Women – Page 3

Take In A Simple Skirt

I got this skirt in a bag of hand-me-downs. I love the print and the style, but it was a little too big. I looked at the waist and realized it would be so simple to take the waist/hips in a bit. There’s a zipper on the side that I absolutely do not want to mess with! I also don’t want to do anything to the hem. So, all my adjustments will taper out before I get to the hem.

Side invisible zipper that I'm not touching!

Before I could take anything in, I needed to undo the stitching holding the facing down. Fortunately this was easy since they just did a couple little stitches at each seam.

Undo the stitching tacking the facing down.

The easiest adjustment is to the back. There’s a seam down the center back that I can very easily take in. I tried on the skirt and clipped it where I want my back seam. Pin it and make sure to taper it in gradually so that you don’t need to mess with the hem. Sew it and try it on to make sure it fits. Then trim (and serge if you want) the excess from the seam.

Pin the back seam tapering it in towards the bottom.

To help balance out the amount I took in at the back (so the side seams aren’t noticeably towards the back), I also took in the front darts a little bit. I only took each dart in about 1/2″ (green line in photo below). After I tried it on again, I trimmed (and serge) the darts to help them lay flatter. Otherwise you end up with a really thick spot in the waistband which can be hard to make lay flat.

Take in the front darts.

The final step is the tack the facing back down again. Just a couple quick stitches on the side and back seams plus the front darts and it’s secured. Iron the facing and darts to flatten out the new seams and you are good to go!

Finished taking in the skirt

Shortening the Rise on Elastic Waist Shorts

FixingDroopyDrawers

Ever buy a pair of shorts (or pants, but I’m in Florida and basically live in shorts) and the rise is just too long? You feel like you’ve got them pulled up to your chest just to have them not look like droopy drawers. Most annoying! With kids, you can roll the waistband down, and chances are as they grow, they’ll grow into them and you won’t have to roll it anymore. However, as an adult, you probably aren’t going to grow into your shorts (or at least I hope not!) As long as they don’t have a functional fly, it’s actually very easy to fix!

First, I iron the waistband to get rid of the wrinkles and to make it easier to line up and sew in place.

Jeans shorts that are too long waisted

For kids, you roll the waistband down and to the outside simply because that’s the only way it works. However, for adults, you want to turn it to the inside so it can be sewn down. I turn it down on the seam and clip it into place.

Fold the wasitband in and clip it

Then, sew it down by sewing close to the bottom edge. I usually line up the outside edge of the presser foot with the bottom edge of the waistband. If you have thread that matches what the manufacturer used (in this case denim yellow) that’s fine, but in my case I went with navy blue so it wouldn’t show.

Sew the waist band down

All sewed and ready to go. It probably takes 10 minutes tops to do this – quick & easy!

Finished jeans shorts with waistband sewn down

The only thing that might be a problem is the pockets. You’ll be sewing through them and making the opening about two inches smaller. It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s something to think about before you sew the waistband down.

The pocket will be slightly smaller

See – you can still fit your hand easily into the pocket. It’s not as deep as before either, but it’s still functional and there’s no more droopy drawers!

Even though the pocket opening is smaller, it isn't too small

How to Sew – Free Leggings for Kids and Adults

*This post contains affiliate links.

I’m not much of a leggings person, but my daughter wears them under her school skirts frequently. They’re perfect for keeping her modest on the playground and some of her favorite school uniform skirts are the ones that have leggings attached.

Fun leggings under a boring school skirt

Leggings are pretty quick and easy to sew up and there’s nothing better than a free pattern! Feel free to skip to the end of the post if you just want the links. Otherwise, read on for my review of the Bonny Leggings.

Bonny Leggings Capri Length

Leggings require material with good recovery – it should have at least 5% spandex/lycra otherwise you’ll have saggy knees and if you do a yoga style waistband, they won’t stay up all day. Talk about a wardrobe malfunction!

I assemble my leggings differently than the instructions. I prefer to sew the center front and back seams first.

Sewing the center front and back seams first.

Then I sew the inseams together.

Sewing inseam after center seams.

Then sew the waistband on per the instructions. The waistband does not need to be stretched to fit – it should fit the opening perfectly.

The bonny leggings pattern comes with directions for making a knit skirt to attach to your leggings. Once you’ve made a skirt with the leggings and know how to attach the leggings to the skirt, you can use the leggings with your favorite skirt pattern to playground proof your daughter’s wardrobe. It’s so easy! Plus, if your school requires a certain color skirt (like navy or tan….boring!), you can add a fun print for the leggings. No one will know, but it’s a fun way to dress up her school wardrobe.

School Uniform skirt with fun leggings

The kid leggings are available here in sizes 1/2 – 14 – Bonny Leggings. They are totally free – no facebook groups to join, just add the pattern to your cart and checkout.

The adult leggings are available here (and in full disclosure, I’ve never made them, I’m just pointing them out for adults who may want leggings or for older girls who don’t fit into Bonny’s anymore) – Peg Legs. Please note there are also a couple add on packs which are also free – a maternity add on and an add on with more options – waistband, color blocking, side pocket.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure policy.

How To Sew – Making A Dolman Plus Get A Free Pattern

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MotherDaughterDolmans

I was so excited because I really wanted to do a dolman style shirt for the next easy pattern and I recently discovered a free one! You have to join the Facebook group to get the code for it. The wide range of sizes (00-26) is another reason I like this pattern – I can make shirts for my daughter and me from the same pattern. She’s a teenager and sometimes she fits kids sizes and sometimes she doesn’t.

Dolman Slim Fit

Dolmans are really easy because there are no sleeves to sew in since they are part of the body (although there are options to add long sleeves to it). Two seams, a neck band, sleeve hems, and the bottom hem. This pattern is also for knits so you’ll need a ball point needle. Either a size 14 or 11 (The thinner the material the smaller needle number).

Halla Slim Fit Dolman

I decided to have my daughter make one of these with me – just to show how easy it is. Her least favorite part is pinning and cutting and yes, we’re on the floor…not ideal, but it works in a pinch.

Learning to cut out a pattern

Just to keep things real – she didn’t actually get to sew her shirt. My machine was giving her fits – skipping stitches. It turned out that I was using the wrong size needle and then the needle was bent just the slightest bit. By the time I realized that, she was done. Since I don’t want to force her to sew, I finished up her shirt.

Even though this pattern is free, there are still options! Don’t like the slim fit? You can make it less fitted. Want bat wing style sleeves? You can do that too. The best part is, these are techniques that you can use to alter other patterns you have. There are two neckline options. For my daughter, I did the higher neckline and for mine, I went with the lower neckline – still perfectly modest, just not as high. I tried on the shirt before I put the neckband on and was concerned that the neck was going to be too big. Never fear, once the neckband was on, it fit perfectly!

Halla Slim Fit Dolman Front and Back

The dolman pairs perfectly with the Chloe maxi skirt (also free and super easy) from Made for Mermaids (which is what we’re wearing in our matching pictures). I’m sure that at some point in the future, my teenager won’t want to match me, but for now she loves it.

Halla Slim Fit Dolman and Made for Mermaids Chloe

The Hallå Slim Fit Dolman is available for women in sizes 00-26. Join their facebook group to get the code to get it free (read the pinned post).

Another option for a dolman pattern is the Sun Kissed Tee dolman by Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. It is NOT free, however she does have sales on occasion. It’s a simple no frills pattern, but there’s an option to add ruching to the sides which is why I love the pattern! I think the ruching adds a nice touch and it’s really not that hard. There are others with more sleeve and hem options, but for beginners, I really like these two.

Dolman shirt with ruched sides.

*This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.

Learning to Sew and Pattern Review: Chloe & Women’s Chloe

Chloe Skirt and Maxi Pattern Review

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Learning to sew doesn’t mean you have to make pillowcases or pillows or other items you don’t really need or want. You can learn to sew and make something wearable and fashionable at the same time! Are you looking for an easy pattern to learn to sew? Or maybe you want to teach one of your kids to sew? Are you looking for a cheap (aka free) pattern? Keep reading to see how to get an awesome deal on this trendy pattern.

I was recently able to test the Chloe and Women’s Chloe patterns by Made for Mermaids. These are simple A-line skirts with yoga style waistbands and a choice of short or maxi length. No elastic to mess with – just four seams. When I saw how easy they were, I knew that it was the perfect pattern for my daughter to learn how to use my machine. Normally she sews on her machine.

Kid Sewing, Chloe Skirt

This time though, she was able to use my machine (which has a stretch stitch) to sew herself a knit maxi. Two long straight seams (the sides), one short straight seam (the waistband), and one seam to attach the waistband (I did help with that – stretching and sewing takes some practice although I’m sure with some guidance she could’ve done it herself). I also did the hem – a rolled hem on my serger.

Chloe Skirt, Sewing with Kids

Maxis are everywhere now and they are so comfy!

Maxi Chloe

We don’t do the matching thing very much, but with something this easy & this comfy how could we not?

Matching Chloes

Short version of the Chloe and the Grace top.

Maxis are perfect for summer weather – lightweight knits make a cool and breezy skirt while still being modest even if you’re chasing after kids!

My version of the Women’s Chloe

Both of these patterns are free – no codes needed, no joing a Facebook group, just follow the links and “buy” the patterns! Then come back and show me what you made.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.