The Sewing Place

Sew Over It Doris Dress

Francesca

Sew Over It Doris Dress
« on: July 29, 2018, 00:28:09 AM »
Finished baby dress toile so decided to try out something for myself that isn't the self-drafted skirt that is driving me mad right now...

I love the look of this dress but sadly it only goes up to a 20 and I need a 24, so grading must happen! I am going to do a 4" FBA (2" each side) which should make the bust fit however I also need to add a total of 7" to the waist and hip. I am trying to decide whether to add the extra in those multiple seam lines (the skirt is made up of 4 panels) or whether to slash through each panel and add it that way...

If I can get the fit right on this it could be a real game changer for me. I have been searching for a summer dress that works well in a drapey fabric for quite a while. I have lots of viscose challis in my stash but it's hard to get dresses that work well in it due to it being so unstructured. I really like this dress because it has a flippy skirt (very me) and also grown-on sleeves (great for me, with narrow shoulders I struggle with set-in sleeves as they always overhang and need adjusting). I've got a dress sort of similar to this, though cut differently, that I wear all summer long. But it's too small on my bust really and I need a replacement (or 6).

So far I've just traced off in the largest size. Need to:

  • Do 4" FBA (2" each side)
  • Add extra 3" somewhere to waist (expand back pleats by 1.5" maybe? Or expand back pleats by 0.75" each, then 0.75" at each side seam too)
  • Increase hip. Supposedly need 7" extra but due to flippy skirt can get away with less
  • Increase length by 1.5". The short version looks VERY SHORT
  • Possibly increase sleeve circumference, haven't measured yet
  • Buy a zip so I can actually wear it...

Morgan

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2018, 00:59:49 AM »

About the extra at the waist & hip - it's about shape so  if where it's needed is distributed evenly, you add it evenly, however if it's more at the front and less at the sides and back, distribute the extra in the place it's needed. 
« Last Edit: July 29, 2018, 01:09:28 AM by Morgan »

Efemera

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2018, 08:58:23 AM »
Is that hem supposed to be wonky...

Renegade Sewist

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2018, 09:18:46 AM »
Is that hem supposed to be wonky...

No. I did some checking online after I saw the pic. About half the versions of this are wonky, all operator error. @Francesca make sure you hang the dress for the hem to settle. Go for a week to ten days, ideally with weights. You can use binder clips or clothes pins every few inches. Skirt seams are bias even though panels are probably cut on the straight of grain. Because of the bias edges you'd probably get better results if you increase the skirt circumference by slashing and spreading. BTW, the skirt has 7 panels, which will really help you adjust for your own areas of fullness as Morgan suggested. You might need to move the bodice darts a bit so they still line up with seams on the skirt.

I'm pretty sure this is a candidate for a test garment. Have fun-it is a cute dress.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

BrendaP

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2018, 09:19:21 AM »
Is that hem supposed to be wonky...
Exactly what I was thinking!

It looks as though the fabric has dropped - the panels are cut on the straight grain down the centres but as they flare out the sides are on the bias.  The fabric is soft enough to have moves but the dress wasn't hung for a while before the hem was finished. 

A poor advert for the pattern.
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

Ravingdoll

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2018, 13:41:45 PM »
I will follow this with interest.  I have not had the greatest of successes with Sew Over It although I do like their patterns. 

Bodgeitandscarper

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2018, 13:44:59 PM »
Crikey, Fran, I'd be looking for a similar pattern, but in the right size!  But then I don't have your patience!  Looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2018, 15:15:10 PM »
I'll definitely hang it! I've been considering getting one of those hem chalk puffers so this will probably be a good time to buy one

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2018, 15:15:35 PM »
Crikey, Fran, I'd be looking for a similar pattern, but in the right size!  But then I don't have your patience!  Looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

That would be nice but I'm not sure one exists.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2018, 15:47:48 PM »
FBA complete, hadn't done an FBA on anything with grown-on sleeves so that was interesting but I think it works.

I put the extra into the pleat on the waist, but I think I need to reduce the pleat size so I can get that extra around the waist anyway.

It also introduced a side dart which should make for a better fit anyway.

Now to try and work out how to add extra to the back pleat without adding more to the shoulder/above pleat.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2018, 19:34:16 PM »
On another thread you mentioned also being slow at this stuff, like many of us, and now I see the problem. You're using donuts as pattern weights. Very distracting...makes one need a snack.  :cake:
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2018, 09:44:10 AM »
@Renegade Sewist actually they're not donuts they're PARTY RINGS



Which makes me want to go out and get a box and eat them all...

Anyway onto the dress again. I finished all the bodice adjustments thank god.

2" FBA - I retained the original pleat width in the end so it added 4" to the front
1" added CB - not sure if this is a mistake as it might make the neck too wide, will find out at toile stage whether I need to bring the neckline back in
1" added to the neck facing piece plus extra length added to the front facing due to the FBA
0.5" added to each side seam. I did this by cutting a square out of the side and shifting it over 0.25" (doing this on both front and back piece means 1" added all round)
0.5" added to the back pleat

I think this should make the waist 7" larger, which is what I need as per the sizes on the pattern. It only has 1" ease so all 7" are needed. In a dress pattern with more ease I could have got away with less.

Now I need to add the same widths to the skirt pieces. My attempt to be clever, I have spread the widths on the bodice only at point where the skirt is seamed (7 piece gored skirt, not 4 as I originally thought) so that these widths can be added and hopefully the seams will match up correctly!

I've also just realised while typing this out that I had to change the shoulder slope as part of the FBA. I did make sure to walk the front shoulder with the back and they still match, but I forgot to change the facing piece, it might need a different slope slightly. Though it might be just fine.

I also need to lengthen the skirt 2". I usually end up having to take up skirts from the pattern, but the "short" on this pattern is very very short. I think with my large bum it won't hang much down my thighs, certainly not "above the knee" as it says on the pattern, so I'll add 2" and then at least I can take up more if I need to.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #12 on: July 31, 2018, 01:52:15 AM »
Glad you lengthened it 2" rather than the 1 1/2 you mentioned before. With the skirt panels having their side edges on the bias and varying amounts depending on where it is the amount of uptake or shrink you get can vary depending on where your fleshier bits are. You won't know until you try it on. :flower:

Party rings eh? If I had those around the house, well, they wouldn't be here for long. I thought you just had fancy donut looking pattern weights which I thought was clever for about 6 seconds. Then I got hungry and realized it would be a bad idea for me.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #13 on: July 31, 2018, 09:55:59 AM »
They are pattern weights, I'm not sure actual party rings would be heavy enough.

Francesca

Re: Sew Over It Doris Dress
« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2018, 11:39:43 AM »
Managed to trace up the last skirt pieces. Also really annoyed, although I guess in the long run it doesn't matter, that the line drawing shows a centre back seam on the skirt panel that doesn't actually exist. It was only when I got the piece out and realised it did not have one straight edge that I realised. It almost mucked up my calculations. Luckily all I had to do was split the back skirt piece so I could add an inch in between, but still annoying.

I'm pretty sure my front seam is not going to match up with my pleat location, but the pleat might be in the wrong place anyway so I will make up a toile and see how far off it is, and then I should be able to move the pleats whichever direction they need to go.

Going to try toile number 1 tonight.