Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Lessons in Dressmaking


So, I here is what I have learned from my most recent fashion sewing project:

  1. DO NOT CUT THE PATTERN TO THE SIZE YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE!
  2. EXPERIMENT ON SCRAP FABRIC WHEN MAKING BUTTON HOLES!
  3. DO NOT CUT THE PATTERN TO THE SIZE YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE!
  4. SEW THE GARMENT USING CHEAP FABRIC; IF IT TURNS OUT, USE YOUR FASHION FABRIC!
  5. DO NOT CUT THE PATTERN TO THE SIZE YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE!
Did I mention NOT TO CUT THE PATTERN?  I made this mistake when I began cutting out the pattern pieces for See and Sew B5634.  I decided cutting the pattern to the size I thought would fit my oldest daughter would be easier than trying to fold the pieces along the appropriate lines.  Well, it was easier, but in the end, the dress did not fit her!  Too small!  Fortunately, it fit my friend and she modeled it for the photos.


 
You can see in the photo where I violated lesson #2.  The second button is clearly misaligned.  Oops.  What's also obvious is that I paid no heed to lesson #4.  I should have made the dress using cheap fabric first! 

   

I actually learned a lot from this project that helped me make the next dress.  I had never made a collar before!  It was much easier than I expected!  Setting in the sleeves was a bit tricky, but I managed, and I carried this experience into the next dress project.


My daughter's favorite kinds of dresses are shirt dresses and wrap dresses.  I messed up the shirt dress, but I scored with this blue wrap dress.  Actually, I did not intend to use this blue fabric for the actual dress.  This is cheap fabric I used to "practice" the pattern.  My daughter saw the dress, tried it on, and decided she liked the fabric!  Hit!  She wore the dress to work!  If you are interested, this wrap dress pattern is from Sew Simple.  I picked it up at Walmart.  Easy!

So, with all these lessons learned, I'm now ready to attempt the shirt dress again.  This time, I'm going to use McCall's M4769.  I think the fuller skirt will fit my daughter better than the See and Sew pattern.    


I'm using this retro looking fabric for this dress.  I bought this at Quilts and Quilts, my favorite quilt shop  in  Branson, MO.

  
I also bought some "self-ruffling" yarn called, Flounce.  I had never knitted with this sort of yarn before so it was a little weird to get used to, but I managed to follow the directions and make this adorable little scarf!


I'm thinking these little scarves would make great teacher gifts this year!  They are very fast and the stitches are very forgiving!  If anyone is interested in a quick knitting lesson, let me know!  I'll post an easy tutorial!

I also bought a few Jelly Rolls at the quilt shop!  I've already begun work on a quilt using one of them!  I can't wait to show you!  Stay tuned!

Tootles!
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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Blue wrap dress is so cute. I give you credit brave one for even attempting dress making. I had to laugh at your DO NOT CUT lines.....That scarf is cute!! xox

Heather said...

I learned that lesson when I first started sewing too. When I am making a really nice dress I always make a "sample one" first as I too, have learned the hard way. Always pin the pattern to the person to fit the pattern.
good luck with your next project!!!!



heather

Unknown said...

The ruffly scarf is super cute. Sounds like some good lessons were learned and your perseverance will pay off no doubt:) I like to choose my size by comparing my above bust measurement to the patterns bust measurement. Then make a muslin. How do you choose your size?

Fiona said...

Been there, made those same mistakes *sigh* I've learned not to trust the size guidelines on patterns - they just never work out right which is probably why I make accessories more than clothes as making things fit is hard!

Love the ruffle scarves - my sister-in-law made a huge one for me the other year and they're really fun to wear! An the wrap dress is very cute.

Cassandra and Alex said...

OMG...this post cracked me up! I applaud your foray into garment-making. Aside from knitting, I have trouble making clothes for myself for ALL the reasons you mentioned. :)
–Cassandra

DeeDee said...

you have been busy lady...I love the lessons learned to this posts... garment making can be enjoyable but there are some tricks to it... you do so well at picking things up and learning them..love the scarf too... :D

Linda said...

Believe it or not...that's how I learned to sew...making clothes...way back when fabric was much cheaper than clothes and you could get a lot of bang for your buck! Love the scarf...so cute! Have a great evening!!

Anonymous said...

I've been dying to learn how to make the scarfs that you made with the self ruffling yarn. I have never knitted and can't sew to save my life. On a good day I can sew a button back on to a shirt, but it's bound to fall off again. LOL! I would love to see a tutorial for the scarfs!

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