Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Chadwicks Dress is finished!


Fabric:
100% yellow linen with embroidered border print from Joann's of all places!


Pattern:
TNT dress pattern

Notions:
2.5 yards yellow ambiance lining
20" tan invisible zipper
4 yards of yellow bias binding


Pattern Adjustment:
*I laid the front yoke piece on top of the regular dress front piece. Then I added a piece of pattern paper on top of both pieces to trace a center front panel and a side front piece.


*The center front panel was traced at 10" wide (a 5" piece with a center front fold) to accommodate my border piece. I added a 5/8" seam allowance to the side seam of the panel.

*I then traced the side front panel, minus the yoke piece, adding a 5/8" seam allowance to it.

Those simple changes were all I needed to make to the front of my TNT pattern to achieve the look of the Chadwicks Dress.

Construction Steps:
~I cut the center front pattern from the embroidered border of the fabric.

~I sewed the darts in the side fronts, then sewed the center panel to each side front.

~The seams were pressed to the center of the panel and then topstitched down using the triple stitch on my Janome.

~The yoke was then added to this piece and the same topstitching applied to that seam also.



A few simple sewing steps and I had reconstructed the front of the inspiration dress. Since I couldn't find any pics of the back of the dress, I made it the same way that I make all of my sheath dresses. However, I did use an invisible zipper insertion for this dress. It's an okay insertion...not perfect...not bad. I will keep practicing these until I get better...and I will keep talking about it! *LOL*

The best thing about working with a TNT pattern is that all of the fitting challenges have been resolved. So when I tried the dress on there were no surprises. Except for the fact that I love the way the front panel slims me and how great the dress looks on me. You can imagine something but it doesn't always work...this time it worked better than I thought it would!


This is the third finished piece in the yellow wardrobe. Next up is another skirt. The remaining pieces to be sewn are three jackets and two more dresses. It's looking like I will manage to get all of these pieces finished in time for my 4th of July deadline. I'm really enjoying the challenge of sewing this wardrobe and am glad that you are along for the journey with me!



66 comments:

  1. I love this dress! So pretty and cheerful - yellow is a good color for you

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  2. Fabulous job! You knocked that off splendidly!

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  3. Fantabulous! I love how you can take your TNT and make amazing and different garments. Well done!

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  4. Great use of an embroidered border print! I always pass these by as I can never come up with a use for them. Love it. It's slimming and looks like the inspiration dress except in a much better color!

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  5. Adorable! It's such fun to "knock off" a dress! You should be proud!

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  6. Your big beautiful smile says it all. It worked perfectly. What a unique way to use a border print.

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  7. Great knock off! Isn 't it fun doing that? Very becomming dress. Yellow is a good color for you.

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  8. Now that's an awesome use of a border print! I'll have to remember this. It is so slimming.

    You look marvelous in the yellow and the green flower pin is perfect.

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  9. Gosh I love yellow on you! And of course, you did a fabulous job as always on your dress.

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  10. Oh La La! Your yellow dress is awesome. You look so good and SKINNY!

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  11. Wow, I can't believe how fast you finished this! As always, your garments are fantastic. I love the yellow on you!

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  12. Well, you've done it again...stunning!

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  13. Love the slimming effect of the centre panel....i must remember this idea!

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  14. That is my favorite dress that I've seen all spring!

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  15. Fitting is my biggest challenge and I have yet to find a "TNT" pattern for me...I'm so jealous, but it looks fabulous!!! Great job!

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  16. One word, STUNNING! Ok, I can't stop at one word. I love it. And I love how you're incorporating more color into your wardrobe. That shade of yellow is gorgeous on you. Can't wait to see the rest of the wardrobe.

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  17. This is such a cute dress. Love it. I really like the color and the embroidery on the front is awesome

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  18. Well done m'dear! I love that inset. The whole thing is very better RTW.

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  19. Great job on the dress! You look great in yellow. I can see why you want to add lots of it to your summer wardrobe. You have really been accomplishing a lot lately.

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  20. Your yellow dress is so becoming! Matches your bright smile! Great job on the yellow wardrobe...can't wait to see the other pieces!

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  21. Love the yellow, so pretty on you!

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  22. You look fabulous
    I do love the front embroidered panel

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  23. What a great finish it is. Love this dress.

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  24. That dress is so fresh and pretty! The colour is gorgeous on you and you're right- very slimming.

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  25. Yellow is a good color for you. The dress, of course, looks great.

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  26. Very, very nice!

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  27. This is so fresh and summery, I love it! It looks great on you, the yellow really suits you.

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  28. The dress is gorgeous and it looks almost exactly like the original! I kept looking around for the pattern before I realized what TNT meant (whoops :) ).

    I love your blog! Keep sewing and blogging.

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  29. All the garnments you sew are beautiful, but this one is one of my favorites!

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  30. Great dress and very flattering. I love your thinking out of the box with your TNT pattern.

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  31. What a great interpretation of that Chadwicks dress! And what a lovely colour on you!

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  32. You are so creative! I love your dress, it's one of my favorites!

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  33. The color looks so nice on you! And you have inspired me too, it reminded me of a piece of embroidered linen (linen colored with light and dark pink flowers!) that I also got from JoAnn's.
    Also, I was thinking that your light/lime green sweater from a post or two back would look nice with this dress too. Maybe?

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  34. Really beautiful dress and looks beautiful on you. Yellow is certainly one of your colors. Can't wait for the rest of the wardrobe.
    Marguerite

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  35. Your big smile says it all!!! FABULOUS!! Honestly, I like yours better than the original! You look stunning!

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  36. Darling dress, the yellow is so pretty on you. Great job on the interpretation.

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  37. Very nice! Great color and style on you. (So glad to have photos from you again. )

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  38. Lovely, absolutely love dress that looks wonderful on you. I also admire the up-to-the-moment MO pin.

    Karendee

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  39. This is simply stunning-great and inspirational use of the embroidery. I'll definitely remember that to "emulate".

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  40. Just gorgeous. A wonderful colour for you, too.

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  41. GIRL! That dress rocks! Lovely, lovely dress.

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  42. You are right Carolyn, it looks really fab on you and that shade of yellow is radiant on you.

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  43. Look at you just a smiling! and you should be in that pretty dress. Question, where did all of that seam binding go? The neck, the arms, where else?

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  44. Great use of the border print! I like that color on you.

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  45. Love being along for the journey. Love how you showed us what you did and I love how that dress turned out. It's just a happy dress, isn't it? g

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  47. Great dress and such a simple yet brilliant idea to use a border in the centre of a panel.

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  48. You got me started on yellow, too! I bought six yards of sunflower linen last weekend!

    I love the dress!!!

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  49. Great looking dress. I like seeing you in yellow, good color for you.

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  50. I love the dress. It looks so nice on you.

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  51. Such a lovely dress and it's so flattering on you. I just discovered your blog yesterday while home sick from work. As a fellow plus size sewer, I feel very inspired by you. I really want to try this now.

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  52. Gorgeous dress on you - the yellow is great on you. I love the way you are making a 'yellow wardrobe'!

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  53. Very pretty dress. Really clever use of the border dress. I'm glad you finished it.

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  54. Pretty!! Looks so happy and sunny :)

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  55. Love the dress! Beautiful

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  56. Your smile says it all! You can tell that you like it... and who wouldn't. It's adorable!

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  57. That does not look like a knock off to me! C"mon tell us how much you really paid for that dress?! !LOL! What do I know I am still just learning how to make PILLOW CASES. But this goes to show the work, the intention, the attention you pay to detail and you put into your PASSION pays off with a price tag no one can match. !PRICELESS! This may give you a hint to how much someone would pay for one of your creations(as a response to one of you earlier blogs) Excellent Job. Your talent is blessed. P.S. One day I will make you a pillow case to match your dress.

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  58. Pretty! Yellow's a great color on you.

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  59. That's a beautiful dress -- everything about it works wonderfully on you. I'm inspired!

    Can't wait to see what else you can come up with by your deadline!

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  60. Wow, that embroidery is fantastic. It totally makes the dress.

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  61. Great job.!! I just found your blog and enjoyed looking at all your work you did. I am in love with your new yellow dress.

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  62. Carolyn, I don't know which is more beautiful, the dress, or your gorgeous smile! You are just glowing with happiness! Beautiful job on translating the style.

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  63. 64 comments already exclaiming the fabulous-ness of your gorgeous dress, but I'll add my admiration too! You've made a Chadwicks knock off, now I may make a Caroyln knock off LOL

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  64. You did a fantastic job.!! That yellow dress turned out sooo beautiful. I really like the the fabric.

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