Manniquin Christmas Tree: A Woodland Fairy

Last year, I posted about the Christmas Tree that I made using a mannequin. 

  Well, she's changing into a Woodland Fairy Christmas Tree.   


First, I started with the evergreen base that has tiny twinkle lights woven into the evergreens.






I made an apron of sorts with ribbons. Then I hand sewed silk ferns onto the ribbon bands. There are 4 different shades of ferns.

This shows the fern and ribbon apron being added to the skirt of the Christmas tree.

Remember that the evergreen base is peeking through the ferns and ribbons. I tested it, and the lights still shine through both layers.

Now to add the beautiful top. It's made with a camouflage fabric that features the woodlands trees and foliage.  Then an overlay of golden tulle softens the overall appearance.  Sandwiched between the layers are golden trim,  burlap ribbons, and preserved spanish moss. 

Next, comes the cummerbund made from Birch bark with applied moss. 

It adds that bit of elegance.  Of course the cummerbund is accented with a burlap flower, pine cones and evergreen branches.  No lady should have such a beautiful gown without a bit of jewels.

And a bit of flounce in the rear of the garment to add more whimsy and elegance.

 Isn't she a fantasy come to life...I really don't want to send her back to my client. Perhaps, I just have to enjoy our creative adventure together and send her on her way.

Smiles,

Deborah

40 Minute Polartec Skirt

Tonight I sewed a skirt in 40 minutes!!! 

Hurrah Polartec Fleece!

Using Mc Calls pattern 6918, View B

1. (5 minutes) Cut out 4 pieces: Front /Back Yoke, and Front/Back Flare Skirt Bottom.

2. ( 10 minutes)  Sew yoke and flare skirt bottom together. Then trim away most of the seam allowances on the seam closest to the yoke, Fingerpress the remaining up towards the yoke.  Then from the top, topstitch so the seam allowance encloses the trimmed seam allowance.

Trim close to the stitching.

Right side, finished seam with topstitching

3. (10 minutes)  Sew the side seams together. Next fingerpress the seam allowance open. From the right side, topstitch each seam allowance down, using the stitched seam as a guide to sew a nice straight topstitched line. Trim excess close to stitching and you' ll have a unbulky seam that will feel good against your body.

4.  Sew edges of elastic together.

5. (12 minutes)  Stitch a row of stitching around the top of the skirt 3/8 " from the edge. Divide both the elastic and skirt top edge into 4 equal sections.

6. Using a stretch stitch and the row of stitching as a guide, slightly stretch the elastic until the section of elastic is the same size as the skirt. Stitch near the bottom of the wide elastic onto the flat edge of the skirt.

7. (3 minutes) Trim any excess fabric away, so it will feel good next to your body.

 DONE!!!         Love It !
Smiles,
Deborah

Seam or Edge Finishes with Polartec Fabric: Easy-peasy

Polartec, a wonderful fleece that I've been experimenting with, 

does not ravel; 

therefore,  there is no need for a seam finish or edge finish. 

Look at how easy I finished the edge of this double layered vest. 

1.  I quickly hand basted the 2 layers of fabric of a vest together using long running stitches while watching my favorite TV show.
2. Then,  I sewed 5/8 of an inch from the edge with the sewing machine.

3.  Using the first row of stitching as a guide, I sewed another row of stitching parallel from the first row.  I moved my needle all the way to the right on my machine, to obtain the largest distance from the first row of stitching.

It turned out like this. 

 4. Using your scissors trim the extra fabric away.  Take LONG cuts with your scissors to avoid a choppy edge. 

5.  On the straight areas, use a rotary cutting blade and a straight edge to trim away the excess fabric.

DONE!!!

Smiles,
Deborah

Emoji Polartec Vest for Girls

The emoji craze has hit the young girls' fashion world.  

I bought my granddaughter these comfortable jeans from The Children's Place.

Then, I started thinking about a comfortable, warm accessory that

 I might sew to compliment the jeans.

The Emoji Polartec Vest

Polartec is such wonderful quality fabric. 

 By quality, I mean wearability without pilling after a few wears.

 I dislike spending time and money on creating an outfit, and then seeing those pills appear because I bought the latest fleece deal!  Believe me, I speak from experience, and I learned my lesson. 

So this time, I spent a little more money and obtained a quality Polartec fleece from Mill Yardage. 

I'm loving sewing with this fabric and will be posting more about working with Polartec.  In fact, I've been thinking about a whole month of posting about sewing with Polartec fabric during the cold month of January. 
What do you think of my idea? 
 Would you like to learn more about sewing with Polartec ? 
Please let me know in the comment section of this post.
Smiles,
Deborah