Bridie: The First of Many Dresses

So I asked my friends if they would do this challenge with me half thinking they would be to busy to be able to do it. Which I would of completely understood, sewing your own clothes does take time and for a lot of people there aren't enough hours in the day to do the things we all have to do (usually the boring things we all hate doing!) let alone take time out to sit at a sewing machine for hours to make a dress. To my surprise and delight they were all really up for it and got the ball rolling straight away. We hadn't even got to our official start date and Laura and Lu had already whipped up two stunning dresses!
It's taken me a little longer to make my first dress, although I did start when the girls did, I have a beautiful six month old boy who takes up the majority of my time so I have to fit sewing in around him. Not the most easiest thing I've discovered! Although luckily for me my hubby (not official but as good as) has taken some holidays off work so as well as being able to spend time with him I've also been able to get on Fred (my sewing machine don't get any ideas).
I thought for my first garment of the challenge I should brush up on my pattern cutting skills, god knows its been a while since I did any. So using our bible also known as Winifred Aldrich's pattern cutting book I set to making a block. It took me a few times to read through and jog my memory but eventually it came back to me. For the most part.

 

 

 

Once I had my block I did a few quick sketches of some dress ideas. Nothing like my days back at uni where we would have to thirty variations of a design and more often then not go with your original design. I wanted something simple summery and with a vintage vibe. Which I think I achieved.

 

I had already picked out a fabric I wanted to use a beautiful vintage piece I inherited from my grandma. 



 

When it came to cutting out my pattern pieces I felt very nervous there's something about cutting out vintage fabric that makes the whole thing a lot more nerve wracking. Which might be why I made a silly mistake for some reason I thought creating a curved waistband was the way to go about things instead of making a straight one. Which I realised was wrong but not till after I'd cut out my fabric and started pinning it.



Eventually after correcting my mistakes I finally got to get back on this lovely lady. This is Fred which is short for Freda she was my grandmas pride and joy and I now look after her because my grandma is no longer with us. I think she would have liked our challenge!

So once I started sewing things went quiet smoothly and all the skills I'd learnt years before started coming back with some help from some good books!

 

 

I was particularly pleased with my under stitching I think its the neatest it has ever been. My zips however need considerable work. I've always hated putting zips in. There's a lot to be said for buttons! 

 The finished dress. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out seen as though it's the first thing I've made in years .

 

This is a very pale looking me trying it on for the first time my self portrait skills are a lot to be desired!



 

Finally this is me with my legs out for the first time this year. They most defiantly need to see the sun more! It was a lovely day and myself, my partner and my little man took a walk into town. It was a nice feeling knowing I'd made my dress myself and no one else had one like it! 

 



 

Hope you enjoyed this post, many more to come this challenge is going for a whole year so we have plenty of sewing to do!

Bridie x