Not end of the wintery mix weather wise(still snowing!), but sewing wise! That's it, from here on out I'm only making sundresses! This is the last winter/long-sleeve dress you'll see from me this year! I'm so tired of winter and the cold, I don't think it is going to ever end! So...sundresses. I shall bring Spring about by the sheer force of my will. Vive le Printemps!
Tl;wr (like 'didn't read', but 'won't', so I can put it before everything. Grammar is important, people.)
Success! Made out of a medium-weight, soft, not too stretchy green jersey. Bodice is slightly too short, which I noted for next time I make the pattern. But, with some other modifications, a very comfortable dress! Main change is that I didn't line the top, which I thought was a weird way to construct the dress. Am I getting to the point of sewing when I become annoying about using patterns? I could do it so much better ;) But not too tight, not too loose, not too much gaping. Goldilocks of dresses. And in a cute 40's style with the side drape. Not a bad dress to END THE WINTER ON *hinthint, Weather, I'm talking to you!*
Except for a few problems, I like this dress! It is comfortable and I'm always obsessed with 40's style anything. I made view A with view B sleeves. Or view B with view A skirt ;) Whichever. I feel like the construction and possible modifications on this dress are very much dependent on the weight of the fabric you choose. But even with that, I think it would be a good pattern for beginners looking for something a bit more difficult. Gotta take the leap sometime!
....My only qualm is that the waist is too high! My mother said it wasn't noticable, and I'd probably wear a belt, but I can FEEL it. The bodice is too short! I've never had that problem with a pattern before. There is a tube for the elastic in the seam allowance at the waist, so I might end up taking it out to give a teeny bit of extra length to the bodice and sewing the elastic just directly onto the seam. Might help? I thought about doing that anyway while I was making it, it seemed strange that they used the enclosed elastic method. It isn't a major problem, but enough to bug me!
My only real alteration was that I didn't line the bodice. I felt like they should have made this an option dependent on the weight of your fabric. Anything other than super-thin jerseys really have no need for this extra layer. The jersey that I used it quite thick and having a double layer wrap-bodice with double layer pleated drape at the skirt would have ended up with nearly 10 layers of thick fabric at the waist seam. Crazy! Glad I read some reviews of the pattern before attempting it or I would have been in for a surprise. So I made some quick facings for the neckline instead of fully lining it, easy stuff. If you are using a thin jersey, you might want to keep that extra layer to help keep shape, hold up the skirt (though the elastic is for that), added thickness, and the facings might show through on thinner materials.
I'm putting up a quick tutorial on making facings just after this post! Highly recommend using them if your fabric allows it. Helps immensly with neck gape as opposed to just turning the hem. Best part about this alteration is that I didn't actually have enough fabric for the double layer anyway. Saved!
I kept the back of the bodice a double layer. I've done this before with something I made for my mom and liked the idea. It just smooths out the back, no straps or anything showing, just smooth and less clingy (and warmer). And I sewed it on to enclose the shoulder and side seams on the inside. I like it neat :)
Almost forgot that the pattern had a double layer for the drape too! Also ridiculous. Also left out. My jersey is the same on both sides so I just turned the edge under (as neat as possible) and left it at that. I would NOT recommend doing double layer on the drape unless your fabric is completely different on the other side. Even a single layer was heavy and the pleats at the top would be SO bulky.
Oh, and I left out the shoulder pads. As much as I love 40's fashion, I sincerely hope shoulder pads don't make a real comeback O_o
~Nikki