No High Heels For Her!

Could this be the next Heidi Klum practicing the runway walk?

Oh, looky, it's The Princess, and she's wearing Bubblegum!




I think she's getting the hang of it. Doesn't she look sassy in this Little Dress?



And take a look at this sashy little back, won't you:





This vintage pattern has another little detail that really adds to the finished look--the sash loops on the back:




Those little sash loops finish off just a little over one inch tall. Since the sash itself is four inches wide, those little loops control those gathers perfectly and also support the weight of the bow. That's the secret to a bow that won't sag down and look sad.

On The Hanger (front):




On The Hanger (back):




And on The Princess:

I'm loving it. And the spaghetti straps are the perfect length, too. They are the right length for tying into double loop bows on the shoulders. I couldn't get a picture of them tied for you that way, though. Like the other grandmother is wont to say, dressing this little darling is like trying to put clothes on an octupus.

I can already see another one of these in the near future, next time with the scallops! But right now, I'm off to cut out Woodstock.

Conversations With A Dress

Shhhhhh.......can you hear them?





Fade in.....

The Setting: Outside at 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning
The Characters: Retro Grace and Bubblegum

Retro Grace: Good morning!
Bubblegum: (Yawns.) Oh. Hi. Where in the world am I?
Retro Grace: On the back porch.
Bubblegum: Oh. OK. Gee, why am I up so high?
Retro Grace: I think that plant over there needs some water. Check it out for me.
Bubblegum: Hmmm.....yes, it looks a little dry.
Retro Grace: Well, let's hope it gets rained on today.
Bubblegum: What???? Aren't you going to water it????
Retro Grace: Nope.
Bubblegum: Why on earth not????
Retro Grace: Time is running short, kid. Less than 48 hours to go.
Bubblegum: Oh, no! I forgot! You have to go back to wor-----
Retro Grace: That's enough out of you, smarty pants. I'm tired of warning you! Don't you say that word!
Bubblegum: Gee, you don't have to be so touchy............can I ask you a question?
Retro Grace: Sure thing. But go ahead. My coffee is getting cold on me.
Bubblegum: I like these cute little spaghetti straps.......but what if they're too long for The Princess?
Retro Grace: Don't worry. I have sharp scissors and nerves of steel.
Bubblegum: Ahem. (Clears throat.) Ahem.
Retro Grace: Are you choking, or what?
Bubblegum: AHEM.
Retro Grace: Out with it, kid. Time is wasting.
Bubblegum: AHEM. Don't you think I need A HEM???
Retro Grace: Well, I'll be darned. You sure do.
Bubblegum: And maybe some buttonholes, too, while you're at it?
Retro Grace: My, my, you're a pushy little thing, aren't you?

Retro Grace takes Bubblegum down and goes inside. Pours more coffee and climbs up the stairs....

Fade out.

Some Assembly Is Required

I've been to the sewing room! Meet Bubblegum, all cut up and ready to go:




I am using the vintage dress pattern Simplicity 1149 from the earlier post. Just check out the details on these little bodice pieces:





Tiny little darts for a perfect fit. And it's lined. And check out the scallops on this piece:



Why the Big Four don't reincorporate these little dressmaker details in their children's patterns anymore is beyond me. After studying those scallops and deciding that they were actually hand drawn, I put my mind to figuring out exactly how the deed was done. Here's my theory:




Works for me. And easy to duplicate at home, too. Just draw another line about 1/4 inch inside the existing seam line, put your spool on there, and draw the scallops, going around the spool until you hit the intersecting lines!

Any time I'm making something that has a critical corner, I like to mark the sewing line on the corner. Since I used fusible knit interfacing on the front and back bodices, I fused first and marked those corners second:









This is just one of those little things that seems to help me get good results the first time around.

One change I made was with the sash. The original directions have you cut the sash pieces and narrow hem the edges. As you can see in the next picture, there is a distinct difference between the right and wrong sides of this fabric.




So I listened when the Fabric Spoke To Me and said "if you cut me double, and sew me up with a 1/4" seam, no one will see my ugly side, and you won't have to use the Bad Language when you do the narrow hem thingee." So I did. See the sash?




And the cute little bodice with its little spaghetti straps?




Next up--the skirt!