Doll Days! Modern Jumper Sew Along Day 2
Welcome to Doll Days! Modern Jumper Sew Along Day 2
We’re working through the Modern Jumper pattern from the book Doll Days! Sew an Everyday Wardrobe for 18″ Dolls. This is the pattern for our Doll Days! Design Challenge this week and the winners will receive a fabric and trim bundle from Riley Blake Designs!
I couldn’t choose just one design idea, so I’m making 2 Modern Jumper dresses! I’ve got springtime on the brain, so this influenced my decisions.
The blue fabric is a soft chambray.
The floral is a Pam Kitty quilting cotton print from Lakehouse Dry Goods and I chose to use a coordinating solid for the inset.
Doll Days! Modern Jumper Sew Along Day 2
To get started, cut all the pattern pieces and center inset (measurements given in in the “cutting instructions” in the Doll Days! Book).
1. Pin and sew the side seams. Carefully match up the side seam edges using the triangle notches to guide you. These are a little odd shaped pattern pieces, but trust them.
Press the seam allowances open. Pressing well will help your garments and sewing to look well made in the end. Pressing is just as important as sewing accurate 1/4″ seams.
2. Sew the gathering stitches onto the skirt pieces and sew them to the bodice pieces. The book has great instruction on gathering. Also this blog post.
If you are using a tricky-to-gather fabric, such as a corduroy, then sew 3 rows of gathering stitches. That will help make pretty gathers on fine wale corduroy and other challenging fabrics.
Here are some more tips:
Place the first pin 3/8″ from the front edge. Wrap the gathering threads around it.
Pin at the center back edge.
Gather to fit.
Slide the gathers right up to the pin at the front edge (the first pin you put in). Pin the pieces together the rest of the way, distributing evenly the gathers.
3. Once sewn together, remove as many of the gathering threads as you can. After which, finish the seam allowances and press neatly.
4. Design the center inset if embellishing it. It always takes me so long to interview and “hire” trims for a design. Too many choices.
5. Sew the trims in place as directed in the Doll Days! Book.
That’s it for Day 2.
Please feel free to post your progress pictures or ask questions on our facebook Avery Lane Sewing for Dolls group page.
You can also see some really pretty Modern Jumpers being entered into this week’s Doll Days Design Challenge, sewn by some very talented members.
The deadline for entering will be 1-2 days after the completion of this sew along, so you can all have a chance to enter if you’re sewing along!