Little Girls, Big Style: Sew a Boutique Wardrobe from 4 Easy Patterns

154 Pages·2010·15.73 MB·English

by  Mary Abreu

little
girls,
big style
Sew a Boutique Wardrobe from 4 Easy Patterns
mary abreu
stash
an imprint of C&T Publishing
Text and style photography copyright © 2010 by Mary Abreu
Artwork copyright © 2010 by C&T Publishing, Inc.
Publisher: Amy Marson Dedication
Creative Director: Gailen Runge
Acquisitions Editor: Susanne Woods
Editor: Cynthia Bix For my late mother, Anna Abreu, who continues to inspire
Technical Editors: Carolyn Aune and Gailen Runge
my crafty adventures. She was the original craft addict; my
Copyeditor/Proofreader: Wordfirm Inc.
partner in all things stitched, painted, or made by hand;
Cover Designer: Kristy K. Zacharias
Book Designer: Kristen Yenche and my best friend.
Production Coordinator: Kirstie L. Pettersen
Production Editor: Julia Cianci
Illustrator: Zinnia Heinzmann
Acknowledgments
Photography by Christina Carty-Francis and Diane Pedersen of
C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted
Published by Stash Books an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., The amazing Lisa Carroccio (aka The Diva) was with me every
P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
step of the way. Her guidance, input, and advice were invaluable,
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copy-
right hereon may be used in any form or reproduced by any and I am blessed to have her as a mentor and friend.
means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photo-
copying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval My friend Sarah Phillips of Intown Quilters in Decatur, Georgia,
systems—without written permission from the publisher. The
lets me teach at her store and pick her brain, and she never says no
copyrights on individual artworks are retained by the artists
as noted in Little Girls, Big Style. These designs may be used when I need a lunch buddy.
to make items only for personal use or donation to nonprofit
groups for sale. Each piece of finished merchandise for sale Thank you to my awesome pattern testers: Jessica Chapman,
must carry a conspicuous label with the following information:
MaryAnn Lopes, and Hayden Thornton. Y’all rock!
Designs copyright © 2010 by Mary Abreu from the book Little
Girls, Big Style from C&T Publishing, Inc.
My life is filled with such an awesome cast of supporters and
Attention Copy Shops: Please note the following exception—
publisher and author give permission to photocopy pattern cheerleaders. Special thanks to Amber Hartenbower, Sheree
pullout pages P1–P4 for personal use only.
Schattenman, Jenn Cristy, Amber Turnbow, Tess Wiebe, Kristina
Attention Teachers: C&T Publishing, Inc., encourages you to
use this book as a text for teaching. Contact us at 800-284-1114 Milling, Anna Garner, Tricia Estes, and Bari Ackerman.
or www.ctpub.com for lesson plans and information about the
C&T Creative Troupe. Angela Shimada and Katie Moore helped me get back into sewing
We take great care to ensure that the information included in after a lengthy break, and I owe them so much for it.
our products is accurate and presented in good faith, but no
warranty is provided nor are results guaranteed. Having no The beautiful little girls wearing these clothes hold a special place
control over the choices of materials or procedures used, neither
in my heart. Thank you, Charlotte, Ella C., Ella J., Kayla, Sarah,
the author nor C&T Publishing, Inc., shall have any liability to
any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused Tatum, and especially Liesl.
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
For your convenience, we post an up-to-date listing of correc- A big “thank you” to my C&T/Stash team for helping make my
tions on our website (www.ctpub.com). If a correction is not
already noted, please contact our customer service department lifelong dream a reality.
at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549.
Thank you, Michael Miller Fabrics LLC, Timeless Treasures
Trademark (™) and registered trademark (®) names are used
throughout this book. Rather than use the symbols with every Fabrics Inc., Robert Kaufman Fabrics, and Intown Quilters for
occurrence of a trademark or registered trademark name, we are
providing many of the fabrics used throughout this book.
using the names only in the editorial fashion and to the benefit
of the owner, with no intention of infringement.
Dad and Jo, thanks for believing in me and being the loudest fans
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
any girl could ever want.
Abreu, Mary.
Little girls, big style : sew a boutique wardrobe from 4 easy pat-
I could not have written this book without the support of my
terns / by Mary Abreu.
p. cm. family: my husband, Matt; my sons, Joshua and Garrett; and my
ISBN 978-1-60705-188-6 (softcover) daughter, Liesl. Thank you for putting up with my obsessions, the
1. Girls’ clothing. 2. Dressmaking--Patterns. I. Title.
deadlines, the constant hum of the sewing machine, and the inces-
TT562.A27 2010
sant stream-of-consciousness chattering about this book. I love you.
646.4’06--dc22
2010014304
Printed in China
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
PrefAce 4
The BouTique Look 5 The Peasant Top/Dress 64
What is “boutique”? 6 Classic Peasant Top/Dress 66
Choosing fabric 6 Ruffled Empire Peasant
Top/Dress 72
Embellishments 9
Tiered Twirly Peasant Dress 77
Handmade vs. homemade 11
Flutter-Sleeved Peasant Top 81
How to use this book 12
Ruffled-Neck Peasant Top 85
The BAsics 14
The Pants 89
Tools 15
Essential Pants/Capris 91
Techniques A to Z 17
Ruffled Pants 94
The ProjecTs
Racing Stripe Pants 97
The Basic Bodice 32
Lace-Edged Gauchos 100
Barely Basic Top/Dress 34
Tiered Pants 104
Knotty Apron variation 39
The Skirts 107
Sunshine Halter 41
No-Hem Skirt 109
Side-Tied Smock 45
Treasure Skirt 111
Perfect Party Dress 49
On-the-Border Skirt 114
Pocket Pinafore 52
Apron Skirt variation 117
Ruffled Peek-a-Boo Jumper 58
Double-Layer Twirl Skirt 119 resources 126
Twirly Girly Skirt 123 ABouT The AuThor 127
PATTern PuLLouT PAges
contents
Preface
I spent much of my childhood watching my mother whip up anything
and everything on her 1967 Singer Touch & Sew. Skirts, dresses, overalls,
T-shirts, Halloween costumes—there was nothing she couldn’t make. I
was always so proud to show up on the first day of school in clothing she
made especially for me.
When I was expecting my first child in early 1991, I dreamed of the day
when I could sew clothes for my own daughter. After two boys and nearly
14 years later, I had a little girl of my own and could begin to make my
sewing dreams a reality.
Thankfully, sewing is cool again! The range of fabrics and notions avail-
able is mind-boggling. It’s not unusual for me to spend the first twenty
minutes in the quilt shop just wandering around to get a feel for what’s
new (and to see what fabrics start calling my name). I love it so much—
I’ve even been known to help other customers pick out just the right
fabrics for their projects.
Push aside all the trends and popularity, though, and you’ll find that
sewing fills a need to be creative, to make something useful, to experience
the type of satisfaction that comes with knowing, “I made that!”
I used to be embarrassed to admit to someone that I’d sewn my daughter’s
outfit, unable to accept the compliment. Luckily, I’ve gotten over that
and am now very proud to show off my work. I hope you find that kind
of inspiration here and make the kind of memories for your daughter that
my mother gave me.
Happy sewing!
4 LittLe GirLs, BiG styLe
Boutique clothing
merges personality
with a custom fit.
The Flutter-Sleeved
Peasant Top (page
81) paired with the
Lace-Edged Gauchos
(page 100) make a
fun summer outfit.
The Boutique Look
the Boutique Look 5
What is “boutique”?
Children’s boutique clothing is something of a grassroots movement.
Although the word “boutique” may bring to mind pricey European
clothing brands, the children’s custom boutique market is actually more
of a homegrown industry born out of creativity and necessity. Think
thousands of at-home seamstresses designing, sewing, and selling their
work in limited quantities to an eager audience searching for unique
clothing that’s always a perfect fit.
Hallmarks of this cottage industry are high-quality quilter’s cotton fabric,
appliqué, coordinating accessories (hair, shoes, jewelry), themed apparel,
made-to-match ready-to-wear garments, and often one-of-a-kind designs.
The mother who buys or sews custom boutique clothing wants her child
to not only be well dressed, but also to have her (or his) individuality
shine. It’s less about following the pack and more about setting the trends.
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of boutique is always having clothes
that fit perfectly. One thing that launched me on the path to sewing
boutique clothing for my daughter was her hard-to-fit measurements.
Any pants I bought that fit in length were always too wide in the waist
(and looked ridiculous with the adjustable waistband cinched in). If pants
fit her waist, they were inevitably too short. How could I resist the oppor-
tunity to make perfectly fitting apparel?
Sewing your child’s boutique wardrobe gives you the chance to create
unique, well-fitted clothing that is unlike anything you can find on a
store’s clothing rack.
choosing fabric
Give any ten people the same pattern, and you’ll likely get ten very dif-
ferent interpretations of that garment, each with a very different “feel.”
Much of that variety has to do with the fabrics they choose. It’s not
just about color; it’s also about how the colors and prints work with
(or against) each other.
The outfits designed for this book and pictured throughout were sewn
with a variety of cotton fabrics, primarily 100% cotton. I often use quilting
cotton for dresses, tops, and skirts and occasionally for pants. For most
pants, however, I prefer sewing with heavier-weight fabrics, such as twill,
corduroy, or denim. These fabrics are sturdier and better suited for pants.
I like to accent the pants with lighter-weight fabrics that coordinate with
the tops I make, to add a punch of color and pattern.
6 LittLe GirLs, BiG styLe
Before cutting and sewing any of your fabric, wash it according to the
manufacturer’s directions (check the end of the bolt when you buy it).
You don’t want it to shrink after it’s been sewn. It’s also a good idea
to prewash any trims you’ll be using. You can do this either in the
washing machine or by hand.
I’m oftenp arskeewd haows hI ch!oose fabrics for the clothes I sew. For me, it usu-
ally starts with a fabric print that catches my eye. As I try to visualize what I
could sew with it, I note all the elements involved—straps, sleeves, ruffles.
I then figure out how many different fabrics would work for what I have
in mind. As I sort through, I sketch out my ideas and note my thoughts
about complementary fabrics.
Textile companies that cater to quilt shops create complete lines of fabrics
made to work together. It’s a fast and easy way to choose a selection of fab-
rics made to coordinate. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to just
one fabric line. I’m a huge fan of combining several different fabric lines.
Lines of fabric are designed to work together, making it easy to choose and
sew coordinates.
the Boutique Look 7
Tiered Twirly Peasant Dress (page 77) and Ruffled Pants (page 94) in two different fabric combinations
The bright aqua, red, and white of this peasant dress give it a fun, bold feel. The same dress done in
romantic floral prints, however, has a completely different look.
8 LittLe GirLs, BiG styLe
When I pick fabrics for a project, I think about whom I’m sewing for, how
many fabrics I want to use, and where I’ll use them. It’s not unusual to
see me wandering around the quilt store with bolts of fabric in my arms,
trying to find just the right coordinating fabrics. I’ll lay them on top of
each other to see how the colors and patterns work together.
But it’s not so much about matching colors exactly; instead, it’s about
seeing if the fabrics are harmonious when placed beside each other. I love
seeing how different accent fabrics can make the background colors in
my main fabric pop. Different fabrics can completely change the feel of
an outfit, making it seem like a new outfit when really, it’s just the fabric
that’s different.
When you’re scoping out fabric, think about the scale of the print. Most
fabric lines made by quilting fabric manufacturers include a large print, a
medium print, and a small print. Why? Because when you are combining
fabrics, it’s pleasing to the eye to have prints of varying scale. A good
rule of thumb for choosing a fabric based on scale is “fewer seams, bigger
print.” Larger pieces of fabric will maintain the integrity and feel of the
print, whereas smaller prints can more easily accommodate more seams
and smaller cuts.
I nearly always prefer to buy my fabric from my local quilt shop, because I
like supporting small businesses. In addition, I can usually find what I’m
looking for there. Use the Independent Fabric Shop tool on the Project 95
website to find a quilt shop near you (see Resources, page 126).
Of course, there may not be a quilt shop near you. Or perhaps you want
to improve your sewing skills before you start working with more expen-
sive designer fabrics. If so, visit one of the variety of chain craft and fabric
stores, which carry fabrics you can use for the projects in this book.
Always check the end of the fabric bolt to make sure you are buying 100%
cotton fabric. You also can find endless fabric sites on the Internet (see
Resources, page 126).
the Boutique Look 9