Little Vicki Pattern Review – Headband Tutorial – Button Tip

by Destri on June 9, 2011

Whew, that was a long title! I re-wrote it about ten times and that was the best I could come up with :)

I had the pleasure of testing one of Izzy and Ivy Design’s new patterns due to be released any day now, The Little Vicki Dress (it’s lovely having a designer for a sister :)). Really, such a fun dress to make. It’s adorable, classic, and has a retro look to it that I am loving. I also made a cute and easy headband to go with it, and my sister taught me the coolest little trick for shank buttons. I will tell you about it all after the jump!

Oh, and I have a pattern to give away…lucky you ;)

Izzy and Ivy Designs Little Vicki Dress

Isn’t she cute? I just love how it turned out. Very classic lines and just the right amount of pleating in the front gives it great detail. The pattern was very easy to follow, but be sure to pay attention where they tell you to. If you are like me, you like to think you can skip over some details :). Just follow the directions and it turns out great.

The back has a tab button closure making this a great pattern for beginners who are nervous about zippers and button holes, or the veterans who just don’t want to deal with them :). I made a 4T, my daughter normally wears around a 3t – 4t so it is just a little big on her. I tried a sample that was 3t on her and it fit perfect. Buy the size your little one wears and it should be true to size.

The gals at Izzy and Ivy are going to give a Little Vicki Dress pattern to one of you today, just leave them a sweet little comment on this post and you are entered!

Now for the button trick..

Shank Button Tip

I may be the last person on the planet to know this trick, but just in case someone else has been living under a rock, I’ll share. You know how when you sew a shank button onto your garments, it almost feel as though it could pull through the fabric. So then you are really careful to make sure you don’t pull too hard, cause no one likes a hole in their clothes, right? Well my sister Shasta showed me this trick. Just decide where the shank button will go, then on the back side sew a regular button, just to tack it there…

Then make sure that your needle and thread end up on the outside where the shank button will go. Thread it on and go back through the button holes of the button on the inside. Repeat this a few times until it is nice and secure, and viola!

The perfect reinforcement! Now if it gets tugged on while my daughter plays, I don’t have to worry about the shank button.

Because the button on the back is anchoring it. Cool huh? Now someone, please tell me you have not heard of this…it would make me feel much better ;).

Now for an easy headband…

Easy Fabric Headband Tutorial

This is a great way to use up scraps from a project and end up with a coordinating headpiece. It’s super cute and super simple too. Let’s get started!

Supplies:

long fabric scraps for the headband
small fabric pieces that match for the flowers, I used three kinds
fabric glue, or hot glue gun
all your sewing stuff

You will want two strips of fabric that are around 42 inches long and about 1½ inches wide. I didn’t have strips long enough, so I just sewed two shorter pieces to get the length I needed. Cut the top fabric to be a half an inch narrower than the bottom, so that the bottom fabric is peaking out on the sides.

Now sew the two together right up the sides like shown. I left my edges raw, but you can finish them with a zigzag stitch if you’d like.

Then I made a simple rosette (tutorial here) and glued it on to the headband,

Next I took a smaller scrap and tied three knots in it like shown.

I cut the fabric off the knots, leaving me with three buds.

Then I glued them onto the headband like shown. See, they look like little flower buds :).

Next I took some monk’s cloth and cut into four little strips. I think lace would look great here, I just didn’t have any :). Just use what you’ve got!

Folded all four like so, and arranged them in a flower shape, secured with glue. Then I sewed on a button..

And glued it on in between the rosette and the buds. I wished I would have put the buds over to the side a little..but alas…

You just tie it up in the back.

And there you have it – A fun little scrappy headband. I have made a bunch of these in different ways, and I have to say she leaves them in better than the traditional headband.

I had to throw that picture in there. You know they are done when they just squat down and won’t look at the camera. One for the scrapbook I tell ya.

You can find all our Hair Accessories Here, there are some fun ones! As always, send a link or picture if you happen to make one. They make my day! We have our flickr too.

Well, I am off to read the final few chapters of the last Harry Potter Book…I know, why am I just reading it, right? Well I guess I just wasn’t ready for it to be over. I feel like I am saying goodbye to a series, but I decided I had better read it before the last movie comes out. Don’t tell me how it ends!

Talk soon,

~Destri

**Giveaway now closed**