When do you know that you have hacked a pattern too far? Spending 30 hours trying to make it fit properly should give you a hint… In any case, after two months, I finally got there: meet my criss-cross, cut-out, maxi summer dress.
From concept to toile
Temperatures have been incredibly high in Europe – UK included – since May, so I got a bit obsessed with dresses with a cut-out bodice – for ventilation purposes let’s say. Here was my initial inspiration: a Zimmermann dress I discovered at the end of May, right when it got sold out in my size…
I am rubbish at self-drafting but I really struggled to find any pattern with any similarity to this bodice. Also as time progressed and temperatures got even higher, my idea evolved into something very different, with the criss-cross at the decolletage but also keeping the front cut-out – much easier to self-draft actually. So I watched loads of videos using the Nigerian self-drafting method, in particular this one:
I chickened out of self-drafting a princess bodice. Instead I used a tried-and-tested one from my pattern archive: V9239 (sewn and reviewed here) and applied the modifications suggested on the video. Here is a comparison of the original front pattern piece versus my adjusted one:
After many hours of pondering and 3 toiles, things seems promising (the fit was even better on me than on the mannequin)…
… and then everything went to hell!
From toile to a hell of adjustments
After having been so diligent with my toiles, I decided out of the blue to add a cut-out at the back. It looks gorgeous on the finished garment…
but it caused me hours and hours and hours of adjustments to make the bodice fit. I know I unstitched the invisible zipper three times. As for unstitching the bodice from the dress, I did not even count… I must have spent about thirty hours on this dress…
Here is my analysis of the problem. By adding a back cut-out, it’s as if I lost all the structure that was keeping the bodice together… and my boobs out of display!With two cut-outs, the bodice is far more mobile and needs to be much much more adjusted. So my adjustments were just about that; making the bodice tighter and tighter. I really should have known, as I encountered the problem previously, here and here.
A beautiful summer dress in the end
Despite being an ordeal to sew, the finished product is beautiful and definitely very summery.
I mentioned ventilation earlier on and there definitey is plenty! – but everything than needs to be kept hidden does – even when sitting! (yes, that was my last adjustment, after a rather embarrassing moment the first time I wore the dress)
I used a cotton broderie anglaise, fully lined with cotton voile. And I added a semi-circle dress. All of which should have been a breeze to sew but wasn’t. Oh well, let’s take it with a smile, as a useful sewing lesson…
In summary
- Pattern: for the princess bodice, I used V9239, which I had already sewn with great enjoyement and reviewed here. This is a perfect fit as this pattern is part and the Vogue “Custom Fit” collection, which offers several bust cup options. No more fiddling with FBAs, such a time saver. Ignore the enveloppe which is monstruous and just try and imagine the potential!
- Sizing: I went for a size 8 (for my UK 8/ US 2/ FR 36) and a C cup (for my E cup).
- Changes to the pattern: I completely changed the bodice to turn it into a criss-cross, cut-out, both at the front and at the back. As for the skirt I went much easier and self-drafted a semi-circle one. I lined absolutely everything as my fabric is fully see-through.
- Level of difficulty: the main difficulty of this pattern is in the bodice/ sleeve connection, definitely for an intermediate seamstress. I obviously avoided it with all my changes. But I had a really hard time getting the bodice to fit, as I lost all structure with all these cut-outs. Thirty hours later we have a beautiful dress but it was painful!
- Fabric used: a beautiful, quite thick broderie anglaise cotton. fully lined with cotton voile.
- Likes: definitely the dress I had in mind.
- Dislikes: so much work….
- Conclusion: this is going to be a love-hate relationship with this one, as you can never quite forget when a dress has caused you so much trouble!
