Exams are over, which means I can stop pretending I'm revising (while actually wasting time on the internet) and can instead take full days for crafting. I also felt in need of some new clothes, but in the spirit of handmade, I treated myself to some fabric instead. Let's just pretend it was a reward for finding a tiny bit of motivation to revise and for having to sit down and write essays, by hand, for 3 hours (what was I thinking?).
I was going to be lazy and make another Francoise, possibly a sleeveless version for summer, most probably without trying to modify the size at all. But I feel there has been too much laziness recently so instead I decided to experiment and make the Megan dress from Tilly's Love at First Stitch book. There was always the risk it might be a disaster, in terms of fit, sewing experience etc, and in the spirit of experimentation, I embraced it!
It actually turned out to be not that bad, in fact I am rather keen on it - and I totally love this fabric, I was so glad I bought it. The cotton weight and style of dress (short sleeves) means that it is perfect for spring weather (and, realistically, summer weather in the UK as well!).
Of course the fit is not great, and that is completely my fault. I kind of screwed up combining different sizes and initially made the hips far too big and a little too soon, but I was able to fix that by taking in the seams a bit - that much I can handle. Part of the problem in this case is that I got confused while adjusting because the dress pattern comprises separate top and bottom pieces, and I went a big crazy with the tracing. The collar also seems to be too big and gapes at the back a bit, I thought I had done better than my Francoise dress by using the darts for the smaller size in the back to take it in a bit, but that wasn't enough in this case. I do wonder whether I'm cutting too big a size every time out of fear of the dress not fitting? I am debating whether I should go to a class that specifically focuses on alterations for the perfect fit, as I am not able to work out myself how to fix these issues...
Regardless, I may look at this one day and think its poor, but for the time being, loving the new dress :)
I was going to be lazy and make another Francoise, possibly a sleeveless version for summer, most probably without trying to modify the size at all. But I feel there has been too much laziness recently so instead I decided to experiment and make the Megan dress from Tilly's Love at First Stitch book. There was always the risk it might be a disaster, in terms of fit, sewing experience etc, and in the spirit of experimentation, I embraced it!
It actually turned out to be not that bad, in fact I am rather keen on it - and I totally love this fabric, I was so glad I bought it. The cotton weight and style of dress (short sleeves) means that it is perfect for spring weather (and, realistically, summer weather in the UK as well!).
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| Here I am getting ready for a night out at Ultimate Power Ballads! |
Of course the fit is not great, and that is completely my fault. I kind of screwed up combining different sizes and initially made the hips far too big and a little too soon, but I was able to fix that by taking in the seams a bit - that much I can handle. Part of the problem in this case is that I got confused while adjusting because the dress pattern comprises separate top and bottom pieces, and I went a big crazy with the tracing. The collar also seems to be too big and gapes at the back a bit, I thought I had done better than my Francoise dress by using the darts for the smaller size in the back to take it in a bit, but that wasn't enough in this case. I do wonder whether I'm cutting too big a size every time out of fear of the dress not fitting? I am debating whether I should go to a class that specifically focuses on alterations for the perfect fit, as I am not able to work out myself how to fix these issues...
Regardless, I may look at this one day and think its poor, but for the time being, loving the new dress :)
