The learning dress

I'm calling this dress my learning dress.  It's certainly a lot more wearable than some of my previous 'learning dresses'.  I've gone back and narrowed the sleeves, taken the hemline up by 8cm and lifted the underarm seam a little as I narrowed the sleeves.  I also shortened the midriff band some more.  Unfortunately I sewed the back on to the front when I reattached the midriff band, so I've lost my loved chevron matching stripes effect in the front.  I'm not up for redoing that, as I narrowed the length of my stitches for a stronger seam, and it would take ages to unpick.

The original version (bottom left photo) came up reasonably well, but I felt very dowdy in it.  Hardly the result I was hoping for.  Next time I make this dress, I will probably cut the sleeves to the elbow rather than 3/4 sleeves.  I may try the separate sleeve piece pattern which is available on the Cake Patterns website.  There is a bit of excess fabric between the bust and shoulder and I can't see how I would eliminate that in this pattern and still fit through the bust.  I probably need to go to a pattern with gathered shoulders to avoid this, but I'm not really looking for more patterns at the moment, just more successful clothes with the patterns I do have.
 My number one photographer is at cub camp, so I enlisted number 2 child, who declared it was only possible to take a photo with the bars in it. 
 With much prompting, she managed this one which only has the edge of the bunk in it.

Number 2 photographer instructed me on how to curtsey. 





On the left is the original version.  On the right is a similarly unflattering photograph of the remodelled version.  It was after this photo that I had the idea of gettting Brighid up on the bunk so the camera isn't angled upwards.  Vanity and the fat woman.  Usual story.
I had read on the StephC's website about using fusible webbing tape, so today I decided to try it.  My local yarn and haberdashery shop had something called rescue tape which was double sided and I so I tried it out.  I stuck it against the hem and then turned it up and then I could sew it in place.  It was a little sticky sewing it where I hadn't covered it perfectly, but overall it seemed to work and was nice and fast compared to trying to measure and pin the hem of a half circle skirt.



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