Back in the Saddle... er... Sewing Chair

After I finished up my sewing ecourse, I took a pretty long break from the machine. Like anything you pour into, it's good to take a break and build that inspiration back up. This week I found myself intensely missing being at the sewing machine, so I decided to whip up a simple little dress for Poesy.

Chances are, you've seen pillowcase dresses once or twice around the block. Mine isn't made from an actual pillowcase, but it's the same general idea. I began by cutting out my fabric into two 16"x20" rectangles.

Sometimes when shooting from the hip (which is my favorite way to sew) mistakes are made and you have to go back for a redo. The next step in this dress is measuring down 5 or 6 inches and sewing up the sides. If you look at the picture, you can see that I made the mistake of stitching the top first. There was no way to finish the edges of the casing this way, so I pulled out that ol' seam ripper and undid the hem.

After the sides seams were sewn, I folded the arm holes over the seam and pressed in place. This way, when you fold the top portion down to create the casing, the edges will be finished and not raw. Topstitch these folds in place.

Press your seams open and fold the top down to create your neckline. I folded mine under twice so there would be no raw edges or fraying around the neck.

Feed ribbon or a fabric sash through the neck casing and hem the bottom and you're all finished! Actually, I added a bit of elastic to the middle of the dress to change it up ever so slightly, but that step is totally optional.

Next, I'm planning to change this up a little and make a lady-sized version with ties around the neck and center-back. It feels good to be back at it, friends!