This Blue Dress Took 3 Years!

 I cut this dress out back in August 2023. This January(2026) I pulled out the pieces to start working on the dress.

This is how I put in a centered zipper. I find the best results are achieved when I baste the zipper in with a spiraling zigzag stitch that holds the zipper teeth directly on the seam.

It turned out pretty good on the first time. I didn't have to do any stitch ripping. Yay!

I usually put an invisible zipper in this pattern, but I didn't find one right away so I went forward with the centered zipper. Sometimes you've got to keep chugging and not get derailed on the details.

I tried machine sewing the button holes. They were awful. I had to take them all out and hand stitch the button holes.

Much better! 

I also added 2 more buttons because I had smaller buttons than the pattern called for. I had to change the placement of the button holes to add the extra 2 buttons.

Because this dress took me so long to finish I had gotten it soiled dragging it around from sewing station to sewing station: from the kitchen table, to the living room, to the van for road trip sewing sessions, to the picnic table. I hope the spots come out.

This is after the wash.... Not too bad. Not too bad.

I see some issues with the fit. 

I'm pretty sure I need to learn how to do a full bust adjustment. I can see some pull lines and the waistline is riding up in the front. Those are signs that I need a full bust adjustment. I have watched how-to videos and read tutorials, but I am still super intimidated to try customizing a pattern.  

I have one more dress already cut and ready to sew. Since it is already cut out I am going to put off learning how to do a FBA yet again.

Have you ever had to adjust a pattern to fit your measurements? How did it turn out? Was it easy to learn?

These institutions don't seem too hard. 

If you want to see another dress that I made from this same pattern, check out this blog post from 2024.

Stitches | July

I really like the way this dress fits and flows. 

You can see I am having a little fun with the pose.

I have only worn it twice since I acquired it, because I had a couple issues.

The first problem I ran into was the buttons slipping out of the button holes. That wouldn't do.

I stitched each of the 14 button holes a little smaller.

Next I restitched all the buttons on the dress because they were egregiously machine stitched and threatening to pop off at any moment.

I wore the dress for a day. The buttons stayed buttoned the whole time. 

I was feeling quite successful until I took it off. That's when I noticed a slight problem. 

The lowest button had put enough stress on the dress to rip the fabric that it was attached to. Having strengthened the button hole and the button to the point that they were stronger than the particular fabric I guess I was to blame. Not to mention my movements are what caused the stress. 

The dress went back in the mending basket.

Now, hopefully, I can keep my stride in check enough not to rip the button off again. I hate having my stride bridled, but I like this dress enough to try. 

Stitches | November

 We are already at the end of November and here is my sewing project report.

I altered this skirt to fit my daughter by adding an elastic waist band.

This skirt used to be a miniskirt for 10/12 year olds with a side zipper closer. I used the zipper opening to make a concealed pocket.

This is what my pocket looks like from the inside.

This is what the pocket looks like in use.

This month I finished the blue pinafore that I was working on back in April. HERE is the blog post about April Stitches.

I made this needle book for a spur of the moment gift exchange on Thanksgiving day. I started it Sunday and finished it Monday.

I wanted to my design on the front to look like wheat stalks. I got this far and realized that the lazy daisy stitches would look more like grains if they were turned around. So I picked all the lazy daisy stitches out and restitched them in the opposite direction.

I gave the needle book 4 pages; one for needles, one for pins, one for safety pins, and one that I turned into a pocket for a needle threader tool.

Stitches | October

These are my sewing projects from October.

I did some hemming and a few repairs.

I hemmed a couple more of the new skirts that I got for my daughter. She wanted one to be extra long. They were brand new, with tags, LullaRoe skirts that I found at the thrift store. I added an elastic to the waist bands. The material was high quality. I was surprised by that because I had seen someone trash talking LullaRoe on YouTube.

Anyway, the directions for care said,"Hang dry or you'll be sorry." What does that mean? I accidentally did put one through the dryer and I wasn't sorry. I didn't melt or shrink or anything.

This next project was a repair. My daughter wore this new dress for one single day and ripped part of the ruffle off. I fixed it, but told her to wear it only to church and keep it nice for a while.

I finished the patches on my son's overalls.

Lastly, I did a hemming job for hire on these Levi's.

I used a binding tape to finish the raw edge. Doing it this way reduced the bulk and made it easier to sew.

Stitches | September

We went shopping for my little girl this month. She needed some new outfits. Here are two combos. Next month I should have two more ready to show you. The skirts we found all needed alterations to work. 

I had/have to tighten elastic waist bands, add elastic waist bands, and shorten hems.

I also sewed two buttons: one for a pair of little boy pants and one for my dress that I have replaced buttons on before (you may recognize it.)

I have also been sewing patches on my son's overalls that he has worn to death. He has pleaded for me to patch them so I am working on it.

Stitches | August Sewing Report

 

In August I shortened a skirt for a lady from church. I have done sewing jobs for her in the past. You may remember.

I hemmed my husband's suit pants while we were driving to my brother's wedding. These were the pants that he needed to wear to the wedding. Doing things at he last minute. That's me.

I fixed these pants, also for my husband. He had burst the seat seam. I wasn't sure that I would take the time to sew it back together. Then I noticed how well the pants are made. Check out the binding on the inseam. That made me decide that these pants were worth the time.

Last of all, I stitched this rend in my favorite silk scarf to keep it from getting bigger and ruining the whole thing.

July Sewing Report

Good news, I finished the pioneer doll!

I sewed and stuffed her arms and legs. Then I sewed the arms and body together, stuffed the body, and then attached the legs.

Before I made the arms I embroidered my newborn niece's  name on the back of the arm piece.

I sewed the yarn hair on her head and finished the look with braids. (I have a tutorial HERE.)

I had a dress ready and waiting for her that I had made back in December.

She turned out just right!

Sewing in June

 

My son needed this button sewn to his shorts.

These shoes that are new to me needed a little stitch where the thread had unraveled.

You may have noticed that I had no sewing updates for May. That is because I had a baby on April 28th. I took the month of May off from sewing projects. Due to baby gifts and people bringing us meals I have a lot of thank you cards to send.

I made this design, copied off a bunch, and then added the color with crayons. It's not a sewing project but it is a creative endeavor.

I have also started another pioneer doll. So far the face is embroidered and the seam allowances are marked.

By the way, our baby is a girl. Delivery was a very uncomplicated, routine affair. Baby girl has been blessed with good health and is growing like a bean. We love her very much!