As the rules stated the pattern had to be from a company I'd never tried before and certainly Decades of Style are new to me. At the time, I didn't really know what I was going to make it out of, until I went shopping with Mel, Kat and Jenna, at the beginning of July and the rest they say is history!
So having never made one of these patterns before, I thought it best to make up a muslin of the bodice. Good plan - bust darts too high, front waist darts too long, bodice about 1/2 inch too short and with this, personally I found the front neck too high and the back neck too low - what a lot of changes!
The darts were an easy job, but the neckline was going to bit that bit more difficult with raglan sleeves and the facing. I didn't work it out mathematically, I just extended the back neckline and shortened the front. I think the tops of sleeves ended up being diagonal, but hey, can you see it when it on? Nope. I've not changed it drastically, just enough to make the neckline more comfortable for me. To be honest, it probably amounts to about half an inch off the front and added to the back (not a great deal). There are darts at the neck for the sleeves which give the shoulder shape. As for the facing, I didn't actually cut that until I'd got the neck as I wanted it.
To be honest, I hardly followed the instructions at all. The instructions tell you to attach the front skirt to the front bodice and same with the back and then stitch the whole side seam. Nope, I made up the bodice, then attached the skirt in one piece.
My invisible zipper was a nightmare. For some reason the second side all puckered and I had to redo the zip - I hate unpicking zips! It's not perfect now, but with this fabric, you can't see it. Oh and then when I put it on, the top of the back was gaping! ARGH! So I ended up unpicking 3-4 inches at the top of the zip so that I could take in the excess which was about 3/4 inch each side! I am aware that my head tends to sit forward, but this was more to take in than usual. However, it now lays flat!
Troubles and issues aside, I bumbled through them as usual. If you want someone who redrafts something from scratch because the fit isn't perfect - don't look to me. A bit of adjustment here and there never hurt anyone! Famous last words! :-) I'm not sure if the bodice is intended to a bit more fitted, but I actually like this as it is and I reckon I've got a great dress which also has pockets!
I finished the seams using my overlocker and was really lazy and even finished the hem using the blind hem stitch on my machine! I know shock horror, I didn't hem it by hand! :-)
The details
Fabric: Orange and red rose cotton and rayon (I think) from the Fabric Warehouse, July 2015.
Notions: Thread, an invisible zip and interacing for the facings.
Pattern: Decades of Style, ESP dress from the Decades Everyday Collection, size 40 which was actually too big once I'd made it up.
Changes made: Bust darts lowered by 3/4 inch, bodice lengthened by 3/4 inch. I kept the front waist darts the same length, so the top end of these were lowered. The front neckline was lowered by half inch, and the back neckline raised by the same.
First worn: For these photos after Fabric-a-Brac, in Truby King Gardens.
Another one/Recommend: Once I had sorted out my fitting, I actually found this dress really quick to make. My fabric choice is perfect, the dress feels floaty and girly. Once the warmer weather comes, I suspect this dress will got a lot of wear. I would certainly recommend it. The pattern itself comes in a zip lock bag and is made with really nice thick paper. I don't know if I'll make another yet. The pattern is great and the raglan sleeves are a really nice different touch. I might be tempted! Bother, perhaps I should have redrafted that neck properly... Oh well.
Oh and you wanna know what happens when you take photos of a couple of outfits at a time...
Nikki your dress looks great - and the fabric pattern goes well with your skirt!
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