Here comes another dress! Because having 30 in my wardrobe just isn’t enough, right? Actually, I love wearing dresses and I wear them all the time to work, so it’s not frivolous.
I’m going to try to actually publish the posts about this project as I go on, instead of saving them up as one draft. I really have to get the hang of this blogging-sewing thing.
Here is the fabric, and the bodice. I’m using Vogue 1183, a Kay Unger design. I have made this dress before out of a peach fuzzy micro suede, and it fit so-so okay. However, that fabric had some stretch to it and this has none. It seems to be a tropical-weight wool — I picked it up free from a stash swap and promised I’d make something tailored out of it, so here we go.
Because of the lack of stretch in this fabric, I did a full-bust adjustment (FBA), because I don’t want the two front bodice sections to gape apart at the neckline. That is a problem with the other dress I made from this pattern, and I definitely want to avoid it for this dress.
The front and back bodice are each split into three sections, a variation on a princess line that I’ve never seen before, and I sure had to puzzle out how a FBA would work. I did two versions, used up quite a bit of pattern paper, but have come out with a bodice that I think fits relatively well. I’ve also modified the front midriff and intend to do a few more tweaks before I cut it out.
My plan is to use a coordinating blue wool of the same weight as the midriff, and then also possibly create some piping and insert piping into the seam edges on the bodice. I’ve also drafted pockets for the skirt. I’m not sure that is such a great idea because it adds extra fabric around the waist/hips where I am already not as slim as I’d like to be. But…
POCKETS.
My next step is to cut out the midriff pieces and skirt, including the pocket pieces. Then I have to decide what kind of lining I want to use. I think I have some grey Bemberg in my stash, but I also have some royal blue. Cream would also be good, but I have a feeling I de-stashed my cream lining. The urge to use a patterned lining must be resisted – a print lining would be too extra with this checked fabric.
Onwards!
