First Project Flying "Sewlo"

This morning, I find myself wanting to ride down to Hobby Lobby to buy ivory thread for a pillowcase dress I started on a whim late yesterday afternoon. However, I had promised myself I was going to stay home today and get some things done around the house. What to do? What to do?

I am really enjoying my latest hobby of sewing. A few weeks ago, I purchased a few patterns from Hobby Lobby. One of them was Simplicity pattern 2433.



I bought some cute black & white puppy & kitty fabric and a coordinating black & white paw print fabric. I got home and went right to work. This would be my first attempt at a sewing project with no outside help.

I chose the size, cut out my pattern, laid it all out and cut my fabric, paying very close attention to the sewing instructions the entire time.

The first hurdle was the binding on the armholes. My mom had just recent;y showed me how to do this with store bought binding, but this pattern was a little different, so I was confused as I followed the directions, but just did as I was instructed and I was pleasantly surprised & pleased by the result.



After both armholes were done, I continued onto the bodice work. I had to sew a small portion along the top for the ribbon to run through and a ruffle along the bottom. The ruffle was a bit of a pain in the butt because I had never done one before and I had to figure out how to adjust my machine for those particular stitches, but it did come out just fine in the end.





The next step was the ribbon for the neckline. I was lucky enough to find white ribbon with tiny black paw prints on it. Incidentally, I got this dress finished just before my two year old daughter fell in love with Blue's Clues on Netflix, so right now, she's really into finding clues. This dress will keep her busy!

I attached a safety pin to one end of the ribbon and ran it through the casing at the top of the dress, front & back.




That was the last step. All I had to do was tie the ribbon. I did, however, add one final touch. Because I love to make things and I have three daughters, I had learned years ago how to make bows. I knew I wanted a cute bow on the dress. If you look at the pattern, the dress is supposed to have one right in the middle of the front. To achieve that look, two button holes were called for so that the ribbon could be pulled through. I didn't want to have to mess around with buttonholes, so I followed the directions for the top of the set also pictured on the pattern. Then, I simply assembled my bow for the front and sewed it right on. When Ella wears this dress, she has a tie on one shoulder and her pretty perfect little bow on the chest.



So, that's the finished product. I'll admit, I was proud of myself and I definitely felt like I had accomplished something. A wearable item! It certainly gave me the motivation to buy more fabric and patterns. Granted, this was a very easy pattern to follow, but as I become more & more comfortable using my machine and learning how to do different things, I'll work my way up to more difficult items.