Two weeks ago when my friend Pat was over for her sewing lesson, I happened to mention that my newest project contained several exposed zippers. She expressly let it be known that she was not a fan of the trend; that in her opinion zippers ought to be kept on the insides of garments and not used as decoration. So, as this dress has not one but three exposed zippers, and also because I enjoy being ornery from time to time, I have named this dress after her. Ha!
It's pretty loud. Feel free to get your sunnies!
This pattern is designed for a knit. But for some reason I got it in my mind to use this stretch cotton sateen in lieu of that. You'd think I would be smarter about it, seeing as how I have had more then my fair share of
wadders lately. It certainly did present a number of fitting problems, but in the end I'm happy with it.
This fabric was purchased from
Ebay and the zippers I ordered from
zipperstop.com. They have a HUGE selection and you are sure to find just exactly what you want. (It makes me feel so special to order things from NYC.) I also ordered the perfect zipper to match
this dress, but will have to find some other project to use it for.
On of the main problems that came up was the bagginess of the fabric under the bust. I remedied that by adding in vertical darts and pinning them in with the help of my
dressform. That thing is so handy! When I restitched the panel under the darts, I had to cut off some of the sides to even them up. The front is actually a really good fit.
Aren't those bright pink zippers fun? I moved the front zippers 2 inches in from the side and shoulder seams. I also widened the neckline slightly because it was choking me a little.
The back is a little tight. I have purposefully put on a few pounds in the last few weeks. My daughter is very skinny and every time I bring her to the doctor for a well baby check-up, the doctor can't seem to talk about anything but her weight. She now has to be seen by a dietitian once a month and it has been recommended to me that I pump and add formula to
breastmilk and feed it to her in a bottle. This is a pain and will take me a lot longer to feed her. The dietitian also said I could give up the breastfeeding and just do formula - she seems to think my milk doesn't contain enough calories. I don't want to do that either. I have issues with some of the ingredients in formula, not to mention it is very expensive. SO, all that to say I have been trying to eat more calories and more fat in order to boost the fat in my
breastmilk. We shall see. I am having it tested at a lactation center on Tuesday. It would be awesome if I could solve the problem through my diet, but there is also the possibility that she has some sort of hormone imbalance. Tomorrow we go to the pediatric endocrinologist to see about that. Big sigh. I really don't love doctors.
Too much information for you?
Here it is on Her Highness and the fit is great. Notice that I had to add darts to the back as well.
Besides the fit issues, the inside finishing was a lot of work. ALL the seams except for the shoulders were finished with bias tape. The zippers were sewn in by hand and then the fabric around them was zigzagged to the zippers with hot pink thread. I finished the neckline and armholes with even more bias tape.
Whew! I'm ready for a new project. Up next is
Vogue 1174, which will be my Easter dress. I found the perfect little matching sweater, so it has been approved to be worn to church. I'll be making and posting a muslin in the next few days. I'm very excited to sew my first strapless dress!
Cute, right? I'll probably opt for a less loud print.
Okay, jacket 113 is by far my favorite design in this month's offerings. Honestly, I've not been this excited over a jacket pattern since this pattern back in 2008. I like fitted jackets with lots of details. This one looks pretty perfect. In fact, I already bought some army green textured cotton fabric from JoAnn's with this jacket in mind. I'll be purchasing the buttons at the next 50% off sale. After all, it takes 20 buttons! I might as well get them half price.
Top/short dress 114 is cute with skinny lace trim inserts and a smocked neckline, with some blanket stitch thrown in for more interest. The smocking directions definitely have me scratching my head, though.
Long skirts are not something I like to wear. My legs are my favorite feature, so I usually like to show them if I'm wearing a skirt or a dress. However, I really like the dyed fabric treatment described in full detail in the directions for this skirt. I'll certainly be trying it, but most likely on a shorter style.
Vogue 1176 was suppose to be completed last night, but that silly side zipper has given me fits. I had to dampen my fabric and throw it in the dryer on hot in order to get the fabric back to its original non-stretched state. I'm skipping a girls night out tonight to get it finished up. Good grief! It's looking adorable though, so is worth all the hard work. Pictures tomorrow... I hope!
