My holy grail of shirred sundresses
During these summer holidays (which are nearly over!) I’ve been interested to see what clothes Miss A and Miss B have been selecting from their wardrobe each day. I’ve made the following observations:
- Dresses are worn more than skirts and tops (shorts don’t even rate a mention)
- Cardigans and leggings are used for warmth on cooler days
- Items preferred by the girls usually have no zips or button closures – easy on and easy off!
- Miss A may have worn her birthday dress seven days straight… not that anyone is counting – right?
Miss A’s has been asking for another version of her birthday dress, but I’m not keen. I’m afraid that if I sew another one she won’t love it as much as the first and it won’t get worn. Sequels rarely are better than the original are they? Should I get over myself and just make it?
So, instead of making a dress with lots of shirring for Miss A, I decided to take the best from all the shirring pattern and tutorials I’ve used in the past (see here, here & here) and test out my perceived ‘holy grail’ of shirred sundresses.
Miss B was the lucky recipient of my prototype.
My holy grail dress uses Jorth’s Shirred Sundress Tutorial for sizing and fabric information. The rolled hems on the top of the bodice and hem are super fast to sew and look effective in a contrasting or highlighting thread. Each strap also has rolled hems (all four edges) and three rows of shirring the length of the strap. And just for the record… when positioning the straps, I’ve found that going with your gut instinct yields the same results as lots of measuring, basting and trying on!
Miss B has been wearing her dress non-stop since finished it yesterday morning. Happy days…
No summary project details as there isn’t really a pattern or size and the fabric has been used before. So instead, I’ll leave you with this little shirring gem… hold your iron above the shirring, give it a good burst of steam and watch it contract/shrink!
Very cute!
Ta muchly 🙂
Ooh, very cute. I have a queue of about 6 or 7 things cut and ready to sew, but after that I may need to hijack your overlocker for an afternoon and mass produce shirred frocks and tunics.
Oh, and three of the queued items are knit projects… :0
Hijack away… Would be lovely to see you and Bubble again soon. Good luck with the knits 🙂
This is beyond adorable – and the fabric is just magic
Miss A & Miss B both have close friends with upcoming birthdays. I think this dress would make the perfect pressie for them. Must go and buy more elastic thread, raid my fabric stash and get sewing.
Great idea. I started making a Little Freddie Vest today – and it started WW3 as the girls tried to decide who it would belong to! LOL
That is beautiful. I’ve never tried shirring. So with your iron tip does that mean when you sew line one it looks like normal stitching? I always wondered how you’d sew line two and three evenly once the first line has gathered up?
Good question Louise. I find you get the best results using a lighter fabric, like voile or tana lawn. The fabric does start to gather as you sew (like in the top photo), the burst of steam from the iron just aids the shrinking/contracting process. When sewing subsequent rows of shirring you do need to gently pull the fabric (I do this from the front and back) so it is flatish again – this makes it easier to use the last line as a guide and stops you sewing puckers into your fabric. Happy shirring 🙂
I made a few shirred dresses many years ago, can be challenging if the sewing machine doesn’t cooperate but the effect is so nice!
Hi Geraldine. My sewing machine and I get along famously when using elastic thread in the bobbin, I know this isn’t the case for everyone. All our machines have their own quirks don’t they?
Beautiful! Looks like a lot of work! I have nor tackled shirring yet- maybe someday!
Thanks Laurie.
Just gorgeous. I have the same dress idea printed off in my files somewhere. I made my daughter a T-shirt on Sunday from the new Ottobre magazine and she didn’t show much interest so I sadly thought it was be unloved in her wardrobe. Then to my delight she wore it yesterday; children are such fickle creatures!!
Did you make the Neon T-shirt? That’s definitely on my list. And yes, children can be so fickle… particularly when it comes to clothes.
Yes it was the Neon T-shirt; two pattern pieces, such a cinch to sew, I will be making it up again soon.
Cute dress and she looks so happy with it! It’s great when you know she’ll love wearing it 🙂
Miss B was wearing it again today Erin and has told me she’ll wear it tomorrow as well. I think I’ve found a winning combination!
Love the ruffled edge in a contrasting thread, it looks great. I’ve never had good results from whirring on my machine (apparently Brother machines don’t do it so well) but you’ve inspired me to try again because my daughter would love a dress like this
I hadn’t heard that Brother machines had problems with shirring. Fingers crossed that it works for you next time.