Rabbit Report #5

Mopsy Rabbit

Thank you all for the congratulations on the result of the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show! I am truly grateful for you kind words and interest in my little projects!

Mopsy is my littlest rabbit and she gets a pink dress. She has a less embellishment than her older sister, but if I can convince the director, she will be the spotted rabbit, and thus not need anything else to make her cute. You can see that Mopsy got three rows of ribbon and eyelet trim, a white tie and white eyelet at the hem. I decided against the eyelet band in the front, just to make this dress a little different from the others. Cottontail's dress will be the same, no band, but white eyelet ties.

While these dresses are not complicated, there are some things to note about the pattern itself and my construction methods that make putting the dresses together much easier.

First, the sleeves are fitted into the armscye via pleats rather than gathers or ease. This is how the pattern was drafted and it is quick and easy.

Second, I decided to install the sleeves in the flat, rather than setting them into the armscye and then stitch the side seam and underarm seam as one long seam. You can see the sleeves have been added to the bodice, but the side seams have not yet been stitched in the photo below.

Third, all of these dresses are serged together with a four thread serge. This is quick and sturdy and I don't have to think about finishing the seam allowances.

The eyelet trim at the hems is the pre-gathered type, which is just zigzagged in place along the hem stitching. Again, quick and easy.

While these costumes are sturdy and well made, they are still costumes! I have not gone to the trouble of fully lining them, doing french seams, binding armholes, etc. Costume not couture! has been the rule for these outfits.

Next, and the last of the girls, Cottontail! Her dress will be an aqua color and I should have it finished sometime next week. After that I hope to get all the fur pieces done and then last, but not least, Peter's clothes.

Parting Shot: Rabbit Fur! I found a great deal on this fur for the rabbits. Actually it isn't even true fake fur, but a furry felt. I'm hoping this will actually be better so I won't feel like hacking a hairball before all the pieces are finished. I got this stuff for $1.50 per yard at Martin's last week, and they've got plenty more if I need it.

Bluebird of Happiness

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show 2009, Hampton,VA

Vicki and Kim attended the show yesterday and were kind enough to email me and send me photos of Bluebird of Happiness. You can see a few more photos on their blogs, Field Trips in Fiber and Cotton Creek Sewing.

I won Best of Show. I actually found out earlier yesterday, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise for them actually getting to see it live. I was surprised and am very happy. All that hard work paid off!

Parting Shot: R&D. Yes, I'm planning another art garment and doing some research and development! I need to get the Rabbit family and Barcelona Beauty finished first, so look for another series to start sometime in late March.

Barcelona Beauty - Part #5

Skirt Welt Pockets

For as lady-like as this pattern is, you'd probably never guess that there are two welt pockets on the back of the skirt. You'd probably never see them, either, unless the jacket was not worn with the skirt. Nevertheless, they are there and I've decided to keep them.

After some experimentation, I've decided on one change and am not sure about another for this pattern. I will not be doing the top stitching that is along the panels of the skirt and jacket. I've tried a sample and it is hard to see, and not really worth doing on this sort of fabric. This fabric doesn't need top stitching to enhance the design. I'm not sure whether I am going to keep the back slit of the skirt at this point. I didn't put it in the muslin and I didn't miss it. I have cut the skirt with the possibility of putting in the slit, but I'll try on the muslin one more time to double check that before putting in the zipper.

Back to the pockets. Before making the pockets, I decided to do some research to see if there was a new way to make pockets that I hadn't tried before or just some tips to make the pockets easier and better. I came across Ann Steeve's (of Gorgeous Fabrics) article in Threads #122 from Jan. 2006 and decided to give her method a try by making a sample. Always, always make a sample if you can! I know they are not fun when you'd rather be sewing on your project, but poor results and ruined fabric are not fun either.

Ann's article is very good - especially the section on preparation and materials! I was very pleased with the result and decided to add a few extra steps to insure that I got things lined up properly. Personally, it is easier for me if I have guidelines to line things up so that everything is even. For Ann's method, a window is first created, the welts attached and then the pocket bags.

To create the window, you do so by: reinforcing the pocket area on the wrong side with interfacing that has been marked for the pocket, layering silk organza on the right side, stitching around the pocket opening on the wrong side, slashing and turning the organza to the wrong side. I've used this method successfully in the past to insert zipper into such an opening, so this was not new to me.

(No, those lines are not wavy! The pocket is straight, I promise!)

After the windows were complete, I made the welts and reinforced them with interfacing, too. I used a side tip from the article and zigzagged the welts together down the center to make a temporary single unit. The next step is where I departed for a bit from her instructions. She suggests using a bit of glue stick to hold the welts in the proper place from the wrong side before stitching them in place. This did not work for me with this textured fabric, but I came up with another solution.

By using my 1/4" foot and basting exactly 1/4" from center of the joined welts, I was able to create a placement line for the window edges:

Now that I had placement lines, I could place the welts into position, under the window and with the placement lines at the pressed edges of the opening.

I then basted the pair of welts in place by hand. Now the welts stayed exactly where I wanted them to be while stitching them in place by machine.

Once the welts were stitched in place, I finished the pockets in the usual manner, by adding the pocket bag pieces and stitching across the ends of the welts, pocket bags and triangular opening piece. This portion of the instructions was similar to most of the other sources I consulted.

I am very, very pleased with these pockets and they were easy, with just a little hand basting. If you can get a copy of this article, at least give this method a try!

Parting Shot: Practice. Since my son has a solo in the Peter Rabbit play, he has to practice. Good thing his mother has a copy of the entire score.

Rabbit Report #4

Flopsy Rabbit

Flopsy is the first of the "bunny girls" dresses - don't forget they will all get paws, feet and rabbit helmets, too. Since all of the dresses are made from the same pattern, they will look similar to some degree or other.

Let's look at some of the details from Flopy's dress, some of which will be seen in the other bunny girl dresses. Flopsy's dress has more trim details and fancier buttons than Mother rabbit:

Flopsy's dress has a skirt lining with attached petticoat ruffle. This ruffle is made in a similar way to the ones I make for my adult art garments, cut double the finished width and stitched down the middle for a double ruffle. This ruffle has a finished width of 4" (10cm) wide, which is more in proportion with the smaller garment. (I use a 6" or 8" finished width for an adult's size.)


Because this is a costume, I overlapped each netting section and zigzagged the pieces together, backtacking at the ends. For art garments, I stitch two parallel rows of straight stitching and tie off each and every end by hand.

The lining hangs freely in the dress and is not hand stitched to the zipper at the center seam. This allows me to construct each skirt separately, then gather them as one and attach the whole unit to the bodice, plus there is less stress at the bottom of the zipper on the lining.


The lining edge at each center back is placed just past the seam allowance so that it is not caught in the zipper seam.

The white eyelet trim around the bottom is just zigzagged on over the hem line, and then the purple ribbon is stitched over the top of that as seen below from the wrong side. I've got cleaner, better ways of attaching this sort of trim, but this is a costume!


Finally, notice the difference in shape and style from the Mother rabbit dress. The girl dresses are shorter and wider due to the petticoat ruffle, whereas Mother rabbit has a straighter and longer skirt with no petticoat. Style wise, Mother rabbit has a more muted color pallete and less fancy trim and buttons. Mother rabbit will not have the matching bow on her head, either. These little differences help to make a visual difference between Mother rabbit and the girls, something that will help the audience distinguish between the rabbits that are very nearly all the same size. (Yes, having a little background in theater does help to figure these things out!)

Next to be sewn: Mopsy rabbit, my littlest rabbit. Her dress will be bright pink!

Regarding the Boston trip:

No, we didn't freeze, it was a bit windy, but not super cold! Dressing in layers is a key to staying warm. Living in this climate you learn what it takes for your own personal comfort level. We had hats and gloves and a bag to carry the extra layers if we got too hot. The weather can be quite different in Boston than it is where I live. It can be raining there, but snowing here with sleet and/or freezing rain in between. There are times when Boston will get 6" or more of snow and we'll get just a dusting. Just due to the geography and storms tracks things can be vastly different in short stretches here in New England.

Windsor Button does not carry just buttons. They've been around for a while, and it seems they have shifted focus over the years and with the changing times. When I was in there yesterday there was the biggest selection of yarns I have ever seen in there. Very nice yarns from many manufacturers, foreign and domestic, along with a large assortment of needles, books and other knitting/crocheting accessories. The store was part yarn, part sewing notions (zippers, threads, needles, trims, beads, etc.) There is a good selection of ribbons and trims, too. It just depends on what you're looking for, I guess. Finding decent buttons is getting harder for me, Martin's still has buttons, but I never know when they'll be gone. I also like to see the buttons in person with the fabric. I even took the fabric and buttons out to the sidewalk in natural light yesterday before committing to purchasing them.

Parting Shot: Yay for Internet Shopping. I got this sew in hair canvas on Monday from Vogue Fabrics in Chicago after I ordered it Friday morning! How's that for quick? I was expecting at least a week. I'm glad I went ahead and ordered it. Windsor Button had some interfacing, but not hair canvas of any type.

Barcelona Beauty - Part 4

Field Trip!

Today we went to Boston for two reasons. One, to go to Windsor button to find buttons for the suit; two to visit some of the historical sites in Boston relating to my son's famous American paper.

After driving down and picking up the train to North Station, and a then a quick subway ride, our first stop was Windsor Button:

I found the buttons for the suit. They are a red dyed mother of pearl, with sort of a texture on the surface. They actually match very well in terms of color and texture and will not call attention to themselves, but harmonize nicely with the suit.

After that we went to the Boston Common and walked around a bit. I took this picture at the Frog Pond, which is currently an ice skating pond.

After eating lunch, we took the subway partway back to North Station and picked up the Freedom Trail at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, where we picked up a snack and then continued walking. Once we got to the North End, we stopped at Paul Revere's House, the Paul Revere Monument and the Old North Church.

We also walked over to Bunker Hill, but did not have time to explore the monument and park because we needed to catch the train back to where our car was parked.

The children are exhausted from walking around Boston, which is good, maybe I'll finish the Flopsy Rabbit dress tonight.

Parting Shot: Squirrels! We ate lunch at the Boston Common and the children quickly found out the squirrels were tame enough to feed. In the first photo there are three squirrels on the tree near my daughter. In the second photo, this squirrel was so tame that he got right up on the bench and was nosing around my pack before my daughter decided to feed him.

Barcelona Beauty - Part 3

Skirt Muslin

Normally I do not make a muslin for skirts, but adjust as I make the garment by basting and checking the fit. Because of the really nice fabric I'm using, I decided it was wiser to make any adjustments in a muslin rather than fashion fabric.

Thanks to the design of this skirt, like the jacket, this was an easy skirt to fit! The front and back of this skirt are made of three panels each, so it is easy to adjust for many figures. If you want a slim fit skirt, try this one or one with a similar design, as you can adjust where you need more or less fabric. In most cases, garments with multiple panels are better for fitting than other styles; more seams means more places where you can easily adjust the fit.

For myself, I know that my thigh/butt measurement is about two sizes larger than my waist. This means that I trace the pattern by the larger size and then adjust the waist and hip curve to fit properly. Because I needed to remove quite a bit of fabric, I had to chose where to remove it. I could remove quite a bit a the side seams only or I could divide the amount and remove at the side front and side back seams. For this skirt I chose to remove the excess at the side front and side back seams. If I chose to remove it all the side seams, it would put those side front seams closer to the side seam, thus changing the lines and fit of the pattern. Those side front and back seams are more curved at the top to fit the skirt, acting like darts. The other problem is that in the back there are two welt pockets (see photo above), and if those side back seams are moved closer to the side, then the pocket placement would be off, too.

For me, I took out 5/8"(1.5cm) at each seam at the waist and tapered to nothing at 9 1/2" (24cm) from the top edge, which is about thigh level for me. That is where I really need the original width of the pattern. After stitching all four seams the same, I did a quick check for fit to make sure the hip curve at the side seam did not need additional altering. It did not and fits really nicely through the hip at the side seam.

Now, I can cut out the fabric and start construction! More on that in another post.

Tomorrow we are going to Boston to Windsor button in search of buttons for the jacket. The children are on winter vacation from school this week and riding the train into North Station and then taking the subway will be quite an adventure for the children. I'm also planning a little trip to see some of the close historical sites, so it won't be another one of mom's boring fabric and notions shopping trips. My son has to write a paper on a famous American and since he chose Paul Revere, I think this will be appropriate.

Parting Shot: More. Yes, more snow. We got another 6" or so yesterday and since this was a wetter snow, it stuck to all the branches of the trees like powdered sugar. I just *love* New England. (Where is that rolling eye emoticon?!?) We can get snow storms even into the first few weeks of April, so the snow season is not quite over for us just yet.

Rabbit Report #2

Mother Rabbit Dress

I completed the mother rabbit dress today. This dress may look like three pieces, but it is only one dress, more on those details later in the post. This was a very easy dress to make, and since much of it was made on the serger, I did not have to do a lot of fussy inside finishing. Remember, this is costume, not couture. It must look good and be able to withstand the abuse of elementary aged actors.

I only changed a few things regarding the construction of the dress, and these will be the same for the other rabbit dresses.

First, I did not cut the back bodice and skirt on a center fold, but cut them with seam allowances. This is so that I could install a center back zipper.

Second, I cut the fronts on a fold. Since the pattern had a line that indicated center front, I was able to place that on the fold and cut.

Third, I did not use the cuffs for the sleeves, but added the amount of cuff to the bottom of the sleeve and then made casings for elastic. The sleeves will go over the mitts or rabbit paws and provide a seam look for the costume. The elastic is just easier for getting dressed than messing with a cuff, and is easier for me to make. You can see the finished sleeve in the second photo.

To make this dress look like three pieces, I had to add some extra pieces to get the right look. For the bodice to look like a blouse with a front button placket, I added a piece to the center front. The piece I added is 1 1/2" wide (not quite 4cm), and is top stitched in place 1/4" from either edge.

I added an apron to the front bodice as well, the band was made of two layers with interfacing to keep it looking nice. The two layers were stitched together at the top edge, and to attach it to the bodice, I opened it up and stitched right along the fold line. The top was then folded back down and everything was stitched together with the skirt and apron at the waist seam. Matching ties were included in the side seams.

The neck edge was finished with self binding. In the photo below you can also see the blind buttonholes along with the buttons stitched in place to complete the illusion of a blouse.

I'm very pleased with the way this one turned out and how quickly it came together even with all the extra embellishments. I'm not sure that the other rabbit dresses will be that quick -they've got attached crinolines and fussy trims, but we'll see!

Parting Shot: Sock #2. I suppose I ought to at least get the other sock started if I'm going to have a pair! Maybe I'll get this one done a little quicker!