I don’t normally stitch a practice anything ..I’m impatient, all or nothing, ok go, just dig straight in and get on with it already! ..but then I usually get defensive and super grouchy when things go to crap. So slightly out of character, I decided before cutting into my “favorite” yardages I would make a practice piece, just to be sure the pattern fit perfectly in all my imperfectly perfect places. I wanted to love this pattern, not blame it.

Act 1: I used a 1970’s Sears & Roebuck patchwork and ric-rac printed twin sheet for my practice junk muslin.  Turns out, the 100 acts of sewing dress no.1 pattern is pretty much perfect and my first practice dress could technically be worn in public! (WHAT!) Now I’m thinking why the hell did I start with this kooky fabric?!? ..while this print has all the Holly Hobby mood of my childhood bedroom ♥ it makes me look like a giant paper doll when worn ..which is kinda awesome and my thing anyways, but something about the print is just a little too off brand grandma for me. It’s not like the fancy paper dolls that you carefully punched out of a book, and they came with beautiful clothing, baby brother and all the pets .. no, it’s much more like the lazy afternoon paper dolls with wonky tabs that you and your sister would draw on lined notebook paper and color in with crayons. ..aww, I guess I do kind of love it ♥

Act 2: A better fabric choice (haha still an old sheet though!) I opted for the french seams because I love the completely finished feeling of them, I do have a serger but sometimes that’s just a mess in itself. I only had a 1″ bias tape maker, so my trim is a little wider than the pattern calls for, and instead of folding it all over to the inside and top stitching, I chose to keep it as a piping trim that shows on the right & wrong side, stitching in the ditch to secure. Roughly just a smidge over 3½ hours from start to finish (not too bad) Lex was a little bird in training and I kept my cool the entire time!

Finally a use for the heap of vintage linens I’ve stockpiled,  we’ll be wearing the flippin drapes like Fräulein Maria!

♥