Sewing a Double-Sided Bolero

In today's blog I will show you step by step how to sew a pretty little double-sided bolero, perfect for those special occasions where you just need a little something to cover the shoulders with. This pattern is so easy that you can manage it in little more than an hour, including the sewing by hand!

I will be cutting the front panel from a fabric with a rather large pattern. I therefore need to take great care with the layout. In the first place I need to make sure that the writing in the pattern must be legible, facing the right way up.

I want to make sure that the pattern at the bottom of the fabric makes sense ...

... as well as the one on the top fabric.

This one looks beautiful!

This one is very nice as well.

Even though the two sides differ so much, they will still make a beautiful unity.

The back pattern is cut on the fold from black denim.

This is the basic idea for the bolero.

I decide to cut the lining for the bolero from a poly-cotton with a fabulous print. This makes it possible to turn the bolero inside out and have a completely different look.

This is the inside of the bolero.

Pin the front and back together at the shoulder seams.

Sew at seam allowance 1,5 cm.

Pin the front and back together at the side seams.

Sew at 1,5 cm seam allowance.

Pin the lining at the shoulders.

Sew the lining at the shoulders.

Pin the lining at the sides.

Sew the lining at the sides.

Iron all of the sewn seams open before you proceed.

Fit the outside and the lining on each other with the right sides facing.

Pin the lining to the outside. First line up the shoulder seams and pin the back neckline.

Now line up the side seams and pin.

Pin the hem at the back.

Now work your way around the front rounded parts and pin.

Sew all around the pinned seams, starting at the back neckline and making your way back to the starting point. Seam allowance is 1,5 cm.

Trim away the excess fabric in all the rounded areas.

Here you can see clearly where I have trimmed the bolero.

Only the armholes are still open. Turn the bolero right side out at the armholes.

The bolero needs to be pressed flat before we can continue.

Take your time with the ironing to make sure that the lining is not visible from the outside and vice versa.

Fold the armholes in and pin the seams in place.

Sew the armholes closed by hand.

Iron the armholes.

You should now have a bolero with some pretty fabric contrasts.

Lovely to wear on either side!

For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
You can subscribe to this blog and receive regular updates by email by simply registering your email address at the top of the current blog.

Adapting an Existing Pattern to Your Own Style

How often have you wanted to sew something you envisioned in your own head, but then you simply could not find the exact pattern for it? It is costly to find a pattern designer to draw the pattern of your vision and often you compromise to make something that is like your vision without realizing the ideal you had in mind. This can for the most part be avoided if you know how to adapt an existing pattern to turn it into the vision of your dreams. I show you what to look out for when I adapt a boy's fishing jacket to become a girl's bolero in today's blog.

I wanted to make a bolero for my niece, but the closest pattern I had to what I had in mind was this one for a boy's fishing jacket. It was close enough.

I only need a front and back piece for a bolero and these would be the only pieces I worked with.

I start by tracing the back onto a piece of paper. I fold away some of the excess fabric in the back as I want the bolero to be more body hugging than the fishing jacket. I do need to measure here, as the girl is 9 years old and the pattern is for a five year old. Careful measuring will ensure a better fit. At this stage I am not bothered with the length of the jacket. I concentrate mainly on getting the neckline and armhole in place.

This is the basic design for the back which will be developed further as we progress.

I now turn to the front. This is wider than the back and I need to glue two sheets of paper together to accommodate the width of the pattern. Once again I trace the pattern, concentrating on the neckline and armhole, not bothering with the length yet.

I now cut out both the front and the back before I continue to work with them.

I use the off-cut paper from above to add length to the front of the bolero by gluing it onto the pattern.

As I want a rounded shape, I now draw in the shape that I want to bolero to take. I also measure carefully along the side seam to make sure the bolero will be the length I want it to be. It is once again cut out on the new lines.

I glue an extra sheet of paper to the bottom of the back part to accommodate extra length. I then fit the front part onto the back part, lining the two pattern pieces up at the bottom of the armhole.

I redraw the hem of the front onto the back pattern to make sure the length of the front and back patterns line up at the side seam. Drawing a straight line for the back hem, I cut the back pattern to the correct length. I also trim the side seam to taper neatly.

I now have two pattern pieces that will line up at the shoulders, and the side seams. If you have a pattern that has more places that need to line up, follow the above principles to adjust your own patterns accordingly.

A bolero has a wider arm opening than the original pattern I worked with has. I therefore taper the armhole to my requirements. Notice how I make sure that the side seams will still line up.

I cut out the widened armholes and now I am ready to lay out the fabric. As easy as that!

For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
You can subscribe to this blog and receive regular updates by email by simply registering your email address at the top of the current blog.