Project: Frock by Friday

Well, I have epically failed at the Shirtwaist Dress due to my complete inability to follow instructions or wait for advice ... again.

Instead of cutting only one side of the front to insert the button placket I thought it would be a good idea to cut through both pieces (!). In retrospect I can see why that was a terrible idea but never having constructed a button placket I didn't know any better.

I also didn't buy enough fabric for the fuller skirt that I wanted to sew. Stupidly I thought that I could make my dress with the same amount of fabric as the slimmer, more fitted, version. I know, I know. All I can say in my defence is that I was obviously having a brain fart moment*. This meant that my belt was too short and only one piece thick (instead of two sewn together to make a nice seamed belt). It also meant I didn't have enough for the aforementioned button placket, not in one piece anyway. Luckily it's to be cut in half so I managed to find clever ways to get enough.

Pleating, again, is definitely not something I'm good at. I got the pleats on the back bodice done almost perfectly and must have let the pride go to my head because the marks for the pleat on either side of the front bodice had disappeared into the button placket. In an attempt to fix I (quite ingeniously if I do say so myself) made myself little pleats halfway along each side so that the edges of the front and the yoke matched. Then my genius failed me totally and I sewed them oh so visibly, with the fold at the front. Fail! Epic fail.

{ Source: Grosgrain }

It's also hit home how much I hate patterns that don't already have the seam allowance added, pleating in the right places when the edge isn't cut in the right place is a bitch and I find them hard enough as it is.

Epic fail, all in all. Sigh. A cup of tea I think, then back to the drawing board.

* I"m having one now over the proper British spelling of defense, defence, whatevah!

Thanks for stopping by,