As mentioned before, my sister has found a new job after dealing with unemployment for quite awhile. While we are not close and don't talk often, I got the bug to make her a new dress for her new job. And then I had this bonus yardage of cobalt ponte and decided I'd make 2! A classic black version and a fun, sleeveless blue version.
I told her to be watching her mail and sent her the USPS tracking number. Just to show how little we talk, I had no idea she's moving at the end of the month! Good thing I got them done and in the mail first thing Monday! They showed up today :)
I went with size 12, totally guessing, putting her square in between my daughter's measurements and my own. I am smart!
This pattern is a surplice with an IMO unnecessary pleat on the right (under) bodice, two side pleats on the left bodice, pleats in the front skirt and darts in the back skirt. It has a center back seam on the back bodice, a narrow neck binding and tie belt.
Does it sound like there's too much going on? I kind of think there is. I'll start by saying the pattern is okay but unless she wants some other variation, I probably won't sew this one again.
It's one of those where it's like eh...it's not bad but meh... Know what I mean??!
**Knowing New Look, I took the liberty to remove 3/8" from the back neckline grading to nothing at the waist. I took a 3/8" tuck across the fronts.
**For myself I traced a size 14 neckline/armholes, grading out to a 16.
**I fully intended to do a swayback adjustment. I forgot!!! And dang it, it shows.
**When I first tried it on I wasn't happy with the front pleats but then when I actually wore it I realized the entire bodice is just too long. When I hiked it up a bit (like an entire inch!), the pleats fell just fine. Ah!
**Also, the bindings are too long. It is a match to the length of the front pieces. I attached the blue one as is and knew it would stand away from the body a bit.
**On the black one (a rayon/poly/lycra ponte), I had 6" of binding left over after applying light tension throughout serging.
**On the green/black one (a poly/lycra ponte), I had less leftover, around 3".
**Same with the armhole bindings on the sleeveless versions. Blue one was as-is and just matched the opening. Green/black was shortened and is still too long. It doesn't pull it in to the body.
**As per usual with Big4 patterns and ties, they are always wrong. Either too long to just tie in front but too short to actually wrap around successfully.
The blue version was first and ties were sewn as is.
On the black version I used the full size 20 length; they can wrap around the body easily.
On the green version I used the full size 20 length AND cut them with stretch. So this is my favorite. They wrap around nicely and sit snugly against the body.
Blah blah blah words...here are the pictures!!! :)
As said above, she is in the middle of a move so she wasn't photo-ready :) Hence the headless shot!
This photo was taken before the black one was hemmed.
I traced the pattern and cut the blue one Saturday morning. By around mid afternoon the black one was to this stage. My husband walked past and said, "Wait...that's ANOTHER dress?! WOW! You made that really fast!". Yeah, the second one went super quick!
I pressed and pinned the hems and stitched them Monday morning. Then I pressed it and wrapped them for the mail! Sent them out Monday morning and she received them today.
People complain but I *love* the USPS!
Why did the hems wait? Because of MINE! LOL! I traced my pattern Sunday afternoon and cut it out and serged it up. And then realized that because mine was sleeveless, the bands went in super quick with the serger and hemming was fast. I still need to twin-needle stitch the neck binding on mine. It flipped out a couple times while wearing it today.
Styled with my M6884 cardigan, tights and black boots. Which, I read on PR today that "dresses with tights and boots look bad". Ohhhh. Interesting.
Here you can see all that excess fabric length in back. And how bulky that side seam area is.
There's got to be a way to make that work out better?? Maybe if the seam is sewn and serged separately?? Or would that create more bulk?
At any rate, the pattern worked just fine and if she really wanted another I'd consider it.
But for me? I think I'll stick to M6884 (here and here) and S2369 (here) for my mock wraps, thankyouverymuch.
