Cherry Blossoms

This quilting cotton has been in my stash for close to twenty years.  I love the print, but I only purchased about two yards, which left me with very few choices when it came to a pattern.

And then I spotted this one in the McCalls catalog.  Unfortunately, when I went to purchase it, there were no copies available.  But the design stuck in my mind, and when I realized that View B required a very small amount of yardage, it was the only suitable dress for this fabric (because I am extremely stubborn and that's just the way my mind works).

Obviously, I finally got my hands on the pattern.  The next issue was deciding how to work around the motif placement.  The white bits are somewhat linear, but not in a perfect grid, so I wanted it to look intentional.

And I think I accomplished that, for the most part.

The bodice is lined, but I did get to finish the skirt with my favorite rayon seam binding.

And I ended up lining the bodice pieces with self-fabric.  I did this for a couple of reasons.

First, I didn't have a great match in any solid colored cotton in my stash, and I didn't want any show-through.

And second, there were really only scraps of fabric left, so I figured that I might as well use them on the garment and not have a few tiny bits to save.

This project went together fairly easily.

And I do love a squared neckline!

I also love a puffed sleeve . . . although I am not a fan of gathering.  It's never been my favorite part of the process, but it's a necessary evil for this type of sleeve.  I do love the 1940s styled sleeve that controls the excess fabric puff with a bunch of darts, so I am making a mental note to look for more patterns with that detail.

One of my main concerns with this fabric design was not wanting to slice and dice up more of those little framed vignettes than absolutely necessary.  This skirt was quite helpful in that regard.

For the bodice, that was a little more complicated.

But I took my time with the fabric layout, and that extra care served me well.

Looking at these photos, I rather like the extra wide band at the bottom of the sleeves . . .  which still need to be folded in half and stitched in place.  Maybe next time I will cut those pieces in duplicate to maintain that width in the finished look.

The zipper was lapped at center back.

That went together without incident.  And no, the skirt pattern doesn't match.  There was just no way around it with the fabric that I had.

And here is where the width on those sleeve bands ended up.  Still cute, and probably more in proportion with the rest of the dress.  If I ever make the maxi length version, it might be fun to use a wider band . . . 

And now I'm going to have to take a moment.  This dress was constructed last summer, and my beloved Tino was still around to help out with the hand sewing.  I miss him every day.

I know that some people avoid hand sewing, but it's one of my favorite parts of the process.  And I know that it was the same for Mr. Valentino.  Any excuse for more lap time was okay with him!

So will I be returning to a high waisted silhouette for my go-to silhouette?  Probably not.  But it was fun to try this dress style.

I am very pleased with how this turned out considering the limitations that I had to work around with my limited yardage.  

And it always feels good to find the perfect pattern for a fabric that has been languishing in the stash for far too long!

Cherry Blossoms

As soon as I saw this pattern, it brought me right back to the days when my friends and I were obsessed with Jane Austen.  Quite a few of my early garment sewing projects included an empire line, and while I have moved away from that silhouette over the years, I thought it might be fun to try this pattern.

However, it was not to be found in either of my local JoAnn Fabric stores for many months.  At that point, it seemed like it was not likely to be restocked and I forgot about it for a while.

But when I rediscovered this fabric (that I have probably had stashed away for about twenty years), I decided that this particular pattern was the only possible option for my very limited yardage.  I had two and a half yards, which had always kept me from using the lovely print; because I just couldn't see what I would pair with a skirt made from the print, or alternatively, a top.

The block print also posed some potential fabric/design pairing problems.  But a dress seemed like the only thing that was going to get me to cut into the cotton.  So I ordered the pattern directly from McCalls, along with a few other patterns that I felt I couldn't live without.

Pattern matching was never going to be possible due to the style lines, not to mention the limited yardage, but I did my best to keep the different colored motifs from ending up directly next to each other.

As far as alterations go, I decided to trim about 1/4" from the interior upper portion of the straps.  My shoulder slope seems to sit flatter than most patterns are drafted and I thought this might keep that edge from sticking up.  We will see how that turns out . . .

I have a few dresses where this is a "problem" and since I thought about it before sewing this dress together, I thought that it might be an easy fix.

I do love this fabric, and I am so pleased to have finally found a use for it!

Those shoulders are looking very wide, but I think it would look odd if they don't line up with the princess seam of the bodice, so I am leaving that as is for the moment.

And here is a sneak peek of the sleeves.  Which, if I am being honest, is one of the main reasons I gravitated towards this design.

I had enough scraps of fabric left to use for the lining of the bodice, so I went for it.  There really wasn't enough to make something else with the remnants, and I didn't have plain cotton in a suitable color, so I guess it was meant to be.

I lengthened the skirt by 1" - I was pushing it with the limited amount of yardage, but I don't really like summer dresses to be more than a couple of inches above the knee.

But back to that bodice.

The sleeve bands need to be folded under, but those puffs are looking really great!

Did I mention before that I love a square neckline!  Only time will tell if those shoulders are going to say in place.

The pattern suggests an invisible zipper, but I wasn't sure how it would play with the seamline bulk, so I went with a standard dress zipper.

I thought about doing a centered application, but in the end, I decided to go with my favorite lapped version.

At which point, it was time for my favorite part of the process . . . the hand sewing.

Tino likes to think he helps with this part.

And here is the dress.  I'm not sure it's totally my style, or what my current style has evolved to be, but I definitely think it's cute.

I'm just not entirely sure that I am an empire line girl anymore.  But I am willing to try it out.

"It would give me such a thrill . . ."

. . .  just to wear a dress with puffed sleeves."  

These particular sleeves might not be quite puffed enough for Miss Anne of Green Gables, but I rather enjoy them.  Come to think of it, I seem to recall that Anne had an aversion to the color pink, so she might not approve of the outfit at all.  But that is not going to stop me from wearing pink, even if I do wish my hair was a shade of red or auburn.

Considering that this top was created as an afterthought with some leftover yardage and meant to be a wearable muslin in order to test out some alterations to the original dress pattern, I am very pleased with the outcome.

This pink skirt has been getting a lot of play this summer, and surprisingly enough, so has the top (although not necessarily paired together).

This is what comes of working with a color that matches a bunch of separates already in the closet!

Having made the dress version of McCalls 8108, I knew that the shoulders were quite wide, so I altered the bodice slightly to narrow that part of the design.

And after wearing the top a few times, I can confirm that the alteration is definitely an improvement, although I could have taken in the center back slightly, as well.  

Since I intend to make another version in blue denim to match my skirt, I will probably make that additional change.  However, a scooped out front and back bodice is always going to have a tendency to want to slide off of the shoulders.  But that's okay - the line is so pretty, it's almost worth the extra aggravation.

The empire style/raised waistline was one of my favorites when I started making my own clothing years ago, but I moved away from it because it's not the most flattering look for me.  

Adding a fitted midriff yoke remedies that.  And it makes me want to play with some different style lines . . . but that's for another day.

Top: Made by me, McCalls 8108
Skirt:  Made by me, Stanwyck Skirt
Necklace:  Judith Jack
Shoes:  Nine West