Baby Bonda Productions

It’s easy to write a post about a project that turns out well, much harder to write about the bad ones.  And this one left me feeling so discouraged that I haven’t sewn clothes since June.

I got the schedule mixed up and thought the July #sewmystyle project was the Darling Ranges dress by Megan Nielsen.  I had a wedding to attend the first weekend of July and thought this would be a perfect pattern with a few modifications to make for the wedding.

I had great black and white fabric I had found that week at the thrift store and a couple hours I could either pack for the weekend trip or sew.  Mistake #1 was opting to sew when rushed and hurried.

Backing up the story here…

I “don’t do” shirt dresses.  Back in high school, I made a shirt dress from a Vogue pattern that I thought was the most fashionable dress EVER.  I can still see the pattern.  Purple dress, long sleeves, gathered waist with an angled princess front coming to the flat button front.  So very 90’s.  I found the perfect matching purple polyester material and was very proud of my finished creation.

I wore it to a large family gathering.  One by one the buttons popped off the front of that dress.  Mortifying.  The dress that made me feel so fashionable and proud of my workmanship was falling apart. Luckily my mom had a seemingly endless supply of safety pins in her purse, so my modesty was rescued.

I learned to always wrap the thread at least 3 times around the bottom of a button.

I said I would never make a shirt dress again.

So here was my dilemma with the Darling Ranges. Shirt dress and the tie back was bringing back 90’s high school memories.

I decided to do a pattern hack and stay on the #sewmystyle schedule with a more fitted bodice and a zipper on the side. Mistake #2 was not following the pattern.

I didn’t want to do arm binding and I thought the top needed to be lined, so I did a fully lined bodice.  Mistake #3.  I had to do weird under stitching on the arms and finish it with top stitching because without a split back or front I couldn’t find a tutorial on how to sew arm and neck openings and then turn it.

I got to the first fitting and was all “This is not what I was thinking and  is not flattering!”.  Also realized Mistake #4 was I sewed the skirt on the wrong way, making it long and tight, not short and flowing. Mistake #5 was fabric choice as 2 layers of a polyester despite being thin was going to be too hot for a summer wedding.  It got thrown into a pile on the sewing room floor. I packed a different dress for the wedding.

And it has sat there mocking me.  I did pull it out just for pictures for this post.

With accessories, attitude and the right pose it doesn’t look that bad.

July #SewMySTyle – look like a model, the dress will look good

With the right posing and accessory, anything looks good

good accessories and styling make it look like it works

But this is more of how I feel wearing it….

wee bit of extra room in this bodice

fake it even if the dress doesn’t make it

Please send me motivation vibes to get back on schedule and try September’s project, Named Clothing Yona Wrap Coat!