Simplicity 3107 in red, and the saga unfolds…

Luna and I have had a great time with Red in the sewing room lately.  I picked up just over two meters of what seems like a synthetic satiny type fabric, and decided I’d have another go at this dress, which, I confess is still hanging on a hook waiting for a hem.

I’m trying the alternative version, the long sleeve and full skirt, I’m planning a Mad Men party next month, it’s all very exciting, and I’m working on a couple of dress options, this being the only full skirted one.  I prefer a slim skirt for a cocktail evening, but in red, of it could look so lovely… so I’m giving it a go.  I manage to do a bit of sewing along side Luna every now and then, while Blake naps, and here’s what I found her sewing up behind me (she works on the lowered ironing board).

Sweet huh, I cut out the flowers on those quiet nights, and give her all the flowers, many different colours and shaped petals.  While she works she tells me about how she is making her own garden inside.  I am impressed with the numbers of names of flowers she knows already.

Back to the dress… I have had a couple of close calls, I managed to just fit this within the fabric, this pattern by the way is great for small lengths of fabric, with the fuller skirt I needed considerably more than the slim skirt.  I walked into the sewing room to find Austin sleeping on it!  Usually it’s all covered with a sleeping blanket, but I was negligent just this once.. and found cat claw snags in one of the front panels.  Argh, so on comparison, the front and back skirt panels were very similar, so I decided to swap them, so the snags are now at the back, phew.

But that is nothing compared to my little mishap, late in the night, sewing, I decided to press out the seams, and get all set for the assembly next day, and, the iron was too too hot, and I melted a chunk out of the lower bodice front panel, BAD news.  Couldn’t believe it.  After letting it alone for a day or so I came back with a plan, I’m going to make the cummerbund a touch wider to hide it, and iron on some fusing at the back, patching it securely from the front.

Here’s the damage.

And the size of it.  Oh the language, just as well everyone was asleep.

So anyway, I’m sure it will turn out well, I have had a bit of a crash course in researching my fabrics a bit more, firstly I ought to do more regular burn tests, I am slowly getting a sense of what is what, and obviously ease up on the late late sewing!

And I need to brush up on some of my fabric handling skills, most of what I work with seem to be cottons, and vintage cotton blends, this satin type fabric has been one of the least predictable fabrics I’ve worked with.