Link page for Quiet Books

I have done several posts on the topic of Quiet Books, and then I have trouble finding them all again - let alone the trouble anyone else would have. So this post simply gives you links to all of them in one easy place!

Layered A line dress

I bought some lovely 100% cotton fabric while I was in Southern India, including this pretty digital print in lilac and pink. I probably knew as I bought it which of my 4 grand-daughters would be the most keen to have this, and I also knew she would want something that would spin.

This started as an A-line dress, cutting it off at high hip level to make an A-line bodice,. Then I added two curved layers, the topmost layer being about three quarters of a circle, and the bottom one more curved than the first layer (it was more than a full circle). I had in mind the idea of the opposite of a black hole shape, I believe called a white hole. I'm not enough of a mathematician to understand the geometry, but I think it's that each of the bottom circles is wider than the one above, increasingly so. That's the sort of effect I wanted to achieve!

To design the layers, I took off the part of the A-line pattern below the bodice and applied the 'Slash and Spread' method to make it even more flared for the first layer, and then redrew and slashed and spread again to increase the flare on the bottom layer. 

 I gave the bodice part a central back seam, so that I could provide a good neck opening. As this was woven fabric, it wasn't going to pull over her head without a neck opening . Here's the back, showing that seam.

And here's the front, showing the neck facing. I designed the neck facings by drawing round the neckline and armholes of the bodice front and back patterns, and then drew a bottom hemline for the facing by eye, to give a nice curved shape.

There is just a very narrow hem on the bottom layer, about 1/4" and 1/4" turned in.

I don't have a serger / overlocker, but I had bought an overlock foot for my sewing machine, and I thought it worked quite neatly on the seam finishing.

The tab fastening (with a plastic snap fastener) was sewn in between the neck facing and the bodice.

Here's the finished dress. 

And here's the proof it spins!

  

More Masks for the Family

I'm on my second round of making face masks for the family (or Fabric Face Coverings, as we are now required to call them). This time, I've included some for the children, even though under 11s will not be obliged ro wear them. I'm now concentrating on the 2 patterns I've found most useful, one for great fit, one for speed. And trying to make them more interesting with my fabric choices.

Find out more about my two 'most useful' patterns (pictured here), including links to the free patterns and tutorials, in the rest of this post. I will also reflect on how we've made them work best for us.

Adding sleeves to an A-line dress (or any dress!)

I make lots of A-line dresses fror my grand-daughters, but there are times I want sleeves. Either it's winter - or the two fair-skinned girls need at least their shoulders covered to protect them from sunburn.

There are several different ways you can add sleeves to an A line dress. However, it will depend on the pattern you use as to how easy this will be. I have found a number of A-line patterns which already have sleeves, but some do not really work, because the pattern author/designer has just added a sleeve to a sleeveless dress pattern without really taking account of the shape of the armscye. Often sleeveless dresses have a more cutaway armhole than you would have in a dress intended to have sleeves. So it's not always straightforward. But it can be done! If you'd like to vary A line dresses so you don't have bare shoulders, read on!

A new lease of life - a circular skirt dress

I'd had some fabric in my stash for some time, unpicked from a outgrown circular skirt previously worn briefly by a teenager. I'd always thought of it as an abstract or mad gonk pattern, but one of my granddaughters was taken by it and though it was llamas, and she asked for a 'spinny' dress. Here's the result. 

Read on for how I made this.

Pattern Review - MBJM Crowning Glory

This was another project that comes under the heading of 'scrap busting', though it was mainly that I wanted a nice little personal present for my grand-daughter's third birthday. We hadn't really been able to see much of her (out of a window, mainly) during lockdown, and although we were getting her some Lego sets, I really wanted a small personal touch as well. I'd had the Made By Jack's Mum Crowning Glory free PDF pattern for some time but to be honest had not taken much notice of it up to this point. There always seemed to be actual clothes to make, or face masks, or something else 'important'. But now seemed the ideal opportunity to try out this pattern. Here's the result. For the link, and my pattern review, read on!

Pattern Review and lengthening tutorial - Little Lizard King Raleigh Top

The Raleigh from Little Lizard King was a new-to me-pattern recently. You can tell I liked it, because I made two the first day I found it! It's really a very quick make. It has nice clear instructions, and comes in sizes 12 months to 14 years. However (as I'm afraid I so often do) I amended it somewhat to suit my granddaughters (and their mothers). But my alterations have been so admired I thought I'd write them up. 

To find out how I did it, read on.

Lockdown tops

I seem to have been making a lot of tops for the girls during lockdown. The one saving grace for us in this awful period has been that we have had very nice weather, for the most part. So tops to go with summer trousers and shorts have been the most demanded items by two grand-daughters, Jane and Ada (and shorts - but that's for another post). 

 

 

Read on to find details of the patterns used (all of them free), or links to my posts about making them.

Shirred top or dress with elasticated straps - a tutorial

I've numerous tutorials for shirred dresses and tops (see bottom of post for suggestions). I've even made several in my time. But I know that most of my granddaughters hate tie strap shoulders, and I've never yet# seen a tutorial with anything else. So it was time to make up my own, and here I present: the shirred dress or top with elasticated shoulders.

# See footnote to blog