My Maxi Dress *Finished*

Yay!!!  I can't even tell you all how excited I am to show you my finished dress for the I Will Wear It In Public Challenge.  I'm sure some of you will remember me talking about it in other posts, if you want to catch up on the drama that was the challenge for me you can read about them here and here.  We'll wait until your done..................

Everyone up to speed?  Good.  So you know that I had some difficulty with cutting my fabric the right way and with being motivated to finish after I messed up.  Last week in this post a had pretty much given up. Then I started getting your wonderful comments, cheering me on. After that how could I give up?  Seriously, next time I feel like I can't accomplish something I think I'll do a post about it. Y'all are great a great cheering squad.  Love you guys!

So, Wednesday night I sucked it up and got sewing.  I had to re-cut the entire dress and figure out ways to use the fabric I had cut wrong the first time.  And guess what.... it worked.  Once I got started I couldn't stop,  I sewed until 2 am and finished it in one night.

So........., do ya wanna see?  Okay.

Here is the pattern I used.  I was going for look A the gray and white striped dress. And.............

TAAAAAAAAAAADAAAAAAAAA!!!

 

As you can see I didn't follow the pattern exactly.

I meant to take some photos of the making of the dress,  but I didn't want to break the focus I had at the time.  So no in progress photos.

As for the challenge, the rules were:

1. The theme of this challenge is to sew any garment that YOU will be proud enough to wear in public. 
2. This is a sewing challenge so machine or hand sewing is a required element in your entry.
3. You must make a new garment for this challenge.  
4. Upcycling and refashioning of existing garments is acceptable and long as you follow the second guideline.
5. Don't confuse garments with accessories like hats, scarves, belts, etc.
6. You must try something new when creating your garment.  That's where the "challenge" part comes into play, right?  Maybe you've never used a pattern, or sewn with knits, or installed a zipper. 

I have never made a piece of clothing for myself.
I have only used a sewing pattern twice before.
I have never used interfacing, nor made anything out of knit fabric.
I feel like I definitely challenged my self.

Some things I learned:

1. Interfacing is more important than I thought it was. However, you don't need very much of it.  I have A LOT left over! 
2. Make sure you check which way your fabric pattern is going BEFORE you cut.
3. I sew best after my kids are asleep, and with the T.V. OFF.
4. DON'T GIVE UP!!

 There are some things I would do different next time. I could take 20 minuets pointing out all the mistakes but I wont.One of the best things about this challenge (besides having a new dress that I LOVE) is what my husband said to me.
 He came home from work Wednesday night at about 10:30 p.m.  I was right in the middle making the bodice for the dress.
 He looked around at the mess of fabric, on the floor, and dinner dishes still in the sink and said," You decided to try again, huh?"
"Yeah", I said.
Then he gave me a huge hug and said, " I'm really proud of you honey." Yeah,...... he's a keeper!

So, there it is my new dress and my submission for the I WILL Wear it in Public Challenge.  Don't worry I'll be begging for votes as soon as voting opens.  Lets take one more, look shall we?

Oh yeah, I chopped all my hair off about 3 months ago. 

Thanks for stoppin' by and hangin' out.

I will be linking up to these fantastic parties.

P.S. I would be forever grateful if you would be willing to vote for my dress.

It only takes a minute I promise!:)