March of the Shieldmaidens: Barbie style

Hwæt! March of the Shieldmaidens is upon us! This was the perfect opportunity to sew a fun ensemble for this cute Nordic looking Barbie I stumbled upon at the thrift store. Disclaimer: There are many historical inaccuracies here. It's purely for fun.

The outfit begins with a simple underdress in a spring green. I think this color was a reasonable one, that would have been easily obtainable in Norse times. The fabric is a rather unfortunate polyester faille, but Barbie's skin doesn't need to breathe. The pattern I used (Simplicity 8333) is a peasant top, which I lengthened into a dress. I also added a drape to the sleeves, which is pretty, but probably not very practical for your average Shieldmaiden.

The second piece is her Viking apron. This is made of an earthy brown linen. It is just two rectangles sewn together at the sides. I left long vents below the hip for easy mobility, should Barbie need to do any sword play.

The broaches are decorative beads. I like the simplicity of them. I gathered the neckline of her underdress with some anachronistic elastic. There's a bit of velcro back there, too.

I added a leather thong tied in a square knot for some waist definition.

And of course, our Shieldmaiden needed a Shield! I made this one out of a picture I printed off the internet and glued to a bit of cardboard.

Then all semblance of historical accuracy flew out the window, as I really wanted to sew her a leather corset. This is the same pattern as my last post, but made from a rayon bonded leather from fabric.com. I love it over her underdress.

But it's even more "fantasy Viking wench" over her apron! I'm loving how these pieces work together, and despite the historical inaccuracies, I think I did a better job than Mattel. Have you seen Viking Barbie??

Simplicity 3752

Aprons are not something that I generally think of sewing or even using, but I'm dreadfully messy in the kitchen and spaghetti sauce stains! I made this one a couple of years ago, but it's so pretty, I never wear it. So, when my sewing group suggested aprons, I got right on it.

This one is fun, and hopefully the bright colors will remind me to wear it and save my clothes. The pattern is Simplicity 3752, view A, which I chose because I like the fitted bodice. A note about fit - The apron isn't quite as bodacious as it appears on my dressform. The outer edges have some movement ease that blouse out a little, making it appear a little more like a Dolly Parton apron. It was nicely drafted and easy to assemble, except for the pointed waistband. As anyone who has tried to sew an inside corner to an outside corner knows, you need to reinforce and clip the inside corner. There was nothing in the instructions about that, despite the fact that you do it 4 different times. I'd call that a fatal error!

The back ties make me happy though. I love that they are the exact length of the apron skirt when tied. The inside finish is really nice as well. The bodice is fully lined and the waistband is faced, so the only exposed seams are the two seams in the skirt section. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this cute little apron and I can see  making it again, if I can only remember to wear it!

Butterick 6567

Last in the long line of Christmas gifts is this apron that I made for my MIL.  It is part of a set that included a handmade soap mold made by Mitch.  Donna has for the last several years been working toward a candlemaking business, and has recently been experimenting with soaps and other toiletries.  Her website is here - Big Art Candles.  She makes wonderfully fragranced soy candles for a fraction of what you'd pay for a Yankee Candle - and so much better!!

Anyway, the apron.  Mitch chose the pattern - Butterick 6567 and even bought the fabric himself, although I did help with the selection.  The pattern is a nice basic apron pattern.  It has good coverage both top and bottom, which was one of the reasons he chose it.  Soap and candlemaking can be messy!  It also has simple enough lines that it would play nicely with the fabric we chose, which is oilcloth (purchased at FFC).  We needed something that would be impervious to the waxes she uses.  The fact that it comes in cute prints didn't hurt!

Here is the back.  I like the stay across the shoulders to keep the back straps from slipping down.  I did make a few pattern modifications to accommodate the oilcloth.  I omitted any gathering (the skirt front inset and the gathers at the neckline), and swapped the ties for velcro tabs.  Gather and ties just aren't possible with this fabric.  I also didn't face the waistband, instead I did a simple turned and stitched hem.  The pattern actually calls for most of the edges to be finished with bias which is perfect for oilcloth.  The pattern includes a pattern piece and instructions for making your own bias tape, which I can totally see being adorable in coordinating prints.  I went with commercial tape.  This pink is an unusual shade, and I just couldn't match it.  I think it looks nice with the solid cream though.  FYI, I needed 3 packages of tape for this version.  I also petited the bodice, taking out an inch just above the waist and another inch at the shoulder.

Here is the back velcro tab.  This was totally Mitch's idea as well.  I just inserted it in place of the ties on the waistband.  If I'd been thinking ahead I would have just extended the waistband to make the tab.  Altogether, I think this was an excellent marriage of fabric and pattern.  I hope Donna gets a lot of good use out of it!

Butterick 4945

It's finished! My presser foot apron, that is.Here it is with the ties in front, which is generally how I wear an apron. I like that this pattern has nice long ties!
And with the ties in the back. I think it looks almost like a strappy formal this way. I love that black fabric! I only had a teeny bit and I used nearly every shred making this apron. I think I may have to head over to Hobby Lobby and get some more. It is so cute!

Attaching the straps

Have you ever added an enclosed strap, only to find that the enclosure is too big and hanging off, or worse, too small and your strap is sewn along the side and all wonky? If not, then you can stop reading - you are a better person than I. I have this problem a lot, but I think I figured out a solution as I was making this apron. I'm going to share with you what I did.

Starting off, here is the apron body with the straps basted into place. The piece you see the wrong side of is the side facing which will enclose the straps. It is all pressed and ready to go.
First, line up the facing with the band, matching notches, blah, blah.
Now, feel for your strap inside the two pieces and mark the edge on the wrong side of your facing piece (where you will be stitching). Then make a perpendicular mark from the apron edge to your line.
Same thing on the other side. You can see that this one is a little tricky due to the curve. Follow the edge of the strap only for a few millimeters here and then come back up to your seam allowance. You can see where I drew in a little curve to remind myself. These are your new sewing lines. Ignore your seam allowances for this bit - they will only get you in trouble. You can grade back up (or down) to your seam allowances once you have cleared the strap.
After you have stitched, but before you trim your seam allowances and finish your seams, turn out your strap and be sure that the corner is tight. If it isn't, stitch again. You can see that I had to add an additional line of stitching an eighth of inch or so in.
Trim and turn - Viola! Perfect squares with straps coming out exactly where they should and no fabric hanging over the edge.
And at the waist. Also perfect!

I hope this is helpful. If you have any tips, I'd love to hear!

Turning a closed loop...

I learned this method for turning a loop from a Vogue pattern a couple of years ago and it has made my life so much easier. Now, turning a loop that is open on both ends is not too much of a hassle, particularly if you have a loop turner, but with a loop that is closed on one end (like our apron straps) it can be tricky. There isn't anywhere to hook your loop turner! So, here is how I do it.Start with your trimmed loop.
Get a big 'ole needle. I use a giant embroidery needle. Thread it with sturdy thread. The color doesn't matter. I used fluorescent orange so that y'all could see it.
Put a stitch into the seam allowance near the stitched corner.
Tie it off snugly. You don't want this to come untied while you are trying to turn your loop!!
Gently insert the needle between the two layers of fabric and in between two stitches as close to the point where you pivoted your stitching as possible.
"Thread" your big needle through the loop. Be careful not to come through the fabric. This is why I use a big needle. It is easier to keep a hold of!
Here is what is likely looks like up top. You can see my orange knot at the corner. The fabric is bunching up around the knot, trying to turn!
With your fingers, gently tuck the knot into the loop.
Then VERY gently so as to not break your thread or your knot, pull the needle while working the fabric over itself.
When you see the corner coming out the end, you can just yank it the rest of the way. You're home free!
Now you just have to straighten it out and press it. An added bonus is that since you pulled the loop through at the corner, your stitched corner comes out nice and sharp, with a very professional look.

Tomorrow I'll tackle lining up straps within the facing.

Have a laugh!

Here we are in our pioneer bonnets and aprons!

And just me. Why do I always pose like that?

The lesson went well, and I think the crazy get-up we had on actually did add to rather than distract from the message.

Pioneer flair

I am a member of my Relief Society presidency at church, and this coming Sunday we decided to have a little extra fun (and to go along with the lesson being taught) we are going to wear pioneer bonnets. I volunteered to make aprons to complete the picture. I am not really an apron person, but after making these three I might become one. I'm particularly in love with the red and white one, which was the first that I made. It's so fun! I was just going to follow one of the many awesome online apron tutorials that are around, but Butterick patterns were on sale this weekend, so I checked them out, and I just couldn't resist this one. It's 6567, if you want one yourself. All three aprons are made from the same pattern, same view, but I wanted each to have it's own personality, so I varied the ruffle, pocket and trim to individualize them a bit. The green gingham/birdhouse print is the closest to the actual pattern. I think it has a very sweet, pioneer sort of look.

This one was the quickest to make, since there aren't pockets and I used pre-gathered eyelet. I love this fabric and may have to go back to get some more to make a blouse for me. It was so wonderful to work with.

You'll have to wait until Sunday for an action shot. I'll be sure to get one with the bonnets, too. They are a riot!!