Hi y’all!
I’m Deborah and you can find my blog here: https://mijn11jesenik.wordpress.com/
Or find me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ingelrelst
Today I’m going to share my hack for the “Grow With Me PJ” from Ellie & Mac to get a cleaner finish, and show you in word and image how I tackled it.
First I cut all the pieces for a nightgown: the front and back yoke, the front and back panel (skirt part), the sleeves, the neck band and the ruffle at the front.
I cut the back yoke twice. You don't normally have to do that, but I wanted to get rid of the shoulder seams and the back seam.
Now how did I proceed?
Step 1: Pin one part of the back yoke onto the back panel, right sides together. Just as the manual indicates. You can already give it a stitching so that it will not shift during the next step.
Step 2: Now pin the second part of the back yoke onto the back panel, but this time with the right side of the back yoke, against the wrong side of the back panel. The long side of both back passes is therefore against the top raw edge of the back panel, the back panel being between the two back yokes. Sew everything together with a straight stitch or with your overlock machine.
Step 3: Fold both back yokes upwards so that they are facing each other with the wrong side, and flatten the seam. You can now attatch the seam allowance inside to the back yokes by top stitching, but this is not necessary.
Step 4: From this step it is not easy to articulate everything clearly, so I hope that the pictures clarify things ... First of all you place the front yoke with the right side against the right side of the back yoke, so that the shoulder seams allign. I left the second back yoke folded down at this moment. You can pretend the inside back yoke isn't there at this point.
I stitched this seam together so that in the next step, where I will also secure the second back yoke and thus hide the shoulder seams, they cannot shift.
Step 5: This part is a bit tricky to explain. You now fold the back yoke on the inside of your garment up again, so that the shoulder seams coincide with the shoulder seams that you stitched in the previous step. We will now first tackle one shoulder seam, and then the other. I turn the back yoke that is still loose, around (not over!) the already stitched shoulder seam, in such a way that the shoulder seams allign again, and the still loose back yoke comes to lie with the right side on the wrong side of the front yoke. You stitch this or use the overlock machine.
You can, if all goes well, now bring the back yoke back into its correct position, and the shoulder seam is tucked between the two back yoke sections.
You can now fold everything back into the right position, so that both shoulder seams are now concealed.
Step 6: You now notice that the inside of your garment will be nicer finished. The seam of the back yoke and the back panel is neatly concealed between the two back yokes.
And the shoulder seams are neatly tucked away between both back yokes as well.
Finish the rest of the garment according to the instructions that accompany the pattern. When inserting the sleeves, make sure that the edges of the back yokes coincide neatly with the sleeve head when you stitch it. The same applies to the neckband. Make sure you allign both back yokes when you stitch them on.
I especially like that your garment, once it is finished, looks a lot 'cleaner'. Even if you don't notice it that much on the outside. Personally, I like that you don't see the wrong side of the back fabric on the neckline. It's all in the details ...
The best thing I still think is that this is a free pattern, with lots of options and usable for both boys and girls. I would say: what are you waiting for?
