The fabric I used for my dress is weird. It has a lovely weighty drape, but because of the shiny plastic grain (which is also sheer) with the cross-grain black thread, it does not like to fold or keep a crisp press.
The flounce at the bottom is very curved at the bottom edge, especially in the back. So I knew it was going to fight me for a nice hem. I tried samples of double fold (it was ugly as expected) and even serged edge with single fold. Neither was pretty. A rolled hem on the serger was out of the question.
The pattern instructions said to hem the outer flounce and the lining flounce separately. While that would be pretty in a fabric like chiffon, it would have been double the frustration in this fabric and I didn't want the lining to be a different fabric.
So I decided to bag-out the hem, and then attach the flounce. In some ways, this probably simplified the alterations as I was able to make all the adjustments from the top without having to redo the hem or spend lots of time leveling anything up from the floor.
I used pinking sheers to trim the bottom edge after sewing the two layers of fabric together. Pinking the edge both "clips the curve" and keeps anything from fraying away without the added bulk of serging. Then I understitched the seam allowance to the lining side just beside the seam. This fabric needed to be controlled as much as possible.
I had to steam press really well and use the clapper on the bottom of my point presser to make it lay flat. Once I had forced it into submission, I lined up the vertical seams (sides and center back) and stitched-in-the-ditch to keep the open seam allowances from rolling around between the layers and getting puffy again.
I basted the top edge and trimmed any areas of overhang from the lining side. And then I attached it to the dress as one piece.
(fyi, this is also how I hemmed the sleeves of the shrug.)
#Butterick4731
I spent the day priming things for paint and then I remembered to shoot a quick video. #SewingStudioBuild
I started cutting all the edges while Janet was away yesterday morning. When she got back after lunch, she pulled out a roller and started filling in. I'll put a pic below in the comments. #SewingStudioBuild
We broke for lunch and then came back with a portal ac unit plugged in to an extention cord from the house. Can't wait until they finished hooking up all the electrical and we have the mini split cooling the room for us - it was stupid humid today! #SewingStudioBuild
Why do you have to be so pretty, brocade? I love you, but you are so fussy to work with!
#derbydress
I made a rub-off dress... the only change I made was to increase the width of the waistband from 2" to 3", which I am more-or-less satisfied with. I'd do a few things, construction-wise, differently next time, but this is an easy, comfortable dress.
The original is from Talbots.
It’s been awhile since I’ve had something to show, but I’m finally getting the pictures up! Both of these were from the Paloma pattern in the Itch to Stitch “Sew Beautiful” book. I did the top first to test the pattern, and tried to add some length to the sleeves, since 3/4 length only works here about 3 to 4 days of the year! I apparently underestimated the length I needed to add, but I had to cut crosswise even to add this much, so I couldn’t have done more.
For the dress, I did add more sleeve length (slightly overestimated this time). I also added ties to the neck and pockets, though in retrospect, I probably should have put them in higher. Based on the shirt, I’d thought putting them in the top part would be too high. So I inserted them in the first ruffle layer and it is maybe a bit too low.
Overall, though, I think this was a worthwhile pattern to play with.
