IPM: Dresses: A Teal Peony for the Lady?

~Inspiration~

I’ve been wanting to make this dress for ages.

I’ve had the pattern printed, pasted and ready to go for awhile now, so Thanks TMS for giving me the boot to make it.

There were quite a few adjustments made to this dress, but I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out in the end.

I was sewing like  women possessed trying to get this puppy sewn up before we head off for a long-weekend vacation tomorrow. I took the pictures just as the light was fading over the horizon.

~Pattern Adjustments~

Full Bust Adjustment  C cup to D cup (3/8″ spread)

Moved waist bust dart point and reduced the dart intake by 1/2″

Big Butt Adjustment-cut & pivot at the waistline total of  2 inches spread over to vertical cuts

Lengthened skirt 1 inch all over and an extra 1 inch at the back to compensate for Big Butt Adjustment

Shortened sleeves by 6.5 inches

 

~Construction~

I  didn’t follow the instructions on this one. I don’t like facings so I lined the bodice with the main fabric.

So because I went  ‘off piste’ here is a quick summary of my construction process.

-Sewed darts, in the bodice and bodice lining and joined bodice and lining at the shoulders. Clipped, pressed and finished seams on the overlocker.

– Sewed the bodice and lining together at the neckline pressed clipped and turned

– Sewed the side seams of the bodice and lining – separately, pressed

– Basted the armholes of the bodice and lining together so they wouldn’t shift when inserting the sleeve

– Sewed bias tape to the sleeve cap to ease it into the arm hole

– Sewed the sleeve underarm seam

– Inserted the sleeve

– Finished the edges of the pocket pieces on the overlocker & attached them to the skirt pieces. Pressed. Finished the skirt side seams on the overlocker

– Sewed the skirt pieces together at the side seams, sewing around the pockets

– Gathered the sections on the front skirt

– Attached the skirt to the bodice

– Inserted the zipper

– Sewed the lining to the zipper and bodice-skirt seam

-Hemmed the sleeves and skirt.

Pheew!

 

I have come to the conclusion that I am not a big fan of setting in sleeves. This time I used the “bias tape” trick where instead of gathering the sleeve cap with basting stitches you sew a strip of bias tape to the sleeve cap will tugging on it. I think it worked pretty well here.

~Pattern~

Colette Patterns 1017 (Peony) Version 1 with shortened sleeves and no belt.

 

~Materials~

Teal poly cotton fabric I’ve had in my stash for ages.

22″ invisible zipper

~Changes I made this time~

• Heaps! See the pattern adjustments above!

 

~What I Like~

• I wasn’t sure about the colour initially, but now I quite like it.
• I’m pretty pleased about the success of my Big Butt Adjustment
• I like that the waist seam matches at the zipper
• Pockets!

~What I Don’t Like~

• The zipper puckering
• The invisible zipper peaking out.
• The fabric after making my Navy S2444 and this dress I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to move away from this poly cotton. Too bad I’ve still got some in my stash 😦

 

~Changes for Next Time~

• Definitely different fabric.

• There are a heap more fitting adjustments I want to do on this dress. I think a big on is to raise the lower armscye on the bodice. I’m thinking that will help a bunch with arm movement.

 

~Final Comment~

I’m fairly pleased with this make. I did rush it a bit because of the looming deadline and running out of time because we are going away, but I think this will be a good dress for ‘everyday’ wear. I have to go back and reinsert the zipper again I think….maybe  😉

I won’t have time to do a full write up of this dress over on my blog before I go away, but I’m sure I’ll give you all the deets over there soon.
Good luck to everyone who is entering the Dresses contest for IPM!

Thanks for reading, until next time,