My first Re-Make

I had this summer dress I used to wear to the beach pre-children. I would never wear this at my age and after two kids. I've never sewn stretchy knit material before, so I thought I would give it a shot. Once again, I will be learning from my mistakes. Hopefully with my words of wisdom you will learn from me. For this project I recommend using the stretch needle. I don't know if it actually made a difference because my stitching was still wacky, but that is the needle that is recommended.

The before shot.

Cut to the length you want in a straight line. Give yourself a 1 1/2" seam allowance.

Pin over half an inch and sew. Use a walker foot if you have one. If you have a serger machine you wouldn't even have to do this step. Since I don't have a serger and before I read my book on how to sew jersey I did a regular baste stitch. It should be OK because we are going to fold and sew one more time.

Once you finish sewing all the way around, fold again. I used a 1/2 inch elastic so I folded over 1". Sew using the zig zag stitch, but remember to leave a three inch gap.

To guide the elastic, I used a safety pin to push the elastic through the gap. Once you've connected the two elastic ends. Sew them together. Now all you have to do is sew the three inch gap with the zig zag stitch and you are done.

So, I made the skirt for a size 3T. Right now Dylan is only a 2T. So hopefully next summer she will fit the skirt. I had her try it on for fun, but you get the idea.

IPAD Case

Number 14 encouraged me to try and make an Ipad case. The sad part is I never think things through enough. It didn't come out the way I liked, so number 14 may or may not get this particular case. The best part is if you wanted to make this case you don't have to make the same mistakes I did. So here is my advice/tutorial.

Fabric - pick two matching fabrics for the inside and out. So you don't have to use two different threads. If you don't care about the color of the thread showing, even better. I used a thicker fabric for the outside (upholstery fabric) and a light cotton a fabric for the inside lining. You can use batting or any kind of cushion material for the middle.

I cut the three pieces in 21" x 10.5". Completely wrong! Cut it 21" by at least 12.5". Give yourself lots of room. I didn't leave any room for the Ipad hard cover. BOO!
Begin by placing the the two fabrics front facing. Sew all the way around leaving a three inch gap. Once you finished sewing, flip your material out through the gap. Use a knitting stick or letter opener to get the corners out.
Place the Velcro where you would like. Make sure both Velcro's are equal distance from the sides.
Sew all around the sides except the bottom. It's not necessary. A good tip is to have the three inch gap on the bottom portion of the case. This way when you are sewing around the edges, it will be sealed up by the top stitch. Sometimes you'll have overlapping fabric that won't show too badly on the bottom as it would on the top. You'll understand what I mean if you do it.
Because I used a green lining and wanted my front stitch to be pink. I had to use a green thread for my bobbin.
See the two different threads? The top cover of the case will show pink and the lining side will show green. You'll also want to change to the zipper foot. My needle broke midway because the fabric was too thick. I also had to change the needle from a universal needle to a jean/denim needle. That needle is much sharper and can go through thicker material. If I gave myself more width on the material, I wouldn't have to sew so close to the edge which is super thick.
The fit is super snug, which I'm not too thrilled about. I'll have to do another attempt to be satisfied.
CASE CLOSED!