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Thursday, August 04, 2011

Summer Petal Dress

I am so glad that this dress is done! I was really excited by the bright fabric print, and the fun Monique Dress pattern by Serendipity Studios.  Despite these things, I have had this dress on the 'can't bear to work with' pile for a while now.  Once I cut it out and started to really dive into assembly, I found I was in over my head.


The pattern looked pretty straight forward but I knew I was going to have a problem when I encountered my first challenge.  Which dress was the pattern referring to? Unfortunately the six variations weren't numbered on the front picture, and some had similar descriptions.  In the end, through process of elimination, I figured out that I was doing variation 4 (large poppy fabric).  I had some other concerns when working with the pattern.  A small one was the smaller seam allowance - just half an inch, vs. the standard 5/8" that I've been used to working with.  Not a big deal. Then the bust... it was meant for a size B or smaller.  I've never had a problem with bust sizes fitting with the many Simplicity, Colette and other brands patterns, so I was concerned that this one would prove a challenge.  I decided to proceed as the measurements seemed fine.  It seemed to work out ok, though I probably could have graded it up slightly  if I was really worried.


The next challenge was in adding the narrow bands at the waist.  Once I attached the first narrow band, my waistbands wouldn't match up.  I had to disassemble the fabric and start over.  It seemed like adding the narrow bands would have been straightforward, but unfortunately, it took a bit more tweaking to get it to fit properly.  This was the point where I put the dress aside.  I was hoping for a quick assembly, but this simple dress was a challenge for me.

After coming back from vacation, I saw this project looking forlorn on the table, and knew I had to suck it up and finish it.  I dusted it off and got back to work.  By this point, I was done with the instructions and just assembled it on my own.  I had just about finished it when I went to my local fabric store, and saw they had a variation of it in their window.  I made a note to chat with the seamstress (she was out that day) about how the pattern came together for her.  She did the ruffle trim instead of the sewn in waist trim which would probably eliminate the matching problems that I had.

Close-up of the fabric


Fabric: "Scattered Lantern Pods" Laura Gunn for Michael Miller. Used about 2 1/2 yards. Yellow polka dots were from my LFS.  I used about 1/2 yard.
Pattern: Monique Dress. Boutique Chic by Serendipity Studio
Notions: Invisible zipper. Blood, sweat and tears.

If I made this again, I would probably do a different variation... but until then, this is getting filed away.  To remind myself that I do know what I'm doing, I started working on a Simplicity pattern from the Sew Weekly, Make This Look feature.  I'm almost done and will hopefully be able to complete that, and possibly my Western challenge outfit by early next week.

My next project
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6 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful! Love your fabric.. hope you will share with my Pink Hippo Party @ http://pinkapotamus.blogspot.com/2011/08/pink-hippo-party-41.html

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  2. As I read your post I could feel myself getting frustrated for you! Sometimes patterns drive me nuts...and that's why I've got 3 unfinished projects in my stash. I give up way too easily! So pat yourself on the back for finishing! Your hard work paid off! The dress is lovely & you look so pretty in it!!!

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  3. Despite the challenges, your dress turned out beautifully! The fabric color is great on you, great job! Jen @ www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com

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  4. Oh, I hate it when things don't go the way they're supposed to go... It turned out very beautiful, though!

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  5. Anonymous5:29 AM

    I just love coming to your blog and looking at the dresses that you make. They are all so cute!

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