Dresses!

It's official.  Faye's dressapalooza bug bit me.  I've been pulling and coordinating dress patterns and fabric like crazy.  I can't get dresses off of my mind!

Butterick 5350

I made a couple of muslins but something just doesn't feel right.  I cut a straight 16 and added two inches to the bodice to lower the empire seam.  The front fits wonderfully, the back?  Not so much.  It gapes in a weird way and the shoulder straps keep falling off in the back.  I thought raising both the front and back necklines would solve the problem, but it didn't and I haven't been able to identify how to fix it.  So, this pattern is on hold.

Butterick 5353

I made a few muslins of this dress two years and fifteen pounds ago.  It didn't fit that well back then, but now I love it.  I will probably make this out of the red, black and white floral print as well as a solid linen.

Butterick 5455

I made muslins of this too a couple of years ago and found the back to be too tight.  I can't find the muslin, but I am hopeful that it fits much better now.  I plan to make this out of the black, yellow, and white floral print with yellow piping.

Butterick 5490

My inspiration?

When I saw this on The Sew Weekly blog, I knew I HAD to have it.  I already have the polka dot fabric, black cotton for the bodice, and the pattern.  How could I not work this into the rotation??  

I remember trying on the actual Muse dress on my snoop shopping adventure with Melody in 2010.  I already know that I need to fiddle with the neckline and shorten it a bit.

 

Simplicity 2473

I made the pattern adjustments (to be detailed in a subsequent post) and have cut out the muslin.  I just need to put it together.  If the fit is good, I'll make this out of a red silk suiting.

McCall's 6279

This is the first dress in progress.  I'm making it out of a rust-orange linen blend and am opting not to line it.  I made a few minor adjustments (also to be shared in a dedicated post) and tested the changes in muslin.  I am satisfied with the fit and like how it looks so far.

As you can see in my picture, the dress frenzy is here to stay!  Since making that picture, I have pulled out even more patterns and fabric.  I owe all of the upcoming crazy to Faye!!  Well, maybe not all.  I have to lend credit to some other folks too:  Susan, Kyle, Kristine, Sheila (what happened to your blog??!!), Cenetta, Trinicity, Rachelle, Carolyn, and RuthieK.  I am inspired by your stylish dress creations and want to join the club!

L

Comments on J2559 (suit jacket)

Thank you all for taking the time to comment on my post about the Jalie jacket.  I appreciate the support and encouragement. 

Serenity Love said:
I wouldn't call it a fail... per se'... I would just say that you made that for someone else.

I *love* this attitude.  From this point on, garments that are no longer meant for me will be those made for someone else. =)


Alethia said:
I know that feeling when you put so much effort into a garment only to have a fail garment. Give yourself a break, the jackets looks good, on the bright side there was a lesson learned " the fabric choice" is one of the most important aspect of sewing. I know that feeling, because I've made the same mistake.

Definitely!  This was a lesson learned in fabric choice - and not just for this pattern.  I will be much more aware of the suggested fabrics and choose wisely next time.

Faye said:
So sorry your project did not turn out as you planned! 

Thanks Faye!  It's not the first, and it most certainly won't be the last.

Mainelydad said:
I think you're being much too harsh on yourself. Don't worry about the collar points. They are never going to be perfectly sharp when using a heavier wool fabric. Just trim and clip your seams to reduce as much bulk as you feel safe doing. If the lining isn't in yet you could always re-sew the lapels and round off the corners. I went back and read your welt pocket post. How about adding a button to hold the flap down. That would keep everything concealed. At any rate please don't beat yourself up too much about this. I blame the pattern companies that lead us to believe we can make a tailored garment without having to do the actually tailoring. 

Thank you so much for your response.  I trimmed and clipped the seams so that the bulky areas would lay as flat as possible.  The lining is in, but I have yet to press or topstitch the facing area.  I was just so disappointed with the fit, I stopped working on it.  I thought about adding a button to the pocket flaps to keep them down.  This pattern can probably be made of a beefy wool, but I am not that experienced in proper tailoring to make it work.  I used a weft interfacing on the fronts, facings, and pretty much everywhere else.  In hindsight, it was just too much - especially in the seam allowances at the collar points.  It's a great lesson learned!

Again, many thanks to all!

As for now, I am working on McCall's 6279.  More on this soon!

L