[meleliza]

Ok, backtracking, the skirt also really really needs an underlining and I just don’t think the dress will hang right without a crinoline, even though the little girl didn’t want the extra puff. I was at the local fabric stores this morning two kids in tow waiting for them to open in the hopes I could find stuff that would be close enough match what I already have. I’m going to make a separate crinoline with two layers of tulle and a silk lining. Then I’ll have it for the photo shoot Saturday morning and she won’t have to wear it for the event if she doesn’t want to.

This is going to be a tight finish.

Sunday will be all about Easter sewing! Did anyone else start on Easter stuff yet? I haven’t seen much pop up in Flickr. I just love spring dresses.

[Tamara]

Oh I’m cheering you Meleliza! You are doing a stirling job at the dress! The crinoline idea is a great one – everyone is happy then. But I am sure the little girl will look back at the photos and think the dress you poured your heart and soul into was the prettiest ever – and then she will book you to make her wedding gown! When the time comes! and then the christening gown and the communion dress for her own daughter! and by that time you will be a dab hand at all that beautiful heirloom sewing and up to about your thousandth dress (you can see I am trying to build you up here!). Well, wouldn’t it be terrific to have her be grateful for all your efforts? I know that not every little girl of this age group is into expressing their gratitude but she will see it in time – me being mrs optimistic again!

Meanwhile I am sitting here drumming my fingers on the ipad keyboard waiting for the awfully slow download to download the new patterns I bought this morning.

I plan to spend a good part of the day cutting and sticking them together and selecting fabric to “run by the kid” before diving headlong into these delicious new dresses. Oh! What bliss!

[needlewoman]

Brilliant idea, Mel! Hope you make it all by the photo shoot – even if the petticoat isn’t perfect by then, the effect will great, and you can finish it up later. Mind you, I wouldn’t mind betting when the little communicant sees her herself looking like a princess, she is likely to put with the petticoat on the day.

Bless your cotton socks, Just; Mel might have plans for her own daughter’s communion/wedding dresses before somebody else’s; however, I applaud your enthusiasm. I get excited like that with all sorts of plans for future outfits. I’m really looking forward to the still far off day (I suspect) when any/all of my 5 nieces have babies – now that’s going to be fun!!!

Back to business, ladies. I’m about to cut out a couple of book reports in corduroy, and I seem to remember one of you discussing the best way to run the nap. Is it usually with the smooth feel running towards the hem, or the other way around. If anyone’s made things in cord lately, I’d appreciate their input/experience of how it looked. Doesn’t matter if responses are for one or tuther or both – I’ll weigh it up. I haven’t made anything in cord since the green pinwale last year – and that was very fine. The stuff I’m working with now is also pinwale but coarser.

Hope the downloading cooperates with you, J. New patterns – always exciting.

[needlewoman]

PS: I’ve been asked to make a quilt for Fair (in May) by the organisers who have had stuff from me before. I already have one cut/planned so need to hop onto that. It’s so nice to be asked by someone who REALLY likes what you do. Next trick is to get my dear quilter onside; she’s a very busy lady.

[Nicole]

Fiona,I was always taught to make the nap run down so that the pants were smooth as you ran your hand down your leg. However,Liesl advised the other for a sumptuous look and I did with Tilly’s After School trousers and they looked so lovely!

The colour was so much richer looking.

[Tamara]

Download is stuck at 49% I went gungho and decided to download three in one go! Bad move! Hopefully by lunchtime I will have at least one pattern! It is now 9.39!

Needlewoman the quilt sounds like fun! I think I will just back the piano mats and bind them and not worry about quilting. It will give me something constructive to do while waiting for the Roller skate dress pattern to download.

The book report dress will be fabulous in corduroy and you can mash it up a bit by having two bits going in opposite directions – fun to break (these kinds of) rules.

[with love Heidi]

With cord I tend to think how I (or the kids) will wear it and run their hands down it. And how the pattern firts on the fabric, just rember not to cut one leg/arm one way and one the other unless you want clown pants!

Slow internet is so frustrating (along with drop out and dieing computers), hope your patterns come through soon. I’m looking forward to seeing all the pinwheels!

[Tamara]

Still waiting! It was apparently interrupted so is starting again! Yes I am thinking lunch time!

[meleliza]

Thanks for the support, Fiona and Tamara! I’m just wrapping up a late night of sewing and the dress is finally starting to come together. The underlining for the skirt made all the difference and tomorrow I’m all set to stitch in the zip. Hand picked of course. 😉 I had an even better idea for a crinoline and just gathered up two layers of really wide tulle and will tack it to the lining. If she hates it, I’ll just pull it out. This will save me a lot of work and will reduce bulk of a separate item at the waist. But it looks really great with the added puff and more like what’s in the stores. I believe she’ll like it and then I’ll sew it in more permanently.

I suppose there’s a chance that in 20 years I’ll be up to a wedding dress, but that seems like an awful lot of work and pressure. I do think that I may take the dress after school next week to show some friends, though. A few moms I know don’t like the mini bride or pageant looks that are in stores. They may want something nice and traditional for their girls next year when it’s their daughters’ turn.

I can’t wait to see your versions of the roller skate dress. I’m waiting for the paper version so I’ll get to be inspired by your ideas.

[Tamara]

That is an excellent idea – great way to get customers and eventually referrals. It is also great that theyknow you sew beautifully and are willing to go against the grain of peer pressure. My niece wanted to look like everyone else for her first communion so I didnt’ get to make her something special and her mum doesn’t sew – she had already past the point of “loving Aunty’s sewing” by then.

I have one roller skate pattern but the pinwheel keeps aborting for some reason. I’ll keep trying.

[needlewoman]

Thank you for tips about which way the nap should run on corduroy. The majority seem to think that nap should run down to hem, and given kids are always stroking/brushing their clothes, that sounds the most sensible way. N, having the nap run upwards does give a stronger colour look, and I love it myself, and I might try for Miss 7 since she is very clothes conscious child and could be persuaded not to muck about with the dress – especially if the skirt part of the BR is made of cotton rather than cord. Justsewit, you are a reckless and dangerous woman; much as I value your tips, I think I will draw the line at having the nap running different directions!! Goodness, but you are a hoot! Don’t bother quilting mats for piano, unless they are too puffy without – let’s face it; the piano won’t care.

Way to go Mel, what a clever girl to think your way around the petticoat, and minimise the work needed. The kid is going to wear this dress a very few times ( white being a rather limited occasion colour), and so long as the end result is sewn enuf for it to be put away/handed on for posterity, none of the underskirting matters. Let’s face it, one’s First Communion is not supposed to be about the dress!! (But of course, it is a big part). Don’t wear yourself out too much, and be comforted that very few of the young people these days want to actually get married (ie in church with full regalia) so you may never get asked to make a wedding dress!! My friends’ children all have babies now, but only about half of them went through the wedding bit. Interestingly though, they have all been keen to have their children baptised with all stops out!

[Lightning McStitch]

Meleliza, I’m always astonished by the “special occasion” dresses and the amount of fitting and adjusting you guys do. I take my hat off to you and eagerly await the results.

Me, I just make stuff to amuse myself. I’m pleased to say that my “project” is still causing me to cackle, and the cool ladies who cut my kids hair today were in hysterics and doing some appropriately sinister whistling when I told them about the upcoming outfit. So I’m not entirely alone in thinking it’ll be a funny idea.

My self drafted lining attached itself nicely to the inner facing using a technique of quilting pins, followed by hand basting, ,then stitching. It almost looks as if a pattern piece was used that resembled the correct proportions (it didn’t, initially). Just needs a hem and some buttons/buttonholes…..

[Tamara]

Ok, I now have three successfully downloaded and printed patterns that took some five hours to get to this point. Literally overjoyed! Didn’t cut them put yet but Miss 10 has chosen the roller skate dress to start on and couldn’t be bothered with the fabric, saying you choose – beautiful!

So this is my project for tomorrow when I blissfully get to cut out stick together bits of paper to layout cut out and hopefully get to the point of sewing bits of pretty fabric!

No quilting the mats will only cause possible tipping of coffee cups onto the keys and we can’t have that! Besides, cant be bothered now I have the new patterns to play with.

Fiona, glad you had a giggle – would be a rather funny dress to have the nap going in different directions but seriously corduroy would look great.

[meleliza]

Weddings are a huge industry here, but I hear that point of view in England, in fact the church of

England was up in arms about marriage when we were in England a few years ago. Our friends there said lots of young people weren’t getting married because the state benefits were so great for single mums. Hubby and I had a quickie wedding when I still lived in Vienna because we needed a green card. Now I kind of regret not having the lovely photos in a big white dress and look forward to the whole shebang for my daughter. And my boys too.

[Tamara]

We had the whole shebang – on a bit of a budget. My mother was a bit of a nightmare dress shopping – I found this fabulous dress, a one of a kind but was coaxed out of it due to the price – (12 years ago $2000 was the normal price for a wedding gown). Instead I had to settle for a homemade dress taking elements of the design of the “perfect” dress and had it made by a friend of both of our families – for the same cost! My daughter is only ten and says she is never going to get married and won’t have kids. I just hope she changes her mind. My mother in law did quite a bit for our wedding – all the flowers, the wedding cake and we did something that doesn’t really happen in Australia and had a grooms cake also. I adore the idea of being able to contribute a huge part of the creative side of things – I spent every lunch break for 6 months making pew decorations, ring cushion and embroidering the bodice of the flower girl’s dress. It just makes it so special to be able to lend a creative hand to a celebration.

I sincerely hope this young lady is thrilled with her dress. Sometimes we can all get excited about the picture in our head and have it be the best most beautiful trendiest thing and then have our ideal squashed by the domineering opinions of the parent. More often than not though it turns out to be an unexpected surprise that the homemade version is just as good if not better than our original idea and it isn’t so bad after all – I hope it exceeds her expectations.

We have just had a visit from our Canadian farming friends so now they have headed off again, I can go and cut out the Roller skate dress pattern and choose some fabric.