It's always the way

I thought:  "It's a nice evening, I'll take pictures of my newest creation outside for a change."

So I did.

.... and ....

All the best ones are headless.

Or blurry.

Or both (almost).

Sigh.  Enjoy these not-on-me detail shots, where you can see the texture of the fabric.  It's really interesting.



This is one comfy dress.  Still my favourite.

Shingled!

Making the shingle dress is kind of addictive.  I could not stop sewing ...

I think getting a good fit on the base is critical.  Whatever fit flaws are in the base will translate to the shingles. I'm glad I figured out how to adjust the side seams and neckline for my figure, and I'm super glad I figured out the horizontal back waist dart before I started stacking this dress.

Yes stacked.  Bottom to top.  A layer at a time.

It was quite the process. Making this had me running from my serger (where I did a narrow rolled edge along my chosen hemline stripe) to the cutting room with my yardage and the base pieces to cut the shingles. Then back to the sewing machine to baste them in place.  It was back and forth about two dozen times.

Preparing for the next shingle 

I lengthened the dress so it's between views A and B. This meant adjusting the length of the shingles.  I added about 2" (5cm) to the bottom of the lowest shingle and 1" (2.5cm) to the middle one to keep the proportions (more or less) equivalent to the original. I did this on the fly.

I started with the lowest layer which I lengthened to match my base (actually 1cm longer, so the base will remain hidden when the dress is worn).  I basted it to the base at the sides and top.  When I was satisfied that it was lying smooth, I sewed the top down using a 3 step zig-zag stitch and trimmed off the excess above the stitching.

Next layer.  I did my narrow rolled hem, put the fabric on the cutting table (as in the photo to the right), laid the base pieces on top, figured out where the top edge of the next shingle should be (using the original shingle pattern pieces).  I cut the side edges using my adjusted base as a guide rather than the pattern piece.

Rinse and repeat.  Two more times.

Back dart - 3cm at its deepest point

The back dart is at left.  I slashed between the seam lines and overlapped the dart, sewing it closed with a 3 step zig-zag stitch.  Then I trimmed it close to the stitching on both sides.  The power mesh isn't going to fray any time soon.

I had to adjust the second shingle from the top for the back waist dart.  I was on my way to inventing the necessary technique, but on reading PR reviews, I found that JudyCook had blazed the trail, with Sarah Veblen's help.  My approach was slightly more approximate.  I pinned at the side seams and then smoothed the fabric up at the top until it was the same length as the power mesh base.  You can see, in the photo with the ruler, that the upper edge is curved where I did this.  I stitched in a straight line and trimmed off the excess.


As others have written, it's essential to do the back and front at the same time, so the shingles match at the side seams.  I still had to fudge once I was putting them together.  I just pulled out the basting stitches at the side seams, and pulled the errant shingle into place, pinned and stitched.  Stretchy fabric is very forgiving, luckily.

The side seams are thick!  At least 4 layers everywhere and 6 where the shingles overlap.   I trimmed the base and the overlapped layers too, before serging the side seams with a four thread "safety stitch".

Neck and arm openings bound.  Finished.

I will wear it tomorrow. I am pretty sure it's my new favorite dress.

Shingle dress - the base

Up next is Vogue 8904, the Marcy Tilton shingle dress.


Before getting my hands on the pattern envelope I had not realized that it is designed as a tank dress with applied layers, so that it is at least two layers of your fashion fabric everywhere.

The fabric I intend to use is striped but has a bit of a puckered texture that would undermine the intended rather sleek look of this dress.

So, I went stash-diving, looking for a smooth and stretchy fabric.  And I came up with power mesh.

Now, don't laugh too hard, people.  It's smooth and stretchy, will not show through, and will be a distinctly firm base for this sleek dress.  Might, in fact, help keep it sleek, if you get my drift.  It will not curl at the hem.  And it's not hot to wear either.  

Wow, ugly!

I studied the pattern envelope carefully and flat measured the pieces (made easy by the fact that they are not half patterns to be cut on the fold). I realized that the intended fit is below zero ease at the bust with front and back having precisely the same horizontal dimension.  At the hip, the fit is zero ease.  At the waist, it's almost baggy.

I cut based on my body measurements i.e. 10 at bust, 12 below, and added very generous seam allowances. Then I sewed it up and tried it on (inside out so I could fix the seams).

This is after I unpicked the side seams at bust level and scootched the front pieces inwards to give myself about 2cm more width.  I think I need a couple more.

I also sewed it in about 2cm at each side through the ribs to high hip.  I might sew myself a bit more room at the hip to keep it a bit looser than skin tight.

The front neck was gapping very noticeably so I sewed a dart that is approximately 1cm at the top.

And the back.  Well what do you know, even Vogue's pencil shaped model has wrinkling at the back waist.  And so, not being pencil shaped, do I.  It is completely inevitable in a single pattern piece per side dress with no darting.

I am, however, sewing a horizontal fisheye dart at the waist.  If you embiggen the photo at left you will be able to pick it out.  My goal is to remove just some of the excess.  My first attempt was a total of 2cm at CB but it wasn't enough.  Now I've taken out at least 3.5.  And there is still wrinkling, but no more than on the pencil shaped lady.

And finally, I shortened it so it is somewhere between the mini of View A and the dowdy of View B.

I will now modify the base and shingles accordingly, hoping that the more forgiving stretch of my fashion fabric won't be a  hopeless mismatch with my chosen base.  See you on the other side.

Miscellaneous developments

I finished my latest knitting project.   Here it is on Ravelry.  It's a cotton top and I fear it may become an orphan.  It's too dark to coordinate with grey or black.  Why didn't I anticipate this?

This is the same cotton slub yarn I used last year for some rather more successful items.  But this is heavier.  It's knitted with four strands of the lace-weight yarn that I used single for my Ethereal top and double for my Featherweight cardigan.

Unfortunately, the tendency of this yarn to bias is not manageable at this weight.  I shall have to learn to live with a top that twists.

I went to Montreal on the weekend to meet up with some other bloggers.  Strangely, I do not have a single photo of this gathering!  Among the group were Caro (our fearless leader), Vicki, Anne-Marie, Claire and Julie.  Heather Lou of Closet Case Patterns also joined us after work on her very last day.  Watch for more from her, coming soon!

For anyone who is interested in fabric shopping in Montreal, Caro prepared guides to two distinct fabric shopping areas in the city:  St-Hubert Street and Chabanel.  To shop Chabanel, where we went on Friday, you have to have the addresses since most of the stores are well-hidden on the 4th or 7th floor of several non-descript buildings.  Most of the businesses are not open on weekends, unfortunately.  I demonstrated remarkable discipline, picking up only two pieces.

One is tentatively earmarked for Vogue 8904 - the Marcy Tilton shingle dress.

Yikes that model is long and skinny!

I had a look at the instructions and noticed that each of the shingles is sewn on a full dress piece, so this dress has at least 2 layers of fabric on every square inch. Also, the lower edges of each shingle are supposed to be left raw.

I will look in my stash for a lightweight and smooth knit to use as a base since the fabric I bought has texture. Also, I will experiment with small hems since I have no interest in the tightly rolled edges that my jersey fabric will probably make (especially after washing).

I'll get right on that project since summer is fleeting.

Meanwhile, Vogue 1385 is in time-out.  I cut the longer length and it is practically a dress. I need to  decide how much to remove so I can wear it as a shirt (in or out).  I think I'll make a tie belt for it.  And then I need to figure out what to do about buttons. And, more to the point, buttonholes.  I don't really look forward to sewing them in this fabric.

.

Given the properties of my fabric, I had decided to sew French seams using a narrow serged seam in the first pass.  Imagine my surprise to see that this is exactly what the instructions say to do!  It worked very well.

The order of construction is strange.  You sew the raglan seams together, then apply the facings, and only after that do you make the darts that shape the neckline.  It is, in consequence, impossible to try this on as you are making it.  At left, I'm pinning the darts out prior to applying the facings to see if it is going to work.

(Those hairy white blobs you can see are little pieces of white paper labels holding down poorly-done tailors tacks - the only way I could think of to mark the many points that needed marking on my strange fabric.)

I made the facings from grey silk organza to avoid bulk and to keep the facing as invisible as possible.  It's not my best ever work, but will do.

As for style/fit, my only dislikes are that the armscye is pretty low and I find the transition from the pleated/ruffly front neckline to the smooth back neckline a little abrupt.  It's a bit too "coffin clothes" for my liking.

At right is the most graphic view of that.  If I was going to make this again, I would monkey with the pleat at the shoulder to make it less full, and add at least a couple more pleats at the back raglan seam and somewhere in the back neckline.  Not to add fullness or shaping, just enough to keep the effect going.