Yes, I've been hanging out on Instagram, but since I don't like reading long narratives on Instagram, I decided to take myself back to my blog to tell you about this project.
I call this the Plan D or Give Me Liberty & Give Me Dress. This has been in the works for years.
It started simply enough. I wanted to recreate Alicia Paulson's dress: the Folkwear Patterns Afghan Nomad dress made with different patterns of Liberty fabric. I spent some time collecting the fabric; the main fabric (if we can call it that) was bought at Liberty London in 2013. The other fabrics were bought on a trip to Mood Fabrics with my mother a year or so later.
I have to say, when I first started the dress, I thought, "This is going to be the most beautiful dress I've ever made!" I decided to do French seams and patiently worked my way through the pattern.
Unfortunately, I was not pleased with the results.
With the Empire waist and a high and tight neckline, it just wasn't working for me. So I decided to go with Plan B - modifying the bodice of the dress. I think I gave it a couple of shots before I put the whole project on a time out.
Fast forward to this year, and I've got a whole new system of keeping track of my sewing and knitting projects - a three-tiered system using a sports analogy: active roster, the bench, and the farm team. Anyway, what I was calling the Afghan Nomad Dress at the time made it onto the list, and I knew I had to either resolve it or retire it. There was no way I was going to let all that Liberty fabric languish.
So welcome to Plan C - the Cappuccino dress from Lisette & Co. I've made it once before. I call the first one my Acid Trip Deer Hunter dress.
I carefully took apart the Afghan Nomad Dress to salvage what I could of the fabric, and then I set to work making it come together. What's probably important to note here is that I did not make a muslin for either dresses, which, yes, could've saved me a lot of time. But hey, where would this blog post be then?
Again, I patiently and carefully sewed the dress (let go of the French seams this time). Excited to have it finished, I brought it home to try on for my partner and a friend of ours. Ack! It was too tight over the hips! (#covidass) I also felt like it was a little short. So back to the studio and Plan D.
I'd already done a full bust adjustment (something I'd blown off on the first one and regretted). To make the dress fit, I put godets in the side seams and then added an additional band around the bottom to lengthen it. There was a bit of fiddling since I was making it up along the way, but I have to say, I'm glad I persevered. Otherwise I wouldn't have this happy-making dress.
And here it is - Give Me Liberty & Give Me Dress:
Makers gonna make.
I call this the Plan D or Give Me Liberty & Give Me Dress. This has been in the works for years.
It started simply enough. I wanted to recreate Alicia Paulson's dress: the Folkwear Patterns Afghan Nomad dress made with different patterns of Liberty fabric. I spent some time collecting the fabric; the main fabric (if we can call it that) was bought at Liberty London in 2013. The other fabrics were bought on a trip to Mood Fabrics with my mother a year or so later.
I have to say, when I first started the dress, I thought, "This is going to be the most beautiful dress I've ever made!" I decided to do French seams and patiently worked my way through the pattern.
Unfortunately, I was not pleased with the results.
With the Empire waist and a high and tight neckline, it just wasn't working for me. So I decided to go with Plan B - modifying the bodice of the dress. I think I gave it a couple of shots before I put the whole project on a time out.
Fast forward to this year, and I've got a whole new system of keeping track of my sewing and knitting projects - a three-tiered system using a sports analogy: active roster, the bench, and the farm team. Anyway, what I was calling the Afghan Nomad Dress at the time made it onto the list, and I knew I had to either resolve it or retire it. There was no way I was going to let all that Liberty fabric languish.
So welcome to Plan C - the Cappuccino dress from Lisette & Co. I've made it once before. I call the first one my Acid Trip Deer Hunter dress.
I carefully took apart the Afghan Nomad Dress to salvage what I could of the fabric, and then I set to work making it come together. What's probably important to note here is that I did not make a muslin for either dresses, which, yes, could've saved me a lot of time. But hey, where would this blog post be then?
Again, I patiently and carefully sewed the dress (let go of the French seams this time). Excited to have it finished, I brought it home to try on for my partner and a friend of ours. Ack! It was too tight over the hips! (#covidass) I also felt like it was a little short. So back to the studio and Plan D.
I'd already done a full bust adjustment (something I'd blown off on the first one and regretted). To make the dress fit, I put godets in the side seams and then added an additional band around the bottom to lengthen it. There was a bit of fiddling since I was making it up along the way, but I have to say, I'm glad I persevered. Otherwise I wouldn't have this happy-making dress.
And here it is - Give Me Liberty & Give Me Dress:
Makers gonna make.
