This week, I made clothes

These are two dresses for The Princess.    The first is McCall's 6310.  I bought everything for this last year and needed to get it made while I still had enough fabric to make it fit her.  She's growing fast.  I don't remember ever making something exactly like the pattern but I loved the fabrics shown and went with those.

 

I took this picture with the right orientation with my camera but it just doesn't want to let me post it that way.  Bummer.  The bag is plain in the pattern so I added a flower with one leaf and the rickrack stem.  I think it looks cuter this way but that's my only change. 

I used the Wonder Tape to hold down the rickrack before I stitched it and I love the way it worked!  If you click on the picture, you can see it.  Wonder Tape dissolves in water so I gave it a quick spritz with my spray bottle before I pressed the skirt and it vanished.  I really love this product!

I swear assembling the back was like putting together a cross between a Chinese puzzle box and solving someone else's Rubik's Cube.  But I love the way it turned out.  The periwinkle straps are applied after the top is complete so you can see the front just above the lining. 

Next is Simplicity 2237, a Project Runway pattern.  I love the way the yardage is listed on these - mix and match.  If you want to combine different tops with the skirt or want to make the jacket from a different fabric, it's easy because the yardage is listed separately for each section.  I wish other companies would give yardage requirements like this.

This pattern uses bias tape (I prefer to make my own that matches) rather than facings and this is the prep work I do to be sure it lies flat.  After I cut the strips and put them through the bias tube, I put them wrong sides together (right sides together works just as well) and press the curve.  I have the top fold along the stitching line.  If I stitch it on without pressing the curve in first, I can't get it flat no matter how much I press it after it's sewn on.  Right side to wrong side puts the curves in the wrong place so the way you put the fabrics together is important.

Another sideways photo.  Sorry.  This is the completed dress with the jacket on it.  It's kind of hard to see the jacket since it's such a busy print.

Jacket sleeve from the side.  It's sort of a tulip petal shape.

Jacket from the front.

And that's what I sewed this week.  Tomorrow, the April Schnibble should be posted.  I have my fabrics and I'm ready to sew!!!