[BeckyinFL]

I can help. Email me at bphilofcr (at) gmail.com.

[BeckyinFL]

Good idea. I’ll do that, Sarvi. Thanks.

[BeckyinFL]

Oh yeah. That’s where I got this fabric!

[BeckyinFL]

mcholley1, the picture is of Manatee Springs, in Chiefland, Florida. It’s pretty near where I live. (Rainbow Springs in Dunnellon is a little nearer, and that is where I usually go to swim.) Are you nearby?

[BeckyinFL]

I have never heard of Art Gallery cottons. I’ll watch out for them. Dubhels200, have fun!

The finished Garden Party dress is now posted in the Flickr group.

[BeckyinFL]

Thank you, gals. You’ve made some great suggestions. I’ll keep an eye out for these.

[BeckyinFL]

New patterns released, which is great!
The cooking and cleaning can wait
I must go through my fabric
It’s going to be magic

[BeckyinFL]

re: How do you get the punch to reach markings that are not on the edge of the pattern paper???

Linda, you can fold the paper to reach internal points. You’ll get two holes, but you can always tape over the one you don’t need. Also, I use a hole punch that I bought at a craft store that makes a very small hole. I tear off the part that catches the punches; then I can see to position it precisely over the dot on the pattern sheet where I want to make a hole. (Learned this when making templates for quilting. I used heavy paper or template plastic, and I was marking the corners of the stitching lines.)

[BeckyinFL]

I tried it, and it worked fine. Here is a photo series:

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by BeckyinFL.

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   5-inside-of-seam.jpg
   

[BeckyinFL]

I second left-handed shears. I would also like snaps a little smaller and lighter than the size O+S currently stocks. Other ideas: packs of ideal-sized white or shell buttons for button-up-the-back dresses; small cord made especially for piping.

[BeckyinFL]

I read recently a suggestion someone had for marking the shoulder line on the bubble dress. They sewed a basting stitch through the pattern and fabric together then clipped the threads to remove the pattern. There were thread bits left in the fabric that marked the line. I can’t remember if it was machine or hand basting, but I’d probably do it by hand. If you did a long-ish backstitch, that would probably leave longer pieces of thread behind.

[BeckyinFL]

Gal, I don’t know about that, but I do love to talk about it!

[BeckyinFL]

I forgot to say to remove the basting after, but I’m sure you knew that. I was just thinking more about this, and I think with a smooth ribbon, this might possibly cause it to pucker some. I’ll have to try it to see, and of course it may depend on the ribbon. But it ought to work very well with lace or or flat piping or firm trims. Okay, just thinking aloud here…

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by BeckyinFL.

[BeckyinFL]

I was considering this very problem yesterday, and I have an idea, though I haven’t tried it yet. For the dress I’m making, I sew the bodice down last by topstitching it over the seam that attaches the lining to the skirt. I used to do the reverse, but in this pattern I’m good enough that I get very good topstitching on the lining side, too. Okay, so I decided I wanted to attach a ribbon to the seam. My idea is that before I topstitch the bodice I would do a basting stitch instead, but I’d sew that basting stitch about an eighth of an inch above where I will be doing the topstitching. Then I would remove my pins and slip the ribbon just under the lip that of the bodice, then do the topstitching on the bodice, which catches the ribbon. For the ribbon ends, I’d fold them neatly before insertion into the bodice. I’m going to try it on my next one. Best of luck.

[BeckyinFL]

Wow! Thank you, all! That’s exactly what I needed to know. Lots of ideas and options now!