Lazy Susan Tutorial: how to add a bow to the neckline

over the years i have had many people ask me what my favorite pattern is. i have a really, really, really hard time answering. this stays true to this day. all of my patterns mean a little something different to me. 

however, if you were to ask what pattern i felt was the most dear to me...i might have an answer for you.

the lazy susan. 

there is just something about the lines of this dress/top that appeal to me over and over again. and, it just might happen to be the most versatile pattern in my collection. the lines are so simple and so classic that you can do so much with it and have it turn out fabulous. i also adore the way louisa looks in a lazy susan, so that too may have some impact on why i hold it so dear. ;)

with all of that said...i want to show you yet another way you can use your lazy susan pattern.

in this blog post, we will learn how to add this adorable bow to the classic neckline of the lazy susan.

i cannot imagine it getting any sweeter than that. oh how i love this variation!

ps - check out that front tooth. it is so loose that it is hanging sideways. the hair on the back of my neck prickles just thinking about it. haha.

first things first - hopefully you already have the pattern. if not - you can find it here in my etsy shop. 

now, make the decision of whether you want to make a dress or a top (the main difference is the bodice length, the top is more empire-waisted and the dress has almost a drop waist). i honestly think this bow will look precious on either! the only additional item you will need for this variation is another 1/4 yard of fabric for your bow neck. you probably wont even use all of that, but add the leftovers to the scrap bin!

just a tid-bit: this is just a tutorial to be used in conjunction with the actual pattern. i will not go into details here on construction or how to make the dress itself. this tutorial only includes instructions on how to add the bow to the neck. 

3/8" seam allowance unless otherwise stated

 

okay - let's get started! grab your outer (not lining) bodice pieces and sew along the shoulder seams as shown by the dotted line. take over to the ironing board and press out those seams. 

take the outer bodice to a flat surface and lay it right sides up. now, here is your time to be the designer. you want to choose a place on the neckline where you want your bow to tie. i chose to put mine a few inches off the left shoulder. you can do the same or swap it to the center or right side. there is NO right or wrong here. place 2 pins about 1/2" apart (the black lines below) in the place you choose for your bow.

now what we are going to do is to measure our neckline for the bow. i will refer to this as your yellow measurement and your blue measurement to avoid any confusion by using lefts and rights. i know this is all super fancy, but follow me here. :) you will want to pull a measurement on each side from the edge of the back of the bodice, around the neck to the place where you have a pin for the bow. these are shown as the blue and yellow lines above. since these areas have some curve to them, grab a string or piece of elastic (this is my method of choice as i always have bits of elastic laying around - but make sure NOT TO STRETCH as you measure) and measure each side. 

for purposes of the tutorial, i will tell you my measurements. please don't confuse these with yours!

yellow = 10"

blue = 7.25"

write those measurements down and grab the strip of fabric you want to use for your bow. decide how wide you want your finished bow. (this translates as how much you want it to stick up off of your neckline) i went with a finished bow of 1". looking back, i wish i would have gone maybe 3/4", but you know what they say about hindsight. once you have determined a finished width, let's get on with our first math equation. ;)

(finished width * 2) + 3/4"

so, for me, since i had a finished width of 1", this was my equation.

(1 * 2) + 3/4 = 2.75"

so, i knew that i would be cutting my bow strips with a width of 2.75". hopefully i haven't lost anyone yet. now, you need to determine the length for your strips. i added 20" to my length for each strip to account for the tying of the bow and some "hang down." this is up to you, although i would suggest giving yourself at least 15" of extra for each strip.

so, back to my yellow and blue measurements and your second equation.

yellow measurement + extra = length of bow strip for yellow side

blue measurement + extra = length of bow strip for blue side

in my case, i came up with:

yellow: 10 + 20 = 30" long

blue: 7.25 + 20 = 27.25" long

now, we will have seam allowances and such taken off of this, but honestly i didn't think it was enough to worry about since it is a bow and will have some excess. trust me here. 

with all that math aside, i now know that i will cut 2 strips for my bow as follows:

yellow side:  30" long by 2.75" wide

blue side: 27.25" long by 2.75" wide

do the same math with your measurements and get ready to cut your strips.

now, let me write a little "aside" here. i did not cut my strips on the bias. my fabric for the bow was a very thin, lightweight voile that had some drape to it. if you are using a fabric that is a little heavier in weight or doesn't drape well, i would recommend cutting on the bias for the bow strip so that it does lay better around your neck. this is totally up to you. i also used lightweight interfacing the first time i did this only to determine it doesn't need it, so for once...the quicker way won with me! hooray.

okay, back to work. grab your yellow measurement strip and fold in half with right sides together. on one end, you will take it over to the machine and stitch at an angle as shown below.

once sewn, clip the edge close to the seam to reduce the bulk once we turn it right sides later.

alrighty, now, place that strip (still right sides together) on a flat surface and measure from the edge of the angle you just stitched out by the amount of your yellow measurement. since my measurement was 10", i have measured out 10".

 place a small mark on the wrong side of your fabric on the raw edge where the measurement comes to.

now, you are going to sew from that mark you made all the way down the raw edge to the end and finish with an angle just as you did before. make sure to clip the edge along the angle that you sew just as you did with the other end to reduce bulk.

basically, you will the sew the strip together at an angle at both ends and along the long edge. you will NOT SEW the strip along the amount for your yellow measurement. i am afraid i may need more coffee because i think i am making this sound harder than it is. be right back. ;)

once sewn, you want to clip along the line you made that separated the side you stitched from your yellow measurement. clip up to the seam allowance (3/8") and no more. be very careful here.

now, take this strip over to your ironing board and pull it right sides out and press. as you can see below (if you aren't completely tripping from the bright ironing board cover that i do love so much but am thinking it was a terrible choice for a PDF pattern designer, haha) the raw edges are exposed along my yellow measurement. 

take your "yellow side" bow strip over to a flat surface. lay your bodice right sides up. place the raw edge portion (the yellow measurement) of your bow strip along the neckline. you want to place the angled edge about 3/8" from the back of the bodice as shown below so that we can allow for the seam allowance later. pin in place 3/8" from the edge.

i do not recommend pinning all the way around before sewing here. this is one of those times that you will need to work your fabric as you sew. i suggest taking your bodice and bow strip over to the machine and easing that bow strip along your neckline as you go. trust me, pinning along the curve might make you lose your sanity. it is much easier to ease as you go.

stitch all along the neckline up to the pin you placed on your bodice to mark the bow point. the raw edge should line up with the pin as shown below.

take a deep breath, you've got one side done! now, repeat the steps above for the blue measurement. once you have your bow strip for the "blue side" done, do the same with placement on the neckline for it as you did with the other side making sure to leave the 3/8" seam allowance on the back bodice. take it to your machine and work that strip along the neckline.

again, the edge of the raw edge should line up with your pin from earlier.

take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back. the bow section is done. :) now grab the lining bodice pieces and sew the shoulder seams just as you did above and press out those seam. with the bodice outer lying right sides up on a flat surface, pin down your excess bow fabric as shown so that you don't get it caught in the seams when sewing the lining.

place your bodice lining right sides together with the outer bodice and pin together matching shoulder seams just as you do on page 16 of the pattern tutorial. sew along the dotted lines making sure NOT to catch any excess bow fabric in your seams. 

now, clip the ever-living snot out of your curves as shown on pages 17 and 18 of the pattern tutorial. pull your bodice pieces right sides out from the front just as you do in the pattern and head over to the iron to press that bodice out. oh, and don't forget to swoon when you see that bow neck!!!

with right sides together, pinch together your side seams matching the underarm seams for both sides (page 20 of the tutorial for more information). stitch both side seams and take to the iron and press.

 

and guess what ladies...voila! you are done with the bodice portion of your bow neck lazy susan! follow the rest of the pattern tutorial for your skirt pieces and then get ready to fall out of your chairs over the cuteness!!

thanks for joining in and i cannot wait to see what you create! have you joined the brownie goose lovers group on facebook yet? if not, come join the fun and share all of your BG creations!

lazy susan in knit sew along - day 3

sew along objective (yeah, i just did that...i promise i wont bust out an outline): to take your bodice from the lazy susan pattern and learn how to construct it out of knit fabric for a more versatile pattern.

wednesday july 24 - attaching skirts to bodice: i will be going over attaching a gathered woven OR knit skirt to the knit bodice and also how to attach a paper bag style skirt to your knit bodice. whew...busy day!

welcome back ladies! if you are just now joining us, check out this blog to learn about the sew along, and then check out day 1 and day 2 to see what we are up to.

alright - BEFORE you go cutting. listen to this very important piece of information. these sew alongs work just like my patterns. please read through to the end of the post before you do anything. i promise it will help things to go smoother and make more sense!

 

let's first go over some tips for sewing the skirt in a knit. you basically are going to do it the same as you did with a woven in the pattern, but i am going to point out some helpful tips that will make sewing with knit more of a pleasure. read: decrease the amount of swearing, temper tantrums and tears.

my first secret weapon:

 i do not sew knits without this stuff. lightweight fusible interfacing with stretch. it will make such a difference, especially when dealing with a thinner knit! you can buy this on a bolt as well, i just happened to luck up at wal-mart a few years ago and they had the bags on clearance for $0.33 and i hoarded stocked up. i use this when i go to hem a lightweight knit, since it keeps it from rolling. it basically gives the knit a little bulk, while maintaining the stretch, so it makes it easier to work with.

NOTE: although you sized down in your knit bodice, when going to cut the skirt make sure to cut the length for the size your child normally wears, NOT sizing down.

what i do is cut 2" sections to place around the bottom of my knit skirt piece. i like to hem about 1" with knit just to give it some extra weight so that it hangs better and doesn't flip up. now, in the pattern i have only allowed for a 1/2" hem, so you want to make sure to add a bit of length if you are going to be doing a larger hem.

NOTE: also, if you chose to do a drop waist on the bodice, you need to account for that when cutting the pieces for your skirt. the easiest way that i have found is to subtract whatever you added to your bodice from the skirt measurement. so, since i added 3.5" to my bodice yesterday, i am just going to take 3.5" off the length of my skirt. :)

here are my pieces of interfacing all cut and ready to be fused. 

now, take your knit and your interfacing over to the iron and you want to place the fusible side (usually it is bumpier) on the WRONG side of the bottom of your skirt fabric lining up the bottom edge. MAKE SURE THE STRETCH OF YOUR INTERFACING RUNS WITH THE STRETCH OF YOUR FABRIC. i mean it.

 now, iron it on along the edge of the bottom of the skirt. i have found a dry iron works best for this. the steam makes it not cooperate. once you have it all around the bottom of your skirt piece, go ahead and press up that 1" hem. see how much easier it is to deal with now? no roly poly!

i also added the interfacing to the top edge of my skirt where i will be gathering just to make it easier to deal with. :) but i only cut 1" strips there.

now to hem that skirt. another one of my knit secret weapons is this guy.

a double needle. this not only gives you a more professional look for a hem, it also gives the stitch a little bit of stretch which is needed with the knit fabric. now, if you have never used a double needle before, i highly suggest doing some google research before you try. but once you start using one, you will get hooked! i just wish my sewing machine had a better set up for the 2nd thread so that i didn't have to jerry-rig it with my thread holder in the back. haha. 

just like you would with a regular needle, use a straight stitch to hem and i go ahead and bump up the length to 4.0.

 once you have the hem stitched, it gives you a nice look on the right side of the fabric and an almost zig-zag look to the backside that gives the stretch. now let me tell you how that interfacing just saved your life. if you have a thin knit (i keep typing thin mint...think my belly is trying to tell me something) and try to sew with a double needle with no interfacing...let's just say the sight isn't pretty!

okay - now that we have our knit skirt mini-tutorial done, let's move on to attaching a skirt (knit or woven) to the knit bodice. i will discuss the paper bag skirt later.

you will run a gathering stitch on the top of your skirt portion just as you do in the pattern making sure to gather to the amount of the bodice.

 now, for quite possibly one of my fave tools for sewing knits...clear elastic tape.

seriously, yall...at first i thought of it as just an extra step involved in knits, but TRUST me when i say you will get so much more wear out of your garments if you take the time to add this stuff. truth be told. i have been known to put it in EVERY seam i sew in knits. this stuff is worth its weight in gold. you know how the interfacing adds bulk and stability to the knit? well, this tape adds strength to the knit and comes in especially handy when sewing something like a waistband. i find it helps to protect your knit from the weight of the skirt and it holds up better and helps the knit to keep its shape. have i sold you on this yet? i should probably be a spokesperson. hello dritz, yeah...this is amy. ;) i am a die-hard stretch rite elastic kind of girl, but the dritz clear works just as well and is easier to find in my neck of the woods.

anyways, what you want to do is to place this tape right along the bottom edge of your bodice (this works with the lined tutorial from day 1 as well, i just happened to take photos with this bodice). before you sew it down, stretch it out a few times. this kind of elastic needs to be "broken in" just a bit before it is used. if you have a serger, serge right along the edge not catching the tape in your blade. 

if you don't have a serger, use a zig-zag stitch to sew it down along the edge. i usually sew it to the right side of the fabric, but i honestly don't think there is a right or wrong here. louisa has a few dresses that has it sewn on the wrong side, and it is just fine. someone please alert me if there is a correct/incorrect method to this. :)

once sewn you will realize that you still have stretch to your knit, but it is stronger and more stable. pay no mind that my tensions are off. i could probably stand to clean my serger too, but let's not go there today.

now, place your skirt on your bodice, just as you would in the pattern, pin in place and sew the skirt to your bodice. 

now, since i sew my elastic tape on the right side, i always take about 1/8" of the seam off when i serge the two together.

remove your gathering stitch (i do this always, but it is helpful with knit so that you still have some give to the seams) and take over to the iron and press that seam out. look, you can almost see the strength of that seam now!

pat yourself on the backs ladies...as you have just finished up your knit lazy susans. rock on my dearies!

but wait...don't forget that awesome addition of a paper bag style skirt to lazy susan bodice! i do so LOVE this dress!

i used the taylor pattern by the mean princess. when it came time to add the elastic, i measured my bodice along the bottom edge and saw that it came to 23". 

so, for both of my casings, i cut the elastic at about 23.5" and sewed them together and placed in the casings so that the width of my skirt was the same width as my bodice as shown below.

 now to do some measuring and tinkering since i want to add clear tape to my bodice where i will be sewing it in place. so, with both the bodice and skirt turned inside out, you want to slide the waistband of the skirt into the bodice until the bottom of the bodice lines up with the bottom of the waistband as shown below.

 now, to attach the skirt and bodice, you will be stitching FROM THE RIGHT SIDE along the elastic waistband. i like to stitch along the bottom of the casings and the top of the casings as shown by the arrows.

so, i need to measure how high up from the bottom of my bodice i need to go to determine where to place my clear tape for that top casing seam. for my skirt, the top of the casing falls 1.5" up from the bottom of my bodice. i put a pin in place to make it more clear.

 now, draw a line on the bodice all the way around where the pin is. this is where you will stitch your band of clear tape (just as above, make sure to give it a good stretch first) to the WRONG side of the bodice with a zig-zag stitch.

now, this is completely up to you. you can add another band of clear tape along the bottom of the bodice, but i usually don't because the seam that will get the most abuse is that top one which you just secured your tape to. however, it would certainly be fine if you wanted to!

on a flat surface with skirt and bodice still inside out, place the waistband of the skirt back into the bodice and match up your bodice with the waistband as you did before (ie the top casing and bottom casing) and pin in place. pin until the cows come home in fact.

now, turn your dress right sides out and head over to the machine. with patience, sew along the top of the elastic casing first. i use a straight stitch with a length of 4.0, and stretch just a bit as you sew. this is NOT a time to be speedy mcspeedperson at the machine. take your time, you want this to look awesome.

 once you made it around your top seam, head on down to the bottom of the casing and do the same.

guess what ladies - pat yourselves on the back. you are done. you are well on the way to knocking out some GORGEOUS knit lazy susans in your sewing room.

join me tomorrow for the last day...and don't you know, i saved the best for last...DETAILS!!