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Hey I just wanted to check back in and thank you for your ideas! Another friend recommended adding fabric to the back at the zipper. So, I altered the neckline by making it lower (I ended up using the bias finish, which looks great), and I added an inch to each side of the zipper. She loves it, it worked out great!

I’m glad it worked out, and my apologies again for the silence! Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m glad you’re happy with the book and you might be interested in our first tween/teen pattern, the Girl on the Go Dress and Top for your 12-year-old daughter? Very happy you found us, and welcome to our little community!

Thank you @liesl!

I unpicked the 1/2 inch seam and sewed it with a 1/4 inch seam and it worked perfectly!

I found your Building Block dress book at our library a few weeks ago and have ordered my own copy because I like it so much! It led me to your website and I also found a copy of Little Things to Sew at Joann fabric store this week!

I…[Read more]

Ok, sorry for the delay. I’m finally getting a chance to look at this. I recall changing the width of this piece several times during the development of the book, and it’s been so long now I forget exactly why I changed it. But it does indeed seem like the facing should be a little wider or the seam allowances should be trimmed a bit narrower. I…[Read more]

Sorry, not ignoring you. I’ll reply just as soon as I get a chance to look into this, ok? Wearing too many hats right now…

Looking at the instructions and pictures again, and checking the true 1″ wide facing strip, I can only conclude there’s an error…
@liesl ? It works perfectly with the instructions and illustrations if the strip were even 1/4″ wider…
Currently you sew 1/2″ inch, fold over 1/4″ and that only leaves 1/4″ to cover the seam allowances. Yet the…[Read more]

To save modifying my comment again I’ll leave the error there for posterity 🙂
I was adding up to a strip of some width other than 1″ (1&1/2″ would be the sum of 1/2″+3/4″+1/4″)
Anyway, the short answer is: trim those seam allowances aggressively and maybe fold your raw edge over by slightly less than 1/4″
Apologies for the brain fade.

For your first question about adjusting the skirt: if you took the bodice in at the side seams I would do the same with the skirt. Simply because it makes the maths simpler.

The cuff question: you’re on the right track with your stitching but you’re imagining the next step differently to where the pattern is taking you. 🙂
The raw, unstitched…[Read more]

Sleeve Cuff Facing:
I am not sure how to create a new thread, but I am in the Building Block book, page 45. I just completed #25. The sleeve cuff facing cut on the bias is only 1 inch wide, so after stitching the layers with a 1/2 inch seam in #25 it doesn’t seem like there is enough of the facing to wrap to the inside and sew in place with 1/4 i…[Read more]

I neglected to add that I have mild drag lines from centre front to the armscyes, which has made me think that increasing the shoulder height might be the place to start.

I have another fitting question. I just made the Gallery tunic in a size 12. It looks and feels wonderful but it doesn’t quite fit right around the bust. I’ve also made the Cappucino tunic in a size 12 and it fit perfectly so I didn’t make a muslin of this one first (should have :). At first I thought I needed a bicep adjustment but after some…[Read more]

Referring to my previous question, do I cut 1/2 inch off each side of the skirt from the waist all the way to the bottom? Or do I slash the skirt pattern somewhere in the middle and reduce the width there by 1/2 inch?

Thank you! You are a talented teacher!

If you’re not taking in at the armholes this should be fine. You could also consider adding waist darts similar to the Fairy Tale Dress for a closer fit. But yes, tapering to the waist is perfectly fine!