"Write about what you know." That's what my husband said, so that is what I shall do. I know about sewing. Not knitting, not painting, not cooking an incredibly fancy meal. It's been many years since I have made my own design and pattern, so I thought I'd embark on making my nearly 2-year-old daughter a dress from scratch (i.e. without a store-bought pattern). And the plan is for it to turn out a detailed and somewhat fitted dress that will look nothing like a basic rectangular moo moo (because I know from experience, that takes no pattern at all ha!).
Joe graciously watched Jetta while I went to the fabric store so that I could take my time wallowing in bliss. I could spend all day looking at fabric and notions. I know. I'm a sewing nerd, and many of you are probably with me on that. Anyway, once I was there [distraction free], I had so many ideas running through my head. It's easy to get ahead of yourself when looking at so many fabrics!!
Instead of carrying around "potentials" and then forgetting where they go if I need to put them back, I discreetly pull them out a few inches and continue to walk around. And this goes on for a while...
So this is what I ended up with. Prior to going to the fabric store, I had a sketch of what I wanted to make. I'd post the sketch, but then you might mistake me for an eight-year-old. It's very rudimentary, but it gets the job done, so we'll just say the end product will be a surprise to you all!
It's been many years since I made my own pattern, and I am far from an expert in that area. I'm about as novice as you can get because I've mostly relied on pre-made patterns to make clothing. They have whole classes devoted to pattern-making, of which I have never taken. But I've got this....I hope.
So with sketch in hand, I measured Jetta to ensure a good fit (although I added an inch all over so that she could continue to wear it for the next 6 months...I hope). Surprisingly, she loved this. She kept asking for "more," waiting patiently for me to measure another part of her body. So I measured some non-essentials, too - her head, her little inseam, her foot, etc. I studied some of her clothes to see how they fit together (i.e. the hardest part for me in making this pattern - sleeves). So as I drew out and cut the pattern, I held it up to Jetta to make sure I had the shape and size right, and modified as needed. And this is where I'm at right now. In my next post, I will show you the final pattern and steps I take to make this sweet little dress.
Please feel free to comment about something you've made or plan to make!
Please feel free to comment about something you've made or plan to make!
