A post in two parts. Mostly.
Part 1: Simplicity 2406 Cynthia Rowley view C dress done?
Ok, this is the most up-to-the-minute photo of the Cynthia Rowley dress. I wore it to work on Thursday but felt the neckline was still too wide and I was still worried about bra straps showing. I took it in some more today; I think probably it was 1.5 inches SA sewn on the CB seam at the neckline, for a 3 inch reduction total.
I also played with the sleeve and put some 1/4 inch elastic in. I sewed it in directly, no casing as per the directions, which also want one to use pretty wide elastic. I'm not totally sold on the sleeves at this point. I might rip out the elastic and just let it be.
And yes, it has two pockets! I persevered with them, and it's great to have pockets in a dress, such a rarity!
The rest of these CR pix are from Thursday morning before work so the neckline is wider, and apparently I took all these pix with my sleeves rolled up though I wore it with the sleeves down at work! Here is detail of the sash; it wraps twice around the waist to look obi-esque:
Side view:
Back view:
It wears very nicely and I got tons of compliments on it at work. I will write a pattern review before the long weekend is out.
The big thing about PR weekend is that it made me want to sew again, and to elevate my sewing to look more professional and less home sewn. Jacqui had mentioned ironing every seam while sewing, a point I remember Gorgeous Things making in a blog post last year. I have never ironed every seam during the sewing process, usually just hems! I ironed every seam with this dress (as best I could since I don't have a ham) and indeed it made a world of difference!
Part 2: Butterick 5244 Muse Dress
So PR member "Kathy in NM" wore this dress to the pizza party on Saturday night during PR weekend Chicago. I wish I took a picture of her wearing it but I didn't. Here's the pattern envelope and line drawings:
So here it is, in progress. I'm saving the welt pockets for very last (the side seams are just basted so I can rip them out, put in the welt pockets in the front without worrying about the back getting in the way, and sew the side seams properly). It also needs a collar that will be over the yoke, and a collar facing, and hems. The fabric is from Jomar in Philly, purchased when Antoinette visited last Sept.
I cut a straight 14. The front view is pretty good, has a nice shape.
The side view is a bit shapeless hospital gown? Since it has a CB seam I'm going to attempt to shape it.
But the best part are the tabs and buttons! The tabs will go on the collar. I made a rough cut of a tab here to give you an idea of what it will look like (I will do better with centering the midline when I cut the tabs for real). I just LOVE those buttons. I am a sucker for nautical themed clothing.
A collar and facing will cover the yoke;
Here's a mockup of what the tab detail will look like:
Again, I *love* those buttons! I got them at Joann's on Friday afternoon. We were allowed to go home at 3pm for the long weekend, awesome.
Here are Farmer's Market flowers for this week; sweet william and a peony. The peony was starting to wilt on Friday evening so I cut its stem and ran the bloom under water to hydrate it; it perked up nicely as seen today. It smells *wonderful*!
A favorite coworker of mine left this week; he brought in fruit tart too but I was more interested in the chocolate cake:
Be well and good night!
Wow! I am overwhelmed by all the wonderful things in your post! First, I really like the Cynthia Rowley dress, no wonder you got so many compliments. Also, Butterick 5244 is such a pretty dress! I think it's going to look nice when you add the button and tab detail.
ReplyDeleteLove the buttons! There was only one left at my Joanns. The CR dress looks absolutely fab on you! It's one I would love to make. In blue just like yours, too.
ReplyDeleteYour CR looks great and the second dress is going to be pretty. The color of the second dress looks like a lovely eggplant color...
ReplyDeleteThis is a great looking dress on you. I like the final changes and the obi-like belt is a perfect finishing touch. Nicely done!
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