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​Pattern Reviews, Easy Projects, Tips, & Sew-a-longs 

1/1/2023 2 Comments

Gardner Top by Gertie

Gardner Top by Gertie Pattern charm patterns
The holidays call for fancy fabrics and sequins. Don't you agree? There's just something fun about wearing sparkle during the festive month of December, isn't there? Add soft velvet and, I'm in! If sewing velvet scares you, read this post. I share my sewing machine and tips for tackling tricky fabric.
These Gardner tops fulfilled my fancy holiday fabric needs. The fabric was originally for vintage-style turbans. I've wanted to make velvet ones for quite some time. I only had 1 yard of each and was lucky that the one yard worked out. Whew! I changed direction at some point and decided to make Gardner tops instead. The matching sequin fabric went with the red one, and the sheer floral went with the green one. 
As usual, I don't go into depth with Gertie's Patreon patterns because I value her as a creator. However, I like to share tips and photos that show you my process along the way. If you're interested in this pattern, join her Patreon membership. She shares new patterns each month and so much more! 
I made one Gardner top following the exact directions and another collar hacked version. This post is full of photos. Let's go!

Red Gardner Top (Original Version)

How to trace sewing patterns
Start your top by tracing the darts onto the front. I prefer old-school wax paper and a tracing wheel system for this part.



How to sew curved bust dart
Your dart legs should look something like this.
How to staystitch
Staystitch the front, clip into the seam allowance at the center front.
Staystitch the  front and back necklines. Sewing from the shoulder towards the center prevents the neckline from stretching out. Never skip this step.
After you sew up the darts, cut them open. If sewing your top with velvet, don't press the seam open. 
How to sew bust darts
Cut dart open.
Gardner top by Gertie
The sheer fabric is full of glitter, sequins, and all the sparkles. Perfect for holiday festivities.
Sewing 1940s style vintage patterns
If you go slow while sewing and make sure your seams are clipped, you shouldn't get any puckers in the V-shaped front. If you do get puckers, unpick that section and re-sew. 
How to sew without puckers
Yay for no puckers!

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2/25/2022 0 Comments

The Hooded Princess Coat by Charm Patterns

Gertie's sewing pattern charm patterns Hooded princess coat

My Little Red Raincoat

This hood is a Patreon expansion pack of Gertie's Princess Coat sewing pattern. Sew your own raincoat to keep yourself dry and cute. 

Do you ever find yourself needing a garment, but you can't find one out there that suits your style? This is that garment. I have a few hooded coats but, they're wool or fleece. Not really a raincoat per se. And, I have two obsessions: coats and shoes. I need all the coats and I need all the shoes. Ha!

​I think coats and jackets are the best accessories because they add warmth- especially if you're always cold, and fabulous-ness to your outfit. Imagine yourself wearing a t-shirt, jeans, flats, and red lipstick. A normal little everyday outfit, right? But, then add a black velvet coat with a faux fur collar and your outfit gets a major upgrade! 

That's what coats and jackets do for me. I guess they're my jewelry. So, when Gertie came out with her Princess Coat pattern, I had to grab it. Then, a month later she rolled out her Patreon expansion pack to make a raincoat. I was sold! I needed a raincoat.


Fast forward 2 years and I still hadn't made my beloved raincoat. First of all, rainwear fabric was something I had zero clues about. And, second, I sew on a budget. I didn't have hundreds of dollars to drop on fabric for a coat I would wear maybe twice a year. Thanks Southern California for never raining. Living in the desert, we don't get a lot of rain but, when it rains, it pours. Hello flash floods. And, hello Little Red Raincoat.

"It never rains in Southern California"
Gertie Charm Patterns The Hooded Princess Coat
Tracing and cutting the outer fabric. The kitchen table was my best friend for this process.
This post isn't a How-to because it's an expansion pattern for Patreon only. Gertie is gracious enough to spoil her Patrons with all her marvelous patterns. If you're interested in making a vintage style raincoat, Grab the pattern here. Then, join her Patreon here. It's definitely worth it. We get a new pattern each month and honestly, it's too many for me to keep up with. But, I pick and choose which patterns are "need to sew now" and which ones are in the "someday" category. 

Anywho, I did have a few little areas I ran into trouble with so, I'll share my input on those. But, other than that, enjoy all the photos of my Little Red Raincoat. Yes, I named it. :D
Sew a raincoat for yourself.
No rain but, it was a frigid day in February.
Why did I start sewing the raincoat after 2 years you ask? Well, remember this post on January Jeans? My sewing friend on Instagram was still talking with her jeans sewing group. They decided to do a #JacketJanuary. I was invited and thank goodness for those ladies! They welcomed me and I made new sewing friends. Yay!! 

One gal finished her jacket on time and a few were waiting for the last touches by the end of January. We met every Monday for a fun Zoom call. the group kept me going and I was finally able to get my coat finished. It wasn't finished on time because I was undecided on whether to use buttons or snaps. In the end, I decided on snaps. Buttonholes and water don't go together so nicely

Snaps are usually easy but not this time. I put the first one in upside down. Cried (not really but, I wanted to). Then, put another one in wrong. Ha! I don't like snaps (anymore) or buttons. Face-Palm! 
Fully lined raincoat. I love sewing my own clothes.
Isn't my pink lining fun? This coat can double as a Valentine's Day Coat.

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6/30/2020 2 Comments

Gertie Sews Vintage Casual (patterns from her book)

Do you have a fabric designer or pattern maker you simply adore? Maybe you have a few. 
Gretchen Hirsch aka Gertie is one of my favorites. 

There are quite a few fabric designers I'm obsessed with! Almost stalker-status. ;) I love almost every piece they design. And I must own it all. Insert fabric hoarding music. Haha!
​
As you might know, my favorite pattern designer is Gertie. She is a one-woman show and encouraged me (through her blog, tv, and books) to start sewing things for myself. GASP! Moms can sew for themselves? Yes, yes we can.

I was watching a PBS sewing show and she popped up. I can't remember what she shared on the show. But, I couldn't get past the fact that she didn't look like a typical sewing lady. She was young and had a fun style. I was instantly hooked! I found her blog, bought her books, and started a new sewing journey-sewing for myself. I still sew for my kids and shop, but I LOVE making my things more.

Gertie has her own pattern company, along with fabrics designed by her. She also has patterns with Butterick and Simplicity. Charms Patterns, Simplicity and, Butterick patterns.  I love it all!


40's Style Blouse

Gertie sews vintage casual book, these are patterns I've made from her book.
40's Blouse
The top I'm wearing above is from the book, Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. It's the 40's-Style Blouse made using the Sleeveless Blouse variation, pg 134.
The fit is great in this top! Why haven't I made more? I don't know but, I need to.
It was an easy afternoon project. I made this top a few years ago during a friendly sewing day. This was my first top with center buttons and a placket. As you can see, they should have been placed 1/2" closer to the edge.
Oh well. I still wear it all the time.

It's an easy style to wear over pants or tucked in. The darts are placed perfectly and make for a very flattering fit. 
The fabric is semi sheer in black with pink bows and was purchased from Joann fabrics. It is from Gertie's fabric line.

Pattern changes
I increased the armscye area. I don't consider myself to have large arms, but her patterns are usually tight in my armpits, so I size up with sleeveless patterns. 


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2/20/2020 8 Comments

The popover Dress

Gertie's popover dress pattern from her book Gertie sews jiffy dresses
Yay!! I finally made Gretchen Hersch's Popover dress from her book, Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses.

Let me first start by telling you NOT to use a one-directional fabric. Holy moly, I learned that lesson the hard way. The book says you'll need 3 1/3 yards of fabric. I bought 3 1/2 yards to have extra to make a matching hair bow, purse, or accent on a bag, etc. As I cut into the fabric I thought, oh shoot, I'm going to need much more! A big face-palm moment there. Ugh!

I ran back to the store and bought another 1 1/2 yards- totaling 5 yards of fabric. OMG!! Thank the fabric gods I had a 50% off coupon to use for both shopping trips. Lesson learned! Next time and there will be a next time, I will buy a multi-directional, busy print fabric. Jebus! (If you get my Simpson's reference, I love you).

Aside from my fabric choice mistake, the dress pattern was crazy easy to transfer. It basically has 1 piece. I always use freezer paper when I trace patterns. It's a good-sized roll and you get a lot of bang for your buck.
The pattern has the main dress, an armhole facing, shoulder bow and ginormous pocket pieces to trace. Easy peasy! I opted out from using the pockets and shoulder bows for this particular dress, but I transferred the pattern pieces for future use. 

After you wash, dry and iron your fabric, you'll cut it out. I usually like to trace the pattern while the fabric washes one day, and sew it the next day. But, this dress was so simple and quick, you could trace and sew it in an afternoon. It took me around 2 hours to sew- including making tea and a snack for myself and the kids. #momlife 

I didn't let the dress hang for 24 hrs before sewing up the hem- I know, I apologize. But, it was going so smoothly I wanted to just get it done so I could try on the essential tent. And boy, is it a tent. Ha!

I stuck an elastic waist belt on and WOW! Transformation doesn't even describe it. When I put on my crinoline, it was a Wowsa moment! I was a 50's housewife goddess. Exactly what Gertie promised. Yep, I love the dress!!
Popover dress pattern made with adorable fabric
Back view
Cute popover dress pattern from Gertie
Front view
Popover dress pattern
See the puckering at the V-neck area?
My only gripes are the facings don't lay flat. It could be that I didn't cut it 100% perfectly or sew it exactly in the fold area. I'll play with that on the next dress.
And, the front is a tad low. I've seen other bloggers complain about the low neckline as well. Luckily, I preach the motto "If you got it, flaunt it". But, I can imagine the low neckline being bothersome for some. 

I didn't make a step by step tutorial on this post because Gertie does a fabulous job on her YouTube channel. Go give that a watch if you are a visual person. I went back and referred to it a couple of times. ​
Gertie sews Jiffy dresses Popover Dress serged seams
Serge those raw seams before you stitch everything together.
Stabilize the neck facings for the Popover dress
Stabilize the neck facings.
Simplicity fabric from Joann fabrics
Isn't this fabric cute? It's from Joann. I love their new Simplicity line of quilting cottons and wanted to make a dress with this pink one.
I am planning on making a few of these dresses for the summer. Hawaiian print, polka dots, gingham, gimme all the carefree and flowy fabrics. I did buy 2 belts from Amazon- one black and one white. I figured they'd go with most everything because you do need an elastic cinch belt with this dress. She has an option in the book to make a shirred waist and I plan on trying that eventually.
Disclaimer: Many, many years ago I tried shirring a shirt and it was a huge disaster. Hoping to get the courage to try it again with the Popover dress. 

I can see myself sewing up a few of these batch style in a day. So easy, so comfy and pretty darn cute too! Thanks for another great pattern, Gertie! You are amazing.

So, what do you think? Are you game for making the super simple Popover dress? What other dresses do you plan on making in her book? Let me know in the comments below. 

Happy Sewing!
Annette
Sewing to the moon sewing blogger sews up the Gertio Popover Dress
Front and back look the same.
simplicity fabric line from Joann fabrics
Arm hole and side view.
Sewing to the moon blogger makes the popover dress
The dress in all it's glory

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8 Comments

3/20/2019 1 Comment

Charm Patterns Rita Blouse

Rita blouse by gertie, charm patterns. This is a step by step sewing tutorial.
Rita blouse by Gertie
,Hope your week has gone swimmingly! This vintage style blouse pattern is made by the queen of vintage sewing herself, Gertie. Her books, patterns, blog, and now Patreon are all things made for the retro styled sewist! If you don't know who she is, click here. You'll fall in love instantly, I promise.

Real quick, here's a little back story. I learned how to sew right after my oldest son was born. Baby blankets, curtains, pillows, I made all the things. I took a group class upstairs in a small vacuum and sewing shop. I was the only one who showed up, so I was lucky enough to receive a one on one class from the sweetest lady. Fast forward a few years and I was making bags, more pillows, PJs, and Halloween costumes for my kids. You know, regular mom sewing stuff.

While channel surfing, I stumbled upon our local PBS station and saw some sewing shows! I DVR'd them all!! I would wake up early Saturday morning and watch as many as I could until my kids woke up. Super sewing nerd alert! LOL!! Nancy Zieman was amongst a few others I got to know through television. Then, one day this gal with pink hair had a short segment. I can't remember what she made, but I was in love. She was young, had pink hair, and sewed!!?? Whaaatt!?? 

Got out my laptop and Googled her name and found she had a blog and you tube channel. I soon realized that I could sew things for me.  Making things for my kids and gifts for friends and family was all I ever did. Gretchen Hirsch a.k.a. Gertie opened my eyes and my spirit. The rest is history.
All of her books, a lot of her fabric and patterns adorn my shelves. Saying I LOVE her, is an understatement. Not in a creepy stalker way though, I promise. 

As parents and adults, we sometimes lose ourselves. We get caught up in the day to day life and just join everyone else in robot mode. Once I started making things for me, I enjoyed life and found myself again. If you feel like you're in a funk, I encourage you to find someone that you find inspiration from. Hopefully, it radiates beauty and positivity like she does, for me.

So, without further ado, here's the step by step process of making her Rita Blouse. Click that link to take you to her website to grab this pattern. 


Rita Blouse tutorial by sewing to the moon

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    Author

    Hi there, I'm Annette and I love eating and sewing. I usually have a cup of coffee or tea with me, but not next to my machine because I'd probably spill it. I am the reason we can't have nice things.

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