Another Border Print Turner Dress

This fabric begged me to turn it into a Turner Dress - begged people really!
So I was obliged to do so! *LOL*

Construction Information ~
On my own I seem incapable of following the Turner Dress instructions. I really wanted a maxidress so I used up all of my extra fabric lengthening the skirt pattern. Fabric which should have been used for the bodice lining. 

I thought I would be able to make the lining from the leftover scraps but when I sewed the outside to the inside, it pulled funny.  Probably because I cut one front & back piece on the lengthwise grain and one front & back piece on the straight grain. You would think that it wouldn't matter with a knit but it did...so I unpicked ALL of the BLACK stitching and topstitching.

At first I thought I would add black foldover elastic to the neckline because it's a great finish and it worked for my Turner Tunic which has the same neckline. However, after sleeping on it, I decided to stabilize the neckline with a bias iron on tape and fold, press and stitch. A cheater neckline and not at all what Jenny designed but hey when do I follow pattern instructions?!

For the dress skirt, I added 5" to the lengthen and shorten line and another inch at the hemline. I really wanted a maxidress but I only had three yards and the skirt width takes up a large amount of fabric. 

After trying it on I removed about 1.5" from the center front where the pattern dips. The ITY knit was causing it to hang funny so it had to go. Originally I used 3/4 length sleeves but after adding the sweater it didn't work. I removed a couple of inches from the sleeve so the dress would work better with the sweater. 

Fabric Used ~
I used 3 yards of an ITY knit that I bought at Fabric Mart during Carriage Corner Sew Camp. It was a find because it was only a dollar a yard. It's interesting that I bought this since I'm not a huge fan of ITY knits. I love the way the fabric takes color and the amazing prints that are available. I even like the stretch but sewing it...even wearing it because it's such a thin knit...not a big fan at all.

Several pictures of the dress ~

Conclusion ~
After constructing and putting it on, I wasn't that thrilled with the dress. I thought the print would pop more. It's nice and I will wear it especially since it cost me about $5 to make but I don't love it.

This is how I will actually wear it ~

RTW short sleeve cardigan, dress and slip on sneakers

Finally, this is a simple sew and an easy to wear dress so there will probably be more versions sewn in the future, just in a heavier weight knit. I really want to make a maxidress version. But if not, then definitely this fall, it will look great in a ponte with tights and shoe booties.

A Photography Note ~
I took these myself. My daughter had some other plans this weekend and since the grandbabies are getting older and have more activities, her weekends are pretty busy. Even though I love taking pictures outside, I'm a lot more comfortable inside with the camera. I will wait for my daughter on really special makes because I love the greenery in my complex and how they frame my summer makes. 

Next on the cutting table is another button down. It's going to be March kinda spring not May kinda spring for the next two weeks so summer dresses aren't appealing to me right not. So I thought I would work on another button down. That's what's I'm sewing now.

...as always more later!

Sprout Patterns Cashmerette Turner Dress

Let me start out by saying that this fabric was given to me by Sprout Patterns (sister site to Spoonflower) to review, so this is a sponsored post. However, all of the comments are mine.

First, the most appealing feature of purchasing the pattern printed on the fabric, is that you don't have to lay anything out! All you have to do is prewash the fabric (which is highly recommended) and cut out.

Okay I did jump ahead a little because when you first go on the site, you need to pick a pattern.  The site has quite a few of the popular indie pattern companies listed. After picking the pattern, fabric is the next choice. This was the longest part of the process for me. I actually spent a couple of hours on the site one day and went back the next day to choose the final fabric.

You can pick a premade set (pattern + fabric) or you can choose your pattern (I chose Cashmerette's Turner Dress) and then choose your fabric.  The site allows you to pick several pieces of fabric at once and try them on your silhouette. The silhouette revolves so you can see front, back and sides of your fabric. You can even move the print around to look the way you want.

The last portion of this process is if you're a complete maverick, you can design your own fabric and then add it to your pattern. A lot of variety which practically guarantees that you can make a one of a kind garment.

After you choose your design and pattern you pick your fabric choice ~ there were four available to me ~ I chose the Modern Jersey. Pick your pattern pieces. I'm sure you're asking why? Well this is if you want to use more than one design for your garment. Next pick your size and for this pattern your bust size.

Now here is the first disclaimer ~ 
I am a standard size 24 with a C/D bust cup in Cashmerette Patterns. I pretty much fit Cashmerette's patterns right out of the envelope. My only concern when I did this was whether the sleeves would fit in the biceps, but that turned out not to be a problem at all.

If you've made the Turner Dress before you know that this is a simple sew once the pattern is fitted. My only confusion in sewing this was that the instructions tell you to leave the white borders that have the piece names printed on them, as part of the pattern piece when you cut it out.

Second disclaimer ~
I took this to #CarriageCornerSewCamp to make and couldn't remember if I was supposed to sew the white border as part of the dress or cut it off. I ended up leaving it on and using 1/2" seam allowances like the pattern states. This made the dress fit me perfectly, however, you could still see all the notch marks on the side seams once the bodice was assembled. So I'm thinking that you are supposed to cut the white border off and then sew the garment together.

A few pictures of the dress in action ~

By the way, I machine stitched the hems by turning under the white borders on both the bottom of the dress and the sleeve hems. Pressed them flat and stitched. This was perfect for me because the dress hem ended at the bottom of my knee ~ a good proportion for me.

Conclusion ~
This is really an innovative idea. The fabric comes with the pattern pieces printed on it so you just cut and sew. If you hate the process of laying out pattern pieces, pinning (or putting down weights), cutting or rotary cutting the fabric, this puts you miles ahead in the construction process. 

The disadvantages are that you can only choose the fabrics offered, the service is costly, and if you aren't a standard size the program makes no adjustments. My dress started at $86 and the price increased by your fabric choice.  Before shipping and handling, my dress cost $117. Honestly this is what gives me pause about the service. Finally if you need to make many pattern alterations or you're outside the pattern's size range, this service is not for you because it doesn't do customizations. 

They do offer a sewing service (White Glove Service) for an additional fee, so if you or someone you know wants a garment and don't have time to sew, it's an option. If you could get a discount or believe this service is worth the money, then this was a wonderfully easy and fun process. 

So now I have to wait for a warm spring day to wear my pretty new Turner Dress!

...as always more later!

      

Cashmerette Turner Tunic

I really like this pattern cause y'all know I love a dress but dresses only figure predominantly in my wardrobe from late May to September. Somehow a dress in the spring/summer works in my very casual office but not so much in the fall/winter. So I don't wanna wait until spring to make a version of the Turner Dress, that's why I decided to work on a tunic version first.

I went with a border print ponte recently purchased from Chic Fabrics to give it a little oomph. I'm slowly bringing myself around to the "I can wear any color, print, etc. I want camp" even though this is still a print on a black background! *LOL*

How I posted the fabric and pattern to Instagram

Pattern Alterations ~
Now there aren't many of those because Jenny has thought of most things that a plus size sewist needs to do to make a pattern fit and they are incorporated into the pattern.

But it is winter and the neckline was quite low on me, so starting with the bodice front for a C/D cup, I added 2" to raise the neckline per Jenny's instructions in this blog post. 

Construction Deets ~
I cut it out originally in a size 22 front and a 24 back and size 22 sleeves, put it on and thought ummmmm no. It was way too tight. Some of the tightness could be attributed to using a ponte with minimum stretch and some may be attributed to the fact that the pattern pieces are cut on the cross grain which could be affecting the little stretch the ponte possessed.

Since I bought three yards of the fabric, I recut the front using the 26 E/F cup and the 24 back. I needed all of my extra in the front. I'd already cut the skirt using the border for the bottom of the skirt. There wasn't enough fabric leftover to recut the skirt so I "made the bodice" fit the skirt. A good press helped make it work too.

The original sleeves that I cut from the border print ponte were too tight and I despise tight sleeves. When I went to recut them there wasn't enough fabric for them even when I tried to piece them together. So I pulled out my trusty black ponte fabric (which has a little more stretch) and cut new sleeves from it. If I look closely, I can see the slight difference in the fabric but since the print is so vibrant, that is what your eye is drawn too.

Designer Deets ~
I wish I was capable of just sewing a pattern out of the envelope as the pattern designer made it but I'm not.

Here are the changes I made to the pattern:
1. Made it tunic length
2. Gave the side hems shark tooth hemlines to emphasize the border print.
3. Used Jenny's instructions to raise the neckline
4. Instead of lining the top with self fabric, I used black foldover elastic to finish off the neckline. 

Some pictures of the tunic in action ~

Conclusion ~
I like the ease of this pattern. How easy it is to sew. How easy it is to interpret and change up using fabric and details...and how easy it is to wear. I don't know if I will make another tunic but it will definitely be on my spring/summer to-sew list. I'd like one with a very full skirt and calf length in a lightweight knit. It will be a perfect spring/summer dress and will have more fabric to cover the abundance of behind that I have.

Also, I took these pictures myself. My daughter and the grand kids are all under the weather. I've forgotten how hard it is to take my own photos and I applaud all of you who do!

One more thing, most of these pictures are taken with me wearing sneakers because honestly this is my footwear choice most days. I'm slowly but surely buying interesting pairs of sneakers cause they're fun and since I can wear them to work, I might as well.

...as always more later!