So have I mentioned that Breanne is growing right up? I love that she's able to do more (she LOVES riding her bike (still with training wheels, but she's getting so much better!), she's reading basic books by herself, sounding out the words, and yesterday she perfectly rolled out all 13 pieces of naan we made--she's always asking how she can help--I need to be better at figuring out how to have her help), and while she can still be incredibly frustrating to me (she is amazingly good at ignoring me, and everything and everyone else around her), I'm trying to figure out better ways to utilize both of our energies. She's a good kid, I just need more patience.
Anyway, not only is she growing up mentally, but also physically. I swear, she has outgrown all of her dresses but two, and one of those is for an upcoming wedding, so she can't wear it yet. So... for KCWC I'm focusing on making her some new skirts (see below), and new dresses. Last week we had a sewing group, and I couldn't help but start early, and whip up another dress, similar to her Easter dress, but a little simpler (mostly).
It's simpler because it's just a basic tube dress, including the skirt, where the Easter dress was a circle skirt (I like the circle skirt look better, but it takes a lot more fabric, and thinking, and patience. And pressing and hemming. So this is better :)), but it is more complex because I made the lined pockets. It was my first attempt at pockets, and (like everything I make) they're not perfect, but I like the little extra they add to the dress.
One thing I'm realizing as I make more of these dresses is that I need to find a better way to keep them up on Breanne. She's getting so tall that the elastic thread gathers over her shoulders aren't tight enough to hold the weight of the dress up very well. I'm constantly having to tell her to pull it up in the front, and the back dips down nearly to her shoulder blades. I'm wondering if using plain elastic in a casing would be better? Or maybe just doing a different kind of sleeve altogether for her? I'm going to keep thinking about it, I'm sure the next dress will be different. :)
5 comments:
way to go!
You amaze me. Why can't we live next door so you can show me how to sew??
Try making the sleeves a little smaller, like take an inch or an inch and a half out of the center so that they aren't as long from top of the shoulder to where they attach to the bodice of the dress. Can't wait to see what else you make!
Don't make your sleeves smaller! Use REAL elastic. You can find it with varying amounts of stretch and it will hold the weight of the dress better. Because they are part of your neckline, if you make your sleeves smaller it will affect the neck of the dress and possible make it uncomfortable to wear by digging into her shoulders. Also, it will affect the amount of gathers that you have over the shoulder--which I think looks perfect. I made some jammies for my girls much the same as your tube dress. I just folded over the top to finish the edge and make a casing for the elastic. If you want it to have little bit of a ruffle at the top (like it looks now), then fold over a little more and put in two rows of stitching so that the elastic is not right at the fold at the top of the fabric. Using real elastic all the way around the neckline may help so that the elastic thread won't get stretched out over time, as the neck is the place on that particular dress that receives the most stress. Good luck and happy sewing!
This dress is adorable too! I love the pockets and I love the way the neck and sleeves gather and kind of match the pockets. If you know what I mean. Anyway. Adorable if you ask me.
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