Back From The Brink

Thankfully, sewing disasters are few and far between but when I do have them they're doozies.  You may have read my previous post about the birthday shirt debacle, well that is not the only disaster in recent months. 

My latest back from the brink project started life as some gorgeous knit fabric I picked up when I visited Mood Fabrics in New York last spring.  I thought when I bought it that the fabric was a rayon silk knit but I am not sure about that now and it didn't appear on their website.  I was super excited about it and it was the first fabric I made up on my return home.  In fact, I was planning this particular project before my feet even hit home soil!


This fabric was special firstly because it was a holiday souvenir and secondly because it wasn't exactly cheap fabric so I decided that a tried and true pattern was the way to go.  I still really love my second version of Vogue 1027 that I made in April 2013 and decided that I could make room for one more.  This fabric was a bit heavier but had the same amount of drape so I figured it would be a safe option.

I preceded to wash my new fabric and that is where things start to go pear shaped. Aargh!  I opened the door of the washing machine once my load was finished to discover a river of black dye.  How did this happen!  My lovely vibrant florals were now tinged with a dirty grey hue.  With a sinking feeling, I very nearly abandoned all thought of using the fabric right then and there.  Had it not been special, I would have done exactly that but instead I forged ahead with my plans.

It took a bit of pattern tetris to get the dress out of my 2.2m or 1 and a half yards but I managed to do it and because I had made the dress before it came together quite quickly.  I then left if for a week on a hanger to let the hem drop and drop it did!

When I tried on my dress to pin the hem, it had gone from a midi skirt to a maxi dress with the high waisted tie now a low sitting waist tie.  It was at this point that the entire project was dumped in the naughty corner while I could work out what to do next.  I did consider a lining through the bodice to stop the stretching but really by now I was over it!  The dress sat waiting for inspiration like a millstone around my neck for 6 months.

Last weekend I decided it was time to put this project to rest once and for all.  I cut myself a Tessuti Lola tee shirt from the skirt and dumped what was left of the original dress in the scraps bin.  I now have my most expensive tee shirt ever but boy is it a weight off my shoulders!