Brussels Indigo

After the success of my altered Magic Tulips and blue linen dresses, I decided I wanted to make a dress like that on purpose.  I like the bodice of the Washi pattern, but I find that the skirt is a little too full for my liking.  I prefer the straighter silhouette of the M7353.  I've mashed up these two patterns before (mostly putting the M7353 bodice on the Washi bottom) but this time I wanted to try it the other way around: Washi bodice on the M7353 skirt.  I bought some Brussels linen (it is a rayon mix, so it has a nice drape but is soft and cool in hot weather) and off to the drafting table I went. 

I sort of did the drafting adjustments on the fly, and if I do this again, I will probably make some adjustments.  I'm not sure if they are drafting errors on my part or just down to the fabric warping slightly as I worked with it.  First, the back bodice was already the correct width to match the M7353 skirt, so I just needed to get the underarm length correct.  My first attempt was off by 2 1/4", so I had to recut the back (after I'd sewn it to the front and finished all the edges.  Oy).  On the front, I had to add in enough width to make it match the width of the skirt.  In the Washi dress as drafted, the excess in the skirt is taken in with pleats, but in the M7353, the excess goes into the elastic waistband casing, and so the top and bottom seams have to match exactly.  

This meant adding about an inch or so to each side seam.  I used the bodice from M7353 to guide me, and I got the width correct, but the bust darts came out a bit wonky.  They are lower than they should be, and a bit floppy.  I also think the bodice is slightly too big overall (could be down to the 3/8" seam allowance I took, trying to match the skirt to the top.  I could taper the seam allowance from the waist up to the underarm from 3/8-5/8" for a better fit next time. 

My other complaint is the skirt length.  I cut the skirt at pattern length for the first time, and hemmed 2 1/4" but I still think it should come up another inch for optimal length on my figure.  I keep feeling like it is just a smidge too long and looks slightly frumpy.  (I could have gone maxi length and it would have been fine too, but this weird not-quite-midi-length looks strange on me).  An easy fix, but annoying that I have to go back and do it.  I'll probably fix the bodice at the same time.

That said, the fabric is super soft, and I really prefer the way the pockets on the M7353 are drafted, even if they are slightly more of a pain to install.  Because they are anchored on the waistband, they don't flop around at all in the skirt, and they are deep enough that nothing falls out.  On the Washi skirt pattern, the pockets are easy to sew, but I find that stuff doesn't always stay put in the pockets when I'm sitting down, and they flap around a bit.

So mostly a success, and I didn't mind wearing it.  Just need to make some small alterations to it.  Also, you can see by the shine on the photos how stupidly hot and humid it is outside right now.  The weather app keeps saying it is supposed to cool down, but it just doesn't.  It's downright tropical.  But that's August here.  Swamp city.