Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Butterick 5638, blissfully finished

Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Not loving my expression here, but am loving the pose.

Did you hear it?
The huge, heaving sigh of relief when I finished Butterick 5638?

I sewed a modified version of view B and also sewed the belt, view C.
I wrote about it over several posts.  I don't know how many hours it took. A long while.  
Butterick 5638
It's a little disconcerting how the model is placed with all the drawings...

It's made from a navy cotton sateen with a little bit of stretch, from Chic Fabrics, purchased during PR weekend NYC 2012.

I hated the deep V and ripped the inset panel out and redid it. 
I wound up drafting my own facing instead of using the binding the pattern calls for.
I asked y'all if I should put buttons down the vacant placket and you said yes.
I had these lovelies in stash:

Butterick 5638 blissfully done
The spot is just water, no need to panic....

But mostly I'm proud of a few techniques:
Purchased and learned how to use a rolled hem foot, for straight hems at least!
And that's what this ruffle was, a long straight strip of fabric.
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
The top is above and here's the underbelly:
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
I am SO proud of that. The narrow hem was something I was afraid of trying and I'm so glad I did.

I bought the foot off of ebay and watched a few youtube tutorials, like this one I liked best, practiced for an hour or so on scraps, and got the hang of it (still need to learn it for curves and junctures, though).  Credit goes to Noile for her post about her rolled hem foot inspiring me to get my own.

Second, I used interfacing I bought online from Fashion Sewing Supply. I read about Pam's interfacing on Gertie's blog and thought it is time to upgrade! This interfacing does not shrink and comes in WIDE widths so no more futzing with narrow interfacing. And it's really not all that expensive, even compared to Joann's, arrives quickly and fuses like a dream (which lately, Joann's interfacing was NOT).

As I learned from Kathy Ruddy at the ASE 2 years ago, I rough cut a piece of fabric and a piece of interfacing and fuse them together, as seen here:
Pam's interfacing
and then I cut out the piece (in this case the inset). No more futzing with the cut interfacing and the cut fabric not matching!

Third, I used stitch #16 on my BabyLock, called the Arrowhead Overedging stitch. I used this stitch on my friend's shirt too. It's very slow but am thinking it might hold up better than a zigzagged edge. I have "Getting My Serger To Work" on my to-do list....
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Here are some more pix:
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Back view
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Side view
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
I really should look happier:
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
On Becky? (I might name my dressform Becky, as per Michael Kors and "Becky HomeEcky"):
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Up close
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Without the belt:
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Side view:
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
Back:
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
My best invisible zipper yet (I refer to SunnyGal studio's tutorial every time and I am improving with each time):
Butterick 5638 blissfully done
I'm wearing the dress to work on Thursday--let's see how it rolls.

Oh, and last night I felt like sticking some dried red roses into a styrofoam ball (stuff I found during The Big Cleanout).
I'm not sure where I will hang it
dried rose sphere
But, I love it.
dried rose sphere
This gives you an idea of the size
dried rose sphere

Be well!

15 comments:

  1. Lovely!! You got a really great fit and the placket you fashioned is really pretty.
    I love the name Becky for a dress form - too funny. Although I don't think your creations fit into that category.

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  2. Your dress turned out beautifully, and the fit & style look perfect on you. (So you should be smiling!)

    I have yet to master that rolled hem business myself, so thank you for the link. I've got to make myself practice.

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  3. Great dress! So glad you powered through the problem areas.

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  4. I love this dress!! I've got a rolled hem foot and have never used it!

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  5. Your dress is lovely and I thank you for showing us the skills you've mastered. I have several rolled hem feet but have never really worked on that -- now I will.

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  6. I'm proud of your dress too. All your work has produced a wonderful dress.

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  7. The dress looks great. Love the navy color. Your shoes work well with the dress.

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  8. That dress is so cute on you, perfect. and glad you found the zipper instructions useful. No need for an invisible foot - the regular zip foot works well. Lovely ruffle too!

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  9. You look fantastic and I *love* the dress. Very nice job on the narrow hem. I never got mine to work out and settled for rolled hems done by my serger. =)

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  10. Kyle, you did a beautiful job! Your ruffle looks perfect -- you'll never be afraid of a rolled hem again. I'm proud to have encouraged you to try that nifty foot!

    The dress looks wonderful on you, and the choices you made for the yoke are just perfect. Score, on all fronts!

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  11. Pleeeeeze NO! I cringe everytime Michael Kors gives that snarky/snide Becky-home-ecky comment. My name is Becky and I don't deserve his ridicule. I'll bet this Becky (who NEVER took home-ec) can sew circles around His Snarkiness. My dress form is named Marie Antoinette. Very Fashionable, but no head.
    Great use of the rolled hem foot, the ruffle hems look great.

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  12. Hooray, Kyle! Your dress is so very pretty, and you look beautiful in it. Love your "rose ball" too.

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  13. You should be very proud! The rolled hem and the invisible zipper look perfect. The dress looks super pretty. I have this pattern also...

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  14. This is fantastic on you! You're really growing in your craft because you're applying so many of the things you've learned and yielding such wonderful results. Great job!

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  15. You've done a beautiful job on this dress. What a classic look. I really like the rose ball too. Did you find a good place for it? I love Pam's interfacing too, been using it for some time now, and Beth's zipper tutorial is one of my favorites! Good stuff.

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