Friday, May 30, 2014

Sewing for me: Simplicity 2215


Pattern: Simplicity 2215, Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity, View A
Fabric: Nani IRO Wata, Woodblock POCHO in mustard, off-white cotton voile for bodice lining
Notions: interfacing, invisible zipper, bias tape, four 7/8" covered buttons, coordinating thread
Size: 6 


I did it! My first completed Make a Garment a Month challenge for the month of May! And posted before the end of this lovely month too.


I think the first thing to say about this dress is that I love it. The fact that my husband thinks it's stunning makes me love it even more! I love the dots and the mustard yellow...for me it just says 'cheerful' or in the case of this month's theme, 'merry'. I'm very happy with the overall fit, the covered buttons, the shape of the dress, the dot placement, the invisible zipper, and on top of all that, it's really comfortable to wear!

So, now to the actual making of this polka dot dream. If I had followed the pattern's instructions based on my bust measurement, I would have made a size 10 but when I looked at the finished garment measurements, it was clear that there was going to be far more ease than I like to have. I chose to make size 6 and made a muslin just to be sure. Everything seemed to be spot on except that I was going to have to reduce the waist a little. I also ended up deepening some pleats to match the bodice better.

I spent quite a bit of time looking at the fabric, figuring out how I wanted to cut the fabric to get a nice effect with the dots. I chose to go with the sections with fewer more randomly spaced dots for the bodice pieces. I cut the front bodice pieces flat instead of with the fabric folded to have better control over the dots. For the two skirt pieces, I chose to use the multi-size dot sections. I think the effect is pretty fun.




My 'real' bodice came together in a jiffy but then we had a rough week and a half of colds, fevers, and just lying low to recuperate...so that meant little sewing. But once I got back to my machine, it took about an evening and a half to finish. This was also the first time I have ever put in an invisible zipper and it is to my astonishment, invisible! Hurrah! New skill! As I had said in my MAGM May plans post, I did not put pockets in.

I bound all my exposed raw edges and used this tutorial from Paunnet's to enclose the waist seam beautifully with some bias tape. I hand sewed the top of the bias tape down so it would not show on the right side.The way the pattern is built, the bodice lining does not enclose the joined skirt and bodice seam and since this fabric starts to fray just by looking at it, I knew drastic measures were in order! Oddly enough, (my husband thought it was quite weird,) I find the inside of this dress to be almost as pretty as the right side. I almost wish it was completely reversible!

I debated for a while about the buttons and after a fruitless trip to my favorite shop for buttons, I decided to make four 7/8" covered buttons. That way, they would match the fabric perfectly and would be there without detracting from the dots. I'm pretty happy about my choice and I'm so glad that my machine was cooperative for the buttonholes. They came out really well.

Knowing that it can be a bit chilly here, I decided to knit myself a cardigan to go with the dress. I had envisioned this ensemble pretty early on and it worked beautifully into my yarn de-stashing, using up the three skeins of off-white Cascade Ultra-Pima I had. I love how the buttons bring back the color of the dress and the shape of the polka dots. You can see a dedicated blog post to the cardigan here.


I'm so thrilled with this dress and I adored working with this fabric. It was soft and almost squishy and it is so agreeable to wear. I'm hoping to make this dress again and the only change I think I might contemplate would be increasing coverage around the back shoulder area. I'm looking forward to wearing this for my baby boy's birthday party and I can't wait to make plans for the right-around-the-corner June challenge.

22 comments:

  1. This is so stunning! I love the bound buttons and it fits you beautifully. The cardigan is such a nice touch. I love the pretty insides too. That's one of my favourite things about sewing are the lovely hidden details. It makes me so much prouder of a garment when the insides are done as beautifully as possible. I am definitely going to be using the bias waist seam tutorial.

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    1. Thank you, Rhiannon! I know what you mean about pretty finishing details that also make the garment solid. The tutorial was great and I love how it finished the waist seam of my dress. I'm glad you found the link useful!

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  2. Your dress is very pretty! And you say this is your first one-wow-you did a fantastic job. Your next one will be over the moon! Really flattering dress on you and I too love the fabric you chose. I am impressed with your knitted cardigan, knitting is not something I can do at all.

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I'm really pleased with the fit...which was also, along with cutting the fabric so it could really shine, one of my biggest concerns. The cardigan was really nice to make and a rather straightforward project..except for the gauge.

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  3. This is a lovely summer dress, really love the random dots in different sizes and the colour. And your cardigan goes perfectly with it!

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    1. Thank you, Erin! I'm so glad I made a cardigan to go with the dress so I can wear it even though the weather is far from sunny and warm!

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  4. Good gracious! Stunning indeed. That fabric is just gorgeous, and your placement is perfect. Beautiful work.

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    1. Thank you, Gail. The fabric is really special and I'm so glad that it all worked out so well. I can't wait to make more dresses!

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  5. I've finally remembered which pattern this is - your version is just stunning :). Much nicer than the pattern envelope. A beautifully made dress, and your photos show it to perfection. Can't wait to see what you make next :).

    I'm off to have a look at your knitting post now...

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    1. Thanks, Sarah. The pattern really was lovely. I think my June project is going to have to be a dress...how could I resist after having such a good time with this one?!

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  6. The dot place and the covered buttons......sigh.....I am just in love! Cutest dress ever!

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    1. Thanks so much! It's all so much fun and is such a happy dress. I can't wait to wear it again!

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  7. So cute! I love your pattern placement, it's perfect. I just made the skirt from this pattern and am gearing up to make a dress as well. It's such a great pattern.

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    1. Thank you, Melissa. It really is a wonderful pattern. I'd love to make some more dresses from it and I have a skirt or two planned. I also have a fabric put away to make the top. I'm so glad I have this pattern.

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  8. That is so cute on you! It turned out great! It really looks like it fits you perfectly, and I love that it buttons down the front. I might have to make one of these.

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    1. Thanks, Anne! It does fit me really well. It's just the fit I was after...more adjusted but still comfortable. The button down front is really lovely and with the side zip it's really easy to put on. It's a really nice pattern!

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  9. This is exquisite and you look absolutely beautiful wearing it!

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  10. This dress is just gorgeous ~ superb sewing ... J

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    1. Thank you, Judith! I can't wait to make another dress with this pattern!

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  11. Beautiful dress and what a bonus that it is really comfortable to wear. You mention altering the pattern next time for more shoulder coverage, but looking at your 5th photo, the thought that popped into my head was "wow, sexy in a classy demure way. Think Emma Watson". You are so beautifully slender, I love how the back/shoulders show a little bit of skin.
    Those Nano Iro double gauze fabrics are so interesting--you did a fantastic job of picking the right project to take advantage of the fabric. And I love the placement of the design. The match cardi just puts the ensemble over the top, in the best possible way. Brava!
    --Lori

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  12. I absolutely love this dress, the fit is perfect and the fabric choice is inspired, it's lovely! And the best thing is, I've just realised I have this pattern in my stash! thanks for the inspiration! x

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