DKNY Vogue 1250 in 2.5 hours
I am so fortunate to be able to not only have been taught to sew – but to have the $ TO sew, and to have work that I LOVE to do – in teaching others and sharing how I do it! For all that – I give God the glory. On top of that, I have the health to do it. I have a dear friend with fibromyalgia who hurts too much to do lots of things – so for health as well, I give God the glory!
That being stated, in just 2.5 hours TOPS, I cut out and stitched up Vogue 1250 of this teal slinky jacquard fabric this morning – and will proudly wear it tonight at the neighborhood ballroom dancin hall!
I’ve been so ‘into’ taking photos of every step as I work on my Creative Sweatshirt Jacket Talking Patterns™ , that I just couldn’t convince myself to NOT do that for this garment either…so all the photos AND my commentary below each are available at my Picasa Album created for it as found HERE.
Therefore, I’ll add just a few progress photos at this post.
For needle, I selected my favorite size 75/11 STRETCH needle – meaning it has a slightly rounded tip – to separate the fibers of the fabric, rather than to pierce them as a sharp needle would do. A Denim/Sharp or Microtex needle is sharp pointed for woven fabrics. A UNIVERSAL needle is just a hybrid of Stretch and Sharp -and imho, NOT the best for ANYTHING. My advice – take it or leave it.
Speaking of fabric, I’m glad I bought extra, as this fabric was 50″ wide instead of 60″ wide. 60″ wide fabric requires only 1.25 yards! Even that was hard for me to believe – so I bought 3 I believe…and hope to get a little T-Shirt out of the leftovers.
This technique ONLY works when the fabric is cut out RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. You just stab pins in where you want it marked, carefully tear away the pattern, stick pins in on the opposite side, then pull apart – THEN pin together to mark where to stitch.
This dress is SO EASY! 1. I added the center back godet. 2. I threw away the silly back neck facing pattern and used Clear Elastic instead to finish the back neckline. 3. Stitch front tucks and shoulder seams. 4. Stitch back seam. 5. Stitch upper back to back skirt. 6. Hem lower and sleeve edges. DONE!
VERY important is hemming – and STABILIZING the hem – which I did using Knit/Stretch Fusible Stay Tape. It goes on the HEM allowance, and it is SO important to ‘balance the bulk’ in hem areas! Do this by clipping the seam allowance and pressing the seams opposite directions.
For Londa’s books, patterns, and supplies as described in her sewing escapades, please see Londa’s Creative Threads – http://www.londas-sewing.com