Fabulous Elastic Thread

This will be a quick blog as I need to get to work, but.... since I shared with you about threads in a previous post, I thought that I would share another thread type with you that I think you might enjoy.... elastic thread. Gutermann thread company makes elastic thread that can be used to make those wonderful, whimsey, summer dresses that are so popular right now. Below are a couple of pictures of dresses that I made for two of my granddaughters. The second dress you have already seen... my mistake was not making it long enough. I had not realized that those summer dresses that are so popular right now are also very long... big mistake. What to do..... I added more fabric to each dress. The first one was easy enough as I hadn't finished hemming it yet.... I simply made some piping and just added more of the same fabric to it. The second dress.... which, like I stated, I had already completed, was slightly more difficult. I had to take the entire dress a part at the top and add more fabric there. I liked it better before, but this will work... after all it's just a fun, little, (long) summer dress for the girls to wear for this season.

Here's a picture of the front of the first dress.



And here is the back where I used the elastic thread. By making the back piece nearly double in width, I finished off the top edge, then began sewing across the entire back piece with regular thread on the top and elastic thread coming through the bobbin on the bottom. The trick is to hand wind, loosely, the elastic thread onto your bobbin. Slightly lengthen your straight stitch and begin sewing across the width of your prepared back fabric piece. Your next line of stitching should be approximately 1/2" from your first line of stitching. Repeat all the way down your back fabric piece making sure to leave at least 3/4" at the bottom so that you can easily attach the skirt of your dress. The key is also having a good steam iron. Once you have sewn your back piece with all of your rows of stitching, hold your steam iron over your now elastisized fabric piece. Give it a couple of good shots of steam, as this will make your fabric piece shrink up even more.



The second dress.



And the back of this one.



Make sure to click onto each picture if you need a closer look. The pattern that I used was Kayla Bubble by Izzy & Ivy. I did not make the dress into a bubble as designed, but instead made it simple and straight. Try out the elastic thread... it's something different and fun! Now get sewing!