Size: size 8
Fabric: Medium weight cotton (that looks just like linen) with an orange floral leaf pattern from Fabricland (a Canadian chain fabric store).
Project Photo:
Comments: Originally, I had planned on making this dress up in formal fabric. However, I figured first I better sew up a (hopefully) wearable muslin since the lines of this design are such that I didn't see any way to fix any major fitting problems after the dress was in progress. So, I rooted around in my fabric cupboard and found this fabric. I bought it on clearance at a local fabric store and got it for a song - so if things turned disastrous, I wasn't out a load of loot.
In the end, I'm glad I didn't go straight for the good fabric as there was one major fitting issue. The largest problem is with the neckline being far too wide for my shoulders, which causes the straps to constantly slip down my arm. If I make this dress again I will be reducing the width of the centre front panel and increasing the width of the side panels. This should keep the straps on my shoulders where they belong. Otherwise, the dress fits nicely every where else.
One change I made from the original pattern was to hem the dress right at the knee instead of part way down the calf. At the longer length, the dress was a bit too matronly and unflattering. The other change was that instead of using facings around the neckline and arms, I lined the entire dress in a fine cotton batiste. Essentially, I just made a second dress out of the batiste and joined the fashion fabric and the batiste at the neckline and armsyces.
ETA: A few commenters have asked if I "slimmed down" the skirt to make it more narrow, as it looks fuller in the drawing on the pattern envelope. I did not - the skirt is made exactly as the pattern specifies. I think the illustrator took a bit of creative license when creating the envelope art!
This dress is not a loss however. I can still wear it to work with a cardigan over top of it and the sweater should provide enough friction to keep the straps in their proper position.
Conclusion: A nice dress that requires a few tweaks to get it perfect.
25 comments:
It's a lovely dress. Have you thought of putting strap holders in the shoulders, not so much to keep the bra straps out of sight as to the dress straps from slipping down? I've known it work on RTW when the slippage problem was minor but irritating.
Anne
haha, I was just about to suggest the very same thing as Anne Frances! Strap holders for the purpose of keeping the straps in place rather than making sure your bra straps don't show!
Love the dress, the skirt looks very full in the pattern picture but less so 'in real life', did you cut it less full or is it just artistic licence on the part of the pattern envelope? Hemming it at the knee was a good idea - it doesn't look at all matronly and certainly doesn't look obviously vintage!
Very pretty. Styling is very nice too :)
Gorgeous! - I love vintage patterns - this one looks great!
Yeah, me too, how about some strap holders? I just made some for that Vogue dress I made.
You have certainly been a busy girl! Some gorgeous clothing coming out of your sewing room, or maybe I should say work room.
That's a pretty dress. I like the square neckline. However did you manage to have the perfect shoes? A bolero would be a nice cardi style to wear over the dress.
Love the dress on you and again, great colors for your coloring. One question... the dress in the pattern envelope picture looks a lot fuller (I know it has a petticoat underneath), but it looks like the skirt on your dress would not have enough fabric to wear a petticoat underneath. Did you cut out some of the fullness of the skirt? Just wondering.
I have the same problem with wide necklines, it is the curse of us pear shapes!
Lovely dress!
Wow! Another stunning winner. g
This is a very nice dress on you. I really like it. It would be perfect in a formal fabric. Versatile pattern.
You've been showing us some lovely garments lately - thank you and well done! Looking good!
Yes, another one who clicked comment to suggest bra strap keepers. So it must be a good idea then!
Cheers,
AJ
Very pretty. That print looks great with that dress.
I made this dress too!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddizzlefoshizzle/3633885649/in/set-72157617062892036/
Shannon - I like that you shortened the hem of this dress! And of course it looks fantastic on you!!!
I love this dress. The square neckline is very flattering and I love the print!
Most definately a keeper! It's a flattering cut and color. I understand that crazy feeling when you have something that keeps sliding off your shoulders, LOL! However, it really is a pretty dress!
What a lovely dress!
That is WONDERFUL!
Man oh Man you are sewing up a storm! Square necklines seem to run wide all the time. I have found the "real" old patterns are cut narrower though in the shoulder and arm area. How do you find all those fabrics in your colorways???
Great dress on you! I agree that the shorter length looks more current.
Love the neckline and fit on you, beautiful fabric!
Lovely dress, I like the style very much.
And the color of the fabric was made for you!
I have that sliding off the shoulders problem all the time with that style of dress as well. My preferred method of fixing it is to pinch out a tiny dart from the pattern piece at the square inner corner of the neckline- where it turns to up to go over the shoulders. That pulls the angle of the shoulder straps in a bit, so they are set in closer to your neck.
This one is so pretty- the color is really wonderful :)
Looking through all your posts it struck me that all your garments are perfectly suited for you. The styles and colors are ....."perfect"
I have this pattern, but I've been too scared to try it. I might just have to give it a shot now!
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