Dear Constant Reader,
I have begun the Fit & Flair dress!
First step, I bought some fabric:
(and also a zipper, but that’s hardly exciting, so not in the photo). It’s a crisp cotton print. I think the floral design is kind of 50’s.
Then I washed the fabric as hot as possible and dried it the same. I always abuse my washable fabrics and then baby the resulting garments. I pulled the fabric out of the dryer while it was still slightly damp. This makes ironing easier, which was done while watching some old X-Files episodes.
Next step is cutting, which I always hate. And it’s going to be a little challenging. The bodice of the dress is cut in one with the dolman sleeves, therefore it’s too wide to cut on the fold of normal width fabric, so there’s a seam down the center front. I’ll need to match the pattern as much as possible to keep from calling attention to that seam. Although I don’t think I’m going to worry about it on the skirt — there are 7 panels and that’s just too much work. Maybe the front & side front panels, but unlikely.
This is all complicated by the discovery that the fabric has a couple of slashes in it. Not enough that I’m taking it back to the fabric store and complaining. But that’s mostly because I’m lazy and it’s quite a drive. I’m going to have to lay out around them, which will be fun with such full skirt panels. Fortunately, I got extra fabric.
Tomorrow I think I’ll give you a peek at my sewing room.
