Just so no one thinks I'm that great, I thought I'd post what I've been doing all week....failed projects. First, I made two shirts from Vogue pattern 8392 and note in the picture above, it looks like a sack on me, even after I tried taking in the waist a bit. (I didn't even bother finishing the second shirt.) (And I didn't even bother taking a decent picture.)Then, I was all excited to make a dress from Vogue pattern 1044 for a friend's wedding coming up. I've had this really nice suit wool for a while and decided to use it for the dress. Well, the pattern worked great, it fits well, but.... it looks like I should be in a business meeting. This is a classic example of one thing I struggle with a lot: choosing the right fabric to go with the pattern. I'm usually attracted to plainer, natural fiber fabrics like cotton, linen, and wool. Well, none of those really say "fancy dress for a wedding". So now I'm not sure what to do with this top of the dress. I didn't even start on the skirt part yet because I don't know if I even want to complete the dress. Any suggestions on how to make this not look like a business suit would be very appreciated. I'm thinking some kind of stitching in a contrast color, like a golden yellow, might at least brighten it up a bit.
So, be aware, a large percentage of my projects do not turn out successfully. Thankfully, I think I can salvage most of the material from the shirts and use it for something else. These are the times when I take a break from frenetic sewing and clean the house, at least that is somewhat satisfying.
6 comments:
I really like the dress pattern, it has a really nice old-school theatrical quality to it. But I think black wool doesnt say 'wedding' to me! I say finish the dress and wear it with purple boots in winter :) Then you can go fabric shopping again (which I think is half the fun) :)
(and I have the same problem with those nice loose tops - they look like they belong around potatoes instead of me!) But for some reason I persist in buying and making them with the delusioned idea that one of them will eventually look as good as I think it will in my mind!
I like the dress, even though like you said, it may not be appropriate for a wedding.
I'm really not sure what the best fabric is for an attending-a-wedding dress, but I think that black wool will look very nice during the fall and winter.
I would probably say go with linen fabric (since it's my favorite), but I am not sure that is really appropriate either. I feel your pain!
Hi again!
I think you look pretty darn good in the first top, but then I know how we are all our own worse critics.
What will the weather be like for the wedding you are going to and what time of day is it?
All of the weddings I have been to have included a night portion, and at every one there are women dressed in black. I have worn black wool to a wedding before and it was very appropriate for the time of year and the venue. (October in Napa, CA)
If the weather is cool, I think you could dress it up with a pink (or another cheery color) shawl and maybe put a flower or something in your hair. Alternately, you could wear a purse (you could make a simple clutch) that has colors that complement whatever jewelry you might wear.
Regardless, I think you should finish the dress. =)
Thanks for the suggestions, those really help. I think I will finish the dress and see if it looks better with a skirt attached to it. (When I modeled it for my husband he was confused that it was a weird top, hehe.)
Hi Christy,
Thank you for the nice comment on my blog. You are more than welcome to use the list idea!
It's hard to take good pictures of clothing, isn't it? Have you ever tried any japanese pattern books? I really like those books and I think you would excel at them. There is one in particular that seems like it might suit you, it is called dresses from cinema. I am 5'8", so they require quite a bit of altering for me in terms of height, but I like that they are different from many of the US patterns.
=)
Don't feel bad about the Vogue top. I had my own problems with it too, see my posts about it here. I agree that you should keep on with the dress though! Good luck.
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