Elegant in Ivory: New Look 6301

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.

Season-Spanning Separates

I mentioned in my first post that I was going to create some outfits for Mehetabel that she could wear with her brown boots.  Well, I've made quite a few now, but I haven't taken pictures yet.  This outfit is one that I made for her "Brown Wardrobe," and it will be great with tights, boots, and a cardy during the winter, but now in spring, it's perfect with some wedges or pumps. 

 

Note: The top is more of a grayish blue than these photos show.

  

Mehetabel looks great in pencil skirts, but flared skirts are more comfortable and give her freedom of movement.  This is something she's told me is important to her during her workday; she's always on the go, moving from classroom to classroom, and into frequent parent/student IEP meetings.  Straight skirts in woven fabrics tend to ride up the thighs when in a seated position (although they look great when standing still).  She wants the focus on the student's educational needs rather than her legs!

 

So, with these guidelines in mind, I whipped up some flared skirts.  This one is in a silky polyester from Hancock.  On its own, it is perfect for a blouse, but it is too light for a skirt expected to span the seasons.  To remedy that, I underlined it in batiste.  I love the way this fabric feels now; it is much more substantial.

 

The pattern is vintage Vogue 7444, from about 1979 or 1980.  I have made this view and the straight skirt version dozens of times for both Mehetabel and me.  Mehetabel sometimes wears my 1980s versions which are, sniff, too tight on me now.  This version is size 14, and I added about 4 inches to the length.



The construction of this skirt is easy.  After I underlined the skirt pieces, the seam allowances were finished on the serger.  I used an invisible zipper (center back), interfaced the waistband, and used a large hook and eye for the waistband closure.  The hem was hand-sewn after I attached bias tape to the hem edge.  The waistband was also finished by hand. 

 

The top is another old favorite:  New Look 6150.  I've made this view a handful of times.  This iteration is in a grayish blue mystery knit from Fabrix in San Francisco.  I think it cost about $2 per yard.  It is slinky and silky; Mehetabel says it feels like she's wearing a jammie top!  The top was constructed on my regular sewing machine, and I used the serger to trim and finish all seam allowances.  The shoulder seams are reinforced with twill tape.  I used my cover stitch machine to finish the hems and neckline.

 

The photo, below, is a better representation of the color:

All in all, this outfit is a success!  Yay!  Unfortunately, my most recent project is a failure.  I'll leave you with a photo of this darned thing.  I spent 9 hours on it.  I don't know why it took me so long.  Everything went wrong, but most of the problems were because I was trying to "improve" the pattern, I used a horrible lining fabric, and my application of clear elastic was a disaster.  Oh well.  I guess the failures help one to appreciate the successes that much more!

When is a Pencil Skirt not a Pencil Skirt?

The answer?  When it's a pencil dress!

 



 

The last time I was in Berkeley, I spent a fair amount of time at one of my favorite fabric stores: Stonemountain and Daughter.  One of the things I'd been searching for was a lemon-print fabric with a white background to create a Kate Spade-inspired dress which I'd pinned.  Well, no luck with the lemons, but as I was perusing the cotton novelty prints, I spied this pencil fabric.  I thought it would make an adorable fit and flare dress.  I also figured that my daughter, the previously mentioned not-her-real-name Mehetabel, would enjoy such a dress, being a high school teacher and all.  I could picture her wearing it with a black patent belt and shoes, and a black cardigan. 

 

When I checked in with Mehetabel, she saw the fabric, expressed delight, and asked if by any chance I'd consider making a dress for her!  So, with all systems go, I headed home to work on the dress.

 

 

For the pattern, I used Simplicity 2444.  I've made this dress (or used the bodice) about seven times I think.  Fitting issues were worked out long ago, so I was able to get right to the fun part. 

 

To give the fabric some heft as well as to stave off wrinkles and provide opacity, I underlined each piece with poly/cotton broadcloth.  In hindsight, I wish I had used batiste, but the broadcloth was what I had on hand.  After pre-treating the fabric, I didn't have enough to cut out the dress on the straight-of-grain.  We are a tall people; considerable length had been added to the bodice and skirt pattern pieces.  So, I cut the pieces on the cross-grain which allowed me to cut the skirt front on the center fold instead of in two pieces.  The underlining was cut on the straight-of-grain, and the combo of that with the cross-grain fashion fabric made it quite sturdy. 

 

This pattern, very popular in the blogosphere, sews up quickly and easily.  As I have done in the past, I made a one-piece facing (armscye and neckline) for the front and one for the back which were sewn in place and then hand-stitched to the underlining.  For the hem, I used white bias tape to finish it and hand-sewed it to the underlining.  For the closure, I used an invisible zipper.

 

Mehetabel tried on the dress the day before yesterday and loved it!  She wore it to work the next day.  The photo, below, is in her classroom.  She received many compliments and some pencil-pun comments as well (you look sharp; you're making a fine point..., etc.).

To confess, this is not the first time Mehetabel and I have collaborated on a themed dress.  At her last school (in another state), the mascot was a pirate, in honor of Sir Francis Drake.  We found pirate ship fabric on www.fabric.com, and a dress was born (New Look 6910).  Here she is:

 

 

Finally, I've found yet another themed fabric that I think will make a great dress.  This trimester, Mehetabel, a special education teacher, is also co-teaching freshman science.  I found this fabric at Mill End in the Portland, Oregon area.  I'd better get cracking on this dress because school ends soon!