In my quest to blog with a vengeance, I found this post on my draft list. It includes some detailed sewing information that I didn't even remember until I read the post (like The Cool Stuff), so I'm going to share it with you. Here you are from in the late summer of 2015...
When my school year started on August 13th, I had my next post here all planned out..."No Sewing Again This Year...." because I have an unbelievable school schedule...AGAIN. But then it happened, the stars all aligned, the new house was finally "clean enough", and the sewing mojo kicked in on a kid-less weekend. The pattern/fabric was already cut with pleats hand-basted, and so I MADE A DRESS! Not just any dress either, it's a vintage dress that fits nicely and makes me feel good. Yippeeeee! After no sewing for an eternity, I'm going to share all my sewing joy with you.
My sewing process usually means I cut my patterns out long before I sew them and sometimes I don't remember all the adjustments I made during the cutting session. Also, my sewing time now is usually spread out in 2-4 month increments. That's a long time for this ole' girl to remember all the adjustments I made. For this dress, here's what i DO remember...
Before the cutting session I completed Joi Maron's Fast-Track Fitting class on Craftsy.com (highly recommend). I made fitting adjustments to this dress based on my Vogue Basic Pattern from the class. I am guilty of mixing the pattern companies (the idea is that once you make adjustments on the Vogue basic pattern, the same adjustments will work with every VOGUE pattern, no necessarily the others) with this fitting system, but it worked okay for me.
I realized early on that I would have to shorten the length because I didn't have enough fabric. The fabric is a Waverly cotton print purchased on a whim at this store that (is anti-union, takes advantage of it's employees, and I try really hard not to shop there) starts with W. They had several Waverly prints that made my head spin with possible future dresses, especially vintage summery dresses, but I held back and only purchased one. Anyway, the lack of planning forced me to shorten the original pattern by about four inches. Even if I had those extra four inches, I'm not sure I would have kept them. I'm happy with the finished length.
The Good
It's fitted without restricting movement. I love the armhole even though I might make adjustments if I sew it again. There's never a "free-show, see-more" moment that exposes my undergarments. The back armscye has no gap to get a peek of what's underneath. Same with the front although, it may cut into my arm after extended wear. That's the place I will adjust next time.
This skirt is a great twirler!! There is MUCH fabric in the skirt.
The Ooops!
I don't remember how I measured for the skirt and pleats (I used the pattern as a guide), but when I attached the skirt to the bodice, it fit but the side seams didn't line up. I was not in a mood to figure this out so I just sewed the bodice to the skirt and decided I'd have to go without the side pockets this time. (Because, the skirt side seams are about two inches toward the back of the bodice side seams.) Everything else went together well.
The Cool Stuff
Did you notice this dress has a buttonhole band and a flat collar? Well, the band is a fake! It is all put together like a typical flat collar pattern but there is an extra band attached to the right front only to create the illusion of a band. There is also an extension band for the skirt buttonholes. Clever, vintage pattern makers, very clever.
And that's it, a dress that makes me feel pretty.
Sew on my friends.
My sewing process usually means I cut my patterns out long before I sew them and sometimes I don't remember all the adjustments I made during the cutting session. Also, my sewing time now is usually spread out in 2-4 month increments. That's a long time for this ole' girl to remember all the adjustments I made. For this dress, here's what i DO remember...
Before the cutting session I completed Joi Maron's Fast-Track Fitting class on Craftsy.com (highly recommend). I made fitting adjustments to this dress based on my Vogue Basic Pattern from the class. I am guilty of mixing the pattern companies (the idea is that once you make adjustments on the Vogue basic pattern, the same adjustments will work with every VOGUE pattern, no necessarily the others) with this fitting system, but it worked okay for me.
I realized early on that I would have to shorten the length because I didn't have enough fabric. The fabric is a Waverly cotton print purchased on a whim at this store that (is anti-union, takes advantage of it's employees, and I try really hard not to shop there) starts with W. They had several Waverly prints that made my head spin with possible future dresses, especially vintage summery dresses, but I held back and only purchased one. Anyway, the lack of planning forced me to shorten the original pattern by about four inches. Even if I had those extra four inches, I'm not sure I would have kept them. I'm happy with the finished length.
The Good
It's fitted without restricting movement. I love the armhole even though I might make adjustments if I sew it again. There's never a "free-show, see-more" moment that exposes my undergarments. The back armscye has no gap to get a peek of what's underneath. Same with the front although, it may cut into my arm after extended wear. That's the place I will adjust next time.
This skirt is a great twirler!! There is MUCH fabric in the skirt.
The Ooops!
I don't remember how I measured for the skirt and pleats (I used the pattern as a guide), but when I attached the skirt to the bodice, it fit but the side seams didn't line up. I was not in a mood to figure this out so I just sewed the bodice to the skirt and decided I'd have to go without the side pockets this time. (Because, the skirt side seams are about two inches toward the back of the bodice side seams.) Everything else went together well.
The Cool Stuff
Did you notice this dress has a buttonhole band and a flat collar? Well, the band is a fake! It is all put together like a typical flat collar pattern but there is an extra band attached to the right front only to create the illusion of a band. There is also an extension band for the skirt buttonholes. Clever, vintage pattern makers, very clever.
And that's it, a dress that makes me feel pretty.
Sew on my friends.
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