Here is a peasant dress that I made for Sophia using the Claire pattern from Portabellopixie. I made it to match my Easter dress. (I never got around to blogging about my Easter Dress...but you can see pictures of it on Flikr.)
Pattern Review:
I know I have reviewed other Portabellopixie patterns on my blog before. So, there is not much left for me to say other than Portabellopixie patterns are the best patterns out there on the market today. Seriously. THE BEST. The instructions are printed on nice thick glossy paper. The instructions are well written and very clear. They are also well illustrated with full color pictures. You also get a lot for your money with Portabellopixie patterns. This particular pattern includes 5 different options in sizes 6 months - girls 8. Seriously, what other pattern company other there gives you that much in ONE pattern? Most would spread that package out into 10 different $15 patterns! Sandi also includes an inspiration gallery showcasing some beautiful dresses and tops sewn in this pattern. AND, she includes a printed copy of her full color tutorial on shirring.
Now, that said, I do think that this dress is a little big on Sophia. I used the 18 month size, and as you can see it fits a little larger than I would have liked. However, that may be due to my shirring.
Speaking of Shirring...
GRRRRR.....
Can I just vent for a second? AAAGGH! Shirring on my machine is so incredibly frustrating. Inside of my head, I have all of these really cute ideas for summer sundresses for the girls I have spent countless hours troubleshooting how to shir on my machine...and could only get it to work intermittently.
I did some research and found that this is a common problem with brother machines. (It has something to do with how the bobbin feeds.) SO I even borrowed my mom's machine (which is a singer) and couldn't get it to work either! I spent 4 hours just trying to get the elastic thread right. I wasted 3 spools of elastic thread troubleshooting this...and only got a few measly rows shirred. SO FRUSTRATING!
Here is a close up of the shirring that I did get to work out correctly:
WELL, Thanks for looking! And happy crafting to you all!
4 comments:
Great job!
So, is shirring anything like smocking? I've never tried either.
I'll have to Google Portobellopixie... never heard of it, but patterns with clear directions would be wonderful!
Beautiful girl and dress! Good job mama!
Hi Jeanne!
Yes, shirring gives you the same effect as smocking except that is ti stretchy. :) You use elastic thread in your bobbin and regular tread in the top of your machine and just sew a normal stitch. Well...theoretically that is how it is suppose to work. ;)
I have loved looking at all the aprons you have sewn. I have seen that pattern before and I really do think I need to buy it! Anyway, about shirring. I, too, have a Brother machine and I was able to smock something with no problem. However, if I remember correctly (I did it a long time ago), I was told not to stretch the elastic when hand winding it on the bobbin. For me, it does not work that way! It made a huge mess! Stretch the elastic when hand winding the bobbin - don't stretch too hard but certainly stretch a bit and see how that works for you. I believe that is what made the difference for me.
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