I determined to learn a new technique for this new month in this new year, and I had the perfect opportunity to start shirring with elastic thread. While I was home in San Antonio for the holidays I met up with the lovely Jenny of
Sew Pretty Dresses. We spent one afternoon going through her wonderful fabric stash and checking out all her fun patterns. I mean really, Todd certainly has no interest in discussing fabrics or designers with me, so it's fun to hang out with someone who speaks the same language. Well, not only did Jenny pass on an amazing stack of fabrics she was no longer going to use, but we also decided to try swapping patterns. When she passed on this Lydia pattern from Pink Fig the pressure was one to test out elastic thread shirring (Jenny has been doing this for a while with great success.) As usual, I should not have feared; this technique is pretty straightforward. The Pink Fig pattern had good instructions and my sewing machine actually has a special stitch for elastic thread. There are lots of tutorials out there to get you started too.
I'm hoping it will be warm enough in March for this to be Avery's St. Patty's day dress. The main fabrics are Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom, and the bodice and hem are Jennifer Paganelli prints. The pattern actually has a cute cap sleeve; however, when I tried the dress on Avery prior to attaching the sleeves, they were too short. So, check it before you sew if you plan on making this dress. I opted for thin tie straps instead of redoing the sleeves.
Jenny and I spent another fun afternoon visiting with Corie of
Banberry Place. Talk about inspiration! I'll have more on this at a later date.
