Making the Peasant Dress

My sister sent me a link to this cool peasant dress, which I fell totally in love with.

I've heard before of this stretchy bobbin thread that does all the ruffling work for you.  If you have a Brother machine, it's all a cruel lie.  Let's just get that straight at the beginning.

But, here are some of the nice fabrics I got!  Julia chose the butterfly print and the purple heart print, I chose the rest.  Of course!

First, I tried making the dress with the blue fabric, and did it wrong.  The dress was way too small, I had cut the fabric the wrong direction.  Bummer!  So I'll go buy some more and try again.  Once I figured out my problem, I made Julia's dress.

Ta da!

The elastic thread is very weak, and the regular, top thread tends to rip and pull out when Julia puts this on.  But.  It's cute anyway, and I'm going to make a few more, although I might just use regular elastic.

I did not draw a line or use a guide for sewing the waist gathers, so I have ripped it out and will be redoing it, oh joy!  However, this goes quick and I'm going to make another dress for Julia's friend so that they can match!  Matchy, matchy!  Sparkly butterflies to boot!