Cheri

That’s always a good idea! I have some double gauze that I just can’t quite bring myself to cut into yet. It was expensive and I love it so much, I want to be absolute positive that I’m ready to use it.

Hi @littletrish, the placket for the center-front of the shirt is the same for all sizes, so it’s proportionally longer for the smaller sizes than the larger. Is that where you’re having trouble?

Yes, in fact sometimes I finish the lining seam allowances too. It depends on the fabric and how much I’m worried about ravelling. I hope that helps!

Ava, you can choose whether to finish them. I sometimes do, even on a lined dress, but it’s not absolutely necessary unless you have a fabric that ravels a lot. When a lining is open at the bottom, like on dresses, sometimes it’s still a good idea to finish the seam allowances. But it’s really a judgement call on your part.

I think both of them would work in lightweight denim! It’s really going to be a matter of which one you prefer. When I first designed the Tea Party Sundress for S she wore it layered in the winter as well. Can’t wait to see how it turns out for you!

Like other fibers, Tencel comes in a lot of different weights, so it’s difficult to say without seeing the fabric itself. If it feels heavier than a typical heavy shirt fabric it might be too much. But you can certainly make shirts from canvas and flannel, so you’ll probably have to make a judgement call on this one. Maybe look at other shirts and…[Read more]

I haven’t tried adding a lining to this pattern, buy maybe someone else will chime in who has?

I haven’t tried adding a lining, buy maybe someone else will chime in who has?

Sorry for the silence, @esseesee! We’ve been on vacation. Because of the pleats, this pattern is quite forgiving in terms of measurements. It’s difficult to give a hip measurement as a result of the built-in ease. If you find that the side seam buckles you might want to draw a wider hip curve, but that would be the only necessary change, really.…[Read more]

@cat75, as you suspected, the center pleat is the problem. It isn’t graded correctly, and I’m so sorry about that! I’m working on a solution to the problem, but in the meantime, if you want to restitch the pleat to be 2″ from the rise seam I think that should solve the problem. Will you report back to me and let me know if that works? I’m still…[Read more]

I think I see the problem. I’ll be back asap, ok? I’m just checking and double-checking…

Hmmm. What size are you making, @cat75? I’ll take a look at the pattern and see if I can figure out what’s going wrong.

Can you explain where you’re not clear so I can help? The skirt gets attached at step 4 on page 144, and then the side seams are sewn up after. But I’m actually wondering if you’d benefit from the Fairy Tale Dress pattern, since it includes a tulle layer as well. It might have everything you’re looking for, and in great detail?

Thanks for the feedback, Pamela! We’ve been changing the format of our PDFs a bit, and it’s nice to know you like it this way.

Thanks for your patience, Peggy. I finally had a couple of minutes to go back and review the FBA instructions for this one (it’s been a long time since I wrote them), and I think it’s quite straightforward. The technique is similar to the Cinema Dress but maybe a little easier? Also, if you’re struggling with fit, I highly recommend the Fit for…[Read more]

Thanks for your patience, Peggy. I finally had a couple of minutes to go back and review the FBA instructions for this one (it’s been a long time since I wrote them), and I think it’s quite straightforward. The technique is similar to the Cinema Dress but maybe a little easier? Also, if you’re struggling with fit, I highly recommend the Fit for…[Read more]

Oh, how beautiful! And how fun that they were used for that particular piece, which is a favorite of mine. I love the graceful cat-like motions. Thanks for sharing!

That’s beautiful! Well done!

I don’t either, @lightningmcstitch! It’s never caused a real problem, and if I get a little nest of threads I just cut them off. No biggie.

I’d probably more inclined to make a separate bow and attach it only via thread chain belt loops at the side seams. That way it can easily be removed for cleaning and pressing, etc. But it sort of depends on the type of bow you’re thinking of, too. You certainly could do it as you suggested as well!