I finished my dress!
The pattern that I used is V1265, a Pamella Roland suitdress pattern. I made it in a really cool black fabric with a purple pinstripe and iridescent purple silk dupioni for the lining. (In my last post, I discussed my inspiration for my dress, my fabric, and the alterations I made in greater detail.)
I really like the skirt of this dress. I love how the front panels hug the body as if it were a pencil skirt, even though there's a big puffy ruffle in the back! Bam!
Because the ruffle in the back is a little longer than the front, you can see the lining peeping through. Which I love because I used some AWESOME purple lining to match my purple-pinstripe fabric.
In fact, I hemmed the skirt specifically so that the purple lining would show a little. The pattern calls for the ruffle and its lining to be sewn together at the hem to finish it off. Instead, I wanted the two to hang separately so when I walked or turned you could catch a glimpse of the lining.
Hemming this dress took FOREVER. In total, there are almost 20 feet of hem. I pretty much spent my entire Sunday hemming this dress. First, I put in a false hem on the pinstripe fabric by cutting 2 1/2 inch-thick bias tape from my lining fabric and then stitching and understitching it on. I then sewed the false hem in place using a fancy stitch on my mom's sewing machine. (And good thing, too, because if I had to slipstitch it I would still be working on this dress when I was 80!)
I then turned in the lining twice and stitched it using a normal narrow hem. I slipstitched the front piece of the lining to the front of the dress, but let the ruffle hang separately.
I love the way this dress fits (which is good, because I spent quite a while fitting and ironing the heck out of it!). As I discussed in my last post, the pattern is cut pretty loosely, but I think it is much more flattering for this particular design to fit snugly.
You have to admit, it's pretty awesome to be able to walk into a college interview and be like, "Yeah, I made this." ;)
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| Close-up of the front lapel. I'm not sure I'm crazy about wearing the matte black tank top underneath--I think it kind of blends into the dress too much. Maybe I'll make a shiny black inset. What do you think? |
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| One magnificent ruffle. |
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| Look at my lining! |
The inside of the dress is so pretty I just have to show it :)
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| Action shot! And guess what, the ruffle actually swishes back and forth when I walk! |
If anyone has any questions about the dress or pattern, feel free to comment and I'll be happy to answer!
It looks fantastic. Very smart and unusual. I like the black top with it, i wonder if a shiny inset would be too much. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you! That's just what I was going for! Hm, I wonder if maybe a shirt with a shaped neckline, either rounded or slightly v-shaped, might be a little more flattering. I'll have to play around with it!
DeleteThe dress looks great and you look wonderful in it! I, too, like the matte black top underneath it - a shiny one might take away from the dress itself. Well done, Anelise!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I certainly don't want to take away from the dress! I'm glad for all the input. I'll have to re-analyze my styling ;)
DeleteI'd go for soft black netting but it might be inappropriate!
ReplyDeleteYou've done such a great job here, beginning with picking the perfect pattern. Black pinstripe on women is so cool but that playful ruffle at the back should reassure anyone who might feel a bit threatened. Now, go get 'em!
That's a cool idea--it would create a different texture without being too flashy--but I'd be hesitant to show up to my interviews with such a low neckline! Haha less threatening is good! Thank you so much for your comment. I'm now really excited about doing the rest of my interviews! ;)
DeleteI love the dress, it's so sophisticated. Good luck with colleges, I find it strange that you have to go for an interview, for uni I just applied online and gave them basically no information about myself and that was it!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yeah, the college application process here is very complicated. You have to submit lots of personal info, write about a bazillion essays, and then interview with almost every school you applied to. I have to admit, I'm glad I'm done filling out applications!
DeleteGreat job with this dress! I like the black matte tank top underneath; for interviews and such I would stick with that. For evening out, dress up party a shinier top would work I think. Maybe a purple top to go with the pin stripes instead of or as an additional option instead of black shiny top also. The dress fits you very well and you did an excellent job with all the sewing details.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of making a purple top to go with it and maybe dressing it up a little bit! Thank you, I'm really pleased with the final fit of the garment.
DeleteAwesome! Well done :) and I can just see this as a fabulous evening dress too xx
ReplyDeleteThank you! Ooh can you imagine how beautiful the ruffle would be made in a nice silk?
DeleteAbsolutely yes :)x
DeleteStunning!!!
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