Well I have decided to join a sew-a-long. I have attempted this in the past but things happen to keep this from happening. I have even gone as far as to have the fabrics and trims prepared before "life" happens. This week is going a bit smoother than most so we will try this again.
I am joining the sew-a-long hosted by Candy Castle Patterns.
https://www.facebook.com/candycastle.patterns.5?hc_location=stream It's a cute wrap dress and they are going to give an option of making it a swing dress. Very popular for little girls to twirl. The actual name is the "Bubblegum Dress" and it comes in a pdf file, easy to download onto your own printer.
First, I have my fabric washed and pressed and I have chosen the bias binding I will need for the two dresses.
Next, I prepared the bias binding by pre-shrinking it. I always pre-shrink my trims and interfacings. I know that may be over kill but I have had problems in the past with slight shrinkage and my fabric "curls" at the corners and angles. Here is how I do this. Please be patient as I am new to downloading pictures. Thank goodness for Minion for helping me.
First, you will need an empty gallon pitcher, a bowl of hot water (with a splash of white vinegar added) and some skewers of some kind. I used chopsticks.
Next, and VERY important, coffee to lure Minion out of her room and away from her computer gaming.
Gently bend the cardboard that hold the trim.
Slide your finger through and prepare to remove the cardboard.
Gently remove the cardboard from the bias and set aside.
Slide the bias trim on the skewer.
Gently dip the bias trim in the hot water until completely saturated. I did add a splash of white vinegar to the water to keep the colors true since they are so vibrant. Also helps keeps the colors from bleeding later.
Gently spread the bias out making sure not to stretch or twist. Do NOT wring or squeeze the extra water out. It will drip dry quick enough since it has a good amount of polyester in it. It's very light weight so there should be no stretching while it dries.
Set the skewer across the top of the pitcher and let dry. You can do several at once if needed but be sure to let there be enough room for air circulation. Mine sits on the counter under the heating/cooling vent. If I were in a huge hurry, I'm sure I could talk Minion into holding a blow dryer over it on low setting but I'm not going to push my luck today ^_^
So far, this is as far as I have gotten. I need to trace the top part of the dress on freezer paper in the two sizes I need for this project. I will keep you posted as I go.
Whew! This was exhausting! Time to have Minion to get me a Diet Coke! :-)
