Saturday, December 5, 2015

Kitschy Coo Lady Skater

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This was going to be a muslin, then it turned out to be wearable so I kept going....
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And finished it off .
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I've purchased a lot of knit fabric with texture lately, and I wanted to sew it up in dresses with as few seams as possible so that seam lines don't break up the lines of the texture.  The lady skater has no bust darts (no darts at all) and no vertical seams.  It does have a horizontal seam to attach the bodice to the skirt.

The sizes were 1 through 8....I went with the 4 based on the instructions to use my high bust measurement.  The recommended stretch is 40% and my fabric had 75% stretch.  It's a little too tight so I will go with the 5 next time....and depending on the stretch in the fabric I will have to go larger than that.

My fabric also had vertical stretch.  I had to remove 2" from the shoulder seam and 1" at the horizontal seam to get the waist seam to be in the vicinity of my waist.

This meant it wound up a bit shorter than I like it, but it's fine with tights.  Next time I will take the inches out of the bodice before cutting.

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The armholes and neckline were bound with Nike Dri-Fit.  (That's my gray label but my cell phone camera can't handle photographing those labels.
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The fabric is sooo stretchy that it doesn't create any drag lines; it just conforms to the body.
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Interior hem shot.  The raw edge was serged and hemmed using the blind hem stitch.

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I love the fluted skirt.

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The back waist seam is lower than the front waist seam and I'm not sure if that was my tracing and/or cutting error or just the way the pattern is designed.
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The fabric is from Joann's, and I bought it in teal too.
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Here it is with my Jalie shrug. I wear that shrug all the time.
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I finished it on Sunday and wore it to work twice this week.   I don't know if anyone noticed.   :)
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Caption this picture. :)

I don't like PDF patterns but this one was worth the time it took to tape it and trace it.  I will have to trace it again for the larger size bodice.  I will definitely make it again especially in super stretchy fabric.  :)    I don't think it would look as good in not-so-stretchy knits.

Be well!

20 comments:

  1. I love your dress Kyle... I'd love to get my hands on such great textured fabric. I'd caption that photo... "What??? No.. I did not wear this on Tuesday!"

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    1. Hi Summer Flies! Lately textured knits have been popping up a bit more here in the US so maybe they will pop up in Australia too?

      I love your caption!

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  2. My caption "What? (wtf), you want me to work Sundays too?"
    {Yes, po is requiring us to work 7days a week}

    Your hem turned out lovely. You're getting to be a real pro at knit finishes.

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    1. Awww Kathy, I'm sorry to hear you have to work 7 days a week. I hope it gets better for you soon!

      Thanks for the kind words about my knit finishes. I definitely feel more confident now.

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  3. This is one of the nicest Lady Skaters I've seen! I had decided it wasn't worth the trouble to get this pattern but you may be making me rethink. May I ask you, you mentioned Nike dri-fit fabric, where did you buy that? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Ann, It wasn't so bad taping the whole thing together, I think it was ~22 pages or so. It's the same pattern piece for the front and the back. I only buy PDF patterns if they are super super cute and I can't find something similar in printed patterns.

      I bought the Nike dri-fit from SewSassy.com.

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  4. Great LBD. The fabric is very cool. Nicely done. :)

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    1. Thanks Meigan! I agree, the fabric is really cool. :)

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  5. This really is a great pattern. I have made it a couple of times now for my daughter and once for myself.

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    1. Oh my goodness, "fabric epiphanies" is a GREAT name!!

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  6. This dress is gorgeous! I plan on ordering this pattern for my next dress! Caption: "What, this old thing? I wear this every day! Just wait until you see What i make out Of my teal fabric!"

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    1. Thank you! I'm excited to make it out of teal!!

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  7. Love your dress. As always, it fits you beautifully. I once taped together 30+ pages from a PDF pattern I downloaded. I don't regret it because I like the garment made from it but I won't be doing that again!

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    1. Thanks Tomasa! I agree, taping the pieces together is not fun. I only do it for super cute patterns that I can't find already printed for me. :)

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  8. Caption: Yeah, I can't believe I considered using this awesome fabric as muslin, either!

    PS- This is the most chic Lady Skater I've seen and kinda makes me want to sew it.

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    1. LOVE your caption, Clio! I was really considering the teal version of the fabric to be my "real deal" and the black was just a muslin.

      Thanks too for your kind words about it being the most chic Lady Skater--maybe because it's sleeveless? I cut the armholes in about half an inch to get the look I wanted.

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