My first grown-up article of clothing.... aka a sewing adventure....yikes!!

Ok, so I have decided to blog through my first clothes sewing adventure. I hope I have not gone in over my head with this first one. We will all find out!!

So here is the dress I am making... Butterick 5383

  

This is the fabric I chose, and I hope it works because it was not one of the fabrics recommended on the pattern. Butterick recommended Stretch Wovens, Ponte Knits and Jersey. All of which I have no idea what they are! (I suppose I better learn these things if I am going to start sewing my own clothes!!) (Side note, I have been reading Dawn for many weeks now and hope to make beautiful clothes like hers one day!!)

So I have done a tissue fitting just like Gertie has instructed me to! 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

(And P.S. I can only hope that someone who knows how to sew is reading this because then they can stop me at every point and say "WAIT!! You are making a huge mistake doing A... It is supposed to be done in manner B." So if you are out there and reading please speak up and offer all sorts of advice and knowledge!)

Here is what I found out during my tissue fitting. I definitely need to move into the real world and just buy the pattern based on what the measurements say on the flap!! I am a buying clothes size 12, but definitely not a size 12 is sewing measurements! So here is what I changed;

1. I added 2 inches to the shoulder length because the arm opening was squeezing the life out of my armpit.

 

 

 

2. I added 2 inches to the front and back because I should have bought a larger pattern size!! Which automatically added 1.5 inches to the neck line. (I don't know how I would have been able to prevent this.....)

 

  

3. Since I lengthened the shoulder strap on the dress by 2 inches I also added 2 inches in the neck binding. And I also added 1.5 inches because I lengthened the neck when I widened the dress. (This part threw me for a loop for a long while and I starred at this pattern piece for a long time before I cut and decided what to do with it!!)

 

 

4. Finally I added the adjustments to the inside lining pieces as well.

 

So after all this I measured many many times and then cut the fabric... I was a little nervous I must admit! (I know the bottom hem is not straight, but I actually didn't cut it, I left it from the original fabric in case I need more hem. I am going with the longer B version of the dress because I am so tall, it actually hits me at the knee. So I left the crocked bottom just in case :) )

 

 

So I think that's all so far! I am going to go into my sewing room and stare at my cut outs and try to get the courage up for putting a needle in them!! (Reminder to self..... change the huge needle in your machine from 90 to 60...)

Here I go...