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.

Ilima or Hallon, by Paradise Patterns, a review

Basically this low gathered back is what I was talking about here. (However in my dream vision there would be more tiers of gathered ruffles...)

With a great sigh of the inevitable, I put aside all thoughts of making jackets the week this came out. I bought the pattern the day I found it and picked it up from the printer the next day.  My muslin is size 4, B cup, and shortened 1" through the upper bodice lines (to ensure the back won't be too low.)  I made one stupid mistake in cutting my armhole bindings shorter, but in fact they aren't involved in the bodice shortening, obviously, and I had to recut.  I cut the dress as long as my fabric let me, and with no plan to add the bottom ruffle. 

I'm not entirely convinced by the angled bias bindings - on one side it meant that the edge wasn't fully covered, but when I put the armhole bias over it, things were fine.  It also doesn't match the pictures in the instructions, and the lengths are not consistent with the length you need- I ended up with a lot of excess to cut off.  The fabric is a lightweight silk cotton. The front neck feels too high - but that might be fixed with the bodice being longer.  The darts are about an inch too high. The drape of the front is very straight compared to all that gathering in the back.  

Verdict: don't need that shortening. Got busy with life and didn't carry on with the wearable version for a few months, at which point summer was so long gone.  Ugg season.  Oops.

Made a version according to the pattern in rayon/linen blend.  Maybe I should have started by following the pattern without any changes?  This pattern takes quite a lot of fabric, more than you might think because the back is really wide, so this pink was also the only thing I could find that I had enough of and was willing to experiment with - I had some other tempting fabrics but not enough of them.  I kept the 1" shortening near the hem but went back to the basic pattern otherwise.  I still disliked how the bias lengths are not the right length for size, they are just standard lengths, so you end up trimming a lot off the ends.  

I took a bunch of pictures on my phone without a bra, though I guess the bra is useful as a marker of how much lower the dress hangs without that adjustment.  Obviously the back looks better without. The front, not so much.

My friends all seem to think I should keep this dress for myself but it's the middle of the winter and freezing so I suspect it will wing its way over to Arizona.  I'm not actually super keen on the fit as is. My friend Regina has a higher tolerance for ruffles than I do.  Plan is to: 

shorten 6".  It's just too dramatic

add pockets, duh

Wedge a bit out of the side back above the gathering, to bring it up enough not to show my waist but without modifying the fit of the front and arms.  Though it's nice the pattern included a way to shorten through the back, in the end you need to be really short for that to work, because it changes the front quite a bit.

I have some lovely textured grey rayon that will wait until October or so when wearing backless dresses again makes some sense.  Overall this pattern is ok.  It's not a super high quality pattern.  You follow the instructions and you will muddle through and get a pretty good result, but to take it to the next level you need to think a bit for yourself.  (Pockets!)

Chalk and Notch Marcel dress review

 I really liked this pattern when it came out and I managed to avoid buying it until summer, thus keeping my enthusiasm fresh.  I also pretty quickly chose this subtly striped Liberty lawn for it - one of my hoarded fabrics that I'm trying to finally use.  

I found the instructions clear.  I do wish pdf instructions would be aligned vertically instead of portrait style, which means you have two pages across and very small print.  I used A0 printing and there was a moderate amount of free space on my pages - almost one entire sheet, which is 7$ of wasted paper.  I cut size 4B - you have the choice of a larger cup size, which changes both the bodice and the centre front piece. And I aligned my stripes as the model has done on the Chalk and Notch website, though my instinct would have been to do the opposite.  If anything I'm surprised and the subtleness of the effect but I think it's smarter in fact to have the vertical stripes be the main focus of the dress. 

I expected to ADORE this dress.

In fact as I've been binge sewing my way through a post-surgery week, this was a highlight plan.  I am sort of getting tired of sewing, but I popped it out over the course of a day.  It's straightforward. Except for the straps. 

Here I am recalling some dissatisfaction I had with the Peppermint/Elbe textiles pattern from last year, which required you to insert the straps at your own personalised length.  That ended up being too hard to identify and my straps were too short and I couldn't stand them.

Here, you have the option to slightly angle the straps on the front. I did this.  I have sloped shoulders. Then you can try on the wee bodice piece to your heart's content until the straps are adjusted to suit you. I angled the back straps as well.  I should have even shortened them a bit.  So my main irritation with this pattern is that you really can't do just one.  You need to do one, identify exactly what happens with the straps during wear, and then make that a permanent feature of your pattern. 

 Also, in the end, this is quite billowy, with the gathers mostly at the sides and the front just...roomy.  Good for pregnancy.  I'm not pregnant though.  And in the short version it feels very very short because it doesn't touch my legs.  So, good if you are somewhere so hot, you want to feel like you aren't wearing clothes.  But I feel like it's not enough dress.  A breeze would be dangerous.  I recommend heavier fabric, like tencel, rayon or linen (unless you want that nothing effect.)  I think I would not make this length again - I'd add one more tier.  (I'm 5'4")  Also, this dress suffers a severe lack of pockets, and nowhere to put pockets, unless you put them on the side panel.  

Overall I am satisfied but I am not in love.  I'm not rushing to make the second one but I could see it happening one day.  Definitely would be a fun make for lots of scraps.

Elbe Textiles x Peppermint magazine Bardon dress review

 Peppermint magazine have popped out a new free pattern!  And like last summer, it's Lauren from Elbe textiles who has provided us with a new, trendy summer dress.  Just like everyone, I want to make all the gathered things.  (Aw you winter people, it will go with a long sleeve baselayer and a cardigan! DO IT!)

So I made this.  I did a shocker and actually planned ahead when I went to the fabric store, though 2.5 m of fabric was JUST BARELY enough.  I rarely convince myself to buy that much fabric!  It's rayon from The Fabric Store which I got in Auckland. 

I put together this dress in one day.  Size 3, though I could have sized down.  It has a reasonable amount of ease as it's supposed to be a loose dress, and the darts are a bit wide on me.  I have a solid inch of ease on each side of the bodice.  I shortened the bodice 1 inch and the first tier by 1 inch.  My hem is probably something like 2" deep.  Elbe patterns tend to be for tall people so shortening was an imperative.

The pockets are delightful. 

 Instructions were sufficient, and I did read them through.  Construction...well, wtf bias taping?  Really?  I cut out two bodices and did a simple burrito to make a clean finish which will support the weight of the dress better.  I do not think a 3 tier dress should be supported by bias tape.  But be my guest, if you like bias tape, go wild. 

 

 I'm gonna use these pocket pieces for everything from now on.  They are beautiful, deep pockets. Did I say that already?  You get it. 

This was easy, and I wore it the next day even though I hadn't pulled out all the stray gathered threads.  I am wearing it right now.  I wore it the day after surgery for these photos, and you would never guess I could barely stand up straight! This dress is a winner.  In order to wash it I might actually have to consider making another one.

True Bias Nikko Dress review

 I made the tops earlier in the year, and it's possible the entire matter was inspired by a certain sunflower print fabric from Emma One Sock.  I knew I wanted to make a long dress that was a single, unbroken cut of fabric.  In the middle of winter I wasn't keen to actually make dresses but I had some fun with the tops (here.) 

So, summer arrived.  And I needed something quick for a party.  I whipped up version 1 of the Nikko.  I went ahead with size 4 though I'd waffled when I made the tops about whether a 6 would be better.  It took a very short bit of time to make, even with figuring out how to finish the slit, and it's possible I made the entire dress on my sewing machine aside from the neck, which must be overlocked due to how tight it is. 

Everyone at the party was suitably impressed. I thought it was a wee bit tight across the bum so I tried to expand that part for the magical sunflower version, but naturally all my expansion was probably too high up so there's even more pooling in my back and the bum is, if anything, even tighter. Arg.  Hopefully the beautiful print is enough distraction. 

 

 I realised pretty quickly that I couldn't pattern match at the sides because the colours shift down the length of fabric, and also the front and back are somehow different lengths, so I had to just accept the imperfection.

I love this dress, but I think the allover pattern was a bit more flattering.  I don't have any burning need to make heaps of these but they are a great summer addition for just looking that touch more put together.