Completed New Look 6826 - Phew!

From my last couple of posts it's clear that this dress caused me some problems when, in actual fact, it should have been fairly straight-forward!

So let's get going with the review.......

From my past experiences (which are limited, granted) I decided to increase the darts in the bodice and reduce the amount of material in the neckline before I cut the pattern. I was hoping this would solve my 'full-breasted' issue and help the neckline to sit flat. And it worked - YIPEE!
My first pattern adjustment and it was a success, who would have thought it.

Moving on to the dart situation.
I sewed and then re-sewed the bust dart approximately 10 times. I couldn't escape the 'cone-shaped breast' look and felt Madonna was the only person that could pull this off!
But lo and behold, a comment from Vintage Girl saved the day (thanks for that!)
I was reminded that the dart needed to taper off the fabric to nothing rather than be sewn to a point and, taking some extra care (and by that I mean sewing slowly), I finally managed it!

I also had a problem with the darts in the back of the body. Thanks to my round bottom, the darts separated too much - which meant the back of the dress lost it's shape and made my bottom look even rounder. Only way to overcome this was to sew down the darts. Turns out, this not only totally fixed the shaping issues but also looks pretty cool!

My next problem was sizing. In terms of pattern sizing, my measurements are as follows:
Bust - 12 / Waist - 16 / Hips - 16
So I sewed accordingly. My gut feeling was that the bodice was too big, especially as it needed to sit nicely under the breast in order to work as an empire line. But I didn't follow my gut and put everything together anyway.
Foolish!
It was definitely too big (which, to be honest, does wonders for a girls confidence!) but it also meant that, if I intended on wearing the dress, it needed further adjustments.

A call to my mother-in-law (retired designer for Jaeger and Topshop), gave me my solution - I was to pull in more material into the bodice darts and similarly, pull in the same amount into the pleats on the body. Genius. And success!
She also explained that this is probably what I should for future patterns anyway, given my measurements - apparently it's a neat way to take sizing from 12 to 16 without the excess all ending up in the side seams....

So enough of my chat, here's the final product:

So it turns out, after all the issues I had, I kinda like it.

I think the main reason for this is because it has taught me a lot! Pattern adjustments, darts, fitting adjustments....this one had it all for me.

And even though I turned a fairly straight-forward pattern into a bit of a mission, it worked. So I'm happy.

(apologies for length of post on this one - it would seem I had a lot to say!)

Well, There Were Definitely Issues

My latest project is FINALLY complete.

I felt like giving up with this one - there were a number of issues along the way and at each point, I was ready to put it aside and move on to the next.

Bodice darts created cone shaped breasts; Necklines wouldn't sit flat; The bodice was larger than expected; Back darts were too short.

Yes, there were definitely issues. However, I ploughed through and I'm actually pleased that I did.

'Proper' shots to follow tomorrow but thought I'd pass on a taster...... (please ignore the lack of ironing as its late at night here now and, to be honest, I don't like to iron at the best of times!)

At the end of the day, it's finished and it's wearable - it will never be a favourite of mine but hey ho......it means I can move onto the next and learn from mistakes made.

Which also means that I got to visit the fabric store today (possibly the best part of sewing?!) and I bought these...

Yes, you have spotted more needlecord at the bottom right there (I just couldn't resist) but I'm actually most looking forward to using the animal print. Fabric details escape me I'm afraid but I already have something in mind for it!

More to come on that tomorrow......along with detailed review of New Look 6826.

Completed New Look 6457 - Albeit A Little Short

First week back at work after the Christmas and New Year break. Always tough, no matter how much you enjoy  your job.

This year, the first week back was made a little more bearable by the fact that I've spent virtually all of my non-working hours doing the one thing we all love to do....sitting at the sewing machine and finishing something.

My first complete project of 2011 - New Look 6457 (option E) with amendments

Ok, I'll begin by admitting that my judgment in terms of skirt length was slightly off and this dress is even a little short for me. There's no getting away from it. That being said, when worn with jodhpur leggings rather than flimsy tights, it's not entirely ridiculous.

Construction wise, this was a fairly easy creation.
Instructions are straight-froward and there are fewer pieces than other patterns I've made in the past which always limits the number of mistakes one can make!

My only issue was with the neckline......it ended up sitting fairly awkwardly, creating gaps between the dress and my chest.

In the end, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was suffering from my age-old issue I have with clothing - my bust is fuller than the pattern allowance.

Unfortunately, it was a little late for 'hidden' adjustments on this one so I had no choice but to add darts into the neckline to remove the excess material and make it lay flat against my chest.......
Now, diagonal darts (that I could have made look as though they were purposefully added) just wouldn't flow into the bust seams smoothly, no matter how hard I tried. And the harder I tried, the more frustrated I became.
So eventually I succumbed to the final lone option of adding a centre dart instead. It wasn't particularly pretty, but on a positive note, it called for some fabulous buttons to act as camouflage.

I also added an external, fully visible zip to the dress, updating the pattern to match current designs you might find in the shops. I tend to have a soft spot for them.

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the results and have learnt my lesson to include darts into the pattern from the beginning when making anything with a low neckline............
Alternatively, I could stop being so lazy and create a muslin version before moving onto the real thing.

Hmmmm, anyone else suffer from the temptation to skip the (often much needed) practice piece???

Birthday Treat & Winter Dresses

My standard winter attire consists of:

Dresses - Tights - Boots.

I'm known for it amongst my friends, but it's something with which I'm happy to be associated. For a start, it allows for the application of 1960s inspiration wherever possible - always a good thing - and it's also super comfy.

Just for a bit of insight....you'll never see me in jeans or trousers (unless I'm at home in my pjs), due to the fact that the resulting split between my top and bottom half emphasises all areas of my pear shaped figure that I would, on a regular basis, attempt to disguise.

So, I'm on a mission this winter to make myself some seasonal dresses to accompany my ever faithful tights and boots combo.

Its my birthday today, so I decided to treat myself and took a trip to the fabric store on my lunchbreak. I'm never one for knowing exactly what I'm looking for when I go to the store - given that I'm fairly new to this, I guess I like to feel the fabric in my hands before making final decisions. I deliberate massively which inevitably means I spend hours wondering around each aisle before eventually opting for the first fabric I found!

But not today. Today I knew what I was going in for. I wanted needlecord.

I'm not sure where my fascination with needlecord comes from. My mum loved dressing me in it as a child so maybe it stems from that but really, I just think the texture of the fabric is so seasonsal - thick, warm and soft. Perfect.

I searched, found and bought all in the space of 20 minutes. Definitely a record.

I bought these patterns a while ago and they've, so far, sat in the bottom of the drawer but I have now deemed them worthy of my new needlecord.......

I plan on making option E from New Look 6457 (the main picture) but have already decided to shortern the skirt considerably and ignore the piping. I guess I'm going for 'kitsch' rather than ' prim' on this one.

I have high hopes for New Look 6826. Option B definitely epitomises that 60s look and the blue needlecord should work nicely.

So my next projects have been decided. I love that feeling. Full of anticipation and hope followed by the longing to get home and sit at the machine.
Unfortunately, I'll have to make do with my laptop at work until 5pm.
Rubbish.