Frock By Friday

Well, to be truthful, it was Frock by Sunday for me. We had a very busy week. Out just about every evening. I managed to keep up with the first couple of days, staying up late to print assemble and cut the pattern and fabric. On Wednesday, as I was preparing to start sewing, I discovered that the pattern required bias tape - though it wasn't listed among the necessary materials - grrrr... Thursday morning, I raced over to Bolt before work, where Gina knew just where I would find the right size tape in the perfect color. After a nice chat and getting three yards of bias tape, I headed off to work.

It was only that evening that I realized I didn't have matching thread - argh! So, Friday morning, I popped into SewPo and picked some up. Wasn't this supposed to be easy? Having completely missed the deadline and being totally irritated, I took Saturday off to collect myself and get back into a sewing frame of mind. So, Sunday morning I practically bounced out of bed at 8:00 cleaned and oiled my machine, changed the needle, and got to work. By noon, I was putting in the hem. No sweat.

The fabric is really wild - for me, anyway. It's a Moda design, called "Nest," that I've had in my stash since last summer. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough for me to match the pattern at the sides. A bit of a bummer but, really, it's ok. I'll just pretend not to notice.

I really like the bias trim I chose. There were close matches to several of the colors in the print, but this dark wine color is making me extremely happy. Three yards was the perfect amount to trim the neck, arms, and to make the drawstring casing. I had hoped it would also be enough to make the drawstring, but no. Luckily, I had a couple of yards of ribbon in the same dark wine color lurking in my ribbon box. (Why, yes, I have a ribbon box! Don't you?)

So that's it. The whole process would've been really painless if the pattern had had a complete materials list and if I had been a little more organized when buying said materials. It would be a really easy first dress for someone wanting to take the next step in their sewing. I think this little number will get lots of wear the rest of the summer. I'll probably make more in the coming years. It would be pretty in linen, or a delicate floral, or a drapey jersey. It could easily be shortened to a tunic length and worn with leggings. I think it'd also be pretty easy to change the neckline. I saw a version with a flattering scoop, and also like the idea of a v-neck.

Be sure to check the finished versions featured on Grosgrain, posted to Flicker, and included on the Anda project page at BurdaStyle.