© Children’s Corner: Classic Sewing Magazine, Spring 2016 Page 1

Since 1978 Children’s Corner has honored the classic traditions of children’s garment sewing with timeless designs. The four original owners began a shop that designed and stitched custom garments for little girls and boys. The vision of sharing these Children’s Corner designs with other heirloom shops was realized a few months later. Through the years new patterns have immerged while older ones have been retired. Children’s Corner attempts to keep up with current fashion trends, still ever respectful of a timeless look. All patterns are sized to be age appropriate.

Children’s Corner prides itself on well-fitting patterns that are drafted using the excellent teachings of Elizabeth Travis Johnson. The patterns are drafted using the same sloper for each size, insuring the same fit from one pattern to the next. The pattern pieces, such as collars and sleeves, are therefore interchangeable.

In 1981, the Children’s Corner pattern Claire was born. Claire featured time-honored traditions – pleats, a Peter Pan collar and tiny corded piping. Lezette designed Claire to button in the front as modern mothers wanted a little girl to dress herself. Mothers also wanted to avoid Elizabeth Travis Johnson’s dreaded placket, “opening under a back pleat”. Claire, now updated, has a longer length and loose pleats rather than pressed down pleats.

Lezette includes some helpful lessons in these instructions. The first is neatly finishing a sleeve edged with corded piping without bulkiness. The second lesson is how to make a machine overcasted seam look like it has been serged. Number three is a hint on stitching flat elastic. And lastly, Lezette shares an old secret for a prettier finish for a bias neckband.

After 37 years as a teacher of sewing children’s garments, Lezette now shares free helpful sewing videos at www.childrenscornerinc.com and in her private Facebook group, Sew Classic for Children.

ClaireBY LEZETTE THOMASON

Original watercolor by Lucy Poyner

© Children’s Corner: Classic Sewing Magazine, Spring 2016 Page 2

DRESS REQUIREMENTS

Notions: cording for piping, 3/4 yd (1/8-inch) flat elastic

MEASUREMENT CHART

Measurements are of finished garment. Length is approximate and is measured from the high point on shoulder to hemmed dress bottom.As measurements are of a finished garment, measure a garment that fits your child before cutting fabric.

BIAS STRIP LENGTHS FOR CORDED PIPING

45" Wide Fabric

20" 14" 22"

22" 15" 22"24" 15" 24"25" 16" 26"

27" 16" 28"

30" 16" 30"

33" 18" 32"

34" 18" 32"

© Children’s Corner: Classic Sewing Magazine, Spring 2016 Page 3

Figure 1

Figure 3 Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 2

Claire is a classic A-lined dress that buttons down the front and has inverted box pleats on dress front and dress back. It features a one-piece Peter Pan collar with corded piping and sun-bonnet sleeves edged with corded piping and gathered with 1/8-inch flat elastic. The right-hand front dress facing has corded piping on each side.

Getting Garment Ready to Stitch1. Cut out garment. Cut lightweight fusible interfacing for collar top and front facings.2. Mark pleats on front and back of dress. Mark center front line. Mark front and/or back on sleeves. Mark elastic line on sleeves. Mark center back on collar pieces and dress back.

Sewing in Pleats 1. With right sides together fold dress fronts and back on center pleat line and align outside pleat lines to lay on top of each other. Pin or baste in place. Stitch-ing from the top, stitch together outside pleat lines to dot, back stitching to hold in place at both ends (fig. 1).2. Press to make an inverted box pleat (fig. 2) (Center pleat line will align with seamline). There will be two inverted

Little Lesson from Lezette - remembering an old finishing technique

• Finishing the edge of an exposed corded piping seam can sometimes look messy. This is a very tidy finish-ing technique.

• Cut a 1-inch bias strip for corded piping

• Make corded piping.

• The corded piping now has a seam allowance of almost 1/2 inch. Separate the two layers of the seam allowance. Trim only one layer of seam allowance to 1/4 inch, leaving the other layer of seam allowance 1/2 inch.

• To stitch piping to garment, place the corded piping on the right side of garment piece with the 1/4-inch seam allowance sandwiched in between the garment piece and the 1/2-inch seam allowance on corded piping. The raw edges of the garment piece and the 1/4-inch wide corded piping seam will be aligned. The 1/2-inch seam al-lowance on corded piping will extend beyond the other two raw edges.

• Carefully baste or glue in place. Stitch corded piping to garment, stitching on top of where corded pip-ing was stitched.

• Press seam allowance to wrong side of garment.

• Turn under raw edge of 1/2-inch wide seam allowance and press.

• Hand-whip this folded edge to gar-ment or topstitch in place using an edge stitch foot.

box pleats on dress back (fig. 3) and one inverted box pleat on each dress front (fig. 4).3. Corded piping is made by enclosing a tiny cord with a bias strip of fabric. It is used to trim collar, right-hand facing and sleeves.4. To find the true bias of a piece of fabric, fold down one corner of fabric so that the lengthwise threads are perpen-dicular to the crosswise threads (fig. 5). Press this fold with an iron and then cut on the fold (see fig. 5). Bias strips may be cut any width along this bias cut.5. To make corded piping cut the strips 1 inch wide. Use a rotary cutter and mat if you have one.6. Place a small cord down the middle of the wrong side of bias strip. Fold bias strip over the cord. Stitch closely with a piping foot, a manual buttonhole foot or a 5-groove pintuck foot. A piping foot has one or more grooves on the sole in which the wrapped cording can sit to be held in place. After stitching cord-ing, trim seam allowance to 1/4 inch for front facing and collar. For sleeve piping, separate seam and trim just one layer to 1/4 inch (fig. 6).

Center pleat line

Center pleat line

Pressed inverted box pleat

Dress back Dress front

Pleats Pleat

Seam trimmed to 1/4”

Only one seam trimmed to 1/4”

Fabric right side

Right side of dress back

Outside pleat lines

Wrong side

Wrong side

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Attaching Corded Piping to Right-Hand-Side Front Facing, Sleeves and Collar1. Front Facing - fuse iron-on interfacing to wrong side of both front facings.2. Corded piping will be stitched to each side of right-hand front facing. Baste or glue corded piping to right side of right-hand front facing with raw edges together. I like to use a Sewline Glue Pen. Stitch corded piping to right-hand front facing (fig. 7).3. Sleeves - baste or glue corded piping to right side of each sleeve bottom edge with raw edges together. The side of the corded piping with the 1/4-inch seam al-lowance should be against the right side of sleeve and the raw edge aligned with sleeve raw edge (fig. 8). Stitch corded piping to bottom of each sleeve.4. Press corded piping seam allowance to wrong side so that only the corded piping shows from right side.5. Turn under wider seam allowance of corded piping 1/4 inch and press. This folded edge will be stitch down later to avoid an exposed raw seam allowance. 6. Collar - steam corded piping into a curve or spiral with the raw edge on the

Little Lesson from Lezette - how to make a machine overcasted seam look like it has been serged.

• Trim seam after stitching to 1/8 inch.

• Set machine to a zigzag stitch with a width of 3.5 and a length of .75 - 1.0. Use overcast foot. This foot has a little “wire” or bar in it. Some machine feet have two bars.

• Lower overcast foot on top of seam, aligning the “wire” or bar with the raw edge of fabric. First stitch is placed close to the seamline and the second stitch swings off the fabric “into the air”. Zigzaged stitches slide off he “wire” or bar, preventing the fabric from scrunching up.

outside of the curve (fig. 9).7. Fuse interfacing to wrong side of top collar.8. Place curved corded piping around outside collar edge on right side of collar with raw edges together (fig. 10). Baste or glue in place. Stitch corded piping to collar.9. With right sides together and match-ing fronts and backs, stitch collar lining to collar using a stitch length of no more than 2.0. Trim collar seam allowance to 1/8 inches.10. Turn collar to right side and press (fig. 11). Attaching Front Facings to Dress Fronts1. Right-hand front facing - press corded piping seam to wrong side of facing on the side of facing that is not stitched to dress front (fig. 12).2. Right-hand Front Facing: With right side of front facing to wrong side of right-hand dress front, pin or baste at front edge (fig. 12). Stitch front facing to right-hand side of dress, stitching on top of where corded piping was stitched. Trim ravels from seam.

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9 Figure 10

Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13

Right side Front Facing

Wrong side Front Facing

1/2” seam allowance on top

Raw edge of corded piping seam

Turn corded piping seam to wrong side of facing and press

Right-hand side of dress

Wrong side of fabric

Wrong side of Front

Facing

Overcast foot

Trimmed seam

fabric raw

edge

“wire” or bar

Right side

Right side

Right side of collar

Corded Piping

Corded Piping

Corded Piping

Corded Piping

Corded Piping

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3. Fold front facing on right-hand side to right side of fabric and press. Pin or baste front facing to dress. Stitch down other side of front facing by stitching in the “ditch” between front facing and corded piping (fig. 14).4. Left-hand Front Facing - turn edge under and press the side of Front Facing that will not be stitched to dress. Top stitch turned-under edge in place.5. With right side of front facing to right side of left-hand front facing, pin or baste at front edge. Stitch front facing to left-hand side of dress (fig. 15). Trim ravels from seam. Turn facing to wrong side of left hand front and press.

Shoulder and Side Seams1. Stitch shoulder seams making a French seam or with right sides together stitch and overcast seams (fig. 16). Op-tional - seams may be serged. Press seams toward dress back.2. Stitch side seams making a French seam or with right sides together stitch and overcast seams (see fig. 16). Optional - seams may be serged. Press seams toward dress back.

Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 16

Figure 17 Figure 18 Figure 19

Right-hand side of dress

Wrong side Wrong

side

Underarm seam

Right side

Elastic

Left-hand side of dress

Lengthened stitches

Right side of fabric

Right side of fabric Wrong

side of dress back

Shoulder seams

Side seamsF

ron

t Facin

g

Wro

ng

side o

f Fro

nt F

acing

Top stitch in the “ditch”

Constructing and Stitching in Sleeves1. Cut piece of 1/8-inch wide flat elastic using the following measurements: Size 1 - 8-3/4 inches, Size 2 - 9 inches, Size 3 - 9-1/4 inches, Size 4 - 9-3/4 inches, Size 5 - 10-1/4 inches, Size 6 - 10-3/4 inches, Size 7 - 10-1/2 inches and Size 8 - 10-3/4 inches. This length is 1 inch too long.

Little Lesson from Lezette - stitching flat elastic.

• Elastic is easier to stitch if you have an extra 1 inch to hold that is cut off at the end.

2. Place elastic on line marked on wrong side of sleeve. Tack in place with 4-6 short straight stitches on elastic to hold in place. Then straight stitch down cen-ter of elastic 1-1/2 inches. Change stitch to zigzag with a stitch length of 1.5 and a stitch width of 5.0. Zigzag over elastic about 3 inches, stop with needle down,

and pull elastic to gather sleeve (fig. 17). Then continue stitching with elastic not stretched. Stop with needle down and stretch elastic again. When you get near to within 1-1/2 inches from sleeve edge, stop with needle down and adjust gath-ers to the correct length. Change to a straight stitch and stitch elastic to edge of sleeve and tack in place. The total sleeve width included the 1-1/2 inches at each end of sleeve where elastic is straight stitched (see fig. 17). Sleeves are prettier and more comfortable if they do not have gathers on either side of under-arm. However, elastic ends to be stitched all the way across sleeve to be caught in the side seam. Cut off any excess elastic.3. Stitch a line of lengthened machine stitching across the top of sleeve 1/8 inch from raw edge. Stitch another line of lengthened machine stitch 1/4 inch from first line (fig. 18).4. Stitch underarm seam of sleeves mak-ing a French seam or with right sides together stitch and overcast seams (see fig. 19). Optional - seams may be serged. Press seams toward sleeve front.

© Children’s Corner: Classic Sewing Magazine, Spring 2016 Page 6

together place bias on top of collar allow-ing bias to extend 1/4 inch at each end (fig. 22). Stitch bias neckband to dress, using a stitch length of 2.0. Trim seam to 1/8 inch.4. Turn 1/4-inch extensions on bias under and press (fig. 23).5. Trim bias neckband to 1/2-inch width. Turn under bias neckband 1/4 inch.Turn under bias neckband again to inside of dress. Hand whip neckband to dress using stitches no more than 1/8 inch apart (fig. 24).

Finishing Dress 1. Work buttonholes on right-hand side of dress on piped facing. Use a piece of tissue paper under each buttonhole to prevent it from puckering (fig. 25). Sew corresponding buttons on left-hand side (fig. 26). 2. Turn under dress bottom 1/4 inch and press. Turn under hem allowance and pin in place, making little tucks as necessary to draw in top folded edge of hem allowance to fit dress (fig. 27). Hem by hand.

Figure 20

Figure 21 Figure 22 Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26 Figure 27

5. Hand whip folded edge of corded pip-ing seam to inside of sleeve or topstitch using an edge stitch foot, stitching 1/16 inch from folded edge (fig. 20).6. Place right side of sleeve to right side of dress at armhole. Match underarm seams and center of sleeve to shoulder seam (fig. 21). Pull up gathers at top of sleeve to fit armhole. Gathers should be at the top half of sleeve. Baste sleeve into dress and stitch from sleeve side between the two lines of lengthened ma-chine stitching (see fig. 21). Trim seam and finish with a machine zigzag. Press seam away from sleeve.

Attaching Collar to Dress 1. Place collar on top of right side of dress at neckline. Align raw edge of collar with raw edge of dress neckline and match center back of collar to center back of dress. Front edge of collar should stop at the center front line on each side. Pin in place.2. Machine baste collar to dress.3. Cut a bias neckband 1 inch wide and 12 to 13-1/2 inches long. With right sides

Little Lesson from Lezette - a prettier finish for a bias neckband

• Whether a bias band is finished by turning it over the seam or turning it entirely to inside of garment, it can have little wrinkles. To avoid these messy wrinkles, stretch the bias strip slightly as it is stitched to the gar-ment. Then when it is turned under and whipped or topstitched to gar-ment, there will be no wrinkles.

Hand whip folded edge of corded piping

to sleeve

Hand whip bias neckband

Wrong side

Wrong side

Collar

Bias

Turn under 1/4” extension

Right side

Wrong side

Stitching

Gathers at top half of sleeve

Top edge front of garment

ButtonholesSpaced

2-1/4” - 3” apart

On right-hand side work

buttonholes on center front line

On left-hand

side sew buttons

on center front line

Center front

Hem allowance

Tiny tucks

Wrong side of dress

1/4”