I'm loving the ease of Sonia Philips patterns; thus her 100 Acts of Sewing, Dress No. 1 pattern was a must try. I made a muslin with the same cherished bed sheet I used for my self drafted dress muslin and some biased binding.
I had my first go at making biased binding. There are lots of wonderful youtube videos and tutorials on the web. I learned all about these nifty little gadgets. They're inexpensive, easy to use, and simplify the binding making process.
It's wonderful to have the option to create binding in any color you desire and also to use up old scraps in your stash. I had a small piece of fabric left over from my block printed table runner that was perfect for biased binding. This fabric looked like a Renoir painting, Summer Landscape, Woman with a parasol. So beautiful! You can see the image in the middle of the table runner.
Though the process of making binding is relatively simple, it definitely added a chunk of time in creating this dress; in fact, the binding took longer to make than the actual dress itself! I'm hoping there's a learning curve and next time will go quicker.
Dress No. 1 pattern was a breeze to cut out and sew. Since this was an A-line dress and I had sized down on my other 100 Acts of Sewing patterns, I decided to make the size small. The dress mostly fits nicely, but it is a tad snug across the back and chest for me. I modified the neckline by splitting the center down about 3-4 inches to see if that would create enough room for comfort.
I added a small rectangle at the bottom of the cut to add extra stability and stregth. I like the extra detailing of the neck. Though visually it looks good on, I can still feel some pull. I have a broad back, and often need a medium top. Not to fret! This draft will make a fun little gift for a friend of mine. I had just enough material from the flat bed sheet to try the top portion in size medium.
It fits just right. I'm taking a bobbin lace making class, and am hoping to make a small bit of lace to add to the bottom of this top, probably in navy. Fingers crossed it turns out as I imagine. I like this as a top so much, I'm going to make it in a few different colors. It's the perfect easy breezy summer top. Eventually, I'll remake the dress in medium bust and small waist and bottom.
If you're looking for a quick and easy dress or top, I highly recommend giving 100 Acts of Sewing, Dress No.1 a try.
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