Shirring with Less Thread

Tempo Sundress.. I hope you aren’t tired of me talking about them .. but I can’t help myself with this pattern! I’ve made it 7 times already and each time I make it a little different.

This one, I decided to figure out a way to conserve the elastic thread used for shirring and came up with a method that not only saves your elastic thread but also can help you fix the shirring, should it be too loose.

The pattern

Before we get to the video, the Tempo Sundress is a pattern made by Love Notions and is on sale today for $5. Both the women’s and girls versions are available today.

The pattern has nice thick straps and an elasticated or shirred back that requires no closures. The facing construction can be a bit tricky but you can check out another video here to help you with it. 

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The fabric

The dress I made is an upcycle out of a thrifted dress made out of rayon.

shirring method

If you want to see the shirring method I came up with, watch below or click the link to the video here. And keep reading to see all the modifications I made to this dress.

The modifications

I used the bodice from the Tempo, bishop sleeves from another pattern, and a half circle skirt that is cut into 6 panels because I had less fabric to work with.

The skirt was finished with a horsehair braid to give it a bit more structure, since the fabric is so drapey. However, Lilli didn’t like the feeling so I had to replace it with a grosgrain ribbon instead.

After making the dress, the neckline seemed to be a bit too deep – what to do? Add a ruffle of course!

And because there wasn’t enough fabric, I made facings for the pockets, you could never tell when wearing, that these pockets have facings.

Sizing

I used a size 4 at the waist and a size 6 everywhere else.

As you can guess, I love this pattern and will be making more of them! Be sure to check out the other Tempos!

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