Ok, maybe I didn't, maybe I have been fixing my glossy gaze at pinterest since five this morning, scheming my way to a better bathroom. Maybe I made some of these a couple years ago. However I did have a mad frenzy of sewing this year and made four dresses with two more loyally awaiting my handiwork.
In this picture I made the one on the right.
I can now turn out a dress faster than I can shop for one, and shopping is on my list of skills. I am guaranteed a great fit, colours I love and natural fibres No Polyester Lining!
Here's my secret; I use the same pattern over and over. I chose a very versatile pattern that offers different details (like collars or sleeves) and include co-ordinating accent colours for the waistband or collar. The combinations are so endless that I've made nine, eight of them for me, and I'm not sure people have caught on!
The second secret; I make them sweatshop style now. After making one or two dresses to establish fit, I go to the store and buy two meters each in assorted cotton fabric, (on a Sale day don't forget). I then wash it all, iron it all, and cut out pattern pieces for three or four dresses in different colours. Then it gets pretty fast to turn out three collars one day, then all three bodices the next. My mistakes are fresh in my mind so I never make them twice. Pretty soon you have three brand new dresses!
-Be forewarned: if you cut them out and sew them one at a time, it increases the risk of every crafters dreaded condition, Unfinished Projects Disorder.
Whoops, there's another one! They are everywhere!