Rebel

The last few months I have been sewing a lot of knits. So whenever I go back to sewing woven, it takes some time to adapt 🙂
Personally, I feel like sewing wovens demands for more precise sewing techniques. I especcially keep struggeling with (invisible) zippers…
For this project, I needed to try some new techniques, such as understitiching, and I learned a lot. But there’s room for improvement 😉

This dress has a beautifull back, but if you are a beginner at sewing, this pattern is quite a handfull!
If you are thinking of trying it, there are some really nice BSD tutorials you can watch before giving it a go. I do think it’s nice if you have someone around to ask questions to when you should get stuck or when you’re having doubts.
Things you should have a look at before starting:
– How to do pleating
– How to insert an invisible zipper
– How to sew a buttonhole
– How to do understitching
– How to stitch an invisible seam
– Optional: How to insert inseam pockets

Some of these tutorials are clickable links when you’re reading the pattern manual. Go ahead and click, the video-tutorials are very clear and easy to follow!

This is my first Bella Sunshine Designs Rebel Dress:

I made my 7-year-old daughter a size 7-dress, but I blended it with a size 6 in the waist.
If you are scared of blending: don’t be! The manual gives very clear explenations on how to blend sizes for this dress!
I might go to size 5 in the waist next time, because I like dresses to be fitting in the waist, and this one is still a little bit on the loose side for me. But it does give her that extra space to play around, so no drama!

She loves it, and so do I! This was the perfect project for me to learn some more skills. Pleats and pockets weren’t new to me. Inserting an invisible zipper still is a fight… This time I did get the top right, but I keep having trouble closing the seam all the way up to the zipper without puckering… After redoing it several times on this one, I gave up the fight. Close enough. But not entirely happy…
Understitching was new to me. I do like the outcome a lot, and will be using it in upcoming projects for sure, since I feel it gives a nicer, more professional look.
Making an invisble seam just didn’t work. I thought I had found the right stitch on my machine, but was a wrong assumption. Or maybe I did something wrong. Anyways: it’s not invisble. But it’s okay 🙂

If you are interested in making this dress, please use my affiliate link to buy the BSD rebel dress 🙂
You are doing my a favor, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! It just means that a small amount of your payment comes my way  (for testing, usage of fabrics, my time, …) as a thank you from the designer for my efforts 🙂

The first of July this dress is on sale. Use code “sunshinesale” and pay only $5!

https://bellasunshinedesigns.com/?affiliates=Deborah