Easter Dress

Here is the fabric and pattern at the beginning of the project. I used View B of Simplicity 3503, and the blue (although it seems purple in some lighting) and white fabric is from JoAnn Fabrics, purchased with a trusty 40% off coupon.

 According to the pattern envelope, I was about a size 20 (makes sense, I usually am two sizes larger than in ready to wear, and I’m a 14-16 in that currently). Once I finished the dress though, I realized those measurements don’t mean jack. I may be a little larger than normal, but I was not THAT large. I had to take in the side seams quite a bit, and while it worked for the day, I need to make some alterations to the dress. I think this is going to entail taking apart the bodice (joy, joy) to move the gathering under the bust in towards the center. This is my problem. I’m carrying some extra weight, but I’m not super wide. I have an average to small frame, especially on top. But since I’m nursing, I am a D cup, which means I have to make the bodice bigger to accommodate the bust, but the rest still needs to be narrow so the arm scyes and shoulders work (my boobs don’t hang out under my arm, they tend to sit front and center . . .). Not a big deal in wovens, but with a knit dress that’s gathered over the entire front bodice, this makes my alterations a bit of a pain. In addition to the front being skewed, the back was gaping a bit when I straightened my shoulders (when I wasn’t slumping), so I need to take that in as well (increase the overlap) to get rid of the gaping. Once I remake the bodice, the remainder shouldn’t be too bad. I just need to take in the sides a good bit. I think next time I make this dress, I will cut the bodice to the size 20 length to accommodate the bust, but make it size 14-16 width to keep it narrow and correctly aligned with my body.

I finished the dress just before midnight on Easter Eve. It took longer than expected (I didn’t want to have to sew it at the last minute) because I had a nasty cold all week and just didn’t have energy. And when I did work on it, I hated the gathering on the first shoulder and decided to rip it out and redo it.

Here is a picture of the dress, taken on Easter. I look so . . . round, I guess. I’m not happy with this body, so I really need to find time to get back on the exercise wagon. Happily, warm weather usually makes healthy eating much easier. But the dress looked nice, and I know once I rework it, it’ll look even better.

 Next up, I’m not sure. I have tons I need to do, but I’ve just been a bum lately. I have a half-finished burp cloth that needs to be completed, an ironing board cover that’s cut out and needs to be worked on, and a nursing cover to find fabric for and make for my cousin. Not to mention the master bedroom quilt that has been patiently waiting in its tote bag to be worked on. Of course, I would rather start on some blocks for my Farmer’s Wife Sampler quilt. Or write a pattern for my version of a nursing cover and the new quilt I was designing during choir practice last night.

And a random picture - Miss Dixie likes to help make sure the fabric (interfacing in this case) doesn't run away . . .