When I first contemplated sewing Simplicity 1192 I thought it looked fairly straightforward and fun...how wrong I was. The bodice went together perfectly until it came time to attach the ties for the bows. When I tried it on the bateau neckline was so high up my neck it looked like a skivvy* gone wrong. Since I (mostly) followed the instructions I'm going to tell myself that women in the 1950s had ridiculously swan-like necks and that is why the neckline came up to my chin. After a few small tantrums and a lot of unpicking I decided to remove the ties. I was determined to still use them somehow because they were bias cut and it had used up about a metre of fabric making them. I tried various methods of attaching them at the shoulder seams and sewing them to the facings but none looked quite right.
I finished the rest of the dress, including my first lapped zipper (which was easy compared to fixing the neckline). I decided that it would be easier if the ties were removable so I could wear a cardigan over the dress. In the photo above I've just tied them around the shoulder seams and then into bows. They look really uneven but that's mostly because I was in a hurry and couldn't be bothered playing with them until they were the same. Sorry about the wonky photo, that's what happens when you try and take a self-timer photo using a sloping bookcase as a makeshift tripod.
*Turtleneck if you're not a New Zealander
Sweetie,it is divine,and I love the fabric!Odd about the exceedingly high neckline?Ladies surely couldn't have all had swan like necks back then??!!You did a great save,though.Great idea having the bows detachable,as yes,you can wear a cardi when it is cooler,and have bows when it is warmer!
ReplyDeleteThanks, the fabric was a Spotlight special for $4 a metre. I'm sure they didn't all have swan-like necks (although looking at the pattern envelopes you'd think they did) I just tell myself that because the alternative is that my bad sewing skills are to blame for the weird neckline.
ReplyDeleteYour dress turned out beautifully, I love the lowered waistline and the well-made, regularly gathered full skirt. I agree with Helga for the bows, it's a smart solution :) And don't worry about the neckline, it's looking perfectly fine!
ReplyDeleteI love your dress! x
ReplyDeleteIt's really lovely! Fabric's very nice and the bows too!
ReplyDeleteThe fabric does not look very typical 'Spotlight' so well done on the great find. I generally refuse to shop there because of their terrible service but did get a gift voucher for my birthday so went in to buy zips and thread and so forth. Turns out they had an end of season clearance and so I managed to get a whole bunch of fabric (some of it not bad quality such as cotton velvets) for just $2.00 a metre. Needless to say no zips were purchased.
ReplyDeleteSpotlight does have shocking service, some of the people that work there are so rude. I try not to go there too much but since there are pretty limited options for fabric shopping in ChCh, sometimes it's unavoidable. Great buy getting a whole bunch of fabric for $2 a metre, they do tend to have quite good sales.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I love the print. Spotlight does have shit service but I am in the same boat as you. Unless I drive an hour to Brisbane there isn't many choices on the Gold Coast. When we went to Melbourne I was so jealous of all their fabric shops.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I get jealous of places with good fabric shops too, especially places like New York that have a garment district filled with fabric shops.
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