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Monday, June 03, 2013

Sundress struggles


Some projects take longer than others.  Some walk that fine line between "worth finishing" and "garbage-worthy".  Case in point: this dress.  This dress hovered over the trash can on numerous occasions.  So many ripped out seams, so many alterations, so many changes to the construction.  The pattern (Vogue V1086, by Tracy Reese) had sketchy instructions ("sew {this impossible} seam as show in the {single, oversimplified} drawing").  It had no final garment measurements and strange construction. Initially, I had high hopes when I saw that the instructions specified French seams, but it all went downhill from there.  Among other changes, I  raised the neckline by multiple inches--my less than abundant chest couldn't fill out the very blousy and full bodice.  I know--I should know better by now what works on my body, but we can all hope, right?  Omigosh--and no pockets!  And I couldn't even work them into the design because of a side zipper. 
The fabric, rayon challis from Anna Maria Horner's Field Study line, was purchased at Hart's Fabric in nearby Santa Cruz, CA.  For Mother's Day, I requested family strawberry picking and time at a new (to me) fabric store while the boys entertained themselves at the beach.  Pretty win-win for everyone!  This rayon is definitely not the easiest to work with, but it really makes a lovely, flowy dress, so it's worth the extra effort. And the fabric design really hides the flaws in the dress! 
I'll definitely wear the dress, it's so darn comfortable, but it doesn't fit as well as I'd like.  The midriff is pretty loose, but perhaps that's the reason for the comfy-ness!  It's going to be nice when the weather gets really steamy.
Too dressy for a picnic?  At least with the full skirt, I can sit on the ground with modesty :)  One thing is for sure: after all my sewing troubles with this one, the next seriously needs to be a no-fuss project.

Related note: Melly Sews is hosting a whole month of sundresses!  Hop on over to see the impressive line-up of tutorials!

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:25 AM

    Wow...this turned out beautiful! And I don't think this is too dressy at all for a picnic! And I absolutely love the fabric. I have a few hours free of kids this weekend, and I told my husband I want to run to the fabric store so I can slowly look through the fabric...I can't wait!

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    1. Oh, I hope you have a great one near you so you can really enjoy your child-free browsing time! Enjoy!

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  2. The dress looks lovely, you can't tell that you had so much trouble. :) I think that's why I sew mostly for my kids, you don't have to alter clothes as much to fit.

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    1. Olga, that fabric hides the flaws! You're right, kids clothing is so much easier (and faster!), so if I'm feeling overly frustrated, I do like to sew up a quick pair of knit shorts or something else for my boys to boost my confidence :)

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  3. I just discovered your blog through Crafterhours Flickr group. Love the things you make! I am your newest follower. olga-kidapproved.blogspot.com

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  4. It's lovely, NIcole. And I agree, you can't tell you had such a hard time with it. I also love the fabric. I think it's fitting for our class potluck tomorrow - not too fancy. Nice work as always!

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    1. Thanks, Beverly! Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be warm enough this evening to justify a sundress...

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  5. The dress looks great on you! Thanks for the review of the pattern too.

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  6. Totally worth it - this is beautiful! Featuring on Monday.

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  7. I love this dress. I wish I had one. This is one of those projects that was definitely worth finishing. It looks great.

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  8. I love it and it looks nice on you!

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