The Sewing Place

Sew Over It Doris Dress

Manuela

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #15 on: July 31, 2018, 14:58:12 PM »
They are pattern weights, I'm not sure actual party rings would be heavy enough.

@Francesca now you got me - where did you find them? I am so over boring pattern weights.
I need those in my life and on my cutting table....

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #16 on: July 31, 2018, 14:59:28 PM »
@Manuela my auntie bought them for me for Christmas but I believe they are these: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/541948637/6-handmade-polymer-clay-party-rings

She also does french fancies, donuts, rainbow cake and oreos!

Manuela

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #17 on: July 31, 2018, 15:40:55 PM »
Ooooooohhhh, thank you @Francesca, I think I need the doughnuts....

Catllar

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #18 on: July 31, 2018, 17:54:30 PM »
This is a great project Fran , with the added plus of party rings!!
If life gives you lemons, add to gin and tonic !

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #19 on: July 31, 2018, 23:11:31 PM »
Well I got a fat lot of nothing done this evening, unless watching Westworld and eating my bodyweight in crisps counts as doing much... And I'm out late tomorrow night. My project stack winks at me and SWAKOP is looking very neglected.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #20 on: August 01, 2018, 02:56:31 AM »
@Manuela my auntie bought them for me for Christmas but I believe they are these: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/541948637/6-handmade-polymer-clay-party-rings

She also does french fancies, donuts, rainbow cake and oreos!
Thanks for the linky Fran. After you posted the Party Ring photo yesterday I pulled out my polymer clay and looked for my giant zinc washers. Also tired of plain weights. Might need to craft something for myself.  :ninja: :cake:

Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

mudcat

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #21 on: August 01, 2018, 04:03:33 AM »
I rather like the chocolate weights.  They look pretty edible.  In reality, I use all of my various quilting rulers and dressmaking curves as weights.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2018, 04:39:59 AM »
I do the same thing Mudcat. The chocolates do look good.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #23 on: August 02, 2018, 22:11:19 PM »
Bodice toile complete and I am happy with it. It fits fairly well in terms of sizing, but needs some small adjustments to refine it further.

Firstly, as predicted the neckline is too wide. Easy fix to bring it in at the sides. I think I will reduce it by 2" overall (so add 1" to each shoulder seam). The toile is made with the seam allowance cut away to accurately show the neckline edge.

The sleeves are also a little too tight. I don't want to disrupt the curved shape at the base of the sleeve so I will add it to the top making the shoulder line more straight rather than tapered down. Obviously this would mean the shoulder seam wouldn't match my arm shape but as it's grown-on and the fabric it'll be sewn in is drapey I think this will work, just allow me to move my arm more but give more drape over the shoulder edge.

The pleat is well placed but the side dart points to straight and hits below my bust point, needs to be angled upwards so it's 45 degrees to the side vs 90.

It doesn't look that great in this stiff cotton, but I think it'll be good in the proper drapey fabric.


jen

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #24 on: August 03, 2018, 07:28:22 AM »
This is quite a journey, I admire your determination to get this pattern to fit.
Those pattern weights look soooooo tempting. At the moment I use small bags of pre euro coins, but they would really brighten up the place.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #25 on: August 06, 2018, 21:44:57 PM »
Second toile. Much happier. The dart placement is better and the neckline doesn't fall down. In this picture I forgot to cut away the seam allowance so it'll be a little more scooped than this. Sleeves still a tad tight. I will sew the shoulder seams with a tapered seam allowance so they're slightly larger.

Now to sew up the skirt toile. If everything goes together like magic, all the seams should match up with the pleats and side seams. I have a feeling they may not...
« Last Edit: August 07, 2018, 10:24:39 AM by Francesca »

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #26 on: August 16, 2018, 23:06:25 PM »
Just put the skirt toile together.

The fit of the two pieces (bodice and skirt) is pretty good. Skirt is ever so slightly too tight across the tummy but I have just eaten dinner...

I need to rebalance a lot of the seams though. Not all the pleats/side seams etc match up. Special importance to the front as I want the bodice pleats to match up exactly with the two seams in the front skirt. Back would be nice too but I'm less worried. I've just measured up all parts of the bodice and skirt panels and compared the measurements and come up with a list of what needs to move and where. I won't make another toile. I'll retrace the pattern with those adjustments and double check the circumference on both bodice and skirt so they match and then if they're a bit off here or there I can handle it for now.

Fabric will be a navy blue polka dot viscose. Hopefully it has enough pattern to hide any little problems! Buttons will be self covered.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #27 on: August 21, 2018, 10:14:02 AM »
Sewn up the bodice and the skirt now, done all the facings. Just need to attach the two portions, insert zip, do hem (I will let is hang weighted!) and attach buttons.

Somehow it feels a little tight on the bodice - ain't that typical. Next one I will add a little to the side seams. The sleeves fit lovely though. It feels a little tight across the back but maybe I'm just not used to "fitted".

Despite raising the neckline as the toile looked too deep, the neckline now is too high so I will have to drop it. I've remedied this for now by folding the top of the front opening down and pressing it so it makes a cute little collar. Will be fine for this version. I will sew this again and drop the neckline.

I really hate the facings - as always. They just seem like a pain. Wondering whether it's worth fully lining the bodice next time, the viscose challis is a little sheer. Could fully line the whole thing really...

Still I'm pleased with it. Am going to see some old friends on Saturday so I will wear it to lunch :)

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #28 on: August 21, 2018, 17:57:05 PM »
So I've nearly finished, and I managed to make a massive cock-up, which was luckily rectifiable.

When I traced off all the skirt pieces, I managed to make a ridiculous error. I diligently wrote on the pieces the pattern name, that I'd adjusted it, added length etc, but I forgot to write which bloody pattern piece was what. I am a royal idiot. They all look the same.

The front was easy to choose as I'd put the OTF marking on it. But the others? I grabbed my toile (luckily I'd not chucked it) and slapped it down on the table, laid each piece on top of the toile and went "yeah that looks like the side piece". Why didn't I just walk the tops of the skirt pieces with the bodice? No idea. Cos I am lazy.

Turns out I got the side front and side back pieces mixed up, or at least I think that's what's happened. When pinning together the skirt pieces wouldn't match up with the side seams. I started with the back so I put a pleat in the middle of the piece. It looks odd but nobody will notice but me. When it came to the front side piece it was the bodice that was too long. So I figured I'd stick another bust pleat in. At least this works with the "style" as it already has a waist pleat for the bust. It looks a little odd too, but like the other pleat it's likely only me who will know. I now need to check whether that was actually right or if I'd made a different mistake. Sewing is like being in a crime thriller where you are the detective but also the murderer.

Anyway, this dress is hardly even the original dress any more with my wrong neckline, extra pleats, gah. Oh well, it fits nice! I've decided I don't need the side zip. The fabric is soft enough that I can get out of it pinned up anyway, but I will make the front button band as real buttons so that I can undo it to give me more shoulder wiggle room, that was the only bit that felt a bit tight when wriggling free (and I HATE sewing zips).


Lachica

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #29 on: August 21, 2018, 18:10:28 PM »
That looks great, I can't see any mistakes. I like the folded back collar. It looks good on.
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.