A Work in Progress

After I got married, my mother-in-law introduced me to a sewing machine. It was foreign and intimidating. Over the past few years, I've learned a lot and feel pretty darn confident now when it comes to sewing, that is, until you hand me a pattern. Pillows, curtains, shape-less dresses, mending-I've got them down. Patterns seem so scary to me. However, I've realized if I want to keep improving my skills, I must make myself learn to follows them. When I was in Seattle, I picked up an AMH pattern, and decided to attempt it for my Mother's Day dress. I didn't get to it for a while, but when I opened it up, the doubt starting creeping in. It's like reading another language. And let me add, I picked up a super easy pattern.

The only other time I've tried to follow a pattern is when I made Parker's Halloween costume.

I have to admit though, I cheated...a lot. When I didn't understand the instructions, I just did my own thing. This time, I vowed to do everything the way the pattern advised so that I could practice and truly learn. I was starting to wonder if I was completely off when the dress took this form.

 

It looked more like an airplane than a dress, don't you think? Anyway, it came together quite nicely and because I followed all the seam allowances, I even ended up with functional pockets. After ward, I couldn't decided whether or not to add rosette embellishments.

I played around with which way to wear the dress as well. I ended up technically wearing it backwards because I liked the rounded baby-doll look for the front and the V was kind of cute in the back. I added a belt to help with the figure and decided to not use the rosettes. I might still sew them on at a later date. While about to finish the dress, I found out that I would be spending Mother's Day in Indiana. When I looked up the weather, I was disappointed. Fifties and raining. Fantastic. Not quite sleeveless dress weather. I decided to shorten the dress and make it tunic length so I could wear leggings underneath. After adding a cardigan, it felt much more weather-appropriate. I really wanted to sport these cute yellow peep-toe flats with the ensemble, but boots seemed a better fit for the cold. 

 

The finished product on Mother's day. I'll do a separate post on my special day because it is worthy of its own post. Yes, my day was that great. Probably my favorite Mother's Day out of the past four.

And the back (technically the front).... 

 

The dress was a little too tight across the top, actually more in the armholes. However, after putting a few hours into this baby, I wasn't about to let a little snugness stop me from wearing it.  Next time I use this pattern I'm going to allow a little more room for my arms. (What a great self-esteem booster-lol.) I can't wait to try my next pattern. Who knows, maybe I'll attempt a zipper???

Happy sewing :)