Project Tattoo Dress..... Angela Kane's Pinafore Dress

Well hello there, nice to be writing again... which only means one thing, I have finished another project!

This time it is the 'Tattoo Dress', thus called because I have been a newbie yet again and didn't insert the invisible zip correctly and it ate 3cm of my dress up- so it looks like it's tattooed on! Hooray for having a small bust and it didn't matter too much (first time I've ever seen that as an advantage!). Applying and removing this dress is a two-man job... Not to be undertaken when the fiancee is away for sure and most certainly not when I am home alone and on the red wine!

Talking of red wine, I would like to apologise for false promises on my last blog.. like 'See you next Sunday'. I will be honest, as I have gone through the making of this dress, primarily at weekend.. I have got annoyed, had a cigarette downstairs, gone back to it, annoyed again... then had a glass of red wine to relax. Sewing suicide! I am going to try and get out of this spiral of anti-sewing behaviour and just sew on regardless.

So... the dress. As you can see, I have done some pretty nifty darting, compensating for my lickle waist and small bust. The inside is a little bit of a nightmare...

....but hey, only I can see that and to be honest, it's something of a milestone for me, I will always be able to look back at this dress and see where I have gone wrong and not make the same boo-boo's again!!


Lessons learnt from the Angela Kane Pinafore Dress

1. How to spell Pinafore.
2. MUST be neater as I go along.
3. Invisible zippers. This is probably the biggy, I have accumulated a few sewing reference books as I am going through this adventure in sewing. However, I found that the best tutorial was on YouTube from Bellajeanboutique She is lovely and clear in her instructions- check her out, she has lots of tutorials and make things really clear. I did it a little wrong here in this dress but yet again in sewing.. making the mistakes for yourself, throwing a wobbler and then working it out is the only way you progress. Next time, my invisible zips will be a thing of beauty. Which is ironic, as they invisible.. but I will know of the beauty beneath the seams...
4. Darts- aren't they a wonderful thing?! As Angela says, after you have completed the darting you will feel like a pro- and you do! As far as I have progressed (ahem, not very.. but I'm getting there) finding out that darts even existed and their potential has been a real eye-opener. I think that they encapsulate the very essence of making your own clothes. Those darts that you insert are sculpting the clothing, they change a piece of cut fabric into a tailor-made piece of you.

I'm going to wear this dress in Spring/Summer. It could have been informal had I used the denim suggestion of Angela, but I found this navy/cream stripe which I immediately had to work with this dress. The fabric has not stretch, its 100% cotton print. Next time I will use a longer invisible zip which will make it easier to hop in and out of. A warm summers day and a cocktail in a beer garden somewhere. Sunglasses, bright blue bag and a funky beehive ponytail. Almost hard to imagine the warm sun right now in rainy, windy Ireland... but it will come, eventually and I can't wait with my accumulating hand-made Spring/Summer wardrobe!

I am so happy that I have found Angela Kane. She is a true professional and gives suggestions that you can use to diversify the pattern. you can tell by her explanations and her tone that what she is teaching you is through years of experience and just like other greats of her trade, she makes you feel capable of anything. As she explains, the skirt part is a classic A-Line skirt and you truly can use it time and time again. ALSO.... the top element on its own is a handy crop top, which as my Spring/Summer sources have told me is going to be MASSIVE this year...

Start doing your sit ups now ladies!!

OK, next up on the Bundana Sewing Adventure...


Burda's Jocelyn #6022

It's another versatile top which you can really go a bit creative and crazy with it! This is what I get a really, really big buzz out of... Making something that reflects me! I am a bit wacky, a little bit hippy and lot individual... so I can reflect this by my fabric and pattern choices!

Until next time my lovelies.....

Bundana

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