Finally- Some Sunshine!

The sun finally came out today, so I decided I better take advantage and get some quick pics of the yellow dress. Here it is in all it's googly glory:

I love the print, I love the colors, I even love the way the dress feels (the poly satin lining is so soft and, well, satiny), I just don't quite love the way it fits. Like I said in the last post, I'm pretty happy with the skirt. I just feel like the bodice is going to fall off my shoulders!

It doesn't look so bad here with my hands on my hips, but trust me, that neckline is wide! I have my bra straps pushed out so far, they're about to fall off. It's a shame, because the neckline depth is perfect. (Check out that pattern matching across the underbust seam!)

Here's the back. I can't tell if those wrinkles under my shoulder blade are because I need some kind of adjustment, or because I'm standing funny (always a possibility) or because the neckline is so wide and it's just kind of falling to the sides. I've got a nice pucker at the bottom of my invisible zip, too- right on my butt! I didn't notice that until I saw this shot. Guess I better work on that!

I cut a 44 bodice and morphed out to a 46 at the hip. The original muslin was a quilting cotton with no stretch and the skirt was snug. I made a second muslin adding several inches to the skirt width, but it turned out way too big. I decided to take a chance that the crosswise stretch in this pique would compensate for the snugness. I think it did. The only real adjustment I made was to take in the front darts about 3/8" on both sides. That snugged it up under my bust- it was kind of sack-like with out the adjustment. I also added 1/4" of width to the back skirt on both sides, taking up the excess at the darts. That's it. If I make it again I will do a slight sway back adjustment and add a little curve to the centerback seam- it's very straight and I- well, I'm not!

I really want to love this dress. I don't know if I should try making it again going down one size in the bodice and possibly doing an FBA, or if I should just try adding a little to the pattern pieces on each side of the neckline to try to narrow it a little. Opinions?

I love the style, and if I didn't know better, I'd think the photos look okay. I think I'm going to add lingerie straps (or whatever you call those little things you sew on the inside to hook around your bra straps) to attach to my bra and wear it anyway. I think if I felt more secure about the shoulders not falling off, I'd be okay with it.

In any case, it's a very simple 1.5 dot pattern. There are only 4 pattern pieces (6 if you use the facings). I lined the bodice from edge to edge rather than using the facings. This meant I had to change the order of construction a bit. BWOF would have you put the front together, then the back, and then sew them together, add facings, and hem the sleeves by hand. Uh, no thanks. I made my pique bodice (except for side seams) and my satin bodice and then sewed them right sides together at the neckline and armhole edges. I turned them right side out, folded the lining edges out of the way and sewed the side seams below the armhole. Then I folded the fashion fabric out of the way and sewed the lining side seams. I pressed the seam allowances and then attached the skirt at the waist seam. I did hand sew the lining down at center back along the zipper and at the waist seam. I was going to line the skirt as well- even had the pieces cut and started sewing them. But I realized after I serged the seam, that I had sewn the center back seam to the side of the skirt front. Doh! So I just tossed the skirt lining. The fabric is opaque and I can wear a slip.

I guess I will need to road test this one to know for sure if it's a keeper. Stay tuned for an update on it soon.