I wanted to share my Fern Frock even though I am late getting it done. I've been in months long autoimmune flares IYKYK. I think I will take the ribbon out of the neckline and replace it with elastic so it's more comfortable to wear, and just sew the ties at the front. Lindsey, the color was inspired by your cute linen dress, but I used cotton chambray.
The Fern Tunic really isn't my style and I knew I would not wear it. With just a few days left in the month, I decided to make the Priscilla dress from the same
designer.
I made it out of a light-weight cotton from the clearance section of my local fabric store. My thought was for it to be a swimsuit cover-up; I think it looks great over a swimsuit and as a dress
I added in-seam side pockets and I roll hemmed all the ruffle pieces to stop the fraying. I like the neat clean finish and the flow of the ruffles.
This project was a little out of my comfort zone with the asymmetrical hem. I love all the ruffles and even added a few extras. The fabric is vintage shirting from a friend. I think I was supposed to align the sleeves on the fold but oh well I like it anyways.
This is the first garment I ever sewed by hand, I don't have a machine set up right now, but really wanted to make something. I was curious what it would be like to sew something that way. I found a youtube channel a while back of a young lady who is a paper mache artist, but she has started sewing her own clothes, and she doesn't have a sewing machine, so she does it by hand. BB also likes to do it that way. Overall, it was more peaceful, but definitely took longer, so it's not very practical. I liked the finished item and think it makes a really fun and whimsical garment. I wore it all day and it was comfortable. I think the top part could be reused for a blouse. I pinned on a few bows. The second one is around the corner near the othe…
If you took one look at the instructions for the Fern Tunic, and thought “ain’t no way!”, I got you! I filmed a step by step tutorial. More than a Sewing With Me from previous months, this will walk you through each step of how to make this adorable dress. I should have it all edited and up on the channel in a couple of days. In the mean time, enjoy this progress pic of the super cute pocket!!
Hi Lindsey, thank you for the sew along video! I found it super helpful. I'm struggling with choosing a fabric for this, and therefore, I haven't gotten any farther than printing the pattern haha. What did you use? I'm thinking I will wear it mostly around the house and for a nightgown.
When I did the pocket, I realized fabric choice makes a huge impact on the ruffles. They are double thickness, not cut on the bias, and then gathered to half their length. The pattern calls for linen, probably 3-5oz range. I used muslin, and gathering it to double (half the original length) makes it VERY thick, and even stiff. Rayon challis probably isn't as much of a problem. I cut back on the length for the pocket, and it is STILL pretty stiff. I'm going to try various things on the hem ruffle, but a more standard amount of gather is 1.5 rather than 2, so I will be using that as a starting point. I don't mind this being a little quirky, but I do want to like it when it's done, and I don't think the original design intent was for the ruffle to be stiff. Hope thi…
Thank for the tip on fabric use. I was toggling between fabric types, you just helped a lot.
I finished my fern dress. I made it out of a blue chambray, which makes it look a little bit like a hospital gown to me. But in the end, I feel like I’m a Victorian child searching through the halls for a ghost.
I'm hoping that maybe Lindsey will see this, or anyone else who has already done this step. The instructions say that all seam allowances are 5/8 inch unless otherwise noted. I'm wondering if the neck casing is different because the one photo I found (on the tina givens site) looks like they used 1/4 or maybe 3/8 on this seam. Thanks to all!
I ended up doing a 3/8” seam allowance on the casing which resulted in a less tall casing. Which I don’t mind.
One thing I did thay I think made a huge difference is to topstitch close to the cording to create more a channel than a casing. It also results in a prettier “ruffle” finish for the top part of the casing.
This will be more clear when y’all watch my Sew Along. Coming soon! Don’t give up yet!! ;)
I'm on the pocket insertion step, and I have some concerns about the pocket behaving itself inside the tunic. I don't like the idea of interfacing it and there's not much to hang it from, but I'm thinking of tacking it to the side seam and the top of the pocket opening. If anyone has any thoughts on this I would appreciate it!
I used a 1/2" strip on Wonder Under to tack the top of the pocket to the inside of the dress. It worked great.
Hello folks, I am at the point of cutting the section off of the length to make the asymetrical hem and I'm thinking about maybe making it a little less dramatic but afraid that would defeat the point. Anyone else going through a debate like that? Anyone have suggestions on how to decide? I'm going to try pinning it and see what it looks like. I don't know if we are allowed to ask questions like this . . . Thanks folks!
I ended up chopping the full amount. But I also plan to make the free slip dress Tina has on her site to wear underneath and I think more of it peeking out of the sides of the bottom will be cuter.
I am late too! Yours is so cute! What fabric did you use? Such a good job!!