So, back in the depths of winter I decided that it would be a good idea to have a go at making my own clothes. Now it is the height of summer and I have finally finished my first handmade dress!
I really do think that if I had paid more attention to the project that even as an almost complete beginner I could have finished this simple pattern within a week. So why did it take me so long?
I think it was simply because my lack of experience made me very nervous of tackling each stage but as it turned out, there was nothing very difficult about sewing this pretty dress together.
My small library of sewing books were a great help when it came to each stage of the sewing process. The ones I found most helpful were:
The Custom Fit feature on the Vogue pattern has proved to be a real advantage in getting the perfect fit as it allows the pattern to be made in A, B, C or D cups without the need for altering the pattern – all of the hard work is done for you!
Getting the dress finished and being able to wear it has been a real incentive to have a go at something else…this time something quicker i.e. not lined as that did make me feel as though I had to do every step twice!
All in all I am very happy with how the dress has turned out. Some of my top stitching is a little wobbly but I have seen worse on sale in some shops so I’m not going to dwell on that too much! I have a good fitting dress made from lovely linen fabric for at least half the cost of a mass produced version that I could have bought in the shops.
Now all I need to do is start sewing more quickly!