2011 Artisan Award blog hop Day 10

2011 Artisan Award Bog Hop is almost done. I really hope you have enjoyed seeing all of our projects. Don't forget to stop in tomorrow an see the swaps we made for each other. Didn't you love Jenn Picard's project today?

This is My favorite project I made and the one that started it all. As i said in a previous post this dress was not intended for this contest. My friend and I were talking on the phone one day when she suggested I enter this in the Artisan Award contest. I took her challenge and jumped in.

I have had Several requests for the pattern to create this dress. The good thing is that I feel it is easy enough that it doesn't need a pattern. The bad thing is I also feel that I am not the best at giving instructions. That being said, if you are totally confused after reading this please feel free to contact me with any Q's you might have.

The skirt:

Take two scallop squares that you have cut out on the big shot place them back to back so that the pattern on the material is facing you no matter which side you are looking at. Sew them together on one edge ( 1/4" seam allowance). Repeat this with all of the squares connecting all of the squares needed for the skirt. -the skirt I created is 5 squares high and 24 squares around- I sewed 5 rows of 24 and then sewed those rows together to create a large rectangle. Sew along the part that will be the bottom to prevent any unwanted raveling. Put this to the side and work on the bodice now.

The bodice:

I made the bodice by measuring how many squares fit around my daughters chest. I created the bodice the same as the skirt, however I doubled up the squares to give it a more sturdy fit.

Take four scallop squares and layer them on top of each other. Make sure that you can see the pattern of the material facing out on both sides. Sew all four of them together on one edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. Open those up flat so you have two squares on each side with the seam facing you. Now take two more squares back to back and attach them to a side that has not been sewn on. Continue adding double squares until it is long enough to fit around the girl.

Instead of leaving the scallop edges out I sewed them down giving them a boning look.

I used Stampin' Up! buttons on the back.

The Straps:

You will do the same doubling up to create the straps. After the straps are the length that you need, sew along all of the edges. Now we are at the place where it could get tricky. I measured the straps right on my daughter and marked them with a material marker to know where to sew them on. This is going to be different for each girl. Please note that they are sewn on at an angle. I added one more scallop square to the center of the straps to close the gap in the front.

I explained how to make the flowers in an earlier post. Just jump back two or three posts to find those instructions.
Now to attach the skirt to the bodice I sewed all along the top of the skirt leaving plenty of thread at the beginning and the end. Simply pull on one of the threads and gather the skirt until it is gathered to the size of the bodice. Pin it on to the bodice and attach it by sewing it.

The dress is almost complete, all you have to do is sew the skirt together in the back. I left a couple inches of room under the buttons to allow her to get in and out of the dress easily.
I hope that is not too confusing for you. I have enjoyed sharing my projects with you! Summer Stone is the next stop so hop over to see what she has for you today.