"Easy to Sew"

Thursday, 24 March 2006

One of the projects I took with me while at my parents was a dress pattern I wanted to test out for perspective Easter dresses. Mom has about 10 yards of a blue floral from 15+ years ago that we'd like to turn into dresses for all the granddaughters - if we can find just the right pattern and coordinating "do-da's" as we like to call them to update the fabric and minimize the homemade look.

It was supposedly "Easy to Sew" ... I don't think so ... To me "Easy to Sew" should also mean "goes together quickly" and this didn't go together quickly. I admit it's a relatively simple pattern, but you end up sewing the collar and sleeves into the dress three times, after doing all the basting, stitching and top stitching it calls for. I did a little bit of it Sunday night before realizing I'd forgotten to cut out half the collar (the underside). Having brought none of the scraps with me, Emily and I made a trip to the fabric store Mom and I have been going to for nearly 22 years, and found a subtle bright yellow to use as a coordinating contrast fabric on the underside of the collar and then as a peek out from the hem. Despite the trauma and frequent trips to the fabric shop because I was missing this, or forgot about that, the end result is really cute and will more than likely work for the Easter Dresses we envision, as well as a few other dresses for this summer.

Here's a picture of the pattern cover, and Emily in my version (picture taken 4-23-06).