When I heard about an opportunity to move to Vancouver and open Télio’s first showroom out here, I jumped at the opportunity. Flash forward three months, and I was moving my life across Canada! I’ve now been living here almost three years, and I love it. I spend my days running the showroom, where I meet with local designers, manufacturers and retailers, and help them to source fabrics. I also contribute to the Télio blog, Textures, which has been up and running for about two months now.

Tasia and I met two years ago, and I immediately thought she was such a cool lady. I won’t lie, after meeting her I spent hours on her blog learning about her journey, totally in awe. When she asked me to lend a hand, I was thrilled! It’s been tons of fun helping her with sewing samples, and taking care of e-mails. It certainly keeps me busy on my evenings and weekends, but I don’t mind – it doesn’t feel like work when you enjoy what you’re doing. I’m so excited and honored to be a part of her team, and to start blogging in her little corner of the online sewing community!

And there you have it; a little peek into the path that brought me here!

So to kick things off, I wanted to show you guys one of my favorite Sewaholic makes so far, my cheetah print Alma blouse! I’m not usually big on loud animal prints, but when I saw this fabric at Télio, something about it just spoke to me! I immediately thought it would be perfect for a fun Alma blouse.

I used a cheetah print cotton poplin from Télio. It’s a lovely light weight, but not sheer at all. One suggestion I have for using cottons: always be sure to pre-wash! Cottons will always shrink during the wash/dry cycle, so I always make sure to give them a good pre-wash before cutting.

This blouse came together in a flash. This is partially due to the fact that I decided to omit the side seam zip. When I made my muslin, I was able to pull the sample over my head easily without a zip, so I just went with it! I wouldn’t suggest this with a delicate fabric though.

I considered doing a contrast collar and tie belt, but in the end I decided to do everything in the same fabric. It really lets the animal print shine! There is no distraction with a different colored collar or belt.

You might notice that the sleeve length is shortened from View B. This was a super easy customization, I just hacked off few inches from the View B sleeve.

I also lengthened the pattern by about an inch and a half, and took it out just a tiny bit at the hips…

The photo above is a quick snapshot of this adjustment. I try to always trace out my patterns, and I knew the Alma would be a repeat make for me, so I was sure to take the time to trace this one. You can see that I lengthened the bodice, and brought the hips out a little. This is an adjustment I commonly make with more fitted patterns, since I have a longer torso and fuller hips, and I like some extra room in that area. I just copied this adjustment to the back bodice piece, and voila! Super easy.

Did I mention I love this blouse? It’s flirty, and girly, and kind of feisty too! Hope you enjoyed reading a bit more about me, and my cheetah print Alma Blouse. I’m looking forward to sharing more sewing projects, tips, and inspiration with you.

Back to the dress!

It was really sunny out so all of my photos turned out very pale. In some the dress looks almost white! (And my shoes completely blend in with my legs. It’s a bit weird but we can’t complain about sunshine after all the rain we’ve had!) To be honest, I’m not thrilled with the photos, I feel like they don’t do the dress justice. Light colours in bright sunlight are hard to photograph!

Here is the first version of the dress here, now faded and pulling apart at the seams, too worn out to wear. Goodbye, old dress! (Many of you suggested that I keep the fabric and try to do something with it, and I will. Or I plan to, anyways, it’s in my scrap box waiting for me to learn to quilt.)

The fabric is a Nani Iro double gauze that I bought at Spool of Thread. The last time I was there, they still had some in stock! It’s lined with a cream cotton voile from Télio. 

Double-gauze fabric seems like it would be sheer, but with a lining of cotton voile it’s quite opaque. I’m wearing a black bra and you can hardly tell!

The bra I’m wearing has a slightly vintage shape to it, so it fits the dart placement of this 1965 pattern well and has less of a rounded effect. I’d tried this dress on a few times with a modern padded push-up bra and you can really tell the difference. This bra makes my chest look smaller, but more suited to the bodice of this dress. It’s really true what they say in fitting books, wear the bra you plan to wear with the finished garment when fitting a dress! You can see the different bra shape in the side view photo here.

I changed the neckline, raising the back to cover the back bra strap and lowering the front so it would sit more comfortably. I also lengthened the bodice a little, but with the change in bra it now looks like there’s a little too much space in there, especially if I’m not standing or sitting up perfectly straight. (No slouching in this dress!) Probably if I were to make it again, and plan to wear the same bra, I’d go back to the shorter bodice, or alter it again so the length is in between the two.

I made the belt! It’s a bit over-the-top sweet but I like to have the option to wear it. I think for a daytime summer wedding it would be pretty with the bow belt. (Who are we kidding, I’ll probably always wear the bow belt, it’s adorable!) The bow pattern piece was missing but I faked it with a piece cut the same width as the belt, and 18″ long.

The belt is secured with heavy-duty snaps. (Or poppers, or press studs.) These are the type of snaps that are hard to open again, so they’re great for a snug belt. I sewed them very securely, going around the holes several times. I wore this dress to walk outside, take the photos, and wore it while I typed up these notes. The snap didn’t budge at all! (Very reassuring for wearing the dress for longer periods of time.)

The skirt did not actually end up longer than my first version, because I followed the pattern instructions for hemming the skirt with a wide hem. (Because I’d already trimmed the lining to the finished length, which gets tucked in the fold of the skirt, and I didn’t mind it being shorter.) I kind of forgot what I had planned, as I worked on this dress in stolen moments of time, a couple minutes here and there.

The instructions call for you to trim the lining to the finished length of the skirt, so the hem of the skirt fabric folds up and over the raw edge of the lining. Then you sew the hem to the lining, so the hemming stitches are completely invisible on the right side. It’s nice because the lining doesn’t separate from the skirt and there’s no possibility of it hanging down longer than the skirt, but it doesn’t allow for any changes to the hem length after cutting.

Next time, especially as I’m thinking of making a solid-colour version, I will add to the length. It’s cuter when it’s short, but a couple of inches would help bring it from cute to elegant.

The other thing about lining cotton fabric with cotton lining is that the layers stick together a bit, so the skirt can look wrinkled when in fact it’s the two layers of fabric gripping to each other. It’s soft and very comfortable, and it will be breathable in the summer heat, but it requires a little smoothing out now and then! (Something to think about for your upcoming summer sewing projects.)

I hand-picked the zipper. (Tutorial here!)

I did a bound buttonhole at the back opening, but sewed the button on top of the buttonhole through both layers so it’s not functional.

And on the inside, I whipstitched the loose edge because I remember safety-pinning the first version of the dress in place.

Hm, what else? I really like how this turned out. The shape of the dress is simple so that the pretty, girly fabric doesn’t look too cutesy. (Something with gathers or ruffles would probably be too much cute.) I loved the original dress so much that I literally wore it out, so it’s nice to have a new version.

Here’s the back view – not a great photo of the dress as I’m twisted around, but you get the general idea! (I have better photos of the back from the first version.)

This is the beauty of sewing – no dress is ever irreplaceable! You can use the same pattern, look for similar fabric, and re-make a dress you love as many times as you want. Even if you’ve lost the pattern and have to buy it again, it’s still worthwhile to get the dress of your dreams back.

More posts about this dress:

• McCalls 7743: Revisiting a Favourite Vintage Dress
• Surprising Things about McCalls 7743
• A Different Kind of Waist Stay

I did a quick search to see if this pattern is for sale anywhere, but sadly no! It appears that there are at least two other patterns called McCalls 7743 and neither is this dress. It’s a good one though, pick it up if you see it!

What do you think of version #2? (What would you pick for version #3?)

It’s really quite smart, you sew seam binding into the skirt’s waistline seam, edge-stitching the top and bottom so it’s nice and strong, and then when the bodice and skirt are sewn together, there’s a stable, thick waistline seam in there to accentuate the waistline and strengthen that area of the garment. This is what I love about vintage sewing patterns, there’s always a few little gems in there, construction methods that we don’t see that often in simple modern sewing patterns.

If you have a dress with a waistline seam, you could add this to your project too!

Here’s how it’s done. First cut a length of seam binding according to the guide. The guide is basically the measurement of the skirt’s waistline, if you are adding this to a different pattern. Or, if you think the waistline needs to be a little tighter, cut it the length you want the waistline to be, plus seam allowance on each side.

Sew the skirt pieces together, and pin the seam binding to the top edge of the waistline. Baste in place. (I think I skipped basting and went right to sewing it permanently.)

Now, edgestitch both the upper and lower edges of the seam binding. These two rows of stitching help to strengthen the waistline, as adding topstitching adds stiffness. Sewing it to both sides makes it strong and keeps one side from stretching out. This seam allowance doesn’t get trimmed, we’ve sewn the binding to the seam allowance and it’s going to stay that wide.

Now, sew the bodice to the skirt, along the seamline. The seamline is going to be right where the seam binding ends. Here’s what it will look like when it’s sewn. I’m glad I have contrast stitching to show you!

Here is what it looks like as we sew up the lining:

It’s going to be hidden between the layers, nothing more fancy than a strong, untrimmed allowance reinforced with binding. Our waistline will never stretch out but it won’t be too restrictive either.

A step back, looking at the same thing as the last photo:

And that’s it! It’s completely hidden in the inner workings of the dress.

What do you think of this method? Does it count as a ‘waist stay’ in your opinion? Have you ever seen this type of construction in a sewing pattern before?

For one, you make a bound buttonhole at the top of the back opening. Seems like a lot of work, doesn’t it? In all the years I wore the first version of this dress, I never once had to unbutton the button on the tab. This time, I’m going to make the bound buttonhole for looks but sew the button flat on top of both layers.

I didn’t notice this the first time, but the instructions suggest you line the skirt with sew-in interfacing! I’m guessing that it would create even more of an A-line silhouette, a bell-like structured skirt. Perhaps for a very thin fabric that would be a good idea!

Either way, it’s quite unusual. Have you ever seen that before in a pattern, an interfaced skirt? It’s surprising because there’s no interfacing used anywhere else in the garment besides the belt.

Speaking of the belt, how cute is this bow?

The made-up pattern piece worked great so I’m glad I’ve noted it down for next time. So cute! (Now you’ve seen the fabric choice too, I love it! Great minds think alike – Karen from Didyoumakethat just made a skirt in this exact same fabric!)

I didn’t remember this from the first time around, probably because I skipped it, but there’s a waist stay built into the dress. It’s done in a neat way and I think I’ll show it off in a separate post, because it looks like a good method to build stability into the waistline without too much work or bulk.

More to come! It’s nice to sew something just for fun, and finally make a second version of a dress I loved.

The pattern is McCalls 7743, a vintage dress pattern from 1965. I’ve worn the first version of this dress (the one in the picture above) so many times that it’s worn right out. The neckline has developed holes, the fabric is fading and the underarms are worn down.

This is one of the amazing benefits to sewing. If your favourite handmade dress starts to wear out, you can make it again! There’s no worry of not being able to find a similar style or fit in stores. (Unless you love shopping. To me, the thought of searching the mall for a new dress as good as the old one is not a fun idea!) When you sew, you can make the same style, with the same fit, all over again.

So I dug out the pattern,

and found that I’d left myself some clues!

I’d traced off the bodice front and back pieces after making it the first time, I know it must be after the first version because I didn’t make any changes the first time around. (Did I make changes on the traced pieces? Let’s see! I don’t remember tracing these off…)

Comparing the new pieces to the originals shows me that I’d lowered the neckline on the front, and raised the V in the back.

Raising the back was one of the changes I wanted to make for round two, as I knew that my bra was sometimes showing. I’d wear a dark bra so it wasn’t bright red showing, and pull it as far down my back as I could, but I could feel it creeping up throughout the day, and who wants to be constantly fiddling with their underwear? Not me.

I also wanted to add to the bodice length, as it was just a little bit too high for my natural waistline. Fine for wearing on its own, but a belt would naturally slip into my real waist, just a hint lower than the dress’s waist seam.

Want to know more about lengthening a bodice? Check out this older post here. (I just noticed that in this photo I hadn’t finished redrawing the sideseams, don’t worry I did fix up that pointed edge!)

I’d also pinned up the hemline of the skirt pieces three years ago. Compared to the first dress, the pieces are about 2″ longer, which seems perfect. I like the short hemline but I agree with my previous self that it could use just a touch more length.

The only problem I found is that the belt’s ‘Bow’ piece is missing. It looks to be about the same width as the belt piece, and about half the length, so I’m going to start there and adjust if needed. (I cut my bow piece 18″ long, using the belt pattern piece to measure off the width.)

I sewed the first version of this dress when I was still employed – that’s how long ago it was! (I only remember because I would sew it before work, at 6 in the morning, and still managed to sew it fairly quickly. It’ll be even faster this time around, I’m sure!)

As I fixed up the pattern, I thought about what kind of fabric to use. I love the multicoloured cotton print of the original but also thought the pattern would make an amazing solid-coloured dress to wear with everything. This is a wonderfully bike-able dress because the A-line skirt allows room to pedal, but is not so full to expose anything. (Totally safe if a gust of wind comes my way! Or if I pedal really fast…)

Wondering what fabric I decided to use for version 2? Come back soon to find out!

It may not be the most interesting sewing project ever, but it almost didn’t happen! In its previous life, this fabric was a failed dress project, doomed to the scrap bin for over a year.

This used to be a sample of the Cambie Dress, while I was still working out the design. The bodice wasn’t quite right, which made the dress unwearable in its current state.

Once I’d finalized the Cambie pattern, I had no more need for this dress prototype. In fact I regretted using good fabric when the design wasn’t ready. (Should have made just one more muslin first!) So I’d stashed it in the scrap bin for future refashioning. Out of sight, out of mind!

After making the Lauriel Cardigan, in all its bright golden glory, I needed something to go with it. Something fairly muted, a little feminine, with hints of yellow. I was purging the scrap bin and remembered how pretty this fabric was and how unfortunate that I’d wasted it. That’s where I came up with the idea to rework this dress into a skirt! I’d save it from the scrap bin and complete an outfit, all with one project.

If you’ve ever made a dress that didn’t turn out quite right, if the lower half fits or has plenty of volume to work with, why not turn it into a skirt?! It’s easiest with full pleated or gathered skirts, as you can easily re-gather or re-pleat it into a new waistband. It’s also easiest if your dress has a waist, with bodice and skirt pieces joined along a seamline, so it’s easy to decide where the skirt begins.

First, save the skirt pieces. Carefully unpick the waistline seam, or cut below the seamline. (I cut to save time, and also because I knew there was plenty of length in the skirt. If your dress is on the short side, unpick the seam instead to save every bit of length!)

Make sure the zipper is open and the tab is below the waistline where you’re going to cut. You want that tab on the new skirt!

Make any necessary repairs. For the pockets I’d originally tried to secure them into the waist seam, figuring they wouldn’t flop around as much, but it wasn’t very comfortable to put your hands in them that way. So I re-drew the pocket line, and sewed and serged the pocket.

Cut a waistband. I thought of using a contrast navy fabric for visual interest, but also because my scraps of this blue floral fabric were too small to cut the full piece. Instead I decided to piece the waistband out of the leftover floral fabric. I placed the pieced seams at the sides, so the waistband ended up being three pieces.

I used the Hollyburn Skirt‘s waistband piece, and added a 1 1/2″ overlap and underlap to place a button.

I regathered the skirt to fit the new waistband. You could pleat yours, but gathering is the fastest and easiest.

Lastly, I attached the waistband, and topstitched all around it.

I sewed one button to the top of the waistband, and one as a stay button on the inside.

A tip about stay buttons – save the ones that come in a plastic bag with purchased pants! I inherited a bunch of buttons and about half of the buttons were the extra sets that come with store-bought dress pants.

Bonus: the skirt was already hemmed from when it was a dress!

I love this mustard-yellow seam binding. Another thing that was too pretty to waste.

Success! A new skirt, a project saved from the scrap bin, and something to wear with my Lauriel cardigan.

Have you ever done this with a dress, either a purchased dress or a sewing project that didn’t work out? It’s easy to do! You could always re-attach the skirt to a new bodice in a coordinating colour. If you’re going to do that, look for a pattern that has a waist seam so it’s easy to swap in your new gathered skirt.

I was drawn to the autumnal colours when I bought it, but looking at it next to some of the prettier, brighter coloured fabrics on my shelf, it started to look a bit ugly. For a fabric that borders on the ugly, a pretty sewing pattern is a must!

That’s where the Cambie Dress pattern comes in – it even looks good in ugly fabric!

You may have noticed this dress in my February recap post, I wore it for my high school talks as it’s a crowd-pleaser!

I quite like how this version of the Cambie Dress turned out. When it’s cool outside, I tend to wear and love warm, earthy colours, so this dress fits nicely into my fall/winter wardrobe. (And I find it hard to reach for bright or pale colours on gloomy days.) Mustard, brown and forest greens feel natural to wear in the cooler weather.

I went with the straight-across neckline (see how to create your own straight neckline here) to echo the blocky lines of the geometric print. Because the skirt is so fully gathered, the patchwork-like design is hidden in the folds of the skirt, showing flashes of colour as the skirt swishes, instead of straight lines. It’s worked out very well!

I pinned a vintage brooch to the bodice where the straps connect, for an extra touch of gold. Fancy! I think that concept would look even better on a solid dress.

There was a bench nearby, so I sat for a couple of photos. Let me tell you, sitting-down photos look really strange if you don’t stretch your legs out. That’s my amateur modeling tip of the day!

I was lucky to get a couple hours of dry weather to take photos outside – a welcome break from the non-stop rain!

I lined the fabric in a forest-green rayon. I had odd pieces on hand so the skirt and bodice are different shades of the same colour, but no one will see! (You can’t even tell the lining is green unless I show you. Or if I ride my bike on a windy day…)

I really like this dress! I thought the fabric was doomed but in the right pattern, it works quite nicely I think!

Do some of the fabrics you buy start to look less attractive or dull next to the others on your shelf? Have you ever bought a piece of fabric that seemed awesome, but started to look ugly when you brought it home? How did you make it work?

Want to make your own Cambie Dress? Get the pattern here.

One last thing! I also did a hand-picked zipper on this dress, and I think I’ll do a quick post to demonstrate how to sew a hand-picked zipper into the Cambie Dress. I did a few things differently from the instructions to make it easy to insert and finish off the opening edge. It’s not difficult to do at all!

I sure know what I like – colourful, printed, feminine dresses. Dresses like this are so easy to wear. I’ll add a cardigan, boots and tights in the winter, maybe even an extra pair of socks on top of the tights and a warm hat. In summer, a printed dress is the easiest thing to throw on. Just a pair of comfy flats or cute sandals and I’m good to go!

(For some reason, the heat has been cranked up in my office, so it was no problem to model the dress without tights or a sweater…just in case you were wondering why I don’t look cold here!)

Plus, since the background of the print is dark, it counts as a wintery dress in my mind. (As opposed to a light or white-based print, which looks too summery for wearing with black tights.)

Modifications:

I cut a straight size 2 except for the skirt pieces.

I cut the size 18 skirt bottom, both length and width. Why? I wanted a little more fullness in the gathered skirt. I could tell from the sample photos that the skirt was not very full, and I like more fullness both for comfort and for the silhouette. Rather than overthink it, by using the largest size skirt pattern I was able to add a couple more inches of extra fullness in the gathers.

(the border print looks great in this pattern!)

Sewing Notes:

Mark the centre front of the skirt! I like to make a little snip into the fold so it’s easier to line up the gathers. Make sure to snip the centre front of the bodice if needed, although on the Hazel the seamlines meet in the centre front so it’s easy to line up.

If you wanted to use a regular zipper, a 14″ would be the right length, a little on the long side but 12″ is too short. I was going to use a regular zipper, but then decided to follow the directions and use an invisible one since I had one on hand. (I prefer regular zippers but I do like how the invisibles look.)

(the strap is slipping in this photo but I swear they do properly cover my bra straps!)

The waist is a little higher than my natural waist.. but I really liked the proportions of the dress that way! The skirt is on the long side, and the bodice is on the short side, so I look a little taller while still having plenty of leg coverage. (Or perhaps I don’t look much taller, but it does make the legs look longer as opposed to having a long torso and short legs..)

Like my Chantilly, it’s a little loose through the ribcage and waist, but I like it. If I want it to show off the figure more, I’ll wear a cardigan and button it at the waistline only, but in the meantime it’s nice to be able to eat a big meal.

The bust darts are a teeny bit pointy. To avoid the pointed look, sew the darts with a bit of a curve. Which I did, but they’re still a little prominent, partly because of the shape and partly because my fabric is quite crisp. I’m thinking of replacing the darts with gathers, perhaps on a future version.

(you can see the darts a little bit in this photo)

I finished the waist seam allowances and tacked the facings to the bodice, both things weren’t specifically noted in the instructions but I did out of habit. I also topstitched the waist seam for no real reason. It’ll be hidden under a belt most times I wear this dress, I’d imagine.

I also thought about making this project complicated: adding lining, adding underlining to the bodice, lace to the lining hem, maybe some piping along the top edge.. and then decided to keep it simple! Sometimes it’s great to pick up and sew a simple project as is, and let the fabric and styling stand alone. I’ll save the piping and embellishments for Hazel Number Two.

Overall thoughts? A great, simple, quick-to-sew sundress that’s perfect for printed fabrics where you want the print to be the focus.

Make again? You bet! Are you surprised that I already have plenty of fabric that would be suitable for more Hazels?

Have you made the Hazel dress?

Rachel W said it well when she talked about taking time away from work to sew for pleasure: “And then there’s the guilt– I’m convinced that my customers are waiting just outside my windows. Watching me take time off. JUDGING.” Rachel, I hear you!

Many of you suggested that I get a separate machine for home, which is a great idea if I had the space and the funds. I’m in a small apartment that simply has no room for a sewing space! (I actually tried to set up a second sewing machine in the bedroom at one point last year, that didn’t work out too well…) Not to mention I’d have to buy a second machine, plus a whole new set of tools to keep at home. Unless we end up in a house or larger apartment, it’s not going to work. Mr Sewaholic was pretty happy to get me out of his home office, he’s not going to let me back in!

In January, I made a real effort to close the computer and just sew for at least a couple of hours on Fridays. Even if that couple hours comes right at the end of the day, once the work is done.

Here’s the proof! I made a muslin of the Hazel Dress:

My hand is demonstrating where my actual waistline falls. I decided to leave the waistline as designed.

Showing off the pockets! I decided I wanted a little more fullness in the skirt, so I cut a larger size. I also added length because I’m conservative like that, and in the summer I prefer slightly longer dresses for cycling. (It may seem backwards, but I like short skirts in the winter, longer skirts in the summer. Shorter skirts in winter means that less skirt sticks out from my coat and gets rained on. Longer in summer leaves less chance of exposing myself, plus it fully covers my unsexy bike shorts.)

While I had the muslin out, I also muslin-ed Parfait!

Isn’t that a flattering bodice, with the gathers and midriff piece?

You can see the difference in fit between the two designs. They’re the exact same size, but one is quite snug (Parfait) and one is fitted with ease to eat and move (Hazel).

This next photo demonstrates a simple reason to make a muslin – the dress straps are placed too far apart to cover my bra straps. It’s something that isn’t a big deal as far as fit goes, but it would make the finished dress so much better! Take a photo of yourself from the back when fitting, I may not have noticed this without taking the photo.

I can see that the skirt back doesn’t fit perfectly from this photo. It’s pulling upwards at centre back, causing diagonal wrinkles. There’s extra fabric at the sides which is giving my silhouette a little side fluff. It would be hardly noticeable in the finished garment especially in a bold print, but I can fix that!

You can see the extra fabric better from the side view here:

It’s like if I were to pinch out that extra fabric, the skirt would hang better.

Since the Hazel muslin fit fairly well, that’s where I went next. Parfait is on hold for now. although that bodice detailing is gorgeous and I have a great piece of fabric all lined up.

Isn’t this floral border print perfect for Hazel? It’s a vintage cotton print, I can tell because it’s only 35″ wide. Luckily the Hazel doesn’t require a lot of fabric!

I also wrote on my sewing table, you can see it in the photo above. I marked off ’1 METRE’ and ’1 YARD’ lengths on my table for quick measuring of fabric. This way if I find a piece in my collection, it’s easy to measure it off quickly to find out how much I have.

At my previous job, I had to measure and count all kinds of things – tape, ribbon, elastic – so I had the table in the notions area all marked up to make the job quicker. This table isn’t precious, so I didn’t mind marking it up a little if it made my life easier. You might not want to do this with your table at home.

How do I feel about the start of Freedom Fridays? I feel 90% great, and 10% guilty for not sewing up the striped Renfrew Top and writing tutorials for it. (But I’ll get there, and I’ll probably feel more inspired to do it since I’m getting some fun sewing in my week as well.) I’m excited about my new Hazel Dress and I’m looking forward to working out the fitting of Parfait.

Most importantly, I feel like I’m getting in that sewing time that I’ve been missing, and know that even though Mondays are busy, by the end of the week I’ll be back in front of the sewing machine, making stuff!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

I sewed up the dress in today’s post way back in the summer, after coming in on a weekend to sew for fun. I was feeling the need to make something just for the enjoyment of sewing. With all of the sewing I do for instructions or tutorials, it’s nice to make something with no strings attached now and then. It didn’t turn out well, but it didn’t turn out disastrously enough to make for a good story. So I never finished the blog post about it. (Why blog about something I feel unattached to, when there are more interesting things to talk about?)

Anyways, I thought I would share this project anyways, since it’s finished. Proof that sometimes I make things that are okay, but not exactly as I hoped.

In the first post I drafted, it’s like I was trying to convince you (and myself) that I likedd it. I edited out the ‘it’s bold but I like it anyways!’ lies out of here so it would be more true. Can I tell you a secret? This dress is still hanging in my office, unworn.

Pattern is Simplicity 8498, from 1969. The design lines on the front are simple and flattering, but unfortunately you can hardly see them at all in this fabric!

(looking at these photos reminds me of how hot it was this past summer!)

I did some nice finishing techniques on the inside. The facings are trimmed with bias tape, and to make them look more professional I stitched them with a small stitch length. I think it looks rather nice! (You can see the interesting design lines better on the inside-out photos.)

Personally, I like when there are two separate facing pieces for the armhole and the neckline. I know many patterns do the all-in-one facing but I like sewing these type of facings better. I like that I can understitch completely around  the armhole or neckline, instead of understitching only as far as I can work the facing under the machine. (Simplicity 3965, the pattern I made three times, has these type of facings too.)

I had just enough to add bias tape to the hem, too!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a hand-picked zipper, and it’s still my favourite zipper technique. (Want to know how to add a hand-picked zipper to your projects? Click here to read a tutorial.)

The fabric is a cotton twill I bought ages ago on sale. The only modifications I made were to shorten the dress by 3″. I had added extra ease at the hip, but in this A-line style I didn’t need the extra, and took the seams in after the dress was sewn.

Here’s the pattern cover. (Notice that they’re all illustrated in solid fabrics? Hmm… the pattern is giving me a hint that I clearly ignored.)

I love the golden brocade maxi version, with the sequin trim! Look closely, there’s sequin trim along the hemline as well.

For a test dress, this version turned out all right. But here’s the thing – normally, things I love get taken home and worn right away. I’ve even worn sweaters I knit before the buttons are even attached. (Partly out of love, partly because I really need sweaters!)

So what don’t I like about it? For one thing, the fabric isn’t quite right. It’s way too stiff – closer to the weight of a heavy denim – and feels like it could stand up by itself. It’s way, way too bright for my liking, and I usually like bright! It looks better in these photographs than it does in real life. And it’s pretty much a summer-season only dress, it looks garish and showy in the fall and winter.

It’s also a little loose on me, partly because of the style, and partly because the heavy fabric makes it stand out from the body like a board. I’ve changed shape a little and now it’s definitely too loose, but not softly draping loose, which would be pretty, but thick and tent-like loose.

And lastly, it lacks the things I like about dresses. I like fitted waistlines, full skirts, pockets for practicality. I can’t belt it and I’m not certain it feels like me. This pattern design is pretty, but different from my usual style, which means that it’s going to be less likely to be worn if I don’t absolutely love it. (It’s kind of like if you never wear dresses, or bright colours, and then try to jump into dress-wearing with a brightly coloured, bold printed dress. Too much change!)

So what did I learn from this project?

• Identify what you like about a pattern, style or garment, and stick with it! I liked the simple, clean lines of this dress pattern, which are best shown in a solid fabric. The illustrations are all done in solid or textured fabrics, no prints. I immediately envisioned a simple, navy dress where you can see the elegant seaming, but decided to make it in floral cotton twill instead. Compromising on your original vision means it won’t be the dress of your dreams. (Which can work out into a pleasant surprise, but it could backfire too.)
• If a garment doesn’t feel like ‘you’ you’ll never wear it. And sometimes even when things seem like they’re adding up – interesting yet subtle pattern details, a bright print, a colourful dress – the finished product might not have the right look and feel. When you’re just learning to sew, it takes practice and experimentation to get really good at matching a pattern with the right fabric. Sometimes even if you’re experienced, the stars don’t align and the project bombs. (It might even be worse if you’re more experienced. Beginners are more cautious when selecting materials. I look at a scary-bright fabric and never-used pattern and think, maybe I could make it work!)
• Fabric hand and drape is very important. Not only is this fabric stiff on its own, but it’s the type of print where the ink sits on top of the fabric, creating an even stiffer hand. Too-stiff fabrics can make your projects look homemade rather than handcrafted. I think that might be my biggest issue with this dress, it doesn’t look elegant or sophisticated, but stiff and homemade.
• If at first you don’t succeed, learn from it and try again! Am I giving up on this pattern? Absolutely not! It has the potential to be gorgeous, in the right fabric. Again, I am going to focus on what I liked about the design at first glance – the interesting seaming – and focus my project on that. (And maybe some sequin trim.)

Have you made a less-than-perfect project, and what did you learn from it? Did you ever come back to the pattern a second time with better results?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Here’s hoping all of your creative endeavours turn out just like you want them to. Happy sewing!