THE Dress

Every once in awhile, the average sewist wants/should tackle something a bit beyond their comfort zone. When I found this fabric at Value Village, I immediately pictured a dress with full skirt.

It's 80% rayon, 20% linen. I would go back to what I had tried in my first few dresses--lining, fitting, precision---before I had the skills and knowledge to really accomplish it.

I was disappointed after I washed it. It seemed to develop dark streaks.

It's like something washed out of the fabric and left short streaks. And I noticed this little flub (right of centre, towards the lower half) after sewing together.

 As documented earlier, I started the muslin. The pattern only went up to a 16, which, sadly, this spring was not even large enough for my upper bust. However, I still have a 16 frame, so I went with that and did the FBA.

 The neckline needed adjusting. I changed this, and the straps, and tweaked things a bit. It wasn't lined, but it seemed good. Though I had some pouffyness above the bust, I thought taking it in a bit as I sewed would be the easiest answer.
Then I got busy. Finally I realized I needed to get this done so I could wear it to Megan's grade 8 grad, which was going to be about a week earlier than it normally is!

 I made my own piping with leftover navy from Megan's Moxie shorts. Oh yeah, need to blog those. I used Handicrafter cotton yarn. I measured off what I thought I'd need ("3 packages of piping" was all the pattern said), wound it into a little skein, and threw it in with my laundry (in a mesh bag!). New skill--piping! I sewed it together and then the instructions say to turn right side out through a shoulder. Ummmm. The shoulders were already seamed. I could not figure it out and it got stuck. I watched a video and she took a safety pin at a lower edge and fed it through, and bingo!

 Not sure what this was to show. Maybe that my lining seemed too small?  I had a lot of issues. You need to baste the lining to the bodice and I don't think I did it carefully enough and it wasn't lining up and the dress looked more padded than lined. I redid it and it's much better, but still not like the pattern picture.

 Sure doesn't look very fitted here.

 The bodice seemed to droop a bit over the waist. Don't know if that happened because of the heat, or not getting things lined up, or if the mostly rayon fabric grew during handling. I'm going with the last one because that would also explain why the lining didn't line up. Also, the fabric wasn't wide enough to do the skirt front in one piece! There's a seam hiding in there.

 A decent job on the zipper. I don't understand the lapped part though. I don't see how it can smoothly lap over when it's the same as the seam allowance. Hard to explain. But I watched some videos and they all were the same, so I guess you just fudge the bottom.

 I couldn't seem to find any of my hook and eyes so I rushed out to buy some, but then didn't get a chance to sew it on before the grad.

 I wasn't following the hem piping instructions. It sounded to me that the piping strip would be showing. I saw tutorials that have you cut a facing and basically you sandwich the piping like doing the bodice piping, then sew the top of the facing down. I didn't want to cut more fabric. So while I was getting the hook and eye (I had to make an earlier trip there for a zipper. I was not very well organized this time), I looked at hem tape and bias bianding. I found some very basic instructions on how to do it but I couldn't quite wrap my head around it until doing it. They had wide bias tape in navy which was a great match to the piping. I laid it on, figured out how it should be sewed, and then promptly did it wrong.

I hand stitched the top of the bias tape to the dress, using very tiny stitches, widely spaced. Not visible on the right side at all. I like the additional weight this adds to the very light fabric, and how clean it looks from the inside. Not that anyone really could see the inside hem, but you know, sometimes when you sit, it shows, or if you bend over, reach up, etc.

 It was a chore to get a picture of me, since the day was all about Megan (aren't most days? LOL). You can see how the bodice seems to roll over the piping at my underarm.

Megan wanted us all to not clash. She vetoed Lucy's dress because it was "too blue".

 Okay. First up, Seeing those shoes with the dress....Although I felt tall my legs actually look short!
I didn't know where to put the waist of the dress. The seam was supposed to be right at the waist, but my waist is quite high, and it would have almost been an empire waist dress. I had hoped the piping and the gathers would hide that the waist was not at my narrowest point. I did raise it a bit after the first round of basting but I was also worried it would end up too short. I think it needs to go a bit higher still. I learned a long time ago, that little changes (1/2") can make huge differences. It also doesn't fit as slim under the bust as the model. And it seemed a little tight above the bust/armhole. I'm hoping to shed a few pounds this summer though.

 It started to rain just before we had to go. And like every year, it was hot in the gym. It had been a nice day up until dinner and then it got humid.

Yes, I have a piece of hair going from my nose to my ear. You know, like those girls with the little gold cuff on their nose that's connected with a chain to their ear? (Sarcasm. It was hot. I didn't care.)

I have very few dresses that have a distinct waist seam. It's not how I roll--being very short waisted with a large bust. I'm glad I gave this a go though, and I learned a ton. I love the piping. I'm not too afraid of lining now. I can FBA a princess seam bodice. But I don't think I'm going to start making dresses with a horizontal waist line. Though I realize that was necessary to get the fullness in the skirt. If I did this one again, I'd leave out the waist piping. Though it does add a nice detail and logical separation between the gathers and the bodice....

Slow Sewing

I am sort of, on house arrest. My truck needed repairs and once I was done the supply teaching jobs I had committed to, Rob said I couldn't drive it anymore. Then it was almost fixed, and a brake line blew. So it's totally not driveable, even in an emergency. This is the end of week two. At the start of this school year, it was hard to break the old schedule--I left for my lunchtime job at about 10:50, got home at 12:15.  I've broken that routine now and these two weeks of knowing I can't even run to the store has meant my days are totally unbroken! Last week, I spent most mornings after the girls left, having a nap. By Friday though, I must have been caught up on my sleep because I couldn't nap.

I decided to do some sewing, since I could devote my "whole day". Of course, that never happens! I decided to go with the flow, and not rush these projects. First up was a muslin for New Look 6457. Measurements. I know I slacked off all winter. It was a busy, stressful winter. I decided to bite the bullet and do some measurements. Yikes. Some of it had to be monthly bloat! This pattern only goes up to size 16 and that wasn't enough. It used to be, along with a FBA.

I traced out View E bodice. Reviewed how to do a princess seam FBA. Got cutting and spreading. And it was really messing up the armhole. I really questioned it. So I slashed the pieces vertically and added a little bit to each piece (back too). Then I did the FBA. That went much better. I cut out the pieces, and added about 6" to the bottom, thinking I could turn this into a shirt if it works. I questioned though if I needed to widen at the bottom. I mean, I knew I needed more width for the hips....but it just wasn't computing. I quickly basted together the bodice pieces and tried it on.

I don't seem to have a picture. The shoulders were angled out way too much. That usually means you need a smaller size, with a FBA. Or you just have narrow sloping shoulders. Since I already did the FBA, and I knew I needed some extra width, I decided I needed to change the angle of the shoulder "strap"

I pinned out the extra in the neckline so the straps angled where they needed to be. How to get that onto the paper pattern without adding width somewhere (think of those angle drawings in geometry. When you open the triangle on one side, the lines get closer together past the point where they meet). 

You can see on the piece on the right, the slashes I made to the neckline. I did it over two or three slashes so by the time the dart reached the princess seam, it was just a wrinkle. I also needed to take a bit in under the bust. I also had to unpick the seams at the bottom...about six inches. It wouldn't lay flat LOL.

I think I still need to add a smidge to the inside of the strap--once the lining is sewn in, it'll be 5/8" narrower and I think my bra will show. I also feel I need a smidge more under the arm.

 Man, feeling so bloated and huge!

 I think this was the first round, before I opened the lower seams. I left the upper back open because it calls for a zipper. It was really hard to get it over my bust the first time! My bust was about 42" and the waist of this is probably about 37". Not much stretch in a woven! It's been awhile since I've done a top in a woven!

 I realized after doing the paper alterations, I realized I only needed to re-cut the front centre piece. I cut it to the length it was supposed to be. Easier to get on!

I've set it aside to work on other things. I wanted to make a dress for an event on May 10, and then wear it again late in June for Megan's grade 8 grad. I really want to trim myself down again though! And since this is a fitted, lined bodice, it won't be quick to alter if I do slim down.  As well, the dress requires piping and I need to find some co-ordinating fabric to make the piping and who knows when I can get out to the fabric store without a chauffeur! I'll find something else for the May 10 event, and then get back to this one in June.