Relle in her Butterfly Dress
(Cross posted from A Gentlewoman's Blog: http://kimiko1.com/blog/2014/06/relle-in-her-butterfly-dress/)
Having an old laptop that is dying is putting a crimp into my blogging work. But I have an iPad, and finally got around to being able to afford and purchase a keyboard case for it, which means easier ability to type on that iPad. So now I won’t have to do a variety of workarounds to get photos uploaded onto my blog like I’ve had to do because of that dying laptop, at least until I can afford the replacement computer.
So this is my first post with the new setup, including a new blogging app, BlogPad Pro. I’ve not done too much with the app yet, so we shall see if this app matches the good reviews on it.
So, now to the topic of this blog post, my daughter’s new dress that I made for a wedding we attended a few weeks ago in mid May. Being that I was under a bit of a time crunch, I did not take photos of the dress making process. But I did want to give a general review of the pattern I used.
Relle front view
Relle back view
The dress is from Simplicity pattern 1510, which my daughter picked out herself. It is a long dress which my daughter preferred. She also picked out the butterfly quilting fabric, along with a butterfly linen fabric that I still need to make up for the bolero jacket (not pictured).
The pattern made up fairly well by following the directions. I had a few issues in making up the outfit, but overall it went together fairly easily and turned out well. It helped that I made sure to double check my daughter’s growing measurements against the pattern measurements, and modified accordingly. This was very important with the length of the dress, as the pattern is several inches longer for the chosen size.
Other issues I had was that the skirt itself is not lined, and the cotton quilting fabric I had was a bit on the sheer side, so I went back to the fabric store to get some linen/cotton fabric that I like to use as a lining fabric, and flatlined the skirt. The bodice itself is fully lined. It also has a zipper, which I need to get a proper sewing foot for invisible zippers next time.
I did have a bit of a fight with turning the straps, so I need to buy a tube turning tool for future use - a tool I normally don’t use in my historical clothing, but after spending many minutes fighting each strap, yeah, it needs to be purchased.
The other issue was minor. When I first put on the dress with the hidden button that holds the strap in the back, the dress was puckering at the center back and not lying flat. So I had to move the buttons inwards about an inch each, which allowed the straps to lie within her shoulder blades, and that helped to flatten the straps when she stood normally. But since she is an active girl, the straps and back area often gapped. So, while I didn’t get to the jacket for the wedding, I will get it sewn together so that she will have a nice cover for that gapping back.
Which reminds me, the front panel has a wide area for the armscye area, and that means that sometimes you could see a little bit of her pectoral muscle area. She is not one who needs a bra yet but I could see that this might be an issue area for any young woman who is developing a bosom unless the parent doesn’t mind a little side boob. This aspect is not clear on the pattern photos.
Overall I really liked how this dress came out. Relle had several positive comments on the wedding day from folks, and she loves the dress. I am very pleased and would recommend this pattern to others.
Edited with BlogPad Pro
(Cross posted from A Gentlewoman's Blog: http://kimiko1.com/blog/2014/06/relle-in-her-butterfly-dress/. Comments can be posted here or there.)
Having an old laptop that is dying is putting a crimp into my blogging work. But I have an iPad, and finally got around to being able to afford and purchase a keyboard case for it, which means easier ability to type on that iPad. So now I won’t have to do a variety of workarounds to get photos uploaded onto my blog like I’ve had to do because of that dying laptop, at least until I can afford the replacement computer.
So this is my first post with the new setup, including a new blogging app, BlogPad Pro. I’ve not done too much with the app yet, so we shall see if this app matches the good reviews on it.
So, now to the topic of this blog post, my daughter’s new dress that I made for a wedding we attended a few weeks ago in mid May. Being that I was under a bit of a time crunch, I did not take photos of the dress making process. But I did want to give a general review of the pattern I used.
Relle front view
Relle back view
The dress is from Simplicity pattern 1510, which my daughter picked out herself. It is a long dress which my daughter preferred. She also picked out the butterfly quilting fabric, along with a butterfly linen fabric that I still need to make up for the bolero jacket (not pictured).
The pattern made up fairly well by following the directions. I had a few issues in making up the outfit, but overall it went together fairly easily and turned out well. It helped that I made sure to double check my daughter’s growing measurements against the pattern measurements, and modified accordingly. This was very important with the length of the dress, as the pattern is several inches longer for the chosen size.
Other issues I had was that the skirt itself is not lined, and the cotton quilting fabric I had was a bit on the sheer side, so I went back to the fabric store to get some linen/cotton fabric that I like to use as a lining fabric, and flatlined the skirt. The bodice itself is fully lined. It also has a zipper, which I need to get a proper sewing foot for invisible zippers next time.
I did have a bit of a fight with turning the straps, so I need to buy a tube turning tool for future use - a tool I normally don’t use in my historical clothing, but after spending many minutes fighting each strap, yeah, it needs to be purchased.
The other issue was minor. When I first put on the dress with the hidden button that holds the strap in the back, the dress was puckering at the center back and not lying flat. So I had to move the buttons inwards about an inch each, which allowed the straps to lie within her shoulder blades, and that helped to flatten the straps when she stood normally. But since she is an active girl, the straps and back area often gapped. So, while I didn’t get to the jacket for the wedding, I will get it sewn together so that she will have a nice cover for that gapping back.
Which reminds me, the front panel has a wide area for the armscye area, and that means that sometimes you could see a little bit of her pectoral muscle area. She is not one who needs a bra yet but I could see that this might be an issue area for any young woman who is developing a bosom unless the parent doesn’t mind a little side boob. This aspect is not clear on the pattern photos.
Overall I really liked how this dress came out. Relle had several positive comments on the wedding day from folks, and she loves the dress. I am very pleased and would recommend this pattern to others.
Edited with BlogPad Pro
(Cross posted from A Gentlewoman's Blog: http://kimiko1.com/blog/2014/06/relle-in-her-butterfly-dress/. Comments can be posted here or there.)