&*$% yellow dress

I feel like lately my blog is full of boring posts of the yellow and black Vogue 1086 dress. Here is the last one.

I finally finished this dress. And it doesn't fit. At all. The problem is that this dress is very nicely finished inside. You start at the top, with the shoulders, and work your way down, finishing everything in French seams and nice facings. By the time I got far enough through it to have something to test for size, it was way too late to make adjustments. I'd have to undo the whole dress and then adjust the pattern, especially since really all I'd have to work with are the side seams, and the zipper runs up one of those. And then I'd have to take in the armholes, and then the armhole facings. Blech. So I have a dress that is TWO FULL INCHES too big around the bodice. How this happened, I'm not sure. I used my measurements on the pattern, and I know I cut and sewed properly.

I was determined to wear it at least once, so I threw a cardigan over it and belted it (I always think of those Gap "Just cinch it!" skits on SNL years ago). I thought it was manageable for one day at work, but whenever I sat down, the top would push open. Good thing I had a cute bra on. I have a friend in mind who might fit in this dress perfectly.

How I wore it:



How it really looked, without all my tricks:



If it had fit, it may have looked quite nice:



Now, the pattern didn't offer much in the way of finished dimensions. On the model, the dress was very fitted. All the pattern gave was the finished hem width -- and who gives a crap about that? -- and the back length.



If anyone has any tips on how to test if a pattern will fit you before you even start, please post a reply.

Quilting class, and messy dresses

I have finished my first pieced quilt item. It's going to be a place mat. It's made with silly kitty fabrics, and I now understand I didn't choose my fabrics well. If you look closely, you'll see it's got a rail fence pattern, but ideally you want to choose a light, a dark and a medium fabric to play this up. I ended up with a dark and two very similar fabrics, so it doesn't pop as much. It will eventually be a mat for my cats to eat off of. Still needs backing, quilting, binding, etc.



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As for the messed up dress I was whining about in an earlier post, here are my V-necks, front and back:





The V-neck facings are a mess. I can't get them to lay flat for anything and I'm trying to find some sort of solution to save this garment.

Something for me

I bought this dress pattern in February, when, for my birthday, I made my friends hang out at JoAnn Fabrics just because I could do what I wanted.

I didn't select a fabric, so it just sat there. Last week, I was looking at this fabric I already had and realized I had a lot of it for some reason. It was just enough to make this dress. I love it! That's the beauty of sewing -- you can use fabrics you'd never find in the stores. Of course, whenever I make something, people always know right away. I am not sure if that's because the things I make actually look awful and homemade.



If you look closely at the tie, it's a similar fabric with a different print. I was supposed to just use a ribbon, but I thought this would be a fun touch.



It was made from Butterick pattern B5024. I had trouble with the sizing. I chose the size based on my measurements, but it was HUGE! I ended up taking it in by about 2 inches around, and it could still be more fitted for my taste, though I think it's fine now. I saw the dress on a mannequin at JoAnn's and loved it, but the picture on the pattern looks pretty lame. I never would have bought it if I hadn't seen the finished project at the store. I also think it made it a totally different dress to use a bold fabric.

The Pleats That Were Born of Hell's Loins

Look at my cute new dress! It was $220 and I got it for $70. What a steal! Isn't it adorable?



Oh, look at the beautiful pleats at the bottom! How do I properly care for this garment? Let me read the label:



"Cool iron IF NEEDED"

Here, let me wash it. Oh my, what has happened to the pleats? Post-washing pleats are to the left on the photo. Is it possible to wash this dress and NOT need the iron?



How, oh how will I get my pleats back? I'll tell you: I will fold and pin every damn pleat to the ironing board and press. It will take an eternity. I will never, ever wash this dress again, no matter how bad it smells.