We’ve been writing the Sew Essential blog for a couple of months now and I hope you’ve enjoyed the mixture of ‘how to’ guides, interviews, reviews and general interest articles. As we’ve always said we want the blog to become a bank of sewing advice and tips that make it a go to resource for sewers everywhere. We also want to share my personal beginner’s sewing journey. I thought it was high time we shared a make on the blog so here it is!
This is only the second item of clothing I’ve sewn (getting the excuses in early!) The first was a summer skirt which I will share on the blog at a more seasonally appropriate time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and well and truly have the bug and am already thinking of the spring/summer wardrobe projects I need to get cracking on in the new year.
I decided to make myself a Christmas party dress for, well, a Christmas party of course, although I would also wear this dress to eat out at a posh restaurant or for drinks with the girls in a fancy bar. To be honest I'd probably wear it to a wedding or christening too with different shoes, a different belt and a fascinator. As a Mom of two these things don’t happen very often these days (insert violin music, sniff, sniff etc), but it is always nice to have something hanging in the wardrobe for when the time comes.
I chose a skater style dress because I think this shape is flattering for most figures and feels nice and girly. I chose Burda pattern 7308, although I really don’t like the choice of fabric on the pattern packet I thought the style and shape were lovely and it would look great in some of our red John Kaldor prestige crepe and our red lining fabric. I’m a sucker for bright colours and the red is just gorgeous plus it’s an excuse to get the red lippy out, I love a bit of red lippy.
Based on my measurements I cut a size 14. I checked the made garment measurements and the size 12 would only allow 1¾” for ease which I thought would be a bit tight even for a fitted dress, especially seeing as I’d be troughing a three course meal whilst wearing it! It’s always best to cut a size bigger and take it in rather than cut a size too small and end up crying because it doesn’t fit and there’s bob all you can do about it! I’m normally a size 8-10 in high street bought clothes so this just goes to show how different sewing pattern sizes can be and how important it is to always check your measurements as explained in our ‘how to achieve the perfect fit from your sewing pattern’ guide. I did have to make some adjustments taking it in at the side seams on the bodice and skirt and I’m really pleased with the final fit, although I think I could get away with taking the bodice in a bit more at the waist.
I made the bodice first and I pinned the princess seams by easing in the additional fabric on the curved side when pinning. A great tip she gave me was to use a bamboo knitting needle to help keep the fabric in place when sewing these curved seams. Even as a complete novice this made it easy to sew, although I did struggle with one of the seams and had to get the quick unpick out a few times before I got it right. You should always sew from the side with the most fullness and doing the opposite to this was where I’d gone wrong.
Once all the panels of the bodice and the bodice lining were sewn together I overlocked the edges and gave the seams a good pressing with a steam iron, a pressing ham and some silk organza which protects the fabric but allows the steam through. Always press every seam as you go along to achieve a professional finish.
Next I sewed the bodice and the bodice lining together and I discovered a super trick for avoiding any hand stitching (see our recent blog post on how to line a sleeveless top or bodice).
When I sewed the skirt there were more bias seams to work on. Always sew from the waist down and to use a walking foot on my machine to help keep the fabric in place. Following these tips helped me to get it right first time. I measured where the zip would run to and sewed the back seam to this point. Most advice will tell you to sew your zip in first and then sew the back seam, but apparently this makes the back seam a pain in the rear.
I found it fairly easy to sew the skirt and bodice together, although thanks to the full skirt there was a lot of bulky fabric to keep moving around as I worked my way along. I also realised that I hadn’t managed to line the bodice and skirt side seams up perfectly on one side so had to get the trusty quick unpick on the go again. I unpicked a section either side of the seam, repositioned and sewed it into the correct position.
Sewing the concealed zip was next on the agenda. We’ll be writing a ‘how to’ guide as one of the next blog posts with all the details, but it is worth mentioning here just how amazing basting tape is for holding the zip in place ready for sewing. If you haven’t ever tried it definitely give it a go it makes life so much easier.
I have to admit that sewing the hem was one of the things I found most difficult because it was a circular skirt and seemed to go on forever! I sewed the main fabric first and made quite a few mistakes going off piste several times, unpicking and starting again. By the time I sewed the lining I realised if I rested my right index finger against the outside of the sewing machine foot it acted as a guide for the fabric and meant I was able to whizz through it in no time and achieve a really good finish. Lesson learned - sew the lining fabric first next time!
One final press and the dress was ready to go. I tried it on several times throughout the making process and adjusted it slightly as I mentioned earlier by tapering the sides of the bodice in.
I wanted a belt to go with the dress as suggested in the pattern and decided to go for a bit of Christmas sparkle with some sequins. I think I’ve actually got a bit of a sequin obsession at the moment, you just can’t beat them. I used a strip of elasticated sequin trimming and machine stitched ribbon around either end then folded the ribbon back onto the wrong side of the trimming and machine stitched it in place. I hand sewed a hook and eye onto the ribbon using upholstery thread for extra strength and hey presto a cute little belt that my Dad put round his head when he was having a Bruce Springsteen moment in the living room!
It was a joy to totter around the dance floor swishing the full skirt and the dress felt really luxurious thanks to the lining. I would replace the sequin belt with something less sparkly for a meal or drinks post Christmas and I definitely think Dad should consider something more manly for his next Bruce Springsteen impersonation!
All that’s left to say is Happy Christmas from the team at Sew Essential!
Until the next time,
Lucy