Twirly Top Tutorial

Nothing like a little bit of alliteration to make a good title!

I sewed up a shirt for my daughter the other day and was asked about a tutorial, so here it is!
This is the original one....



I originally decided to make it because she has a cute polka dot one we bought and I loved it so much I decided to make it. Then in the process of making it I realized it was exactly like the little dresses I made her way back when I first started sewing. It comes together so quickly, I think it usually takes me an hour to an hour and a half. In fact, it'll probably take you longer to read this tutorial than it will to actually make it.

First we need to draft the bodice piece.  You can get the rough shape from a shirt that fits your kid.  This is what I use for my girl who wears a 2T/3T.



Once you have  your bodice piece cut out 4 pieces with the tall side (the left side in this picture) on the fold, making sure the fabric stretches side to side.



Set those aside.  My straps measure 6.5"x2", cut two straps.




 For the bottom of the shirt, measure around your child's chest, mine is 20".  Divide that number by 3.14 (20/3.14=6.37) Then divide that number by 2 (6.37/2=3.18) When using a knit fabric I round down, so my final number is 3. This will be the radius of the inner circle.  Determine the length you want the bottom part to be.  Mine is 9". Add the radius of the first circle to this number, (9+3=12).  This is the radius of the outer circle.

Take your fabric and lay it out, folded in half.  I make a compass using my measuring tape, a pin, and a marker. Draw your outer circle by placing a pin and the measurement of your outer circle, and pin it down.  You want the flat part of the circle along the fold.  Take a marker and draw the outer half circle (half because it's on the fold).



Now do the same for the smaller circle.  Make sure you pin it in the same place so the inner circle is centered.  I usually make a little dot.



Cut along the lines, and unfold.  This is the bottom of the shirt.






Here's all the pieces cut out, 4 bodice pieces, 2 straps, and the bottom.



 Take one of the straps and fold it in half lengthwise wrong sides together, then sew down the long edge.



Turn it right side out and topstitch down both long sides.



Repeat with the other strap.





Now take one bodice piece and lay it right side up. Position the traps so they are lined up with the top edge, and just a little bit in from the side so they don't get caught in the stitching.



 Take another bodice piece and lay it right side down on top of the other one, sandwiching the straps in between.  Pin the straps to keep them from shifting.



Now we're going to sew along the curves and across the top.



Start where my fingers are, don't sew the short sides or the bottom.  After you sew up one curve, across the top, and down the other curve, turn it right side out and top stitch, again skipping the short sides and the bottom.



Now take one of the other bodice pieces and lay it right side up, and place the loose ends of the straps like you did the first ones.



 Put the last bodice piece on top, sandwiching the straps again.





And repeat the sewing and top stitching.



Now decided which side is going to be the "wrong side" of the shirt, and which will be the right side.  With wrong sides facing out, sew the short sides together.




Now to attach the bottom to the bodice.  Take both the skirt and the shirt and place pins equally spaced on both.  I usually do it quarters, so 4 pins.  Take the skirt and turn it inside out.  Place the bodice upside down inside the skirt, with the bodice's right side against the skirt's right side. Line up the pins, and pin them together.  Then sew all the way around the circle, attaching the bodice to the bottom part.  Make sure you are catching all three layers (the two bodice layers and the skirt layer) when you are sewing around.



This is the wrong side of the skirt on top, pinned to the bodice.

Once you finish sewing pull the bodice of the shirt out of the top of the bottom skirt part. 

 

Turn it right side out and all that is left to do is finish the bottom edge of the skirt.  I prefer a rolled hem because it's quick and easy. You could also leave it raw if you are using a knit.



Now admire your fancy new top! I hope the tutorial was clear, let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them. 

Refashioned shirts

A few days ago I posted this picture....


Four shirts I picked up on clearance at Walmart for three bucks each.  Total of $12 dollars.  Here is the after shot-

 

Kiddo shirts at wallys and target are usually $4-$6.  By purchasing the adolescent shirts on clearance and then refashioning them I was able to get four shirts and a skirt for the same price as two or three tops.   The neckline on the butterfly shirt stretched out when I was sewing it so it looks kinda wonky in the picture, but I am going to see if adding snaps in the back will fix that.  Even if it doesn't though, I still got a super cute skirt out of that shirt! 

Looking back

I was looking through my old pictures the other day and came across the pictures of my early sewing products and thought I'd share them on here.  When I first started out I thought I'd never be able to sew the cute stuff I saw other women sew, but here I am sewing up clothes for my girl.  Its pretty awesome to look back and see how far I've come.


Heehee, my first project ever, baby leg warmers.



 bwahahah!  my first attempt at pants....


First diaper attempt


One of my first skirts



My rough-draft dress


More dresses, once I got my pattern figured out

A much improved diaper


Early shirt...


Shirt and skirt set

;

Shirt and pants
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overlapping collar shirts...


And now dresses like these.  I made this one tonight. I never thought I'd get to here.  If you had shown me this dress a year ago and asked me if I'd ever be able to sew it, I'd have laughed and told you No Way. So if you are just starting out to sew and getting frustrated or feel like you're never going to advance, don't lose hope!  I still have a lot to learn and long ways to go, and this dress isn't really anything special, but when I look back at some of my earlier projects it sure does make me proud to see the progress I've made.

A mish mash.

I've been terribly neglectful of my blog.  Only 1 post in October, and none for November until today- the 23rd.  I have actually been busy though.

A recent picture of Mercy and I, showing off the back-carry in our mei tai

I am in the process of enrolling in the local community college, right now I'm just waiting to hear back about financial aid.  The first year for the most part is going to be pre-reqs like math, science, lit, and writing. I want to become a lactation consultant.  To do that I need to take a bunch of medical classes, and to take those I need to take a bunch of math/science classes.  I only just recently (relatively) decided I wanted to pursue a career as a LC.  In the time span of about 2 days I had several different people come to me for breastfeeding advice, and I was able to provide them the information they wanted.  It was pretty awesome and made me realize that its something I would love to be able to do for more people.

The same goes for car seat safety. I've also been looking up information on becoming a Child Passenger Safety Technician.  I'm very passionate about car seat safety, I've been made fun of over how important it is to me, but its not something I will apologize for.  Its a very important aspect of parenting, and sadly one that many parents are uneducated about.  7 out of 10 child seats are being improperly used. I'd love it if I could do something to help bring that number down.  Unfortunately the next class in my area won't be until March so I'll have to wait til then.

Enjoying her buckle block.

 Other than that (and child rearing) I've been doing quite a bit of sewing.  I made a toy for my daughter, it is a soft block, but because she absolutely LOVES buckles (like on high chairs, or in grocery carts, or the chest clip on her car seat) I decided to add some buckles to the block so she wasn't constantly asking me to take her to the car so she could buckle her baby doll into her seat.  She loves the block and it certainly occupies her for a good amount of time.

Matching shirt and skirt

I also learned how to sew shirts and have been having fun sewing them for my girl, and also matching pants.  I even ended up sewing up some things for people other than my child this past couple weeks.  A family friend asked that I sew her daughter some pants, and I also received an order for 3 diapers that have been sewn up and sent off to their new home.  Unfortunately I lost the memory card for my camera so the pictures of my crafts are all from my cell phone, and I didn't get a picture of the diapers before they left.

So there is just a general update on what I've been up to, I hope everybody else out there is doing well and hopefully I'll be able to get back on the ball of posting regularly.

Don't be a weaner!

I need this shirt!




(Available HERE)



I love cafepress. Tons of awesome shirts with  sayings about anything you can think of.  My favorites are the cloth diaper and breastfeeding ones.






(from The Luscious Lactivist.)






and of course, for my husband-