I am absolutely determined to get as much as I can out of my sewing course. With this in mind, my current project is a jersey dress. I really wanted to have a go at sewing with a stretch fabric. The pattern, McCall's M6885 is not specifically designed for jersey, but since all the fiddly bits - the button placket and the collar are reinforced with iron on interfacing which stops them stretching, it seems to be working ok.
I am making view D but with a straight bottom edge like view C and no side ties. I may add these at the end If I think it needs them, but generally they don't suit me.
I have a newly formed love-hate relationship with tailors' tacks. This pattern has a lot of markings and they seemed like a better option than chalk which I find inaccurate, and disappearing pen which I have never used but sounds like a recipe for disaster. The tailors' tacks are a bit of a faff because they do come out at the least convenient moment and you end up with little bits of thread everywhere, but they are quite easy to be accurate with.
Although this fabric is jersey, it is designed to look like denim. With this in mind I have done all my stitching with a contrast thread just as you get on jeans. This is VERY unforgiving and is making me very careful about the neatness of my topstitching, but I love how it looks.
This is a very time-consuming make, and I am doing the majority of it at home between classes so that I can turn up to class with the next tricky bit all ready to go. Tomorrow I will be setting in the sleeves, and if there is time, making the button holes, something that I have never been confident about.
I have some cute buttons that I am looking forward to stitching on as a finishing touch.
With the end in sight, I have to work out what I want to make next. I have a skirt I want to alter and might do that, but I have time, I think, for one more big project before the end of the course.
If you were me, what techniques, fabrics or notions would you choose to learn next?
xx
That looks really good so far. My hips are too wide (aka my bums too big) to tie myself in the middle. I look like a pair of sausage links.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as though you are doing really well! I like the contrast stitching!! xx
ReplyDeleteWay back when I did dressmaking I used tailor tacks, but these days I use Frixion pens, which are widely available. The markings vanishes when you iron over them (use steam if possible). I use them to mark quilting designs. Loving the look of your dress!
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