Newborn Blessing Dress
made from OLD wedding dress
It still needs a wash and press and some pretty buttons on the back, but it's done and so PRETTY!!!
For this dress, I used McCall's pattern M4865. I am in love with the pattern it's self, but VERY disappointed in the instructions. There were TWO times I was so confused and left not knowing what the heck to do. Luckily I pulled out a simplicity pattern (4709) that had the same things going on and the instructions were SO DETAILED in comparison.
For example: McCall's - On skirt back - step 3: Open out slashed edges of back. baste right side of contiunous lap to wrong side of back, placing reinforcement stitching on back along the remaining 1/4" seamiline on lap, matching circles. STITCH. ( the pictures also left me clueless- and I sew a lot)
Simplicity- Spread slashed edges of skirt apart so that they form a straight line. Baste right side of cintinuous lap to wrong side of slashed edges, matching stitching lines and small dots. Stitch along stitching line. ... after that I was like... Oooohhhh!
....and when I was doing the binding on the sleeve, the instructions were less that informative, so I eventually cut new sleeve pieces and binding pieces and went ahead like it was blanket binding. I would have thought that in the first place, but for me, the instructions made it sound like you did it a completely different way.
I love how the inside of the dress is lined and all sewn in by hand. it took all day, but it looks nice!
On the dress pattern pieces, it has the length an extra foot longer than I made it. I wanted it shorter than my first daughter's dress but ended up the same length. (I wanted her cute little shoes to show -silly right?)
I did not do lace on the bottom like the instructions talk about, I just did a regular hem and stitched it by hand! :) All in all, I finished this dress in a day and a half. I had interruptions and at night I just called it quits because I was so frustrated with the instructions! :) VERY happy with the outcome though!