Bubble Bum Romper Tutorial

I love that little girls can wear things that look so freaking cute but would be a disaster on an adult female.  Like the Bubble Bum Romper.  First, I will not be seen in anything that has the words "bubble" and "bum" in its name.  Second, my bum doesn't really need any help bubbling.  But, my goodness, Noelle looks adorable!

The top has about a billion lines (or maybe more like 12) of shirring, so it really emphasizes the bubbling of the shorts section.

Want to make one?  Let's go!

Materials

fabric (about 1.5 yards for size 2T)

1/4-inch elastic

elastic thread

coordinating trim

Instructions:

**Use 1/2-inch seam allowance throughout unless otherwise noted.**

Cut out your pieces, which are all rectangles... which is awesome.  Should have included this in my Hip to Be Square week!  

For size 2T, you'll cut 

2-- 3"x10" straps

1-- 12"x 35" bodice

2-- 14"x length of fabric for bubble shorts

Put your two big pieces right sides together then fold them in half, so the selvages line up.  Cut out a little leghole that measures 3 inches tall by 1/2 inch wide (on the fold).

Open up the pieces and sew together; then finish with a zig-zag stitch.  Also sew the side seams now.

Fold the leg holes up 1/4 inch then a 1/2 inch to create a casing.  Leave an opening of 1 inch through which you'll thread your elastic... but don't do this yet.   For now, set this aside.

Grab your bodice piece and hem the top by turning over 1/4 inch, pressing, then doing it again.  Stitch it down.

Grab your elastic thread and get ready to shirr (oh boy!  it's so fun!!).  Here's a great tutorial from Ashley, at Make it and Love it, on shirring.  Just a note: for my machine, I actually have to wind it like normal thread for it to work.  Hand-winding doesn't cut it.  You may have to play around to figure out what works for your machine.   Run your first line of shirring along the hem line you just did.

From there, use your presser foot edge as a guide.  The back of your fabric will look like this.  Super cool.

Keep doing your lines of shirring until you have an inch left at the bottom of your fabric.

Sew up the side seams of your bodice and grab your bottom part now.  Looks pretty hilarious, right?  I thought so.  You're going to run a gathering stitch along the top of the bubble bum part and gather it up until it's 34" (or 17" a side).  34" is the original width of your bodice piece (since you cut it 35" then used 1/2-inch seam allowance).

Place the bodice and bubble bum pieces right sides together, lining up bodice seam with one of the side seams.  I pinned together by finding the centers of the front and back of both pieces and also the other side.  Then, as I sewed them, I just get my raw edges lined up.  Use 5/8" seam allowance here!

 **Another tip-- it may actually be easier to sew with the shirred bodice on top (with the bottom stuffed in it), as the shirred part may try to sneak up under your needle.  Just a thought...

After you get it all sewn together, flip it right side out to make sure that you didn't accidentally snag fabric where you didn't want to.  If you're pleased as punch, go back and zig-zag stitch to finish.

Now take your strap pieces and sew up three sides, two long and one short.  Flip right side out and press.  As you press, just turn that fourth side in.  You can also just topstitch it closed if you want, as it won't be seen.

Grab your trim and center it on your strap pieces.  Using matching thread, sew the trim on.

Now find the center of your bodice.  You'll have to stretch it to find this.  Mark it with a pin (the pink one by my index finger).  Then measure out 2 inches from that pin and place your strap.  Do this on the other side of the pin, too.  

Place the edge of your strap, so it's overlapping that top line of shirring.

Topstitch it on following the shirred line.  Do the same with the other strap.  Then repeat the process in the back of the bodice.

Now get that 1/4-inch elastic and thread it through the leg casing.  I used 10" pieces; if you're working around chunkier thighs, you may want to go a little longer. :)

Since you'll be gathering it quite a bit, pin the edge of the elastic, so it doesn't pull through.

Once you get the elastic all the way through, you can either stitch it together or save yourself the time and knot it.  Then close up the casing...

... and voila! 

This was what Noelle gave me when I asked her to smile.  I laughed then, and I'm laughing again now!

Ahhh... that's more like it.  Bubble bum goofiness. :)

Hip To Be Square: Easy Starter Top Tutorial

Today on Hip to Be Square-- the Easy Starter Top/Dress.  This is one of the first pieces of clothing I made for my girls.  See?  Here it is in dress form.  I even made a matching dress for Sophie.

It's nice and easy... thus, the Easy Starter Top!

Materials:
1/2 yard main fabric
1/6 yard coordinating fabric
1/2 inch elastic, cut to chest measurement (mine is 20 inches)
sewing stuff

Instructions:
Use 1/2-inch seam allowance throughout.

Cut your rectangles.  My measurements are for a 18-24 month top.  To make it larger, just add length to your biggest rectangle and your sleeves/straps.  (See pic for my measurements.)

 Sew up the sides of your main piece and the 2-inch facing piece.  Zig-zag the main piece to finish.

Go ahead and hem it now, so you don't have to deal with it later. :)  To do this, fold over 1/4-inch and press then another 1/4 inch and press.  Stitch.

Put two strap pieces right sides together and sew up long sides.  Repeat with other sttrap.

Flip them right sides out and press. Then topstitch close to the edge.  After this, run a gathering stitch along one of the short ends.  Gather them up (not shown).

On one side of the bottom of the strap, measure up 1.5 inches and mark.

Find the top center of your main fabric.  Measure 2.5 inches out from the center and mark, using fabric marker or pin.  

 Use the marks you made to place your gathered sleeve, right sides together.  Pin it in place.

 Now pin the ungathered side to the center of the back.

Line up the (1.5") mark you made with the outside of the strap with the raw edge of the main piece.  Pin in place. 

Fold one side of  facing piece down 1/4 inch and press.

Pin facing piece to main piece, right sides together, so straps are sandwiched in between.  It'll look like this:

Trim excess of straps off.

Fold casing over and press.

Sew casing down and stitch, leaving an inch opening through which to thread the elastic.  Thread through with a safety pin.  Stitch elastic together and close up casing.

 It's nice and roomy and perfect for summer!

And the straps actually look a little like capped sleeves, which I really love.

And if you've made it this far, here's another thing... I put this dress up for sale in my Etsy shop because, let's be honest, my girls don't really need more clothes. :)  It's $16 with shipping.

Hip to Be Square: Box Pleat Skirt Tutorial

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday.  We spontaneously did this...

And this...

 The one on the left is NOT mine... no new children here. ;)

 ... at Aunt Nancy's house (or as Riley calls her-- Aunt Ancy).  Thanks, Aunt Ancy! :)

But without further ado, here's the Box Pleat Skirt!  

 

Okay, so it's not really made from squares but rectangles... BUT it's made with box pleats, and boxes are square (technicality: cube), so can we compromise?  Whew.  Thanks!

Materials:
about 1/2 yard main fabric
1/4 yard coordinating fabric
1/2 inch elastic


Instructions:

Cut 9 rectangles each of your fabrics...
for the main fabric, cut them 6 inches wide by the length you want (mine are 12 inches)
for the coordinating, cut 3 inches by length. 

TIP: For each main rectangle you cut, your skirt will, after pleating it, be 3 inches wider.  You want to get it wider than your girly's waist, so you can cinch it in with the elastic.  So with 9 rectangles, this skirt is 27 inches.  Then I bring it in to 21 with elastic.  Add or subtract rectangles as you wish!

Sew long sides of rectangles together, going every other.  Zig-zag each seam to finish.  (Engage in self-talk, such as "Oh my gosh, this is mind-numbing.  I can feel my mind actually numbing... So many rectangles!  Argh!  I have to zig-zag stitch them, too.  This skirt better rock...  It does.  I know it does.  Okay... I can do this!")

 Once you get a big loop of a skirt sew, press the seams OUT from the smaller rectangles, so they are over the big ones.

Hem the whole thing up by pressing over 1/4 inch then another 1/4 inch.

Find the center of your smaller rectangles (1 and 1/8 inches in).  Mark.

Fold big rectangles from the seams into that center mark.

I don't know if this helps, but here's what it looks like from this angle...

Once you get all those guys box pleated, basted them in place.

Now cut a 3 inch by 28 inch  rectangle for your waist band.  Stitch short ends together, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.  Then fold it in half like so and press.

Line all raw edges up and sew skirt to waistband, leaving 3/4 inch open.

Zig-zag stitch, leaving that opening.  Then just thread your elastic through (mine is 21 inches) and close up the opening.

Twirl away!