New Year, new resolutions, right? I am proud to say that I have jumped into sewing my dirndl again. This is going to be a long process, done in a few spare hours every week – but this is a good thing! It means that I’ve had time to research all the new skills I am gaining and execute them well, with very few mistakes. However, it’s tough for me because if I could, I would lock myself in the sewing room for a week and just crank it out 😉
As you may recall, I decided to cut out the bodice from white cotton fabric so I could see how it fit and make adjustments. I’m so glad I did that, because it allowed me to take in the side seams! Then I cut out all the bodice pieces from my good fabric and a plain red liner to match.
I have sewed a few seams and now you can see it taking shape – so exciting! This week I hope to install piping along the back seams, which I have never done before. Piping is one of those beautiful details that make a dress look even better, I hope I can do it – fingers crossed.
I also cut out and assembled the apron, which was fun and enlightening. The pattern was way too long (90 cm!) for the length of dirndl that I want so I will hem it once the dress is complete. Here’s a pic of the fabric before stitching:
Gathering is the technique used to create the beautiful cinched look at the top near the waistband, and this I had also never done before. It was time consuming, as I had to sew 7 rows of basting stitches close together to create this effect. Vielen Dank! to my Tante Viv for helping me figure it all out.
And here it is all put together! The tie length is a bit shorter than I would like, but I think I may have a way to fix that…
Here’s a picture of me sporting my new apron with my old (but still wonderful) dirndl. Check back for more updates on my dirndl project!
Love the apron!