Onset Dre BY JEANNE ROGERS WAMACK hed ique mall, a flea market, an old attic, wehest-can yield fabric treasures which were made a at . Delicate, hand-stitched pieces are unique in today | busy world; theyre from quiet days of no televi- sion when a little girl would sit at her mothers knee and learn not only how to sew, but how to be a lady, Hand- made items, — in this case, a pillowcase — can become even more cherished when they're transformed into some- thing wearable. happened ro beat my mother house one afternoon when she was emptying her linen close of thing she never used. She ofired me ww beautfl linen pilbweaes. Her moter had ‘purchased the pillowcases and bad made lovely intricate tating to decorate the ouside edge of cach as one of her wedding gifs to her daughter. The pillowcases were over 40 years ol antique by most standard and were asf, creamy color. They even bad the tg on them that suid “rics Linen” indicating tha they were made of one of he fins linens available, Twas sanused as I bought to myself har my mother had never ironed thse in order 1 eng the. And, although [woud iron an beirloom dies to perfection for slong ast tok, noone would ever catch me ironing pleases either Relbing the beri linen in my hands fl the ald ich coming on, and ke I coulda ets pices of fine fibre dui as pillowcases end up shoved in another linen cls. They deserved tobe a des. My mother just froze when I shared my idea wi her, and finaly replied with a srepidant, “Okay.” Tin sure she envisioned a precious child fitting around in an ille ‘ising, cur-np, once lovely old pillowcase reninscens of my ninth grade sewing mi takes. Bu, as any loving mother would, she gave her approval. realized right then shat twhatever I did had better be good. ee ere en me es Apott lrg ae ac see am _eutene emer: For Embroidery — . Ley cap oineatonect + US ton om) #63 aqua green + YLI Silk Ribbon (4mm): #13'It yellow #68 pink + YU Sik Embroidery Foss. #8 pk #104 ble CHOOSING A PATTERN Catherine, my daughter, was only 18 months old and petite atthe time I began my project. This meant that one pillowcase would yield enough fabric to make a com- plete dress; thac is, with a litle creativiy. Looking at che pillowcase, I decided thac the precy tating would go on the hem and the rest of the dress would be plain linen, which I would embroider. ‘Any simple, yoke dress pattern would work for the dress T made, since al that was needed was a yoke front, yoke back linings (i separate), and sleeves. The skire was not cut fom 2 patter; instead, I determined the finished length (allowing for growth tucks) and cucthe sic from the pllowease, no hem- ming required. Because the pillowcase was very long, it accommodated four 1/2-inch growth cucks. PREPARING TO CUT “The goal when preparing to cut any dress from a limited amount of material is ro con- serve as much fabric as possible for the out- side of the dress. Therefore, all linings, pip- ing, and any bas band required should come from other fabrics, For the yoke linings, | used preshrunk, 100 percent cotton the same color as the dress. [also used pink satin for piping and for the bias band to add a touch of color and shine. To further conserve fab- ric, I cut the ruffle collar out of organdy (faintly tinted with tea), and added organdy to the sleeves to match. To decorate the col- lar, sleeves, and hem, I set aside pink bullion sim and tiny tating from a baby dress cha once wore, 6Laying out the pattern was casy. I determined che length for the skirt and ended fabric leftover for the yoke and sleeves, I cut out the skirt and sleeves (fig. then sit open the rop of the pillowcase (fig 2). This fabric was divided into three sections to out Fala e Top Sou Ficus 2 66 uup with plengy of cut out the yoke front and two yoke backs fig 3). NOTE: For olden, larger gins, another layout twa have tobe figured. Tivo pillowcases might be necesary to provide enough fabri. 1 positioned the pillowcase side seam — there was only one — down the center back, skirt, and opened the top a little to make a placket. This kept the decorative hem intact, SELECTING EMBROIDERY Most any surface embroidery is pretty on linen, Ic is best to choose something simple ConstRUCTION in a color to complement the trim on the dress. I used a combination of silk ribbon, rayon floss Brazilian embroidery, bullions, and pearls (see detail photo). Since the top was so simple, I nor only embroidered che lower yoke front, but also each yoke back. All embroidery was worked before construc tion, NOTE: Embroidery designs are avail on the pullout centerfold CONSTRUCTION: Construction for this yoke dress was dif- ferent from a typical yoke dress. Step 1: Sew the pillowcase yoke front to the backs at che shoulder and side seams Step 2: Apply satin piping to the lower edge (fig. 4). Step 3: Lightly gather the skirt and sew to the yoke along the piped edge (ig 5). Re- member to set the skirt placket edges 1/4 inch from the back placket foldines. “Ny Back * \ ATO PV sig Mice / jacket ‘Seam Allow placket foldine to extend 1/6 beyond skirt placket edges Fictne 5 Step 4; Stitch the yoke linings together at shoulder and side seams. Pin lining to wrong side of bodice along the skit seam and stitch along seam with pillowcase skire sandwiched between the yokeand yoke lining (fig. 6). Flip yoke lining up and line up with neck and sleeve openings. Step 5: Finish sleeves with a sain piped band and organdy ruffle as shown (fg. 7) 95