La Casa Cactus

Since my first Kew dress had been a success, I decided to sew another one for attending a wedding.

I had already altered the pattern so I just had to cut and sew my new Kew dress.

Still some blue poplin from Mondial Tissus. After sewing some little cream fans over navy blue, this time, it was sewing some white bubbles over a lighter blue.

I tried to cover buttons with fabric, but tiny buttons are pretty hard to cover. I never had had problems with larger ones, but 11mm buttons tested my patience and I finally gave up. Instead I bought cute blue buttons at the fabric shop.

Sewing 15 buttons on the Kew dress” a la Casa Cactus”

While showing the really anticipated moment of cutting the buttonholes open on Instagram, Karine (designer of the fabulous pm-patterns) said that it was a real pain to sew buttons. I was thinking the same until I came accross that little nifty trick: Wondertape-ing my buttons. I don’t have a special button-sewing pressure foot so I don’t know if this trick will be of use for those of you with that pressure foot. I also use a chalk pencil to mark the button’s placement through the buttonhole.

This is how I sew buttons with my Janome:

1. Put a small square of Wondertape behind the button
2. Put the button in place on your dress/shirt
3. Lower the feed dogs (this feature is not always available, refer to your machine’s user manual)
4. Choose the right zigzag width
5. Stitch your button in place
6. Repeat for the remaining buttons!
7. Use lukewarm water to get rid of your Wondertape

This tape is so useful when it comes to ‘baste’ a zipper or to keep lightweight knit hems in place before coverstitching them.

Unfortunately, it was raining and I couldn’t wear my new Kew dress at that wedding!

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