A new dress

I know I have mentioned this before on the blog, but I haven't really been into sewing clothes since I graduated college.  I still really love sewing clothes, but I think I get discouraged because by the fitting process of sewing clothes.  When you sew a quilt or a bag, you jut cut out the pieces and sew it together.  You know all the pieces will work together, and you know the end product will look great.  Sewing a piece of clothing is a more complicated process.  You usually have to make a muslin and then make pattern correction, and then maybe repeat that whole process again.  While I love actually sewing a garment together, I find the process of getting to that point a little tedious. 

However, a few weeks ago I had an itch to make a piece a clothing. Thankfully, JoAnn's was having a sale on their patterns, so I decided to pick out a few.  I promised myself that I would make at least one.

I picked out the Simplicity pattern 1877 (farthest to the right) to make first.  (Side note: the cat thought it would be best if she helped show off the patterns.)  Since I really just wanted to enjoy the process of making something, I decided not to make a muslin.  I just started with my fashion fabric and hoped everything would turn out.  It was really freeing actually.  I just let myself enjoy sewing the dress together, not really worrying if it was going to fit well in the end or not.

I bought the fabric I used for this project in college.  I think it was $5 for the whole bolt.  Since the fabric was so cheap, and I have had it for so long, I knew I wouldn't feel bad about using it if the dress didn't turn out.

The pictures are on my dress form because I have yet to install the zipper at the center back.  I made a size 14, without any pattern alterations.  I have to say, it fits pretty well!  I think if the fabric was slightly heavier, the drape of the dress might have been a little better, but it's defiantly wearable as is.

It was fun to leave the "rules" behind and just enjoy the process of making something.  I think I might even make this dress again in a different fabric and wear it to a wedding we are going to this summer.