Happy Mother’s Day!

What a lovely day!!

Before I share my completed dress, let me share a few peeks at my Mother’s Day gifts.

Dylan’s card…

And necklaces…

And… **squeal**

So, it’s a good thing that I finished up my dress because I have a busy, creative week ahead!

I’m so pleased with how this dress turned out. I will actually wear it in public!

Here’s my finished product {vogue pattern # 1174, cynthia steffe, designer}.

I used a stretch cotton sateen fabric, which I think is perfect for a summery cocktail dress. Polished, but breathable.

Here are a few tools that made the construction of this dress even nicer.

Clear thread, a blind hem foot, and a roll hem foot.

I love blind hems. They give garments such a professional feel. When I can, I try to use clear thread for them to make the seam that much more invisible. I used to be scared of the blind hem foot! I’m not sure why. It is an easy tool to use once you understand the technique.

I didn’t even know I owned a roll hem foot until I started investigating them after reading a book on professional sewing techniques. Imagine my delight when I found one hidden away in a secret compartment of one of my sewing machines.

Roll hem foots are great! They do all of the hard work for you. Just feed in your fabric and it will roll, tuck, and sew your narrow hems closed. Fantastic for finishing dress lining.

Are you ready for the nightmare part of the story? I’d tried this dress on a number of times to adjust the fit. Everything was as “right” as I was going to get it.

As I was getting dressed to take these photos, the lining got stuck in the zipper. So stuck, it was not going anywhere. Fifteen minutes of tugging and pulling, 3 sets of hands pinching and stretching, and 2 pairs of pliers later, we resorted to scissors and had to cut away the lining to save the dress. God bless my mother.

It hurts to think about it.

**sigh**

But DIY disasters happen! You get over it and move on, right?