5.24.2009

Well..I learned a lot...

I finished my dress a few days ago.  I had a ton of trouble with the neck and I almost gave up.  But after a few days of rest from the project, I calmed down a bit a got through it.  There are a lot of little catches that you can't really see because the elastic helps to cover it up, so I was much happier with the finished product than I expected to be when I started. 

Also, I don't know why I thought that doing the waist band with the stretch fabric I had wouldn't be that hard, but it was a nightmare for me.  I've had the fabric lying around for a long time because I loved the color but then tried one project with stretch fabric and haven't touched this fabric since. In the end, I think putting the elastic in helped to salvage it.  Overall it's pretty sloppy work, but if I had a daughter, I think I would put her in it anyway:)  Now I've learned a lot and I would love to try again.  Does anyone know if there are any instructions on doing the ruffle sleeve with the cuff?  I love that sleeve and would like to try it.   I should probably stick with the standard for now until I get a little better at sewing, but I can dream.

5 comments:

  1. Keep dreaming and then jump right in! if there is something you want to try there is nothing better than just giving it a shot. Take it from a bona fide wimp; guess and check isn't so bad...and like you said, most of the time things will come out better than you think and you'll feel that much more proud of yourself!

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  2. I think it came out darling! Don't be too hard on yourself because it wasn't the easiest project without a pattern to start with. Making our own makes things a little tricky, doesn't it?! It really did come out cute.

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  3. dont be so hard on yourself. it looks good. i can't beleive you are trying to work with stretch fabrics. they are a nightmare.

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  4. Oh, I'm so glad you stuck with it. Sorry it was such a nightmare though!
    Are you referring to the puff sleeve made from the cuff of the sleeve? I've never done a tutorial on that. But you basically cut a similar sleeve pattern, but make the bottom of the shirt cuff the bottom of your sleeve (you have to tweek the sleeve a bit though b/c there are slits on the cuffs where the buttons adjust). Also, I moved one of the buttons over to make the cuff tighter, to fit better around a little girl's arm.
    Here's what it looks like:
    http://dana-made-it.blogspot.com/2009/04/madame-librarian.html

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  5. Thanks for the tip Dana! I will definitely try it soon.

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