Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Anatomy of a Dress Final

It's taken a minute to get pictures of me wearing the dress but finally here they are:




To recap...
Pattern:
TNT Pattern
Materials:
plaid silk/linen blend from the collection
Notions:
22" invisible zipper
white piping
rayon bemberg lining
polyester lace
rayon seam binding


All of the construction posts are here. As for the grain issues that I experienced when I cut the dress out, I fudged by adding additional length to the bottom pieces.  I believe there are two solutions to off-grain fabric.  One - chuck it.  The grain is so off that there is nothing you can do to salvage it.  Or two - add some length to the hemline so that you can fiddle with the hem to make it work.  Now I don't know if these are acceptable methods.  They are just things that I've worked out from my years of sewing.  


In this case, the grain is just slightly wonky and not something that I'm sure a less experienced sewist would notice.  But as I continued to cut pieces out, I noticed that I couldn't get them to line up even using a single fabric layout.  It was helpful that I cut the bodice separate from the skirt of the dress and that I added piping along with the insert cut on the bias.  All of those elements helped to camouflage the fact that the plaid did not perfectly match.


My daughter took these pictures for me today along with some of the 10 yard adventure wardrobe shots and of course, the Little Prince had to get in on the action.  Here we are together...




and one of him doing his favorite thing...watching TV!



Here's wishing all Mothers 
a Very Happy Mother's Day!




...as always, more later!









29 comments:

  1. Carolyn that dress turned out so well! I really like the necklace with it too.
    Happy Mothers Day!!

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  2. Sublime! So perfect for Spring. The piping and the waist inset are details I just love! You inspire me so much. Happy Mother's Day, Carolyn!

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  3. Sweet dress...nothing 'wonky' about it! The fabric has a beautiful sheen!!! Fits so perfectly. Happy Mother's day!

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  4. Hi Carolyn: As usual you're doing a bang up job of fitting and selecting things that look good on you. Your photographers also do a fine job. Happy Mother's Day!
    Best,
    Lillie
    granddivasews.blogspot.com

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  5. This dress is sooooo flattering on you! Happy Mother's Day!

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  6. Very pretty, Caroline. These light colors look so lovely on you.

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  7. Happy Mother's Day, Carolyn. Your dress looks lovely!

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  8. Happy Mother's day to you too Carolyn! Love how the dress turned out!

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  9. THis dress is beautiful and looks fantastic on you.. I love it..
    and what a sweet little fellow you have..
    Happy Mothers Day.

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  10. Looks great. This looks perfect on you.

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  11. Happy Mothers Day your dress looks great and BTW I read one of your post an adjusting a pattern and had a ah ha moment I could not believe I did not think of it . Every time I make a full bust adjustment the bottom is huge .So thanks for the information you provide on the blog

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  12. Another beautiful dress Carolyn. I surely appreciate your"journey" in making this wonderful edition of your TNT dress pattern. It fits you to a T and that is so satisfying isn't it!Enjoy wearing it and happy Mothers' Day to you. Your little Prince is as precious as ever.

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  13. Happy Mother's Day!

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  14. You look very pretty in your new dress.

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  15. The dress is lovely, as are all of your outfits. Um...if this is a secret or something please feel free to delete but...you look like you've lost weight. Your face is more angular, the cheekbones very pronounced.

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  16. You look wonderful! This dress really turned out well in the end. Perseverance certainly pays off.

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  17. I think this is your nicest one to date--fits great, beautifully constructed, love the midriff inset.

    Well done! Happy Mother's Day to you.

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  18. Your dress is beautiful Carolyn.
    Happy Mothers Day to you.

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  19. Very pretty dress, Carolyn, the fabric is wonderful.

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  20. Looks really nice on. Like the way you have styled it. And happy mothers day to you too!

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  21. Beautiful dress! The piping is a really lovely touch - especially at the waist inset.

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  22. It's lovely and the accessories are perfect with it.

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  23. Great looking dress. You are very clever at creating so many different looks from a basic pattern.

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  24. Congratulations on a successful dress. It is beautiful and very becoming!

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  25. Seeing the dress on you really shows what a great detail that waistband is. Really lovely, altogether. And I think that necklace is the perfect accessory, too.
    Happy Mother's Day, a bit late!

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  26. Very pretty! I love all the subtle details on your dress.

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  27. Love the print and perfect for spring & summer.

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  28. Love this dress. I've used your second method for a number of years as well. Your design element are the perfect camouflage. From where I'm seating, the dress is flawless and perfect for Mother's Day.

    Your prince is as cute as always. I look forward to reading about your 10 yard wardrobe project.

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  29. I love this dress on you. The piping and bias waistband are sharp details that have been expertly executed.

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