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Brunch Blouse – easy hacks

September 14, 2017

In true P4P fashion, we have a few easy, fun hacks for the Brunch Blouse. Grab the pattern here and get creating!

. . . . .

Color Block Dress

First off I will show you how to achieve a color block look with the dress option of the Brunch Blouse. You can use the same principles for the top option, you will just need to adjust some measurements. Start by printing the pattern in the size you need. Now grab a ruler and some scissors or a rotary cutter (for paper only 😉 ) because we’ll do some cutting.

Take the front pattern piece and mark 1.5″ down from where the dart mark is. Now draw a horizontal line (perpendicular to the center fold). Measure the distance between this line and the bottom of the dress.

Divide the length in half and draw a horizontal line at the half way mark. You have now split the front in 3 separate pieces.

Measure the side seam from the bottom to the bottom colorblock line. Take your back piece and measure up on the side seam the same amount and mark it. Now draw a horizontal line on the back piece. We will be measuring the front middle part side seam now. Mark the point on the back piece from the bottom colorblock line to whatever the measurement was for the middle front side piece. Draw a horizontal line front that marking point. You have now color blocked your back pattern pieces too, making sure that they will line up beautifully with the front color block pieces. Great job!

We will now cut the fabric. DO NOT FORGET THE SEAM ALLOWANCE! Since we are only dealing with straight color blocking lines, I will show you the easiest way to add SA. Simply use a quilter’s ruler and cut away 1/2 from the newly designed pattern pieces. Remember you need to add seam allowance only to the colorblock parts, NOT the center fold or side and middle back seam. Those seam allowances are already included in the pattern.

Once you have all your pieces cut (3 for the front, 6 for the back) you will start sewing them together. First sew the front top to the front middle (RST) with 1/2″ seam allowance, serger your raw edges and optionally top stitch. You will now sew the front bottom to the front middle, right sides together. You now have your front piece ready. Repeat the process for the back pieces. Remember that the back of the Brunch Blouse is not cut on fold so you will end up with two mirrored back cuts.

Finish sewing your BB dress as per the tutorial instruction. How easy and fun was that? You can get creative with your color blocking…just imagine a beautiful ombre blouse, or a blouse with lace overlay for the top colorblock. The possibilities are endless.

. . . . .

Belt Loops and Sash Hack

This hack is super easy but a fun option for a different look than the normal Brunch Blouse!  You can do this hack with any option except the one that already includes the waist tie.


1. First, sew up your blouse/dress as usual.  Make sure to mark the notches on the side seams, add a pin as well after you’ve sewn the side seams so that you can still see where the notch is.

2. To make the sash, refer to this cut chart based on your size.  Cut two.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Right sides together, sew the short ends together.  Press open and finish edges.

 

4. Right sides together, sew the long edges now, but leave 2″ unsewn in the middle.  This is how you’ll turn it right side out when you’re done.

 

5. Iron the short edge over to form a triangle.  Now sew here to make the pointed edge, and trim the seam allowance down to 1/2″.

 

6. Turn right side out, press, and topstitch as close to the edge as you feel comfortable.  When you get to the 2″ you left open, align the seam allowance inside and and stitch shut while topstitching.

 

7. For the belt loops, first decide if you want two or three.  I opted for two because I didn’t want one on the back (I just don’t like the feeling).

8. Cut rectangles 3″ x 1.5″ – four for two belt loops or six for three belt loops.

 

9. Stitch along the long edges, right sides together.  Then trim seam allowance to 1/4″.

 

10. Turn right side out, press short raw edges to the back 1/2″. then topstitch down the long edges as close to the edge as you feel comfortable.

 

11. Find the notch on the blouse side seams you marked earlier.  Sew the loops on to the side seams, over the notch, by topstitching the short side 1/4″ from the edge.  If you’d like a loop on the back too, find the middle of the back neckline and use a ruler to find the center back of the blouse from there and attach.

 

12.  Press everything one last time.  Slip in your sash into the loops and wear your new blouse!


~Elisabeth

. . . . .

Front Zipper Hack

 

 

This is a little more intense and involves one of those scary things… you know, a zipper!  Now, if you’ve never installed a zipper this may be a little daunting, but I promise, take it slow, you can do this!

I am using a 7″ (I think?) exposed metal zipper but you can choose your preferred length if you want it shorter or longer.  If you’re choosing this option, do this prior to any other step in completing your top.  So now, let’s get started.

Find center front of neckline and iron on interfacing to wrong side of fabric.
Place top of zipper 1/4″ below raw edge of neckline. If your tails are longer, you can trim them later.
Mark the zipper stop placement on your interfacing.

Draw a 1/2″ rectangle down the center of the front bodice. (this will be your stitch guide)
Cut down the center of the rectangle. Stopping just above the bottom, snip at a 45 degree angle to the corners.
With right sides together, pin zipper in place.

The raw edge of your fabric should line up toward the center of the zipper tape.
Be sure that your zipper stop is aligned with the bottom edge of your rectangle.
Stitch.

View from the front
Flip notch upward and stitch.
View from back of zipper.

Repeat with opposite side. With right sides together, pin zipper to front bodice.
Stitch.
View from back of completed zipper.

View from front. You can stop here and top-stitch if you do not mind the zipper showing inside your item. Proceed to next step if you want to enclose it.
Cut a facing and transfer the markings as previously done in the first few steps.
Finish raw edges. Cut down the center of the facing and snip towards the corner at a 45 degree angle.

Lay the facing right side up on top of the wrong side of your zipper and front bodice.
Flip the facing toward the center so that the right side is now lined up with the wrong side of the zipper. Stitch.
View of left side of facing stitched.

Repeat on opposite side. Stitch.
Pull notch down and stitch in place. (same as you previously did on your main front body).
View from back.

Top-stitch around zipper.
Finish neckline using single fold bias tape as shown in the tutorial.

There you have it!  I hope that wasn’t as difficult as it appears.  If you’re not sure you’re ready to tackle the zipper on your top, try it on a few scrap pieces first.  Practice makes perfect right?


 

We hope you enjoyed the hacks as much as we did.   Don’t forget to share your makes in the Facebook Group, we’d love to see them!  Happy Sewing!

Filed Under: Pattern Hacks, Pattern Release, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Everyday Elegance – easy hacks

July 13, 2017

The Everyday Elegance recently received an update and and we added more options. (Read more about it the re-release here). We could not let this event pass by without showing you some easy hacks that can take your beloved EE to the next level.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Pattern Hacks, Uncategorized 1 Comment

50K Fan Celebration :: Ruched Ankles PegLegs Hack

April 23, 2017

Ahoy Pirates!

Today I’m going to show you how to add some ruching to the ankles of your PegLegs.  This is a super easy way to amp up their cuteness factor and take them to the next level.

For this hack, I’ll be ruching using elastic.  Depending on your preferences, you’ll need about 12″ of braided (non-roll) elastic.  I used 1/2″, though you can also use 1/8″, if you’d prefer.  You will also need matching thread.

1. The first thing you need to do is decide how long you want your line of ruching to be.  For mine, I chose 5″.

2. You’ll need to add length to the pattern to accommodate the fabric the ruching will take up; you’ll add the same number you originally chose.  So for me, the length to add was also 5″.  And now the total ruched amount will be 10″.

3.  Add the extra length at the capri cut line.  To do this, cut your pattern on the capri line, add however many inches you chose earlier.  I added 5″.  Then cut out your leg pieces with this added length, and your choice of waistband.  Your leggings will look crazy long – this is good!

4. I highly suggest hemming the bottom edge now, before ruching.  It will be so much easier this way; I chose to do a faux blind hem with my serger.  Or, let’s be real…if you’re not planning on hemming, then this doesn’t apply to you! 😉

5. Cut your elastic pieces.  To determine the length, add 1″ to your original measurement.  So I cut mine 6″.

6. Now, before you sew up the side seams, find the middle of the piece on the end, and mark it.  Pin/clip your elastic in place in this place, right above your hem.

 

7.  From the marked spot, measure up your total ruched amount, determined in step 2.  My ruched amount was 10″, so I measured 10″ above my marked spot.  Add a pin to this spot as well.

 

8. Now bring the other end of the elastic to the pin and pin it to the fabric.  This is the spot which will be ruched.

 

9. You’ll be sewing the elastic to the fabric now, stretching as you sew.  This can be a little tricky, so I advise you test this out on a scrap before sewing your actual ruched piece.

10. Using a slightly shorter zigzag stitch (my length was 1.8, you may also need to reduce the width as well, I used 2.5), start sewing at the end of your elastic.  Don’t worry about pulling the elastic until you can grab the end of it from behind the presser foot.  This should be about 1/2″ of stitching until you can grab it.

 

11. The trick now is to hold the elastic from the back while you also pull it from the front, as you are sewing (I couldn’t show this while also holding the camera to take this picture). 😉  This way, you can control it pretty well.  I find it helpful to stretch the elastic before sewing, and then pin the middle part to the fabric.  Now you can pull from the pin to the presser foot instead of from the very end.  Once you get to the pin, then pull from end to end until you are finished sewing.  Be sure to backstitch carefully.  Don’t worry about making it absolutely perfect, because the ruching will bunch up quite a bit.

 

12. Now, assemble your PegLegs as usual…sewing the side seams, the waistband, etc.  Good news is you’ve already hemmed!  Or chosen not to…

That’s it – you’re done!  Feel free to play around with different lengths of ruching as well, you may prefer more or less than me.  Also, you can also ruche using elastic thread hand-wound in your bobbin.  With this method, you’d also lengthen your pattern, and then sew a straight line however many inches you added.  I don’t mind using elastic though, since I always have it on hand (not the case with elastic thread!).

Be sure to post your ruching hacks in our Facebook group so we can have all the “heart eyes” for your creations! 😍

~Elisabeth


We are celebrating reaching 50K fans in our Facebook group!  To make it a party, our beloved PegLegs pattern just got an update AND some new add-ons.  Before you go running to your machine to sew up your own leggings, make sure to read our PegLegs 101 blog post.  This way, you’ll have all the the information you’ll need to make the perfect pair before you even cut into your gorgeous fabric.

But wait, there’s more!  After any good party is an after-party.  We are taking it one step further and sharing some easy hacks that’ll bring even more flavor to your favorite leggings pattern!  We hope you check them out, make your new favorite pair of leggings, and know that we appreciate every single one of you amazing sewing guys and gals!

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

Lace Waistband Alternative | Drawstring Waistband Tutorial
Exposed Elastic Waistband | Stirrup Pant Hack
Ruched Ankles Adjustment | Decorative Topstitching Tutorial
Ruched Side Panel Hack

Filed Under: Pattern Hacks 1 Comment

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