Yet another update, with more wittering about dresses.

[cupcake_goth]

I'm going out to the Vogue tonight. stroppy_baggage very wisely pointed out that I probably wouldn't fall asleep any earlier if I stayed home, so I am going out to get my swoop on.

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Hey, people-who-sew? How difficult would this pattern (from the Vogue Vintage line) be to make? Because, hey look, it's the exact style of dress I'm looking for. I need to get over my fear of sewing princess seams, because I want so. many. versions. of that dress. It would be a great summer dress in a black cotton eyelet fabric; I would wear it with fence-net fishnets, little black ballet flats, an ENORMOUS hat, and a pretty choker. Oh, and carry a parasol, of course, because that's what you do in the summer. Okay, that's what *I* do; I don't know about the rest of you.

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I swear there will someday be content here other than insomnia whining and wittering about clothes. Just not right now.

Comments

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? I so badly want about 8 of it in different fabrics.

[going-not-gone.livejournal.com]

Other content is not unwelcome, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoy your wittering about clothes. Your wardrobe, and attendant wittering thereupon, are far more interesting than mine.

yours truly,

jeans today, jeans yesterday, and probably jeans tomorrow

[ex-fashioni.livejournal.com]

Oh, I adore that with the 3/4 sleeve...

*wanders off imagining it in a deep purple shantung for evening...*

And no... I can't sew either...

[keridwen.livejournal.com]

Without seeing the pattern, I'm not certain how difficult it would be. Although I must say, I'd love to give it a try. I'm drooling over it myself.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Weirdly enough, I probably wouldn't. The pattern goes up to a size 18-20-22 range, so that should work. I sense a trip to a fabric store in my future, so I can look at the back of the envelope.

[keridwen.livejournal.com]

Hm. I'm thinking that there's a trip in my future, too...

For some reason, your background images aren't showing up. Is it just me?

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Oo, preeety. The pleats would be a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty sure I've made harder patterns.

[dark-industry.livejournal.com]

The bodice and the pleats could be really the only challenge. The bodice because it is so fitted, and the pleats because, well, pleats can be a challenge for some people. Other than that, looks like a fun project to me! I'd say do a mock-up fit in muslin for the bodice portion so you get the waist, bust, and biceps at the right size, and you'll be good to go :)

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

You won't enjoy sewing it.

1. Set-in zipper.
2. It's tricky getting V yokes to miter perfectly at the exact center.
3. If your shoulder size/shape is at all different from the pattern's, it's going to be a bear to take in while preserving the neckline.

Ask your seamstress if she'll take it on.

[oldhalloween.livejournal.com]

Since you are going down in size so fast you might want to wait until the weather is warmer to cut the bodice. If you do a bodice mock up now it could always be adjusted before cutting summer fabrics.

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

The box pleats could be tricky, & as others said, the fitted bodice would require fussing. Not horribly hard, just one of those "go slow & make a muslin or two" kind of things, IMO.

However, I think princess seams in general are easy as pie (& you know how much I bitch about sewing, so that should mean s'thing ;-). Simplicity (http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?cat=4&type=19&sec=0&id=59&startrow=1) 4940 is a standard princes-seam dress, just ignore the neckline & sleeves (unless you want the fantasy look). There are a bunch of patterns by the Big 3 like this; you can cut them short or long, split them up the middle, long sleeves or short, etc. Just don't use stretch fabric or velvet for yr 1st one, & you'll be ok!

[angldst.livejournal.com]

That pattern is SO going in my collection at the next sale.

after Easter we'll discuss it, hon. It can be part of ye olde Parasol Barter Discussion, if you like.

-d, works those vintage dreses, they look mad good mit corsets.

[cherryheavy.livejournal.com]

That's a great pattern.

The one thing about princess seams is, you have to remember to notch them in a curve. Then you have to iron them open, to 'imbed' the stitches. Then iron to one side an stitch down. You can also flat-fell them, and that hides any raw edges. You can do what a lot of clothing companies do and just zigzag over the seam allowance.

Learning how to sew was really freeing for me. Everyon has the ability to do it if they just allow themselves to mess up once or twice (get the cheap fabric the first time!), practice patience, and don't forget your iron! It is as essential to sewing as a machine.

But yes, I totally recomend any of the Vogue vintage patterns- they're all great to sew with.

[pvcdiva.livejournal.com]

and I always sew with the side-to-be-eased uppermost...but then I'm quite guerilla about doing princess seams and don't bother stay stitching anymore - two pins to match balance marks and off I go...

[cherryheavy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, someone who's just getting the hang of it should certainly baste. Stay stitching is there to give support while easing fullness so that it doesn't spread and get puckered. Easing fullness is a bitch when you're first getting the hang of it (especially on shoulders OH MY GOD).

What do you mean about uppermost, though?

I totally reccoment a muslin mockup at first in a light color so that you can easily see the stitches when you need to rip them out.

[pvcdiva.livejournal.com]

What do you mean about uppermost, though?

well, with a princess seam, or any seam for that matter, thre are two pieces of fabrci to be joined. In princess seaming there's one that has extra fullness to be eased, and one that has to stretch (through clipping oftenmost) to accomodate said fullness. I usually have the fullness-side beneath and the stretch-side above...so that I am handling the stretch as it passes beneath the presser foot. I find that's the way that works best for me with minimum of swearing...

[cherryheavy.livejournal.com]

I understand now... I tought myself to sew and so a lot of terms don't make sense to me. I just recently found out what 'imbedding your stitches' is, even though I've been doing it for years, I never knew there was a name for it.

So, when you have the stretch side above, do you start in the middle and work out from each side (middle top, middle botom) or do you do one side from top to bottom and the other side from bottom to top? I was reading in one of my fatter sewing books that with fullness it's best to start in the middle to avoid shifting.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

!!!

I think you just explained why my attempts at princess seams have always gone so wonky. I want to rush home RIGHT NOW and try to sew something again.

One Caveat. . .

[robespierrette.livejournal.com]

If I'm looking at the back-view correctly, that's one of those short "ease zippers" that gives you just about enough width at the waist to wiggle into the dress - while mussing up your hair, smearing your make-up, and giving you a crick in your shoulder. What a pain! I have several dresses from that time, and they seemed to expect you to be a contortionist. . .

I would probably opt to use a longer zipper, and take it all the way up to the neckline, to make it easier to enter/exit. But of course, that means not following the pattern exactly, which isn't something for the faint of heart.

[mahariel.livejournal.com]

Clip and press, clip and press.

For curvy girls, side zippers are a royal pain, but I adore that style. I haven't made any yet, but pretty much all my vintage collection is that way.

By the way, on an unrelated note, I sent an email to your lj addy about an offer of help in your organizational efforts towards a certain event. Just wanted to make sure you got it.

-Victoria

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

I have to say that I, personally, prefer side zippers. I always have. All of my old designs (those I did myself) have them. :)

[pvcdiva.livejournal.com]

does the pattern give it's difficulty rating - they usually have one?

It looks fairly average to me - the only danger would be in confusing the panel pieces, so keep the pieces pinned to the fabric so you can't put them together in the worng order.

Strange back zip placement though... and I'd interface the body part of the garment, and line it, but then I like to line everything

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

the lines of the dress look simple enough that *I* could sew them, so I am certain you could. I believe the trickier parts would be the *fabrics* you use. Making it out of cotton would be pretty easy, making it out of satin would be slippery and hard, making it out of vinyl should be left to professionals. ;)