Wednesday, July 3, 2013

First Dress of July

How great a stashbuster am I? I can turn stash into a dress without lifting a finger. Well almost...



 My little sewing buddy came for a few days and we went to town! This lovely seersucker print was chosen to make her "a dress with a big poofy skirt". In three days I supervised while she sewed a dress, petticoat, sash and hair accessory.
We made a braided flower through a tutorial found on Pinterest. 

We used Simplicity 3426 because it had the required poofy skirt and a simple bodice top. The v neck in the back does not come down as low as the pattern artwork makes it seem. Instead of facings we lined the bodice so she wouldn't need to worry about the top being see through. It also gave her good practice on sewing darts since we had to make 12 of them. I must say she did a very good job!


One reason I love vintage patterns is their size ranges. She is tall for her age and these "Teen" patterns give the height and width needed without adding the bust room built into women's patterns. 
 It came together really well. I made sure to take lots of breaks so she wouldn't get tired and was always ready to go back to it. The sash was just an extra long tube we sewed together and turned right side out. I did sew sheer ribbon as carriers on the sides to help hold it in place.
Curtsying in her petticoat.
If the twirling is any indication, I think she likes the dress.
Even the kitty thought she looked lovely.

Photoshoot is over now!!
I wish all my fellow Americans a happy 4th of July tomorrow and a good week to the rest of the world.
Happy Sewing!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a beautiful summer dress. You're so sweet to help a younger one to learn dressmaking skills.

Borsmenta said...

Cool. I wish I had someone supervise me when I was making my first steps into sewing. Dress is awesome, tell your 'trainee' she did a very good job :)

Diana said...

Wonderful! I love to see young people learn to sew. Pretty dress too.

Cation Designs said...

Darling dress! I love that you were able to bust stash fabric without having to do any of the sewing :)

EmSewCrazy said...

Thanks. We have a lot of fun together and she can gab sewing just like any old lady. I feel priviledged to pass on the skills to her.

EmSewCrazy said...

Thanks. I'll make sure to pass the compliments on. Yes, her darts turned out much better than my first ones did thanks to all I've learned about sewing and pressing them.

EmSewCrazy said...

Thanks Diana, I'm pretty tickled too. I just hope she will continue as she grows.

EmSewCrazy said...

I KNOW!! I was so excited when I realized it was stash AND it fit the theme!

Carolyn said...

It turned out terrific, please pass my compliments on to the talented new seamstress. And to you too; well done you for passing the skills and a love of sewing in the next generation!

annanic said...

Twelve darts in one dress? For a beginner? A young beginner?! That's very impressive! Definitely brag on her =)

EmSewCrazy said...

Thanks. I will be sure to tell her! Teaching sewing is a definite passion of mine.

EmSewCrazy said...

She's used the machine a lot so she's comfortable with that part of it. But the darts were new. She definitely has a talent in this direction.

sallyavena said...

What a beautiful dress on a beautiful girl! Well done! And thanks for linking up!

EmSewCrazy said...

Thanks. I really like the new website and think this branch of vintage sizing can be a great advantage to tween girls.