Beat the heat dress

Thank you all for your lovely comments on the formal dress.

Now I'm back I'm trying to put together some summer and corporate clothes for me.

I made this dress very quickly as a trial run for Simplicity 2622 using very cheap $1 a metre fabric from the stash. The fit is fine, but this style is not recommended for anyone over a B cup. Having the bodice cut off cut below the bust point and drop straight is "stoutening" (a lovely word found in my 1950s dressmaking instruction book). Definitely just a house frock. But I do like the lace insert on the hem - I'll do this again when I find the right sundress pattern.

If anyone would like to swap this uncut project runway pattern for another uncut dress or blouse pattern contact me.

Picture of perfect youth

It's late and I'm off to Melbourne for a week of R&R in the morning. But I did want to show off DD's dress. It comes with matching BF! She looked sensational don't you think?

Purple dress saga

I am proud to announce the birth of a beautiful purple formal dress. Only slight birth defeats that will only be noticed by the most scrupulous observer. The birth was long and arduous. It comprised a number of steps that few expectant mothers would be prepared to endure.

1) invisible zip inserted - too tight to do up. Tears, teenager tanti "Practice your @@##$ sewing on someone else..My formal is days away and I don't have an @@##$$#dress!"
2) applied black tape and handsewed zip onto this. Still tight and at risk of popping.
3) uppicked all of the above and tried unsuccessfully to use hook and eye tape. Pop, pop, pop - hopeless disaster both visually and practically.
4) sought professional advice - added two panels of the purple fabric to create a new area to apply the zip. Created a 1 cm channel of fabric on either side of the zip. Visually this looked good, but still a little tight.
5) unpicked other side seam and let out they .5cm. - and it fits!
6) complete handstitching of linings, stitching beaded waistband and machining the hems.
7) have a gin and tonic and swear never again.

Having fixed all this up, ready to get on with my paid work and my @@@###*** computer has broken down. No pictures until after the big night on Wednesday.

Thank you all for your supportive comments. I would not have completed without you all cheering from the sidelines. I have two years to recover before my younger DD's first formal.