Thursday, 8 September 2022

Papercut Patterns Celestia dress review

 I read a few reviews of this dress and was therefore prepared to muslin the bodice to make sure it didn't gape too much in front.  I made the bodice in S, which matched my measurements, and then in XS, which is a bit small.  I expected it to be challenging to fit as I have sloping shoulders.  I thought the S wasn't too bad and I wondered how the weight of the dress would change it, so I carried on to make a full dress toile which I knew I would give to a friend with darker coloring.  It's straightforward.  The pockets are in a weird position because the tiers are in weird positions, but the high hem of the middle tier means it really balloons out at the bottom in a comfortably tent like way.  Overall it felt like too much fabric to me, but this is Ankara fabric which is very solid.  







For version 2 I used a nice bedsheet I had ice dyed and the size XS pattern.  I shaved a tiny edge off the straps to adjust for my sloping shoulders. Doubled the second tier and halved the third tier, and put the pockets higher in a more serviceable location.  Despite all of this, the bodice still feels like it will fall off me outwards.  I think I would need to adjust the curve of the front bodice inward a bit to gain more security, though I like the look of the back.  









 

I can see that people are more taken with the other view of this dress but I wasn't keen on the straps.  The adjustable straps do fix the problem of adjusting the bodice for a snug fit because you can pull the back in between them.  Eventually I might go there using some very lightweight fabric. I'm not sure what I think of the change I made to the skirt tiers.  It feels more normal when wearing the dress, but I think the original tier height is more flattering (though difficult for pockets.) 



Overall this was mainly an experiment conducted to calm my curiosity.  The friends receiving the dresses are happy so it's no loss to me but I'm not really interested in using my fancy Liberty fabric to make another one (which is always a thought in my mind as that Liberty slumbers sadly in the stash, waiting for some unicorn - the perfect dress pattern...)  I feel like there are too many small things that bothered me with the fit of this pattern and I don't have enough interest to keep working on it at the moment.

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