dress Archives - Page 3 of 8

Lucinda May 14, 2013

I’m Teaching! Sultry Sheath Dress Class and Seam Finishes

Sunday sewing - prepping for my Sultry Sheath Dress class in a few weeks #sewing #teaching

Just some fitting tweaks to the bodice and I'll be done

Last weekend I started my first project from Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing – The Sultry Sheath Dress. It’s coming together nicely and I’ve only had to do some minor alterations to get the fit right, such as lowering the armholes. But there’s a reason I’m making this dress all of a sudden…

Which brings me to my exciting news – I’m teaching sewing classes next month! I’m offering two classes at Grey’s Fabric and Notions in Boston:

June 1: Seam Finishes – Want a more professional, finished look inside your garments but don’t own a serger? Me too! In this two-hour workshop, I’ll cover different types of seam finishes, from easy to more complex, and we’ll discuss what types of garments and seams to use them on. We’ll practice applying different techniques and by the end of the class, you’ll have samples to take home with you in a cute little embroidered book.

June 8, 15, 22: Sultry Sheath Dress – Are you a Joan or a Betty? Using the Sultry Sheath Dress pattern, I’ll show you how to alter necklines and change skirt silhouettes to create the perfect “Mad Men” style dress, whether you’re looking for a slinky, body-conscious shape or more of a full-skirted number. This class is a three-session class with sewing homework in-between each session.

Come sew with me in Boston!

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Lucinda May 1, 2013

Wearable Muslin: Tiramisu Dress [Cake Patterns]

Pattern: Tiramisu Dress by Cake Patterns
Fabric: Jersey ITY from Gorgeous Fabrics
Size: 30D

Cardigan: Sweater Project
Sunnies: Tommy Hilfiger

This was the perfect dress for a walk on the beach this past weekend in Cape Cod. Not too long, little short sleeves, and perfectly wearable under a cardigan. I intended this to be just a muslin to get the fit right for this pattern, since I’ve never had luck with surplice styles, and I’ve been hanging on to this fabric for a long time, waiting for the right project. After much fussing, I got this to fit…but it’s not perfect. There was a lot of bagginess under the bust and I had to remove almost two inches of fabric, but how I did it caused problems with the underam seam. I don’t get it…I picked the right size based on my measurements but it wasn’t anywhere close to fitting in the bust. I think this pattern may be just overengineered…or not suited for us small chested gals. But hey, no gaping!

When I make my final Tiramisu dress, I’ll post a more in-depth review of the pattern and how I solved my fitting problems. Wish me luck, and thank you for your feedback on my earlier post.

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Lucinda April 21, 2013

Saturday Stitching – Tiramisu Dress

Surplice/wrap/mock wrap dresses have eluded me. I’m convinced that I’m just not “built” for them since they always gape open. However, I’ve seen so many positive reviews of the Tiramisu dress by Cake Patterns that I wanted to give it a shot. Basically, you measure your high bust, full bust, and waist to determine what size to cut out – there’s about 20 different size combinations, which makes it pretty promising that someone like me who is “wrap challenged” could find the right fit.

Well…sort of. I think I erroneously measured myself and cut out a 30D since I thought my high bust was 33.5 and full bust was 34. When I basted the side seams together, I was surprised to find crazy bagginess at the underbust seam. I ended up pinching out about 2.5″ and moving up the underbust seam.

This kind of fixed the problem but it ended up messing up the sleeve seam since I made the front shorter than the back. I finished sewing the rest of the dress and it fits perfectly in the waist and hips, but I’m bugged that I couldn’t get the bust to fit correctly. I’ll still wear my practice dress though!

I just went back and re-measured myself – my high bust is 34.5″ and full bust is 35″. Well gee, no wonder I didn’t get the right fit! I’m still conflicted about what size to cut out: those measurements almost match up to a 35A bodice piece, but I think the 30 fits me well in the shoulders. I may just bite the bullet and cut out the 35A and give it a whirl in my pink knit fabric.

Have you made the Tiramisu? How did you get the fit right?

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Lucinda April 10, 2013

Finished Project: Laurel Dress [Colette Patterns]

Pattern: Laurel by Colette Patterns (view 1 )
Fabric: Eyelet from Fabric Place Basement, Silk Habotai from Grey’s Fabric and Notions
Size: 2 graded to a 4

Belt: self made (see Tilly’s Bow Belt Tutorial)
Shoes: Tommy Hilfiger
Earrings: Francesca’s

Well, I did it! I finished my Laurel dress in the nick of time for the Cocktails with Colette party last Saturday in Boston (pics and party details to come later this week).

The Fabric

I had a couple of firsts with this dress – it was my first time working with silk (eek!) and my first time underlining a garment. The underlining probably would have been much easier to do had I not been working with silk which, by the way, was a miserable experience. All the shifting, all the raveling….ugh!! I’m not a fan, to say the least. Had I had a bigger cutting mat, I would have used a rotary cutter to cut out the lining pieces, or if I had tissue paper, I would have tried the paper sandwich method to cut out the fabric. But I took my time with hand sewing the darts and the basting of the two fabrics together and it turned out alright.

The Pattern

The dress seemed to fit a little different than the top. For my top, I cut out a 2 for the bust, a 4 for the waist, and a 6 at the hips. When I did that for the dress, it hung like a sack and and felt and looked too big on me. After re-grading down to a 4 for the waist and hips, the fit looked better but…I just wanted a little more of a fitted look. Tilly’s Bow Belt to the rescue! I cut out some leftover silk (with my rotary cutter this time) and whipped one up following her instructions. I love the contrast to the main dress fabric and the belt makes the green underlining pop and stand out a little bit more. In the future, to get a better fit, I’ll take in more at the back darts – the front fit was great but it really looked like it was the back that had more of a fitting opportunity for me. Again, this was different from how the top fit on me.

A word of caution: this dress is s-h-o-r-t! Which, if that’s your thing, this dress is perfect. I could have made this a teensy bit longer, since it’s difficult to pick up things in a dress this short, but the length makes the dress much more hip and fun than if it was a longer length. Because, you know, no one wants to wear a long shift dress – that would just look frumpy.

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Lucinda March 24, 2013

New Pattern Lust: Laurel from Colette Patterns

Image from Colette Patterns

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited over a new pattern. I think I literally shrieked out loud when I opened my email and saw Laurel, a simple shift dress with some shaping from Colette Patterns. I know I know, I’m continuing the Colette love from my last post, but hey – Colette rocks my socks. What I love most about this pattern is that the simple design and silhouette makes a great canvas for showcasing some awesome fabrics.

So I’ve changed course on what I’m planning on making for the cocktail party in two weeks. I received my pattern in the mail on Friday (like, three days after I ordered it, wow!) and went on a hunt this weekend for the perfect fabric. I landed on a navy blue geometric eyelet that I will layer over a lime green silk habotai – it’s pretty funky but I think it will look preppy/cool. The silk makes me a little nervous since I’ve never worked with silk before and I’m not a big fan of hand washing my garments, but the final result will be worth it in my mind.

I have a feeling that I’m going to make a load of Laurels this year, so look out! Tomorrow I’m planning on starting a wearable muslin of the shirt version from some white swiss dot that I’ve had in my stash for awhile.