Eye Judgement Failed me

... only for 4cm, so I am still better at approximating lengths and distances than my husband. But that makes it all the more annoying.

I have been pushing the first 'apron dress' (pattern I first took notice of in a german forum called 'Schürzenkleidchen') for Little Miss Madam aside for weeks now. I made one back last year for my niece (a reversible one) but this time I wanted to make one with only one fabric layer and bias tape for the finishing.

I still had some of the lovely bug cotton here that's just soooo cute, it's screaming to be cut up and sewn for something nice. Last weekend I just 'dropped by' our local fabric store and decided to buy some bias tape (and went brave by picking some checked one). At home, I noticed the green tone was a tiny bit off the green tone in the fabrics pattern, so I put off the dress again. Then sickness taking hold of this house, there wasn't any thinking about throwing the machine on for work.

This afternoon, I was being sick of being sick and trying to catch up with the household chores all put on hold and promised myself to start the dress on the condition that everything would be finished by the evening. And I did manage! So out came the pattern, a sceptical look at the bias tape colour, a deep breath and then the tracing began.

The lovely thing with this Schürzenkleidchen in combination with the bias tape is that you only need seam allowance for the shoulders, everything else is 'to size'. So after cutting out, I pinned the bias tape down as carefully as possible. This was a first in things bias tape for me, so I was a teeny weeny bit nervous.

Whilst pinning the tape around the dress, I got this sinking feeling that I would miss a bit on the length in order to complete the dress. The neckline was the last part I tried to pin and to start with, I thought it would be a close fit - totally wrong, of course!

4cm missing from the neckline - how annoying! At least it's Saturday tomorrow and I can get some more. For the time being I have sewn the other sides ready this evening and must admit, using bias tape can make things look 'really finished'. Even the green tone does not disturb the dress more that the checks in it's pattern do, so I was also very lucky there. Another thing I find great with the bias tape is that the arm holes are really pronounced/rounded out and don't lie there all flat. Probably makes a difference when wearing as well, I guess.