Tag: sewing clothing

Sewing Ruched Front Top

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The new ruched front tops I recently made are so simple to sew and super comfortable to wear, too.  I decided to make these after seeing some tops like this somewhere and I liked the look.   I didn’t even have to go and buy another pattern, thankfully, since I have quite a few already.  Ruched Front Top in Cotton fabric Red Ruched Front Top in Knit Fabric

The red top in the photo just above is the first one I made.  I bought this fabric on clearance and I decided to use something that wasn’t real expensive in case the top didn’t turn out.  Well, it did turn out and I have already wore it several times.  I am glad the clearance fabric is soft and washes well.

Ruched Knit Top

After making the light red color one in a knit fabric I decided to make one in a cotton fabric.  I love good quality cotton fabrics and I think some of the cottons I find at quilt shops make great fabrics for clothes and bags, too.

Ruched Cotton Floral Top

I have plenty of cotton fabric in my stash and I had this one in a pretty summer looking floral.  I have had it for a couple of years as I remember I made a skirt with some of it and a bag, too, a couple of years ago – both of them I still have and wear-use.  I really like how this one turned out bright and colorful and I have a couple of pairs of shorts to wear with it.

Both versions of this top turned out well.  In my opinion though the knit one has a better drape and look to it for this type of design.

How To Make a Ruched Front:

To make a top like this you just need to know how to sew and to gather fabric.  You will need a two piece pattern for a top with a front and back and a small cap sleeve or even a sleeveless top.  Below are some photos on how to create the ruched front.

Creating ruched front top with pattern drafting material

I used a pattern for a cap sleeve top that I have designed from the Bernina My Label program I own.  I recommend using pattern drafting material – its kind of like interfacing – and tracing your top front pattern piece so you don’t ruin your actual pattern.  (mine is kind of wrinkled in the photo from use and also from a cat who likes to sit on it)  You will just need one side of the front traced.  Then draw lines which start at the center front and extend almost to the side edge.  You can see in my photo above I have 6 slash lines.  Cut these lines and then spread them apart to open the center front – this is the part that will be gathered.  I used some tape to hold the slashes about 1 to 2 inches apart.  I then retraced the pattern piece.  Front of Ruched Top pattern cut out

Above is the photo of my cut out pattern piece and the marked areas for where I gathered the fabric.  To do this I just ran two long basting stitches on each side of the front piece and then pulled them up to gather until the lower part of the top seemed straight.  I then placed the fronts right sides together and sewed them.  You may want to sew an extra row of stitching to hold the gathers in place.  I then just finished the top according to the pattern.  Super fun and simple to sew.

What projects are you currently working on?  Click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Sewing Tiered Skirts

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Recently I have made a couple of new skirts.  After my jeans sewing marathon I switched to making skirts.  I love sewing skirts because they are easy and fun to make and go together very quickly, in my opinion.  They are also comfortable and fun to wear – especially in the spring and summer months.  Sometimes I think wearing a skirt is actually a lot cooler than wearing shorts in the hot Texas climate I live in.

Last week I wore a skirt four days out of seven.  My husband refers to it as being “dressed up” but I look at it as being cool and comfortably dressed and ready to go somewhere if the occasion arises.

Long Tiered Denim Skirt made by Kimberlees Korner

 

The long tiered skirt above is made from a lightweight denim that I bought at Joann a while ago.  I actually finished this one right before Easter weekend and was able to wear it to church with my Nymphalidea Shawl that I knitted and did a post about back in April.  I love this skirt and have so many things that it goes with since I love the color blue.  It is really comfortable to wear and looks great with boots or sandals.  The pattern I used to make this was New Look 6565 and it is super easy.  I think it takes longer to cut out the pieces you need than to actually sew it.

Short Denim Ruffle Skirt  Kimberlees Korner

The short denim skirt in the above photo is made using the same New Look pattern, 6565.  I just finished sewing this skirt a couple of weeks ago and have worn it a couple of times.  I did some stitching detail with a white thread and a zigzag stitch for the lower hems but it is hard to see.  These photos were a challenge to get since it was so windy that day – actually that whole week was windy.  I really wanted to get a photo with my roses in the background, though.

Black Tiered Skirt  Kimberlees Korner

The black skirt above was sewn using the same version of the pattern as the long denim one.  I made this one back in the fall and have worn it a lot since then.  For this skirt I used a lightweight broadcloth fabric and I like how easy it is to wear and wash – no wrinkles other than the gathered areas which is fine and the look I want.

These skirts are really simple to make as long as you are familiar with how to gather fabric.  Below is a little step by step photo on the process I use to gather – it is the old school way and it works just fine every time for me.

Gathering Steps for Tiered Skirts  Kimberlees Korner

To make these skirts you really just need a regular sewing machine but I would recommend finishing off all of your seams with a zigzag stitch or some type of overcast stitch your machine might have so that the seams do not fray.  I have a serger so I serged all of my seams.  If you have a sewing machine and a couple of hours time you can make this type of skirt.

What sewing projects are you currently working on?  (or any type of projects)  I usually have a sewing project, knitting project and a crochet project going at all times.  That way if I get bored or frustrated with one thing I can go to another.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Sewing Lightweight Tops

I made these two tops recently from the same pattern. The pattern I used was Simplicity 2594.  There are 6 different views in this pattern.

The tops were pretty easy to sew.  They have a lined yoke area that I thought would be difficult to sew but it turned out to  be pretty simple.  There is a little topstitching involved so it is helpful to have an edge stitch foot for that.

mint green v neck top sewn by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner
mint green v neck top sewn by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner
back view of mint green top sewn by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner
back view of mint green top sewn by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

I made the mint green one above first and really like how it turned out.  I used a basic broadcloth fabric and it was easy to sew on.  I have already worn this top many times.  This top has a v neck front and a gathered back.  There are also a few pleats on the front on each shoulder area.   This was view E in the pattern.

purple top sewn by kimberlee from kimberlees korner
purple top sewn by kimberlee from kimberlees korner
back view of purple top sewn by kimberlee from kimberleeskorner
back view of purple top sewn by kimberlee from kimberleeskorner

The second one I made was this purple one in the above photos.  I used the same pattern but made a different view – view B – with the draped cowl neckline.  This top is okay.  I don’t like how it tuned out as well as the mint green one.  I used broadcloth fabric again because it was something I had in my stash and I think a rayon or silky poly fabric would have been a better fabric choice.  Even after sewing over 20 years I still make things that don’t always turn out as planned.  I have wore this top a couple of times.  I am also thinking that I do not care for how the drape of the cowl neck looks on me.  I will be sticking with the v neck option or the scoop neckline in the future.

What sewing projects have you been working on lately?  Leave me a Reply and let me know.

Have a great day!  photo dbaf2cd4-dd2b-49d6-8838-f9aff3fe3cbb_zpsca4b926e.jpg