August 16, 2014
Today was cutting out the pattern. I decided to trace the pattern onto some thin material that is designed to be used for patterns. This way I didn't have to cut the original pattern and can use it again for a different size of dress or can give away the patterns without it being restricted to the size of the dress I made.
August 17, 2014
I started the sewing process today and got pretty far - about halfway. I've tried the dress on a couple of times in the process (the bodice when it was first put together and then once again after attaching the skirt to the bodice) and it looks good to go. It might be a bit loose, actually. I might be able to tighten it a bit when I put the zipper in - maybe...
Seams ripped: a few - about a foot's worth
Lesson Learned: Just because you've sewn a pattern before, doesn't mean that it will sew the same as the first time. This time I had quite the time sewing the hem band to the skirt, but I prevailed!
August 23, 2014
Sewed the bodice lining to the bodice today. Totally forgot the step where you put in the zipper. D'oh! Tomorrow, I guess - after I try on the dress.
August 24, 2014
Houston, we have a problem. *sigh*
I have tried on the dress before putting in the zipper and it looks as though the bodice part is way too big. WAY TOO BIG. But, but....*gives up*
Sewing this dress is giving me serious body-hate issues. My bust is a size 14, waist a size 16, so I made a size 16, thinking I could make the darts deeper. But no. Turns out even size 14 for the waist is over 2 inches too big. What. The. Hell. It is so big that I have to go back and re-cut the bodice smaller. Commence seam ripping. (ETA: Ended up taking a nap instead - ha!)
August 25, 2014
Started ripping out seams and realized I only really needed to rip the seam attaching the bodice to the skirt. I can even leave the darts in because they are basically the same for all sizes and I can just fold the pattern paper to fit the already sewn darts and then cut that. Also, the lining is the kind of fabric that ripping seams is pretty useless because the fabric runs, so I'm just going to cut new lining (I have tons of the stuff, so no biggie there.) Tomorrow I will cut and sew the newly re-sized bodice. Wish me luck - I have a feeling I'll need it.
September 27, 2014
So - catch up time. I re-cut the bodice and sewed it to the skirt, added the zipper and lining. I packed the dress in a mostly-finished state in order to wear at my cousin's wedding and also packed a spare dress and shoes just in case I couldn't get the hand sewing done in time. I hadn't had time to try on the new sizing before getting to my aunt's house. When I got there and tried on the dress, it was still the wrong size. The neck line was obviously too wide - made from someone who is a size 16 on top, not someone like me who is a 12 (or smaller) on top. So I didn't wear the dress to the wedding. I wore my Target bargain I had bought earlier in the summer when thinking of what to wear to the wedding, so there you go.
Fast forward to today. Decided I was going to get this dress to fit come hell or high water and I was going to wear it to the symphony tonight. I tried it on again. It seemed hopeless. Then I thought about elastic at the neckline and possibly at the waist, too. Yeah....elastic might work, I thought. So I sewed another line across the neck line and put elastic through it. And miraculously - it worked. The bodice and the bodice lining didn't quite match up at the waist where I had to hand-sew it, so there is a part that isn't sewn to the skirt/waist, but the belt covers up that little error. I don't think it turned out half bad.
Final Comments:
Though I like the way this dress looks and I did work rather hard to make it finally fit me, I think I'm probably going to give it to Good Will because when I sit down, the skirt barely covers my rear. I'm not sure why that is, but it is, so off it goes...
In the future, before I make any more dresses, I think I will invest in an adjustable mannequin so that I can fit the pattern to my measurements before I cut out the fabric. Hopefully that will help since I seem to be 3 sizes in one. :/
Here's the breakdown of time and money for this dress:
Time:
Cutting out fabric: 4 hrs
Sewing bodice: 1 hr
Skirt: 2 hrs
Attaching skirt to bodice: 1 hr
bah....lost track.
Total Time: way too much!!
Cost:
Pattern: $2.06 (on sale!)
Fabric: $17.35 (on sale!)
Notions: $1.32 (on sale!)
Total Cost: $20.73
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