Tabatha’s April Challenge 2012 – Week Four

Wednesday 25th April

After four toiles of the Colette Truffle dress, I am ready to sew my final version!  Today’s 2-hour slot was spent cutting out both the main and lining fabric and transferring all the markings to both.  I am making a full lining for the dress, rather than only lining the bodice.  I had originally bought my lining fabric to use as a main fabric for another dress, so it feels pretty decadent to use it as a lining, but I couldn’t resist as it looks so pretty with the red dupioni!

Thursday 26th April

Mr Tweedie went out in the evening, so that’s when I did my sewing today.  I hemmed the skirt drape, overlocked all the edges of both the lining and main fabric, sewed the darts, and assembled the lining and the main fabric.  I took my time because I really want to make this dress perfect!

Friday 27th April

I didn’t do any sewing today – Friday nights are just too precious, challenge or no challenge!  I will of course make up the time tomorrow.

Saturday 28th April

I sewed for four hours today and finished making the dress.  I’m quite pleased because it means that it took me a total of six hours to actually sew the dress – eight hours if you include cutting and marking the fabric, which for a fully lined special occasion dress is pretty good  (let’s just ignore the 14 hours of toile making, yes?).  I’m so pleased with how this dress turned out.  Do you ever think about the value of the clothes that you make?  I found myself thinking ‘this dress would sell for at least £80 in a shop like Coast…’.  In fact, I’ve just had a look at their website and the cheapest party dress they have right now is £85, and it’s nowhere near as nice!  A similar-ish dress in terms of fabric and style looks to be selling for between £125 and £160 –  but of course, it’s extra valuable to me because it is made to measure and it is unique.  Hurray for home sewing!  I’m very much looking forward to wearing this – hubby has been nominated for an award by his university students, so we’re off to the award ceremony next week, which includes a dinner.  Very exciting stuff, and very well deserved.

Sunday 29th April

I had four hours left of my April Challenge, so I was after going out with a bang and making something quick and fun.  I’d heard tell that the Colette Hazel dress was quick to make – Julia made it last night in a couple of hours – and as this was on my list I had already assembled the pattern and pre-washed the fabric, so I thought I may as well give it a crack.  Did I make a toile?  Did I ‘eck as like!  To be honest my fabric was so cheap in the first place it would have been a total waste of money.  It is a Boyes polycotton and cost £2.50 per metre (it might have even been £2.25 per metre *gasp*).  What’s even better is that they have all different colour combinations.  I was tempted by red and black, but thought I might look like Dennis the Menace – would that necessarily be a bad thing, do you think?!  I was also quite taken with red and blue, and yellow and pink, and pink and white…

Aaaanyway… what with my fabric being navy and white stripe, I decided to line it with the leftovers of the bedsheet I used to line my Licorice dress, but alas, there wasn’t enough to line the skirt as well, so only the bodice got lined.  But that’s ok, because I already have a white waist slip to preserve my modesty in the sunlight!

I totally unashamedly copied Colette’s fabric suggestion on the front of the pattern, even changing the recommended cutting layout instructions so that it would be the same as in the picture (except of course, that one is red and white stripes).  I like to put my own stamp on things normally, but I just fell hard for this striped version and wanted my own.  Plus, I’ve never owned a stripy dress (at least, not that I remember), so really that’s just a gap in my wardrobe that needed plugging right away.

I started cutting and marking the main fabric and the lining fabric at 8pm, and it was finished by about 12:30am, and during that time I stopped for a bacon buttie and a glass of wine with Mr Tweedie, cos you know, I have to keep my strength up and all that!  I overlocked the raw edges – I don’t know if I’m the only one who actually loves an overlocked edge?!  It just looks so neat, and it’s quick and easy!  Luckily, the dress fits (phew) and I love it!  I’m hereby ending my April Challenge.  Yes, there is one more day left, but I’ve sewed the requisite number of hours and I don’t want to start something new just yet.  It’ll probably take me two hours to clean and tidy my sewing room after this month anyway – it looks like a bomb has hit it!