finally it is finished. my first dress. the first one sewn by me, will say. and guess who's proud now!!!
i chose a retro pattern (butterick 4790) which i had seen around the web quite a few times, and even after reading what a horrible desaster it might turn out to be, i had set my heart at it and did it. it did NOT turn out a total desaster, but it is not perfect either. i was well prepared by reading this post and all the comments, so i altered a few things. as i am not able (yet) to alter pattern sizes so that they will fit my bodyshape perfectly, i didn't do some things which would have made it fit a bit better, such as shortening the bodice at the correct places, deepening the darts and so on. i guess i also might have made the shoulders a bit smaller.
what i did do was shortening the bodice by sewing the shoulderseams 2cm below the actual line, as otherwise i would have lots of air between my shoulders and the dress. which is what i didn't want. thus, the neckline turned more u-boat-shaped than intended, but i like it that way.
what i also did was shorten the skirt-part. i took away about 14cm when i transferred the pattern to the fabric, and took away 3-4cm more after trying it on for the first time. now it is knee-length which is just perfect for a petite girl like me.
last but not least, and i think this actually is very important for the fit of the dress, i put in a large godet to the front of the lower front skirt. originally, it is supposed to be pencil-shaped, and i think it was thought that as it is not sewn together at the back (but held together with a button), there shouldn't be any problems when walking. but, as i read, there are problems when walking, as the knees somehow push up the front part of the dress, which together with the weight of the full circle skirt pulls down the whole thing backwards, making an awkward fit. so i tried to take away some of that risk by flaring the lower front. i think it helped.
still, i think i wouldn't recommend this pattern for somebody who does not have a somewhat defined waistline. you really need some curves to hold the thing in place, otherwise the above named problem of awkward fit will occur as the full circle skirt needs some support by your curves to sit where it should.
as for the fabric, i used sheets from ikea, called "ofelia skal". it is the prettiest thing in light blue and white with a lovely pattern and a 50s flair to it. it was just perfect for this dress, i think.
i chose a retro pattern (butterick 4790) which i had seen around the web quite a few times, and even after reading what a horrible desaster it might turn out to be, i had set my heart at it and did it. it did NOT turn out a total desaster, but it is not perfect either. i was well prepared by reading this post and all the comments, so i altered a few things. as i am not able (yet) to alter pattern sizes so that they will fit my bodyshape perfectly, i didn't do some things which would have made it fit a bit better, such as shortening the bodice at the correct places, deepening the darts and so on. i guess i also might have made the shoulders a bit smaller.
what i did do was shortening the bodice by sewing the shoulderseams 2cm below the actual line, as otherwise i would have lots of air between my shoulders and the dress. which is what i didn't want. thus, the neckline turned more u-boat-shaped than intended, but i like it that way.
what i also did was shorten the skirt-part. i took away about 14cm when i transferred the pattern to the fabric, and took away 3-4cm more after trying it on for the first time. now it is knee-length which is just perfect for a petite girl like me.
last but not least, and i think this actually is very important for the fit of the dress, i put in a large godet to the front of the lower front skirt. originally, it is supposed to be pencil-shaped, and i think it was thought that as it is not sewn together at the back (but held together with a button), there shouldn't be any problems when walking. but, as i read, there are problems when walking, as the knees somehow push up the front part of the dress, which together with the weight of the full circle skirt pulls down the whole thing backwards, making an awkward fit. so i tried to take away some of that risk by flaring the lower front. i think it helped.
still, i think i wouldn't recommend this pattern for somebody who does not have a somewhat defined waistline. you really need some curves to hold the thing in place, otherwise the above named problem of awkward fit will occur as the full circle skirt needs some support by your curves to sit where it should.
as for the fabric, i used sheets from ikea, called "ofelia skal". it is the prettiest thing in light blue and white with a lovely pattern and a 50s flair to it. it was just perfect for this dress, i think.
11 comments:
That dress is lovely. Amazing work for your first dress too!
Oh, wow! Now I have to finish mine, tonight!:)
I used a totally different fabric than you, I wanted it to have more of an "apron" feel too it. I intend to hang this dress as a "coverdress" to use in my kitchen, protecting my fine hostess-attire.
Looking sharp - good job!
@ the clothes horse: thank you so much for your compliment!
@ lillgull: i'm looking forward to seeing your version! when i saw the sheets in the ikea-catalogue i knew i just had to use them for this dress.
it's true, the dress has something of an apron-feeling to it. but that's just sweet, i like it!
@ andreas: tackar tackar =) i'm happy you like it!
@ linnea: javisst känner jag mgi duktig =) och ja, jag jobbar som svensklärare pá mitt universitet i tyskland. det är mycket skoj, men ocksá rätt jobbigt ibland. den boken har jag aldrig hört talat om, du fár berätta lite hur det gár med hans pluggande! fanns det en skiva med ocksá? det är ju vitkigt att fá höra hur man uttalar saker och ting..
Vad duktig du är! Jag avundas alltid människor som kan konsten att sy.
Du är duktig som kan sy!
snygg och originell klänning.
@ nostalchic: tack sá hemskt mycket! jag är väldigt glad att jag tog chansen att lära mig att sy när jag var tonáring, och att min mor hade en symaskin som jag fick lána dá.
@ glamour och fläskpannkaka: tacktack! den är verkligen annorlunda och rolig, jag är glad att jag hittade mönstret..
Snygging!
Wow! Für das erste Kleid ist das echt wunderwunderbar!
Ich hasse Butterickschnitte... die passen bei mir NIE, selbst wenn ich mich genau nach der Maßtabelle richte. Ich muss dann immer soviel abändern, dass ich den Schnitt am Ende auch selber machen kann!
Aber das Kleid ist toll geworden, das muss man dir lassen ^^. Super gemacht.
@ cathy: danke!
@ nadine: vielen dank für das kompliment!! soweit bin ich mit meinen nähkünsten noch nicht vorgedrungen als dass ich schon ein allgemeines urteil zum thema butterick abgeben könnte. das nächste kleid wird ein vintage-schnitt von simplicity, den ich allerdings in der taillenweite ändern muss. ich hoffe es klappt..
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