I have a thing for house dresses. I just love the old fashioned idea of them. Usually if we're going to clean our house, we put on our grubbies and a scarf over our hair and no makeup. Actually we look like WE need the cleaning! Add that to the dirty house and you've got a miserable picture!
Well, why not wear a pretty house dress? (is that one word or two?) Do your hair and makeup and wear some pretty (but comfortable) shoes! NOW tackle that bit of cleaning you need to do. And do some picking up and putting away - that's easy.
I know housecleaning is not the most glamorous job there is, but it brings great satisfaction. (and kills germs) So why not look good while doing it? I've decided to make some house dresses - that's what I'm calling them anyway. I'm sure they would be perfectly acceptable to wear outside the home as well. In fact, when I think of all the women I've seen at Walmart wearing their jammies - I'm pretty sure it would be acceptable to wear a house dress 'out'.
Pictures - (my dress form has a piece missing, the piece that holds it up to my height, so it looks like the hem of the dress is near the floor, which it is, but on me it's just right below the knee)
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| The whole dress on my short dress form (which is also smaller than me) |
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I've been reading Cool Couture by Kenneth King and am just finished the chapter where he talked about the use of piping on a dress, and how it can add so much. So, I decided to add the yellow trim, it's not piping, it's simply a strip of yellow, folded in half and inserted into the seam.
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| I also lined the dress. The dress itself is made from a Moda quilt shop fabric. 100% cotton. So I lined it with a white cotton. I simply placed the white piece on the green and treated it as one fabric. Except for the skirt lining. This is separate from the side seams and only attached at the waistline. I didn't have enough green to make it as long as I wanted, so I added the yellow ruffle to the skirt lining, so it would peek out from below the green hem. |
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| Closeup of the neck. They say wrap dresses are flattering for every figure. And it is, but my neckline gaps like crazy when I put it on. And yes, I did do a muslin of the top. I lengthened the top pieces 1" since I'm taller than the average bear, but I don't think that's the reason it gaps. I'm not sure why it gaps. |
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| In order to get my waistband to match the other side, I had to pin down this much of one side of the wrap. I had to pin the wraps where they cross, so I wasn't advertising the goods. And it was still gaping. I definitely had to wear another shirt underneath, but I didn't like the gaping, even with the sleeveless shell underneath. The only way I can think to fix this is to take out the waistband on the front. Got any great ideas? |
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All in all I'm pleased with the dress. It looks the way I wanted it to look, now I need to make it fit the way I want it to fit! Thoughts welcome! What was your first sewing project of the new year?
Karen,
ReplyDeleteThis is really a cute dress.....and you are right, that would be a lot more pleasant to look at in the grocery store or Walmart than pajamas, that I too have seen.
As for the gap, I have a lot of years into sewing and honestly this is a bit puzzling, although the only thing that comes to mind is instead of adding an inch to the top, perhaps making your waistband wider would work? I really am just guessing, but I get your frustration....
If you have to pin it, then put a snap where it works for you and so be it, but I get what you are saying...it shouldn't need one.
Now, I am off for a very busy day, but you can bet that your wrap will be on my mind all day, trying to figure this one out. LOL!!!!
~Louise
Thank you. I agree, I don't think adding the length to the bodice should do that, but....it's there! lol I'm going to hang it up for awhile and noodle it. It'll come to me when I least expect it! And maybe you'll come up with a super solution too! :)
ReplyDeleteI love it! I bet it looks great on you - other than the gap. :-) It's not at all the Cool Couture way to do it but I'd put a snap where it's gaping and be done with it. LOL Well, I can't honestly say I'd be done with it because I would refuse to let a dress "beat" me. Can't wait to hear the brilliant way you solve that problem!
ReplyDeleteWell, it has to be set aside for a bit, because if I kept working on it THEN, it would have been too frustrated to fix it correctly. So.... one of these days I will finish it, and 'problem solving as to the gap' is going on in the back of my mind. One day the solution will pop out! :)
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