Auction Dress Update

No, I haven't finished the dress -- yet.  I hit a few fitting snags, but I pushed through and now have a well-fitting dress muslin.  Mom gave me the go-ahead, so now I just have to make the real thing.  I'm so excited!
Here's the fabric:

I'm starting to understand the one-pattern/many-variations concept.  Now that I have a pattern made just for me I want to use it over and over and over again!  My mind is racing with design ideas. 

"Two-Hour" Skirt



Playing catch in a skirt!

I'll begin by saying that it's not an official "2-hour skirt" pattern. 



It seems I'm always reading how someone "whipped up" this skirt or that dress in just a few hours.  So I looked at Simplicity 2609  View E and decided that it should be a two-hour project.

I lost count after four hours, but it's probably safe to say that a solid six hours were spent on this project.  Where did the time go??  I can't tell you.  I did come up with a few time-saving ideas for next time though:

• Use the serger!  The seams are straight and a four thread overlock would work just fine.  But be sure to thread it with the right colors ahead of time.
• Use the serger!  I just pinked the seams, but even that takes time.  Serged seams are finished seams.
• Use the serger!  Attach the elastic directly to the skirt instead of making a casing and fishing the elastic through (twice).
• I won't say it again, but I'm sure there's an easier way to make a narrow hem - using the S-E-R-G-E-R.

I can't complain.  I have a much-needed black skirt that I figure cost me about $2.  The pattern was $1 at Jo-Ann's; the fabric has been in my stash for at least fifteen years; and the elastic was no more than $1.  I like the end result, and I guess that's what matters most.

Now I really need to get back to The Auction Dress -- Round III of the FBA...

Sewing Challenge: 12 in 2012

It's a little late in the game, but I'm going to join Su Sews So-So '12 in 2012' challenge.   I found Suzie's lists so inspiring!  Here's what I'm planning:

12 Garments to Sew:

1. "The Auction Dress" Butterick 5212 - already well underway
2. Linen trousers
3. Summer dress
4. Skirt from BurdaStyle Handbook
5. Blouse from BurdaStyle Handbook
6. Colette Patterns Jasmine blouse
7. A McCall's "classic fit" shirt
8. Knit top
9. Lingerie item - perhaps a silk slip
10. "Marilyn" dress - inspired by "Smash" television show
11. Pencil skirt
12. Slim stretch pants

12 Techniques to Try:

1. Rolled hem - done in February
2. Invisible zipper
3. Lined skirt
4. Buttonholes
5. Waist stay
6. Boning
7. Underlining
8. Pockets
9. Petersham waist
10. Collar
11. Bust dart
12. Hand-picked zipper

Wish me luck!

Making the Muslin

After checking with several of my sewing sources, I decided to try something new with this muslin.  In tracing the midriff and skirt pieces, I marked the stitching line and increased the seam allowance to 1 inch (from 5/8").  This is common practice for dressmakers, I'd just never done it that way before.

I also marked the muslin pieces with the center front, center back, waist and hip lines, in addition to the pattern specs. This is especially useful if you have issues with determining right from left and/or front from back -- like I do sometimes.

After piecing it all together, I have my muslin:

Mitzie the dressform, modeling Auction Dress muslin

 As you can see, I've got some fitting issues to attend to...

• Shoulders need adjusting.  Did I make the bodice too long with the FBA? 
• Midriff is snug.  Thank goodness I have that extra wide seam allowance!
• The skirt is snug too, but I also notice that the waist and hip lines are too low.  When I hike up the skirt it fits better.
• The armhole is a little large, but adjusting the shoulder seams will help.

As I work on the muslin, I'm referring to Chapters 5 and 8 in Vogue Sewing.  I love this book!

 

"We must, we must, we must increase our bust"

Do you remember Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me Margaret?  I think every girl in our fifth grade class at some point chanted, "We must, we must, we must increase our bust."

Well, it worked!  Or maybe it was Mom's genes, childbearing, and Chicago pizza.  Either way, the standard B-cup on commercial patterns doesn't quite do it for me.  The Auction Dress requires a Full Bust Adjustment, or FBA.  My first!

I found this great tutorial at Lazy Stitching for doing an FBA for this kind of bodice.  Many steps later, I came up with this:

I took the difference between the pattern's center front and my center front (1 3/8") and used that to spread the width, then added an additional 1" under the bust.  Looks good on paper.

Alana reminds to add the same length to the back:

I pinned the two pieces together and tried it on and it looked okay but I've never had very good luck with trying on pattern pieces.  I need a muslin.

Next step: make the muslin.

The Auction Dress

A while back I ran across a dress pattern online and fell in love.  It's an off the shoulder dress, designed for a curvy figure, and looked fabulous on the model.  I had to have it.  Where would I wear it?  The first thing that came to mind was the Auction, our school's big fundraising event.  Well, several weeks went by, I downloaded the pattern, read the instructions and balked.  This isn't something I could crank out in a few weeks, not with my limited experience.  But now I had my heart set on making a dress for the Auction.  After consulting with Mom, my sewing mentor,  I picked a new pattern: Butterick 5212.  This is The Auction Dress.