So you have a meter of a lovely piece of lawn for example , but it could be anything really. And you want a super fast sew , that doesn't require a lot of construction . Meet the Ruby from Made by Rae patterns!
I had some beautiful Cotton + Steel Cookie Dough in lawn that I have had sitting in my stash for a couple of years, but only a meter of it. I paired it up with some beautiful linen which was not only a great contrasting fabric, but also gave a great weight to the top of the bodice , letting the lawn flow nicely underneath it.
The pattern gives you the option of making either a dress or shortening it to a top. As I only had a meter, a top it was.
The pattern is great for beginners, it has very little detail on it and it's printed on normal paper, not tissue paper making it easier to trace using Swedish tracing paper and then packing it away for the next time.
Construction of this is really straight forward. If you have made the Germanium for a little girl this is the same kind of pattern. Separate top bodice and then a gathered body all sewn together. There are no zips or buttons either!
There are a few options to finish the raw edges around the neckline and armholes. I went partially lazy, bias binding finished with a sewing machine. I could have made proper bias binding to match the two different fabric., but I'm not the most patient of sewist's . So although I didn't make it exact, I did make my own bias binding- but I did not finish it neatly by hand..my hand sewing skills leave much to be desired.
Making bias binding is always easier than I remember. I always go into it dreading it a bit, but end up doing it all quite quickly (even without using my bias binding maker, which is missing somewhere!). The instructions ask that you cut a fat quarters worth, but I didn't need that much and stopped half way and still had quite a bit of binding left over.
It's a great little sew and I adore the feel of Cotton and Steel's dress making fabric, it's a dream to work with. The one thing I will say is that when I make this next time, I won't make the gathers as close together. I'm a busty lady, and the excessive gathers can give my chest a bit of a mountain's look.