Ice Cream Social - Early tips and Calendar

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Apologies in advance for a really wordy FAQ. Sometimes I babble on. I promise when the sewalong starts, there will be less babble and more pictures!

HOW DOES THE ICE CREAM SOCIAL WORK?

Kate and I did a bit of brainstorming and decided that two weeks would be a terrific length for this sewalong. As co-hosts we’re splitting up our posts to help you out with tips along the way. Kate will be showing you finished garments and discussing features and tips. I’ll be tackling each stage of the construction process with techniques to help you out. We hope others who are experienced in the pattern contribute tips and techniques in the flickr group, as well. As you work on your garments, we hope you'll share pictures of your process.

The sewalong runs from July 18th to July 30th. Until then, we will be answering basic questions and hopefully ogling the fabrics you've picked out in the flickr group. So far, participants have already listed seventy-six garments that they hope to make during the sewalong. 76! Of course many people are still joining. Wouldn't it be fanastic to see over 100 dresses and tunics by the end of the month?

The sewalong runs for two weeks, and we've spaced the processes out giving two to three days to each. As life means we can’t get to the sewing machine every night, hopefully this spacing will make it easier for you to follow along. There is no pressure though, do feel free to sew at your own pace. Some of you might race through as soon as you open the package. Others might like to draw things out. We do hope you share plenty of photos in the flickr group along the way!

In addition, spacing the process out every few days helps as it’s a global sewalong. For those of you in another time zone, we’ll have time to read and answer your questions before jumping onto the next steps.

Although Kate has had formal dressmaking training, I have not. This means sometimes my methods might not be the “correct” way of doing things. If you do have suggestions for a better technique, please feel free to share them in our group. We want this group to have a strong sense of community and love your involvement.

Our little calendar shows you which topics we’ll be covering throughout the sewalong (above).

WHAT PATTERN SIZE IS RIGHT FOR ME?
We all know that children do not come in standard sizes and actual measurements for your child may not match the age/size listed on garments. As a far-fetched example, I’m 36 years old and often fit into a size 14 kids.

With that in mind, pull out your measuring tape, convince your child to stand still for just a few moments and then refer to the pattern size chart on the Oliver+S website. If you are between sizes, it is usually best to size up. It is better that you make something that may fit later than something they’ve already outgrown.

If the chest/waist/hips measurement gives a different size than height, choose the one appropriate for the chest/waist/hips. It’s much easier to add or reduce length than it is to try to do other pattern adjustments.

If you have more questions about selecting a size, feel free to post on the sizes thread in our flickr group. Another terrific resource is the Oliver+S forums. Liesl answers many of the questions posted there herself. Talk about terrific customer service.

HOW DIFFICULT IS THE ICE CREAM DRESS TO SEW?
Oliver + S rates this dress as two scissors difficulty out of four. I believe that the ice cream dress is simple enough that with the help of a sewalong most anyone would be able to tackle it. If you think you may need some extra practice before we start, you could try some of the free patterns at Oliver + S’s website and read through their learning to sew with Oliver + S guide.

Rest assured that my early forays into children’s clothing were a bit abysmal. As someone who has never had a home economics class or a dressmaking class, I’ll confess most patterns baffle me. Before Oliver +S, I once made a sundress for a 12 month old that went so wrong that it fit my 36year old frame. Oh my!

Imagine my joy when I had success with the ice cream dress pattern on my first try. Startled and wondering if it was a fluke, I tried again and each time I was impressed with the results. If I can do this, you can too!

WHAT KIND OF FABRIC DO I NEED? AND HOW MUCH?
According to the pattern, light-medium quilting cotton, broadcloth, lawn, shirting, poplin, fine-wale corduroy, silk taffeta or dupioni and linen are all good choices. (See below for questions about specific fabrics ranges.)

How much you need varies by the style of dress you are making. For all views except A look at your pattern envelope for yardage.

IMPORTANT: For view A only, please read the pattern errata posted on the Oliver+S website for corrected fabric yardage. The numbers there are the correct amount for a double thickness hem. If you have already purchased your fabric, don’t worry. You can still finish the dress with a traditional hem as described in the other views.

BOY, ARE YOU SURE THAT’S RIGHT? IT SOUNDS LIKE A WHOLE LOT OF FABRIC FOR SUCH A LITTLE GIRL?
Yes, the fabric amounts do look a bit high but the reason is that this handmade garment has fine details not found in many store bought garments. For example the yoke of the dress (all views) is completely lined and the seams are encased inside. This added fabric not only finishes the sleeves and neck nicely, it also helps the drape at the shoulders.

If you would like to save money or conserve an expensive fabric, you could select a low-cost fabric (like a solid) as the inner lining. Keep in mind that as your little girl runs and plays the inner lining will be visible at times along the arms and sometimes at the neck line. If you are using a substitute fabric for lining, pick something that matches the outer yoke fabric. Also keep in mind that this fabric will be next to your child’s skin, so make sure you aren’t sacrificing fabric quality. No one wants their new dress cast aside because it is too scratchy.

Likewise, you could conserve expensive fabric by replacing the inner fabric of the double fold hem on View A with a lower-cost fabric or omitting the double fold hem. Exactly how much fabric this saves varies by size. It will also mean you might need to do a bit of finagling on the fabric layout. It might be worth doing a trial layout against some fabrics you already own before placing an ordering.

CAN I USE FAR FAR AWAY 2 FOR THIS DRESS OR IS IT TOO SCRATCHY? AND WHAT ABOUT OTHER HEAVY LINENS OR CORDUROYS?
This is a personal decision. My advice is to rub your fabric against your cheek for a bit and see how it makes you feel. Could you imagine that sliding across you all day? A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t wear it, you shouldn’t make it. If you do use a heavier weight fabric like Far Far Away 2, many of the Kokka linens or corduroy, I would suggest using lighter weight fabric for the yoke lining as described above.

WHAT ABOUT LIGHT WEIGHT FABRICS LIKE DOUBLE GAUZE AND VOILE AND LIBERTY?
I’ve seen a few dresses in the Flickr pool made up already in voile and they look stunning. If you are choosing a lighter weight fabric, be mindful of how the seams will appear through the garment. You may want to choose an encased seam to finish the side seams for a tidier finish with lightweight fabrics. We’ll talk about this when we get to seams.

If you are choosing Liberty tana lawn, you may want to have extra pins hand to keep the fabrics from sliding against each other as you sew.

I SEE THERE IS A SINGLE BUTTON ON THE BACK, BUT MY DAUGHTER HATES BUTTONS? DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS?
I haven’t tried this myself yet, it’s just an idea that occurred to me while responding to early questions. If the single button is problematic, you could replace this feature with a small tie closure. When we get to the stage of making the button loop, instead make two slightly longer ties. Finish one end of each. Instead of inserting the button loop on one side, replace it with a tie on each side. Problem solved! No buttons for your finicky daughter.

POCKETS TERRIFY ME AND I NEVER END UP WITH ROUND CORNERS. I’M THINKING OF OMITTING THEM. ANY TIPS?
This is one area where I’ve leeched a technique from my toymaking. When we get the day where we talk about pockets, I’ll show you the technique that I use. It’s not the officially sanctioned way, but it works well for me. It might be the secret you need. In addition, we’re rounding up more pocket tutorials to help you out. Maybe you could try a couple methods with scraps first and then decide, which works best for you.

DO I NEED A SERGER OR SPECIAL ACCESSORIES FOR MY SEWING MACHINE?
(from the flickr group)
Liesl is very mindful that the average home sewist doesn’t own a serger or heaps of fancy feet. The patterns are designed with that in mind. All of the seams can be finished using a standard foot. When we get to the day on side seams, we’ll point you to several tutorials that help you out using your standard machine.

The pattern does have some light gathers, but again these can all be managed using a basic sewing machine.

The only special foot that I’ve used for constructing my garments is an edgestitching foot. This is an optional tool, but it might help give nice tight stitching and parallel lines on the hem. Mine is a Bernina #10. It is not necessary to construct the garment, but it’s a tool that helps me tremendously.

Many of the seams in this garment call for a ½” seam. If your machine doesn’t have markers for ½” then I’d suggest you grab a pad of post it notes or roll of washi tape which we’ll talk about when we start sewing. Again, completely optional.

I WANTED TO JOIN BUT ONLY HAVE BOYS. DO YOU THINK YOU’LL DO MORE SEWALONGS? WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER DRESSES.
Oliver + S has so many great patterns for both boys and girls. Assuming this sewalong goes well and there is still interest, we’d definitely consider doing more. One really exciting thing about the new Oliver+S patterns is that they cater to a wider range of sizes making sewalongs more accessible for everyone. If you’re particularly keen to make a specific outfit, we’ll start a thread on the flickr group near the end of the month to take suggestions.

Do you have more questions before we get started? As this is a community social, we encourage you to post them in the Flickr Group. If it’s warranted, we will post a second FAQ!