Sew Mama & Then Far Far Away

I have been sewing a bunch. Needle felting wedding orders like crazy, and fitting in the garden too! Ella had a grand time with my special prize delivery. We laid out all that beautiful Jennifer Paganelli color on the floor like a big quilt block. Ella jumped and rolled and dug her sweet little toes into all that fabric goodness. Once again a big thank you to Sew Mama Sew for the speedy delivery. I rarely sew with fat quarters so I may have to try a patchwork skirt or do some bag making with it.

I Was finally brave enough to cut into my Heather Ross Far Far away double gauze. I have had four prints from the line in my hands for at least two weeks. It sat next to my bed in a neatly folded stack so that every night I could feel it's beautiful light as a feather softness and dream about what garment should be constructed from it. I have enough to make four dresses out of the four prints. After much deliberation I picked Soren's favorite Japanese dress pattern from last summer. This fabric is about as close to wearing nothing as you can get and I knew it would look best in a simple silhouette. Because this pattern only has three pieces it was a good one for getting used to sewing with double gauze.

Here's what I learned about sewing with double gauze:

~It has a tricky stretch to it on any bias or curved areas. So I am glad I didn't start with a more complicated pattern.

~It clings to it's self and other fabrics badly. So don't make a dress and pants to be worn together. Even folding over the fabric for the positioning of pattern pieces took an amazing amount time to get just right. I ended up ironing my fabric and then spreading it out on my kitchen floor so that I would have the benefit of being able to bend over the fabric.

~This fabric tears like nothing. Soren tore a one inch hole in the back of the dress the first day she wore it. It gets caught easily on any little thing and either runs or tears.

~Double gauze would make the most amazing baby clothes or blankets!

~Sew with a slightly longer stitch length and a slightly looser tension.

~Have a good cry if you have to tear out any seams. You'll be swearing like a truck driver unless you sewed with a slightly longer stitch length and looser tension :)

~If you happen to stretch out a curved area on the fabric (not hard to do). Stop sewing! Rip out the area you have already sewn if it's bad. Take you project to your ironing board and with the highest steam setting on your iron let the gauze have a steam bath. Don't push and pull the iron across the fabric just lift and set, lift and set. You are trying to get it to shrink back up. It will just be patient. Another tip given to me by a seamstress friend is to put the garment in a big pot with a steam insert on your stove for five minutes or so. Then remove the garment and let it air dry in a loose pile on a flat surface. Don't try and spread it out. The steam should have made it go back to normal!

My next double gauze dress is going to be a peasant style dress for Ella. And I think I am going to do a pants and halter top set for her too. Will post pics soon!