expose the zipper.

Sew on the hood, arm, and foot cuffs and you’re done!

Next one is definitely getting pockets!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Until next time!

Sofilantjes for the whole family

Hi there! Welcome to my first blog post as part of the Sofilantjes blog team! So tell me, who do you sew these gorgeous Sofilantjes patterns for? For your (grand)children? Yourself? Or maybe even for your husband? You can use Sofilantjes patterns for your whole family! Today I show you how I used just one pattern for our whole little family, while still creating all different looks.

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Stepping Into Fall In The Velocitas Hoodie

I am so excited to introduce myself to you all.  My name is Johanna Ali and I am part of the Sofilantjes Blog Team! You can read a little about the rest of the team HERE.  I started sewing 5 years ago when I saw Mimi G Style wearing this fabulous skirt, the Regal  Maxi Skirt.  It’s a long maxi skirt with a sash and pockets and I needed to have it! I then found out that she did not sell the skirt, but sold the tutorial on how to make it.  I was determined to have it and purchased my first sewing machine. I learned how to sew from watching sewing tutorials on YouTube and other sewing bloggers.  I mainly sew for myself, but I also love to sew for my son whenever I can.

The Velocitas Hoodie

I chose to make the Velocitas Hoodie as my first Sofilantjes pattern because it’s the perfect fall piece to have in South Florida.  The weather doesn’t really get too cold until December or January and usually doesn’t last too long.  Having a hoodie always comes in handy.

I decided to use this cable knit sweater navy fabric from JOANN that I purchased last fall.  I also used a Rib Knit 1 x 1 Fabric in Heather Grey fabric as my accent fabric.  If you are going to use more than one color, I would suggest you decide which pattern piece is going to be what color and label your pattern piece accordingly so you know which fabric to cut.

I love that this pattern comes with two different bodice options.  You can also make the Velocitas Hood all year round because the pattern comes in a long and short sleeved option.  The pattern grows with your little starting at 12 months to 14 years so that you can make them a new hoodie every season.  The wide range in sizing is also great if you have more than one child.  I decided to make my son a size 12 based on his body measurements and the only modification I made was to cut off 2 inches from the sleeves as they were a little too large.  Other then that, I thought the pattern instructions were very simple to follow and this hoodie really came together really quickly.

I really hope you enjoyed my Velocitas Hoodie as much as my son did.  He wore it to school right after photographing it.  He loves when I sew for him and he couldn’t wait to show off his hoodie to his friends at school.  You can purchase the Velocita Hoodie by using my affiliate link found HERE.

My goal is to share a new make with a different Sofilantjes pattern each quarter and I hope that you join me and sew up your own.

Until next time,

Johanna – @soveryjo

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