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8.01.2012

A Scrappy Chevron Border {Tutorial}

A couple of months ago I pinned this dress on Pinterest.  I loved it so much I wanted to copy it exactly.  But then I saw it was created by an Etsy artist, and the truth is I like things better when I make them my own anyway.  I just wasn't sure what to do instead.  So I waited.

A couple of weeks ago, I fell in love with the scrappy chevron in this post.  Ironically, it was entitled 'Copied or Inspired?'.   In this case, a little of both!



I've been looking for a simple A-line pattern for a year or so now and finally found this awesome one.  It was perfect.  I sewed it up in linen.  Linen is such a beautiful, clean slate for applique. 


After the dress was sewn, it was time to add the scrappy border.  I couldn't get it to look right but thankfully my husband jumped in to save the day! Truthfully, this tutorial is brought to you by him!

First, I cut a bunch of 2 1/2" x 1/2" scraps in a variety of colors.  Next I grouped them into sets of four.  Then I used this interfacing.  The awesome part about it is it's sticky, so it allows you to place fabrics onto it and they'll stick without it being ironed.  Ingenious! 

fabrics, placed but not ironed

I then cut out each of sets.


I placed them in the order I wanted them to go on the dress.  Then Dan cut them at an angle for me.  We decided on doing a more subtle angle, so using a cutting mat with one-inch grids, Dan placed one bottom corner an inch higher than the other,  and cut along one edge to create an angle. That created an upward sloping piece.  He then created the downward sloping piece the same way, but in the opposite direction.



When your pieces are all cut, you'll need to cut away all of the excess interfacing, so you don't gunk up your iron when you iron it in place.

I marked the center of the dress, and placed the bottom of the center peak 2 1/2" from the bottom center of the dress.  I then worked my way out to the side seams, making sure each of bottom 'peaks' measured 2 1/2" from the bottom and the 'valleys' 1 1/2 inches from the bottom.  I then peeled off the back of the interfacing and ironed in place.  When I got near the side seams, I ironed the scrappy 'set' up to the seam, and then cut the rest away with a scissors.

Time to machine sew it in place!  I did one line of stitching down the center of each of the scraps, going row by row and stopping with my needle down to pivot in the next direction when I got to a peak or valley.


And there you have it - a scrappy chevron border.



18 comments:

  1. This is so precious! And your daughter is beautiful. I've read her story and it really moved me. Anyway... if I decide to do this applique, how much does your husband charge to come cut the angles???

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  2. Wow, thanks so much for the kind words! She is an amazing girl. My husband said he'll trade cutting services for babysitting. haha

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  3. Oh, it's beeeeautiful! What a successful project. I'm sure you're beaming whenever she wears it!

    And, agreed, your daughter is stunning. One of our friends has an adopted daughter of a different ethnicity. We would love them anyways, but I do enjoy exposing the kids to all kinds of families!

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  4. So super cute! I've pinned that Trefall dress and wanted to copy it too (did I say that?). Also was super interested to read Maureen and Rachel's takes on the inspiration issue in blogland. But in the end, your dress is a perfect blend of being inspired and making your own thing!

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  5. Kristin, thanks so much! Yeah, I thought their posts were super insightful. Boy a lot sure has changed in sewing blogland. A few years ago, it seemed like copying (Anthropologie, Mini Boden, etc) was the norm. I think the bar has gotten a lot higher now and people are being pushed to be even more creative. I for one love that we are all building off one another's ideas, growing together. I hope that we can hold loosely what we claim to be ours, because the truth is that truly original ideas in fashion are rare, in my opinion. I personally see imitation as a form of flattery. :)

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  6. I love the dress and the girl!!!! And I also noticed the hairy legs in the picture were not yours rachel... Dan is a keeper!
    Very cool project.

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  7. The dress is amazing, and could her puffs be any cuter???

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  8. Thank you so much.

    Thepianohouse - this made me smile. Yes, 'puffs' is exactly what they are called. My husband does them for her. Great bonding time!

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  9. i love what you did with this dress!! and thanks for the tip on the a-line dress pattern, it looks like a great one to have on hand.

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  10. thanks gail! i will take that as an enormous compliment coming from you!

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  11. OK, so I'm up in the middle of thenight which allows me time for blog reading! I MISS YOU! (OK, I know, that's weird!) :)

    This dress is ADORABLE, and both of your girls look so adorable in them! But, I'm partial to this border myself. SO cute! :)

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  12. Wow! This is adorable! LOVE
    Just stopping by from Train to Crazy :)

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  13. Oh my goodness! I adore this dress!!! I hope you will consider uploading a photo of it into SewSet - a new on-line sewing pattern & tutorial directory. I would love for others to be able to find it and you when searching!

    Thanks so much, and hope you are having a great day!
    - Jessica
    http://www.sewset.com/
    http://www.mesewcrazy.com/

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  14. Gorgeous dress, gorgeous girl, and I love that Dan helped! Evie looks very model-ly in that last picture...

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  15. I always learn something new from your blog posts , and this one was no exception. The dress you made is beautiful. The post you linked back to , discussing copyright issues, was revelational and very thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing this.

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  16. This is so adorable, and I, too have been searching for the perfect A-line dress pattern for my granddaughter. Unfortunately, the link for the pattern leads nowhere (an "Oops! message"). Do you know of another way to get hold of it? Thanks for any help you can give me. (Your girl is a cutie-pie!)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Laura!

      I updated the link and I will also copy and paste it here - https://www.etsy.com/listing/79906422/a-line-dress-simple-easy-sew-lined?ref=shop_home_active_20

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