Starburst Ruffle Sleeve Dress

I love it when a plan comes together.  And I love it more when a plan doesn't come together and I end up with a new plan that works out even better than the original plan!

Confused?  I would be too.

Here's the explanation.  I bought this fabric intending to make the Popover Sundress from Oliver & S.  I was going to create two cute versions with different colour accents.  Then I realised that us Londoners don't have enough hot weather to wear a strappy sundress, and I am so obsessive about the sun that on the 3 days of the year that it is warm enough, I hate their shoulders being uncovered anyway.  So no sundress.

Then I admired the Mara top from Compagnie M.  But it's not available yet.  Summer is almost over so it was now or never with making something out of this fabric.  (Can't count on a 7 year old being willing to wear this pattern, right?)

So I decided on this adorable ruffled / flutter sleeve dress that I have had pinned for ages.  I like the idea of the sleeves giving some sun protection and still being a truly summer dress.  One that can also be worn over a t-shirt, as often happens in our household.

Then I looked closely at the tutorial and didn't love the idea of adding 4 inches of width to the front and back to accommodate the elastic neckline.  I didn't want to increase the chest size by 8 inches and I couldn't figure out how to bring it back into line if I only increased the neckline.  (I might have an adult pattern that will give me a clue, just need to dig it out and have a look.  Any day now.)  I also couldn't figure out how to turn over the width I needed for the elastic casing and still have it flat (I realise now that that is the whole point!)

I made my first ever toile / muslin to try out an idea.  I finally cut up the torn dress disaster to make up a test neckline.  I widened the pattern by about an inch, stay stitched the neckline, notched, folded and stitched down.

(Sorry, I don't know why this is sideways)

It was pretty ugly but it might have worked as a hack on a child's pattern.  ...except it didn't fit over her head.

So I thought about opening up the shoulder seams and fastening with a button on each shoulder.  It would have worked but it wasn't a very sophisticated way to fasten the dress.  My next choice would have been to do a small, single button (reinforced) opening at the back.  For some reason, I was totally resistant to inserting a zip.

Then I had an epiphany.  Ok, not exactly an epiphany, but an idea nevertheless.  I was still hoping to use some form of contrast in each dress and I decided to add a pintucked yoke to the front.  I could use the yoke as a placket for buttons.  I checked out Craftiness Is Not Optional's tutorial and used this for the method for making the pintucks and attaching the yoke.  To make two halves and have them overlap for a placket, I drafted it wider by 3cm and didn't cut on the fold.

Can I just say, I loved, loved, loved making the pintucks?  I thought I would hate it but there was something so satisfying about making tiny folds and seams; pressing and stitching, pressing and stitching; that I was mesmerised!  It just goes to show: try new techniques as often as you can because you never know what is going to excite you.  (I need to get out more!)

I loved how working with just a small area meant I could quickly make a difference to the look of the fabric and how professional it made everything look.  I am coming to understand that these details, time consuming as they may be, are the details that give a garment the wow-factor that I have been looking for in many of my makes. Looking at the photos now, I do see that the proportions of the yoke and the sleeves are a little too large for this dress.  This is not so noticeable in person and the next one is going to be larger so these details should suit the larger size.  I will also reduce the sleeve length by about half.

To make up the yoke, I pressed and stitched, pressed and stitched, three times, from two different directions, then cut out two halves of the pintucked fabric and two halves for the back without tucks.  I stitched right sides together along all seams, leaving the shoulders open, added a tiny bit of interfacing along the button areas, notched and clipped like crazy then turned the two halves right side out for pressing.

Then it was time for buttonholes.  I was pretty successful in my stitching of them, they were even passable for the front of a garment.  One was a bit on the small side but I figured I could deal with it.  Then...  disaster!   When I was cutting them open, I ripped right through the buttonhole and into the rest of the yoke!  I couldn't believe it.  I sat there for about 30 seconds, unable to bear to look at what I had done.  Hours and hours of work and I was going to have to throw it all away.  (I didn't take a picture.)

No chance.  I'm no perfectionist and I was going to figure out a hack to be able to salvage that yoke!  I zigzagged the slash and the buttonhole closed.  I thought about folding it under and attaching button loops (I recently saw some great loops created using children's hair elastics).  But the elastics were going to overpower the design and I didn't want to figure out sewing matching loops and attaching them.

I went for velcro with fake buttons over the top.  Yes, velcro.  The fishing shirt that keeps on giving, gave again.  Ok, I should have used small snaps instead.  Next time.  Or, next time, I'll just get the button holes right.

Before attaching my beloved, tucked, slashed, hacked yoke to the dress, I needed to decide how to strengthen the dress and allow for the opening.  Plus it had to be comfortable for the child to wear.  I traced around the yoke outline with chalk and then stitched a row of stitching inside the chalk line.  Then I cut inside that with pinking shears.  If I was going all out, I could have finished the edge with bias binding.

(Blogger: better picture mgmt ok?)

I attached around the outside edges of the yoke, leaving the shoulder seams open.  I finished the back neckline with a row of 1 inch bias binding, attached as exposed bias facing.  After that, it was time to close the shoulder seams, getting everything nice and smooth, lying flat together.  (In theory, if not in practice!)

On to the sleeves: I was going to do the double ruffle as in the original dress, but instead used the slightly gathered sleeve that I drafted for another puffy sleeve dress.  I shortened the length and just made a tiny hem at the edge.  I'll experiment with a double-fold sleeve for next time.

Finally, I sewed up the side seams.  I forgot to do French seams but the dress was so large, I could go back and take it in with French seams. (Note to self: the A-line dress pattern fits large, especially with the back cut on the fold.)

I'm pretty proud of this finished dress.  It looks mostly how I wanted it to, I really like my pintucked yoke, and even if many of the other finishes are not wonderful, sewing for little ones is so forgiving that I can get away with many, many couture sins.

One big note of disappointment is the fabric.  I think it must be quilting cotton and it shows why so many bloggers are so scathing about sewing garments with quilting cotton.  It is really stiff and thick-in-a-bad way.  The needle punches through like it is going through paper and there is no hope of unpicking anything without massive holes showing.  I am not sure how the dress is going to hold up to laundering, even though I pre-washed the fabric.  I've bought other cottons from this supplier before but this one is completely different.  It highlights the risks of buying fabric online.

However, with risk comes reward.  The dress cost me £7.73 to make.  All of it was fabric, and I have lots left over to make the requested skirt.  It's a pity it has no drape, otherwise a full circle skirt would be next on my list-of-things-to-conquer.