Frumpy Frock Finish, Fair Findings

As the title of the post suggests, I am not happy with my newest make.

This is the Grace Dress by WardrobeByMe.  I was full of hope with this dress.  Other makes I'd seen looked wonderful and the pattern comes with a number of options - different sleeve lengths, sleeveless, peplum top.  I had bought extra fabric that I used to line my coat with the vision of making a matching dress.  This was to be the matching dress.   But ---- I hate it!!  It feels 1980's and worse, it feels frumpy.  Not sure if it is the polyester fabric that gives the frumpy feel, or the pattern. I will never wear it.  I've already tossed it in the bin. 

Apart from the look of it I didn't like the construction methods.  I should have done what felt right to me, but this is the first pattern I've bought from WBM so thought I'd follow their method.

The first thing to go wrong was the bodice.  The V neck is lined with bias binding.  But the way they did it resulted in a lump at the bottom of the V.  Well I had plenty of fabric left over so I recut the bodice from extra fabric, but this time I copied the neckline from the Itch To Stitch Vienna top which gave a much better finish.

Next was the yoke instructions.  Again the Vienna has a yoke, but I followed WBM construction.  Big mistake I ended up with the wrong side of the yoke showing on the outside of the bodice.  Too much sewing to unpick, so I just unpicked the shoulders and sewed them together as normal, and overlocked the edges.  I've never had that problem when making the Vienna so assume their instructions are better.

Third problem was the construction of the waist casing.  It was super untidy.  I've made a few patterns  with waist casings and never had a problem.  I think this time the problem was that there was no separate casing pattern piece, you just sewed the bodice and skirt together with a 1" seam allowance then folded the edges together on the inside to create the casing.

Needless to say I won't be making this dress again, and very likely won't ever touch a WBM pattern again.

Anyway yesterday was a bit better.  Had  a trip out of town to a Craft Fair and went with a friend.  She bought some lovely mohair wool.  I bought a few things.

I bought 3 1 metre lengths of quilting cotton

This will be for a project bag for Healing Rose

Not sure, but I might make a pleated tote bag with this

This will be a Project Bag for my sampler,  Squirrels are a common them in samplers

The rectangles and smiling flower are wooden buttons.  I've added magnets to the back to make into needleminders.  Couldn't resist the Long Dog for holding floss.  This will be fun for using silks with Long Dog Samplers!

I bought 12 assorted charms for making into zipper pulls.

I haven't shown my zipper pulls that I've started making.  Here are a few, I've given 1 away as a gift.  These are fun to make when I just want something quick to finish.

I also bought my first Long Dog Sampler on Saturday.  I'd been thinking of doing Templars Legacy, but the one I really ,really liked with Sans Souci.  However it had been done as a SAL by a shop in the UK that has since closed, so wasn't available.  Luckily for me the owner of Long Dog made it available online on the weekend so I jumped in and bought it.


Now I just need to decide on which colour to do it in, probably blue.  I will order silks from Silks4u.  So excited to be sewing with silk.