So ya…. This project was supposed to be a shirt for me with pattern matching in the front and I was gonna be all stylish and stuff. With this print from April Rhodes‘ new Heritage collection and my Ermine 50 wt Aurifil, I knew this was going to be a winner winner chicken dinner.
And like I was actually 95% done before I jacked it up. And it looked cute except I wasn’t stoked with where I placed the pocket.
I wanted it like a half inch higher, so I pulled out my seam ripper and got to picking. But like since I didn’t have a ball point or jersey needle, picking anything apart wasn’t really an option because a standard needle pokes holes into fabric, which is no good with something that stretches. But alas I decided to pick it and move it anyway and it didn’t take long before I realized I should’ve listened to myself. But you know sometimes that’s how we gotta learn. And then I got distracted and this happened.
And trust I tried all the tricks I knew to salvage this, but the position made it impossible. So I folded it neatly, placed it on a shelf, did some yoga breathing and moved on until I was ready to bring this project into its next phase: a dress for Helena.
Many of y’all might not know this, but like I can draft my own patterns and stuff, at least for kiddies and for myself. I just like to use patterns especially when it’s from a new designer to me because I always learn something new. So when I wrecked my shirt, I pretty much knew exactly what I was gonna make for Helena. So once I cut the pieces out in a moment of make-it-work, Helena’s new dress emerged, which is like a modern take on a school-girl uniform.
To think that this was a lemons-to-lemonade situation is funny to me because this dress totally needed to be made I think. So advice when sewing with knit:
- Always use a ballpoint/jersey needle
- Make sure to use one of the stretch stitches
- Seam rippers are not your friend
- Lemonade is really good. I mean Beyoncé. Helloooo….
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I need the pattern for that dress ASAP!! It’s beautiful!
nice save, dad!
This is so sweet–the dress and the story behind it! Can you show us other items you have made for your daughter? I have two, 2 year old granddaughters, and a grandson on the way. Looking for easy things to make for the grands. Also, looking for simple projects to do with the grand girls that use fabric. We’ve made a lot of things with pom poms, but I need some other ideas for the grands and would love to use fabric with them. Thank you for your inspiration, Mathew!!