No really, this is epic. Epic in so many ways. Epic because I'm a procrastinator, epic because of the recent move, epic because this dress gave me first from the beginning.
It all started with this pattern.
It's a beautiful pattern, wouldn't you agree? The lines, the piping, the breeze nature of it all. I was in love. Somehow though, I got the impression that it was for knits. So I'm sitting there, knit fabric in hand, looking at Sewing Pattern Review when it finally occurs to me that this is totally for wovens.
Because stupid is a thing that sewing sometimes makes you feel.
Then I had a magic moment. A few months ago on a whim, whim in this instance referring to those incessant emails I signed up for that lure me in with the promise of wonderful fabric, I bought two coordinating fabrics from Mood. When it arrived, I swear the heavens opened up and wrapped me in their loving Italian cotton embrace. There are really no words for the glorious feel of this stuff. One half of the pair is a smooth, cool lipstick red cotton sateen and the other half is some kind of woven miracle that words cannot express. I'm sure there's a fancier name but Mood listed it merely as Italian cotton. So in adequate, let me tell you. It's patterned in black and white and on the flipside, also black and white but the pattern is reversed.
MAGIC, YO!
So looking at this pattern, I had an epiphany.
I could use the red cotton sateen to make this dress, create piping from the 5/8th yard of houndstooth that's been sitting in my stash since some company messed up my order and it would coordinate beautifully with a chic cropped Italian brocade jacket in a reversible black and white pattern.
It would heaven. But heaven, in the sewing world, is often ruined by a terrible fit or a terrible pattern so I decided to do a wearable muslin. And then, I became oddly invested in the turn out of this wearable muslin. I had some pretty pink pique sitting around and fixated on the idea of the gorgeous resulting dress. Then I became invested in acquiring (but not making) the perfect piping to coordinate and then determined not to buy more. I can't explain it. I just painted myself into a sewing corner.
Finally, I threw caution to the wind, cut out the bodice pieces despite being in the middle of a move, and then well, I moved.
And there is sat.
And sat.
And sat.
Just waiting, I suppose to be the first garment I sewed in my new house.
Ta da!!!
I don't know where my camera charger is. Can you tell? This might be the worst picture I've taken in a long time.
Also on the list of whatevers, the waist is hella uneven along the zipper line, the bodice is too long, the waist is a bit too small, and we aren't going to discuss the zipper I put in three times before having to replace the zipper altogether. Did I mention my iron died after I got the bodice together but before I put on the skirt?
Oh and let's not forget that my dog rolled all over the rest of the yardage after I cut out the bodice but before I cut out the skirt. I'm not even sure what the dog did to it and quite frankly, I don't care. I do care about the tomato seeds my son scattered on it. Maybe they will come out in the wash.
But it's finished. My sewing and thus, my blogging mojo are back in business.
PARTY UP, YO!
Now I just need to find my damned camera charger so I can get on that sew along thing. I didn't forget, I promise. But I won't be mad if the rest of you did. I'll be remaking this dress in the aforementioned sateen and when I do, I'll post a proper review. If you decide to make up it before then, you should probably leave the bodice as is. I lengthened it because that's what I do but it's a multi cup size one and thus my usual way of getting out of an FBA was unnecessary.
Well, dude, that's a lot of gifs and a lot of words for nothing more exciting than two pictures of an ill fitting dress. The first pic, btw, is of the bodice folded up. The second is of the bodice as is. And here's two pics of the piping which turned out beaaaaaaaaaaautifully in an otherwise meh dress.
Before I show you the second pic, I should mention the other first that comes along with this dress. This is the first time I've used all three of my machines on one dress. I used my reliable SE-350 on the piping, the bodice seams, and the majority of the skirt seems. The waist was attached using the serger and the skirt seams were finished with the same. Then I whipped out my gorgeous coverstitch machine to hem up the skirt.
So there you have it.
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