So this is basically as minimalist as a dress can get but despite that it was a huge struggle to get it even close to done while moving. It's really hard to focus on sewing when life is crazy. Not to mention packing. I'm so over packing.
This Karri is again an XS and again has stretchy side panels. This time I went to the Goodwill on a hunt for three big tshirts in mostly the same colour family. I really wanted marled seafoam green but I couldn't match the color very well (can't imagine why not), so blue it is.
This Karri, being minimalist has:
-no sleeves
-no lining
-no back zip
-no pockets
In order to bind the neckline, I french seamed the bodice front and back and then bound the neckline with bias tape. Because of that I did not cut the back bodice on the fold. I did first consolidate the front pieces so I could cut the front on the fold though. Any seams with all wovens were done with french seams and anything else was zigzagged to finish.
Not adding the zip was a tactical decision, based on the presumed stretchiness of tshirts when there are no sleeves.
I really was going to add the pockets but they added some additional stress because I need to actually follow instructions to get pockets on, so at the last minute I prioritised actually getting the entire dress put together, and skipped them.
The final order - which has something to do with the direction of max stretch - is to sew the front bodice and the front skirt together, ditto back bodice and back skirt, making the final seam be the vertical seam down the sides. I think if the waist seam is the final seam, it is tight (when you are using a sewing machine), and so this method leaves the waistband stretchier.
I finished it (mostly) a few hours before leaving for the airport. My luggage is a catastrophe and I unpacked in New Zealand to discover I have no pants but some luggage is being shipped so I guess I'll survive for now. It means this dress didn't come with me, but I grabbed a few snaps before packing it away. The sleeveholes are not bound and it's not hemmed. I think I'll hem it quite a bit shorter - maybe 10 cm. I'm planning to use some strips of tshirts to bind the sleeveholes, either leaving it as a binding or folding it inside.
Update: used bias tape on sleeves and hemmed the bottom:
Overall I am actually surprised because I thought I would love this version absolutely the most of anything ever. I like it and I can get into it easily without the zip, but I miss the lining. Without a lining it clings a bit too much and I think it's less flattering. A part of this is that the tshirts are pretty thin and so they don't have much body and they show details - a thicker stretchy fabric would definitely be more flattering. However, I wear sleeveless dresses a lot because I like to layer, so once I'm reunited with it and finish up those details I won't hesitate to wear it lots.
This Karri is again an XS and again has stretchy side panels. This time I went to the Goodwill on a hunt for three big tshirts in mostly the same colour family. I really wanted marled seafoam green but I couldn't match the color very well (can't imagine why not), so blue it is.
This Karri, being minimalist has:
-no sleeves
-no lining
-no back zip
-no pockets
In order to bind the neckline, I french seamed the bodice front and back and then bound the neckline with bias tape. Because of that I did not cut the back bodice on the fold. I did first consolidate the front pieces so I could cut the front on the fold though. Any seams with all wovens were done with french seams and anything else was zigzagged to finish.
Not adding the zip was a tactical decision, based on the presumed stretchiness of tshirts when there are no sleeves.
I really was going to add the pockets but they added some additional stress because I need to actually follow instructions to get pockets on, so at the last minute I prioritised actually getting the entire dress put together, and skipped them.
The final order - which has something to do with the direction of max stretch - is to sew the front bodice and the front skirt together, ditto back bodice and back skirt, making the final seam be the vertical seam down the sides. I think if the waist seam is the final seam, it is tight (when you are using a sewing machine), and so this method leaves the waistband stretchier.
I finished it (mostly) a few hours before leaving for the airport. My luggage is a catastrophe and I unpacked in New Zealand to discover I have no pants but some luggage is being shipped so I guess I'll survive for now. It means this dress didn't come with me, but I grabbed a few snaps before packing it away. The sleeveholes are not bound and it's not hemmed. I think I'll hem it quite a bit shorter - maybe 10 cm. I'm planning to use some strips of tshirts to bind the sleeveholes, either leaving it as a binding or folding it inside.
Update: used bias tape on sleeves and hemmed the bottom:
Overall I am actually surprised because I thought I would love this version absolutely the most of anything ever. I like it and I can get into it easily without the zip, but I miss the lining. Without a lining it clings a bit too much and I think it's less flattering. A part of this is that the tshirts are pretty thin and so they don't have much body and they show details - a thicker stretchy fabric would definitely be more flattering. However, I wear sleeveless dresses a lot because I like to layer, so once I'm reunited with it and finish up those details I won't hesitate to wear it lots.
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