Devil With a Blue Dress On

 This was supposed to be a Halloween post, and I was going to wear my devil horns, but now that we are firmly into November, I'm going to pass.  Anyway,  here is Vogue 1193.  I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen much about this dress because I think it's very nice. 

 I made this out of a lightweight doubleknit (one of the recommended fabrics), but I made a couple of big changes.  First, I didn't line the top portion of the dress as instructed.  I just used the front and back pattern pieces to make a facing.  Then, because there was no lining, there was also no need for a zipper, so I just sewed a seam up the back.  It slips on quite easily over my head.  Other than that, I found the pattern instructions to be clear and relatively straightforward, although the back vent took a little deciphering.  I'm sure if you've done one before, you'll be fine, but this was my first, and I had to play around to get it right.

I also made several fitting adjustments to the pattern, and it's obvious that I'm still groping my way through learning to fit, but I think I'm slowly progressing.  I cut a size 12 based on my high bust measurement.  First, I lowered the fullest part of the bust by 1 1/4 inches (hellooooo mid-forties) and then enlarged the bust by 1 1/2 inches.  I have a relatively small ribcage, so I ended up taking in the side seams by an inch and the front princess seams under the bust by 1/2 inch each.  I also did a small forward shoulder adjustment and enlarged the sleeve by 1 inch. 

Here are the before and after shots of the bodice pattern pieces just to give you a taste of how many adjustments I made.

Here are the bodice pattern pieces prior to any alteration.

And here we have the $6 Million pattern.  We can rebuild it.  We have the technology.

 The multi-size pattern breaks with size 12 being the largest size in the smaller pattern grouping, so I was in trouble when it came to my hips and thighs (right in between sizes 16 and 18, thank you).  Because the skirt is pleated, I wasn't sure if I could just add width to the side seams, but then I saw that the size grading had been done that exact same way, so I just went for it, and it worked out perfectly.  I also lengthened the bodice by one inch, but that threw the proportions off, and I ended up shortening it again.

From the back, things look like a wrinkled mess, don't they?  I do not know what happened.  It really doesn't look that bad without a camera flash to emphasize every lump and bump.  It looks like I've got some pooling at the small of my back, but it's not there from the side, and there were no swayback issues on the pattern fitting.  I've also got a small issue with the hem pulling the back slit out of alignment.  Seriously?  The hem is not actually uneven.  It's just that the hem thread pulled up, and that one side is almost gathered.  Just noticed that now.  I'm sure that's due to my undeveloped hemming skills, and I'll be redoing that as soon as I look up how to do a proper hem and not just wing it.

It takes a lot of guts to post a picture of your backside for the world to see.

I love this dress.  With the stretch fabric, it feels like a big t-shirt, and it's work appropriate.  My favorite part is the pleat detail in the skirt.  And I really love the way that the pleats drape across the front.  Just a pretty, pretty detail.  However, this also caused my biggest problem:  One gigantically bulky side seam.  It took at least six tries to get that portion of the side seam just under the pleats to lie flat, taking it in, letting it out.  Over and over and over again.   

Mr. flyskim is a big fan of this dress, and so am I.  The one problem that's really getting to me has more to do with the fabric than the pattern, though.  I was wearing tights today, and although I was also wearing a slip, the skirt kept riding up whenever I walked.  I'm going to have to try a silk slip.  My, what a good excuse to make one.  If that doesn't work, this dress is going to be limited to spring and cooler summer wearing because I won't be able to wear tights.

And the weather has finally turned fall-like, and the flannel sheets when on the bed over the weekend.  Here is our little man, Hyde, helping to straighten out the blanket properly.  He really likes to dive into his work. 

Anyway, now that I've gotten that out of my system, it's back to Lady Grey.  I want to get that coat and another dress done before Thanksgiving, so I'll need to focus.