Raise your Hand if you SHIRR

I have always wondered how to sew a stretchy gathered sun-dress or top. You know--the kind with multiple rows of stitching that stretch? Oh--here is and example of one I found online:

Well--this technique is called SHIRRING. (And since learning what it is called--the jokes have been flying at our house--"Are you Shirr?"..."Raise your Hand if you Shirr", etc)

Anyhoo--I always assumed that sewing these up would be pretty hard. I was SHIRR wrong! It is EASY SCHMEASY!

I googled shirring--and found several tutorials--sadly to say, none of them were my favorite...so I hope to do my own tutorial VERY soon.

But here are my first attempts at Shirring. I first did a sample on a scrap piece of fabric. After I had done a few rows it started to gather and roll into itself a little and someone mentioned it looked like a Barbie dress.

So I sewed the side seam up and here is the first shirred dress I ever made...barbie size (and I have to tell you--I think my daughter was more excited about this dress for her Barbie than the one I sewed for her!)

Since I made up my own pattern and I am still without my camera--I didn't get a lot of pictures (as I SHIRR didn't know if this little project was going to turn out).

So I only started to take pictures after the whole dress was sewn. But here is a couple pictures of me putting on the straps.

Because it is so stretchy I pulled it a little tighter by stretching it over my ironing board and measuring from each side seam to figure out the placement of the straps. I wanted to make SHIRR they were spaced equally.

And here are a bunch of pictures of the finished dress.

Both of us were SHIRR happy with the way it all turned out!

(I'm SHIRR you're all glad that I am done with this post and all my lame puns!)

Linking up to THESE parties.