Sunday, February 10, 2013

The CK Dress ~ More Print Blocking

First let me remind you of the inspiration dress ~ a Calvin Klein dress that I saw on MyHabit dot com:



The most challenging part of making this dress was insuring that the red piece was on the same side of my body in the front and the back.  Honestly, I kept getting this mixed up in my mind.  I resorted to basting the pieces together to make it work.




Stats:
Fabric ~
Red ponte knit leftover from making The Macy's Dress
Black/white ponte knit from Emmaonesock - recent purchase

Notions ~
Red bemberg lining
black invisible zipper
red bias binding

Construction:
As I stated before, making sure that the red was the same on the back and front was the most important element to me.  So after all of the pattern pieces were made from my TNT dress pattern, I laid them singly upon both pieces of fabric to insure that I achieved the look of the inspiration dress. 

When I basted the dress together, I realized that I'd been unsuccessful in getting the red on the right sides.  So I unpicked and recut the back pieces. This resulted in a totally seamed back.  From what I can tell on my inspiration pic, only the side with the red piece is seamed but that's not how my version ended up.



It really was an easy make after fixing that issue especially since I was using my TNT dress pattern.  Then I dithered over whether or not to add a lining. I finally decided to add it because even though I could wear a slip with the dress, a lining is just better for ease of wearing and longevity.  

A question or two has been asked about what type of lining I add to my ponte dresses and I use rayon bemberg linings in them.  Even though ponte is called a knit, to me it behaves like a woven, so I always use a rayon lining and I've had no problems with the combo.




A few things ~
Like I said previously, I found the original dress on MyHabit dot com. I visit this site everyday because of the daily email I receive from them. They have quite an interesting selection of discounted designer garments from which I get a lot of inspiration.

This dress originally cost $139 so it was probably from one of Calvin Klein's discounted lines.  MyHabit was selling it for $69.  My dress cost me $50 and most of that was for the black & white print knit.

However, since MyHabit offers a limited size range, probably because it's the last of these pieces, of course my size wasn't available.  Who knows if the size was ever offered, because I didn't go looking for other views online.

If you want to make your own version of this dress, I would suggest Vogue 8886.




Even though this dress has a wide neckline, it does already has the piecing in the front and the back that would allow you to get the print blocking/solid color combo that drew me to the designer dress.

Another great thing about this dress is that I didn't need to make a topper for it. I have several cardigans that will work with it, so it was a perfect sew.

Regarding the fabric, I haven't given up on sewing with ponte knits even though I've recently retired several dresses made from it.  See I don't expect everything I make to last forever.  If it did, I would have no need to sew as much as I do. Those dresses survived about three years and I wore them during a period at my job where I was very physical...moving & boxing up things, crawling under desks for telephones, etc...things I no longer do.  I'm sure some of that abuse aided their demise!

A few more pics...


Various looks

Worn with a white blouse for a more casual look

Worn with a black ponte cardigan made years ago

Finally as a closing shot ~ here is a picture of my little helper.  While her brother slept, she kept watch over my daughter (her mother) and myself while we took picture after picture after picture!




...as always more later!




61 comments:

  1. Fantastic dress! I love the seaming in the back.

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  2. Okay - that dress totally rocks! I love it. I adore the black print. The helper - doesn't get much better than that.

    I keep looking for new buttons here. I think the borders on the collages are nice. g

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  3. Thank-you for sharing your lovely dress and little helper. She is so adorable!

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  4. Another gorgeous dress - love the combination of fabrics... And your little helper is adorable-she has beautiful eyes...

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  5. That dress is STUNNING!! Your little helper is adorable.

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  6. I LOVE this! It's so fashion-forward!

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  7. Your smile says it all...perfect copy and better version than the original. Your darling little helper is lucky to have a sewing grandma!

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  8. It is such a faithful reproduction! Question: Have you ever used silk for your linings? I ask because I find that Bemberg has a very short life for me. I don't line a lot of things so I don't know how well silk will last by comparison (it's a new thing I'm doing) but I'm curious to know if you've found that it wears out quickly, like Bemberg, or maybe a bit more slowly.

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  9. This dress is gorgeous, and I think I won't rest until I try to make one too! You are such an inspiration. Little helper is totally cute too..

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  10. Oh my gosh! another winner, beautiful. You look fabulousssss!

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  11. Exactly what Rachel said, This Dress Is STUNNING!!! I LOVE how your TNT dress pattern is used to make so many different dresses, it makes so much sense. This year I'm going to find a pattern for my own TNT!

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  12. Super fabulous dress, Carolyn. I love how you styled it in the varying ways. Fantastic job again and what a cute little helper.

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  13. Looks so smart! I hope this one lasts a long time.

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  14. I L*VE it!!! Hmmm...I will be copying, LOL :)

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  15. I really like it with the white blouse. And it goes great with those shoes!

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  16. Absolutely stunning... And, I love the different ways you have styled the dress.

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  17. Love the dress. I like how versatile it is. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  18. Gorgeous dress and granddaughter!

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  19. Another fabulous dress, I am in awe!

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  20. This dress is pretty spot-on! I think it is fabulous, and now I want one of my own. I love all the different styling you have shown.

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  21. Gorgeous dress! I think your version looks better in the back, with the multiple seams, than the original.

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  22. Brilliant, and inspiring, as usual! Thanks for the tip about a suitable pattern...J

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  23. Your little helper is sooo cute. I love this dress and all of the looks you have created from it. Thanks for the tip for a suitable pattern to make one too.

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  24. Wonderful, and inspiring. Your little helper is delightful too
    -Sewingelle

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  25. The dress looks wonderful on you. You've inspired me to try that type of color blocking myself. Your little helper is absolutely adorable!

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  26. I like this very much and it's in my favourite combination of colours. I must be the only person who hasn't made anything colour blocked yet.

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  27. This goes in your top five! I love it with the white shirt.

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  28. Another winner. I love that this is the year of designer inspired sewing. I will follow along on this journey with great anticipation. And I hope your inspiration will transfer to my sewing room.

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  29. Love...love the dress. You did a phenomenal job knocking off the inspiration dress.

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  30. I am so very scared of you. You are doing the darn thing, and I love it.

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  31. This dress makes the retirement of the Macy's dress easier to deal with. Thanks for the inspiration--I'm going to try to do the very same thing with my TNT dress pattern.

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  32. I really like this one. Looks great on you. I like it better than the original dress. Your granddaughter is beautiful. What a cutie pie.

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  33. Would you believe my fav part is the red peaking through the kick-pleat? The cherry-on-top!

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  34. This is another great addition to your Designer Interpretation Line! It appears that your granddaughter is developing an interest in fashion. She's so cute!!

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  35. Another great dress!! But I have to say your little helper stole the show. She is just absolutely adorable!

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  36. This is a very close copy, right down to the fabrics. It looks good on you and has a zippy, modern feel.

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  37. wow!! how beautifull and what a great inspiration for plus size dressing.. thanks!!

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  38. I'm always so impressed that you seem to have or find just the right fabric to recreate a designer look. Bravo! This is a real winner!

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  39. oh, you nailed it! The fabrics are just perfect for this dress, and the shoes ... I swoon for them!

    LOL about getting confused with the color-blocking. I totally get it. I am sewing simple patchwork and I can get confused in a split second.

    well done!

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  40. As always, beautiful dress. Your little helper is so adorable

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  41. Impressive to the max! Cute, cute little one.

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  42. WOW!!! I love that dress!!!
    And the little helper too....

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  43. You look really swish. Great colours and the colour blocking is stunning. I would have needed a very quiet afternoon to get these pieces cut out correctly.

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  44. When I saw the inspiration picture,I was not sure if I would like the dress. I really like it!!! I guess the color blocking was so different (just the one side). I really like how you styled the dress with the white blouse. The colors are striking!!!

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  45. That is SO amazing! I love this dress, and I love it on you. I think the print/color block trend is just too much fun!

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  46. Love what you've done with this one!

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  47. I love this dress, the color blocking, great colors and wonderful use of a large print. It's a winner.

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  48. Awesome dress Carolyn, I'm really loving this print blocking idea.

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  49. Love love love this Carolyn! Great interpretation and fabric choice.

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  50. You look amazing, I love this dress and I can tell you are happy with it. Those colors look great on you. Your grandbaby is so cute, just look at that adorable face.

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  51. Ya know what? Your interpretation of the designer block dress looks BETTER than the designer dress. Great job!

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  52. Love your interpretation on this dress!

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  53. You're granddaughter is beautiful.

    As always, I see you make something like this and think that I need to try that, too. The dress is lovely.

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  54. OMG this is super cute. LOVE THE PRINT!!

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