Yesterday I was cruising Walmart with my mom and we happened upon the fabric section. I have been purchasing fabric from there lately for sun dresses for my youngest daughter and myself. But yesterday I found some really cute smocked fabrics that were the perfect length for my granddaughter Jayde!
The thing I love best about this fabric, is that it is just one simple seam and you are pretty much done. I also opted to add some straps because in my mind 4 years old is too young for a strapless dress.
First I pinned the fabric where I wanted the seam.
Then simply sew the seam straight. This particular piece of fabric was a
little less than the half yard that I wanted for the dress, so I sewed a
fairly scant seam.
And further down the dress...
I then decided to try something I have never tried before. I wanted to serge the seam. My wonderful husband found an awesome deal a few years ago at a yard sale. He got me a Brother 1034D for just $40. It didn't have the box, but it had the instructional dvd and the guy who sold it to him said his girlfriend had never been able to figure out how to use it. I spent an additional $75 to have it tuned up and the blades replaced TOTALLY WORTH IT! But, even after that, I have never really attempted to use it. My oldest daughter Mariah has always been the one to use it. So, last night I swallowed my fear and watched a video on how to thread it and gave it a go!
After a few tweaks to make sure I wasn't going to break my thread, and another peek at a youtube video, I was ready to go!
I opted to keep the blade in the on position for a neater edge. It leaves a little pile of scraps and quite a bit of dust.
I loved how neat my seams/edges ended up! Thread color doesn't matter because they are inside.
I then used some ribbon that I had laying around and added some straps so she could be comfortable and not worry about losing the dress.
And the final result is...she loves them!!!
This was a simple project with great results and I learned to use my serger and not to fear it anymore! Oh...and Jayde absolutely LOVES her dresses!
I have been wanting a serger for years but figured it was too expensive for something I wouldn't use too often. Your project makes me think it might be worth it!
ReplyDeleteNow that I have learned to use mine (I even changed the thread today on all 4 lines) I LOVE using it! I am making some reusable shopping bags today for my daughter to sell for a fundraiser for a trip she is taking with her church group. They are going so fast with the serger! My oldest daughter is bummed because she thought that I would get frustrated with the machine and give it to her! Ha! Silly girl!
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