Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Delayed Gratification

Some of you might remember I've been going on and on about my two UFO Fatina dresses. I managed to finish one of them recently, but hadn't worn it because I wanted to make a jacket to wear with it, and was thwarted by my incomplete vintage jacket pattern. That pattern will get drafted, eventually, but in the meantime it was 90 degrees today and since the air conditioning in the office had been off for the long weekend, I figured I could go sleeveless at work without freezing to death. It was a good guess, but unless I schedule this for another day-after-long-weekend wearing, I'd better get cracking on the jacket.


I didn't do an official pattern review because this is like my 6th iteration of this pattern, changed again but still with the same bones.

Fabric Used:  Charcoal gray/light yellow windowpane RPL.  Originally bought about 3 years ago from Jomar, meant to be pants and a jacket.  Now a dress, and soon a matching jacket. 

Changes to TNT Pattern:  I added a bias binding to the neck and armholes. Originally I had planned a bias sleeve, which when it was inserted didn't look bias enough due to spacing of the lines on the fabric. It looked bias straight on, but toward the front and back, it just looked like a sloppily inserted sleeve. Off they went. Then I tried a short sleeve cut on the grain, and I didn't like it either. I decided it was meant to be sleeveless. This also might be that after removing 2 sleeves, the edges were a bit raggedy and doing a bias binding was the best way to clean up my mess.

I also cut the dress a good bit shorter than usual and added a bias band at the bottom. I really like the band - it wasn't intended to draw the dress in a bit, as it does, but I decided that I liked the effect after seeing it on. Besides, for a 2 piece unlined dress, this was giving me way more difficulty than it should have and I wasn't removing ANYTHING else.

After that, the dress was essentially done, but I kept fiddling with it. I had these roses from Pacific Trim in both charcoal gray and light yellow, and I wanted to use them somehow. I tried grouping them at the neckline in various ways, but couldn't find an arrangement that I liked.  The yellow didn't make the cut at all - they were way too "old lady corsage" looking.  Then I got the bright idea that I would do something all cool and designer-y and MAKE cap sleeves for the dress OUT OF THE ROSES. Thankfully I just pinned them on because when I tried the dress on that way, I looked like a halfback who'd had a collision with the FTD deliveryman.  

Safe to say, I have way too much shoulder for something like that. If I were one of these stick-figure girls with little shoulders and thin arms, I would have kept the rose sleeves in a heartbeat. But on me, that just looked awful. And ridiculous. But more awful than ridiculous.  It's never good when your sewing makes you laugh until you're sick to your stomach.

I ended up with three gray roses at the neckline. I thought that added interest without making it too fluffy, and then of course I had to bead centers in the roses with yellow beads, just so they weren't QUITE so plain.

Nothing succeeds like excess, right?

5 comments:

Irene said...

Very, very nice. I do love the roses. They really add the perfect touch to keep the dress from being too plain jane.

Jane M said...

A sleeveless dress is perfect for this early, stifling heat. I love that bias hem idea and the flowers are just enough embellishment without going over the top.

Deepika said...

Beautiful dress. And that fountain brings back fond memories (you know what I am talking about).

The Slapdash Sewist said...

I love the little touches on this! The roses are really nice. I like tonal accents, because you get to be floofy without being cutesy.

Andrea said...

That dress looks great on you and I love the little accents you did on this. The roses with the little beading in the center really work for me on this dress.