Black Stretch lace and Red pepper knit Prom Gown--- McCall's 7047

Yayyyyyy.....this gown completed my Prom season work! I had this gown to construct and a bunch of gowns to alter. It was a busy season! This was a pretty neat dress to make. Ms. K is a lovely HS Senior and LOVED this dress! She described it as "being everything"!  As always I'm happy to please! It's all about giving my clients what they want:)

Design wise it wasn't anything complicated to construct (I used McCall's pattern 7047 ) and it served as the perfect palette for the gorgeous black lace I overlayed on top of the red pepper colored performance knit! That's right the red knit was actually a PERFORMANCE knit (like the kind you wear when you go running that wicks away sweat LOL) instead of a typical spandex. For the record this is the 2nd time I've used a performance knit in a way in which it's technically not intended. You may recall this dress HERE. I had some hesitations about using the performance knit since it didn't rebound as well as a power stretch spandex. It tended to "curl" a little when stretched. To be quite honest I was a bit nervous about this. But I followed my gut and went with it and it turned out well!

The only other challenge (not really a big one) was the pattern was made for only a 2 way stretch knit while my fabric duo were 4 way stretch fabrics. Of course I altered the pattern and too it in so I could take advantage of the negative ease. I also changed the size of the back opening from the original design by making it deeper and wider. I cut out the pieces for the lace and red knit separately (didn't overlay lace and knit together and cut out as one) and then I went back to overlay the pieces and basted them together keeping them flat. After basting them together I went ahead and sewed the gown together. To prevent any weird stretching from happening in the back I ended up running a channel of 1/2" elastic over each shoulder and on the curve sides and used clear elastic to stabilize the lower curve bottom. Originally I just used clear elastic around the entire opening and that wasn't enough to prevent gaping. As a precaution and to ensure perfection, I had my client use "Hollywood tape" around the opening to make sure her dress didn't shift in anyway in the back.

(black stretch lace over the red knit. Such a great contrast. The red knit was just bright enough that the black overlay didn't mute it down too much)

The only other change I made to the pattern is I widened and lengthened the train. The original inspiration pic my client gave me (not pictured) featured a train with slightly more flare and that would've been difficult to achieve in this gown without adding a center back seam to it. I didn't want to disturb the lace pattern by doing that or adding godets. Without the added flare the train turned out great and because she planned to dance the night away it was the perfect length.

Well I think that about covers all the gown details. Here's pics given to me of my lovely client wearing it. I loved the fact that she picked a style that was age appropriate and not too revealing!!! Half the prom gowns out there nowadays looks just like lingerie! LOL!

 Super glad I made it through another Prom season! Looking forward to next year's :)

Simplicity 2443 Cynthia Rowley Dress---&-- Gala Gown preview

 It was love at first sight when I saw this floral jersey print at Jo-Ann's. I knew it would go perfectly with this pattern. I'm happy I paired the two. Floral dresses are really in season right now. This was such a fun dress to make and stylish to wear. You know my "M.O." is prints so the brighter and busier.... the better. Hey it's Spring and it's time to break out the bright colors and patterns! Here's my review.....

Simplicity 2443

Pattern Description:

Misses' dress sewing pattern with knit bodice and jacket or vest by Cynthia Rowley.

Pattern Sizing:
I cut a size 10 for the bodice and size 12 for the skirt. I was concerned this would be too loose and it wasn't--it was all most too tight. So next time I use a jersey I'll just make a size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes!

 (It's a tad bit windy out today!)

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Oh, Yeah!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the razor back and the overall dress design. I like the waist band and gathered skirt.
This is an easy dress to sew but be careful when sewing the facing to the back and front bodice pieces. I hand basted the curves and then serged over the hand basting. This ensured good sewing accuracy

Fabric Used:
A floral print matte jersey I found at Jo-Ann's several weeks ago. There are alot of colors in this fabric--gray, black, khaki, magenta, light pink and white. I love how they all blend together.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I don't usually make dresses with waist line seams since I'm short waisted. To make sure I wouldn't looks that way I added 1" length to the bodice. I even reduced the seam allowance to the waist band to get a least 1/2" more length.

(I LOVE these earring but they are a tad bit heavy. I knew it when I bought them but I just had to have them. It was nice to give them a couple of hours of wear!)

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I'd like to sew this at least one more time in a solid color fabric.

Conclusion:
Super cute dress! I have the jacket in the works right now!

GALA Gown Progress:

As you know, I'm currently busy at work on my April 2nd Gala dress. I've cut out the muslin and made my fit decisions. I'll be cutting out the dress within the next hour. Here's the muslin pics--front and back view. I had to take them myself on my Phone and the quality isn't that good. Minus needing to make a few changes (I'll detail them in my review), the dress is looking good so far...

(Don't you love that over the shoulder picture taking technique. LOL!)

Ok, let me go on and work on this gown. I have 7 days until the big day!!!!



Designer Profile: Emilio Pucci

Since seeing Kate Hudson in this Spring 2010 Emilio Pucci number for the SAG awards this year, I've had this designer on my brain.

  There is just something sooooo stunning and striking about this dress.  It's described as a long-sleeved backless evening gown with embellished cut out.  Although this dress shows a tremendous amount of backside , in some way it seems balanced out by the long sleeves and high neckline of the dress front. There's just an old-school glamorous feel to this look. I don't know exactly why I'm so captivated by this dress but I just am.

  Check out some of their other Spring looks here (sorry the site wouldn't allow me to copy/paste pics on my site). Although alot of their clothes are a little skimpy for my taste, I truly appreciate the bright, colorful and lush fabrics being used. The name Emilio Pucci, is synonymous with abstract prints and bold colors.

 Years ago I ran across some Pucci fabric for sale at a yard sale (it had  an abstract print in beautiful jewel toned colors). Stupid me didn't even know who Pucci was, but the fabric was colorfully stunning. I was more concerned with the $40 price tag on the 2 yards of fabric. The next time I see a stunning Pucci print I'll be sure not to pass it up.

 Emilio Pucci (1914-1992)

   For some background information on this great designer feel free to read this article http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/emilio-pucci.asp

Butterick 5182

I needed a dress to wear for a Valentine's Day Ball that my church was sponsoring so I ran across this pattern and thought I'd give it a try.

 

I particularly liked view B and found a nice mid weight satin in a "unique" color to make it in. I honestly don't know what color it is. It's kinda a mix between mauve, some shade of purple, and fuchsia. I still don't think that quite explains it but that's as close as I can get. I just didn't want the usual red or pink dress. So this was perfect for me.

So here's the finished product.....

Pattern Description:

Lined dresses A, B, C have close-fitting bodice, semi-fitted bias skirt, train and back zipper.

Pattern Sizing:
I used the size 12 on top and  increased to the 14 at the waist and below.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes for the most part!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, this pattern was rated "average". I didn't have any particular problems with it. The directions were pretty straight forward.

(My backside is a little fuller than my dressform, hence the wrinkles)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the bodice on this dress. This typed of design always works well for me since I have narrow shoulders. And I love how streamlined and fitted this gown was. The fishtail served as a nice touch. It was perfectly formal for the Valentine's ball but not too decadent. I didn't like the fact that the dress was fully lined. I try to avoid this on bias cut garments. I don't like to add any additional bulk on bias gowns.
Fabric Used:
Crepe back satin
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
No alterations were needed after I did a muslin of the top to ensure it's fit. I did omit the lining for the skirt bottom and only self lined the bodice. So I was sure to serge all of the internal seams. I did shorten the zipper A GREAT DEAL. A huge lesson I learned was never to put a zipper in the back of a bias gown. The zipper doesn't lay as smoothly and the fabric is prone to stretching (since cut on the bias) which results in fabric bubbles which I hate. I managed to shorten the zipper (it only extended 4" past the bodice) and I sewed the remainder of the back seam all the way down. This meant that I'd have to put the dress over my head but that was better than the fabric puckers I had when I used the longer zipper. Next time I do a bias gown the zipper will definitely go on the side. BTW, bias gowns should always hang for 24hours to allow for maximum stretching.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who may be interested in it. As for me, I probably won't be sewing this again. I have to many other gown patterns that I want to try and unfortunately I don't get enough occasions to do so.
Conclusion:
I think the dress turned out very well. In my usual fashion I was sewing up until the last minute (I've got to stop doing that). For a one-night-wear dress I loved it. You think I would've took more pics but I only have 2 of them. This pic is a closeup of the bodice. Unfortunately I was a bit hunched over and had the worst strapless bra so my dress bodice didn't wear as well. But I digress---all in all, the dress was beautiful and I got a lot of compliments which is always good :)