I MADE A DRESS

Yes, this post deserves an all-caps headline.

I actually made two dresses from the same pattern. The second dress went much quicker since I had all the measurements from the first dress so I didn't have to keep trying it on and pinning.



Original idea is here: http://sweet-verbena.blogspot.com/2011/07/simple-bow-tie-top-tutorial.html
She has a much more comprehensive step-by-step tutorial, so be sure to check out her blog! My post is mostly about the tips I learned from doing her pattern.

The pattern is rather simple--two rectangular pieces of cloth with a casing at the top to thread a ribbon through and sewn down the sides. That's pretty much it. I lengthened the top to make it into a dress and added a belt to give the dress a waist. I also added pockets because dress with pockets is maybe the best kind of dress there is. The gather at the top and the flowiness of the dress hides mistakes really well, which is good because it took me a couple runs to figure out how to sew with a super stretchy fabric.

Here's the first dress:
The pockets were too small and I should have pinned the hem with the belt on since the gather took up the length on the sides a bit. But not bad. I hemmed the fabric before sewing the casing and arm holes since this fabric frays.

Second dress:
I didn't hem the casing and arm holes on this dress because the knit didn't fray like the first dress. Using the measurements from the first dress, I pinned where the arm holes should end, the top/bottom of the pockets and the hem. You can see that I used safety pins instead of straight pins for these markers--you don't have to do that, it just helped me distinguish the "sew along here" spots from the "stop!"

Also: pin like crazy. I may have gone overboard but if you have enough pins, do it. You'll be terribly frustrated otherwise with the fabric shifting (like I was while doing the casing). The problem wasn't so bad with the first dress, but the second was a soft jersey knit and was very stretchy. Super comfortable for a dress, not as great for a relatively inexperienced sewer.

I traced the pocket pattern from a coat pocket that I like. Unlike the in-seam pocket tutorials I'm now finding online, I sewed the pocket together first and then sewed it to the front and back seams of the pocket space I left. I think my method was more difficult because there were more layers to keep track of and make sure I didn't sew together. Oops. Hehe. So instead of doing what I did, go here: http://www.fashionsewingblog.com/inseam-pockets-video-tutorial/

Instead of making my own sash for the top, I bought ribbon and cut it an angle. If you go this route, be sure to seal the ribbon end to keep it from fraying! I used a thin coat of nail polish. I didn't like the way the ribbon bunched up, so once I tried on the dress and decided how much gather I wanted in the casing, I pinned and sewed the ribbon flat in the casing.

I overbought fabric so I could have plenty of room for hems and mistakes. The final panels were (including seam and hem allowance):

• Front panel: 27" x 33.5"
• Back panel: 29" x 33.5"

Note: the front and back panels are different lengths because the arm holes are longer in the back than the fronts (7" from the top in the front, 9" in the back). You can make them even if you want.
To give a guideline of size, my measurements are 33", 26", 36". I'm 5'2". The dress allows for a lot of leeway on sizing though!