The Simplicity 2754 dress, that I kept mentioning in a couple of my recent posts, is finally finished. I am glad I finished it, because if I don't finish a garment, that I am working on right away, I have a problem with its completion. Obviously, I am one of the persons, who are enthusiastic about each and every new project, but comleting it might be a problem for me. If I get stuck with one of the used sewing techniques, if I miss some needed notions and begin with another project before finishing the previous one, I am very bad at coming back to the original garment and finishing it. I've got something to work on :-)...
This is the pattern I used for the dress...
... and this is my interpretation of the dress:
... and this is my interpretation of the dress:
I made the dress with a round neckline and long sleeves with cuffs. I made it in the size 6, but I could have got away with the size 4, especially in the upper part of the dress. I also eliminated the back zipper, since the fabric I used is stretchy and the dress has a neckline big enough to get into it witout a zipper. According to me, this pattern is drafted pretty loosely - I had to take in about 3 inches on both sides of the torso - around my ribcage and waist area. The size 6 was way too big in this area for me.
The picture below shows some details.
I made the loop for the neckline button as written in the instructions - from the fabric used for the dress, but for the loops on the cuffs I used a black cord. I thought the fabric loop would be too thick for the cuff. Well, the cord is not thinner at all, probably the opposite is the truth, but, thankfully, it works :-).
The one thing I have to fix is the neckline facing. Since the fabric is so thick and the finised dress is quite heavy, it keeps pulling the dress down and the facing keeps peeking out from the inside. I fixed it in the back by topstitching the back part of the neckline, but I don't want to topstitch the front, so I'll have to think about something else.
The buttons I've sewn on are the same style, only that the button on the neckline is bigger than those on the cuffs.
The fabric I chose was quite thick for this project. I can imagine, that working with a lighter fabric would have been much easier, since this one adds a lot of bulk to some areas - like the cuffs - and they were a nightmare to sew. They are very tiny in comparison to all the gathered fabric of the sleeves that you have to attach to them and this bulky fabric made it close to impossible.
So, this is my dress - I think the first winter dress I've ever made. I like the sewing pattern I chose for it, but next time around I'll look for a lighter fabric to work with this pattern.
The next item on my sewing plan - a Burda shirt / blouse.
Happy sewing to everone :-)!
I made the loop for the neckline button as written in the instructions - from the fabric used for the dress, but for the loops on the cuffs I used a black cord. I thought the fabric loop would be too thick for the cuff. Well, the cord is not thinner at all, probably the opposite is the truth, but, thankfully, it works :-).
The one thing I have to fix is the neckline facing. Since the fabric is so thick and the finised dress is quite heavy, it keeps pulling the dress down and the facing keeps peeking out from the inside. I fixed it in the back by topstitching the back part of the neckline, but I don't want to topstitch the front, so I'll have to think about something else.
The buttons I've sewn on are the same style, only that the button on the neckline is bigger than those on the cuffs.
The fabric I chose was quite thick for this project. I can imagine, that working with a lighter fabric would have been much easier, since this one adds a lot of bulk to some areas - like the cuffs - and they were a nightmare to sew. They are very tiny in comparison to all the gathered fabric of the sleeves that you have to attach to them and this bulky fabric made it close to impossible.
So, this is my dress - I think the first winter dress I've ever made. I like the sewing pattern I chose for it, but next time around I'll look for a lighter fabric to work with this pattern.
The next item on my sewing plan - a Burda shirt / blouse.
Happy sewing to everone :-)!
Lovely! About your facing problem... Did you understitch the facing? This helps to keep it in place. Another thing to try - tack it just at you armhole seams. Hope you fix the problem, so that this dress gets worn many, many times.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous dress! Just right for winter - warm but glamorous and very flattering.
ReplyDeleteHi Irene, thank you for your tips. I understitched the facing, but since the fabric is quite heavy, it still keeps pulling it out a bit. I'll have a look at the understitching once more and I believe I'll fix it somehow :-).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eugenia!