Seven Way Wonder Dress!

Hello!

It's been a while, so I thought I'd share some news... my first post has gone live on the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network! I'm so excited to be part of the making & writing team! 

And if there was a blog post soundtrack fit to sit alongside this short post, it would have to be by 70's legend, Stevie Wonder... I know it's not the first time I've called upon him to provide the backing track, but hey - this is a 70's pattern, and it's oh-sew-groovy, man! ;)

So - what can I tell you that ISN'T on the Minerva post..? Well, the Seven Way Wonder Dress also goes by the name of the Convertible Infinity Dress - and the Wrap, Twist & Tie Versatile Dress, amongst others; they are not exactly the same. After a little investigation it seems that the Infinity dress is made up of four pieces, whereas mine is made up of two... and my pattern came from Oxfam, and is an original vintage pattern from the seventies. (*which nearly stopped me before I'd even started, for fear of ruining a precious keepsake I'd had in my stash for a good few years!). Having said all that, if you like the thought of making something VERY simple, that has lots of options, then the Infinity dress is a great buy if you can't find an original 'Wonder Dress'.

I'm not sure if you've heard of Game of Thrones (!) but I have a feeling someone in the wardrobe department has a thing for the endless possibilities the Seven Way Wonder Dress offers...

One mention of 'fancy dress', I'll be sewing this bad boy up again in earthy tones, practising my Valyrian, and getting my blonde wig braided. That is all.

Technical bits...
I was determined to use my 'new' overlocker to sew up this dress, but it wasn't to be. I'm still getting to grips with the settings - suffice to say I couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to, in time for the blog deadline. No matter, I had a twin needle just waiting to be broken in - and I was happy with the results it gave. Yes - it was a bit tricky at first, but once I got the hang of sewing looking at the 'wrong' side of the garment, I was very happy...

If you don't have a twin needle, or don't feel inclined to use one, I found this very useful post from Colette Patterns on sewing with knit fabrics on a normal machine, AND how to use an overlocker,(had it come to that). This post by A Stitching Odyssey is also a FAB resource, make sure to read the comments too... this is why I love blogs, they're so helpful!
I also found this interesting post on making the dress, or at least, the Infinity version - I think it's so useful reading other people's experiences...and it also made me hanker after a shorter version...

So - if you want to see pics of how mine ended up, and read up on how I found the project, here's the Minerva Crafts Blogger post! 
*And this is the sneaky preview pic I posted on Instagram yesterday...

I'll be posting a new refashion soon, and sharing news on my recent coat making course, which I LOVED. The tutor was just amazing, and the other ladies in the class were really gifted - but I won't say any more until I have my finished coat to share with you - only fiddly bits to do, but they need to be done all the same! And hopefully some of the other students will let me share theirs with you too (*hint hint!).

OK - I'll sign off for now, wishing you a sunny week!

Gema x