“Said Woman Take It Slow, It’ll Work Itself Out Fine…”

..All we need is just a little patience…”

Ok so maybe Axl Rose wasn’t exactly singing about my Simplicity 1873 dress but the same idea of just “letting things be” applies, LOL

Yes. PATIENCE! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- sewing is a major test of patience. I really thought this dress would be a quick one. However it definitely took up the entire month of January! Long gone are those days that I could churn out a new garment in a week. I am finding that the more I learn, the longer it takes to do things as I am becoming even more particular about fit.

Over the holidays I studied a bunch of couture books so I put them in practice for this dress. The hand sewing is definitely more time consuming than just running it through your machine. I underlined the entire dress and basted by hand. I also had to zigzag the edges since the brocade is fraying like crazy! I was supposed to use the serger here but I am really not confident with my machine just yet. I did a practice run and I had a hard time serging around the curves like armholes and necklines. It’s almost like learning how to sew all over again! But I know I’ll get it eventually.🙂

Despite the prolonged project, I really enjoying the process. Slow stitching is really relaxing. You really become ONE with the fabric, haha. Sounds really cheesy but that’s how I look at it- it’s like I’m bonding with it more or something. I used new silk thread and new needles too…which makes the entire experience much more pleasurable than using that old hotel sewing kit, lol. All of it is great practice and luckily I haven’t had any weird thumb joint pain this time around.

Also, these difficult fabrics require TLC. I know brocade is delicate fabric to begin with, but this particular brocade loves to run like Usain Bolt at the Olympics. One cut and it takes off! Last year I was blinded by its beauty at Joann’s. It was only after I brought it home I saw it had horrible reviews. Oops. Well this is a practice garment and there is no denying it’s beautiful. It’s finally in the “speaking” stage and is giving off Dolce and Gabanna/ 1960s vibes. I am happy with how things are looking and should be back with final product very soon.