Vogue 8596 - "The Dress"

The risk I run as a plus size woman when making a dress with very few seams is the possibility that I can inadvertantly make a muu-muu. I know that seams are my friend. They add structure to a garment and a slimmer appearance to my body. Let me tell you turning this top into a dress effectively makes it a muu-muu...judge for yourself:

However, in hot, humid, soupy weather, I don't want tailored and/or structured. I want loose flowing and easy to wear. So there is a tight rope to walk...

I took a chance with this dress...at various times during its construction I wondered if I had ruined a beautiful piece of silk. And I also realized why I use TNT patterns so much...my sewing time is limited and like everyone else I only want sewing successes...

So here are the stats:

Fabric:

100% silk from Metro Textiles

Ambiance lining from Elegant Fabrics

Notions:

4 yards of yellow netting

I'm going to make the construction info short and sweet...

*The pattern is very easy to sew - even beginners could make this tunic/dress.

*I made very few changes to the pattern - normal inches added to sleeve bicep area, a pivot and slide technique on the front pattern piece to add 2" to the front of the dress, and of course length was added to the bottom of the pattern pieces to take it from tunic length to dress length.

*I added a lining. The silk is pretty but sheer so a lining was needed.

And one additional concern - this neckline is made from a sew-on casing. If you pull the drawstring tighter, the entire dress rises up. The hemline...the sleeves...everything. If you use a more relaxed neckline everything settles down a little better. Because of this I added the inch and a half of netting to the hemline (shades of Moschino, Lindsay!)

If you tie a bow at the neckline you don't have to worry about how deep the v-neck opening in the casing is...because it is totally hidden by the bow. But I would be careful because the v-neck opening is shades of BWOF deep!

Finally, in my opinion this is a knock-off of the Tom & Linda Platt Vogue Dress (which I successfully made un-muu-muu like). It's an okay knock-off but the elastic casing on the neckline of the Tom & Linda Platt dress is a more secure and flattering neckline. I can tell you that I won't use this pattern again...not for a top, tunic or a dress...however, I will remake the Tom & Linda Platt dress!

Okay I'm not sure that this dress will get much wear...or worn at all...I just wanted new sewists to see that not everything a more seasoned sewist creates turns out perfectly...sometimes it's just "meh!"

...as always more later!

Sunday Evening Sewing

When Vogue debuted the new Fall/Winter 2009 patterns last week, this one caught my eye. Not because it will make a great top or tunic but because I saw a great summer work dress. You know one of those dresses that are light and airy, not to tight to ward off the summer heat but still professional enough for work...

Then I was surfing on one of the online fabric sites...great stress buster at work! And I found an amazing silk twill that I thought would be awesome for the dress. However, it was $24 a yard and even though I would probably only need 2.5 yards, I knew there was something in the fabric closet that would work. So this is the combination I came up with...

Now the dress isn't finished...so don't go scrolling to the bottom of the post looking for pictures! *LOL* I've just made the pattern alterations and gotten the dress and lining cut out. I didn't much feel like sewing today...probably because after spending the day with Lindsay, I came home took a nap and then went back out with a friend. So today started a little later than most...and I just wanted to take it easy!

But when I went digging through the notions/trim/button armoire, I realized that many times I just buy or accept things from friends with no particular idea in mind. Then in the course of gathering supplies for a garment, that something I bought or took is suddenly right for that particular project. Such is the case of the yellow bow in the upper corner of the picture.

A friend that I use to work with had two aunts that died. They had worked with fabric...don't really remember the entire story now...is that a sign I'm aging? *smile* Anyway, my friend brought me several shopping bags of fabric that the family was getting rid of. Most of it I donated to the local high school's drama department, but I did keep a few things. That bow material and the fabric from this skirt, as well as, a few other pieces that are still residing in the fabric closet and haven't chosen to make an appearance yet.

So it got me to thinking...do others do this too? Do you accept fabric/trim/buttons etc. from friends and family members because they don't know what to do with them yet they know that you sew? And if you do, how much do you keep and how much do you give away?

I will probably finish this dress up during the weekend...and after that start on one of the Pumpkin Seed outfits. Don't forget to send in questions for "New Sewists Thursdays!" because we want to continue to encourage new sewists so that they too can share our passion! And as always...more later!