Dress Makover

I have been working on this dress to give it this great new look.

I was never really happy with the dress I made as a sample in my Snugfit Carol pattern. At the time I couldn't work out what to do to make it work. It fit perfectly but it just didn't look right.

While I was updating my Anatomy of a Gathered Skirt file I suddenly realized that it was the length of the skirt that was the problem. (I don't think she thinks much of her little homemade felt shoes either.)

 

I have now concluded that 6" is not a good length for any skirts or dresses. They need to be 5 1/2" or 7" to 7 1/2" but not in between. This one is now 5 1/2" long or just at the middle of the knee cap. The old one is 6" long. I think it makes a big difference.

I have been making lots of cute self fabric belts lately and thought one would be just right for this outfit.

To make a belt for 3/8" slide buckle cut a 15" strip 1 1/2" wide and fold it to make single fold binding so it is 3/8" wide. Fold in one end then stitch all around. Loop the raw edge end over the buckle bar, check the fit on the doll, then stitch across. Trim the raw edge with pinking shears.

Download "Anatomy of a Gathered Skirt" for all the basics on making gathered skirts for 18" dolls.

Happy Sewing,

Val

A New Snugfit Pattern - A Cute Dress

I am so excited about this pattern. Not just because it is such a cute dress pattern but also because this file has all new formatting perfect for iPads and tablets and also Acrobat Reader.

I love lots of structure and lots of space on pages so this file has chapters and sections.
I won't bore you with how I made it but will say that I have enjoyed making good use of my computer skills.
If you open the PDF in Acrobat Reader you will see there is a book marks tab. You can use this to jump to the different sections in the contents.
Mine opens with the thumbnail and book marks icons on the left. Click the little blue book mark icon...

then you get the book mark list to click on. However, I want to see one page at a time.

So I changed the view. In the top menu I went to View - Page Display - Single Page View ...

and ended up with one page showing at a time.

I also like to use the thumbnail list once I am more familiar with the file. Click the 'two little pages' icon above the book marks icon to get a thumbnail overview.

I don't know much about tablets because I am an Apple fan. It is easy to navigate a PDF in iBooks on the iPad. Great for using in the sewing room. The following are all screen shots of my iPad.

I did have to reduce the file size but you can still pinch out on the pages to double the size of the photos without losing much quality.

There are lots of diagrams and lots of photos.

See those little horizontal lines in the top left of the menu bar in the image below? Touch that icon to get a thumbnail view. This makes it easy to jump to different sections. The menu bar shows up when you touch the page in the middle.

Swipe up and down to see the thumbnails. Touch the page you want or touch 'Resume' to go back to full page.

The next pattern file will be a lot easier to make and hopefully quicker as well. A month is a long time for you to wait for a new pattern. The next pattern is what I call 'The Versatile Vest'. There are lots of cute things you can make with it.
Go to Craftsy to see my patterns.

Visit valspierssews's Craftsy Pattern Store »

Cheers,
Val