2012 Dressapalooza: The End (for now)

The 2012 Dressapalooza has come to a close.  Even though I did not create all of the wonderful garments planned, I did attempt almost everything on my list.  With most of the patterns, I got stuck in the muslin phase without clear direction on how to proceed.

Here are the results for the patterns I tried:

Butterick 5350
The front fit reasonably well, but the back could not be reconciled.  The bodice neckline is designed to be 7 inches below the natural neckline.  I could not get this to work with the shoulder straps.  I tried raising the back and widening the straps.  It didn't work so I moved on.

Simplicity 2473
Done and I love it!  There are definitely more versions planned for the future.

McCall's 6279
The muslin I made last summer fit very well.  However when I went to make this up in my fashion fabric, the fit was all wrong.  Plus, I had some weird pulling near the neckline that I couldn't quite fix.  I'll try it again in a more stable fabric like denim, instead of the rayon-linen blend used in this attempt.

Butterick 5490
Of all of the dresses on my list, I was most excited about this one.  I had the perfect fabric and everything!  I got the bodice to fit very well, however the skirt just didn't look right on my body.  The lack of flare made it look as if I was swimming in cotton.  It wasn't a good look at all.  I might return to it next summer.

Vogue 1220
I had high hopes for this one and was really satisfied with the muslin.  The failure came with the fashion fabric being too stiff.  I used a cotton-lycra chambray that was just a hair softer than cardboard.  At first, I thought it would be okay, but upon trying on the dress after it was almost complete, I realized that this was not going to work.


I didn't attempt to make Butterick 5455 or Butterick 5353.  I tried both of these two years ago but have yet to work out the fit issues.  I ran out of steam and didn't even cut out the pattern pieces for Simplicity 2406 or New Look 6968.  McCall's 5847 is a TNT denim shirt dress pattern that I've made twice already.  I decided not to make another one.

So, that's it for Dressapalooza 2012.  Although I didn't finish everything, I made considerable progress on many patterns and learned even more about fitting.  Alas, Dressapalooza 2013 awaits!

Until next time, be well!

Simplicity 2473: Complete

After countless incidents of seam-ripping and much re-fitting, the red silk dress is finally complete!

Fabric & Notions:

• 2.5 yards of 45" strawberry red silk suiting
• 2.5 yards of red Ambiance lining
• 18" invisible zipper
• fusible interfacing for the midriff band, zipper area, and lining
• 70/10 Microtex sharp needle (for both the shell and lining)
• walking foot (for sewing the lining)

Alterations:

The details of the alterations are detailed in this post.  In summary, here's what I did:

• cut size 14
• lowered the bust fullness 1 1/4 inches
• 2" FBA using the slash & spread method
• 5/8" broad back adjustment
• 1" sway back adjustment
• lowered front neckline 1"
• shortened the skirt 2 1/4 inches

Upon cutting out the fashion fabric, I added an extra half-inch to the side seams for fit insurance.  I ended needing to take this back out, plus more because the bodice seemed boxy.  The dress doesn't fit quite as nicely as the muslin and there are a couple of reasons why.  First the midriff band is too low and a bid too wide. After having done many FBAs, I am learning that the extra length created by the slash & spread method is sometimes too much for my frame.Second, I have picked up some weight.  The muslin pictures were taken in the middle of April and I can definitely see a weight change.

Lining:

In an effort to finish the dress, I neglected to take any in-progress pictures of the lining.  I used the same process of stabilizing and installing the lining as detailed in my pattern review of Simplicity 2648.  Since I didn't include the facings, I supported the neckline and armhole areas with fusible interfacing.  To create the interfacing pieces, I measured down two inches from the cut line in each area and blended as needed.  I fused the interfacing directly to the wrong side of the lining and proceeded with sewing as normal.  The pictures below are from S2648.

 

Construction:

I sewed all of the seams on my machine and finished the edges individually on my serger.  I started out using an 80/12 needle, but found that the needle punctured the fabric rather forcefully.  Switching to the smaller Microtex needle solved the problem.  All seams on the shell were pressed open to reduce bulk while seams on the lining were serged together.

Other:

I removed the belt loops.  They were too big and floppy and looked odd with a skinny belt.  When I make this again, I will adjust the size of the loops so that they lie closer to the dress.
  
Conclusion:

I share Kyle and Rachelle's sentiments about the fabulousness of this pattern as well as other sewers on Pattern Review.  This is a good pattern with lots of possibilities for design as well as fit.  I definitely intend to make it again and will likely include it in my fall 6PAC wardrobe plan.

Up next:  comments about the dressapalooza and a summer 6PAC wardrobe plan

Until next time, be well!

Week 2: Italy (pic heavy)

Let me start by saying that shopping for a car is truly exhausting.  Oy freakin' vey!  This, along with other things, is the reason I've been MIA for the past two weeks.  More on that later...  For now, I'll continue with the details of my international travels.

Flight from Abu Dhabi to Milan:
My flight to Milan left at the crack of stupid, better known as 2.25a in the morning.  I had never flown Etihad Airways and if I could, I would every single time.  O.M.G.  This plane was nice!  I have been on MANY planes and have flown first class once.  Delta's first class cabin pales in comparison to the coach cabin of Etihad.  The cabin was clean and comfortable.  Since we were flying at night, the cabin ceiling was illuminated with stars.  How freakin' cool is that??!  We were served classy meals with real silverware and given an all-cotton gift bag that contained a tooth brush, tooth paste, earplugs, eye mask, and a fifth item that I can't remember.  We also had real fleece blankets, a state-of-the-art entertainment system, and REAL Bose-like headphones - not ear buds.  Wow.

Milan to Torino to Cuneo:
My friend lives outside of Cuneo in the Piemonte region of Italy.  I flew into Milan because flights to Torino were ridiculously expensive.  This means I had to travel about four hours by train to Cuneo.  I won't get into the details of this trip, but I will give one word of advice.  If you have to take Trenitalia, make sure you validate your ticket!!  Apparently, purchasing a ticket from the authorized ticket counter is not sufficient.  You must have the ticket stamped by a machine near the platforms.  I almost had my passport confiscated by one of the conductors on the train because of this crazy rule.  If your ticket isn't properly validated, either you have to pay 50 euro on the train or 200 euro within 70 days.  Umm...yeah.  My offer of 43 euro and 20 dollars was unacceptable to the conductor.  After I refused to surrender my passport, he let me go with a 5 euro fine.  Of course on my train ride back to Milan, my properly-validated ticket was NEVER checked by anyone. *eyeroll*

On with a wee few of the over 500 pictures (o_O) I took.

Certosa di Pesio (oldest church) 

Grotto di Bossea (Bossea cave)

 

 

 

The cave was spectacular.  Although it was a bit cold (30 deg F), the air was pure with 100% humidity. 

Houses in Cuneo

 The Alps

An evening walk around the farm

  

Quincy (brown) & Kika are dogs that have made the farm their home.

 

 

near my friend's house in the mountains (Chiappera)

Alpine pasque-flower

Chiappera (small town in this area of the Alps)

mountains hidden behind the clouds

former castle now houses the University of Gastronomic Sciences

keepin' it real

Serralunga castle

Vicoforte

largest oval-dome church

 

storks at Racconigi castle

Stupinigi Castle

armrest on Delta flight from JFK to Detroit
Swing...and a miss...

I bought three pieces fabric, several notions, and the latest La Mia Boutique while at the Cuneo Market, but I neglected to take any pictures before packing it away. In all, I had a fantastic time visiting with my dear friend, Nelly.  She is a wonderful spirit and I am extremely grateful for her friendship.

On the sewing front:

I finally finished the red silk dress.  I need to snap some photos and write the review.  Yesterday, I finished a skirt with colour blocking and hope to include it in my summer 6 PAC - a plan that I recently threw together.

That's it for now.  Until next time, be well!