lego tee - a tutorial

Boys are so hard to sew for. It's just the way it is. Almost 5-year-old boys with definite opinions about their apparel - darn near impossible.
Luckily - I knew how to weasel my way into his wardrobe!! Appeal to his love of LEGOs!!!!!
Want one of your own?

Gather your supplies:
Scrap fabric - solid color
Scrap fun foam - matching color
Thread - matching color
Scissors
Sewing machine
T-shirt (I chose to use a bright green to match the base he builds off of)

First, cut 2 pieces of solid color fabric in the color you want the LEGO to be. I used yellow for best contrast in the pictures. My LEGOs are 2"x4" - depending on how many you are going to put on the shirt, you can make them bigger or smaller.
Then cut a piece of fun foam the same size. A little bigger is ok - just don't go smaller than the fabric!!
Then on one of the fabric pieces draw 8 circles with a washable marker or pencil. Trace around a dime, freehand, whatever will fit best.

Now, make yourself a fun foam and fabric sandwich. See the layers in the front there - fabric on bottom & top, fun foam in the middle.
Head on over to your sewing machine, set it to free motion and stitch the circles. If you're still a novice sewer & don't have a free motion setting, just be ready to make a lot of turns as you stitch your circles!! You might want to make your stitch length a little shorter than usual too. It helps later, trust me.
When you're done with the circles, clip any dangling threads on the front. Flip it over, and slice up the back. You should now have eight "squares" with circles inside of them.
Fun foam rips pretty easily once you get it started - your stitches will have perforated it enough. Keep on ripping until the only fun foam is sandwiched between the two layers of fabric.
Flip it over, and there's your LEGO!!!!
Line up all your LEGOs on your shirt and pin them in place. I chose not to use anything to iron them in place considering the whole fun foam melting possibility. ;)

Zig zag stitch around the edges of your LEGOs and trim random threads as needed.
Give it to your LEGO-maniac, listen to him declare that the shirt is too big, make him model it anyway, and be thankful that you have a little girl who is too young to argue with how you dress her! And oh yeah, he is SO wearing it at his party. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.Make as many LEGOs as you want - whatever colors you want. Change your measurements, change your LEGO size to be a 2x2 block - your options are limitless!!

finishing up the dresses! (x4)

Well - unfortunately, most of my pictures were fuzzy. Ah well. You'll get the idea.

So - the dress is done, time to do the finishing touches. You marked the buttonholes, right? Time to get to it then. My sewing machine is (thankfully) pretty automated about the whole thing. Good luck if yours isn't. I've never really done them manually, so don't have any tips. Sorry. One tip - I usually do it on a scrap fabric first, and try buttoning the button (still on the card) through the hole. I just want to make sure it's the right size before I do it on the real fabric.

Then it's time to open up those buttonholes. One thing a seam ripper is good for that isn't frustrating! (unless you go too far....)Then of course, time for the buttons (you marked them right?) - if not, line up the buttonholes and mark through the holes.

And I've finally got four beautiful daisy dresses... all lined up and ready for four cute little girls!!!(amazing photo shoot coming soon, I hope!)

making it, sewing it

TIME TO SEW! My favorite part! I'm actually going to make four jumpers, different sizes and different colors. It's taken me a while to get them all cut & marked. But I'm ready to go and excited to see how they turn out!

Staystitching... just stitching, closer to the edge than the seam allowance. Don't ask me why they don't just say "stitch here".

Press seams open - it lays nice and flat and doesn't bulk up the seams. Quite an adjustment for me as opposed to quilting.
Pin - it really does help. I have spent years trying to avoid it, but it all comes down to this - it is straighter, neater, and I am more pleased with the end result when I pin. (oh, how I hate to admit it.)

Trim seams - why do they make us? Why don't they just make a smaller seam allowance? I DON'T KNOW! (yes this is me sitting at my sewing table with the fabric falling off my lap. Sometimes I trim by the t.v.)
Clip & flip - SO helpful to clip the curves when you flip it and press it. It decreases bulk (as if trimming the seams wasn't enough?) and make the fabric actually curve when/where you want it to. Just don't trim the seam you just stitched. Better not to clip in low light or late at night, I have found. just sayin'. :) Whether you clip actual wedges or just slits - I see it as a matter of personal preference. This is my favorite tool for flipping - it helps smooth the edges and can be shoved into skinny places. Some people use chopsticks. There's a variety of options out there, just find something that works for you!
Time to press - ahhh... you're starting to see results now. YAY! Sometimes the pattern calls for "topstitching" - the really close to the edge stitching. It helps keep facing from flipping inside out, or just kind of adds a finished detail. In these dresses I'm not going to do it, but it can be a nice touch.
We'll add the finishing touches (buttons!) in a couple of days. (Remember, I'm doing 4 of these dresses, folks!)

marking and making

You thought it was time to sew, right? Sorry, one more little step first. Time to check your markings. Trust me, it's easier now!

First - Check and make sure you've snipped all the triangle spots.
Second - Check for buttonholes. Use a pencil, pen, or special marking pencil. Put the dots where they tell you to.
Third - are there any fold lines, hem lines, or any other special points to match up? Best to check now. Trust me, I've tried to go back later and it's easier now!!!

Just a couple more tips before we start sewing...
* Read through the directions. Even if you're confused, read through it all.
* Look through all your notions again... won't it be pretty once it's all put together?

We'll be starting our sewing in a couple of days. Don't be afraid. It'll be fun!

layout and cutout

Now you're home and you have your pattern, your fabric, your notions, and the overwhelming urge to go eat chocolate. (go ahead, I'll still be here.)

Cutting is probably my least favorite part. So let's buzz through it fast and get to the rest of the fun stuff!!! (Cutting quilts is fun for me, cutting patterns for clothes - not so much.)

Get out all your supplies - fabric, pins, pattern pieces, and a good pair of scissors. I've heard that some people use a rotary cutter. I'll explain later why I still use scissors.

How do you know which pattern pieces to use? Well - you open up the pattern of course. There should be a place that shows all the different pattern pieces included in the envelope. Remember how you picked a "view" that you're going to sew? ("dress A") Find that listing, and notice all the pieces that go with it.
Then sort through all the flimsy pattern papers and get the pieces you need. In this particular pattern, some of the pieces are for all sizes, some pieces are for specific sizes. So READ carefully! I then cut out the pieces I'll need and try to fold the rest of the pattern papers back up and shove them in the envelope. That way I don't get (as) confused about which pieces I'll need for my garment.

Once you have all your pieces, move on down to the fabric layout part of the pattern. It will tell you how to put the pieces for 45" or 60" fabric. Usually you will have the fabric folded in half lengthwise as you start laying out the pieces. However, sometimes you have to refold to accomodate pieces that are too big, or need to be on a fold. The pattern writers also usually put a different design on the drawing if you're supposed to put the pattern piece upside down. They get paid to do this. Pay attention to what they say - it will be worth it in the long run. Other pieces you might need to cut 2 or 4 of. Once again, read carefully. It should be listed in the fabric layout picture, and written on the actual pattern paper piece.


OK - so for example, this is piece #2 - the Back of Dress A. I am going to cut 1, and I am going to make sure it is on a fold line. See the arrow at the top? I've got to line it up with the fold. This particular piece is for all the sizes included in the pattern. So this is why I use scissors. If I was just making one size, or planned to never use this pattern again, it would be a LOT easier to use a rotary cutter. However I love this pattern and plan to use it often, so I know that I want to use scissors and not cut away some of the other size lines. I suppose if I was bored, I could trace each size onto another piece of pattern paper, and have my own sets - but I don't have time for that.

So - I just pin where they say to pin. See at the corner where I put the pin? Sometimes I get distracted while I'm cutting. I'm sure that never happens to you. haha. To help myself along, I try and pin close to the cutting line for the size I'm making.


As for the cutting - just follow the line! Lift up or fold back the paper where you can if you're trying to save the pattern to use again - or just cut it all off. Either way, cut as precisely as you can. Those little triangles are going to be helpful later on, so make sure when you see triangles pointing in, you make similar snips pointing out. See how I did the double triangle thing? You don't have to be exact about that, just be consistent. My mom sometimes doesn't do the triangles, she just snips a perpendicular line or two about 1/4" long. It's just a way to mark the fabric and to help you line up the pieces later - use whatever way works for you!

Once you think you're done cutting, just do a quick double check that you've cut all the pieces (including interfacing if needed!) and then you'll be good to go for our next step.

Ready to sew yet???!!!

(click here for the rest of the pattern tutorial)

picking the fabric & notions

My favorite part - picking the fabric! YAY!

Well of course you've already inspected the back of the pattern. Did you see underneath the big paragraph is a complex grid.
Once again - make sure you're looking at the right view "Dress A". Make sure you're looking at the right size - and check out the yardage required. This particular dress called for a contrasting fabric too. Check for yardage on interfacing.
Time to browse all the beautiful fabrics. ahhh... let's take a moment....

OK. Now back to business... Before you head up to the cutting counter, read the label on the end of the bolt. Is this fabric appropriate for the pattern? For example, if the pattern says (in that BIG paragraph at the beginning) that it is just for knit fabric, DON'T buy a woven. Trust me, I know from experience. (right mom? ha.)
If you're really nervous about it, you can buy a little extra. However, I have never had a problem being short on fabric. (Quilting, that's another story.)

Next choices - thread and notions. Look at that paragraph on the back of the pattern, and grab what you need. Thread - go a little darker rather than lighter if it's hard to match the fabric color exactly. Buttons - try and stay close to the size listed. If the most ADORABLE buttons are just a little bigger or smaller, it's probably o.k. Just don't go for a 7/8" button when it says 3/8". It just won't fit and will look silly. They picked that size for a reason.

When you get home with your fabric, decide what kind of seamstress you're going to be. Are you going to prewash? Iron? Or just go for it. It's really up to you how particular you want to be. I usually tend to just iron it if it's really wrinkled or not folded in half properly.

Coming up next... layout and cutting!!

(click here for the rest of the pattern tutorial)