Well the name might need sexing up a tad, but I'm quite pleased with my newest creation. After an unsuccessful encounter with a pattern (not made by my own hand) that produced a sack with arm holes several years ago I haven't been brave enough to try again, until now. My mum gave me some of her old patterns, and while everything's in inches (and my tape measure is only in cms), and the picture on the front is channeling some serious flower power, I decided that the new brown fabric I had been planning to make a top out of would be rather perfect for one of the designs. A major concern was sizing, as I have a rather perfect 30" waist, and this dress has a rather crazy 24" one apparently, but on closer inspection the 'waist' on this dress is about 6"higher than wear I consider my real waist and another couple from wear I wear my jeans so I ploughed ahead.Its taken me two days to make a dress thats almost finished- I need to buy a zip and buttons, and then hem it. I'm sure I could have made it quicker but I spent a good few hours (not an exaggeration) looking at the instructions of how to lay and cut out the pattern pieces. The pattern offered several examples of how to arrange the pieces depending on the size of fabric you have, which was totally irrelavent to me- also what's a selvedge? Because it mentioned that a few times too.
Then it was fairly easy to pin and cut the pattern pieces- although they all needed to be cut on a fold apaprt from one which was fortunate because I was short on fabric. I wondered why piece 5 didnt need to be cut on a fold, and then realised it ws because its an arm piece, erm so I needed two of them....oops...dont worry a few bits rearranged and I managed two arms which is somewhat necessary for that two armed look all the kids are going for nowadays. The first step was bound button holes- which was a lot simpler than the incomprehensible instructions suggested, I assume all children in the 70s were sent through sewing school. But in the end it turned out to be a nice way to do buttonholes, something Ive struggled with in the past. You sew a square of fabric on the front, then push it through the slit you cut for the hole, then sew it up.
Although it did take me an hour and a half to do 4 button holes. The first one is very nice, the next three are good in their own way which is, unfortunately, not the same way. But I think equally sized and aligned button holes are the hallmark of a poor imagination...Or something? The next step was to sew together the bodice top at the shoulders, and then attatch the facing. Facing another one of those simple yet ingeneous things which I've never understood or tried. But it makes a nice smooth edge to the collar, and probably looks nicer when you're wearing it as it covers the insides. I also sewed in the darts in the bodice which take in the top to make it fitted at the bust and waist. Then sewed the side seams, leaving a space for the zip. The next step was sleeves.
The sleeves have a rouched edge, which is fun, and to do this I hand sewed around the top edge of the sleeve pattern piece and then pulled the thread which caused a rouching (so familiar to me as an unintentional consequence of my sewing). Then I lined up the sleeve and the top and sewed the seams.
Somewhere in the middle of this I went to bed, but this morning I started on the skirt element, sewing the side seams, leaving a space fopr the zip. The did the same rouching effect on the top of the waist, this was trickier than the arms, as I didn't have as much excess fabric to rouch as before, and it was fiddlier to pin the skirt to the bodice than it had been to pin together the sleeve to the arm hole. Also my sewing machine had another in a long line of seizures, making sewing the waist together all the more difficult. Grr.But I managed, and it looks pretty good. Although I'll have to wait until Monday to visit the Stich Witch to buy a brown zip, some brown buttons, and then hem it up. And then, I might try it on...Fingers crossed...
Update- I went to Stich Witch bought a zip and buttons. Job done. Total cost of dress= £6.44 (£5 for fabric, £1.20 for zip, and 24p for buttons) which isn't bad. It fits well but I don't need to unzip it to get it on, so I take that as a sign that it's a little too lose. Judge for yourself.
