This dress fulfills so many of my dress desires so despite having basically no time, I tried to sew it prior to leaving on my Asia trip (um last year.)
The fabric is from the Delft market. I used a size 2, which seems true to size, and did one very cool thing - I got it printed out on A0 paper! It was 12 euro, so not really cheap. The stripe placement caused me some anguish and added to my cutting out time, which I also did in Munich (um also last year), and then when I got to Seattle I had no time to sew it together before my next departure. Thus it languished. For a year. (You're catching the theme right?)
So yeah, back in Seattle, hellooo little Necchi! I dusted off this shit and got to work.
I read the pattern instructions to understand the order of elements, but after awhile I didn't bother anymore. So I didn't really notice that some things specifically said to sew with machine, and others specifically said to serge. I think this pattern needs to be serged at the waist, although maybe a three-step zigzag would work. And as I learned, that can't be avoided. The result is a clean finish with both the bodice and waistband totally enclosed and no open seams except on the skirt, which is one layer.
I made the entire dress, and when I tried to put it on I couldn't because the waist would not stretch. It actually took a few days for me to accept what I had to do, and pull the stitches until they broke. Unfortunately, because it is an enclosed waistband, the options at present are to handsew the gaps invisibly from the outside, and hope that enough stretchiness remains, or to undo the waistband entirely and start again. At the moment, I'm not sure which option I'm going for.
Anyway, the pattern comes together quite nicely with no major mishaps. I put a huge effort into the stripe placement. Maybe it was a hopeless attempt. It looks pretty haphazard. But are the sewists the only ones who notice?? This is definitely a casual dress because of my fabric, but I think if you use a single colour or a really nice fabric, the pattern could look quite classy.
Fit was spot on. I would hem it, of course, a few inches shorter than my photo. But another theme in life - I was about to pack up and leave so this dress stayed behind, and will be dealt with some future day.
The fabric is from the Delft market. I used a size 2, which seems true to size, and did one very cool thing - I got it printed out on A0 paper! It was 12 euro, so not really cheap. The stripe placement caused me some anguish and added to my cutting out time, which I also did in Munich (um also last year), and then when I got to Seattle I had no time to sew it together before my next departure. Thus it languished. For a year. (You're catching the theme right?)
So yeah, back in Seattle, hellooo little Necchi! I dusted off this shit and got to work.
I read the pattern instructions to understand the order of elements, but after awhile I didn't bother anymore. So I didn't really notice that some things specifically said to sew with machine, and others specifically said to serge. I think this pattern needs to be serged at the waist, although maybe a three-step zigzag would work. And as I learned, that can't be avoided. The result is a clean finish with both the bodice and waistband totally enclosed and no open seams except on the skirt, which is one layer.
I made the entire dress, and when I tried to put it on I couldn't because the waist would not stretch. It actually took a few days for me to accept what I had to do, and pull the stitches until they broke. Unfortunately, because it is an enclosed waistband, the options at present are to handsew the gaps invisibly from the outside, and hope that enough stretchiness remains, or to undo the waistband entirely and start again. At the moment, I'm not sure which option I'm going for.
Anyway, the pattern comes together quite nicely with no major mishaps. I put a huge effort into the stripe placement. Maybe it was a hopeless attempt. It looks pretty haphazard. But are the sewists the only ones who notice?? This is definitely a casual dress because of my fabric, but I think if you use a single colour or a really nice fabric, the pattern could look quite classy.
Fit was spot on. I would hem it, of course, a few inches shorter than my photo. But another theme in life - I was about to pack up and leave so this dress stayed behind, and will be dealt with some future day.
I think it looks great on, shame about the waistband though, I like the stripe placement and how it makes an arrow at the sides
ReplyDeleteThanks Lynsey! It's really comfortable but looking at the pictures made me think the stripes were a bit funny. As for the waistband - I have never had a problem with sewing knits on a normal machine so I didn't pay any attention to the instructions mentioning serging some parts. Probably a 3-step zig zag would have been enough, but I didn't consider it.
DeleteThis is beautiful!
ReplyDelete