Have you all picked up yet on the fact that I will basically make the same pattern over and over again until we both drop from exhaustion? Here is another Simplicity 5723, which needs a bit more pressing than it got:
This is in a nice slightly-heavier-than-usual shirting stripe. I had really high hopes for this fabric, and then this happened:
No matter what I tried, I just could not get those stripes to match up. I probably took it apart four or five times. I may take it apart one more time and use some fabric tape to stave off presser-foot creep, which is what I’m blaming for the mismatch. (Well, presser foot creep and my slightly off cutting out.)
The zipper is a C:
I have no idea why I had any navy bias binding at all. My guess is that I bought it in a big lot at a yard sale:
And what happened here? Your guess is as good as mine:
This is my favorite part of this dress … I really like the chevron effect:
I’m not sure where I bought this … it might have been on the remnant table at Britex. It has that slick expensive-Italian-cotton feel. (And hey, when did Britex start selling online? Ooooooh! And like I NEED more places to buy fabric online … )
A Dress A Day 
“hithterto stiff bosoms”
one could always do with more autumnal fancies. That is a quite autumnal set of colours, in a summer weight dress, but I suppose it’s different in California?
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This is another dress that I think would benefit from the addition of a belt – a skinny-ish belt in any of the 17 colors in the print. 😉 I almost never wear my vintage dresses without belts, they hide a multitude of sins at the waist seam.
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I have definitely been more into belts lately, especially with this style of dress. This one I have been wearing with either a narrow black belt or a slightly wider yellow one. 🙂
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I agree with Erin, I would go with a nice little belt. I do like the stripes 🙂
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If you had flipped the fabric over before cutting the second back piece, the stripes would had been ‘facing’ each other instead of going in the same direction all across the back and you would have had a good chevron.
do you subscribe to Threads or Sew News?
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I just re-upped my subscription to Threads …
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I love the stripes. I should try stripes sometime.
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Have you tried a walking foot when matching stripes? It’s a trick I picked up from quilters when I was trying to solve my “it was perfectly matched when I pinned it, but not after sewing” problem.
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To match those stripes, try Elmer’s Washable School Glue to baste the fabric in place. Apply a very thin line (see link below for instructions on how to modify the glue bottle to deliver a scant amount of glue), and then press to dry the glue. Then stitch away, nothing will move.
This is a trick that I picked up from the amazing quilter Sharon Schamber. The glue MUST be Elmer’s Washable School Glue, don’t try a different brand. You need to modify the glue bottle to deliver a very small amount of glue at a time. You can use a small craft nozzle, or the tip of a cheap Bic mechanical pencil; the Bic pencil method works amazing well.
Instructions on how to modify the glue bottle here:
Click to access 1097_2011_tqs_bom_2_elmers_washable_glue_bottle_retrofit.pdf
For inspiration, see how many ways Sharon uses Elmer’s Washable School Glue to baste while creating and applying quilt binding in this video:
Claire-Marie
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