My First Dress from a Pattern

5:04 PM

I finally did it. I seriously HATE patterns. They're so confusing and the directions are SO bad. I was at Jo Ann's last week and saw they were having 5 for $5 sales on patterns. I looked at the patterns that were on sale and they were Simplicity ones. I decided "why not?" I found 5 great patterns that would usually be around $18 each.  
I have plans for most of these. 
  I found some fabric in the sale section and knew it was perfect for this dress!

I did hit a few snags when making this. I measured myself and it looked like I'd be a size 12 pattern size. NO. I'm not. I was totally swimming in the dress. I had to take it in a bunch and it still doesn't fit that well since it's pretty big. And I put the skirt on wrong so I had to totally take it off and re do it. It was supposed to be gathered but the gathering was just not good so I went for pleated. I warn the dress doens't look great in the below pictures and neither do I!
 I put in my first invisible zipper too!


It's a bit wrinkled from being worn all day. I paired it with a navy blue sweater and it looked really good. It does have pockets though which is great!
 The back and bodice normally lay flat but not for the pictures I guess.

The top was quite complicated and pretty big.

So know that this one was a success, I'm ready to conquer the others.... including the knit dress. *shutter* I'll just have to face my fears with sewing with knits! First I have to find some cute knit fabric, though.

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14 Sweet little note(s)

  1. FWIW, I find Simplicity patterns to be the most confusing to read. But you did a really nice job. I love the cute bow in the back! OH and I just conquered knit fabric too. It's not as bad as it seems. Just practice a little on some scrap first and invest in what's called a ball point needle. Good luck!

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  2. I am impressed that you tackled an invisible zipper and so many complicated dress details on your first try. You did a great job! And I 100% agree on the store bought patterns - they are so horribly confusing, the sizing is always off and they make simple construction techniques seem much more difficult than they really are. I've just started to give making clothes for myself a go again and had the same frustrations with the dress I made this weekend. Knits are easier than they seem - I know you'll do great! Thanks for linking to Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do:)

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  3. What a pretty dress,who wouldn't love it!
    www.blissfulsewing.blogspot.com

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  4. You did a great job! I recently tackled that pattern and had the WORST time of it. Sewing knits is much easier if you have a serger. If you don't have one, use a narrow zig zag stitch for the seams (really) or put some tissue paper under the fabric while stitching to help feed the fabric through without stretching.

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  5. It looks REALLY cute!! You did a great job!
    I have the same issue with patterns. They usually end up too big but I'm too scared to make them smaller! LOL It's easier to take them in than to make them bigger... ;)

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  6. That is gorgeous and so are you! I have never made a dress!! I'm still not very good friends with my sewing machine!

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  7. I think you did a great job! It is not a very easy pattern to make your first time. I have made Simplicity 2443 a few times. The yoke on the dress can be very tricky to make it lay flat, so just take it slow, and it will work out. Also, if you make the whole dress in a knit fabric, you don't have to use a zipper. Have fun!

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  8. Wow! That does look complicated, especially the top! I just bought a sewing machine a little over a week ago and I can't yet imagine tackling a project as big and scary as a dress. I hope to get there eventually, though!

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  9. Your dress looks great! That bodice looks crazy complicated. Awesome! If you're looking for another place to share your sewing projects, head over to Etcetorize . Would love to see you there!

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  10. I haven't tried patterns and I'm a novice sewer, but I think you did a great job! I haven't attempted yet to execute a dress pattern yet am I am hesitant about starting such a daunting, complicated project! I really like this. I stumbled upon your blog and it's great! Good luck and I will check back to see your progress. Have a nice week! :)

    Jess
    http://thedelightfulcrafter.blogspot.com

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  11. Awesome job on the dress! I have such a hard time picking out clothes at the store so I often wish I could make my own, in the style I like. I also think patterns are really hard to follow. I'm hoping to get some sewing help from my mother in law! Thanks for sharing how your dress came out, looks cute! =)

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  12. Beautiful! I wish I could sew. I tried making a dress this week too- except I sewed the strap to the chest because the fabric got all jumbled together. :)

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  13. You did a great job for your first dress! It's crazy, because I always find that measurements for patterns end up giving me a size larger than I'd wear, but it always makes a garment that is huge.

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  14. I am uber impressed with this! I seriously cannot even change the thread on a sewing maching (I've tried a few times, really. I'm so Singer-illiterate!) I'd love to know what knit dress pattern you're referring to, as I can somewhat semi-knit. Great job here. It'd be lovely if you'd add a photo of you in the dress with the sweater you mentioned. I'm sure it really pulled together to make a great outfit. Be proud Margaret, it looks good (really!!)

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