Sewing Update

[moon_custafer]

So, on Saturday I found an end-bolt, at Dome Discount Fabrics, of a pretty nice lightweight printed cotton. It was marked down to $2.50/yd and I bought the last 6 ½ yards. Last night I cut out the pieces for the bodice from Butterick Retro B5708. I tried making this last summer and it was ok, but I think it’ll be better in a light-weight fabric, since the pattern calls for you to double the fabric; last summer’s version came out slightly too thick for the shoulder ties to tie easily.

I still don’t like the gathered skirt (and the skirt is the most common issue in all of the reviews in this pattern – well that, and “the shoulders are too wide,” but I’m not as bothered by the shoulders because it *is* meant to be an off-the-shoulder dress) – last time I substituted the straight skirt from my vintage McCall’s pattern, but this time I think I can make a half-circle skirt based on the pattern piece from the walkaway dress, so I can get a full skirt without a lot of bunchy gathered fabric at the waist.

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that looks like a gorgeous pattern!
I'll be interested to hear how the skirt works out; I want to make some full-skirted dresses at some point, but I'm not a huge fan of gathered waists, as I think they can add a lot of bulk just where I don't want it (particularly on an hour-glass-y pattern!), so I think either (part of a) circle skirt or maybe a gored skirt might be better.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

One of the reviews pointed that in Butterick’s photos for the pattern reissue, the model is careful to always pose with her hands or arms obscuring the join between the bodice and the skirt.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

Update -- I cut the waist opening of the circle skirt a little larger than I should have, and had to do a tiny bit of gathering, but it looks ok, and the skirt has a nice A-line shape.

Tomorrow I install the zipper and then hem the skirt. Guess I'd better hang up the dress overnight, so the bias-cut can.... do whatever it is that it does.