just 3 Shades Of Grey
| Dress Pattern | Simplicity 8086 (by Cynthia Rowley) |
| Fabric |
|
| Extras | Interfacing, 12" invisible zip, button, button loop |
It is not uncommon for me to be seduced in the John Lewis haberdashery. Most recently, I succumbed to this rather delicious embroidered tulle. Sparkly, sheer, tasteful. What's not to like? More than anything else, the scalloped edge had me stroking it lovingly, taking photos and checking the price tag. £32 a metre?! HA. I don't think so. I made a swift departure.
And yet, two weeks later, I found myself gazing longingly at it once again. And on this occasion, I must have been feeling more vulnerable. As long as I don't get a WHOLE metre, this fabric is not so expensive. My desperate, terrible logic. Sigh.
It then sat in my cupboard for three months while I searched for the perfect pattern.
Finally, after much Pinterest hunting, I stumbled upon this rather elegant and "on trend" Cynthia Rowley design. It's Simplicity 8086. A relatively new pattern I think. Over-excited, I was straight back down to John Lewis (Yes, it's within walking distance of my house. Very dangerous.) to buy the pattern, complimentary fabric, threads and zip.
Let's get this beauty DONE.
Oh. Steady on, Lucy. You've never worked with tulle before have you? Do you know how to sew this horribly expensive and delicate fabric? Umm.......
There followed much experimenting, learning and undoing. I think I will spare you the tedium in this particular blog post. (You're welcome.) But it involved starch. Lots and lots of lovely starch.
I made Version C of the dress, i.e. the shorter, sleeveless version with a contrast overlay.
According to the standard pattern, you have a lining for both the bodice and the overlay. But since my overlay was sheer, I didn't line that, just finished the raw edges. This didn't seem to cause too much trouble.
The waistband just peeks out under the overlay, so I decided it'd be a nice touch to make the front section of the waistband in a subtle contrast fabric. I went for a metallic grey crepe. It is my favourite thing about this dress. So happy I did it.
The scalloped edges also worked very well. Though I did have to be very careful at the back that they finished symmetrically. I just about managed it!
The main bodice fastens at the back with an invisible zip. The overlay has just one button fastening at the top, closing with a loop rather than a hole. I think you could easily add extra buttons right down the back if you wanted, or even use a zip.
The pattern wants you to make the button-loop using your fabric, but I found that it was WAY too thick. Maybe I got my seam allowances wrong? Or just doesn't work well with crepe? Who knows... Instead I wove myself a little piece of rope from my metallic silver thread (a surprisingly useful skill I picked up years and years ago at Girl Guides!)
The one other problem I found was with the shape of the bodice. It seemed a bit boxy at the shoulders for me. So I cut away at the armholes to narrow the straps on mine.
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the pattern. The skirt falls beautifully and is a great length. I kind of wish it had pockets (EVERYTHING should have pockets...) but I reckon you could add them easily. The back bodice is fairly low, but I did manage to find one bra that remained hidden. So not impossible. Love the neckline. Still a little bit unsatisfied with the back of the overlay. But that's down to the fabric (damn you tulle!!). Really good fit, particularly round the waistline.
This make is now sitting proudly in my wardrobe amongst the other posh dresses. And rightly so! I shall look forward to wearing it publicly soon!
Lovely use of the embroidered tulle for this dress! Nice work!
ReplyDelete