I need this dress to live!

The title is a variation of something cute my nephew said the other day. He and my sister were in Toys R Us and my nephew saw a train that he simply had to have. He's four. He worships Thomas the Train. He grabbed a train and refused to let it go, exclaiming for all of Toys R Us to hear: "I need this train to live!"

Tee hee. I feel you nephew. I just came across a dress pattern that I need in order for my life to be complete:

McCalls 6503

I'm particularly drawn to this variation, View B:

View B

  

I actually love all four variations, but this one is so cute and simple. I'm a fan of simple. I missed the pattern sales at both Joann and Hancock Fabrics, but that did not deter me. I bought it anyway, braving horrible Austin holiday traffic to make it mine.

This dress would be awesome if I made it in the same colors as the Kate Spade dress I fell in love with two weeks ago:

Liana Dress by Kate Spade

McCalls 6503 is next on my list. Currently, I'm elbows-deep in polyester crepe as I try to finish my Colette Licorice dress in time for New Year's Eve. So far, so good I guess. After this experience, I will probably never settle for polyester crepe again. It's not bad, it just lacks something that I can't quite describe at the moment.

Here are a couple of things to keep in my when using polyester crepe (or almost any 100% polyester fabric):

• Use sharp needs. Microtex to be exact.
• Cotton thread is best. It's less likely to cause puckering.

I'm glad that I stumbled upon those two suggestions or you'd hear me cursing from a mile away.

Argh.

I am so ready to be finished with this dress. I made two muslins. I changed the sleeves which required more work than I initially expected. Making this dress has been exhausting.

Not to say that the Licorice dress is complicated and time consuming. It is not. My almost insane desire to have it fit perfectly and to rid myself of the bell sleeves have made this a stressful sewing endeavor.

I really need to take it down a notch.