Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Ten Year WIP


For all the time it took, the dress is not all that exciting.  But I have to say, I am thrilled to finally call this one done!  (My reward to myself was starting another dress.)


Simplicity 4070 has a copyright date of 2006, so this dress has been not quite complete for about ten years.  I may have another work in progress that is even older, but I cannot think of one.


And this is certainly proof that personal sewing techniques change over the years as there are quite a few things I would have done differently today.


After pulling the whole thing out of the bag it was living in, all that was left to do was cut out and construct the belt and some bits of finishing on the back.  At least I did myself the favor of keeping the pattern and fabric together all these years!


I went ahead and added a waist stay to the dress because of the invisible zipper.


The hook & eye at the back neck is a bit of a fail.  There just is not enough tension to keep it closed with normal movement.  At some point, I will replace it with a button and thread loop.  


This is a minor issue, but I do hate anything that remotely smacks of mending.  Once a garment is finished, I want it to stay finished!


The fabric is a linen blend (the flowers have some nylon or poly in them).  I still remember looking for a suitable underlining color.  Turns out a deep green made those burnout sections pop.


The linen is very lightweight so in the wind the green cotton shows at the hem.  I suppose I could shorten the length, but again, alterations are not my favorite thing to do.  Overall, I am going to call this one a success!



Dress & Belt:  Made by me, Simplicity 4070
Shoes:  Jennifer Moore
Cardigan:  Banana Republic

19 comments:

  1. Stunning!! You make patterns I normally wouldn't look twice at look absolutely divine and deceptively retro.

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  2. I think it looks lovely and how nice to have it finished.

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  3. Yes, a success! Out of the bag and very cute.

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  4. Fantastic job on finishing this classic, beautiful frock. I love the cropped green cardi that you paired it with, too.

    ♥ Jessica

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  5. Beautiful! I admire you going back and finishing this instead of just tossing it (which I would have been tempted to do).

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  6. It marinated beautifully, and you wear it well.

    As for that over-the-shoulder coquettish parting glance, missy, editorial will be reserved for another day [short snit of an audible exhale].


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  7. Super cute! And worth the wait ;)

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  8. Beautiful. That color is perfection on you.

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  9. Beautiful dress; you did a great job.

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  10. Gorgeous dress and I agree with you on mending. Great job!

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  11. Love the green lining; makes it extra special.

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  12. Lovely dress, and great to get something out of the way like that.

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  13. I really do love this, it looks very Grace Kelly, classy!

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  14. I think the fabric you chose makes this simple dress a keeper. It fits you well and the subtle color adds variety to your ample collection of couture sewn dresses.

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  15. So lovely! And so great to finally close out a decade old project ;- )

    Congratulations.

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  16. The dress is beautiful, understated and the occasional flash of green lining material at the hem makes it intriguing and playful at the same time. Just gorgeous!

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  17. This is lovely! And I like how the green lining is peeking out from time to time, it adds a nice effect to it, so I wouldn't shorten it.
    Now you really made me start thinking how old my oldest UFO is...

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