Amy Brown Fairies - pattern 1034

Amy Brown does such beautiful artwork. I wish I could draw like that! But, I get to turn her artwork into an actual thing. FUN.

This is the third pattern of Amy Brown fairies I've done for Simplicity and before I start describing some of the sewing challenges, I want to point out the really great job the art department did on the photographs for these two costumes. They got the models to look just like Amy's artwork.  And ... congrats to the models, too. I'm learning that modeling is harder than it looks!

The first thing I want to show you is what I do to get the motifs on printed fabric to line up like this.

I first cut the center front panel with the print motifs centered. That's the obvious part, so obvious, I didn't even take a photo.

Then as I work my way around the garment piece by piece, I fold back the seam allowance of the piece I've just cut so ....

I can make the motifs match up at the stitching line for the piece it will be sewn to.

Then that piece is cut out and I proceed to the next.

After all the pieces for one side of the body are cut, they are flipped upside down and used as the pattern pieces for the opposite side making sure the print is exactly like the first.

The print can never match up exactly when the garment has lots of curved seams like a corset, but pretty good results can be had.

The other thing I want to talk about today is the pointy purple hat. The first thing to know is no wire get inserted until the hat is completely machine sewn. The wire is put in with hand sewing. Fusible interfacing is used through out. Make sure to let the piece cool down completely after fusing the interfacing on. This helps make a much more secure bond.

The brim is assembled with the seams going outward.  Bias tape is used around the outer edge for a clean finish and as a casing for the wire.

The inner edge is stay stitched at 5/8" and then the seam allowance is clipped so it can open up and be sewn to the crown of the hat.

After these two pieces are sewn together. Wide bias tape is sewn over this seam to make an inner hat band.

Now the wire can be added.

Use the hat brim pattern to bend the wire into the correct shape.

Cut it and securely wrap the overlapped ends before slipping it under the bias tape at the edge of the brim and slip stitching in place.

Then the wire that goes up the back seam of the crown can be inserted and secured.

Now, I like to poke a little stuffing into the point of the hat so it will look better when curled up.

Glue down the inner hat band and ...

the point can be bent into a little coil. I, also, pull up the very end with some hand sewing to get the very tip curled, too.


Happy sewing.