Well, here it is! My first dress made with the templates from the book Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time: The Ultimate Dressmaking Guide by Tanya Whelan. In my post, Two Hundred Dresses, I shared my excitement about the possibility of designing my own dresses with guidance from this book. My first effort has a basic bodice with a straight skirt, back vent, and invisible zipper in the back, which I inserted by hand. It is also fully lined. The most laborious part of this project was getting the fit right. You must take accurate measurements and use Tanya's size chart, since the sizes are nothing like standard pattern sizes. Add to that, adjustments for being two different sizes -- one on top and one on the bottom -- and modifications had to be made. This was not difficult to do, but not a job for a beginning seamstress. I made a mock-up first with an old sheet in order to get it just right before cutting the dress fabric. Now that I have the adjustments made, subsequent creations should be much easier (that is, if I don't gain weight!). Now, to choose my next design!
In keeping with the "wearing of the green", I thought I'd share a little poem that my mother wrote many years ago (for more of her poetry, see A Little Word of Kindness).
My grandpap came from Ireland
Many years ago
I'll wear a big green shamrock
So everyone will know
That I'm a bit of Irish,
And I'm certain that it shows
In the blarney that I'm speakin'
And the freckles on my nose!
Wilma Thompson, 1967
The Luck of the Irish to You!
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