As you know I joined the Mad Men sew-along that Presser Foot is hosting. Today’s post by Kelli is about adjusting sleeves . Even if you are not taking part in the sew along, her tips are very useful for any dress.

On my side, I have been making some progress. I got off to a slow start since I was making my own pattern and then had to wait for a nice day to take the pictures.

The fabric I have chosen will be good for a summer dress. It’s a fabric from my stash, it’s a linen and cotton blend… I forced myself not to buy yet more fabric… so I chose the one I had not allocated to any project yet.

As you can see I went for the boat neck… and I am planning to make the collar this weekend.

Having made my own pattern, I didn’t have to make any adjustments… phew… but to be sure I still basted the entire dress (as you can see from the white thread sticking out) and just today I am starting to sew the bodice.

And yes, I was lazy… Unlike Kelli I am not making a muslin… it was a make it or break it project… well, actually I thought that if I didn’t like the fit on me, I would simply reuse the fabric for some other small project. As you may notice, I have already made a mistake… I cut the back on the fold instead of creating an opening for the zipper. I was so convinced the dress should have a side opening that I didn’t check. But then I realized it was a pain to put over my head and also looked at the Presser Foot posts. I have corrected my pattern since. I will show you in a next post.

Next up: the sleeves, collar and lining.