10/31/21 Weekly Rally
The spooky edition.
Reversible Dress
My current personal WIP is an ambitious project – a completely reversible dress with a pocket on both sides, plus color blocking!
I acquired this amazing double-weave yard dyed cotton from Firecracker Fabrics. It’s not double-gauze, although it looks very similar. I’m using my Seren dress pattern (the sleeveless version) for this sewing project.
The sides are so different from each other, yet they work very well together. I wanted this dress to showcase the fabric beyond just being reversible – enter color-blocking!
For the color-blocking, I cut diagonal side panels into the skirt. I sized the panels on the fly while I was cutting the fashion fabric. Planning was difficult because I wasn’t sure if I would have enough fabric for everything. I folded in the edge of the dress to cut the bodice, then I traced the folded part to make a new pattern piece so I could cut the panels accurately.
Faux Flat-Felled SEams
Since the seams on the reversible dress are visible on both sides, I finished all of them using a faux flat-felled seam.
It’s so easy and much less fussy than attempting flat-felled seams with a double-weave. I tried that in double-gauze once and it was such a hassle to turn both sides of the fabric evenly. There were definitely places where I didn’t catch both layers.
But for a faux flat-felled seam, I made a French seam, then edge-stitched it down. I kept my needle as close to the edge of the seam as possible – about 1/16″ – and used a longer top-stitch. It worked like a charm!
Next week, I will get into making the mirrored patch pockets.
On a Personal Note
Outside of sewing, my life has revolved around cats lately. If you missed my last rally, we got a kitten named Naan who has quickly become a beloved member of our family. The other two cats adore her; she and Furia cuddle and chase each other all day while TeeTee keeps watch.
She’s super curious about how all my sewing supplies taste – she even climbed up on my tiny thread shelf! I had to put all my spools of thread in a bin for now so she doesn’t knock them down and eat the string. It will make finding thread for my next sewing project more difficult, but sweet little Naan is worth it. She had her first day as my sewing assistant, helping me cut out the next muslin for my Captain’s Cardigan sewing pattern. Well, that is, if ‘helping’ means biting everything.
Final Thought
Today is Halloween!! Sadly, we don’t get trick-or-treaters at my house, so I plan to celebrate by watching scary movies and eating pumpkin cookies.
My altar is decorated for Samhain (which I learned was pronounced “sav-en” by my Scottish ancestors) with fallen leaves, candles, and other fall-related ephemera. I think I’ll wear my silk-chiffon witch robe just for fun!
Thanks for stopping by for my weekly rally! What are you doing for Halloween? Let me know in the comments!
May your shears always be sharp and your bobbins full!
<3 Virginia
