Gingham Dress

I finally got my gingham dress finished! It's now too late to wear it outside the house but at least it's not weighing on my mind any more and it'll be hanging in my wardrobe ready for spring.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this dress. I started it as a stash busting project because I had five meters of gingham and I'm really not a girl who wears gingham. I don't know if it's just a really nice wearable muslin or something I'll actually go out in, though.

Everything seemed to go wrong with this dress, especially the buttons and the elastic. I originally bought black elastic but I was afraid it would show through the gingham and went back for some white stuff. I think I was worried over nothing but it's too late now. Turns out the white elastic and the white bias binding where exactly the same size, making it pretty much impossible to sew along the edges of the binding and leave enough room inside.

I ended up sewing along the crease of one side and then wedging the elastic in as far as it would go and going along the other edge with my zipper foot to try and make it even. I think I did pretty well but since my bobbin tension's been acting up it doesn't look very good. Thank god it's hidden by the gathering.

This dress has put me off buttons for at least a year. I first bought both buttons and poppers planning to only have fake buttons, and then I got it into my head that I should at least try and make real button holes. You know what they say about good intentions.

I would have to sort out my sewing machine tension but I also needed a buttonhole foot. I got online and bought the cheapest one on Amazon. Big mistake. It didn't work quite right and the top layer of metal was flaking off when I got it out of the packet so now not only do I not have the buttonhole foot, I have the trouble of sending it back. I looked into hand sewn buttonholes but soon realised I didn't care enough about this dress to do them, I just wanted it to be over.

Then I cried a little.

Turns out I ended up doing exactly what I had planned in the beginning.

My New Toy!

I've mentioned my overlocker once or twice but I haven't actually bragged told you about it yet. It was a complete fluke that I found it, and exactly when I was looking for one.

I had gone to the charity shop to drop off a few books (I'm trying to declutter) and passed by the new 'retro' shop. I hadn't gone in before because I don't buy clothes that much and I find the valuation of second hand clothing confusing. I just wanted a look really.

The other stuff in the shop was a bit boring and it was very dark but sitting on the counter was this wonder, complete with instruction manual:

The thread and ballpoint needles actually cost more than the machine

I don't know how old it is or how the shop came to have it but it was clear after a quick conversation they didn't know what to do with it, even though they'd checked to see if it was working. The guy in the shop admitted as much and called it an overedger. :-)

When I asked the price and he shrugged and pulled £20 out of thin air I practically jumped with joy and asked him to keep an eye on it while I walked to the bank.

Walking half a mile home with it in a big paper carrier bag I almost regretted my decision, but not quite! :-D

My White Whale: Part Two

You might remember my problem with iron on interfacing that I talked about a while ago. I went back and gave it another go today because I ran out of pins for my gingham dress and thought I could harvest some from and old unfinished project. Turns out the blue top didn't have any pins in it but I figured if I worked on it a bit or even finished it that would be one thing off my list of things to do.

I accidentally attached it to the pieces cut on the straight rather than the ones on the bias. It's good enough.

I've also been looking at tables to work on. I'll have to clean up more to make room for it but if I clear the space then I might reward myself.