Finally finished is the Grainline Studio Tank Dress! I love her pattern variations and decided I was up for a challenge. Turning the tank into a dress was easy, getting the placket right was the bigger challenge. My pattern drafting skills definitely need more work! Small issues with the placket pattern draft resulted in some tricky sewing. It took me an entire afternoon (sewing it on inside out, ripping out, having that "ah ha!" moment, then sewing it in correctly) but the work was totally worth the seam ripper.
My second hurdle was the buttonholes. I'm working with a new machine and this was the first time I was using the buttonhole function. This sidelined me for about 2 hours which involved half a yard of scrap fabric, digging out the manual, searching for a web tutorial, etc. It wasn't until I walked away and came back 20 minutes later that I had my second "ah ha!" moment of the day. I felt like a total sewing genius when I figured it out (a well hidden, pull down, buttonhole lever in the back ...). I was so proud to have figured it out I texted my mother immediately to let her know I beat the machine.
This project then got put on hold while the husband and I took a vacation to Maine. I finally found time this weekend to finish the armholes and hem.
Voila! One last summer dress.
A big thank you to Jen at Grainline for her wonderful patterns, thoughtful variations, clear tutorials and continued inspiration! You're single-handedly providing my summer wardrobe (2 tank tops, 1 swing back woven shirt, 1 tank dress and counting!).
You rock.
