Easy Bake Seamstress

Last month was so full of travel. I loved it. I'd been waiting for six months to be gone somewhere. Anywhere. But of course after I was gone for awhile, I began thinking of home. Particularly of sitting down with my sewing machine to work on a few projects I had on my mind during my final exams.

Last year I bought this dress at that big store that starts with a T. You know the one. The one you can't get out of without spending at least $50. $100 on a bad day. It was an impulse buy. I didn't even try it on. I just liked the pattern. If I had tried it on, I wouldn't have bought it because it looked a little strange on me, but I loved the print and wanted to turn it into something wearable.

A couple months ago, I heard that Heather Ross, a fabric designer and author of Weekend Sewing (which I haven't yet bought) was going to be on TV demonstrating how to make a simple sundress. She was on that craft show. You know the one. The one hosted by that meticulous woman. The one you wish would take some of her billions and buy you something nice.

Anyhow, I dvr'd the show, read the pattern which is free online, bought some elastic thread, watched the show again, and got to sewing.


All in all, the re-design took me a few hours. Once I got going, the directions were easy to adapt for this project.

I started by cutting off the top of the dress right below the elastic waist band. I then ironed a 1/4" hem and sewed it up, so that I had a finished edge on the top. Then I drew out my lines with a disappearing fabric marker, and started sewing with the elastic bobbin thread. The only change I made to the directions on the show was to sew in full loops, rather than lines, because I already had a tube of fabric to work with rather than a flat piece. After the shirring was done, I cut the straps off the dress and sewed them into the top. My next plan is to make a little sundress for my baby niece. And after that, maybe one for myself.

When I finished the top, I noticed that there was a nice strip of fabric covered elastic and some regular fabric leftover that was long enough to make not one, but two headbands. Here is mine. It was great for the pool the next afternoon.

Interested in one for yourself? Leave a comment with the next project you plan to tackle (craft-related or not) and I'll draw a winner on Saturday!

What's a new craft blog without a giveaway, right?