*** This was scheduled to post months ago, due to some error, it never went live. So please excuse the delay and inaccurate dates. ***
If you read my last blog post, you heard me talk about how my daughter is constantly growing. Well, as she is getting older, she is requesting different clothing and her needs are starting to change. When we had a recent talk about some new clothing she was feeling she needed, I had these horrid flash backs to my first shopping trips. I decided right then and there that I would try and sew her whatever I could and make things as comfortable for her as I possibly could.
I recently tested the Made for Mermaids Girls Ruby for their release, and my daughter loved it. So we talked and decided to use some Pinkfire Nike Dry-Fit fabric from The Fabric Fairy, and add an extra layer to the Ruby tank. She doesn’t need a whole lot so an extra layer was just the right addition for now.
I’ve never done anything like this and I didn’t have time to do my usual research, since we had an upcoming trip scheduled, so I just winged it. Of course, my machines all acted up, and I was far from happy with the results, but she loves the fit and the fabric and couldn’t care less about the funky, messed up stitching. Just look at this stitching 😂
To keep it simple, I measured down on her body, how far we wanted the extra front layer to sit, then did the exact shape of the front bodice piece, just at that shorter length, for her “shelf bra”. It ended up being about 3″ down from the armscyse.
I used some 1/4″ soft knit elastic, just a little shorter than the width of the bodice, and zig zag stitched it to the bottom of the “shelf bra” layer. Then I folded that raw edge up and when I serged up the shirt sides, I tucked the sides of the shelf bra layer in, to secure the fold. Since it’s folded up, the unfinished raw edge is against the bodice and she has a smooth comfy finish against her skin.
Once I had the shelf bra layer, serged into the side seam with the front and back bodice, I just treated it as one piece with the front bodice and added the neck and arm binding per the pattern directions.
She absolutely loves it and practically lived in it the entire week we were camping recently. This fabric is amazingly comfortable and the moisture wicking properties are perfect for our weather. She fell in love with the fabric base when her Dad and Brother got a bunch of new shirts from other color ways (you can read about their shirts here). I’m thinking I need to rectify the fact that I’m the only one that doesn’t have a shirt in this fabric 😂
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Sew Gr8ful 