The questionable fabric I bought from the red tag section of Joann probably wasn't the best choice. It seemed to have some stretch to it, which just didn't seem to work for this dress. I don't know why it puckers at the center front seams, but it makes me want to light myself on fire every time I look at it.
Thent I forgot to add seam allowance to one side of the front piece because I thought I was supposed to cut it on the fold. I tried to compensate for this by adding a continuous placket instead of just following the directions and folding in the edges twice to make front placket. The results were just okay. And then I put the belt loops about 3 inches lower than where I wanted, and had to take out about 4 inches on each side on the hips.
Also, what the hell was I thinking? This was definitely not a "Hey I'm turning 24 let's go bar-hopping" kind of dress. It's more of a "Hey, cover me up with a cardigan and do some office work" frock.
On a happier note, I made a Sewaholic Saltspring Dress and I am absolutely in love with it! I cut a straight size 12 and love love love Sewaholic's sizing. I usually have to grade out two sizes to fit my hips into my garments, but not today. Damn you, hourglass shape! Needless so say I will be making up a lot more Sewaholic patterns.
I decided to forego the back zip at the last minute. Mostly because I got lazy but also because I ended up not needing it. Double win! I think I used up all my ambition putting pockets into the dress and just couldn't be bothered inserting a zip. I usually skip pockets with wovens because serging all those round edges gives me heartburn. In the end it wasn't that bad and I'm really pleased that I added them. They're so cute!
I think that when I make this again I'll do two straps on each side, or maybe go with thicker straps. I just feel like I'm putting all my eggs in one basket with those thin little straps.
This dress is a big success for me, and I can definitely see myself wearing it a lot this spring/summer. It's super flattering a I'm in love with my fabric choice. I may have to wear some spandex underneath on windy days (read: everyday in SD) because this dress is definitely breezy!
I have a lot of tops that I need to make because I may or may not have signed up for Me Made May. I'll probably do a separate post for that though. I have a lot of things to talk/freak out about!
Oh man, I so know what you mean about weird cheap fabrics and puckered seams!
ReplyDeleteI once attempted a slinky satin ball dress using stuff from the discount section... the side seams puckered so badly that I had a weird breakdown the night of the event, wore something random, and have never touched it again :P
If you ever decide to fix it (it looks comfy and the collar is lovely), using cotton or silk thread makes a huge difference. Your blue dress is lovely!
x Zoe
For now that dress is the sole occupant of the "ew" part of my closet. I'll definitely look into the cotton/silk thread though if I ever decide to fix it. Thanks!
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