Charlotte-Rose Princess Dress Release Party

This contest is closed!
If you won please contact Amanda TenderfeetStitches@gmail.c​om
The winners are:
Trims and Things MICHELINE!!!
EmmilluArt $15 gift certificate CHRISTINA LADIEU!!!
Becasue of Leah $20 gift certificate HOMESCHOOLMOMOFSIX!!!
Tenderfeet Stiches Bubble Dress DIY/SIY Kit AMBER WIRTH!!!
Tenderfeet Stitches $25 gift certificate MEPLUS3!!!

if you do not contact me within 48 hours the prizes will be passed along. Thank you everyone for entering and congrats!

The long awaited and eagerly anticipated (at least by me) Charlotte-Rose Princess Dress is LIVE and up for sale in my Etsy shop! To celebrate with probably a little bit too much fanfare, I’m giving some stuff away for FREE!

What’s up for grabs?
Goody bag full of vintage and older stock trims and lace from Legacy in Linens
$15 gift certificate to EmmilluArt
$20 gift certificate to Because of Leah
A DIY Sew it Yourself Pink and Yellow Bubble Halter Kit from Tenderfeet Stitches
$25 gift certificate to Tenderfeet Stitches

Here’s how to enter:

1) Go to each Etsy shop (links above by each prize) and hit the Tweet and/or the Facebook Like buttons, then come back here or go to my facebook wall and tell me which ones you hit. One entry for each and every hit; that’s as many as 8 entries!

2) Go to EmmilluArt, Because of Leah and Tenderfeet Stitches on Facebook and “Like” their pages. Each like gets you an entry. You may either come back here and tell me which ones you liked or simply post it on my facebook wall. That’s as many as 3 entries.

This contest will end on July 20, 2011. This contest is in no way associated with or the responsibility of Facebook, Etsy or Twitter. Any and all questions and concerns should be directed to Amanda at TenderfeetStitches@gmail.com

Machine Shirring Tenderfeet Style

This is such a fun and easy technique that too many people find initially intimidating. Take heart, the web is full of how-to tips, free, affordable and adorable tutorials, videos and information. I have read a great deal on the subject and applied it time and time again. So, I decided to compiled the included information for my followers, in particular Pamela ;). Enjoy, and feel free to add your own tips and information in the comments section.

It’s as simple as this...


What you need:
Your sewing machine
Regular machine sewing thread
Elastic thread (you can usually find this in the elastic section of your craft store)
An empty bobbin
Fabric


A few things to consider:
Every machine and every person sews differently. You will likely need to spend some time practicing on scrap fabric until you find that sweet spot. Different weaves and weights of fabric gather differently. A satin fabric will gather more readily than a denim. When considering how wide your fabric should be, a simple rule to follow is 1.5 to 2 times wider than the desired width of your completed project.

So here we go and remember, it’s easy!

1) Begin by loosely hand spooling the elastic thread onto your bobbin. Be sure you go in the same direction that your machine does when it spools the bobbin automatically. Also, take care not to stretch the thread.
Some have had better success letting the machine spool the thread, possibly because it adds just a little bit of tension. I have tried this and seen little difference. To do this, I began by spinning a little bit of elastic thread onto the bobbin. Then, I placed it onto my machine, just as I would when spooling regular thread. I held the elastic in my hand and began spooling; taking care not to put too much tension on the elastic.

2) Load the bobbin into your machine as you normally would when you’re about to sew.

3) Set your straight stitch length to its longest setting.
Some have had success with a normal stitch length and still others, somewhere in between. This is where you have to play around with your machine a bit to find that sweet spot. Adjust your stitch length and tension until you gain the desired results.
For me, I set my machine to a standard straight stitch and adjust my length to a 6.0.

4) Starting at one end of your fabric, run a stitch down the width to the other end. Make certain you backstitch several times at the beginning and end of your shirring stitches. Also, do not pull your fabric through the feed. You don’t want to stretch the elastic thread. I will admit that I do, at times, encourage my fabric through the feed. The important thing to consider is if you put too much tension on your elastic thread, it may break with use.
Some prefer to knot the thread tails by hand, instead of backstitching.

5) Add as many rows of shirring stitches as needed to achieve the desired results. The distance between each stitch row can vary, depending on your project. The closer your rows and the more you add, the more your fabric will be drawn in. If you have many rows close together, you may begin to lose your stretch. So, the size of your project is directly proportional to the distance between each row!

6) Place your project on the ironing board and hold your iron over the elastic, not touching, and let loose on the steam button. This will make it shrink up, giving you more ruffle and stretch. The same effect will be achieved in the dryer, the first time you launder. So, if your project doesn’t seem to have gathered quite enough, add a little heat and watch it retract a bit more.

For a simple project to hone your skills give my free sun hat tutorial a try. If you think you’re ready to move on to something a bit more entailed, search the web for free dress tutorials or check out my Etsy shop. I offer several adorable and easy to make patterns at affordable prices.

The Name Game

Well, in light of several current events, I am moving the name game for my upcoming tutorial onto this blog. I have selected many of my favorite suggestions and just ask that you comment below with your favorite(s). You may choose up to three names. If you are having trouble commenting, simply email your choices to Tenderfeetstitches@gmail.com. The winning name will become the name of the pictured dress and the contributor will receive the completed tutorial free of charge. Thanks so much for helping me decide and following me to my blog. Voting will close when I finish writing the tutorial, within the next week.






Please choose no more than three (3) names.


Mandy Carey Sweet Sassafras
Leah Curran Picnic in the Park
Courtney White Martin Sweetheart Dress/Top
Abbie Simpelo-Dyer Tallulah
Little Tickle Boutique Bella Rose
Pamela Bell The Meadow Brooke
MaukyJo Shoulder Tie Apron Dress/Top
Jheri Jordan Heart of Dixie
Jheri Jordan Shabumpkin Summer Dress/Top
Micheline Nadeau Fairbank Little House on the Prarie Summer Dress
Amber Wirth Mommy's Little Helper

Votes via email

Mommys little helper
Little house on the prairie
The Meadow Brooke