It’s been a long time since I’ve done any dressmaking, even though I started sewing at the age of 10 and made my living out of it for quite a few years in my 20’s.  But the age of throw-away fashion dawned when the kids were quite little, and I just couldn’t compete pricewise with cheap imports and a very limited budget.

But recently DD (dear daughter) was so disappointed when an expensive little dress she had bought while travelling OS had shrunk to become, well, a top! I was asked what I could do about it!

I got lucky and found an almost identical commercial pattern. DD shelled out for some fabrics (rayon, which I love!), and the dressmaking bug bit mightily!  It has been so much fun, in so many ways: the joy of working with fabric, of realising that I ‘still have it,’ and DD’s happiness with what I produced; because of course, I couldn’t stop at one!  Planning to surprise MBL (my big lad) next!

In dollar terms, each garment took a day to make, and about 3m of fabric, so obviously they were not going to compare to a garment purchased at Target or the like (although the cost of materials for all 3 garments was roughly equal to the cost of the original shrunken item). But here’s the thing: DD has 3 pre-shrunk wearable items, hand-made in her choice of style and fabric, and customised to her measurements.  Oh, and all with wonderful concealed pockets!  (Why do guys get all the pockets, and we have to fuss with bags all the time?)

And sentimentally, for me it’s a way I can reach out and ‘touch’ my dear kids, even though they are so far away – schmaltzy I know, but true!