• Finished Projects

I was browsing through my stash, looking for a quick project, when I spotted a UFO (sewing parlance for an UnFinished Object) I started this dress in 2009, but gave up in the final stretch. When I pulled it out, I found it needed just a zipper, a hem, and a few decorative buttons.

The pattern is Burdastyle’s Mila #6023, and I remember thinking that it was an awkward design, but it was free (emphasis on WAS, now it’s 99 cents…) and who am I to withstand the siren song of a freebie?

Well, that attitude clearly didn’t work out so well, because I remember deciding this was ugly and didn’t fit right, which is why I set it aside.

But now that I’ve pulled it out again, I love it! The fabric is a quilting cotton, and I like the stiff structural quality it gives the dress. And since I’m into eye-popping floral prints now, this is perfect.

I  added  yellow bias tape to highlight  design seams so they wouldn’t get lost in the print. The Mila pattern is a bit odd because the center front seam of the dress is open, but there’s a dickey sewn in to look like an underdress. I think it was meant to have hooks and eyes up the front, but that’s too much work. I just sewed pink buttons on every few inches to connect both edges.

Working with such a large-scale print was a fun challenge. I matched the prints down the center front and lower center back, and where I didn’t have enough fabric to match (the center front skirt and the upper back) I made sure I wasn’t cutting off any flowers in the middle.

In cutting this out, I used advice in a Threads Magazine article from 2005, “New Rules for Large Prints.” Some of their best advice: be careful not to put a flower center on your breast or a giant flower in the middle of your bum!

By the way, if you’re not acquainted with Threads, I highly recommend it. It’s full of articles for all skill levels and lots of inspiration. I get my subscription shipped from the US to Europe for only a couple dollars extra each year and I hold on to all my back issues for reference. Ok, back to the main program:

I’m off to hunt my stash for more UFO’s with potential!