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June 16, 2006
Hygiene Strip for Fitting Only
Have you noticed any horsemen or plagues lately? Keep an eye out, because today I purchased:
A bathing suit.
It's been who knows how long since I shopped for or appeared publically in such an item. However, I found the cutest little number at Marshall's today - cut like it's from the 50s, with a funky print and nice low legs and a little flappy skirt thing in the front. I was so amazed to find something other than the Unflattering Swim Tent, in somber black or resigned navy, that seems to be the only option for those of us who don't like two-pieces or racing tanks. And it was only $16! So I was all, what the hell, I will give this thing a shot, and to my surprise I am fairly pleased with the results. We will see how it works out in the cold light of day.
We will see very soon, as a matter of fact, because I am going on a for-real vacation. I could not BE more excited. Josh's dad is (immensely generously, I mean whoa) footing the bill for us to attend a family reunion in Utah, at Zion National Park. There are a pool and a hot tub and red rock cliffs and an excuse to eat out every day and a two-hour drive to Las Vegas in my future. Hooray! If anyone has any southern Utah or Vegas must-sees or -dos, send them my way!
Las Vegas. You know that yellow fabric? Well, I found a dress pattern that could solve the looking like death problem, and I have been working on making it up - working and working and working; this dress fought me every step of the way, except for when I was fighting it, just for a change of pace. I decided it was my Las Vegas Dress, then rapidly became fearful that it was my Awful Mistake Dress instead. Now it is almost done, and I think it might just make the cut. I will show you some pictures, and then I have a couple of questions for those who are interested, and then I have a lot to say about Vintage Vogue #2902 (that fickle bitch), which will be boring to most everyone but it's at the end so you can skip it.
Here I am, demonstrating how posing like the pattern envelope doesn't work out if you aren't nine times the height of your head:
You see how the polka-dot band keeps the yellow away from the face? So clever. My questions are as follows:
1) I have the option of adding a band of polka dot fabric to the hem of the skirt, as well. Should I? When I started this project, I was like "of course! More dots better!" so I have the pieces cut and ready to go. But now I'm thinking I kind of like the length and the simplicity of the dress as is. However, this may be my desire to just be done with this accursed project already talking. What do you think? Hem band or no hem band?
2) Belt:I am fairly certain the dress needs a belt, but the one in the picture is just a test belt stolen from another dress. So, should the belt be...
a) More polka dots?
b) White?
c) Black?
d) Same fabric as the dress?
e) Something else entirely?
3) What do you think; is this dress Vegas-worthy? I mean we are talking Liberace Museum here. I want to make my very best impression!
***
Now then, Vintage Vogue 2902. Let's talk.
I concede the following sins, which made this project all the more difficult and are not 2902's fault in the slightest:
-Choosing a directional print, strictly forbidden by the pattern envelope, which required me to alter the piece layout and redraft the skirt from a true circle skirt to a four-gore almost-circle.
-Not making a full muslin - I just did a muslin of the bodice, not realizing how significantly attaching the skirt would alter the fit.
However, 2902, you have to answer for the following:
-Your amateurish method of construction. The polka-dot band is sewn up as its own piece, completely separate from the bodice, and then slipstitched onto the dress. Um, no. Vogue, you need to redraft that shit so that the band and bodice can come together without tacking the band on like an afterthought. (Experiments proved that redrafting the pattern would be necessary for this to happen.)
-Your awkward cutting layout. Every piece of the dress needs to be cut on the fold; the layout requires you to fold the fabric in different directions for different pieces, essentially forcing you to place each piece individually and then refold for the next one. It would be far too easy to go astray here!
-Your poorly edited instructions. Explain this sentence to me, anyone, if you can: "Turn in front back opening edge along seamline; press." Further, explain to me why, if I am not totally misguided and mistaken, the instructions for making a lapped side zipper instruct you to do to the lining what you should be doing to the fashion fabric, and vice versa, so that the lining ends up lapped and the dress fabric ends up sitting there all confused and sheepish. It is lucky for you I had an invisible zipper handy, or we would have serious problems!
Anyway, those are my grievances. I am just glad we all survived this particular sewing project. But I don't plan on using this pattern again, even if I am pretty happy with how the dress turned out. "Pretty happy" is not worth all the cursing and seam-ripping that went into this one.
Posted by hilatron at 11:15 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack