New Look 6067 done: my $1200 dress.

My batman shot....

I am so used to blogging in the dark...it is rare for me to blog in daylight!

So...New Look 6067 is done!

I first saw this dress at the American Sewing Expo in September.  I wasn't wowed by the picture on the pattern envelope in the Simplicity booth, but when I saw it on the model on the runway, I *had* to have it.  I mean, it has a belt with an incredible contrast piping opportunity and you know I love piping!!   and the dress had a lot of movement, too.

Then it started popping up on the blogosphere, and when I saw it on Elizabeth (who then lead me to Sheila who made it in a double knit) I *had* to make it and make it soon.  It moved way up in my sewing queue.

As you know, I spent 5 hours on this dress on Sunday, and "just" had the facings, hem, evening up the darts in the back, and finishing the armholes (sleeves or no sleeves).  I thought, oh, it will take about 3 hours more.  It took 7.

In the poll I took last Sunday, there were 2 votes for cap sleeves.  I decided to go for it, as it's been a while since I've made a dress with cap sleeves.  I just love the way they are constructed.  They are lined with a very thin stretchy knit that I bought on Thursday from Joann's.

(I also bought a new, smaller rotary cutter and it cuts like a hot knife through butter, it's amazing!  I don't ever remember my old rotary cutter ever cutting that way....)

Here's a shot before the sleeve was attached to the dress.  The lining is sewn to the sleeve edge first, then the lining is understitched (can you see the line of understitching?).  This creates a nice effect and eliminates the need to hem the sleeve edge.  Then the underarm seam of the sleeve is sewn.  I was also pressing all the way during this as per Ann of Gorgeous Fabrics, which really does help!

Here's the inside of it again, but sewn in:

I hadn't set in a sleeve for a while, and these set in just fine! Lately I've been sewing sleeves in flat.

Then it was time for the facings. I had asked last weekend, slit neckline or folded over collar?   The votes came back, 11 for the slit and 9 for the fold over collar  (thanks for voting!!!).  I actually went for the slit. I don't have any dresses with this kind of neckline. Now I do! But it was a struggle!

Some of y'all expressed concern about the the neckline being too high. When I took the pix last week, that was without the SA on the neckline. But even with the SA, it felt too high. AND the slit felt too short, also like y'all mentioned. I also had HUGE issues with getting a crisp corner.

So I fixed the problems via the following...

I played with some test samples! The top two samples are where one side is interfaced and the other isn't (like the facing is interfaced but the exterior fabric isn't). The bottom two samples are where both sides are interfaced. The left-hand samples are where I stitched with 90 degree angles; the right samples are where I stitched almost to the corner, then rounded the corner, and continued stitching, as I had read that method would produce a nice crisp corner.

I used this wooden corner-turner thingie my mom gave me last year.

I preferred the sample where both fabric and facing were lined, and I had stitched a 90 degree angle.
Then I ironed on interfacing to the front of the bodice in the slit area, then, using my French curve,  drew a new, lower neckline, and wound up not stitching a 90 degree angle after all...  and I also lowered the slit by 3/4.


And this is how it turned out after trimming, turning and pressing:



Could be better, but it is an improvement!
Interfacing the front in the slit area also eliminated the drag lines.

Then I cut 1.75 inches off the bottom and  hemmed it 3/4 with a stretch twin needle (my fabric is double knit, so no need for the kick pleat nor a zipper.  I also didn't line the bodice like the instructions stated.)


And now it is done!


Tights, Mary Janes....the whole 9 yards!

The side view is pretty good:

The back could be better, but I'm not tweaking it more. I eliminated the kick pleat as it doesn't need it.


I think it might need bra strap holders because the neckline is a little wide.  In fact, what looks like diagonal drag lines is actually my bra straps, pushed out of the way of the neckline.

It's supposed to be 55F tmw so I will wear it to work as styled above, and with a cardigan. 

I didn't make the belt with the piping because I like the look of the purchased belt a LOT!

On Emma:


In the style of Elizabeth, my dress is $1200.  Elizabeth called this her $3300 dress (33 hours at $100 an hour). I was flipping through the January Vogue magazine this morning and saw prices like that for high end designer dresses--sounds right on for a custom dress! Mine was 12 hours so it's $1200. It took less time than Elizabeth's dress because mine does not have the zipper, lining, hand-stitched hem, or obi belt that hers has, and I didn't make a muslin either (a muslin was included in her 33 hours of sewing time.)  You want details like that, it's another $2200!!!

And thanks again to New Look for featuring it on their Facebook page before it was completed--very cool!


And here's your food for the week, chicken piccata on spinach, another Rocco recipe, totally delish:

Be well everyone!!