Jess from If Only They Would Nap. Who is super fab, and if you haven’t seen her blog yet you should hop over there right now, and check out her Parisian Top,  her Amazing Lego Boxes,  Or her super fun secret sunglasses pocket.  I am telling you this mama of boys has creativity flowing, and she is about to be on Project Run&Play and I can’t wait to see what she makes! She created a fun new blog series, you know how I love those. This one is:
Line&Angles: Sewing with Geometric shapes. 
Guys I was thrilled by this idea and had have a million ideas. So I started with one that welcomes in Spring, and was quick and easy to make. 

 I took two different colors of striped fabric and mixed and matched the lines and colors to change up a basic design and make it into something fun.

I love the ideas of lines moving in all different directions. If you know me you know I am no stranger to stripes. I love them (perhaps too much) my entire wardrobe could be stripes and I would be happy. My entire fabric stash could be stripes and I would be ok with that. So naturally with a challenge like lines and angles I had to use lines…
And create some angles. I used the same basic dress pattern that I shared for free HERE I changed a few things, since I skipped the ruffle and I made the back pieces a straight rectangle instead of the curve for the armpit, mainly because fabric was tight. Then I did a chevron pieced bodice and box pleated skirt, which I will show you here:

 To piece the bodice I started with a strip of fabric.

 Then I folded up the corner so I could find the bias angle (45 degree angle) I cut the fabric in a straight line along that angle.

 Then with all the pieces but on the bias I started sewing them right sides together. To get everything matched up perfectly I made sure my stripes matched up as I was placing them right sides together. They should run the same direction.

 Then once the bodice was pieced together I trimmed it all up.

 Then as I was sewing the skirt pieces to the bodice pieces I added large box pleats to fit the skirt to the bodice instead of gathering the waist. I thought the box pleats added some structure and kept with the lines feel.

 Then just like that the dress was done.

 Abbey was more than thrilled to dance and twirl about in her new dress…

 After about an hour of tears. That’s how life goes right? You sew something up you are super excited about it love the way it looks show it to your child and they cry. Not just a little cry but a big full on “I HATE it” fit.

So I looked at my daughter throwing a fit with big ole crocodile tears, telling me she hated it and she would never wear it, and I set the dress down and walked away. I admit the sting of “I hate it” never feels good. I think about how much time was just wasted, then since I am a blogger I think, man who is going to wear this dress for the pictures? That’s when Abbey walked up to me with the dress in hand, tears dried up, and she says to me “I love the dress, can I wear it?” I said sure, and she put it on, then she starts dancing and says, “you can take pictures if you want” so I did. We all won, and Abbey had the perfect thing to wear to school today for Saint Patricks day which was green so she wouldn’t get pinched (mint is totally green yes?) and pink so it was still “her”
Tears are now forgotten. The happiness shown in the pictures we will remember forever 🙂

Jess has put together a great giveaway for her series and you can enter that here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 Comments