Making A ❄️ Winter Pinafore Dress ❄️

[@lindakiefer9865]

Buttonholes! I snapped finally trying to make them on my modern machine. Bought a 1957 Singer 99K machine and a 1940 s buttonholer attachment. I knew THEY worked! Even if I only make buttonholes the lack of frustration is great.

[@janasews7946]

Thanks for showing the couture sewing technique for the v-neck, that was indeed very helpful. Love the dress, great job as always!

[@lynn858]

Angle the shoulders to fix the neckline?!! 😮 That makes so much sense once you're TOLD to try it. And is highly compatible with Nancy Zieman's recommendation to choose pattern size/decide if a garment can be altered to fit, based on the shoulders fitting and then working from there, instead of fitting the bust. You can do bust adjustments easier than refitting shoulders. But tipping the shoulders is an easy and simple change you can test with pins or clips. I'll have to see if I can make a garment or two in my closet work better for me!

[@Feelicitasy]

ohh, the technique with the tape for the v neck will be super helpul! I made a pinafore last spring and the neck has started to sag a little and I had no idea how to fix it... UNTIL NOW! So Thank You very much

[@heathercampbell2686]

Looks gorgeous on you. A little trick is after cutting the skirt out on the bias you must hang it up for at least a week to let it stretch and drop. Then measure it and cut off where it's stretched longer as that's how it will stay. Then attach it to the bodice.

[@caoimhenimhuireadhaigh1303]

I'm in love!! Wool clothes are simply the best! So warm and beautiful

[@emilyhuffman7815]

Thank you for showing us all your "I dunno, I'm just gonna wing it" moments! I've not been brave enough to self draft yet, but seeing you just figure it out (whether it's technically "correct" or not) gives me more confidence to try someday. I feel that will definitely be my approach/attitude as well. This dress is very flattering on you and I love it! Wool is probably my very favorite textile to work with and wear.

[@mygreenfroggy]

I've had to quit going into fabric stores, lol, sooooo many ideas and sooooo little time! I even have to stay away from the sheets, etc in thrift stores for the same reason. I've found that you can make lovely blouses or jackets out of sheets because they are presoftened for you. As I live in a hot climate most of the year it's necessary to have clothes that can be worn in any season. You could use old sheets for the draping too.

[@coreygilles847]

Ah…that wide gap between what I should do to get the outcome I want…and what I actually do. It amazes when it works out for others. Your design is lovely 🥰 thanks for sharing the process

[@MonaSkovJensen]

the button closure at each side is brilliant!!!

[@BeverleyButterfly]

It was so interesting watching you fitting and draping as someone new to sewing, I really enjoyed listening to you explaining your process and the finished dress is stunning xx

[@brendafalk5162]

Looks very good on you. The neckline ended up looking great and you go to great lengths to get the look you are going for. And, you were right, the mop buttons are lovely on it!

[@exek337]

Pretty! I appreciate hearing your thought process on how you make a decision and why

[@maudline]

This turned out pretty cute. Good thing after my anxiety when you wore a white top under the mockup and drawing with a sharpie 😅😅

[@beth_winegarner]

SAME

[@CatsCostumery]

Same tbh 🤣 I was shocked to remember I did that when I edited the video!

[@marthabenner6528]

I absolutely love that dress. It's gorgeous. I like to keep the salvage edge strips, for stabilizing closures and other things. And yes I do see a fabric, and say. Oh, that would make a nice dress, in this or that pattern, with those sleeves, and that length. I'm slightly terrified of starting my current? next? project. I had it all ready to go. And then I realized, I have nothing for a mock-up. Nooooooooooo 😭. On the bright side, I'm finishing up my five or six yearold niece's princess Merida dress, and I absolutely love everything about it. It has truly been a joy to sew. It's honestly my favorite thing I've ever sewn in my entire life.

[@BethAge95]

The dress is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing your process! The technique with the v-neck is genius! Would have never thought about that.

[@peggyriordan9857]

Very cute dress and the addition at the hem was a good decision. Adds some swoosh to it as well. I really like that you have the confidence to just keep moving forward, even if you are not sure what the next step is going to be. It's not letting perfection get in the way of the good that comes out of the project. I admire that. Have you heard about the PhD program yet? I hope that works out for you as well. Thanks for sharing with us. Take Good Care.

[@believeinfaeries8713]

I can definitely see why you had to get that fabric! It's beautiful. Thank you for showing the mock up for the bodice, it is indeed very helpful!

[@DUNG30NDUCK]

the weight of the hem is lovely and it was actually very satisfying seeing your mobile pulled out. I can imagine the extra swoosh will make even things like going down to the shops for basics feel a little more special🐑

[@Carmen-nq8ex]

Really well done, exceptional problem solving. And such a pretty outcome.

[@elainebye9090]

The jumper turned out so well! It's a lovely fabric, to start. The hem extension looks deliberate, because it is so handsome. I love the side buttons, the pockets, and the neckline. I'm definitely going to remember that technique to reign in the gaps! Great job.

[@nikkipackham2234]

I love your more simple approach. I’m just a beginner with an old klunky sewing machine

[@canucknancy4257]

It's wonderful and very versatile. Lovely job.

[@MysteryMommy1]

Lovely dress. The buttons are perfect

[@CrownedLily]

I feel like the darts could have been made into a princess seam. It still looks great! I'm just obsessed with princess seams at the moment.

[@CatsCostumery]

I only used the darts for draping, I then fully removed them in the flat paper pattern as I didn't want any darts or seams on the bodice ☺️ princess seams though are usually the most flattering and quickest way to fit around the waist and bust!

[@tiamatmichellehart6821]

*I am the very model of a modern Major General....* (Sorry; that's what immediately comes to mind whenever I hear the word "pinafore" ;) Lovely work, in any case!

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

Ohhhhhh Cat! I LOVE this! I need to make one. That V neck couture trick was 🔥!!!

[@historicallyfashioned]

This is super cute! The v neck technique is a good one. Makes for such a neat neckline.

[@rebawasswass3716]

beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[@MysteryMommy1]

Gorgeous fabric (settles in to watch the rest)

[@radkaadamikova8682]

It's so cute! Looks lovely on you! Thanks for sharing great tips how to adjust the neckline and shoulder straps

[@apriljodoin9643]

I like what you did at the hem. It adds interest. Very nice!

[@1wolfpup]

Your dress turned out beautifully. 🌷

[@michellecornum5856]

It came out really cute! And with buttons on both sides! AND what a FUUULLLL SKIRT! Bravo!

[@ginalou5774]

It’s very cute. I love the way you finished the skirt

[@robintheparttimesewer6798]

Lovely! Everything turned out beautifully and no one will ever notice that button hole!

[@lucyannethrope7569]

Thank you for this! Lovely dress and you are lovely, as always! ❤️ I'm thinking of doing something similar, but I will do it in black (surprice surprice) and panels in the skirt bit, because I don't do circle skirts well (I don't like the bulk it gives around the waist om me). How ever, thank you for showing the v-neck trick, it makes me wanting to try it to (v-necks is hard to do for me because the shape i have) So thank you so very much for this. Again the dress is beautyful on you!

[@samanthagirly3350]

I just had to hop on here and tell you, you’re beautiful! Your body is perfect the way it is! Sending love your way. Thank you for being a positive inspiration for women everywhere 🥰

[@christineholbrook1107]

Great dress . Did need the extra length .Lots of swoosh 😀😀xx

[@IJUSTNEEDASTUPIDUSERNAME]

It’s really cute Cat! I actually revisited your vintage circle skirt video this week as I remember u did a circle skirt with a front button placket and I did something similar for the dress I just finished. Except my dress had a terribly uneven hem/ button placket so I wondered where I went wrong. Turns out I mistakenly used one side of the skirt that was cut on the bias. Twas a mess to fix!

[@CatsCostumery]

I actually did this too on that skirt!! The front placket ended up sagging by an inch or so 😅

[@lighteningbug]

It sure came out really cute!

[@DipityS]

Oooh! It's lovely - the soft gentle brown colour very much suits you and goes marvellously with your boots. I think it's so brave to dive in - as I swear I'd dither so much making decisions I wouldn't end up creating anything - well done for forging ahead and dragging me along for the ride 😊

[@notionsandpotions]

Gorgeous!

[@c.w.3750]

It looks great

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

"It's clothing, it just doesn't know it yet" .... this is how I've got two steamer trunks full of fabric stash... Yep, I prewashed my "dry clean only" wool on the wool setting. Cause if I can't throw it in the machine with the other woolies, I need to know before I waste time making a garment!! Thankfully the 10m of $6/m wool (sold as unknown fibres) responded to machine washing with nothing worse than a foul smell (moldy sheep, ew) and since i'st -20C again I'm glad I've already made two garments out of it!! Your pinafore came out really cute, I'm trying to think out how to explain to my husband what help I need in attempting to drape on myself (no dress form) to get a start at a darted bodice block :) The pocket looks brilliant, I might try that on the robe I'm wearing now, if I fail to select pants with pockets, I end up having to stick my phone down my sock if I need to carry stuff downstairs from the bedroom in the morning! I am surprised how much circumference you get with circle skirts and how short they can end up, I'm thinking I might try a half-circle skirt next time I have 2m of an appropriate width and pattern for a skirt and see how that works. I love me some swooshy skirts but as I discovered with my new wool skirt where the bulk from pleating is at the hips on a wide waistband (cause I don't have any hips of my own and my waist is bulky enough), it gets very grabby as I'm now just a little wider than I'm used to being and keep knocking over everything!!

[@rachelmumford5025]

Thanks for the reminder!! I just threw my new fabric in to prewash for a project I'll probably start next week 😅

[@suzyb7818]

Oh Cat, you're just so cute. I love everything you make, and this pinafore is the best 💛

[@CraftsyPenguin]

That's such a beautiful piece! And it suits you so well, you look great in it!

[@MichelleSMV]

Love that the dress came out swooshy! Maximum swoosh is a necessity. Especially with such a pretty wool 💕 I’ve never really tried draping but it’s cool you showed how and also the couture method for the v neck!

[@WalkingScriptureWithShanna]

Your title put 3 of my needed words together!

[@evelyn_r]

ooo nice! and it even has pockets~!

[@nix_cosplay]

I love it! If I were you, I'd go over the buttonholes by hand to make them neater

[@laniinla2354]

wow! it fits so well, lovely!

[@Mrs_Homemaker]

I drape with tissue paper the way you did with this fabric. I just draw my grain markings as needed. 😁

[@agimagi2158]

Hi, could you talk a little more about how you prewash wool / care for your everyday wool garments. I'd love to work with that material but caring for it always seemd so scary to me. Your pinafore turned out super cute, so swooshy!

[@CatsCostumery]

I just use the wool setting on my washing machine (which I know means a lower temp if not cold wash and lower rotations in the spin cycle) and a wool detergent (I think mine is called Woollite!). I haven't had an issue with this before :)

[@agimagi2158]

@@CatsCostumery Thank you so much! I will try this!! So excited to finally start working with wool!!

[@Janttura]

I've got a lot of herringbone fabric. 1/2 wool, 1/2 viscose. Hmmm... 🤔

[@craftmamanl]

Really pretty

[@ivanavecchio6323]

Gorgeous dress!! You are very talented

[@graceandersen1394]

It looks so cute!!!

[@atiya-said-hey]

I feel your pain with the buttonholes. I was making a cardigan last month and my machine decided it wasn't going to do it. The whole placket is poorly done zigzagging, because by that point I couldn't be bothered. Your dress came out lovely, and I like the extra panel at the bottom.

[@mayfair_forest_witch]

Pinafore is gorgeous and you look beautiful in it, it optically elongates your silhouette :)

[@laurengloriana1507]

This turned out beautifully!

[@carolinemercer9779]

There’s always at least one buttonhole that is weird and lumpy in my experience 😩

[@susanharris-rohde1127]

Fantastic job! 💚👏👏👏👏

[@josefinebrannlund7297]

👗

[@danhurl1349]

This is gorgeous!

[@zoes_story]

Love this! It turned out so cute

[@liav4102]

I just picked up a bolt of fabric (for $7!!) that just screams 1890s dress, unfortunately I have no 90s underthings

[@eklipsnoiredinence]

Such a cool project! Winter is coming up, here in NZ, and I'm thinking of making something like this... especially the fact that the dress doesn't have sleeves (i get too hot). You've inspired me! Question: do you have a video or pattern for the shirt you are wearing in this video? Thanks

[@gabbylowry9482]

Youre making me so nervous waving that sharpie around your cream undershirt 😅

[@anessaharris9947]

🇨🇦😃

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

I would personally avoid making a circle skirt from any fabric with a stripe of any sort; I would never have enough confidence in my abilities to make it look good! Somehow the idea of making a gored skirt from a striped fabric doesn’t scare me half as much. Crazy, I know. 😂

[@claraAlmeida-to8fj]

Couldn't get to see how you cut the arm pits

[@jenndoesstuff]

"37 pounds is a bit steep for one dress" Me, making a dress with $250 of silk: Yeah... definitely... sooo much money... (It's a very fancy graduation dress. Most of my dresses cost like $5-$25 to make, lol.)

[@thecraftyhistorian]

Past me from 2021 starting to sew: “yeah it’s gonna be so nice to make cheap garments if I buy the fabric and make it myself!” Present me constantly sewing with suiting wool and linen: “Oh, that dress will only be 120 euros worth of fabric? What a bargain!” 😂

[@thecraftyhistorian]

(though to be fair, I’m 1.80 and I like floor length stuff. It’s expensive to be tall 😂)

[@jenndoesstuff]

@@thecraftyhistorian Girl, I'm short and I've got 0 excuses, lol. I just like pretty fabrics and making pretty dresses.