Hey y’all! Happy September 1st! I know it’s been a while on my blog, but… life. 2021. Everything. Need I say more? LOL.
So let’s talk about my new slip dress because I’m in love y’all! Like for real, for real. Full transparency, I’ve put on an extra few pounds and it’s made me a little self conscious so my focus has been on what enhances my shape and curves right now. For me, that’s been emphasizing my curves, creating illusions with print and truly embracing what I love about my body.
The Sicily Slip dress came out last year I believe. And everytime I wanted to make one, I saw sewist after sewist use the exact fabric I wanted to use for mine. And so, I put it off for a while, out of fear that mine would no longer be unique. Big mistake. If you want to make something, just make it.
Anyway, I had this gorgeous zebra or tiger fabric (depends on who you ask) from Melanated Fabrics that I figured would be perfect with it. So, fast forward several months later and I’m making outfits for my bachelorette weekend, when it clicked. It’s going to be hot in New Orleans, this is a fast sew by all accounts from everyone, let’s just do it.
One, Sewing Masin gives excellent detailed instructions on before, during and after care of bias fabric. I’m so thankful for that. I’ve worked on bias projects before, but you just don’t find those type of notes with every bias sewing pattern. All in all, the instructions were 5 out of 5.
The fit. Okay, so I cut out one size and after consulting other sewists about this pattern I went down one more size. I basically cut the paper pattern to my true measurements, then cut one more size down because bias does stretch. And everyone told me, this dress will stretch.
So I sewed it up, per the instructions. Seriously no changes there at all. But my heart sank as soon as I put it on the hanger and realized that the bottom hem was ALREADY drooping to one side. I mean, it took minutes. I immediately reached out to my closest sewing friends for help. They all said, give it a day. One said, give it two days so you know it’s done stretching out. I actually gave it a whole week! Not on purpose, I was working on other things. But I finished it and the hem turned out perfectly even. I don’t know if it’s the angle I was looking at, or if it was just a sheer illusion…or, if it’s truly uneven but not by much. Either way, I didn’t have to cut my hem at all.
Anyway, the moral of the story is…. make the dress. You won’t regret it.
Until next time. xo!
RAVEN MAUREEN 