Backtracking a little bit: Here's the zipper.
. . . and from the back.
. . . and on me.
I really need to learn to do something with my hair.
The waistband piece for this pattern is either mis-cut or mis-drafted. The end is curved inward, which means that, once everything is sewn together, there isn't enough fabric to catch the zipper tape. WTF? I can't imagine that the waistband is supposed to nip inward at the side seams, because that just doesn't make sense, but that's the way it appears. However, the pattern also calls for a side zipper, which is a conflict of side-seam interests.
I set the zipper once, against my better judgment. It failed miserably and I had to rip it out. After some head-scratching, I did the inelegant but obvious thing and added two narrow strips of fabric over the inadequate seam allowance. I didn't really like doing this since it adds a lot of bulk that I'd have rather not had, but I couldn't think of anything else to do that wasn't even more fiddly. The red fabric is the strips.
Then I re-set the zipper as if the added fabric was the usual seam allowance. It worked well enough. That's a bit of a hack-job topstitched zipper, not a proper lapped one. Oh, well. It was 1:00 in the morning and I was really, really, sick of zippers.
So, here's the inside of the dress from the front (pre-shoulder pads. See preceding post).
I set the zipper once, against my better judgment. It failed miserably and I had to rip it out. After some head-scratching, I did the inelegant but obvious thing and added two narrow strips of fabric over the inadequate seam allowance. I didn't really like doing this since it adds a lot of bulk that I'd have rather not had, but I couldn't think of anything else to do that wasn't even more fiddly. The red fabric is the strips.
Then I re-set the zipper as if the added fabric was the usual seam allowance. It worked well enough. That's a bit of a hack-job topstitched zipper, not a proper lapped one. Oh, well. It was 1:00 in the morning and I was really, really, sick of zippers.
So, here's the inside of the dress from the front (pre-shoulder pads. See preceding post).
. . . and from the back.
. . . and on me.
I really need to learn to do something with my hair.
It's too big. I feel like I'm wearing my big sister's hand-me-downs. I don't even have a big sister. So, I've reached the point where I've finally learned to measure patterns as well as myself before I get started. I think I've also learned that I should start looking for Bust 34 patterns.
I really, really, like this pattern. If I make it again, I'll a) make it smaller, b) lengthen the bodice by an inch (it looks OK in the picture but slightly maternity-ish in real life), c) raise the end of the neck slit as much as I can and still get my head through. I wore it on Sunday but pinned the neck halfway up for the sake of decency.
I love the bodice, though, with its front-and-back box pleats, and I love the shoulder darts. It's a nice, soft, dress without being a sloppy one.
Update (23 March): A friend of ours--a lady "of a certain age"--just left a comment on my Facebook posting telling me that she made the same dress for her eighth-grade home economics class in 1943.
I love the bodice, though, with its front-and-back box pleats, and I love the shoulder darts. It's a nice, soft, dress without being a sloppy one.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Update (23 March): A friend of ours--a lady "of a certain age"--just left a comment on my Facebook posting telling me that she made the same dress for her eighth-grade home economics class in 1943.
Comments
I adore the pattern in general, though, so (heh, heh--in my dreams) I'd love to make it again. Maybe in muted red check with blanket-stitch detail around the neck overlay and pocket slits.