Rose Candy Sundress ☼

        While I'm working on something I'm always eager to finish, because I get so many enticing ideas for other projects!... Once I finish, it's again hard to decide where to start... I recheck my fabric stash, I browse my sketch book again.. and I'm stuck. The pressure of a new beginning! Burning to start something but all the ideas I had seem "old" and I'm brainstorming for something new! That's just the trap that I'm used to. 

         So I just had a look at my supplies and notions and decided to put the elastic thread to good use, the time is just as good as any!

(I must say I had bought some elastic thread many years ago and I did use it in a resembling manner - I zig-zagged over it. I did not know then that you can wind it on the sewing machine bobbin and run with it! But I so savoured this late discovery now! And enjoyed the coziness and relaxation of a simple technique on a floral pink print!)

         The tube top was out of the question simply because I wanted to contribute to the design and give it a personal touch - the sewing machine, the elastic thread and the cloth had this shirring thing already covered. This fabric has been waiting for a long time to become something, anything, and I am at peace with what it became:)) I had the beaded leaves for a while and no idea what to do with them!

A few things: 

• I did not want to go in a straight line and cut the elastic thread at the end of every circle. I felt like I'm chopping the thread too much and making too many operations, plus you can't wind too much thread onto the bobbin anyways, why also cut it? So I stitched the sides of the dress and started stitching with elastic thread from top and went downwards into a spiral.

• the step length chosen seems to influence how tightly curled the fabric gets

• I tried to keep the stitches at equal distances from the previous ones - however while you stitch you also have to stretch the segment you shirred previously, so keeping equal distance is a bit difficult. Don't worry though, the firmness of the elastic thread seems to balance everything  even if you stitched a few millimeters too close or too far. On the right side the surface will have small "ups and downs" which make the texture more interesting!

         So that's my first shirred dress! A technique that gives a perfect fit without any tailoring, what a relief:)) Well, that's what I'm going to do for the rest of my life!:)) Kidding, but...I am definitely going to shirr some more! What about you?