Mehetabel has an upcoming event for which she needs a new dress. The guidelines? It must be comfortable, it must be flattering, it must be opaque (no slips, please!), and it must be ivory. Well, the attitude here on the Bespokeabilty factory floor is definitely can do!
Item 1: It must be comfortable. Check! What could be more comfortable than a soft rayon lycra double knit? Purchased from Stonemountain and Daughter.
Item 2: It must be flattering. Check! I think Mehetabel looks great in this surplice style (New Look 6301). The neckline is very flattering, and because the dress is a mock-wrap, she won't need to worry about skirt malfunctions!
Item 3: It must be opaque. Check! The bodice and skirt pieces were underlined with white swimsuit lining. This dress has some heft, and no slip is needed. I also love that the underlining makes it so there isn't any shadowing at the seams and hem.
Item 4: It must be ivory. Check! I was a little worried that this winter white double knit might be too creamy, but Mehetabel loves it.
In addition to the underlining, I added ten inches in length to the ties, and I omitted the elastic at the waist. The seam allowances of the neck and arm bands are tacked to the underlining so they won't flip outward. When I sew this pattern again, I think I will trim the shoulder width a bit.
I let the skirt hang for 24 hours before hemming it--and I'm glad I did, because it grew a bit overnight!
Overall, I'd say this is another one for the win column! The disaster I mentioned in the last post was another version of this dress--one that I tried to line rather than underline. Clearly, I didn't think that one through! I also tried to use clear elastic at the waist and in place of the arm and neck bands. Ugh! What a mess. That stuff is not for me.
What a beautiful dress for a gorgeous girl. It is perfect. You must be very proud.
ReplyDeleteI have made exactly the same mistake with a surplice and lining.
What a beautiful dress for a gorgeous girl. It is perfect. You must be very proud.
ReplyDeleteI have made exactly the same mistake with a surplice and lining.
Nice dress!!
ReplyDeleteNice dress!!
ReplyDeleteHello Peggy, I just linked to your blog from Instagram and have enjoyed browsing it. Both your sewing and daughter are very beautiful, and I particularly love this ivory dress. I have noticed you mention a few times you interline rather than line and I find this interesting. I normally line dresses, but can see the advantages of interlining, invisible hem for one. How do you decide which is best or more appropriate?
ReplyDeleteHi Mary Anne ~ Thanks so much for your kind words! The reasons I choose underlining over lining are usually dictated by the project. In this case, I was trying to eliminate any shadowing of the seam allowances--does that make sense? If I'd lined it, the SAs would have been pretty obvious and I wanted something cleaner. By underlining the fashion fabric it became opaque which was just what I wanted. I also like to underline when I feel the piece needs more support, like with the two knit dresses I just made. Those two have long, swishy skirts that are surprisingly heavy. So, for those dresses, I felt underlining the bodices would give the skirts more support than just a single layer of bodice fabric. Then I decided the dresses needed a little more structure so I added clear elastic to the waist seam allowances. Clear elastic is not my favorite thing, but it does the job!
DeleteHello Peggy, Thank you for your reply and yes that does make perfect sense. I think in future I should maybe consider underlining more, perhaps especially for summer wear, where it would maybe suit the light colours better than others. Always learning!!! I also am not a great fan of clear elastic, but it does have its uses. Best wishes.
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