I Get Sew Emotional

It’s the first day of Me Made May and my heart is so full. I made a Juniper dress and it so good.

Like everyone who gets targeted ads, I saw the Noble utility dress and fell in love with and wanted it so bad and then it was like two hundred bucks and I blocked their account so I never have to see their ads again. (I don’t handle not getting what I want very well.) Then somehow I found the Juniper Dress. I bought the pattern instantly, stared at one million versions of it on instagram, and then let it sit in my dress pattern folder on my phone for… months. (There are so many unsewn patterns on my phone, it’s a sickness.)

Last week I decided it was time, so I stared at my fabric stash for seventeen days and then decided on this upholstery panel I bought at IKEA like, a year ago? Maybe longer? It’s pink and red which, as a color combo SLAPS. I feel like I want to make everything pink and red. (See also: red and turquoise.)

The pattern instruction is great in that it doesn’t overexplain how to assemble the dress. I am a visual learner – I generally have to see someone do something to get it. I can read all the instructions all day long and it’s probably not going to do the job. But I found this pattern really succinct and fairly easy to follow. I added three inches to the skirt because I am not a short dress kind of gal, but that’s the only mod I made. I think on the next one I will take an inch or two off of the sleeves.

I did struggle with the elastic channel – there were several times when I was trying to thread the elastic through when I yelled out WHEN IS SCIENCE GOING TO COME UP WITH A BETTER WAY OF INSTALLING ELASTIC THEN A GODDAMN SAFETY PIN THIS IS OPPRESSION. There was much hemming and hawing.

But then it was done! I twirled around my living room this morning and realized very quickly this is going to be one my favorite handmade garments. I just love it so much and it makes me happy. I want to make so many more.

So rather than spend $200 bucks on a mass-produced dress, I spent $22-ish on fabric, $6 on elastic, $8 on bias tape, and $16 for the pattern. $52 for a dress I am going to wear and love until it falls apart which better not be anytime soon because my heart is not ready.