Handmade Monday

I made a dress.  A real one out of fabric, using a tissue pattern, and cutting and buggering around with it in regard to length, facings, armscyes and darts.  It's got bias binding around the armholes, and six back darts, and facings around the neckline, and red topstitching and every thing. I'm very proud of it.

It started off like this, with a lot of cheesecloth and a pair of scissors.

This turned into a toile.

The toile didn't fit at all across the back.  It fitted at the bust, at the waist, on the sides, but it didn't even meet up across the back. Even given that it would have a zip, it was utterly hopeless.  So I winged it by retracing the pattern onto newspaper, only a bit bigger, and putting in the darts and everything as I went along.  

I actually made the bulk of the dress a few weeks ago, but didn't finish it, as I didn't really understand how to do the facings and the rest of it, so put it in the cupboard until yesterday.  I then spent absolutely ages putting the facings in, ripping them out, putting them in and then screaming.  A bit of Courtney Love later, and I had a brainwave, and just put bias binding around the armholes.  It shows a bit, but I think it looks good.  

The zip didn't meet properly at the top, but I DON'T CARE, so I put a button and some bias binding at the gap at the top, and ta dah, now it fits just fine.  The button is mostly decorative, but I'll put a loop in at some point.  I have to take it off to do that, and I don't want to.

You can see that it needs a bit of surgery around the armhole to stop gaping.  But, you know, see above.  That is caused by the whole "winging it with the back of the pattern" but never mind, it fits just fine, and I love, love, love it.

The best thing for body image wibbles is making your own clothes.  This dress will fit ME, there is no question of me slimming down for it.  Clothes.  Know your place.

I've been doing a "Sew-a-long" with Rosie Wednesday, details here.  It's been a steep but utterly brilliant learning curve, and I've already cut out and made the front of a second dress.  Hurrah for Simplicity 3833, and all who sail in her.