New dress in progress. Well, new old dress. Marian Martin mail-order patterns never have dates on them but this one was probably produced between 1948 and 1953, based on the style. I got it on eBay. I think the skirt looks more full in real life than the drawing suggests.
The fabric is Moda "Coming Home" by Polly Minick, a semi-1930's print in navy blue with red and tan abstracted flowers on it. I bought it last fall and I think this particular print has been discontinued since I can't find pictures online. I'll have pictures both of the fabric and of the dress in progress soon (they're on my camera still). The trim is dark red bias tape. Mine will have short sleeves with faux cuffs and red bias trim.
I promised myself I'd behave and pay attention to all the pattern markers and directions. I mostly did that. It's an unprinted pattern and the cut-out triangles are very small and easily overlooked, so I forgot to include most of them. I did mark the punched holes, though, and obeyed the recommended 1/2-inch seam allowance. I even basted in some places, as I was told. There are a few places where I disagree with what the directions recommend, but not too many. I'm notorious for winging it when it comes to sewing. Unprinted patterns don't bother me at all because I rarely pay much attention to pattern markings, anyway. Most of my patterns at this point have been altered and recut out of newspaper and have no markings at all.
I have to do the neck facing, sleeves, zipper, and hem. The easy stuff is done, though, and so far it's gone together very well. I get borderline hysterical when confronted with frayed seam allowances, and since 1/2 inch leaves for a lot of extra fabric, I rolled the allowance over and topstitched it down (basically a clean finish seam, where the edges of the allowance are folded over and sewn to themselves, but sewn down onto the dress as well). I don't think this is an "approved" method of seam finishing, and you wouldn't want to do it if you didn't want to see a lot of topstitching on the outside of the dress, but it looks nice in this case and gives nice, flat seams that aren't too bulky. The shoulder seams, where the back princess seams connected, were too bulky to do this so I flat-felled them instead.
Even better, I think it will actually fit. It might be slightly large--bust 38 is a stretch for me--but not too much. I'd like to have it done in time for the Sawmill Festival on April 18.
I bought some brick-red fabric with a small cream-and-black floral pattern at the same shop, which I might use for a cap-sleeved version of this (or not; I have lots of unmade dress patterns from which to choose), with black rick-rack trim.
I also have a wacky idea to make this as a cowgirl dress, with an added appliquéed yoke on the shoulders in the back, contrast shoulder tabs in front, and square pockets with contrast trim, either in a Western patterned fabric or with floral embroidery or paint. I think that would be terribly amusing . . .
The fabric is Moda "Coming Home" by Polly Minick, a semi-1930's print in navy blue with red and tan abstracted flowers on it. I bought it last fall and I think this particular print has been discontinued since I can't find pictures online. I'll have pictures both of the fabric and of the dress in progress soon (they're on my camera still). The trim is dark red bias tape. Mine will have short sleeves with faux cuffs and red bias trim.
I promised myself I'd behave and pay attention to all the pattern markers and directions. I mostly did that. It's an unprinted pattern and the cut-out triangles are very small and easily overlooked, so I forgot to include most of them. I did mark the punched holes, though, and obeyed the recommended 1/2-inch seam allowance. I even basted in some places, as I was told. There are a few places where I disagree with what the directions recommend, but not too many. I'm notorious for winging it when it comes to sewing. Unprinted patterns don't bother me at all because I rarely pay much attention to pattern markings, anyway. Most of my patterns at this point have been altered and recut out of newspaper and have no markings at all.
I have to do the neck facing, sleeves, zipper, and hem. The easy stuff is done, though, and so far it's gone together very well. I get borderline hysterical when confronted with frayed seam allowances, and since 1/2 inch leaves for a lot of extra fabric, I rolled the allowance over and topstitched it down (basically a clean finish seam, where the edges of the allowance are folded over and sewn to themselves, but sewn down onto the dress as well). I don't think this is an "approved" method of seam finishing, and you wouldn't want to do it if you didn't want to see a lot of topstitching on the outside of the dress, but it looks nice in this case and gives nice, flat seams that aren't too bulky. The shoulder seams, where the back princess seams connected, were too bulky to do this so I flat-felled them instead.
Even better, I think it will actually fit. It might be slightly large--bust 38 is a stretch for me--but not too much. I'd like to have it done in time for the Sawmill Festival on April 18.
* * * * * * *
I bought some brick-red fabric with a small cream-and-black floral pattern at the same shop, which I might use for a cap-sleeved version of this (or not; I have lots of unmade dress patterns from which to choose), with black rick-rack trim.
I also have a wacky idea to make this as a cowgirl dress, with an added appliquéed yoke on the shoulders in the back, contrast shoulder tabs in front, and square pockets with contrast trim, either in a Western patterned fabric or with floral embroidery or paint. I think that would be terribly amusing . . .
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