26 Feb Get Me to the Church on Time!
No wind…… no rain….. no winter’s cold can stop me baby………….
It was to be my dress for Baby Billy’s Christening…………
……pressed for time I took the unfinished dress to the beach where I worked on it without my dress form. When I arrived at my daughter’s house the next day and tried it on, it looked like this.
When I returned to sewing in 2011 I made the commitment to finish every project – no UFOs, and to wear each garment. No way was I wearing this.
It’s been a long time since I completely botched up a garment ……… Having made the dress once before I knew the intricacies of assembling this pattern. (blogged HERE). It’s the THE MCVOGUERICK TUNICBIBLICITY DRESS, a pattern hack from last year. I loved it so much in black……….
Maybe you love sewing with white. I’ve sewn white blouses and skirts… I’ve sewn many white tunics and I knew to keep my hands clean….but this dress with its 44 seams needed pristine treatment in more ways that one from beginning to end.
The fabric is an ivory wool crepe I ordered from Mood Fabrics a few years ago, and the black is the same fabric. They are wonderful lightweight wools perfect for dresses. I lined the dress in bemberg rayon.
When I arrived home I took off the flounce and:
1. opened and tweaked the fit of the lower front princess seams
2. trimmed all of the seams to the exact same size,
3. heavily pressed curved seams with the ham,
4. properly secured the end of the zipper to the lining.
5. placed the dress on my dress form to make sure all was nice and straight, then reattached the flounce
Viola ……
The dress could be saved but the dress could not be worn to Billy’s Christening. So what did I wear?
I took along my six-year old French jacket and skirt, just in case I didn’t finish the dress…… not in case I nearly ruined it. Fortunately the day was all about Baby Billy who wore a Christening gown made from his paternal grandmother’s wedding veil of Belgian lace.
Mimi’s baby is due in 12 days, so perhaps I can wear it for a Christening after all. 😉
The moral of the story is one I know all too well……………… I’m just happy it all worked out.
Lastly, it’s time to make another French Jacket. Six years??? If you follow Julie, you may know she has passionately sewn several. She and Dorcas Ross of Lone Star Couture lead a French jacket sew-a-long each January and are quite inspirational along with many couture sewing friends…. Stay tuned for my next post, and remember……. never, never, never, never give up!
Until soon 🙂
Margaret Edger
Posted at 07:48h, 26 FebruaryDefinitely for Mimi’s baby christening. Looks lovely. Enjoyed all the pictures of Billy. What a beautiful little boy he is! A Maggie
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:50h, 26 FebruaryThank you, Maggie! It was a project to straighten out the mistakes. I agree, Billy is a doll baby!
Gail Cunningham
Posted at 07:49h, 26 FebruaryWhat a beautiful angel-baby! I have no doubt you’ll fix the dress and wear it beautifully to new baby’s christening! What a lovely picture of the three generations. You are blessed.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:50h, 26 FebruaryThank you, Gail! The dress is fixed – LOL!
Sharon
Posted at 08:13h, 26 FebruaryOMG – what is that? For many sewists, a wadder for sure. However, you stuck to it and with patience, a few tweeks and your passion for sewing, turned it into a beautiful, wearable garment. You’ve given us 2 great lessons: never give up and have a Plan B..
Sharon
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 08:19h, 26 FebruaryFunny how quickly things can go south, huh? When I returned to sewing my #1 rule was no UFOs and everything had to be worn. No way was I wearing😂
Many thanks for your comment, Sharon!
Stella sinclair
Posted at 08:47h, 26 FebruaryI have never commented before but oh, what fantastic pics. Billy’ s Christianity robe is spectacular. An heirloom. Your daughter and you look elegant and beautiful. As for the white wool, wish I had something like it. Stella. Cape Town
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:12h, 26 FebruaryMany thanks for your nice comment, Stella! His gown is so beautiful and I’m told it can be converted back to a veil easily. I don’t know what fabric shopping is like in Cape Town, but if you can find the lightweight wool go for it – it really is wonderful.!
Linda LaMona
Posted at 08:58h, 26 FebruaryTim Gunn would be proud to know that you “made it work” Finished results look great. Your jacket and skirt worked well for the Christening!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:13h, 26 FebruaryThank you, Linda! I agree, the jacket and skirt were just right 😉
Janet Steinhagen
Posted at 08:59h, 26 FebruaryIt is beautiful. What dress form do you recommend, I am considering purchasing one. Congratulations on Billy’s christening and Baby #2!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:15h, 26 FebruaryMany thanks, Janet! I can hardly believe Baby #3 is 12 days away 😊😊
I have a Singer dress form with adjustable knobs. It’s not a body double but is helpful for fitting shoulders, bust, waist and hips and is also adjustable from the neck to the waist.
Colleen Bell
Posted at 09:10h, 26 FebruaryYou were so humble to show your “in progress” dress. Well done with the fix. Also, I am glad about your jacket choice for the occasion. You looked quite elegant, did not overshadow the baby, and did not clash with the baby’s gown.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:24h, 26 FebruaryHi Colleen ~ The intermittent SNAFU was such an integral part of my project that it needed to be included to appreciate the result 😉 Hopefully I won’t go through this situation again anytime soon! Many thanks for your comment.
Angela M.
Posted at 09:23h, 26 FebruaryWhat a vivid lesson in the power of the seemingly little things and how they add up in a garment – and to not give up! From a very blah homemade look to stunning. The jacket was also beautiful, you do lovely work 🙂
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:28h, 26 FebruaryAngela, I’m often surprised at the huge difference little things make – both good and bad!
As painful as it is sometimes, giving up on a sewing garment leads to nothing accomplished …. many thanks for your nice comment !
Patricia Hall
Posted at 09:24h, 26 FebruaryThank you for sharing your not perfect dress – it is nice to know that everything you sew does not always come together easily! It really helps to see how you were able to save this dress and the wonderful result from “sticking with it” instead of giving up! I love your mantra to never have UFOs and to wear everything you make!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:31h, 26 FebruaryThank you so much, Patricia! Before I returned to sewing in 2011 I left many garments unfinished …… and I know if I must wear it, I will do my best 😉.
Maryellensews
Posted at 09:30h, 26 FebruaryGreat rule to follow – I currently have several UFO s . I tend to get impatient if it doesn’t work at first –
Your dress came out so pretty & I always love your tips & inspiration!😍
Maryellensews
Posted at 09:32h, 26 FebruaryPS Billy is adorable
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:32h, 26 FebruaryThank you, Mary Ellen! Billy is a sweetie for sure 😊😊. I just responded to Patricia that before I returned to sewing in 2011 I left many garments unfinished …… and to take it a step further, I know if I must wear it, I will do my best
Karen Mulkey
Posted at 09:45h, 26 FebruaryPatricia is right. Thank you for sharing pictures of the botched dress and how you fixed it. Sewists need to see this. Billy is adorable!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:34h, 26 FebruaryMany thanks, Karen! Everything was looking good before I took it to the beach and worked on it in my lap……. I knew better !!!!! All is good now but the road was bumpy 😉
Nadine Smutny
Posted at 10:47h, 26 FebruaryAnother beautiful dress! Please…would you comment on whether or not you usually underline your dresses? I have made a couple dresses following the couture methods of underlining, but really would rather save some time sometimes and just line them, but I’m afraid I won’t get as nice a looking garment.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:37h, 26 FebruaryNadine ~ Rarely do I make a couture dress. I find if the fabric is a good weight and compatible for the pattern I don’t need to underline. However, I have underlined both casual and special occasion dresses when needed and I have never regretted taking the extra step 😉. Many thanks for your comment!
Laura Casey
Posted at 11:41h, 26 FebruaryI posted on BLOG”VN this AM….but looking at your terrific save again….. Don’t you feel like you can do anything when you can more than save a make…..just noticed the sleeve length…….perfection!
And that baby is delicious! Beautiful post all around…thank you.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:45h, 26 FebruaryThank you so much, Laura! Martha Stewart just released a new book, How To Do (Almost) Everything….
wondering if she included saving a sewing project headed south 😉 I shortened the sleeve which better suited the color, and I agree with you – Billy is a doll baby !
Barbara Russel
Posted at 12:09h, 26 FebruaryBilly is adorable. I hope he is never teased about that beautiful “dress.” It is really ah heirloom! your dress turned out beautifully after your “tweaks I have enjoyed your television appearances on Its Sew Easy as well.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 12:46h, 26 FebruaryI think Billy will be able to handle any teasing he may get 😂 I’m so glad you’ve seen the It’s Sew Easy shows! Two out of three have aired on my PBS station. Many thanks, Barbara!
Claire
Posted at 15:31h, 26 FebruaryHow I can relate to this post Sarah! And thank you for keeping it real and posting the “in progress” photo. I worked on a crepe maternity dress in a D&G print with a flounce this past summer that I finished but never wore —the flounce looked exactly like yours before you fixed it and it was also a primarily white fabric. Strange that your fabric behaved so differently in the white vs black.. Any thoughts as to why?
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 16:18h, 26 FebruaryAh….. I hope you can save the D&G dress! The fabrics really did not behave differently. The ivory has a slight sheer factor which is why I made sure all of the seams were trimmed the exact width. The other issues were clearly my errors- being in a hurry and not having the dress form to make sure all was hanging perfectly straight before attaching the flounce. 😕
Many thanks, Claire and I hope all is well!
Vanessa Thomas
Posted at 16:08h, 26 FebruaryWell I think it all turned out beautifully! Your dress will be perfect for future occasions, and little Billy is adorable!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 16:19h, 26 FebruaryThank you so much, Vanessa! I plan to wear it and if Mimi’s baby is Christened before summer, it might be the perfect dress 😉
Irene Mischkinis
Posted at 23:26h, 26 FebruaryDefinitely a dress worth saving! And you’ve inspired me to tackle the fix on a dress-gone-wrong. You’re right – having spent the time on cutting and sewing, it’s a shame to not have a wearable item in the closet. Just a little bit more time and effort….
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 10:28h, 27 FebruaryMany thanks, Irene and good luck fixing that dress gone wrong.! 😉
Hanh-Trang Ginocchio
Posted at 23:16h, 27 FebruaryPerfect for the christening, and many other spring and summer occasions. The color will not overwhelm Billy’s delicate complexion! What a baby!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 05:48h, 01 MarchThank you, Hanh-Trang!
Rita Holladay
Posted at 14:24h, 02 MarchWhat kind of dress form do you use. I’ve sewn a long time without one but thinking about one a lot. I ordered the Susan Kaljie class on line and have my jacket ready for the sleeves. It is part cotton……got it in Paris.. I will only ever sew on a classic fabric again. Getting some decent samples sent to me is almost impossible. People say they are going to mail me great stuff and when it arrives it is not as expected. Looking forward to Lone Star Couture exposure.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 09:27h, 04 MarchRita,
I use a Singer dress form. It’s not a body double but has many knobs for adjustments. I’d love a body double as soon as I can face looking at it 😂 Try Linton Tweeds for French jacket boucle. The generous sized samples arrive promptly .
Mary Lynn Cheely
Posted at 21:02h, 02 MarchYou made a “silk purse” again and your Chanel suit looked great. Billy is the sweetest, cutest baby with his beautiful coloring and precious cheeks! I seem to have gotten lost from your list of people on your blog and I’ve signed up twice and still am not getting it! Hope I can get reinstated 🙂 I’ve just been checking periodically and find new articles!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 09:28h, 04 MarchMary Lynn,
Thank you so much! I do not understand how you cannot re-subscribe to my posts……… but there’s a lot I don’t know about the world of technology… so sorry about this!.😕
Celeste Yanisch
Posted at 19:21h, 06 MarchWhat an inspiration you are to all sewists! Thank you for posting this.
I am especially interested in your grandson’s christening gown; who made it, what pattern, what type of lace etc. I did heirloom sewing for years and made a baptismal gown and a flower girl dress from my own wedding dress fabric and lace. He is a beautiful child.