Saturday, October 5, 2013

One project finished, another one started


I put on a vaguely matching hat and took a lot of very bad pictures of myself wearing my new cape.  For some reason my camera had a terrible time focusing on it.

Cooler weather is just around the corner.  Even though this is just one layer of wool with one layer of Bemberg lining, it's warm.

I feel bad for not having many wonderful pictures of this subtle garment to show you. Here's one more that wasn't too bad.

In other news, today I cut out a dress!  It's Vogue 1183, a pattern I purchased and muslined three whole years ago (click to see my muslin and read about the first round of pattern adjustments).

Originally, I wasn't satisfied with the fit, and that's why I set it aside.  It was too tight, too short, and (even though I'm hardly busty) the bodice didn't seem big enough.  Plus there was some strange pulling where the bodice front pieces overlap and attach to the midriff piece, and the front skirt was too long and pooched out.  Checking the reviews for this dress on PatternReview, I notice that almost everyone had bodice issues, and many chose to sew through all layers at the bodice overlap to prevent it from gaping open.

Trying on the ancient muslin again today (after losing a few inches in the hips) it fits a lot better and I felt it was time to tackle the structural problems.

I made some more changes to the pattern today, including lengthening the front bodice pieces slightly, taking in the princess seams at the bust, just above the midriff, and narrowing the midriff to match.  I also took some length out of the skirt front below the midriff piece.  And I added 4 cm at the hem because the unhemmed length seemed about where I would want the finished skirt to land.

I'm using some gorgeous light suiting purchased many years ago on a flying trip to The Wool House in Toronto.  If I remember correctly, it's wool and cashmere, and it's light as a feather.  Because I want a bit more weight to this dress without stiffening it even slightly, I'm going to underline the wool with a soft cotton shirting, and I will line the dress with Bemberg.  All from stash.  I even had the right thread colour in my extensive collection.  Stay tuned.

13 comments:

  1. Such a lovely cape. It looks a simple pattern, but very effective and beautifully made!

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  2. Nice pattern and your fabric sounds lovely

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  3. Paco's cape turned out beautifully. well done.

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  4. Your cape is gorgeous! I love the hat, too. =)

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  5. I love the tweedy cape! So autumnal :)

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  6. Just found your blog and love it already!

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  7. That Vogue dress is going to be so pretty! Love the cape as well - it's exciting to see them popping up all over the place.

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  8. That dress will look gorgeous on you. I think the hat and cape look awfully good together. What a great piece for the fall. I too love wearing capes.

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  9. I am always impressed with your clothes. Your jackets, trousers and dresses are always beautifully made, fitted and pressed. The new cape is very simple in line but extremely impressive.

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  10. So sharp! I think a cape is one of the hardest garments to pull off successfully - yours is beautiful, and you wear it so well.

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  11. Utterly love the cape, Sherlock! Did you make the too fab hat too?

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