Katies adventures in dress making land part five

I'm really enjoying going to these dress making classes!  It's such a shame that there are only about four weeks left.  It's so good to have a tutor who is so skilled and who can direct you on what to do next. 

Wednesday nights' class was very productive again.  Janet suggested that I lined the shift dress that I am making, as it would hang better and stop it from sliding.  Part of me thought "No way!  I can not possibly line anything!", but I also thought that it would be really good to at least try to do it.

So off I went, attaching my pattern pieces to the lining and cutting them out.

I sewed darts into the lining and attached the back and front pattern pieces at the shoulders.  I also attached my dress at the shoulders, had a fitting where Janet pinned the side seams, and then I sewed those too.  I was so relieved that the dress fit me!  I was so worried that I had cut the pattern pieces too small (it's a complicated business!).  In fact, I had cut the dress patterns too big!  

I still have quite a way to go, sew the side seams of the lining, attach the lining to the dress, insert the zip, attached the sleeves, attach the facing, make a belt and hem the dress... Phew!  But, so far, so good :)

Knowledge

• Insert pins the right way around, so that they are easier to remove from the fabric while you're running it through the sewing machine.
• Make sure the fit around the bust is accurate so that the darts sit well.

Mistakes

• Sewing one of the darts very badly!  It was such a pain to unpick too, because it was on lining fabric, fiddly!
• Cutting the pattern pieces too big (better to have more fabric than less though!).

Sorry that this post is way overdue, I did want to get some photographs of my dress to post too, but I am having some real problems with lighting on this dull and rainy Sunday afternoon in June!  I'm back at the dress making class tomorrow evening, so I promise some photographs in Tuesdays post instead :)