Sand Suit Tutorial and Pattern

This Sand Suit came with a lot

of other vintage doll clothes

that I revealed in my last post.

It wraps around, criss-crosses in back

 and ties in front.

Here is the back.

I think this would be an easy and fun

sewing project, so I wanted to make 

a pattern from it.

I had to open up the darts to trace a pattern.

Here is the pattern.  

This is made to fit a 14" doll like

my Effanbee Patsykin, 'Daisy'.

Print it out on

8.5 x 11" paper.

Here we go! 

Cut on the fold.

Sew lace on the right side of your 

fabric facing inward.

This will be folded, and top sewn.

Here is how your lace should look.

Make 3 - 4 tiny snips in the inner curves.

Turn and press the lace flat.

The sandsuit should look like this.

Top stitch all the lace.

OK, this next part was new for me.

SEWING A BUTTONHOLE!

I had gone through all the buttonhole steps, 

months ago, in my Bernina sewing machine 

class, but I couldn't remember how it was done!

I did a quick search and found this video:

Bernina 570 Buttonhole Video Tutorial

Yes! The buttonhole foot was in my Bernina box!

Here it is. I watched the video again.

I selected buttonholes under my stitching file.

Then I select buttonhole 51.

After that I select this 'i' button that

the arrow is pointing to.

That brings up this screen.

This is so cool! You hold your button to the screen

and turn the stitch length knob until it

fits your button and VOILA!

It's automatically set for the size of your button.

I used a piece of practice fabric because

I am not 100 percent sure this will work.

This is the automatic stitching button.

You press it when you are using a 

programmed stitch. It just sews 

automatically until you stop it.

LOOK AT THAT!

I have spent years avoiding buttonholes.

I would use snaps, or hooks or velcro

everytime, to avoid making buttonholes!

but this is just AMAZING!!

I'm still learning how to use this 

machine, so this is a big deal for me.

OK, ok, enough of my gushing.

Uh oh, problem.  

I need tear-away sizing paper before

sewing on one layer of cotton fabric.

Did another quick search online and found

that parchment paper or a coffee filter

would work!

Here we go with the coffee filter 

underneath my fabric.

The coffee fillter worked great! 

Look at that buttonhole!

For the front button holes I marked the 

placement of my holes while

the sandsuit was on Daisy.

A couple more button holes and it's ready...

Oops, almost forgot!

SNAPS!  and...

14 inch ribbons!

NOW it's ready.

want to see Daisy in her new sandsuit?

HERE

SHE

IS!

Not bad. I'm pleased with this first try.

I think next time, I will make the

front buttonholes further apart.

I wound up only making one dart in the center

due to Daisy's shape.

"Mommy, Biscuit and me's been good and 

not wiggled. Can we go to the lake now?"

"Hurry up Mommy!"

Sand Hollow State Park