Bridesmaids Dresses 2.0 - Day One and Two

This is my second attempt at bridesmaids dresses this year! Phew!

I started making the dresses on Sunday. First and most important thing to do before you actually start to sew is checking the fabric for marks or holes, then washing it like you are planning to wash the finish product, to prepare the fabric. Some fabrics may shrink when you wash them so it is better to let them shrink before you shape them to fit you, otherwise you may only wear the garment once! Some fabrics still have a bit of dye on the surface that can ruin other clothes you wash it with so I recommend washing the fabric alone. If you are working with vintage fabrics you should still wash before you start to cut out and sew as some fabrics are a lot older than you may realise and could fall apart. Better to have them fall apart in the wash than while you are wearing the finished garment!

While you are waiting for the fabric to wash/dry, I think it is very important to test your pattern out, by making a mock up of the garment. This means you can check the size, the pattern shape and it's a good chance to practice some techniques that you aren't familiar with. A lot of people just use calico to make a mock up because it is a cheap fabric that is usually readily available. I used some lovely vintage dark blue fabric with brown/red leaves and made an extra dress for myself! I have worked with patterns like this before and I am confident in the techniques associated with this particular pattern so I felt confident, and the dress looked great!

At the end of Day One, I had made my mock up dress, checked, washed and dried my fabric, and ironed the major creases out. Then I laid the fabric out and placed the pieces where they needed to be to get the most economic cut out for my fabric. No need to waste! I do a lot of sewing, so naturally there are elements that I dislike. Cutting a pattern out is definitely one of them. If you are like me and dread this part, I always make myself do it fast, just so it is out of the way and I can get closer to the processes I like. I was tempted to leave the cutting out til Day Two, but I felt so much better getting it out of the way and that is really how I get things done so fast. No big secret, I just prioritize the jobs and get the ones I don't like so much out of the way as fast as I can.

Day Two was another example of that. I started sewing after I got home from work, first thing I did was put all the pieces that needed structural enhancements into a pile. I cut out the interfacing for the pieces that needed it and fused the two. Then I got to work on the darts on the back top and the back skirt pieces. This pattern in particular has a lot of pleats which can be tricky, so I like to get them done fast and move onto the part I like the best. After four pleats on each sleeve of each dress, four pleats on the top front and three pleats on the centre front skirt - it was finally done! I rewarded myself by finishing Day Two with one of my favourite parts: the construction of the dresses! I stitched all three of the front tops to the back tops and all the front skirts to the back skirts and that is where I stopped. The next step is to sew the middle band to the top and then the skirt, that's when they will really start to look like real dresses and I love that part! I thought I would save it for tomorrow so I won't be able to wait to get home and start sewing, in an effort to stay motivated...