The Vintage Tea Dress

The Great British Sewing Bee has sparked somewhat of a sewing frenzy and I have to admit that even though I was disappointed not to make it onto the show after the auditions- I have been completely absorbed in the buzz around the contestants and the projects featured on the programme. I loved following Lauren's adventure and her blog is definitely one to check out. She has just opened up her own haberdashery and sewing studio in Birmingham (which I am well 'jel' about!) and she is offering some amazing classes alongside Tilly (aka Tilly and the buttons) and Stuart.

When I received my latest 'Sew' magazine I was delighted that there was an insert containing projects from the show! I absolutely loved the look of the Vintage Tea Dress and the instructions looked remarkably straight forward so I gave it a go...

Insert from Sew Magazine

Straight forward instructions!

Although I have quite a few years of sewing under my belt, one thing which I have always struggled with is lining. I can't work out why it befuddles me so much- I completely understand the necessity for it but whenever I try to use it, it always lets me down. My usual dilemma lies in the difference between lining each pattern piece (makes perfect sense to me!) as opposed to making the garment in the fashion fabric then also making it in the lining fabric and joining the two together. For this particular dress, the instructions didn't make provision for lining so I had to wing it so to speak.

Fabric & Lining

I loved the spotty fabric modelled in the instructions so I settled on a similar fabric in a vibrant blue colour. As the fabric was quite transparent I purchased some baby blue lining at the same time and decided to face up to my fears! The pattern is a printable one from Quadrille Publishing and is easily stuck together with sticky tape and a bit of folding. I was really attracted to the simplicity of the pattern as there were very few pieces to contend with. Front piece, back piece, sleeve piece and facings and that is your lot. Now, I probably love facings as much if not more than I hate lining, if that makes sense, so I was keen to keep the facings if possible. I read in Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing (Gertie is a New York sewing guru as far as I am concerned), that there are two choices with lining dresses. 1. Apply lining directly to outer edges of the neck and side seams and do away with facings, or 2. Use facings and apply lining to bottom of the facings. As a result of my love of facings I went with option 2.

Working with flimsy fabrics

Just a note on working with the flimsier types of fabrics....it is hard! When watching the Sewing Bee I didn't really pay too much attention when the contestants were expressing their woes towards working with flyaway fabrics...however upon pinning and cutting my blue spotty fabric I used many a swear word as my fabric started slipping and sliding under the pattern pieces. It is way more tricky than I originally envisaged and required a great deal of perseverance indeed. This added to the difficulties with the lining as I am conscious that the lining ought to be in a lighter weight fabric than the fashion fabric in order that they drape perfectly. This is another concept I struggle with. I often end up with cutting the lining and fashion fabric exactly the same size but then find myself in a right pickle when it comes to the lining accommodating the body shape. Either or both of my fabrics end up tight or baggy and generally ill fitting. This poses a problem! 

(If any of you have any tips to share they would be very welcome at this point! )

Buttons sewn onto shoulder seam line

The Result | A dress fit for tea...

Overall, despite my lining difficulties I am quite pleased with the finished dress. I have a good track record for making items and then confining them to the ottoman as I never believe they are good enough to wear. I think this time I will make an exception!

I added some buttons to the shoulder seam to jazz it up a little, together with a striking pink belt to break up the waistline.

Tea anyone?!

Next time I will be making embellished collars, courtesy of Simplicity Patterns...

Em x

Simplicity Patterns- The Peplum Shift Dress Part Two

The Peplum Shift Dress | Part Two

I am back with the second instalment on this lovely sewing project. I had so much fun making this dress and as a result of the Great British Sewing Bee I found myself strangely trying to work to a clock...."7 hours left people!" It was as if Patrick and May were in the room spurring me on...I wish! Anyway, I managed to finish but hit a few hurdles along the way.....

 

Stage Three | Sewing together

I had no problem following most of the Simplicity instructions for this pattern, in fact I was hurtling along at a great pace until it came to attaching the facings (front and back). This presented a few issues for me as some of the diagrams on the instructions weren't clear as to wrong and right sides of the fabric- this confused the heck out of me at times. I persevered and managed to fathom it out after a few unpicking sessions.

Stitching the sweetheart neckline- this turned out beautifully!

The fitting process- so much easier when you have a mannequin which mirrors your size

Once the facings had been figured out, the dress went straight onto the mannequin to stitch the final seams. As you can see, this process can really help achieve a great fit- especially if you have a mannequin which is pretty much the same size as you.

TIP! Pad out the mannequin to your size in specific areas....one big giveaway is the bust area- if you are lucky enough to need a bit more fabric here then why not put one of your bras on the mannequin for the fitting process??? Stuff it with a bit of padding and you're away! This will save a lot of unpicking further down the line. Of course, if you know that you always need a bit more fabric in a certain area then it is advisable to alter the pattern before the fabric is even cut.

If for example you are a size 18 bust measurement but a size 12 everywhere else then you would draw on the front and side front paper pattern pieces of this dress with a line tapering from size 12 on the hips and waist up to size 18 on the bust.

Here is the sweetheart neckline once the dress is right side out

Back view

Front view

Stage Four | Finishing touches

The final stage to any dress is always the finishing touches.

• Catch all hems and facings down- in the case of the hem- I hand finished this with a catch stitch. This allows the garment a lot more 'move' and is a very popular vintage method.
• Press, press press! As you can see from the pictures...my dress could do with a proper press and iron but I was so eager to get the blogpost finished! Pressing really does make the garment sparkle and when you have spent so long making something it really is a joy to see it in all its glory!

Next time.....Simplicity Collars Pattern!