Another Cashmerette Upton, this one for my sister. She couldn't find one for sale that had the features she wanted such as long sleeves. (Her daughter is getting married in March.) I offered to try to make her a dress. I was excited she was willing to give me a chance to do it.
She described what she wanted, and I couldn't help thinking the Upton was perfect. I had just made it with a scoop neckline but she wanted V-neck in front and back, and lo and behold, the pattern comes with that neckline.
I was especially excited to work on a dress for someone else because I thought it would be easier to fit another person rather than myself. It was. Too bad other elements of this dress, namely those having to do with the fabric choices, gave me fits.
I first made two muslins, one with the gored skirt and the other with the pleats. She preferred the gored. The bodice needed some adjustments. Fortunately, I'd had to do the same sorts of things on my version of the Upton, particularly fitting the princess seams around the bust, so I knew how to do them.
Here's mockup #1 of the gored dress.
She described what she wanted, and I couldn't help thinking the Upton was perfect. I had just made it with a scoop neckline but she wanted V-neck in front and back, and lo and behold, the pattern comes with that neckline.
I was especially excited to work on a dress for someone else because I thought it would be easier to fit another person rather than myself. It was. Too bad other elements of this dress, namely those having to do with the fabric choices, gave me fits.
I first made two muslins, one with the gored skirt and the other with the pleats. She preferred the gored. The bodice needed some adjustments. Fortunately, I'd had to do the same sorts of things on my version of the Upton, particularly fitting the princess seams around the bust, so I knew how to do them.
Here's mockup #1 of the gored dress.
Here's mockup #1 of the pleated dress.
I don't have pictures of the second and third mockups. But everything went very smoothly.
The challenges started with the Bemberg lining and poly satin dress fabric.
I started with the lining. I have worked with Bemberg before and don't remember it being this infuriatingly slippery. Maybe I wasn't as careful back then or as tuned in.
This stuff was like working with liquid. I did some research and knew I had to cut it on tissue paper. I followed the advice of some who recommended pins and scissors, not weights and rotary cutter. Cutting seemed to go well. But when I removed the pins and the fabric relaxed, the cut fabric and the paper pattern pieces did not line up.
The challenges started with the Bemberg lining and poly satin dress fabric.
I started with the lining. I have worked with Bemberg before and don't remember it being this infuriatingly slippery. Maybe I wasn't as careful back then or as tuned in.
This stuff was like working with liquid. I did some research and knew I had to cut it on tissue paper. I followed the advice of some who recommended pins and scissors, not weights and rotary cutter. Cutting seemed to go well. But when I removed the pins and the fabric relaxed, the cut fabric and the paper pattern pieces did not line up.
The misalignment was actually worse than in that photo. So, back to the research. I next decided to recut the bodice of the lining but first soaking the fabric in gelatin, letting it dry, ironing again, then cutting. The gelatin worked great, stabilizing the fabric enough to cut and sew. The skirt I just sewed sans gelatin, figuring I could manage with just straight lines. It was slow going but seemed okay. Lining done.
The dress fabric was a different problem. The fabric is a heavier-weight satin and it is washable. I prewashed it and the Bemberg because I didn't want to have to worry about water spots when I was ironing, plus a washable dress is a damned nice thing to have.
But washing it left wrinkles that would not come out. And though I didn't want to iron the bejeebus out of it for fear of dulling or damaging it, I ironed it a lot.
Finally, I reached out to Mood and they suggested steaming it. So I bought a nice steamer and tried. It still took a lot of steam, but the wrinkles did come out.
From that point on, the fabric was easy to work with, except for ironing seams—it was difficult to get them to iron nice and flat. The satin cut and sewed nicely. Mood also recommended 1" seam allowances and serging the edges to arrest the fraying, both of which I did, thankfully.
Changing to a 1" seam allowance did create another problem, one that didn't surface until I was basting the lining together. Fixing it created another problem that I didn't catch until my sister was trying on the basted gown. And fixing that was not easy.
The original seam allowance was 1/2", so I added another 1/2" to all my pattern pieces before cutting the fabric. That is, all but one, as it turns out.
I apparently forgot to add the extra seam allowance to the middle skirt panel. I hadn't sewed that piece to the lining yet, so I decided to use a 1/2" seam allowance for that piece. That meant I had to trim 1/2" from the two front side panels of the lining, which I did. Lining turned out perfectly--all the seams lined up.
For the dress, I decided to cut a new front panel. I had just enough fabric left to do it. Given the piece was just straight lines, I didn't bother adding 1/2" to the paper pattern piece, I just used my ruler to add the 1/2" as I cut. Note to self: no, no, no. Just do the careful thing next time.
When Mona tried on the basted dress, it fit nicely, but WTF...
But washing it left wrinkles that would not come out. And though I didn't want to iron the bejeebus out of it for fear of dulling or damaging it, I ironed it a lot.
Finally, I reached out to Mood and they suggested steaming it. So I bought a nice steamer and tried. It still took a lot of steam, but the wrinkles did come out.
From that point on, the fabric was easy to work with, except for ironing seams—it was difficult to get them to iron nice and flat. The satin cut and sewed nicely. Mood also recommended 1" seam allowances and serging the edges to arrest the fraying, both of which I did, thankfully.
Changing to a 1" seam allowance did create another problem, one that didn't surface until I was basting the lining together. Fixing it created another problem that I didn't catch until my sister was trying on the basted gown. And fixing that was not easy.
The original seam allowance was 1/2", so I added another 1/2" to all my pattern pieces before cutting the fabric. That is, all but one, as it turns out.
I apparently forgot to add the extra seam allowance to the middle skirt panel. I hadn't sewed that piece to the lining yet, so I decided to use a 1/2" seam allowance for that piece. That meant I had to trim 1/2" from the two front side panels of the lining, which I did. Lining turned out perfectly--all the seams lined up.
For the dress, I decided to cut a new front panel. I had just enough fabric left to do it. Given the piece was just straight lines, I didn't bother adding 1/2" to the paper pattern piece, I just used my ruler to add the 1/2" as I cut. Note to self: no, no, no. Just do the careful thing next time.
When Mona tried on the basted dress, it fit nicely, but WTF...
Every mockup had sewn up so well it never dawned on me to check the seam alignment. This was way off.
To make a long story short, the problem was that I had not added a consistent 1/2" to the new piece when I cut the fabric out. I did not have enough fabric left to cut another panel. I had enough for a new waistband, which I cut out.
Fortunately, I did have enough seam allowance of the front skirt panel to fix the misalignment. Unfortunately, I had to use some of the seam allowance, not reduce it, so the folds of the released seams would show--on the front panel of the dress. I could only pray that the steamer would remove them and that no needle holes would show. They didn't, but the folds were not easy to eliminate.
At any rate, there was a bunch of basting, checking, unbasting and shifting, rebasting, and repeat before the seams lined up. Gawd.
I was super afraid about sewing the lining to the dress at the neckline and inserting the invisible zipper. But thank goodness, both went very smoothly.
Mona came to my house to try the dress on before I sewed the zipper in permanently, sewed the lining to the zipper tape, and hemmed the dress. I told her it would take 1-2 hours. It took 5.
But she was pleased with the dress and she looked amazing in it!
To make a long story short, the problem was that I had not added a consistent 1/2" to the new piece when I cut the fabric out. I did not have enough fabric left to cut another panel. I had enough for a new waistband, which I cut out.
Fortunately, I did have enough seam allowance of the front skirt panel to fix the misalignment. Unfortunately, I had to use some of the seam allowance, not reduce it, so the folds of the released seams would show--on the front panel of the dress. I could only pray that the steamer would remove them and that no needle holes would show. They didn't, but the folds were not easy to eliminate.
At any rate, there was a bunch of basting, checking, unbasting and shifting, rebasting, and repeat before the seams lined up. Gawd.
I was super afraid about sewing the lining to the dress at the neckline and inserting the invisible zipper. But thank goodness, both went very smoothly.
Mona came to my house to try the dress on before I sewed the zipper in permanently, sewed the lining to the zipper tape, and hemmed the dress. I told her it would take 1-2 hours. It took 5.
But she was pleased with the dress and she looked amazing in it!
UPDATE: Mona decided she wanted shorter sleeves so she came over and I did that and took another inch and a half off the hem. She looked good!
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