I tried to make V1206 in November, but the bodice gaped at the bust: a piece of the bodice needed to be folded in, but I didn't know how to add a dart to the bodice without interfering with the dress's design. A few weeks ago I realized: the design of the dress saved me - the ruffles would hide darts!
I folded in the excess fabric on my muslin, measured that amount, drew it onto the pattern, and sewed the dart onto the front bodice piece. Just what was needed! I laid the ruffle pieces onto the bodice to make sure the darts were covered: they seemed to be, but I decided to extend the left ruffle slightly just to make sure.
Based on my muslin, I also raised the neckline 1.5". It would have been NSFW otherwise.
The fabric is an amazing red lightweight, gabardine-esque wool from Pendleton. The lovely ladies at Pendleton took pity on my desperation at being on the opposite coast from its fabric outlet, and kindly sent me a few cuts. Unfortunately, I'm fiending even worse now: this fabric is so amazingly lovely and quality and so... RTW. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to cut into it. It's spongy and drapey, so it works for this pattern, though it was difficult to press the darts.
This dress is not a weekend project. There are many components: the pleated sleeves,
Detail of the back sleeve.
Pleats on the front sleeves.
...the ruffles,
the waist inset. But it was a very well-drafted pattern, and when sewn in steps over the course of a few weeks, was actually... easy.
Can I gloat a bit? I've always had a problem lining up the skirt and bodice at the waist when using an invisible zipper, and was terrified at having to line up 2 waist points. But they lined up perfectly the first go.
I marked the distance from the neck to the 2 waist seams on the zipper, and hand basted the zipper in place. Hand-basting the zipper took only minutes, and saved so much time and aggravation: previously, zippers have taken multiple tries to insert. I'm a convert.
This is a time-consuming pattern, but I think the results are really dramatic. My husband proclaimed it the best piece I've ever made. I think I agree - I really, really love it.
68 comments:
Beautiful dress! You did a wonderful job!
I love it. Looks great!
What beautiful work. The colour is gorgeous, the fit - amazing. You should be thrilled and wear this all the time.
The ruffles are lovely and the details on the sleeve are worthwhile. Looks great on you!
oooh, great save!
wow, seriously gorgeous! Yours looks way better than the official picture. Love it!
Great looking dress...love it!
Lovely! Looks so well made and the fabric is wonderful. Totally speechless!
And you should love it! It's fabulous!
You should be proud - you did a fab job on this dress...it looks just gorgeous on you.
It is so gorgeous! Absolutely stunning! Great work :)))
Do you see me standing up applauding your sewing abilities! I am soooo proud of you! I feel like your fairy sewing godmother because that is skill...knowing there is a problem and figuring out how to solve it...and then making a well-fitted, beautiful dress. Seriously, I am soooooo proud of you!
Such a gorgeous dress on you!
How pretty! You did a great job.
it turned out beautifully!! i love it!
http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com
This is beautiful!!! What a fabulous job you did on the fit and the details.Great one
Girl look how far you've come. You did an absolute beautiful job on this dress. It is gorgeous!!!! You look fabulous!!!
Beautiful. Yours looks better than the pattern envelope!
Lovely -- it fits so well and the color is great on you. The sleeves are darling, I love how they are little shaped caps.
Impeccable! Great job
Gloat away! You deserve to gloat. That dress is lovely. Thanks for all the great information.
Totally gorgeous... and you did an awesome job.
This dress is gorgeus!
You did a fab job. I love the fit and the color.
Beautiful dress and very flattering!
This is really really lovely!
Your hubby is right, you definetly hit a home run with thhs one!
You deserve an A+ this is so beautiful
That is such a great dress on you. Well done for not giving up. Absolutely beautiful.
Simply gorgeous! The color looks amazing on you and the quality construction really stands out!
Gorgeous: beautiful color, beautifully made, well fitting. You're right to love it.
Fabulous dress! The colour is so wonderful - I think that every wardrobe needs a LRD (little red dress!). You have done an amazing job, the construction looks superb - definitely worth the time you spent on it.
I think you are going to inspire a lot of people to give this pattern a try! The red colour on you looks great, it really suits your skin tone.
This is an amazing dress on you. You should absolutely gloat — perfectly matched up seams (with an invisible zipper, no less!) are something to be proud of! Great job :)
This dress looks awesome. Well done you. Lovely colour too, it really suits you.
Absolutely beautiful! I love the colour and it looks so perfectly made. I hadn't realised the sleeves were like that - so cute.
Wow gorgeous dress , the f it ! it is superb . I love
I am really impressed by your sewing skills. Congratulations !
Wow, stunning dress! Perfect fit and awesome color!
Beautiful dress! Great work. The color looks great on you.
Gloat away - you deserve it! What a fantastic dress!
Wow, this is GORGEOUS!
All the preliminaries paid off. Great dress and beautifully made. Red should be your signature colour.
Beautiful dress, and looks very good on you. I've been so into red color lately too =)
Wow! You have come so far with your sewing skills since I first started reading your blog. It's hard to believe how much you have learned in only a year. What a fabulous dress! Congrats!
Beautiful!
I love it! This reminds me of the Vogue red dress I made:
http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/lady-in-red/
gorgeous red dress! yours looks so much better than the pattern photo. congrats on a fabulous dress and i'm a hand-baste convert too.
Beautiful! A very professional job for this RTW quality fabric. I have also come to accept the need for hand basting a zip that crosses a horizontal seam. But you really only have to hand baste one side--sew one side in and then pin/baste the other to match.
Oo... very gorgeous!! You did an impeccable job! I couldn't really see past the fabric on the pattern envelope, but now I need to get this one. Thanks for the heads up on the fabric... I'll have to check it out, too.
Wow you did very well even my mom will like this, the color the texture everything was great.
Beautiful work! and the colour is glorious.
It's beautiful! I bet you'll get a lot of wear - and an awful lot of compliments - out of this dress.
Yes. It's beautiful. I love the ruffles and pleats. You did a fine job with the construction of your dress.
Gorgeous! Excellent construction and way to go on hiding the darts!
You look beautiful in this dress, lovely work indeed and congratulations on a perfect zip!
Morning! Had to come from lurkdom to let you know how much I have enjoyed reading about your sewing adventures! Lovely dress, perfect fit and very nicely done.
Hey your dress looks amazing - great job!
Wow, woman, you look amazing! Way to go with the red color!
Nice work! It´s gorgeous! I´ve just find your blog and you work is amazing! I also like sewing, but
I´m just a beginner.
I follow you! :)
I keep coming back to look at this. Phenomenal. I WANT one.
That looks so good. Beautifully finished
what a beautiful dress! clever save, too :)
Wow, that dress is stunning! The red wool looks beautiful with this design and on you :) The darts hidden by the ruffles is definitely a great idea, now the fit is perfect!
That dress is beautiful! I love the ruffle and the color is very flattering on you. Your construction is amazing.
AWESOME...you do such beautiful work!!!
Gorgeous! Color, fit, ruffle, silhouette, everything!
Well that is just stunning! Beautiful dress and a great color for you. Just lovely!
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