I like to celebrate my failures as much as my wins. This shall henceforth be known as the BotR dress aka Better on the Rack. I thought I'd made a nice dress to wear to a bridal tea. I drafted a pattern from a lightweight cotton dress I own. I pulled out some, thankfully inexpensive, Anna Maria Horner voile. Much to my surprise, after one misstep judging the size of my arse, it fit. It fits well...
...if you're a hooker shooting a porno.
It seems I've inadvertently drafted a swinger's nightclub dress or maybe a negligee. Turns out this beautiful soft voile screams "let's get trashed and party" when made into a strappy halter dress. Who knew? Ummm... Happy Valentine's Day, Craig?
Back to the drawing board.
So why mention my failure? Indulge me. It was tricky reverse-engineering a dress. It was damn hard work aligning all those stripes. I worked hard concocting a lined bodice that gently cupped my (albeit tiny) bosom. I got the fabric wrong, but it seems a shame not to mention all that effort.
I wanted to try something new. I did. I failed. Now I'm going to retreat to the safety of purchased patterns with recommended fabrics. I've worked the Burda Theresa dress pattern to death now. I've had a few dress patterns suggested to me - Burda's Coffee Date, Sis Boom's Jamie and a few of the Victory patterns. I want something edgy and funky, and I'm now convinced it won't happen in this voile despite having 3-4 more meters of it on a bolt. Do you have a go-to pattern for dresses? Something fun, feisty and a wee-bit retro?
Maybe I should just slink back into something more comfortable like the gentle construction of 12" quilt squares?
You make me laugh like noone's business! I totally appreciate the effort you put forth and no way do I have a pattern to suggest - haven't sewn clothes for myself in a couple of decades. Nor do I intend to start now. How about we both continue with the quilting, but you still search for that perfect pattern too. I bet you find it!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a 'go to' dress! I'm interested in the Sis Boom Angie dress but I can't really find anyone else who has made it. From the pics on the cover, it's hard to tell what it would look like.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about the failure but you write about it so well, so funny! It sounds like the perfect valentines dress for home use. I have only ventured into kids clothes you're much braver then I!
ReplyDeleteLol. We've all been there. Too bad it didn't work out but you learned a lot in the process, I'm sure. I find I often learn more from my failures than my successes, which makes the failures into successes, right? Or am I just telling myself that because I'm a teacher and that's what teachers do...?
ReplyDeleteAnd hey, sexy nightie isn't all that bad? :-)
I usually end up making a style too big that makes me look like a sack of potatoes, too long or super frumpy. Such a PITA when you have spent so long on all the technical bits, I feel your pain! I would have thought Jamie Christina Miz Mozelle would suit you. Do like the Theresa pattern though
ReplyDeleteIt's great to show wins and losses, and you'll always make something better than this next time. I always think of self drafted dresses, and rarely follow through... so yay and I hope I take a plunge more and I don't care if I stuff up. Can you refashion the fabric?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should just slink back into something more comfortable like the gentle construction of 12" quilt squares?
ReplyDeleteHave I mentioned lately that I only do 2D... I'm just not ready to wear the "Dorky Homemade look" & that is what my result would be!
I have a vintage pattern shop on etsy (threelittlepeople) - some pretty funky patterns there... and they're cheap :)
ReplyDeleteDang - all that lovely fabric! That's why I sit paralyzed with fabric on shelves - though I've boughts lots for clothes. I'm too worried it won't be just right!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's rough, sorry it didn't work out. I've always liked that voile too. Thanks for posting, it's good to see that others have failures too! I made two dress last summer that I hated in the end because of poor fabric choices. I'm just going to cut them and re-use the fabric, eventually.
ReplyDeleteMy next dress will be the Colette Peony, I've seen such great versions of it on Flickr. I've also had good luck with the Jamie. Good luck on your next dress. Onward and forward! :)
Lol, oh dear! Still, I'm sure Craig will appreciate it :oD I did a couple of 50's style summer dresses last year, but they're more cotton fabric esque. Good luck with your hunt!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry your dress didn't work but at least you tried. And all that work just made you a better clothes sewer, even if the dress didn't turn out how you imagined.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for linking to the Julie dress. I always think I'll draft my own patterns but I never do...and the Julie dress is exactly what I'd draft if I ever got around to it. Now I don't have to!
Good luck on your next dress adventure!
This post is awesome. Plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteUgh! So frustrating when you have spent that much time working on the proper construction. However I reserve judgement until we have seen a picture... for lack of a better phrase, let's see it on your rack!
ReplyDeleteOMG, I was ROFLOL!
ReplyDeleteDang, it looks so pretty there on the floor. Well, it is Valentine's Day - lucky Craig ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy, you gave me a really good chuckle! How blooming annoying though!!! I also think the Miz Mozelle pattern might be "you". Also, I have a Gorman skirt that's black voile with a cotton lining and it's fantastic! It's similar to the Cynthia Rowley 2215 skirt so maybe you could have a look at that and try out the voile? I've posted about a few dresses including these if you're interested in some reviews.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. Tears are now falling from my eyes and my sides hurt.
ReplyDeleteMy go-to dress is Simplicity 2180 - http://amelieandatticus.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/simplicity-2180.html - I've made it 3 times now...it's just right...I am itching to get more Liberty to make another one!
ReplyDeleteI say, take off the bodice and make a slinky skirt out of it!
ReplyDelete