Hot Patterns Almost Success

So I made the Hot Patterns Kimono dress to wear for The Husband's birthday....and he didn't like it! So I ended up wearing something else to the big dance. He very diplomatically said that it was a pretty dress, but maybe didn't show off my fabulousness quite as much as other things I have in my closet. I tend to agree. He also said it looks like a bathrobe, which I think is not the case.

Plus after I made it, I realized it is not a practical dress to wear swing dancing. I would be fiddling with that belt all night and it doesn't wrap quite enough for it to not expose all my goodies when I spin on the floor.

It is a pretty dress and I like the idea of it. But on me it doesn't quite work. Some of that is the fit--I should have done a FBA--, but some of that is also that there are very few things that I think are flattering to my current figure.

Fortunately, my current figure is changing for the better. Down 8 pounds (only 40 more to go, ha!) so far on the new workout/food plans, so yay! Maybe I will make this one again once I reach the goal weight. Or alter this one to fit, since I love the fabric combo.



Pattern Review

Pattern Description: An exotic twist on the classic wrap dress, this deliciously flattering style is designed for drapey, fluid knits like silk(y) jersey, rayon or lightweight cotton knits. Fitted wrap Dress has a shoulder-princess seamed bodice with V-neck front wrap and an optional button fastening, neatly hidden by the waist ties. Dress has 3/4 length sleeves and a below-knee length quarter-circle wrap skirt, and features contrast neckband and wide, extra-long waist ties. This great Dress is sure to become a staple of your HotPatterns wardrobe-it’s your go-to style for dressy daywear, or a low-key evening outfit. Try it with knee-high boots, a slouchy bag and a pashmina for a daytime diva look, or add your favorite heels and an exotic clutch for an easy after-5 ensemble.

Fabric Used: Scraps from the Jalie dress, originally from Gorgeous Fabrics.

How were the instructions? Fine. Like most Hot Patterns, they are skimpy if you are used to the Big Four, but more than enough for a somewhat experienced seamstress.

Construction Notes: When I did the ties, I thought they were ridiculously long. But once everything was put together, I liked being able to double wrap it. I did do the optional buttons, but it felt pretty secure for a wrap dress even without them. If I wasn't so full in the bust (and thus paranoid about wardrobe malfunctions) I doubt I would have bothered.

The dress was just the right length on me, so if you are even beginning to approach normal height, you would probably want to add a bit to be on the safe side.

Likes/Dislikes: I like the style. I didn't like the way it looked on my teapot body. This is an ongoing theme for me, so I am beginning to blame my self-image issues WAY more than the patterns.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? I would recommend it as it is a wrap dress that is different enough from the million other wrap dresses to stand out a bit. Plus it is a pretty easy sew and came together pretty quickly.

Conclusion: This is the closest I have come to a success with Hot Patterns. That said, it will probably languish in my closet for a while unworn until I alter it to fit a slimmer me or I give up on it and give it away.


ETA: Yes, my hair has blue streaks in it. And yes, it is intentional.

I know better, but why don't I DO better....

I have so much fabric and so many patterns. I keep buying more. I rarely sew these days, though I often go into the sewing room to flip through the patterns and pet the fabric.

I am severely unsatisfied with my current body. And therefore refuse to use any of my fabric to make anything for this body. Both because I don't want to "waste" good fabric on something that will hopefully be much too big sometime soon in the future. And because I don't want to "reward" this body with something nice that it doesn't deserve (not to mention the disappointment I feel when I do make something and it doesn't magically transform me into gorgeousness by virtue of the fact that supposedly it fits better than store stuff. Although fitting has become its own challenge as I am increasingly dissatisfied with my ability in that regard. But that is a whole other post).

Both of these ideas are utterly ridiculous. I know this. I do.

And yet, the fabric pile grows and the machine is only used for making bags and gifts for others.

I am my own worst enemy.

Bad Me, No cookie!

The more I look at my wedding pics, the more boo-boos I see on the dresses. Sigh. I wish now I had taken (or had really) the time and cash to have that private fitting session with the professional. Neither dress really fit me as nicely as it could. And when better to do that than for my wedding dress!

Part of the problem was is that I kept thinking I was going to lose weight so was "saving" the fitting until I was my Final Size. And I did lose 15 pounds, but nothing in the two months before the wedding, so I had plenty of time.

Sigh.

Both The Husband (!) and I are doing the extreme hardcore exercise series P90X (the one on all the infomercials) and are hoping to get to our slim and trim figures that we had back when we met. And maybe next year we will dress up in cool (vintage!) clothes and hire our wedding photographer to do a day in the city with us. That way we have those picture to drool over too. And hopefully not find fault with.

Ignore my ramblings. Just post-wedding blues maybe.

Getting Better....

Here are the latest pics of the reception dress. With a regular bra and a bit of fiddling around the bust area, the fit was instantly better. I also cut some of the excess fabric out from under the arms. As you can see, the fit is MUCH better than before.







There are still some wrinkles that I can't seem to fix. Releasing the side seams didn't help at all. Maybe take more off the back underarm? I don't know if adding a bit of boning would help? Or if this is as good as it gets? I am a bit of a perfectionist, so I would love the fit to be PERFECT, but I think this is at least livable.

At least the train looks good.....

The reception dress is now mostly put together. And of course now I am seeing all kinds of problems.

Here are some pics as is. The facings are not in and the red bit at the top is just tucked in so I could see how it would look. The side pleats in the skirt are also not pressed. I am planning on hemming it just below the knee. And I will eventually have a petticoat to wear under it as well.



I obviously need to do a bit more pressing of the princess seams, but what is really bad is all those wrinkles/pulling all over the bodice, especially on the back. I am wondering what I did wrong, as the muslin did not do this. Maybe a waist stay would help some, keep the heavy skirts from dragging down the bodice so much? Any other suggestions out there? Particularly any thoughts on how to fix it WITHOUT starting over?

Sigh. One step forward, two steps back.

As far as the ceremony dress, here is a picture of the ginormous red train, inside and out. This is based on the back pieces of the Truly Victorian Fantail Skirt pattern, although I lengthened it a bit. The white strip on the inside is where the ties will be inserted to gather it in the back.



I dropped it off last weekend with a fellow costuming buddy who very kindly offered to do some beading on it as her wedding gift to me. I can't wait to see the results! Now I just need a dress to attach it to......

Parting shot:
Fred has been getting all the attention lately, so I thought I would shine the spotlight on his brother George for once. George is missing his friend and consequently is very wild and crazy playful. Here he is in one of his rare moments of rest.

Taking care of "The Ladies"

Ann of Gorgeous Things just wrote a great post on how the right bra makes all the difference. Worth a read.

Funny she should write this now, because I just went for my first professional bra fitting in early January. And it has made SUCH a difference. I got the instant gratification factor of 10yrs/10lbs in 30 seconds by being in the right size bra. Virtually every piece of clothing--sewn and store bought--I own fits better now that everything is where it should be. (If you need proof, take a look at the Dotty Shirt I posted last week where I am wearing one of my new bras and compare it to any of my past dance shirts.)

But over the last few weeks, I have noticed how COMFORTABLE my new bras are. No more straps digging into my shoulders or falling off my shoulders. It did take a few days to get used to the way the new fit feels, but wow it feels wonderful now. It makes a difference in my posture too, now that the weight of my chest is carried by my rib cage, not my shoulders. I sit up straighter and don't hunch by the end of the day.

I also bought an athletic bra in the proper size, which has actually turned me into someone who enjoys jogging now that I don't eat my chest with every other stride. Someone should check those bras for crack, because I never thought I would voluntarily run anywhere unless being chased by scary people or in a drug induced state of mental confusion. :-)

For any in the Northern VA area, the name of the place is The Full Cup. They specialize in larger cup sizes, but have a full range of sizes. I can't recommend them enough.

And just to demonstrate how off a person can be--I thought I was a 38 D/DD. Turns out I am a 32G. Yeah. Whoops.

does this post make my butt look big? not anymore!

This past Sunday, I went to a fitting class held by Sandra Betzina at the local G street fabric shop. And it was good.

When it comes to technical skills, I am an excellent seamstress. But fitting is my downfall, particularly when fitting myself. Half the things I make I don't even show here because they are so bad. This is one reason I got into historical costuming--I could show off my technical skills, and everything was fitted over a corset, which I find so much easier cause all the bumps and grooves are largely smoothed out. So I was very excited to see G Street offering this short workshop.

Basically what Ms. Betzina did, is she took two of her Vogue Today's Fit patterns--one for pants and one for a jacket--and had muslins made up in every size. She took our measurements and then we tried on the appropriate muslin(s). Then she went over point by point what the fit problems were and how to fix them. She had a sheet of paper with outlines of the pattern pieces, and marked on it for each person what size(s) to cut, what changes should be made, where, how much, etc. It was..... fabulous. Not only to have her do this for me, but to watch her do it for each person in the class was great. All those fitting problems that I have always read about were right in front of me. And as she folded and tugged bits of fabrics, the fixes that I always read about started making sense.

Ok, true confession time. I don't really like most of her patterns. They always seem a little too....odd for me (though I will say that she had some samples that she brought to class, and a lot of them are MUCH better in person than they are in the pattern photos). There are a couple exceptions, but for the most part I just flip past them in the catalog. But the changes that she showed that I need for this one pattern will translate, I am sure, to other patterns in any line. Like the baggy butt and narrow shoulders alterations--those will work across the board. And I did get the pants pattern she used in class and am going to make it up with the exact changes she gave me for that pattern. And then experiment with a few other patterns that are not hers--make the butt and inner thigh and other changes, and see what happens.

I feel like I can make pants--real live FITTING pants. For maybe the first time since I gained weight and could no longer just make them out of the envelope.

**twirl, cartwheel, twirl, backflip**

I'll let you know how it goes in real life.