Simplicity 2986

I did it! I managed to sew a complete dress. YAY! Sure it took me three weeks to do it, but I'm still excited that I found time to sew in the midst of all the sickness and general blahness (did I just make up a new word???) that's been goin' on around here.

Well, okay, I'll admit that I haven't actually hemmed it yet so I'm not completely done. I do have a reason for that as I'll explain at the end of the post.

fabric is from Heather Bailey's Freshcut line

I thought I would do a quick review of what I liked and disliked about the pattern.

Liked:

Loved all the design options that were included. I rarely sew a dress exactly like the pattern says because I like to include my own personal pizazz, but with this pattern you could choose a round or square neckline, choose between three different sleeve styles, given ideas on trim, and could make it into a shirt or dress. Very versatile. Princess H. choose the round neckline, the short sleeve with the ruffle, with as much lace as I thought I could squeeze onto the dress.

I thought the instructions were very clear and easy to understand. Often when sewing, I find myself saying "HUH????" to a lot of the directions and find that they make no sense to me, so I end up finding a way to accomplish the same step without their ridiculous method. This pattern walks you through the steps with ease.

Disliked:

No closures: I thought originally that this was one of my favorite features of the pattern. I mean no closure to mess with-Whoo Hoo! Right???? Sewing closures are always a pain.

But, I found when I tried the dress on Princess H. yesterday, that it would have fit a whole lot better if there had been a closure included. The neckline is too big so if she is not perfectly still it tends to fall off of her shoulder. Princess H. never sits still so it's definitely going to be a problem.

I haven't hemmed it because I'm completely at a loss what to do. The dress is stinkin' cute, but if it doesn't stay on her shoulder it would be uncomfy to wear and I would have to keep reminding her to sit like a lady. I wonder if it would fit her better next year??? Is it a lost cause????

AAHHH! I don't know what to do with this dress!

On the other hand, I do know that if I make this pattern again I will be adjusting the neckline and adding a closure no matter how much trouble they are to sew.

Moral of the story:

Closures (unless the garment is stretchy) are our friend-a lesson learned the hard way.

Edited to add: I figured out a way to fix the neckline with the help of all of my lovely readers and my mom. You can read about how I solved the problem here