Actually I finished this a week ago but only got the chance to wear it today and take some photos. I could have just posted a photo of the dress on the hanger but it looks pretty average and shapeless without a body to pad it out.
As a precursor to the post I'd like to say that the photos in this post don't do justice to the dress - mainly because every crease and wrinkle shows up in these photos due to my (poor) material choice - and these aren't anywhere near as obvious in real life.
Material
I used a black cotton-and-something blend with a slight sheen to it for the contrast to complement the black and white patterned mid-to-heavy weight cotton/lycra (I suspect it must be something like this since it has a fair amount of stretch if you tug at it) that I had picked for the body of the dress. I also used a black 16" invisible zip to finish.
Pattern (Colette Patterns: Macaron dress)
I did the right thing this time and made a muslin to make sure that I got the sizing right on this, and as per standard opinion, the Colette sizing was pretty much bang on.
The pattern was overall very straightforward, but when it came to the sleeves I ended up ignoring the instructions - they were confusing and the diagram confused me more than anything.
I was pretty excited with some aspects of the pattern as it marked 2 'firsts' for me - an invisible zip and a blind hem.
Both techniques were achievable after a bit of practice but it took me a bit of time to work out that I could actually put in the invisible zip without a special foot for my machine, contrary to popular opinion. This video definitely helped.
I don't know that the blind hem was the most suitable finish for the dress but I suspect that the stiffness of my fabric has something to do with this opinion.
Would I do it again?
I definitely want to make this again, using different materials. The photos below give you an idea of how the dress hangs and I'm slightly disappointed with how creased the dress is after 15 minutes of wear. The fake sweetheart neckline also doesn't hang very well. I thought that the heaviness of the material would mean that it would sit well on the bust but instead it seems to have resulted in some creasing.
So yes, the creasing is bothering me to no end, which is really quite frustrating seeing as I spent a fair amount of time on the dress making sure that I had fnished all my seams well and taking a lot of time to practice with the blind hemming and the zip. I think next time I'll look to do this in lighter cotton materials next time - maybe in summer brights since we're now in the last month of winter *hurrah*!
8 comments:
I think it's kyoot! Can you make one for me? :P
Thanks Mally - now I just am waiting for Pooey to request one - true to Ly form heheh
Definitely neeeeeeds a drape-y fabric! For my body I'd have to switch the light and dark color blocking but it is such a cute style that it's worth the extra attention
nice nice!!!! i want one! make me one pls! hehehe
*cries* I will never be this talented!!!! *sniff sniff*...i find this so amazing! I was thinking of doing a quick beginner thing at thread den...when things settle down!
Cute! You did a great job!
I know it's hard to see imperfection after you've spent so much time working on the fit, but for what it's worth, I think it's super-cute!
I've had some interesting creases happen after wearing mine, too -- mine are at the shoulder, which makes me think my shoulders are narrower than the pattern thinks they are. Anyway, I guess those creases didn't show up on the muslin? Or you are wearing the real dress much more than the muslin? Maybe you might not have the creasing by using two fabrics that don't stretch at all. ?
@Mary Beth - Drape-y fabric definitely on my to-do list- with a million other things that I suspect I'll never get around to doing. No harm trying though ;)
@Elle Darko - Go for it - I couldn't sew a little over a year ago so if I can do it I think anyone can!
@Antoinette - No creases on the muslin but the weight of the fabric was definitely different- my muslin was really light cotton. Unfortunately it was a non-wearable muslin using scraps of cheap-o material. Just goes to show though that material choice makes a big difference to the end product. I love the bright colours you used so am going to aim for something a little more colourful for my summer version
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