Back on dress making-pleated fabric is really hard to work

[Katymac]

It's a nightmare

180 inches of fabric onto 28 inches of waist band

I'm knackered & it keeps moving

[Katymac]

Well I have pinned it & I have sewn it <phew>

[Flosmom]

Exactly how many pleats is that?

Deb x

[francescasmum]

Way back in the dark ages I did O Level needle work (before GCSE and before technology). For my exam piece I had to make a pleated gym skirt - no prep, just handed the fabric and the pattern and 3 hours.
You have my sympathies.

[Katymac]

umm it's that pre pleated stuff so 1cm pleats so 15ft is about 7m so about 350 ish I guess

I am knackered

[Flosmom]

Pre-pleated? Isn't that cheating a bit?

We didn't have pre-pleated fabric in my day...it was all hand measured, pinned, tacked, ironed, sewn and un-tacked...but you still have my sympathies, it sounds like a labour of love and I'm sure it will be fabulous when it's finished. Hope you have at least one un-pricked finger left!

I don't sew. I went into our local haberdashery store on Thursday hoping for some moral support and encouragement as I had to put some straps onto an otherwise strapless jubilee frock for Flo. I got it in Primark...don't get me started about Primark...I'm still struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder...anyway, at 10, Flo doesn't quite have the shape to sustain straplessness.

Having explained my total absence of craft skills with the help of a few anecdotes, the shopkeepers (both very accomplished needle women) sympathised with the platitude 'well, we're all good at something'. They reeled off a list...cooking...no....gardening....no again... so they suggested I try stand up comedy.

I don't think that was very kind, do you?

Deb x

[sapphire]

Thank goodness my lovely MIL sews all DD's dance costumes for her

[riverdancefan]

I loathe sewing but kinda wished I had paid attention in school, it's a handy skill to have...


I can sew muscle and skin back together very neatly, but show me a paper pattern and a bobbin and I have the vapours

[Welsh Mum]

I can sew quite well - never did it in school, but had to make lot of my clothes as a teenager as didn't have much money and my DM didn't sew at all. . I haven't done much recently, though have kept my hand in with numerous fancy dress outfits for my DD in uni - they seem to have lots of them - cave-girl, combat Barbie, super hero etc etc. However, I have realised that my DD's are useless at sewing because I always did it for them. As a result they can barely sew at all. I should have taught them how to do it instead of doing it for them !!

[Katymac]

Ah well DD is quite competent - can follow a pattern, cut & sew fabric - has made 2 dresses & a jacket

But that was back in the days when she danced twice a week & had a life

Now she barely has enough time to eat never mind sew


I don't think pre- pleated is cheating; cheating is buying a ballroom dress cheap of eBay & refurbishing it (like what I do!)

[sapphire]

Nah! That's not cheating ... that's being clever

[francescasmum]

...and of course environmentally conscientious, (took me ages to look up the spelling of that - we need spell check on here, well I do ).

[Flosmom]

...and of course environmentally conscientious, (took me ages to look up the spelling of that - we need spell check on here, well I do ).

...but what does it mean?

I guess even pre-pleated has to be pleated by someone. Or do they have machines for that now?

Deb x

[Katymac]

Because I recycled an old dress rather than buy new......less carbon footprint/less consumption

[Flosmom]

Because I recycled an old dress rather than buy new......less carbon footprint/less consumption

Oh, I get it....hey, maybe I could recycle a jubilee-party-marquee into a new dress for me! there are sure to be a few going spare by the end of the week, I just have to dry them out first.

Deb x