I Made a Dress!

Hello, lovelies, sorry I haven't been here all week, I've been on a course.  Oh, what kind of course, you ask?  Only a bloody dressmaking course - I made myself a dress!  From scratch!  From a pattern!  Hell-freakin'-yeah I did:

I don't want to gloat...OK, I do.  I am proud of myself and my marvellous, marvellous handmade, homemade dress.  Look!  A shirt collar!  Buttons!  Sleeves!  A gathered skirt!

And it fits, oh, how it fits!  This was probably the trickiest part, actually, and the moment when I was the most grateful I had finally taken the plunge and spent money on doing a proper course.  Don't get me wrong, you can learn a lot from books, and even more from You Tube videos (see the majority of my knitting projects as evidence of this joyous fact), but there is nothing better than having a real-live expert there, in a room with you, to ask your questions and fix your mistakes.  And to have her for a whole week?  Suffice to say that I enjoyed it very much.  Very much indeed.  Here are just a few of the things I learnt this week:

1) My accurate measurements: bust, waist, hips, waist-to-hips, neck-to-waist, neck-to-shoulder, shoulder-to-wrist, chest, back...the works.
2) I am three different dress sizes.  I already suspected this, and since most women are in the same boat, it's not that surprising, really.
3) I am not sizes 10, 16, and 18, as the pattern would have had me believe: it turns out that sewing patterns (even modern ones) are still based on 1950s measurements!  This was a pretty startling revelation, and one that could prove extremely useful for future vintage purchases.  So ladies, you should always go by your measurements, not by the size on the label.
4) Sewing is less about talent and more (much, much more) about patience.
5) Irons are now my friends.
6) I want an overlocker.
7) No matter how much of an expert or a novice you think you are, there is always more to learn, and there is always someone else who knows less than you, and someone else who knows more than you.

I've had a really wonderful week.  I like my job, but it's still nice to be out of the office for a week, particularly if it means I get an extra hour in bed and I'm home by 5 o'clock.  I got to know the people in my local haberdashery much better, got to while away the days with five other ladies chatting about this and that while we puzzled over our padstitch and ogled our organzas, and, of course, I learnt a life skill that I've been hankering after forever.  Well, I started to learn more about it...like I said, there's always more to learn!

If you're interested, the pattern is New Look 6587, my teacher was Cherry Windmill, and the venue was Husqvarna Studios in Bath.  I love them all to bits!