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Isla Sew Along Day 2

Welcome back for day 2 of the Isla Sew Along! I hope you have had a chance to select all of your pattern options, fabric, and have your pattern pieces ready to go. If not, don’t worry. You have plenty of time to catch up with us. Today we will be cutting out all of our fabric pieces and creating the back bodice cutouts.

Cutting Your Fabric

I like to use a large cutting mat, a rotary cutter, and pattern weights when cutting out knit fabric. Since I primarily sew baby sizes I prefer to use a 28mm rotary cutter. The smaller blade allows me to cut along curves much easier and with better precision. Also, I find that since knit fabrics have a tendency to stretch and move, the pattern weights help keep them in place. Don’t feel the need to run out and buy pattern weights…just check your child’s treasure stash! Chacely loves collecting rocks, therefore I constantly have a supple stash of “pattern weights” on hand. They are free and work great. Once you have all of your pieces cut we are going to move along to creating the back bodice cutout.

Bodice Cutout

Oh, that Isla back bodice cutout. I love it SO MUCH! Since there are so many options available there really is something for everyone. You can stick with the heart cutout, choose to use the additional shape add-ons, or come up with something new. Today I saw a dinosaur footprint and peep cutout. How fun is that?! Go wild. I would certainly love to see what you all dream up.

When creating the back cutout there are two methods that I like to use. If doing a simple shape, like the heart, I will cut out the shape onto my back bodice fabric piece and sew around the shape using a 1/4″ seam allowance.  If you’ve read through the pattern, you’ll know this is how the instructions show you to do it.

However, if I choose a shape that has a lot of curves and points I prefer to trace my shape onto Heat n Bond lite paper. Then I iron my Heat n Bond paper piece to the wrong side of my back bodice lining. You can then sew directly onto the lines you’ve drawn to create your back bodice shape. As a result, you will have a shape with nice points or curves. Just peel your Heat n Bond paper away after sewing and cut out your shape, making sure not to clip through any stitches. I have used this method to create a star and shamrock cutout. I’ve also uploaded a handy video into the fan group showing how to do both methods to achieve foolproof results.

Once you have created your back bodice cutout, turn the bodice right side out. Push out any points or curves using a turning tool. If you don’t have a turning tool, you can also use a bamboo skewer. Lastly, iron your cutout to set the seams to make sure your cutout retains its shape.

Day 2 Progress

That’s it. You’ve made it through day 2 of the Isla Sew Along.

Now you just need to snap a quick photo of your cut fabric pieces and finished cutouts and place them in the Isla SAL album in the fan group. Make sure you are uploading your photos for a chance to win a daily $10 shop credit!

 

Happy cutting and back bodice sewing,

Chauncey

 

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