Sew Alongs

10 DIY Swimsuits You Don’t Want To Miss!

July 4, 2017

Whether you’re all about the bikini, tankini or one piece, there’s one thing that’s true : This summer, it’s all about the me-made swimsuit. With options to customize your suit through style, surface pattern (Have you seen the 500,000+ options in the Marketplace?) and fabric type (Did you know our Sport Lycra is swimsuit approved?), how could you not give these 10 DIY swimsuit projects a try? Not quite ready to go to the deep end of DIY swimwear? Our sister company, Sprout Patterns, is now offering the Soma Swimsuit as a cut-and-sew project!

This DIY Chiffon Ballet Skirt is On Pointe | Pattern Included

June 28, 2017

Our newest fabric, Chiffon, is making its center stage DIY debut today with the help of longtime blog contributor and talented designer, Ceri Staziker (aka Cerigwen). This blousy and ultra-sheer fabric is a dream for projects that require a material with a light touch and beautiful drape. Today, follow along as Ceri shows how to sew this gorgeous ballet wrap skirt in our new Chiffon using her free PDF pattern. For Ceri’s daughter (and maybe even you!), when its time to hit the dance floor, she’ll be twirling in style thanks to her custom Chiffon ballet wrap skirt for under $25.

Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle: Part 3

February 28, 2017

This is the last part of the fleece pullover sew along! Haven’t started yours yet? You can catch up on part one, and part two here. I’m using this BurdaStyle pattern and you can download it yourself for 50% off with code PULLOVER50 and sew along by reviewing part one and two first. Let’s get to it and finish up sewing this wintery warm and colorful pullover!

Sewing the neckband/turtleneck in place and installing the zipper

Fold the turtleneck band in half, with wrong sides together and pin mark the center front. The two end edges are the center back. Lay the pullover’s neck edge open on your table and pin the band in place matching up the edge and center fronts for an even ease in. [Read more…] about Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle: Part 3

Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle Part 2

February 21, 2017

fleece retro pullover with Meg of Burdastyle

For the main body of the sweatshirt, Meg used Mod Mint Triangles, and Arrows Light Grey and Starry Watercolor Dreams in Grey for the accent panels

Last week in part one of the Structured Fleece Sweatshirt sew-along with our friend Meg of Burdastyle , we prepped the pattern, cut the fabric, and established our sewing stitches. Now it’s time to start constructing this pullover pattern. It’s not too late to sew along! Download the BurdaStyle pattern here use use code PULLOVER50 for 50% off. Catch up on part one and meet us back here to get started on putting your pieces together.

Now it is time to start putting this pullover together! When I sew garments with multiple panels my go-to method is to assemble the entire front, the entire back then sew them together. I started with the front, so I laid pieces 2 & 1 together.

Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle

February 14, 2017

What’s a surface design’s best friend? A mighty fine sewing pattern! Lately all we want to do is get cozy in fleece, so we decided to team up with Meg of Burdastyle for a 3-part sew-along so she could show us how to make one! This sew-along uses the Structured Sweatshirt pattern, which has a very on-trend, 70s retro geometric vibe to it. For the next three weeks every Tuesday, we’ll post a new installment of the Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-along, right here on the blog. Stitch with us, won’t you?!

Meg: The cold weather is here to stay for a while longer! The perfect, cozy fabric for the winter is fleece. When I was little, I remember being dressed up in lots of fleece before going outside, so I was really excited to sew something in Spoonflower’s fleece for my adult self. Before I started picking out surface designs and colors, I wanted to establish my sewing pattern and I’ve found the perfect one! I decided on BurdaStyle’s Structured Sweatshirt digital pattern. I love the paneling in the sweatshirt because it allows me to sew multiple designs together, and the high turtle neck will keep me nice and warm. Sew along and download your copy of the pattern here. Use code PULLOVER50 for 50% off! [Read more…] about Fleece Sweatshirt Sew-Along with Burdastyle

Alison Swimsuit Sew-Along Part 3

September 19, 2016

Here we are at part three of our Alison Swimsuit sew along! This is the third and final part, so when you are finished with these steps you are done and can start wearing your own. This last part is all about sewing the bands and fitting the suit to your body.

First, we need to sew together and stretch in the back band that transforms into the straps.

We cut two of the strap pieces, so we must first sew them together. Place the edges right sides together and sew/serge.

Alison Swimsuit Sew Along: Part 2

September 12, 2016

Welcome back to part two of our Alison swimsuit sew along with Sport Lycra! This type of fabric is just perfect to use for sewing up your own swimwear, and the Alison swimsuit sewing pattern is a great option since it is a one piece and can really show off the awesome print you chose for your fabric!

We left off last time in part 1 of the Alison Swimsuit Sew Along sewing the crotch seams together, and now it’s time to finish off the rest of the bodice. Grab your bust piece since we will be starting there.

Alison Swimsuit Sew Along: Part 1

September 5, 2016

We are reluctant to say goodbye to summer this year, and so before pumpkins and witches take over everything, we’re excited to share one last summer-sewing DIY: a swimsuit! Me-made DIY swimsuits have been the most exciting sewing trend of the summer, and with our Sport Lycra being so perfect for swimwear, we knew we just had to do a sew-along of our very own to show you just how easy this project really is (plus for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, summer’s just getting started!).

The Alison swimsuit from Burdastyle is a perfect starter-suit, for those of you who may have never made one before and are feeling a little nervous. Don’t be! Sewing expert Meg from the Burdastyle team is extremely experienced with suit-sewing, and so we couldn’t imagine a better teacher. Over the course of the next 3 weeks, she’ll be walking you through how to sew up this vintage inspired suit in a step-by-step, broken down process that won’t feel too overwhelming. We hope you’ll join us each Monday for the next step in the sew along, and if you have any feedback or questions along the way don’t hesitate to drop us a note in the comments section. Now we’ll turn things over to Meg of Burdastyle so you can get started!

Meg: I used Spoonflower’s new Sport Lycra to make myself a new swimsuit! Just because summer’s closing out doesn’t mean that swim season is over, I always love to go to my local indoor pool for a recreational swim or a good aquafit class. Now I can go in style and comfort with this swimsuit using BurdaStyle’s retro Alison Swimsuit digital sewing pattern and Spoonflower’s Sport Lycra in an adorable watermelon print. I always love working with stretch fabrics since the projects come together rather quickly and easily… if you have the right tools and use the correct techniques, that is! Read (and sew) along as I sew my retro swimsuit step-by-step in this 3 part sew along!

First thing to do is gather up all your materials, for this Alison suit I used 1 yd of the printed Sport Lycra, a little piece of stretch lining (make sure you use a lining with the same stretch qualities as the sport lycra, you could also use Performance Pique or Performance Knit), and about ½ yd swimwear elastic. I suggest using elastic that has a width of ⅜”, you could go as narrow as ¼” and as wide as ½” depending on what you have. You can use knit or rubber elastic, I actually prefer to use rubber elastic for swimwear but already had this nude knit ⅓” wide elastic so I made it work! [Read more…] about Alison Swimsuit Sew Along: Part 1

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Sew Alongs

Sewing the neckband/turtleneck in place and installing the zipper