Trendy Tunic for Girls - New Options!

Pattern - Love Notions Trendy Tunic for Girls
Skill Level - Confident Beginner
Fabric - l'oiseau fabrics
Skills - seam matching

When Tami from Love Notions announced that she was going to re-vist the Trendy Tunic for Girls to add more sizes and options, I was right onboard!  My daughter-in-law has told me it's one of her favourite tops for her daughter.  I definitely wanted to make more!

The Trendy Tunic is a shirt that has built-in fabric blocking and that means that you can use those precious scraps you've been loath to throw away.  It has pockets - yay for pockets!  There are options for short dolman sleeves and inset 3/4 and long sleeves.  The updated pattern now gives you a hood and a cowl.  Now isn't this just typical Love Notions - options galore!

The sewing itself is straight forward and as usual with Love Notions patterns, if there's anything at all tricky involved, there is extra assistance to help you and this pattern is no exception - there's a video to help with the pockets.

The pattern was perfect for a l'oiseau fabrics remnant I'd been sitting on for some time.  This unique border print was only 52 cm long and the only thing I'd been able to think of before was a gathered skirt - but that wouldn't show off the Amsterdam street scene.  Hooray for the Trendy Tunic which was exactly right to display the border!  And I had scraps of the perfect turquoise cotton/spandex for the accent pieces.

But I'd like to share something I've learned to help make that seam matching go a little easier!  I have struggled with matching seams in the past - my serger wants to push the top piece of fabric past the bottom fabric.

So now what I do is match those seams and put a pin in right away.  I run a basting stitch in just that portion of the seam on the 3/8" seam line.

Then I take it to the serger and serge as usual.

The seam is perfect!  And just what you need when you have a super pattern like the Trendy Tunic which has seam matching for the shoulders and the sides.

So now my granddaughter has a couple of new Trendy Tunics and I have plans for more!  If you already have the pattern, you can download the updated version from your account on the Love Notions website.  If you don't already have this pattern, you can get it through my affiliate link below.

Love Notions Trendy Tunic for Girls sizes 2T - 16

Sewing for the Christmas Bazaar

Right off, I have to warn you - we're not talking big bazaars here.  I live on a tiny island with a year-round population of about 350 souls so our Christmas Bazaar is pretty small, too.  Google Thetis Island and you'll see what I mean - I think we have 9 miles of roads!  This was my second Christmas Bazaar, although I do take part in our little summer markets. My stall was all children's wear so I'd like to tell you how I prepared for our Christmas Bazaar.

Know your Clientele

While the summer markets see a lot of summer holidayers and boaters, the Christmas Bazaar caters mainly to islanders and there are a lot of doting grannies and aunties!  I make special things for the Christmas Bazaar.  Grannies aren't looking for run-of-the mill clothes they can buy anywhere - they want something unusual!  I do have some basic things for my stall, but I also have a number of things made with amazing panels from the Netherlands imported by l'oiseau fabrics in Calgary, Canada.  You won't find these clothes anywhere else!

Here's a tunic I made using the L'il LDT pattern.

The back side is just as adorable.  The L'il LDT was just perfect for this panel with the width displaying the beautiful features of the pattern.

Grannies just love dresses for girls and the Prisma Dress in the A-Line option is perfect for those longer panels.

Again - just as amazing on the back!

Keep it Simple

You don't need to make extra work for yourself - choose basic patterns.  Some of my favourites for girls are:    L'il LDT   Prisma Dress    Sloane Sweater.  For boys, Vanguard Kit can be adapted so many ways - and I've used it for girls, too.

This shirt is from the Vanguard Kit.

These panels were huge - about 60" wide and almost a yard and a quarter long with enough to get the front and back for this size 7 shirt.

Little guys can have panels, too - here's a size 2 Vanguard Tee that uses the colour blocked sleeves to bring in the details of the panel.

It doesn't have to be a panel to make an amazing garment.  Here is the Sloane Sweater for Girls in a hooded shirt using a cosy jacquard knit to make it special.

And the versatile Sloane produced this yoked shirt - using remnants I had on hand.  Take a close look at the navy and white pattern - it's all sewing supplies!

Be Economical with your Fabric

I tend to be a scrap hoarder and keep bits that I think someday might be useable - I can't bear to throw away those gorgeous fabrics!  Again, Vanguard Kit to the rescue!

This wonderful digital print is no longer available and the Vanguard Kit's tee with its colour blocking was the perfect pattern to make use of the scraps.

Take Care of the Details

You are sewing for customers, so things need to be right.  Make your hems precise, neckbands just right, finish the seams properly.

With the foxes shirt, I machine-basted the colour blocked bits of the sleeve before I took it to the serger to make sure that the seams matched.

Just a little extra step, but it makes all the difference.

The end result is a shirt you're proud to have on your stall!

Prepare to Have Fun!

I had a great time - sold everything pictured above plus others and got several commissions.

Christmas Bazaars (and summer markets!) are lots of fun - it's a chance to catch up with neighbours and friends, gossip with other stallholders and just enjoy yourself - so make sure you do!  And if you sell some stuff - great.  You now have money to buy more fabric!

You can get these patterns through my affiliate links below if you don't already have them in your collection:

L'il LDT for Girls 2T -16
Sloane Sweater 
Prima Dress
Vanguard Kit 2T - 14

And be sure to check out all the creative bloggers taking part in the tour for ideas to help with your own Christmas preparations:

Monday: Handmade Boy The Wholesome Mama Four seasons and a Roadtrip Sew Shelly Sew

Tuesday: Third Shift Creations Handcrafted by RED All Things Katy!

Wednesday: My Heart Will Sew On Ma Moose Seamly Behaviour

Thursday: Sprouting JubeJube Very Blissful Sew Like a Sloth SewSophieLynn

Friday: Back40life Sewing Curves Princesse et trésors Ruby Rue Creations

Making Pleats - with a fork???

Pattern - Prisma from Love Notions
Fabric - unknown polyester knit from Fabricland
Skill - pleating with a fork

I did promise to show how to make pleats with a fork, didn't I!  When we were testing, our designer, Tami Meyer, found a video on making pleats with a fork.  It looked so ingenious, I wanted to try it out.  Of course, your fork must be the right size!  My fork was slightly less than an inch in width which was the perfect width to make the 1" pleat that the Prisma pleated skirt calls for.

When you have your skirt piece ready, reserve the first half inch for the side seam.  Set your sewing machine to a basting stitch and secure a couple of stitches in place. Start with the fork facing you and slide the fabric in between a couple of tines - as shown above.

Now turn the fork towards yourself (counter clockwise) until it's flat on the sewing machine.  This creates your pleat.

Slide the pleat towards your half-inch mark.  Subsequent pleats will slide up beside to the pleat before as shown above.  While you are sliding the pleat into place, make sure that the pleat is square and the edge of your fabric is straight across the right side.

Now continue the basting stitch along, catching the pleat with a couple of stitches.  Then stop to make the next pleat.

Continue catching the fabric with the fork, turning the fork to create the pleat and stitching to secure the pleat until you have come to the end of the fabric.

This is not the most exact way to make pleats, but it's certainly quick!  No marking - except possibly for the first half inch.  I found a number of videos on the Internet, but most of them formed pleats in the opposite direction which I discovered sometimes caught on the sewing machine's foot.  And if you find yourself sewing lots of pleats, there are even tools for this.  Using a fork is just so much more fun!

Love Notions' Prisma - with a woven skirt?

Pattern - Love Notions Prisma
Fabric - l'oiseau fabrics - Solids Basic charcoal,  Fabricland - woven rayon
Skill - pleats

 Love Notions' new Prisma - a drop-waisted dress for girls.  Versatile in the extreme, Prisma offers 3 sleeve lengths, 3 neck options and A-line, flared and pleated skirts in sizes 2T to 16.  I was assigned the pleated skirt option with a scoop neck.  During the testing process a question was asked about the skirt - could it be made from woven fabric?  I immediately thought, "Yes!"  Provided the fabric chosen was appropriate, there was no reason that it wouldn't work and I decided to give it a try.

My chosen fabrics were cotton/spandex knit from l'oiseau fabrics for the bodice and short sleeves with a woven rayon for the pleated skirt.

The pattern piece for the skirt is very clearly marked and in no time at all the pleats were pinned into place.  You can find a video tutorial for making the pleats on the Love Notions website.  A half inch space is left open at each end so that the front and back of the skirt can be joined.  Later I learned of another way to make the pleats - a method involving a fork!  But that is a post for another time.

Now to the sewing machine.  With a long basting stitch, I sewed the pleats down taking care the pleats weren't disturbed on the back side.

Using a woven for the skirt worked out extremely well - no stretch at all and the skirt fits perfectly to the bodice piece.

Next step - pin the skirt to the bodice front, right sides together.

On to the serger - serge the seam.  Then repeat for the other skirt and back bodice pieces.

After the front and back have been joined at the shoulder, the sleeves have been serged in place and the neckband added, it's time to serge the side seams.  And at this step, it's important to change your serger's differential - N through the woven material and 1.5 through the knit.

Almost done!  Pin the hems for the skirt and sleeves and finish - I decided to go with a reverse coverstitch with thread in the looper to match the rust in the skirt.

And that's all there is to it!  I still have to press the pleats although they look lovely unpressed as well.  The Prisma is a versatile pattern with a little something for everyone.  Quick, easy and adaptable - what a great pattern!