This one was created using the tutorial in The Creative Home by Amanda Blake Soule (of Soule Mama).
I started working on this last week, but when the dress didn't fit Lavella properly, I lost steam and let it sit for a few days. In the meantime, she's wanted to wear the other dress I just made for her almost exclusively, so I knew I'd better get back on it!
The problem was that the neckline was too wide and low, and the arms holes were too deep and kind of stuck out. When I put it on her, she ran through the house letting the dress blow about like a sailboat and loved it. It looked strange though, so that was a no-go. Sadly, I'd already applied the 1/4" bias tape edging, so I knew that I was looking at at least an hour of backwards work. I HATE RIPPING THINGS OUT. Although I hate wasting materials more.
I finally broke down and spent the time taking off the bias tape. That done, I could focus on the overall shaping. First I put an additional two pleats into the front and back neckline, then I took in the pillowcase by at least 3 inches on both sides (3" at the top, and 2" at the hem for a slight a-line), and finally -- a properly fitting dress!
It is an absolute perfect fit on her now, and because the straps are adjustable and the hem length is just a little long...dare I say it? She might be able to wear this through to next season. But let's not say that too loudly, lest a growth spurt should catch us off guard.
If I sew this dress again, I think I'll use the armhole pattern that I downloaded from here, and do a straight across neckline -- or just a very slight scoop -- with pleats across. Oh, and also I'll measure the dress that I've already sewn and go with that width instead. Or maybe just do much deeper pleats. Because I like the extra work and extra math. It's oh so fun. I never can seem to leave well enough alone...
I'll have yet another dress for you tomorrow! I am determined that Lavella will have all hand-made dresses this summer. Let's see if I can do it!
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