Hello and happy Monday to you! I wanted to let you know that I did a
guest post over at
Sarah's place yesterday. I wrote up a little tutorial for the
Sixteen Tons quilt as part of her Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge. Hope you check it out! It's a quick and easy quilt to whip up for your favorite charity or just for fun. It's a good way to use up scraps, too!
Also over the weekend, I started sewing a dress for me! There was much trepidation surrounding this event, but my
sister, who has garment sewing experience, was visiting and she helped a lot. (It was sweet. At one point she said, "this is what I feel like when you are at my house and I'm trying to make a quilt." That made me feel so much better! I'm so thankful that I have a sister to sew with. Thanks, Clair, for your help!!!) Anyway, back to the dress....I'm over half way done and not sure that it's going to fit. But it's been a great learning experience so far. I'll keep you posted!
26 comments:
I started with garment sewing and went to quilting after that. I think it's easier to go that route than to have to go from quilting to garment sewing. Not everything is straight lines there. But as always, I'm sure you will do a great job. I hope we get to see the dress when it's finished. :)
What a fun cute dress!!
Thanks for the quilt tutorial.
I used to sew nearly everything I wore. I would rather be quilting. But I applaud you for sewing a dress. I often see such cute patterns and think I should give it another shot. How fun to have your sister there for encouragement!
Cute dress pattern and fabric. I started with garment sewing and like the others have said, quilting is much easier and fun for me. However, the precision sewing required with quilting has improved my garment sewing so who knows! Now my son is studying costume design and technology and he give me tips! LOL
Yes the not fitting part is why most of us stop garment sewing.......however it is how I started sewing so I'm grateful for the experience that made me a better quilter! Good luck with it, I do hope it fits after all that work and that fabric is so adorable too.
Happy Sewing
Go ahead and try it on... you may need some help to get it on if there are pins in it, but try it on. You'll know where to take it in a bit.
Hug!
I also started garment sewing first. It used to be much cheaper to sew your own clothes. Not anymore, which is a real shame. I think it's THE best way to really learn what styles look good on you, which don't, what your body measurements are, etc. Even one dress will teach you a great deal. Learning how to alter the size to fit you (or someone else) is really a skill that few people even possess anymore. The best thing about garment sewing though is that you can wear it out in public and get compliments, plus you get a one-of-a-kind outfit. Not too many people see our quilts ;-).
You mean you didn't make a muslin to check the fit? *gasp!* (Just kidding - it usually seems to much hassle. But it is worth it if your fabric's expensive or you plan to use that pattern a lot.)
Nina,
I debated making a muslin...but I just used cheap fabric to start with, so if it worked I already had a usable dress. If it doesn't, I have scraps for something else. The fabric was on clearance for cheaper than muslin anyway, so it seemed like a good idea. I'm hopeful that I can still make it work! And if it does, I'll move up to better fabric. :)
AJ
Sewing clothes can be fun too. It is quite a change from quilting though. I'm sure your dress will turn out great, so hope we can see it.
You are gonna look like one hot momma in that dress!
I've never set anything on point so this was a helpful tutorial. I have to brave that soon. It only looks hard, right?
Love the pattern & fabric for your dress!I'm sure with your sewing skills it will be fine! Enjoy!!
Hope your dress fits as it is so cute! Just saw where Connecting Threads is promoting your new book on Facebook today! Yeah for you! I saw your book at the AQS show in Paducah last Friday and I told my sister who was with me that I read your blog all the time and am so proud of you!!
Going to head over and read the tutorial after I post this comment.
Love the dress pattern and your fabric choice! I hope it fits you after all that sewing! =D
The dress pattern is very pretty. and your quilt is beautiful!
Lovely fabric and a cute pattern, too. You know you can always ask me, too if you have a question. I'm sure it will be great! :)
Can't wait to see how your dress turns out! And I can't wait to give that quilt tutorial a go, either!!
Love the pattern you selected. Looking forward to hearing more about the dress! And maybe a photo or two.
I really, really suck at sewing clothes. I don't like making things that actually have to "fit." LOL
I have that same fabric in teal that I bought last year to make a skirt from.
I love sewing clothing. For me it is so much more fun than quilting. But, it is no longer cost effective. And, it is hard to do randomly for other people. So, I started quilting. With a daughter I think you could have a lot of fun with garment construction.
Keep trying and you will get it right.
thank you for the tutorial. I love that you set the squares on point, so I'm happy that you wrote up the the steps and measurements. Thank you.
My biggest headache when sewing clothing is that pattern sizes no longer coordinate with actual clothing sizes you'd buy in the store. I did costumes for our local high school's production of The Sound of Music and quickly found the importance of determining pattern sizes according to measurements, not typical store-bought sizes. My daughter who is a definite size 8-10 needed pattern sizes 16-18 for her stage clothing. Try explaining to a teenage girl that she really isn't a size 8....she's a 16!!
Like many commenters, I also started with garment sewing although I've taken about 12 years off, so I'm a little rusty. But every spring and summer I get the urge to fill my closet with cute tops and dresses I've made myself. LOVE the fabric you chose and hope it works out for you. There's nothing worse than a dress that doesn't fit after you've worked hard on it.
You chose a really good dress pattern!
My aunt is always trying to get me to make her sundresses, and that pattern was easier than all the others she has sent my way.
Loved your guest post. I'm always looking for scrappy quilt, and easy charity quilt options.
Good luck with the dress. Fitting is the tricky part, but I'm sure you can do it! Can you sew it? Yes you can!
I love the quote from your sister! It's just like me and my friend, Amy. She's terrified of quilts and quilting, but has absolutely no problem sewing incredibly detailed and difficult garment patterns...which I am more leery of sewing...it makes quite the combination when we sew together. :-)
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