Tutorial: Easy Ginseng Sash Variation

Laura Nash wears Ginseng #LN1516

I like variations. I don' t know about you, but I'm not the type to buy 10 of the same T-shirt, or wear my clothes and matching accessories exactly the same way every time. Maybe that's because I can't remember how or with what I wore it! Even if I like the combination a whole lot, I still can't seem to remember. This can be a problem if I want to dress in a hurry....but on the bright side, I guess this means new ideas are always ready to spill out. So here is another spillage born out of my love for variation!






Those ties do elongate and make us look taller, but why not change it up and turn those long ties into a bow?

Here's how:


 





 Starting with the wider bottom sash, folding in thirds, fold under to meet the waist.

 Now fold the top sash in the same way.

Pinch together turning each section to opposite sides. The smaller sash moves up and outward and the larger tie turns down and toward dress center, giving it a diagonal angle. Adjust so your fingers straddle three sides with the gathering in the center.













Find your prettiest piece of jewelry with a pinning mechanism on the back and pin it all into place.

My pin does not hold all of the gathers, only bits here and there, enough to keep in tacked down and in place on the surface.

Sew Chic Ginseng #LN1516

Here I look as short as I really am (no illusions to help me!), but that's okay because I like the bow and a reason to wear sparkly jewelry is never a bad thing. I can do the elongation another day! What variations can you think of for those sashes? Share with me!

Buy the pattern here: ♥
http://www.sewchicpatterns.com/ginseng.html



Have a great sewing day!

Laura

Mini-Lesson in Matching Plaids

Lat month I joined the IPCA (Independent Pattern Company Alliance). I had planned to tell you about that experience this week, but like a bad journalist I haven't done my homework and interviewed everyone, so you'll have to wait a bit for that post. This week we are making Beatrice with a large scale plaid, so I thought I'd share with you on that topic instead.

If you remember back to my post about the new spring styles, (http://www.sewchicpatterns.blogspot.com/2013/03/spring-styles-unveiled-at-expo.html) you'll recall that Tia was made from my aunts stash fabric. This plaid came from the same place. She was going to make it into a jacket, but I just couldn't see it that way myself. There was just enough fabric for Beatrice  I'll do another post about this dress and the fewchanges that I made, but first let's tackle the job of matching the plaids. I'm going to do this with the back pleat only, but the concept is the same for every pattern piece.


The skirt on our dress has already been sewn together to make it easier to show you how this is to be done:

 

 Here is what the skirt looks like closed. You can see that I've centered the plaid at the center back so that the seam matches with the center of the design.
I need to cut all of my pattern pieces, carefully planning out the plaid placement. Once sewn this opening will become an inverted box pleat.







 If I were to just cut out without regard to the fabric design, this could be the result.

 First, I lay my pattern piece over the top of my skirt with the hem and seams matching. I tack the corners through my fabric and board to keep it from shifting. Using a ruler, I mark the center back and the the outer horizontal lines of my plaid on the pattern.

 I don't have much fabric left.









Oops. Centering the pattern both vertically and horizontally, I'll be missing a chunk.








I think I will move the pattern over, keeping the horizontal line centered, but put the vertical center on the red.

I'm going to slip my fabric under the opening to see if it will look alright. With the horizontal plaid lined up, it looks great.







  





My piece is cut out and ready to pin.

 I want to check that my plaid pattern matches at the seam allowance. Place pins directly to the right (or left) of each strip of color so that it doesn't shift while you sew.

My pleat is complete, and it looks great, don't you think?