Shelbourne Falls Emery Mashup

A few weeks ago, I decided to take the plunge and download a customized croquis of myself from My Body Model.  I've been dithering about it since it was released, and there was a little spring sale going on, so I decided to go for it.  I like the croquis better than the Gertie ones because I don't have to add anything to match my shape.

I then happily set to sketching, trying out some silhouettes for dresses with fabric I had in my bins that I wanted to make up for the warmer weather.  I don't have many summer dresses right now, so it seemed like a productive use of creative energy and fabric.  I did buy a bit of fabric too, but some of it was to test out some patterns I was trying out.  

This was my first one.  I've had the Emery pattern for a long time now, and the bodice was the basis for my Frankendress, of which there are many iterations on this blog between 2014-2016 or so when Dottie Angel frocks took over my sewing queue.  I've lost a lot of weight since then, and I also wanted to try a sleeveless dress since I almost always wear a cardigan over my dresses now anyway, so I went ahead and retraced the bodice and skirt (I had never actually made up the skirt that goes with the pattern) and set to fitting with an old sheet.  I fitted the bodice only, and made a straight size 12.

My muslin told me that I needed to take in the side seams quite a bit (I ended up taking an additional 5/8" at the top of the side seam and tapering to a 7/8" side seam at the bottom), and lower and shorten the bust and waist darts.  I remembered from before that the bust darts are drafted for a much perkier chest than mine, so I had already lowered and shortened them when I traced off, but I ended up shortening a total of 1" and lowering about 1/2".  The waist darts were about 1/2" shorter than drafted. #hounddogears

Okay.  So I took my courage in my hands and cut into this Denyse Schmidt fabric I found on etsy.  It isn't particularly rare or dear, but I always hate to risk fabric on an unknown venture.  I wasn't sure how the sleeveless bit would really look (cardigan notwithstanding, I have a long-standing issue with my upper arms.  I'm mostly over it).  I also worried about the pouf of the skirt.  (And we all know how I feel about that).

My fears were well-founded on the skirt.  I pleated it using the washi dress pleats as a guide, but I had to add at least two or three extra sets of pleats to either side of the center on both the front and the back, which gives you an idea of how much volume is in that skirt.  I probably should have traced off a size six instead to reduce the volume.  I tried on the dress and then couldn't get it off my body quickly enough.  NOPE.  I threw the dress in the corner for a time out and flagellated myself for my profligacy with fabric.  

The trouble is, I don't have a go-to dress pattern right now.  I'm over my Dottie Angel frocks, style-wise, and the Washi dress is fine as a cool weather layering piece, but I don't actually like the style much for summer.  (I found this out the hard way when I made a maxi version out of some pretty red calico I got in an instagram sale.  No matter, I'll cut the maxi down for one of the girls, but still.  Grr.)

I posted my angst about the dress fail on instagram and one of my friends made a comment about tweaking it to save it.  I honestly hadn't thought about it--I was so upset about the failure that I couldn't even think about wanting that fabric anywhere near my body.  After I calmed down a bit (INFP/J, what I can say??  All the feels, all the time), I decided to try cutting the skirt down to a slimmer profile. 

So I pulled out my trusty Anne Adams 9481 and set to work with my seam ripper.  I took apart the whole skirt, recut it smaller, and reattached it all the next day.  And whomp-whomp.  I wasn't thrilled.  The fit was good, the dress was pretty, but I still wasn't wowed.  Neverthless, I put it in my closet to save for warmer weather and a reassessment.

Well.  The weather is definitely warmer now, and I tried it on (whilst taking a bunch of photos of finished makes) and while I don't think this will be an everyday kind of dress for me, it will work nicely for an event I have to go to in May that requires a bit of dressing up.  So yay for that.  It's also a decent summer church dress, I think.  So I guess it gets to stay in the closet.  I might take up the hem another inch or so, but maybe not.  I can't quite decide.

I'm happy I took the time to fit this dress carefully, and I do have a well-fitting dress out of it, that I could replicate in a different fabric, so there's that.  I could see making it in a lightweight corduroy for fall or winter, perhaps, for a dressy cold-weather garment.  (Note to self: make a pincord version for Christmas next year).

So the experience was valuable, and I do have a wearable garment out of the process.  Just not the wearable garment I thought I would have.  But that's okay too.