Welcome to my Vivienne Westwood/Highland Fling/Little House on the Prairie dress! I was lucky enough to win the Mia Dress pattern from Make with Mandi in a giveaway, and immediately decided that I wanted to make a brushed cotton version for winter rather than wait until spring. This gorgeous red and black brushed gingham is from Watson's Fabrics and feels lovely. It is super soft, and is the perfect weight to be warm but also to cope with gathers without too much bulk. Thanks to Essex CLC for printing the pattern as part of the giveaway too.
Fit adjustments
I made a few fit adjustments and toiled the bodice twice before cutting into my final fabric. According to the body measurements chart I was a size 18, however on reviewing the finished garment measurements (see chart below) there would have been 2 1/2" of ease around the bust, and as I wanted a more fitted look I went for the size 16 based on my high bust measurement of 39".
For my first toile I made a small bust adjustment (SBA) of 1". I also lengthened the bodice by 1" which is a usual adjustment for me. The first toile was tight across the bust and front armholes. I also decided I didn't need the 1" additional length. So for my second toile I still made a size 16 but reduced the SBA to 3/4" and also added 1/4" to the front armscye as marked on the adjusted pattern piece below. I removed the 1" addition to the length, and graded out by 1/4" at the waist. As usual I used my By Hand London Bodice Fitting Companion e-book to help me work out the sizing and adjustments - fitting still doesn't come naturally to me but the explanations in the e-book are really great.
Finally, I reduced the sleeve length by 2" to create a bracelet length sleeve (my current favourite length) and also added 2" to the length of tier 2 to create a longer length for the dress overall.
Despite these tweaks the pattern pieces still fit perfectly within 3 metres (148cm wide) as recommended by the Mandi so I had almost no waste. I love it when that happens! Obviously my small helper had to get involved by acting as a pattern weight for cutting out....sigh. Does anyone else have 'helpful' sewing pets?!
Pattern matching
Checks was a brave choice for someone who hates pattern matching, but I was feeling more confident following my
success with the Anna dress last year! I
managed to match the checks between the
bodice and (non-gathered) tier 1 at the front
which I was pretty happy about.
However my matching went a bit skewiff on the back...I matched up the waist seams but think I probably stretched out the centre back seam when attaching
the zip (see photo, right ) so that's something to watch out for next time. Even so, given it is on the back and I can't see it I decided that life is too short to get hung up on small imperfections! On the plus side I am getting much more confident with invisible zips and this one is pretty good (if I do say so myself).
In summary this was a great pattern and fabric combo and I'm really pleased with both - I love this dress! The pattern instructions are clear and accompanied by really good photos, and it contains some great tips (for example, I never knew that the teeth of the invisible zip were meant to line up with the centre back seam allowance....I guess it is obvious but I'd always just put the zip where it looked right. Total light bulb moment!) It is also easily hackable and works for all seasons - I'm already planning a spring version in lighter weight floral fabric from Fabric Textile Central (also won as part of the giveaway). I've made a few dresses with tiered gathers now and love that this one is more fitted to the waist and flares out at the hips. It gives me curves in places where I don't necessarily have them whilst skimming over the bits I'm keen to hide...and IT HAS POCKETS!
Highly recommended! Let me know what you think?
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