Finished a few weeks ago, I present my most recent project!
I'm well-pleased with how this dress turned out! I was able to practice a number of techniques, from handstitching to French seams on the armscye.
The pattern was gifted to me by my first grade teacher, Mrs. Worth. We have reconnected via Facebook and a love of sewing, and she surprised me by dropping off a bag of patterns that she no longer uses. This one is a 1973 release: Simplicity 5914.
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| I made View 2, shown in blue |
I was intrigued that the size printed was a 12.5...and guess what? It fit perfectly! I only made a few alterations, like a long torso, erect back, and armhole adjustments, but I always do those things. The sleeve width, bust, waist, and hip all fit without effort. Yay!
It's cool that they used to print pattern pieces on the envelope back. They don't do that anymore, probably because they made the line drawings much larger, or because they now print directions in French on the back as well.
The fit through the back is one of my best: clearly fitted, but enough ease to really move without worry. I played piano and marimba in this for a few hours with no pulling at the arm or center back. I'm rather proud of the centered zip - typically, I avoid these, but decided to give it another go, mostly because there wasn't a good way to make it lapped, due to the collar at the top, or move it to the side, due to the sleeves.
The center front seam has serged allowances and is handstitched at the point. The sleeve cuffs are whipstitched so they won't get floppy and fiddly in the wash.
I did my usual collar trick of removing 1/16" from the underside so the edges rolled nicely. These lapels turned out great! The topstitching was a great test of patience and focus, as I used really small stitches and didn't want to rip any out to start over!
Lastly, here's a different angle to see the color of the fabric more accurately.
On second thought, maybe next time I'll remove a bit of width from the bodice fronts, but for the moment I'm satisfied. I wore it to work with leggings underneath (casual Fridays, mmhmm), but need to purchase a slip for warmer weather. The fabric is probably a little too thin for this design, but I really wanted to use it anyway. It was purchased from my local store, as was the zipper. Yay, supporting local business!
I've got a maxi dress in the works for New Music Gathering, a conference of sorts that I'll be attending and performing at next month. It's almost done, and I can't wait to share it!! :)
