lazy susan in knit sew along - day 4

okay ladies...here we are, last and final day! i have heard from  many of you that you are still waiting on knit fabric to come in. while that makes me sad - it also makes me excited that there are still more pictures to come to see what you create!

if you are just now joining in, flip back a few posts to see what all we have been up to this week!

so, the task at hand today is quite possibly my fave part...the DETAILS. i am a sucker for a detail. yes, it takes more time...but if you have noticed, i tend to incorporate them as often as i can. in my opinion, this is the area that you can put your spin on it. this is the time to make it yours. i had a girl tell me one time that she could always tell something i made because there were at least 2 buttons on it somewhere. :) she is right, the girl behind BG has a thing for buttons and my sweet button lady michele at little red cottage keeps me in supply!

first let's talk buttons. buttons are my fave because i feel this is the opportunity to add a splash of color that you may not necessarily find in any of your fabrics, but once added...the color brings all the fabrics together. that was my case here with these shoulder buttons. i felt like the bodice needed more color to balance out all of the vibrant shades on the skirt.

 and then for this dress - i thought the bodice looked naked. it needed something, not much, but just a little extra. and since i knew i had these gorgeous rust pinwheel buttons, i pinned them in place (they are still pinned in place on my dress form, and might actually get sew on in a few months, haha) and voila. the bodice was no longer naked.

now, i will say the one thing you have to be careful with buttons is their weight. especially if you have a gorgeous vintage button (they tend to be heavier) and a thinner knit, that button is going to weigh it down and cause the knit to pull. you certainly don't want that...not even in the name of fashion!

now that we have our buttons covered, let's move right along to my second fave detail. a pocket. pockets are great for a number of reasons, but my fave is that they are great scrap-busters. i have a rule in my sewing room, i NEVER cut a pocket from yardage. when it is time to construct, i grab my scraps and see what i have available. it works for me because it gives me a wider variety of fabrics to go from and helps to cut down on my scraps that i hoard have laying around.

NOTE: i do not recommend adding a pocket on a knit skirt. the weight is too much for the knit and will weight it down/pull the fabric and make it wonky. but if you have a woven skirt...go for the pocket!

there are some awesome pocket tutorials out there on the internet. not kidding. but i will show you here how to make one of my tried and true faves. this guy right here:

 now i am sure it will not surprise you when i tell you this isn't rocket science. :) it really isn't. the rule to a pocket is that if works for the dress and makes you smile, go for it. this one makes me smile. 

draw a rectangle that is 5.25" tall by 5" wide. then on the bottom of the rectangle make a mark that is 2.5" to the left of the right side of the rectangle. 

now, this is the part that isn't rocket science. you will draw a curved line from the top left of the rectangle to the bottom right making sure to square it off around that 2.5" mark as shown above. what i do is make a bunch of marks on the curve and then cut along the middle. does that make sense?? 

once you have your curve how you want it, you are done with pocket pattern construction. the right side of the rectangle has now become your fold line and so for each pocket - you want to cut 2 on the fold.

 now put your 2 pieces right sides together and sew along the curve.

clip your curve and flip right sides out and press. you should now have something that looks like this.

 run a gathering stitch along the top of the pocket and then gather it in to your liking. i like to gather until it has just a little bit of a poof and a slight curve at the top.

 to top off your pocket - i like to go with a piece of knit so that i can leave the edge unfinished and let it curl up to give it a bit more character. however, i will also show you how to do it if you don't have a knit to use or if you want a more finished look.

grab a scrap piece of fabric that is about an inch longer on each side than the gathered edge of your pocket. for this pocket, my piece is 2" wide but this all depends on what you want.

for a finished edge: place your strip right sides together on your pocket about 1/2" down from the top. i usually just line it up under my gathering stitch. no rhyme or reason! pin in place and sew along the edge of your strip.

now, flip the strip up and press along the seam. you can now fold the strip all the way over to the wrong side and then go and top-stitch in place.

 for a raw edge: press your strip in half lengthwise.

 now, place the raw edge of your pocket into the middle seam of your strip.

fold the strip down and pin in place and sew along the edge of the knit as shown below.

take your pocket to the iron and press down the leftover sides of your top strip so that it is flush with the finished edge of your pocket.

 i like to go ahead and secure these side flaps down with a top-stitch.

 this is a better photo of how the knit will flip up on the raw edge of the pocket.

 once that is done, grab a big ole button to put on the pocket if that strikes your fancy, or dress up the edges with rick-rack OR just leave it as is. :) place your skirt on a flat surface and determine placement by giving it the good eyeball and pin in place and sew it down and guess what...

 we are DONE with the lazy susan in knit sew along! i hope you ladies have enjoyed this week and i hope you are more comfortable sewing with knits. more than anything, i cannot wait to see all the awesome you create! don't forget to share your photos in the brownie-goose lovers group on facebook. 

until next time my geese...