Photo by Cicilia Sutjiono

So after sewing a couple of totes, I decided to just dive in and make a dress. I downloaded this tunic dress pattern for free from Burdafashion.com and then went to the Goodwill to buy some practice fabric. I figured it would be unwise to spend loads of money on nice fabric when I’m just starting to figure this thing out. What I found was this cute flat bedsheet with an adorable scandavian-style pattern (IKEA perhaps?) — so I bought it and started sewing away.

Here’s what tripped me up the most: the yoke and yoke facings. I ended up with two extra pattern pieces that I didn’t know what to do with! If I was a mechanic putting together an engine, I would have been in big trouble. I didn’t realize that I had to use the yoke facings on the inside of the dress in order to give that area support and so that I wouldn’t have to finish the neck edges. So then I had to teach myself how to do bias binding. Here is when I wished I was under the tutelage of someone who actually knew what they were doing!

Ah well, for all the trouble, it was definitely worth it in the end. Who knew a bedsheet could be so fun to wear?