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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Ruffled Fabric

There's a lot of talk on sewing blogs about ruffled fabric. It really is pretty neat because it's pre-ruffled. Saves a lot of time and energy. You can find it online at Ruffle Fabric.

Yesterday when I started sewing my dress, it was pretty much a disaster from the time I started to cut my material. I finally put it down and walked away. I needed a positive sewing experience before I go back to finishing that project so I decided to play with this material. Very simple tank top using a top I already had as a pattern. I just laid the tank top on the material and cut around it. I turned under the neckline and arms and this is what I ended up with...
I think this can be very versitile. I can see me wearing it with a pair of jeans or capris or even a pencil skirt!!

This is what I learned from working on my dress yesterday (I knew all this beforehand but you know how hindsight is always 20/20!).
  • Directions are made for a reason - read the directions BEFORE buying your material. Apparently it helps to know what you're making before you make it. Here I thought I was making a dress because that's what the picture showed but I choose the option for a tunic but cut out the dress pieces but didn't have enough material. So my dress is now being made into a tunic.
  • Don't sew on material that looks similiar on both sides when your children are awake. I had to pick out four seams because I sewn the wrong sides together instead of the right sides together and I only have the bodice done!
  • Don't try out new presser feet that you've never used before when you're in the middle of a project. A rolled hem presser foot may make life easier but when when you're sewing on viole and you've never used a rolled hem foot before. It would have been another seam I had to pick out but used cut a new sleeve instead.
  • DO NOT leave marking pens on your table where 2 year olds can reach...or if you do...say prayers that fortunately they were disappearing ink marking pens.
Now after my success today, I just may have it in me to have another try at my dress, err tunic. Maybe I'd better have some coffee and chocolate first!

Blessings,
Lisa

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3 comments:

  1. I think it is a cute top, I was wondering if the ruffle fabric was really so easy to work with.

    I saw this on Sew Much Ado.

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  2. Hi Rachel,
    I treated it as I would another knit material. Used a ballpoint needle but found a regular stitch worked better than a stretch stitch.

    It did help to baste down the ruffles after cutting them out. The basting will also help with keeping the material from stretching out while sewing because it does have some stretch to it.

    Lisa

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