So, you all aren’t tired of hearing about my wedding, right?!  I guess since we still have 2 (or more?) little parties to go, it’s still on my mind.  Plus, I realized that I really didn’t talk about the specifics of my dress too much and thought the sewing and fashion folks, in particular, would be interested in learning more.

It was in this post where I talked about the pattern and fabric I thought I would use which, it turns out, I did.   This pretty, soft white lace with a border is something I’ve had for years.  (I didn’t know I’d end up using it for my wedding dress, really!)  Here’s the pattern again, from 1948, McCall #7302:

Because of the short time frame I gave myself, I wanted a pattern that was relatively simple.  Oh, and it had to be vintage.  And comfortable.  I also had to consider what would look best on my body type.  Now, I don’t always do that when it comes to clothes…perhaps you do the same thing?  I mean, sometimes I let fashion or just my love for a certain unforgiving silhouette dictate my choices and so I end up not wearing a once coveted garment.

But this was for my wedding – it had to fit and look right on me.  I wasn’t about to delude myself into thinking that I had a body that I didn’t and this wasn’t my opportunity to show off what a skilled sewist I was, ha ha!   I liked this pattern because it looked simple to make.  It had a cute, square neckline that wasn’t too low (I’m as little self-conscious of my “bony” chest).  It also fit at the waist and flared down towards the knee.  All these features, I think, are flattering on someone with a typical “pear-shaped” body: tiny on top, fuller at the bottom.

Anyhow, I made some modifications as you may be able to tell from the picture.  First, the neckline: mine is narrower than the pattern’s – I tried it as directed and it ended up looking too late ’80s Laura Ashley for my personal taste; plus the size of the collar overwhelmed me.  I also added a little bit of ease so it would ruffle, just the slightest bit.  By the way, the pieces are taken from the scalloped edge of the fabric.

The soft darts at the bust were too bulky (those darts are not sewn all the way to the ends/points but rather stop an 1″ or so from where normal darts stop, creating pleats) so I sewed them all the way down.  The skirt does not have a center seam nor is it cut on the bias like in the pattern.  Because of the lace, I figured a seam down the middle wouldn’t look very nice so I cut the front and back into 2 big pieces.  The closure is still on the side seam but instead of a zipper I used hooks and eyes (from my late grandma’s sewing kit) and decorated it with vintage foilback glass buttons.  The hem is edged with the lace fabric’s border.  I sewed on 3 rows of rick rack near the hem, one of which covers where I attached the border.

(Yes, my dress has rick rack – naturally!)

The ribbon at my waist is just some Petersham grosgrain in a buttery cream color.  I cannot even tell you how many ribbons I went through before I chose this one!  That might be surprising too since this is the most subdued color among the candidates.  My very clever landlord/costume designer suggested that I take photos of my choices; sometimes what looks good right in front of you doesn’t look so great in a photo.  It’s sort of like holding up a drawing you’ve been working on in the mirror and observing its reflection or looking at the same drawing upside down: it allows you to see it for what it really is, and your perception doesn’t interfere too much.  So, I tried dusty rose velvet ribbon, velvet in a mustard-gold, chocolate brown satin ribbon and many others.  I went through a few vintage flowers too.  While I loved the more intense colors and big flowers I didn’t want my dress to look like a “party dress” if that makes sense; perhaps if the gown was floor length it would have worked (because I’ve seen bold sashes and flowers on other wedding dresses and they looked beautiful), and if there were bolder colors in my husbands’ attire.   Soft and subtle turned out to suit us the best!

And luckily I found this white crinoline at a local thrift shop for cheap (because it was ripped at the waist, which I fixed).  The pink one I was going to use was a little too long so I’m glad I found this one just days before the ceremony. Oh, and the shoes are from Remix. (I’m hoping the fact that there are not white means I’m more likely to wear them again!)

And in this past post, I showed you the underdress, which I made from a very pale pink batiste (the color doesn’t come through in the photos except that it really softens or warms up the white in the lace).  The hydrangea bouquet came from my container garden.  AND, the rhinestone star bobby pin is vintage.

Ok, WOW, I feel like I’ve just talked your ear off!  I must admit I’ve been kind of a hermit lately.  Hiding out from the heat, trying to get things done.  Anyway, I hope this was fun and maybe even a little bit helpful!  *Wheeee!* And it’s Friday already.  That means sleeping in late, staying up late, maybe catching a movie and working on some patterns.

Thanks for letting me share this with you!  Have a good one!  xo

This is the last post for the Modern, Old-Fashioned dress.  At last!   It’s been a busy Sunday morning trying to finish up this lesson.  This post is very image-heavy so please don’t despair if this takes forever to load! (And sorry for the blurry first image, this is the only one.)

This post finishes up the dress, modified Built by Wendy pattern #3835, with the customized elasticized waist and ruffle hem.

Elasticized Waist

When I’m sewing for myself, I find it helpful to wear a full slip.  This way I can put on and take off the dress I’m making with ease and I can feel like I’m “decent” at my sewing machine, between fittings.  Of course, this is purely optional and if you enjoy sewing in your underwear, more power to you.

Ok, put on your dress and take the tie/sash that you plan to use as a belt.  I’m using 1″ Petersham ribbon; I’ll turn under the raw edges and hand sew them.  To finish your belt, you could also pink the edges or use Fray Check (But be careful because on some fabrics, Fray Check darkens the colors).

Tie the belt around your natural waist, snugly but not too tight.

Lift up your arms to pull up on the dress; the top part should blouse over the belt just a little (or more if you’d like).  This will ensure that you’ll have some room to move around once you give this dress a defined waist.

Pin around your waist, approximately in the middle of the ribbon.  Be sure to place a pin in each side seam, 1 in the center front and 1 in center back.

Now you are going to transfer some of the marks to the dress:  Take another pin and pin the dress, underneath the ribbon, exactly where the belt is pinned in place.  Then remove the pin from the belt.   Do this for the pins that are holding the belt to the front and maybe even the sides of the dress.  You can leave the belt pinned to the back unless you are quite acrobatic and can manage to transfer the marks there too.

Carefully remove your dress, being careful not to poke yourself in the eyes with the pins. Finish transferring the pins to the dress.  Turn dress inside out and lay flat.  At this point we’re going to draw/mark the waist line.  To make sure your line is even start measuring the sides, from the underarm (armscye) to the pin.   Measure the other side seam.  If they are close enough in length take the average and mark your dress with a fabric marking pen.  For example, if one side is 9″ and the other is 9 1/4,” mark each side seam at 9 1/8.”

You want your waistline to be relatively straight and not wonky.  If there is a pin way out of line, just ignore it and mark below or above it so you’ll get a nice even line across your dress. Mark the center front along the waistline.

Elastic: I used 1/2″ wide elastic the length of my waist minus 1.”  With the marking pen, mark 1/2″ from each end (mark on the softer side of the elastic if there is one).  Fold the elastic in half and mark the center.   Then fold the elastic to match the center mark with one of the end marks to find the quarter.  Repeat for other end.

Sew the elastic directly on top of your waistline with a wide zigzag stitch.  To start, place one marked end at the center back and pin.  Place the following quarter mark at the side seam and pin.

When you sew, your left hand should hold the already sewn part of the waist while your right hand holds the part yet to be sewn;  keep the fabric taut (flat) while feeding the fabric through the machine without pulling too much.  As you sew, pin the marks to the corresponding locations on the dress.  This is what it looks like from the outside when you are done:

Ruffle Hem

Put your dress back on.  Determine how long you want your dress to be.  Cut your dress 2 1/2″ shorter than the desired length.  (Why?  Because the ruffle is 3″ wide and we’ll attach it to the dress with a 1/2″ seam allowance.)  It might be helpful to have a friend mark the length.  Remove the dress.  Mark the center front.

The ruffle is in 2 strips, a front and back.  It’s 1 1/2 times longer than the width of the dress and 4 1/8″ tall (Unfinished).  So, if you measure the front bottom edge of the dress and it’s 22″ wide, then each strip should be (22 x 1 1/2) + 5/8 + 5/8 (for each seam allowance).  The total is 34 1/4″ for each strip.

Cut out your strips (parallel or crosswise to the grainline, it’s up to you).  Sew the strips together, making French seams, to form a loop.  Hem one side of the ruffle: turn under 1/4″ then again 3/8.”  Mark the center front and back on the raw edge.  Then gather the raw edge: sew 2 rows of stitches, at 1/4″ and 1/2″ from the edge, using the longest stitch on your machine.  (For some machines it’s a good idea to loosen the thread tension a little too.)

Pin the ruffle to the dress, right sides together, matching the side seams with the ruffle seams, the center marks to each other, and the raw edges.  Starting with the back, pull the the bobbin threads so that the fabric bunches up, or gathers, until the length of its raw edge matches the length of the dress.  Use your fingers to smooth and even out the gathers.  Pin in place.  Repeat with the front.  With the ruffle on top, (and making sure you’ve switched your stitch length back to normal) sew the ruffle to the dress.

Encase raw edges: trim the ruffle’s seam allowance to 1/4.”  Starting at a side seam, sew hem tape or seam binding to the seam allowances as close to the stitch line as possible.

Press seam allowances and seam binding towards top of dress (up).  Then sew the other edge of the hem tape onto the dress, encasing the raw edges of the dress hem and ruffle.  (If you are using seam binding that is not wide enough to encase the seam allowances, trim the seam allowances before you begin sewing).

Turn dress right side out and press.

That’s it!  Now you have a pretty and comfortable dress to wear during the remainder of the Summer season.  If you make one like this, please let me know, I’d love to see it!

Ok, so now that you’ve got your tools let’s talk about figuring out the back of patterns and the fabric you’ll need.  To recap, if you’re going to follow along in these lessons, you’ll need Simplicity’s Built By Wendy / Built by You #3835.  Otherwise I think this post will still be helpful for those that are just learning to sew from patterns.  Again, chime in if you disagree or have your own methods to getting yourself ready for a sewing project!

First, you’ll need to get the right size.  Any pattern I’ve seen displays the size at the top somewhere as shown here:

This is size D5 which is a range of sizes 4-12.  Generally speaking, modern patterns tend to contain multiple sizes unlike vintage patterns which usually only have one.  The nice thing about a range is that it is easier to customize the pattern to your measurements.  For example, you can cut the bodice a size 8 and the hips a size 12.  It’s important to note that pattern sizes, modern or vintage, often don’t correspond to modern ready-to-wear sizes.  If you wear a size 12 in modern clothing, it’s very likely you won’t wear a size 12 in a vintage or modern pattern.  But don’t worry, the important thing is to know your measurements!  Check out this post at Sew Mama Sew! to learn how to measure yourself when you get the chance.

Here’s an overview of the back of the pattern (layouts vary depending on manufacturer):

There are line diagrams of the different views, or versions, that the pattern offers on the left, noted as A, B and C;  the letter next to each diagram corresponds to the illustration or photo of that version on the pattern’s front.  You also have (starting from the top):

• The names of the different versions (I.e. “Mini-dress”)
• The types of fabrics that are suggested (I think it’s important to adhere to the pattern’s suggestions, especially when you are a beginner)
• Notions you’ll need
• Body measurements and their corresponding sizes
• How much fabric you’ll need for each size, in each view
• Garment measurements (at the bottom)

Garment measurements tell you how big the actual garment is which is usually bigger (unless we’re talking knit fabrics) than your body measurements.   How much bigger they are is the garment’s ease.  To be really general about it, if a garment’s measurements are a lot bigger than the corresponding body measurements, then you could say that it has a lot of ease (like in a Muumuu!).  If there is little difference then you could say there is little ease and the garment is meant to be fitted.  Zero or negative ease is something you would likely find in knitted garments that have lots of stretch.

So when you pick out the pattern you like, check the back and find your measurements so you can pick out the size:

Few women fall into one size exactly.   Each pattern manufacturer is different and after you’ve gained more experience you may find that, for example, company X tends to run a bit big on you and you’d need to go down a size.   Also, it may depend on the garment you are making.  For example, if you are making a dress with a full skirt and your hip measurement is significantly different from the hip measurement in the stated size, you may be home free since often times a good fit would not depend on the skirt part.  On the other hand, your hip measurement is key when making a pair of trousers.

If your pattern contains multiple sizes, you could (like I said before) cut out the most appropriate size for that body part.  (We’ll talk more about these things and garment ease in the post about cutting out your pattern pieces.)  Pattern #3835, which features an loose-fitting a-line dress, does not rely on the waist and hip measurements too much.   For this particular pattern, I think it’s a good idea to pick the size based on your bust measurement (And round up if needed).

♥

The modern, old-fashioned dress we’re going to make is essentially View C, which is the top, but longer, with darts and pockets like View A;  It also has a ruffled hem and elastic waistband with ribbon tie.

You’ll need to round up the following:

• The amount of fabric stated in your size for View A + an extra 1/4 yd (You may have extra fabric left over, especially if you range in the smaller sizes, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!)*
• Coordinating thread
• One package 1/4″ wide elastic
• One package 1/2″ wide elastic
• One package hem tape or seam binding
• 1″ or 1 1/2″ wide ribbon: To get the length take your natural waist measurement and add 28″ (Or more if you want a bigger bow.)**
• Optional: One 20″ zipper, hook and eye***

*The fabric I used is seersucker from Joann’s; it’s a looser weave than traditional seersucker and therefore is softer and drapes better – perfect for summer.  I recommend using a lightweight woven cotton or linen fabric for this project which includes calico and quilt-weight fabric.  Keep in mind that if the fabric you choose is stiff (like some quilt fabrics can be) then your dress will be stiff too; sometimes washing the fabrics helps with that but not always.  (By the way, I suggest that you wash your fabric before the next post!)  For these sewing lessons, I picked out some vintage mint green and white gingham (see first photo).

**I used petersham or French grosgrain ribbon for my dress.  Petersham looks similar to regular grosgrain ribbon except the edges are bumpy – this has to do with how the ribbon is woven and this kind of ribbon is more flexible than regular grosgrain (which is why it is often used for curves like in a waistband or around a hat).  I also washed the ribbon and it turned out really soft.  You don’t have to get petersham ribbon if you cannot find it – any ribbon you like should do.

***I omitted the zipper in this dress (Simply put, I do not enjoy installing them) and won’t be going over how to put one in for this project.  Omitting the zipper should be fine for most people but if you consider yourself a busty gal, you might need it.  (If, in general, you avoid non-knit dresses and tops that slip over your head because they don’t work for you, consider putting a zipper in.  There are many books and tutorials online for this; Sorry, the one I was going to suggest is experiencing technical difficulties.  If anyone can suggest a good tutorial for installing zippers PLEASE leave a comment!  Thank you!)

OR, if you don’t like the ruffle or cinched waist you could skip my additions and make a more simple version like I did here:

(Cute Japanese print with red and white striped pockets.)

Our next lesson involves laying out the pattern and cutting out the pieces.  Stay tuned.