At last, a post about Dottie Angel frock pattern adjustments and construction tips! I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it. This is rather a lengthy post, so go grab a cuppa and settle in.
I'll start with the pattern, Simplicity 1080. I'll go over some things that I think a lot of experienced seamstresses will know already, but just in case, let's talk about the pattern. Always look at the line art when considering a pattern. The sample on the front is not always a good indication of what the finished product will look like, particularly if it is an artist's rendering and not a photograph. Garment samples for pattern companies tend to be made for size 2 and the Big Four pattern companies build in a lot of ease to their printed patterns (a frustrating feature if you are used to indie or vintage patterns where the pattern measurements and finished measurements line up more exactly). I think the exception to that rule is Gertie's Butterick patterns, which appear to fit like her book patterns, which is to say, true to measurement. I find her patterns correspond more directly to reality.
If you look at the pattern envelope back, you will find the measurements. The first rule of sewing for yourself is Know Thy Measurements. Take a flexible tape measure and take your upper bust, mid-bust, and lower bust measurements, along with your natural waist (let the tape settle into place around your middle--it is usually an inch or two above the belly button), upper and lower hip (about 7-9" below your waist, and then about where your crutch is). If you have someone to help measure you, it is also helpful to have your back neck-to-waist measurement, shoulder to shoulder measurement, as well as your rise and inseam, but not for this pattern. Then decide which size you will want to cut.
A small note: do not invest a lot of energy into the number on the tape--it is just a number, and it is yours. Own it, be comfortable with it, be aware when it changes. They are just numbers, not an indicator of worth.
Be sure to look at the finished garment measurement, as that can tell you a lot about ease. Ease is how closely a garment will fit to the body. Negative ease (found in knits) will hug the body, positive ease will fall away from the body to a greater or lesser degree, depending on how much there is built into the design and the pattern draft.
I usually look at the hip measurement first on any pattern, and then grade down from there, as I'm quite pear-shaped (narrow shoulders, small bust, larger hips). My current measurements are 36.5-32.5-41.5 (give or take a little, depending on water retention). I wanted something that would fit like an apron rather than a swing dress, and I could tell by the finished bust measurement that there would be a lot of ease through the body of the dress. I also wanted it to fit well in the shoulders, so I went with my upper bust measurement (35"), which was between a small and a medium. I decided to cut a straight medium after measuring the pattern pieces. This pattern is printed pretty inefficiently, with all the sizes separately printed, and I accidentally cut a large for the back dress piece, but that turned out to be the right call as I carry a lot of my extra weight on my backside and needed a little extra room in the back. At some point, I'm going to compare the two sizes to see if I could eliminate the back elastic if I went with a straight up medium.
Next is to examine the line art and see what things you will likely want to adjust. Simplicity 1080 has a sloppily drafted back neckline that is exactly the same in the front as the back, so I knew right off the bat that I was going to want to raise that quite a bit as a low back neckline can make the shoulders too wide for my frame. I also could tell that the extended shoulders (sometimes called kimono sleeves) weren't going to have enough upper arm coverage for my liking. I prefer the ease of finishing a full cut-on sleeve to a kimono sleeve as well as the added ease of movement. I also looked at the finished length, and knew that 38" wasn't nearly long enough for my taste. I prefer 43-45" in my dresses, and 41" is really the limit to how short I'm willing to go.
So let's talk kimono sleeves. Kimono sleeves are sleeves that are created by extending the shoulder seam past the shoulder bone, creating a little sleeve cap. The edge then tapers into the side seam, as pictured above. Kimono sleeves can be kind of a pain to finish, as it is difficult to get a clean edge where the sleeve comes together at the side seam. I've figured out a few tricks for this, but as I don't make my dresses like this any longer, I'll save that for another day. I prefer to convert my sleeves to cut-on style, which is like a kimono, in that it is still an extended shoulder seam, but different in that there is a small seam at the underside of the sleeve that connects it to the side seam. You still have one contiguous seam at the side, but it curves out a bit, as shown.
First decide how much more you want the shoulder to be extended. I prefer about 9" on the shoulder seam, about 9 1/2" for the sleeve opening, and about 1" overhang at the bottom. You can draft this part yourself, but I found when I was doing it myself, I somehow could never get the back and front pattern pieces to line up and would end up trimming the sleeve or the hem trying to make them fit. The best drafting solution I found was to use the Afternoon blouse/shift pattern (that I already owned, but it is a great pattern to have!), lay it over my Simplicity 1080, and redraw the shoulders and sleeves accordingly.
I find drafting pesky and time-consuming enough that I generally don't do drafting, cutting, or sewing on the same days. I like to set aside a morning for drafting, a morning for cutting, and then a morning for sewing. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed or burned out on what I'm doing. (Plus: four small children). I find I can work for a few hours in the mornings, but after lunch I'm pretty useless for this sort of thing. You can probably bet the farm that if I've mentioned cutting or drafting mistakes on previous blog posts, it was because I was working on it late in the day.
The best way to redraft a pattern is to redraw it onto something else. You can use Swedish tracing paper if you have it, but a cheaper option is to buy a roll of freezer paper at the grocery store. It comes in a long box similar to parchment paper. It has a shiny side and a matte side--do your drawing on the matte side. The shiny side can be ironed directly onto the fabric if you like, and then cut out or chalked for cutting. It is highly economical.
So start by getting a sheet of freezer paper the length you want it and lay the Simplicity 1080 pattern piece over it. I like to use the straight edges of the paper as a guide, so I put the fold line right up on the edge so I keep everything lined up properly. You can use painter's tape to keep everything in place, or fabric weights (I have a package of large flat washers from the hardware store that I use for this purpose). Carefully trace around the pattern with a pen, using a long ruler or French curve to help you (if you have them). Transfer all markings for bust tucks and pockets. Consider whether you need to drop the bust tucks down. The pattern is drafted for a fairly perky bust, so I found dropping the top of the tucks down about 1 1/2" was about right for my post-nursing self. Add length if desired (I added 1 1/2" to my pattern redraft, for reference; I've gone longer and also made it as drafted, but 1 1/2" seems to be the sweet spot). Remove original pattern piece.
Lay the Afternoon blouse pattern over it, lining up the center seams and shoulders (the fronts will not be exactly the same, but the center seam should be close, once you account for the seam allowance), then re-draw your shoulder seams and add the under sleeve curve. Smooth out any lines to the side seam. Cut out your new pattern piece.
For the back pattern piece, repeat the process above for the sleeves and length, using the front pattern piece as a guide to make sure all the seams line up. Consider whether you want to raise the back neckline at all. I cut my original pattern piece as a size large, but cut the back neckline at the XL line, since it was higher. I made a lot of my summer dresses at that draft line, but I'm finding that I really prefer a back neckline that is about 2-2 1/2" higher than that. Just measure up however many inches from the XL neckline, make a mark, and then draw a gentle curve to the shoulder seam, following the curve of the original cutting line. Remove your original pattern pieces, and cut out your new pattern.
Long time readers will also know that I prefer to add elastic to my back dress piece instead of the ties on the pattern. I find it to be more flattering to my figure, and less fussy (and long time readers will also know that I'm pretty sensitive to the "fuss-factor" in my clothing). The best way to figure out a good placement is to lay the front pattern piece over the back, and mark where the inner bust tucks fall. Transfer that one point to the back pattern piece, and that will become the two end points of your elastic placement. I'll come back to it in a moment.
You can fold the pattern pieces for storage and keep them all in a gallon zip loc bag for ease of access and filing. A comic book bag works well also. I keep the patterns I use often in a rattan DVD storage box from IKEA.
Now that you've got your pattern pieces (there is no need to redraft the pockets), you can use them on your fabric. Please, please, please prewash and dry your fabric! Cottons especially can lose yardage in the wash, and you don't want to make a dress that won't fit after one washing. For the record, I prewash and dry all my fabric (cold wash, high spin, medium heat in the dryer), but after I've made it up, I wash on cold, and then line dry. (Note: wool is a different beast, and there are plenty of resources about how to pretreat wool fabric)
Simplicity 1080 works up nicely in a stable medium-weight (quilt-weight) cotton, but it also works well with other fabrics like linen or rayon or lawn. The fit and drape are very different from fabric to fabric, and I think it is a good idea to work out the fitting kinks on a fabric that is easy to work with like a stable medium cotton. I like quilt-weight cotton for a lot of reasons, but the premium ones don't wrinkle much, drape well, press well, handle nicely on almost any needle size, and don't require a lot of concentration or special seam finishes.
The basic construction order that I've found works best is to chalk the fabric using the pattern and washer weights, cut out the fabric, pin the tucks, mark the elastic points with pins, and mark the pocket edge points with pins. I then fold everything carefully into a plastic project bag (a gallon zip lock works well) with the bias tape I plan to use, and the elastic, if I have some that is pre-cut. I sometimes cut dresses in an assembly line like this.
When I'm ready to sew it up, I start with the pockets. I do the facing first, then the top-stitching on the facing. I've long dispensed with the bias tape edge on the pocket, and now just use a hot steamy iron to press the edges to the inside of the pocket. (If you are using a light weight fabric like lawn or challis, I recommend to use double thickness of fabric on the pockets so they will be sturdy enough for keys or a phone; use a single layer for the pocket facing)
Sew the bust tucks, press them toward the middle, then pin the pockets to the dress using the pinned pocket edge points as guides. Use lots of pins to keep your pocket in place while sewing! Make sure the pocket is flat on the fabric, using a steamy iron if necessary. Sew around the edge of the pocket using the right edge of your presser foot as a guide (line up the pocket edge and the presser foot). Sew a small triangle into each pocket corner for stability--see photo for example (this is a new trick I just figured out!) Set front dress piece aside.
Next, sew the elastic onto the back piece. Cut a length of 1/4" elastic about 3" short of the length between the pins. I generally just lay the elastic between the pins and cut 1 1/2" short on either side. Pin the elastic using the pins. Set your machine to a wide zig-zag stitch.
Put the fabric in with the elastic coming out toward you, and set a few stitches into one end. Make sure your needle is sunk into the elastic, then pull the fabric and elastic taut, and zig-zag down the line of elastic. Set a few back stitches at the end, and cut your thread. Remove pins.
Pin and sew the shoulder seams next, and the press. I like to press the shoulder seams toward the back, and depending on the fabric, sometimes I sew them down--see photo.
It does make for a visible seam on the outside, but it keeps everything neat on the inside. (The instructions have you finish the shoulder seams differently, but I find that to be quite fussy and unnecessary).
If you are working with a fabric prone to fraying, zig-zag the edges of your fabric before sewing. I generally pink the edges when I cut everything out, but some fabrics, like loose linen, or rayon, need a little additional seam finishing like a zig-zagged edge. If you choose to French the shoulder seam, make sure you add a bit more seam allowance when you are cutting out, as the seam allowance on the shoulder is a scant 3/8".
Pin and sew one side seam, going over the curve of the under sleeve several times to reinforce it. Clip the curves (make sure you don't clip your seam!) The side seam allowances are 5/8".
Press the seam allowance to the back. Pin and sew the other side seam, press the seam allowance to the back. Then begin applying bias tape.
There are many great online tutorials on how to apply bias tape (I like Rochelle's), so I won't repeat that here, but I will say, you need 1/2" single fold bias tape for the easiest application. Modern bias is a poly-cotton mix, but there are plenty of etsy sellers with vintage bias tape that has a higher cotton content, or is all cotton.
Vintage bias tape just as good as the modern, and sometimes better! I prefer it to the modern, frankly. All bias tape comes in a wide variety of colors, but think about what will show and where, and whether you want high contrast on the sleeves or hem. You can also make your own out of the fabric you are working with, but I don't have the right size cutting surface to do so easily, so I generally don't bother with it. You can also do a visible bias finish, as on my Pincushion dress, but the application is different. Almost all my dresses have an invisible bias finish.
I generally just lap the edge of the bias tape, since it will be on the inside, and I find connecting the seams at the end to be a bit aggravating. A visible bias finish requires connecting the seams, however, and it is a useful skill to know. The Colette blog has a decent tutorial on how, plus there are many other online tutorials.
Once you've finished with your bias tape, press all the edges for a clean finish, and your new dress is ready to wear!
So here's mine:
I'm calling this the Paintbrush dress. The fabric had that somewhere in the title, and I think it is apt. It is a straight-up premium quilting cotton from Joann fabrics, bought on a sale at the end of June.
It sewed up beautifully, but was very different from the linen Lily Pad dress! It also fits slightly differently through the back, but it's still a good fit.
Made ye old kangaroo pocket again--it is kind of my lazy sewing go-to as it goes so much faster than the faced tucked pockets that come with the dress pattern. It also works nicely on a busy print like this one.
I guess I've got enough color now to wear a white dress. I don't get much more than this--I just burn and peel and burn again. I'm trying to be smarter about sun protection, but I'm allergic to almost every sunscreen, so it is tricky. I did find a jaunty straw fedora for $10 in CVS yesterday, at least I have a brimmed hat that fits me now.
I love all the colors in this dress--it will accessorize nicely with a lot of things.
Just the facts:
Paintbrush dress: Simplicity 1080 (redrafted), Koko fabric from Joann.com, bias tape, elastic
Earrings: CVS
Necklace: thrifted
Shoes: saltwaters
