This post originally started out as a “On My Cutting Table” post to show what I started working on this weekend. Sadly, it ended up as the new title of this post or, “A Lesson in Fabric Choice.”
Yes, my sewing friends, I goofed big time.
You see, the above pattern, a Vogue DKNY pattern that came out last summer, was meant for a lightweight seersucker or cotton lawn-type fabric. When I attempted this last summer, I didn’t have enough seersucker to fit the skirt pieces.
Fast forward to this summer: I bought the above stripey fabric at Mood and for some reason, maybe it was fabric sensory overload, I thought that this little number would be perfect and cute and nautical looking and all of those silly thoughts that run through one’s mind when they find the right fabric for a project. What I didn’t take into account was the weight of the recommended fabric for the pattern and the weight of the fabric I was purchasing. This twill-like fabric does not lend itself well to a pattern calling for voile-like fabric.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
What I ended up with after I stitched up my dress was a big, stiff, blousey sack dress. Major ugh. It looked nothing like the softly draped and gathered dress on the envelope and didn’t come close to the versions that I found on PatternReview. Plus, to add insult to injury, my stripes were horizontal, not vertical like I somehow thought they would be (how the hell did I end up making that mistake??). So not only did I have this blousey sack-dress thing going on, with a top that made it look like I sneak a bag of popcorn in to the movies and no one would know, but I also had stripes going across the whole thing that added on quite a bit of bulk, visually.
Moral of the story – always check to make sure the fabric you’re going to use is:
a) is similar to what is recommended on the envelope
b) works for the design of the garment
Or you’ll end up a sad panda like me with a big, ugly dress.
On the plus side though, I now have some fabulous leftover striped fabric for a pair of jazzy nautical shorts!
I used the same pattern and my fabric choice was a 100% silk (very light weight) that my husband brought me from India, and the dress looks horrible on me 🙁 (And it was supposed to be for all kinds of body type)
It ended up being to blousey on top.
I guess this dress was not for my body type.
Exactly what happened with mine – way too blousey on top. I'm almost thinking now that even if I had the right fabric, this dress still wouldn't look good on me. So much for Vogue's "figure flattery!"
Thanks for the warning!! It was funny to see your photo of the pattern envelope, because that very one is on my dining room table ready to be cut. It's one of those patterns that is jumping to the front of my long dress queue because I just fell in love with it. But I will definitely heed your advice when choosing the fabric. Perhaps the one I wanted to use won't work with this. Thanks again, sorry about the bad experience, but enjoy those nautical shorts!!
Best of luck to you! I hope it turns out better than mine 🙂
I stumbled across your blog and I too plan on making this dress! I'm excited to hear what fabric you do select. I think I'm going to use some light chambray I have stashed 🙂
-Ashley
http://distractedashley.blogspot.com