Iced Blue Plaid

Well!  This isn't the blog post I thought I'd be writing, nor the post I would like to be writing.  But, I figure I might as well be open and honest with ya'll, and post my mess-ups as well as my successes.  This is, as I'm sure you have figured out by now, a mess up.  :O :P

Tomorrow (yes, we know, possible tornado warning, showers, wind, etc.) we are having a picnic.  Bascha and I have met this really neat girl online, via The Sewing Academy, and since she lives only a couple hours from us, we decided to meet up half way.  So we're having a Civil War picnic, and we're going to dress up, drink tea, make music and do other such lovely stuffs.

But back to my point.  Ann Marie, Caroline's best friend, is coming with us.  And...she hasn't got any clothes.  So, using some wonderful cotton plaid, I attempted to make her a dress.  I made 3 mock-ups, and when I thought I had it right, I cut it out.  It looked JUST LIKE THIS.  Down to the piping, the top-stitching, everything.  No kidding, but blue.

I just thought this dress was beautiful

And now for the bad news....it fit horrid.  Absolutely horrid.  (And yes, if I get really upset I say "hawrrid" with the proper southern accent.)  It actually like couldn't be put on at all.  So...I tried to fix what I thought was the problem, and apparently that created more problems.  So I ripped it up and tried to make a gathered part instead of pleated.  I thought I had it fixed, when yet again, it did not fit. :O  By then, you can imagine I was feeling pretty glum. :P

After talking with Ms. Rhonda (Bascha's mom), we thought maybe that the armholes were too small, because the sleeves were too small.   I added an insert of ribbon up the sleeve to widen that area.  The armholes were still too small, or high, or we're not sure. But it doesn't fit in that area.

ribbon insert

On top of the armhole issue, the back doesn't meet at the waist, and it buttons on a diagonal.  Yep. Didn't know that was possible, but it is.  So, the dress is unwearable.  Oh, and it chokes her at the neck. :P.  (she said her arms were choked as well.)

I found another curtain of this same fabric at VV yesterday, so I have enough to remake the bodice.  I don't have the time to do it before tomorrow, but I do plan on it someday.  Right now I'm sick of blue plaid!

There you have it!  I've had to eat my humble pie! :D  And I do mess up!
~Theresa