Another CJ Princess Seam Dress

Audrey of Sew Tawdry wrote:
"Somehow I couldn't picture a CJ pattern and fabric combo working for you. But I think the style of the dress is interesting and very flattering."

You know I use to feel the same way.  It's one of the reasons why I hadn't used her patterns before.  Purchased them ~ yes.  Admired them on others ~ most definitely.  But figuring out if they would work for me ~ didn't think so especially since most of them are designed to work with knits...and you know how iffy I am about knits.

So it is amazing to me that of the last 6 dresses I've made 5 have been constructed using a knit fabric...

Anyway, here is the next version of the CJ Princess Seam Dress.

There are a couple of changes.

1.  I altered all of the pieces by adding a 1/4 inch to each side seam.  Even though many thought the original dress flattering on me, I didn't.  I don't like close fitting garments.  I'm happier when a garment gives the illusion of fitting closely but actually skims my body.  Probably why I like those 1960s silhouettes so much!

2.  I traced additional pieces for the back and side so that all of the pieces would lay singly on top of the fabric.  I wanted to insure that the border print matched all the way around the dress.

3.  I lined the dress.  Boy did that give the dress some heft and you can't see one bump or lump now.

4.  Even though I followed Christine's directions exactly at the neckline, my lining was still rolling slightly to the front.  So I added another line of stitching to hold it flat.  I'm sure its something I did rather than there's a problem with her instructions...especially since the directions gives you a heads up about the challenge and how to resolve it.

5.  I cut sleeves for the dress but after trying it on decided that I would just make it sleeveless.  I have more than enough cardigans to wear with it.

6.  Instead of a serged hem, I added three inches to this version and the dress has a one inch hem sewn down using a twin needle.

Even though I've fabric pulled to make another one...I'm going to give this pattern a rest for a minute.  I need to let this pattern marninate before tackling it again.  Plus I have sooooo many things I want to make that I think I will revisit this pattern again for early fall sewing.  It would be great with 3/4 sleeves, a sleeveless turtleneck and tights.

Some stats:

I used a polyester knit from the $2.97 table at GStreet Fabrics.  It's slightly heavier than the original rayon/lycra knit but still has the drape necessary to create that beautiful fall at the hemline.

It is lined with tricot lining from fabric.com which I've used in several of my knit dresses.

A few additional shots:

hands on hips pose

side view

back view

with a cardigan

I really do like this dress...even more now that I've done hair and make-up and had my handy photographer take pictures!  *LOL*  I'm also thankful to Christine for trusting me to review her pattern and fabrics.  I hope that I've done them justice and that I've encouraged someone to try out her line, as well as, her fabrics.  I'm thinking about taking your advice and making a top from the first version...so we'll see.  I would hate to have that beautiful fabric just laying around my apt! 

However, I now have a quandry about what to wear tomorrow!  Now that the restrictions are "gone" I feel like I have an abundance of choices...

...as always, more later! 

A few more thoughts on the CJ Dress

I'm sure those who believe in muslins are wondering if I had made a muslin wouldn't that have resolved my fit issues.  However, what bothers me most about this dress is the thinness of the rayon/lycra fabric.  And it's not even that it isn't a great piece of fabric...because it is...it's the fact that I don't do such thin rayon knits on my bodacious body.  In a slightly heavier knit, I would have lived without the minor changes that I will now make to the pattern.

The second thing that I'm not sure I emphasized enough is that I really do like this pattern and have already thought up three new versions of this dress.  I will most likely line the entire dress in the tricot knit, just because I like a lined dress better than an unlined one. 

Length - I am firmly in the camp of dresses that end just slightly below my knees are most attractive and comfortable on me.  So I will definitely add to the hemline of the dress.  And I have one or two pieces that have a serged hem but it is not my hem of choice.  I would much rather have a finished, well-pressed hem.

Finally, from working with this pattern I can already "see" the next two versions.  This is a good thing because then I have a roadmap or a plan to work from...I have a thin ponte knit in my fabric collection that will provide the coverage I want, yet give me the drape I need.  I also have a printed rayon knit that I purchased this year on the great fabric shopping trip (Do you recognize it Shams & Peggy?) that will work well for this too...so definitely look for the next renditions of this dress because it's sort of gotten into my blood...

...as always, more later! 

CJ Princess Seam Dress

The minute I started to handle this fabric, as in lay on the cutting table waiting to be cut out, I knew that it was too thin for me. If I'm using a knit, it has to be a little beefier because otherwise it shows every lump and bump of my bodacious body.  So that was my first challenge.

The second one was that I thought I would make the pattern as is from the pattern envelope.  This was my second challenge because "as is" even though I measured to insure there was enough ease for my body...still needed some additional ease added to the pattern to have the fit I like.

So let's go to the pictures:

The dress front unfinished:

The dress back unfinished:

Let's start with what I liked about this pattern:

1.  You serge it together instead of sewing it on your sewing machine.  Okay this is super quick, easy and fun!

2.  I love the offset neckline.  This is an unusual detail that would be quite interesting in a dress.

3.  In another fabric, the ease and flow of the dress would make it a great dress to wear.

4.  The pattern instructions are great...easy to follow and logical.

5.  The pattern is well drafted and well notated.  All notches match, there are lines for the centerfront, the neckline, the underarm, etc.  It is just a very easy roadmap to use to create the dress.

Dislikes:
~I would never line the dress with the same fabric.  I'm in the midst of personal summers and this much knit would cause heat exhaustion.  I would faint in the subway.  I was going to use a tricot knit to line this.

~I'm not sure why you need to interface the neckline except to stabilize where you'd clip to insure the facing flipped in correctly.  It seems to me that you could accomplish the exact same thing (stabilizing the clipped area) with a piece of stay tape.

~This is too short on me.  I cut away at the hemline suggested, even after holding the pattern up to me and double checking in the mirror, the fabric manuevers a little differently than paper does.  Also the pattern instructions suggest a serged hemline...which is on the dress I made.  But personally, I would rather have a hem with a twin needle finish.

In conclusion: 

While I don't particularly like this dress on me from this fabric...I do love the pattern.  This is a look that I don't presently have in my wardrobe and the princess seams and flared hem would be very attractive on me in a different fabric.

I will make this again in a beefier knit fabric from my collection with a couple of minor alterations because the "likes" of the pattern greatly outweigh the "dislikes"...which mostly have to do with the weight of the rayon/lycra fabric used.

One more thing...I'm sure that others will have a different experience with the fabric and pattern than I did.  Again, this is just my opinion and my experience.  If you have a better experience, that is a good thing...as Martha would say.

Look for another version of this dress here soon...cause again I really like the style of the dress, the ease of construction and the pattern details.

...as always, more later!

CJ Dress - Fabric & Pattern Instructions

As promised here are the results of the pretreating tests.  I cut three 3" squares like Christine suggests.  Then I washed and dried one swatch with another piece of fabric that I was pretreating.  I left one swatch alone and the final swatch I steamed the heck out of by hovering my iron over it and pushing the steam button.

So here are the results:

...the washed piece...

...the steamed piece...

Since there was no change to the fabric, I'm just going to cut the dress out from the fabric as it is and proceed from there.

The other thing I wanted to share with you is the patten instructions.  You know how we all complain about pattern instructions and how they aren't complete...I just don't think I'm going to find that with Christine's pattern.  Here's what comes in the pattern envelope:

And look at how clear the pictures are and how the instructions are written:

There's no way you are getting lost or twisted here!  I'm working on the dress so I will have another update shortly...

Also, if you haven't used the coupon code at Christine's site, it is good until the dress is finished and I can pretty much guarantee that will be Monday...so if you were thinking about getting a pattern or two, I would mosey on over now and make it happen!

...as always, more later!

To Pretreat or not to Pretreat

Friday begins a three-day weekend and I've decided that during this weekend, I will make my version of the Christine Jonson Princess Dress.  I've opened the pattern envelope and read the instructions thoroughly (more on that later!)  I've touched my fabric longingly more than once...and now I'm ready to begin.

So a few days ago, I sent this message to Christine regarding pretreating the fabric:

"Hi Christine ~ I had a quick question. Do I prewash the fabric or not? I know there was a lot of discussion on whether to or not in the old Sewing World days but I didn't know if the answer had changed or not."

And here is her response:

"It is your decision as to whether or not you pre-wash the fabric. My advise is to always cut 3- 3"squares of fabric and do this test: leave one alone, press one with a hot iron and steam and "try" to shrink it, then wash and dry the other one either in the dryer or air dry flat (however you will want to care for finished garment). Then compare them to the one you did nothing to and see what happened. 

Check and compare both the lengthwise and crosswise grains to each other, usually there will be more shrinkage in the lengthwise grain. This will help you determine how to deal with the fabric and pattern sizing. 

If the swatch shrinks alot you will know to add to the length/width etc. to your pattern if you do not pre-wash the fabric. 

If nothing changes then it is a safe bet that the finished garment will not change either and you will not need to pre-wash. 

Sometimes a fabric will just "feel or look better" after washing it or maybe the edges will roll and it will be more difficult to handle. Testing the fabric ahead of time is really the only way to know how to proceed. 

The shrink/press information from the "old days" only applied to the cotton/LYCRA fabric that I offered exclusively with the original patterns. I added a bit of extra length and width to the original 6 patterns to allow for pressing shrinkage of that fabric, but now because there are so many fabulous knits with a wide variety of fiber content available I do not do that. 

I recommend doing the swatch test along with using the finished garment measurement chart and the Perfect Sizing Worksheet to guide in choosing size. 

Check out this link and read the To Wash or Not To Wash article http://cjpatterns.com/LittleBlackDress-TableofContents.htm 

I hope this helps. And, fabric content means nothing when it comes to pre washing or not. Just because one rayon/LYCRA jersey washed up beautifully with no shrinkage or ill effect does not mean the next one will not shrink 2" all the way around! Each fabric must be considered as an individual. 

So, I recommend doing this test with both of the fabrics you will be using and see what happens!"

As I told Christine in a subsequent email, that she states it best and there is no need to improve upon what she's written.  So I will be performing my swatch test tomorrow evening and I will post the results then.  I'm on my way to having a great dress, dontcha think!

*******************************************************

On another note, thank you to everyone who left a message, sent me an email or wrote something on their blog (Debbie) about the lack of posts here for the last two weeks.  In a nutshell, I just needed a blogging break.  I've been blogging for the last 5 1/2 years pretty steadily and when I find I need to delete a post from my blog, I would say it's time to step back and take a deep breathe.  

There are some pretty serious things happening in the world right now and especially here at home in America...so blogging nonsense is just background noise.  I hope you will continue to pray with me for the folks in Alabama, Joplin, MO, and Texas...but most especially for the people in Japan.  I know they've fallen off the newscycle here in America but I'm sure living through the rebuilding of their country is still a challenge every day!

I've been sewing while I was gone...so not only do I have the Christine Jonson dress' adventure to share with you but a few other goodies as well.

...as always, more later!

20 Minutes with Christine Jonson

The most amazing thing happened to me yesterday afternoon and it started with an email.  Seriously a simple email with a version of a title that I've probably read at least a dozen times...but this time...this time it was special!

Let's start at the beginning so you will understand why I was so excited when I received the email.  About a dozen years ago I began my foray into the internet sewing community.  I started with the mailing lists on Quiltropolis and moved onto the sewing forum, Sewing World (the precursor to Stitchers Guild).  It was there that my eyes were really opened to what kind of sewist I could become because the forum consisted of not only sewists but patternmakers, designers and entrepreneurs...people actively engaged in making their living from their sewing talents.

One of the participants on this board was Christine Jonson.  She sold this awesome cotton/lycra knit fabric and these really kewl patterns.  She had a devoted band of followers and I loved seeing the pictures of the outfits they constructed and reading about their sewing journeys.  However, my interest was really piqued when Kathryn (I Made This!) made a couple of Christine's Swing Jackets.  I think Kathryn has made three in total but it was this one, that caused me to purchase the pattern.

At the time, I  purchased not only the Swing Jacket

but the Swing Shirt too...

Both of these patterns worked for the business casual atmosphere of the job I had at that time.  But as you all are aware, I moved on to a more conservative workplace and sadly neither of these patterns were made.

So now that you have the backstory, here is the part that made my day!  I received an email from Christine where she asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a pattern and her fabric on my blog.  She said a couple of nice things about the blog and that she has read it off and on for the last year.  Now that sentence alone made my heart beat a little faster...*LOL*  She left her email address and her phone number, so I called her.  Seriously, picked up the phone from work and called expecting to leave a message and have her call me back.

But I had forgotten that small business owners are generally in their place of business and ready and willing to speak with their customers!  Silly me!  Christine comes to the phone and spends 20 minutes with me discussing the type of pattern that would work for my needs.  Never once did she try to steer me to one of her popular or new patterns...the emphasis was on what would work for me.  Then we discussed fabric.  OMG!  I was smiling so wide that several of my co-workers later asked me who I was talking to...but seriously people talking to Christine Jonson about what fabric works best with what pattern...heaven!  *LOL*

So decisions were made, a pattern chosen, fabric picked and I'm sure that it's all winging its way to me as you read this.  Here's what I want you to know...not only was Christine gracious and helpful to me, but she will be the same way with you!  If you visit her site, Christine Jonson Patterns, and have a question regarding the fabric or her patterns, she is available to you via email and phone, too.

Don't forget that Christine's patterns are featured in this month's (June/July 2011) Threads.  The article is called, "Sew a Mix & Match Summer Wardrobe" and features several of Christine's patterns and fabrics.  It is a step by step tutorial on how to get 10 great and easy summer garments.  Christine also has a Facebook page and a twitter account, so you can follow her at both.  If you just want to see pictures of her garments made up, Christine has a Flickr account showing her patterns made up and modeled.

Finally, yes I'm promoting her products!  Christine is a designer that I've admired for years who produces a quality product.  I'm glad that she reached out to me to try one of her patterns, because I hadn't really looked at her site, prior to the Threads article, in some time.  There are a few additional patterns I'd like to try, as well as, several pieces of her fabrics that would work well in my corporate wardrobe.  But here's the kicker, most of you don't live in my work-world and the selection is even greater and more far reaching for you. 

If you are a follower of Christine Jonson, and have used her fabrics and patterns, would you kindly leave a comment and tell us why you like her products?  Would you speak to the quality of the fabric?  How the patterns work for you?  And her customer service?  The rest of us would so appreciate any info you can pass along!  Thanks!

I will have several follow-up posts as I go through the construction process for the dress.  I can guarantee you that my opinions will be truthful and not swayed at all by this opportunity...so stay tuned as the journey continues...

...as always, more later!