Me? Sew?

Presser Foot
Originally uploaded by wenjomatic.

A girlfriend passed on her old sewing machine to me. She gave me some sewing tips on threading and technique. I was delighted that it was enough for me to adjust the straps and put some darts in Mary Grace's dress for her spring dance. We picked out the dress at the mall last week during spring break. Its an interesting job searching for a dress for a 12 year old. I wanted something tasteful and fun, she wanted something fancy and flashy. We compromised and decided on a sundress, and I flashed it up a bit with some clear glass beads on the larger polka dots.

I had to use the booklet to figure out how to fill the bobbin, but I did it! And you can't even tell that its altered. Woowoo! I imagine that my mom is looking down and smiling at me. She tried many times to get me to sew but I never did. Her machine was very temperamental... it had a sweet spot. I never could find it. I always pressed too hard or not hard enough and the bobbin ended up a rats nest on the back of the fabric. She knew just where it was and could make that thing sing. She made lots of clothes for me during my childhood.

Here's the girly, modeling her dress, post alterations:


Bead detail: