Sunday 16 January 2011

Finished Crepe dress

I was trying to be a good student and wait patiently for the next Crepe sewalong post, but patience is not one of my virtues and posts seem to be a bit thin on the ground at the moment!  I appreciate there’s been a Christmas holiday break and I’m sure Gertie is super busy, but the pace is just way too slow for me (it started on 6th December and we haven’t even started sewing yet!)

So I fell off the wagon and actually started sewing the dress together and I’m glad I did.  I’ve been itching to sew for weeks, so it was good to get back into it.  And here’s the result - my lovely Crepe dress….
Behold - my lovely Crepe dress
I’m so pleased with the finished dress, it’s got a vintage-y look but it’s comfortable enough to wear as a day dress AND it’s got pockets!  

Pockets - hoorah!
It’s a very girly dress, you do feel like you should be skipping through a meadow with a basket of flowers whilst wearing it.  Or trying out for a Timotei ad.  Nice and old fashioned.

Which brings me on to the fabric, which has an old-fashioned look I really like. I’m glad I went along with Gertie’s recommendation to use a lightweight cotton with more drape in it rather than a stiffer, quilting cotton.  I used a cotton lawn I picked up on eBay, with a red contrast sash.  I also underlined the dress, which was another first for me.  I used very thin grey/blue cotton for underlining. Cotton law is a sheer fabric, and underlining gave the bodice and skirt a bit of structure and neatly solved the whole potential “backlit Lady Diana wearing sheer skirt” horror.  Gertie’s method of underlining was a tad laborious though.  It involved hand basting each piece to the underlining fabric before cutting it out.  

Basting underling to the pattern pieces - like watching paint dry
I dutifully did this for the bodice pieces but then realised there were SIX mid-length skirt pieces still to do.  I wanted to do each stage by the book, but this was way too much a labour of love – I cut the pieces out then basted them, which still took hours, but at least I wasn’t flailing about with metres of fabric trying to hand sew whilst retaining a straight grain line.   I don’t think the dress suffered either.

So, what did I make of the pattern?  Well, I’ve used Collette Patterns twice before (Sencha blouse and Beignet skirt) and they were both a dream to work from: simple, clear instructions, nice detailing and a good fit.  The Crepe instructions were as clear and explanatory as usual, perfect for a beginner, which is the level the pattern was aimed at.  The only negative thing about the pattern was the fit, which was a disaster.  Collette Patterns are made with the curvier figure in mind, which is great, as that’s what I’ve got. But the bodice was way too roomy and wide – I had a lot of fitting issues (see here for more details if you’re interested) and this was when Gertie’s detailed fitting tutorials came into their own.   I learnt how to move darts, how to shape a dart for a more flattering fit under the bust and how to do a small bust adjustment. I think I just about ended up with a fit I liked in the end. 

The front view….

... and the back view - a good fit in the end
Sewing the dress together was easy peasy, all very straight forward. I also used my new tailor’s ham for the first time and now can’t live without it.  I’d really recommend you get one, especially for pressing those pesky shaped darts and shoulders into shape.  There was only one blunder…  Gertie advised us to stay the neckline with silk organza to avoid it stretching.  I bought what I thought was silk organza and stayed the neckline (another laborious process), so far so good.  But when it came to adding the facing and understitching it to lay flat, nothing was happening.  The neckline just kept jutting out and was really bulky.  A conversation with one of my new blogging friends – Danielle - who I met yesterday IN REAL LIFE (more on that in the next post!) confirmed that what I thought was silk organza was actually polyester organza (duh).  And polyester organza’s purpose in life is to stick out. Ho di hum.  I very calmly sat down last night and carefully cut out every last piece of the polyester imposter out of my dress.  And the result?  A neckline that behaves itself (yes!).  Thank you Danielle!


am pleased with the dress, even if I don't look it in the photo!

The final touch I added, which was recommended in the pattern, was to encase the waist seams in bias binding for a neater finish. Because the fabric is so thin it does tend to look a big straggly at the edges so this was a good finishing touch.  Usually I don’t like to spend too much time looking at the inside of the clothes I make – the zig-zagged seams always look a bit scruffy for my liking.  But in this case it gave me a little rush of pleasure to look upon my dress (inside and out) and notice just how substantial and finished it looked.  One sewalong project completed, three more to go…

33 comments:

  1. Ohhh it looks gorgeous on you!! What a beautiful girly dress. The print is lovely. The pace has definitely slowed down and I know the feeling of wanting to get on with it. I generally have more than one project under the sewing machine so have been able to hold back and wait. You did a great job without the rest of the posts anyway :)

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  2. oh wow! It is BEAUTIFUL! You've done such an amazing job. I absolutely love the fabric and coordinating sash. It fits perfectly and you look fabulous in it! great job!!

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  3. Your dress is gorgeous, you really do look fresh and girly, roll on Springtime. I have that pattern, ready and waiting for some attention so thank you for the advice and links which I shall definitely be checking before I set off!

    Kate

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  4. It's gorgeous Jane, the fabric choice was inspired, I love the contrasting sash. I completely missed the fact there wasn't a wrap at the front, but at the back. I much prefer this neckline.

    Sorry I didn't make it yesterday, looking forward to reading about it.

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  5. I've got to give it to you Jane, you're a gal with fabric taste after my own heart ;o) Love the whole thing! The fit is so perfect, would never have guessed you had fitting issues!

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  6. This looks great, and it's interesting to hear your thoughts on the project as I'm also participating in the sewalong. I also got quite stressed with the fit issue but I think you should be very pleased with how yours turned out. Lovely fabric too!

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  7. This is lovely, Jane - the fabric is gorgeous and the contrasting sash really sets it off. It looks like it fits beautifully too. Perfect for spring - if it ever arrives!

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  8. Wow where did you get the fabric and pattern from? It's simply lovely, it really is.

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  9. Its gorgeous! I am so impressed. Lovely fabric. x

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  10. That is an absolutely gorgeous make. Which Ebay supplier did you get that fabric from? I may have to order some. The red sash is inspired. You look so pretty! Love, love, love it. You can see it's a really good make. Does it stay together well during the wearing. Hmmm. I may have to change my mind about this pattern. Great to meet you yesterday!

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  11. Such a pretty dress and fabric! Well done you. I'm not actually following the sewalong but great that you managed it without the rest of the posts!
    Donna

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  12. Your Crepe is gorgeous and you have inspired me to get a wriggle on actually starting mine!!!

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  13. LOOKS GREAT. I'm also frustrated with the painfully slow pace...maybe I'll follow your lead and just finish it on my own!

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  14. This is just lovely! The fabric you chose suits the dress and it looks like the fit is perfect.

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  15. You look really nice in this. Great job on completing this dress - ahead of schedule, too!

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  16. Thanks so much for all your lovely comments - they're keeping me going on this, officially the year's most depressing day (according to the paper's!)
    Lady Cherry and Karen, the fabric was from an eBay seller called Favourite Fabrics. The fabric is called Eva but I think I got the last of the grey, she also has it in cream or mink though and has lots of other cotton lawns, here's the link http://stores.ebay.co.uk:80/FAVOURITE-FABRICS/COTTON-LAWNS-/_i.html?rt=nc&_fsub=12389340&_sid=176126884&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1513&_pgn=1.
    Karen, it was great to meet you too, hopefully the first of many. x

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  17. It's beautiful! The fabric is absolutely gorgeous - what ebay seller did you get it from? Oh I've just seen you've answered that one. Will have a browse forthwith...

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  18. Wooh, that is very gorgeous indeed and a perfect fit! I love the contrast between the fabric and the red. Will you be making another one now that you have it all figured out? Also you say you took out the polyester 'imposter' - did you just go ahead without it, or did you replace with the silk one?

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  19. Thanks Nathalie! No, I think I'll stick at one for the time being, I've got a long list of other things I want to sew. With the organza I just snipped away as much as I could. I haven't bothered replacing it with silk organza, I'm hoping the stitches that sewed in the polyester can act as stay stitches (if that makes sense?)

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  20. Jane, it's so beautiful. I love it - so graceful, girly and elegant. And I loved your impatience with the sew-along...I really want to be a joiner, but like you, I know that I'd end up getting frustrated and racing ahead (so it made me laugh that you count this as 'one sew-along completed'....surely that's a sew-forward?).

    The dress looks an absolutely perfect fit, so I'm very admiring of your alteration skills - I wish that patterns would come with options not only for size, but also for body type to avoid such drastic overhauls having to be undertaken.

    Florence x

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  21. OMG! Its so beautiful! You look great! I bet you're so proud of yourself, can you make me one??

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  22. Thank you for your lovely comments Florence and Justine. Florence, your comment about 'Sew forward' made me laugh, that's exactly what I've been doing with all of them I'm afraid. I agree about patterns and body shapes. The Pendrell blouse I'm making IS designed for a specific body shape (pear shape) which is sadly not my body shape! BUT I've only had to make a minor adjustment to decrease the hip size, not even a fraction of the butchering I had to do for the Crepe dress, so fingers crossed. x

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  23. Very nice work on your dress! Regarding the time it took to baste the underlining to the fabric, don't look at Gertie's latest sew-along post about glue ;) Oh well, I'm sure you learned tons by doing it the way you did! Love the colors.

    Oh, and I was the one who asked way back when about your Lady Valet dress form. Well, I ended up buying it and love it! It's so nice to have a dress form in a neutral that adjusts AND has a steady stand.

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  24. Thanks Amanda, I read Gertie's post on glueing the underlining through gritted teeth! Oooh so pleased you got a Lady Valet too and that you love it. They're great aren't they?! x

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  25. Your dress looks beautiful! The colours & print are so pretty. I think you SHOULD go skipping through a field of flower just because. Why not, right?

    I'll be honest, I'm still working on the bodice fit (in addition to life getting in the way). Eventually I'll get it done, but it is so nice to be able to read the experiences of others. Beautifully done! Do you think you'll make this again in another colourway?

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  26. Hi Jen, thanks for your comment, I'll be thinking of you when I'm in the flower meadow! I think I'll see how often I wear it this summer before making another one - if it gets worn a lot then I'll definitely make another, should be much more straight forward next time! x

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  27. Wow I love this version of the Crepe! So pretty and the red sash really pops against the blue. Loving your navy trousers a few posts up too, I am yet to venture into trouser territory.... (insert spooky music here)

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  28. Oh I just LOVe that fabric and the combination with red. Beautiful.

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  30. love your dress, and the fabric welldone

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